College of Arts, Sciences, and Education
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Dear CASE alumni, faculty, staff and students,
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Research has often been described as “formalized curiosity.” Driven by this curiosity, academic researchers begin by asking questions and exploring possibilities — sometimes down paths that lead to dead ends, but always in pursuit of deeper understanding. Over time, their questions evolve into insights, and those insights drive progress: educating minds, fueling innovation and shaping policy. The entire academic enterprise rests on this persistent pursuit of knowledge.
In the College of Arts, Sciences, and Education, our faculty embody this spirit of inquiry. Each year, they produce an impressive body of work — on average, seven books, 13 book chapters and more than 210 journal articles. You can explore some of their recent books here. In addition, our faculty submit over $40 million in research proposals annually and secure approximately $9 million in grants to support their work.
Our undergraduate and graduate students also play a vital role in advancing the college’s research mission, contributing fresh ideas and energy to a thriving intellectual community.
As dean, I cannot express enough gratitude to our faculty and students for their outstanding research contributions. Their dedication not only strengthens our college but helps shape a better future for us all.
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Physics graduate student, Logan Sowadski, successfully defended his master’s thesis "Critical Behavior of the Diluted Quasi - One-Dimensional Quantum Ising Model". His advisor is Dr. Thomas Vojta, chair and professor of physics.
The research of Margaret Taiwo, a Ph.D. candidate in chemistry, was featured in an article on St. Louis Public Radio.
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Learning history through camping
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One of the most popular summer camps this June was a four-day World War II Reenactment Camp. By day, students brought history to life by recreating key battles from the Normandy Campaign across the old golf course, guided by reenactors in authentic uniforms and supported by dramatic pyrotechnics. A bit of mud and rain only added to the adventure. Campers immersed themselves in history while gaining insights into strategy, leadership, and teamwork — all while having a blast. Evenings offered a chance to unwind with WWII films, themed board games, and engaging historical discussions. This year, 30 campers participated, and camp leader Dr. Chris Ketcherside, assistant teaching professor of history and political science, is excited to welcome even more next year.
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Your gifts support the college
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Richard D. Thom, Phys’67, has established the Richard and Linda Thom Endowed Scholarship fund for undergraduate students in Physics with a $212,000 gift. Acknowledging the lifelong impact of his own University of Missouri-Rolla degree, Thom hopes to impact student success, encourage growth in numbers of female students and influence the retention and expansion of physics knowledge in Missouri and the United States. After obtaining his bachelor’s degree, Thom went on to earn a master’s degree from UCLA. He spent the lion’s share of his career working at Hughes Aircraft Corporation in southern California before retiring from Raytheon in 1999. He and his wife Linda, now deceased, relocated to Coupeville, WA, where he continues to enjoy ‘island life’ on Whidbey Island northwest of Seattle.
Michael, CompSci'97, and Emily Repperger have donated $22,081 to the education department to support student teachers through scholarships. Student teaching, the final semester of the program, requires students to work full-time in unpaid internships under the supervision of experienced teachers.
Support CASE through Gift and Estate Planning
Legacy gifts help you meet your current philanthropic goals, explore creative gifting strategies and extend your generosity well into the future, making it possible for you to have a significant impact on S&T without affecting your finances during your lifetime.
They can also help protect your assets, provide for your family, and ensure a lifetime of income. For more information about this type of giving, visit S&T's Gift and Estate Planning site or contact University Advancement at 573-341-4944, and staff can answer any questions and guide you through the process.
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National security policy students share work
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In the new national security policy course, Samuel "Bo" Mahaney, lecturer in history and political science at S&T, had his students produce a document on what national security leaders should consider for best practices, focusing on what they call a "Global Stability Approach." You can read the students' paper online.
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Dr. Mehrzad Boroujerdi, CASE Dean, gave a lecture on “Nepotism in the Islamic Republic” at UCLA (June 1) and was interviewed by a host of media outlets including BBC Radio World Service (June 19), BBC TV News (June 19), Deutsche Welle (June 14), Financial Times (June 19 and June 24), NPR (June 21), Haaretz (June 22), El Mercurio newspaper (Chile), Adnkronos news agency (Italy), L’Orient-Le Jour newspaper (Lebanon), and various Persian language media outlets on the conflict between Iran and Israel.
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Dr. Ryan Cheek, assistant professor of English and technical communication, has published a new book chapter (pictured above) in Tactical Approaches to Technical Communication: Reimagining Institutions, Transforming Society (SUNY Press). In Chapter 14, “Hospitality at the End of the World,” Cheek analyzes how online doomsday prepping communities—specifically The Prepper Journal—combine survival advice with political messaging. The chapter explores how these communities define who is welcomed in a post-disaster world and who is excluded, showing how technical communication can quietly reinforce ideological boundaries. Drawing from rhetorical and cultural analysis, the work sheds light on how prepping is about more than just gear and readiness—it’s also about identity, power and the politics of who belongs when things fall apart.
Dr. Gerald Cohen, professor of German in arts, languages, and philosophy, has published a paper suggesting that the ancient Greek writing system known as Linear B contained an Egyptian hieroglyphic component: "Reflections on Linear B, part 11: Linear B sign 55 and the Ancient Egyptian wish for an eternity of life or rule." Comments on Etymology, vol. 54, no. 8, (May 2025), 13 pages.
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Dr. Shannon Fogg, chair and professor of history and political science, published a chapter called "'The Fragile and Luminous Beauty of Paris:' The French under Nazi Occupation" in The Routledge Handbook of the History of Paris since 1789, edited by Kory Olson, Amanda Shoaf Vincent, and Erin-Marie Legacey (pictured above). The book examines Paris' history both thematically and through specific case studies. The authors explore how Paris has been imagined, constructed and mythologized from the outside – by tourists, immigrants and those separate from the circles of power, as well as from within – by political, administrative and cultural institutions.
Dr. Margret Grebowicz, Maxwell C. Weiner Distinguished Professor of Humanities/Professor of Philosophy, published two pieces of public scholarship--an opinion essay about job interviews in Inside Higher Ed, and a reported article about Big Bend National Park in Sierra Magazine. Grebowicz leads the CASE Public Scholars Network, funded by the Weiner Endowment for the Humanities.
Dr. Yue-Wern Huang, professor of biological sciences, and Dr. Hu Yang, Linda and Bipin Doshi Chair and professor of chemical and biochemical engineering, are co-corresponding authors of a paper titled “Highly adaptable dendrimer gel nanoparticles with dual-targeting of uPAR and ribonucleotide reductase R2 for better retention and improved therapeutic outcomes in triple-negative breast cancer” in ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces (impact factor=8.5). The study used highly versatile dendrimer nanoparticles for targeted delivery of an antisense oligonucleotide to improve therapeutic outcomes in triple-negative breast cancer. The unique feature of this delivery system is that not only does it kill cancer cells, but it also kills stromal cells in the cancer environment. The first author, Hsin-Yin Chuang, received her master’s degree in biological sciences and is a Ph.D. student in biomedical engineering. She is co-advised by Huang and Yang.
Dr. Irina Ivliyeva, chair of arts, languages, and philosophy and Curators’ Distinguished Teaching Professor of Russian, has been awarded a 2025 Title VIII Associateship at the Summer Research Laboratory (SRL) at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. This competitive award includes travel funding, campus accommodations and a research stipend. As an SRL associate, she will receive support from the Slavic Reference Service and access to extensive digital and database collections. Additionally, Ivliyeva was recognized by the ACTR/AATSEEL Bridge-Building Mentorship Committee for her contributions during the 2024–2025 academic year. As a mentor, she provided individualized guidance in teaching, curriculum design, and leadership in Russian language and culture.
Dr. Shelley Minteer, director of the Kummer Institute Center for Resource Sustainability and professor of chemistry, has been awarded a $522,066 grant from Arzeda Corporation for her project titled “Ideas Lab: CFIRE: Electricity-Driven Cell-Free Cascades.” In addition to this funding, Minteer has received the 2026 Manuel Baizer Award from the Electrochemical Society, recognizing her exceptional contributions to organic and biological electrochemistry. She also delivered the plenary address at the Engineering Biology Solutions for Energy and Power Challenges conference, held on June 3, 2025, in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Dr. Shun Saito, assistant professor of physics, lead a cosmology group which participated in the Hobby-Eberly Telescope Dark Energy Experiment (HETDEX) collaboration meeting at University of Texas at Austin in May 2025. Saito is the chair of HETDEX cosmology scientific working group and served as the scientific organizing committee chair. Postdoc Dr. Hasti Khoraminezhad and graduate student Deeshani Mitra gave talks on their HETDEX-related work.
Dr. Ann Schlotzhauer, assistant professor of psychological science, published an article in Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology titled "From idea to action: Defining and measuring voice implementation."
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Dr. Michelle Schwartze, associate teaching professor of education at Missouri S&T, developed and led a summer camp (campers pictured above) titled Light in Our World, held from June 2–6. Designed for students entering first through third grades, this camp was the first of its kind offered by the Kummer Center for STEM Education at S&T for early elementary students. The program was based on the Project Lead the Way Launch module, Light: Observing the Sun, Moon, and Stars. Throughout the week, students engaged in hands-on STEM activities, including building models of playground structures designed to protect against UV rays. They also constructed sun trackers to observe the sun’s movement, created moon phase models using Oreos, and explored the night sky inside an inflatable planetarium. The camp offered young learners a dynamic and engaging introduction to scientific observation and exploration.
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Dr. Agnes Vojta, (pictured above) teaching professor of physics, has published a new poetry book titled “Love Song to Gravity.” A book release event is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday, July 15, at the Public House Brewing Co., located at 600 N. Rolla St. in Rolla. Earlier this year, Vojta was selected as the featured poet for this year’s edition of Cave Region Review, published by North Arkansas College.
Dr. Dave Westenberg, Curators’ Distinguished Teaching Professor of biological sciences, presented two posters and delivered a short talk at the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) Microbe 2025 conference, held in Los Angeles from June 19–23. One poster highlighted a collaborative project with nuclear engineering students, focusing on the microbiology of the S&T nuclear reactor pool. The second poster and accompanying presentation honored Fanny Angelina Hesse on the 175th anniversary of her birth. This work aimed to raise awareness of Hesse’s contribution to microbiology—introducing agar-agar as a solidifying agent in culture media, a practice that remains foundational in the field today.
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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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