College of Arts, Sciences, and Education
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Dear CASE alumni, faculty, staff and students,
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On Friday, March 14, the city of Rolla was struck by a powerful tornado that left a trail of destruction in its wake. Many members of our community – including students, faculty, staff and city residents – faced significant hardships, from extended power outages to damaged homes and property. In the face of this adversity, the Rolla community demonstrated remarkable resilience, compassion and solidarity. The way people came together – offering helping hands, warm meals, temporary shelter and emotional support – was a powerful testament to the strength of our community’s moral fabric.
I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who contributed to the recovery efforts. Whether you helped with cleanup, prepared food for others, opened your home, or simply offered a listening ear or a comforting presence, your kindness made a difference. You reminded us all that even in difficult times, we are strongest when we stand together.
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1870 minutes of giving in April
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Celebrate 1870 minutes of giving – join us for S&T Giving Days!
Join us for S&T Giving Days on April 10-11! In honor of our founding year, we’re aiming to raise support over 1,870 minutes of giving — a tribute to our rich history and an investment in the future. A gift of just $18.70 is all it takes to make a meaningful difference for the students and leaders of tomorrow.
Here’s how you can make an impact:
Every gift makes a difference. Whether large or small, your donation plays a crucial role in building a brighter future for Missouri S&T.
Support the College of Arts, Sciences, and Education. As a vital unit on campus, your support for CASE helps ensure continued growth and success for students in this college, fostering the development of future leaders, educators and innovators.
Help spread the word. Encourage others to join in to unlock challenge gifts and help CASE reach its fundraising goals.
How to get involved:
Between 10 a.m. Thursday, April 10, and 5:10 p.m. Friday, April 11, visit our Giving Days website when it goes live to make your gift. Whether you’re giving $18.70 or $1,870, your participation is part of the collective effort that will shape the future of Missouri S&T.
Ready to be a Giving Days ambassador for CASE?
Email Megan Fowler at roarkme@mst.edu.
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Harshit Agarwal, a senior in physics, was one of two students who won first place at S&T’s Micro Grand Challenge. He presented his winning project, named “Regenerative ICCCC,” which focuses on using a regenerative system that integrates photocatalyst, a set up that refreshes itself while using light to speed up reactions and bacteria for CO2 capture and conversion.
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Education alumni Tanner Beistel, Edu'24, (pictured center, top photo) and Bailey Poncia, Edu'22, (pictured center, bottom photo) were both honored as Outstanding Beginning Educators by the Missouri Association of Colleges of Teacher Education at their state conference in February. Beistel is currently a third grade teacher at Mark Twain Elementary in Rolla, and Poncia is a middle school math teacher at Waynesville Middle School and a high school color guard coach.
Congratulations to Aiden Pickett, newly elected student council president. Pickett is a dual major in psychological science and computer science, with a minor in bioinformatics and a certificate in neuroscience. He works as a research assistant in Dr. Daniel Shank and Dr. Casey Canfield’s laboratory, focusing on explainable artificial intelligence for kidney transplants. He also serves as a resident assistant and a KMNR DJ. As president, Aiden plans to improve campus communication, increase transparency, and foster stronger collaboration between student organizations and Student Council. He also serves on the CASE Student Advisory Board and is part of one of two Missouri S&T teams that advanced to the semi-finals of the Global Health Innovation Grand Challenge, competing for $250,000 in funding.
The Foundation for Undergraduate Mathematicians and S&T's mathematics and statistics department hosted an (early) Pi day event on with pi-related activities and free pi(e). Kristin Nyenhuis, a senior in applied mathematics, won the pi memorization contest, reciting 51 digits of pi.
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Dr. Greg Tschumper grew up in southeastern Minnesota and went to college about 30 miles from the family farm. He earned his bachelor’s degree at Winona State University, where he pursued majors in chemistry and mathematics. After being introduced to quantum chemistry research at the University of North Dakota, Tschumper went on to graduate school at the University of Georgia, where he obtained his Ph.D. in chemistry. Read more about his career.
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The Physics Learning Center (PLC) is an open, student-centered learning environment that encourages active learning and collaboration between the students. Part of Missouri S&T’s LEAD program, it offers academic assistance in all introductory and many upper-level physics courses. Read more about the PLC and how it serves physics students.
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Dr. Amy Belfi, associate professor of psychological science, has been named a Kummer Impact Professor in recognition of her groundbreaking research and scholarly contributions.
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Dr. Martin Bohner, Curators' Distinguished Professor of mathematics and statistics, in the photo above on sabbatical, recently delivered a keynote address at the Fourth International Conference on Mathematics and Statistics (ICMS25), held at the American University of Sharjah in the UAE. Prior to that, he gave an invited talk at the ICMC Summer Meeting on Differential Equations in São Carlos, Brazil, and presented a colloquium lecture at the Universidade de Brasília.
Dr. Mehrzad Boroujerdi, dean of CASE and professor of history and political science, published a book chapter titled “Second Supreme Swapping: Prospects for Leadership Change in Iran” in Political, Cultural and Social History of Iran: Essays in Honor of Ervand Abrahamian.
Dr. Michael Bruening, professor of history and political science, published an article in The Conversation titled "500 years ago, German peasants revolted – but their faith that the Protestant Reformation stood for freedom was dashed by Martin Luther and the nobility." The story was redistributed by NewsBreak, SmartNews, AlterNet, the Religion News Service and ArcaMax. He also published "André Zébédée as the 'Worthless Fellow' of John Calvin's Calumniae nebulonis: Three Lost Texts of the 1554-1555 Predestination Disputes" in volume 56 of the Sixteenth Century Journal.
Dr. Irina Ivliyeva, chair of arts, languages, and philosophy and Curators’ Distinguished Teaching Professor of Russian, was a participant at the American Association of Teachers of Slavic and East European Languages (AATSEEL) National Conference, held Feb. 20-23. She contributed to two roundtables: “Uncovering the 'Hidden Curriculum' of Graduate School” and “Connecting the Teaching of Russian with Professional Domains Beyond the Humanities.” In addition, Ivliyeva chaired the panel “Teaching the Sounds and Gestures of Russian: Listening for Sound and Signs” and co-chaired “Future of the Field: Strategies for Endurance and Growth.”
Samuel “Bo” Mahaney, lecturer in history and political science and director of S&T Policy and Armed Forces Research and Development Institute, published an article in The Conversation titled “Trump’s firings of military leaders pose a crucial question to service members of all ranks.”
Dr. Shelley Minteer, professor of chemistry and director of the Kummer Institute Center for Resource Sustainability, was an invited panelist at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Roundtable on Trust in Science.
Dr. Vadym Mochalin, associate professor of chemistry, and his collaborators recently published a paper in Nanoscale, a journal of the Royal Society of Chemistry, showcasing a discovery in the chemistry of 2D transition metal carbides (MXenes). Building on Mochalin's prior research, the study reveals the dynamic and highly reactive nature of MXenes under ambient conditions – an insight that opens new avenues for their application in chemistry and materials science. The article is featured in the themed collection MXene Chemistries in Biology, Medicine, and Sensing.
Dr. Justin Pope, assistant professor of history and political science, has published a new book titled Dangerous Spirit of Liberty: The Politics of Slaves and Rebels in Colonial America and the West Indies, 1688–1748. In this work, Pope explores a little-known period of slave unrest that extended from the Caribbean islands to New York City. Drawing on research, he uncovers the hidden political movements that fueled this resistance, as enslaved Africans and African Americans sought to unite their communities against the brutality of slavery. Through elections, protests, and widespread rebellions, they fostered and shared a “dangerous spirit of liberty” across Colonial America.
Dr. Ross Channing Reed, lecturer in arts, languages, and philosophy, presented a paper titled “Leisure, Recreation, Addiction, and the Techno-Precarious Performance Society” at the 7th International Conference on Philosophical Counseling and Practice.
Dr. Kathleen Sheppard, professor of history and political science, gave a series of talks during Women’s History Month, highlighting her expertise in the history of women in Egyptology. On March 6, she spoke at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Women’s Center, followed by a March 10 guest appearance in a politics and prose online course titled Women Breathing the Air of the Pharaohs. She gave a virtual lecture for Butler County Community College’s faculty seminar on March 18 and presented at the Curtis Laws Wilson Library on March 20. On March 24, she spoke at Creighton University about Amelia Edwards' 1889–90 U.S. lecture tour, and on March 29, she delivered a talk at the University of Pennsylvania to the Pennsylvania chapter of the American Research Center in Egypt on the history of the university museum’s collection. Sheppard’s Women in the Valley of the Kings was featured in Sunset Magazine's "16 Biographies to Devour During Women's History Month (and Beyond)."
Dr. Pablo Sobrado, the Richard K. Vitek/FCR Endowed Chair of Biochemistry in chemistry, received funding from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture in collaboration with Virginia Tech faculty. The work focuses on the “Characterization of the Last Metabolic Step in Poison Ivy Urushiol Biosynthesis” and has been funded in the amount of $85,631. Sobrado also published a paper in Insect Molecular Biology describing the mechanism of Aedes aegypti (diseases transmitting mosquito) insecticide resistance.
Dr. Klaus Woelk, associate professor of chemistry and CASE’s associate dean of academic affairs, received a $10,000 contribution from the Corrective Asphalt Materials Company for the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Development Fund.
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Disclaimer: CASE does not endorse the viewpoints presented in the essays featured in this section of the newsletter. We share these essays purely as "food for thought" and encourage our informed audience to independently evaluate and form their own opinions on the topics discussed.
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College of Arts, Sciences, and Education
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Missouri University of Science and Technology
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