Dear CASE students, faculty, and staff,
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Welcome to the new fall semester! The restive days of the summer have given way to the hustle and bustle of a new academic year and the campus is abuzz with the energy, enthusiasm, and creativity of our new and returning students.
As many of you know, our college witnessed some changes this summer due to the formation of the Kummer College of Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Development. Our renamed College of Arts, Sciences, and Education (CASE) is now made up of twelve units including air force ROTC, army ROTC, arts, languages and philosophy, biological sciences, chemistry, English and technical communication, global engineering, history and political science, mathematics and statistics, physics, psychological Science, and teacher education and certification. We currently have over 100 faculty members and offer a diverse array of more than 85 different academic options including certificates, minors, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees.
As part of an effort to enhance college-wide communication, we will publish a monthly CASE newsletter. The newsletter will contain information about the accomplishments (awards, grants, honors, patents, podcasts, publications, conference presentations) of our students, faculty, staff, and alumni as well as noteworthy information about interesting activities and developments (e.g., innovative teaching, community outreach, new academic options) taking place in the college. As you see in this inaugural issue there is a lot to celebrate in CASE. Each newsletter will also have a section titled “Worth Pondering” where we list recent articles and reports that may be of general interest. If you would like to share any good news about yourself or let others know about an interesting article, feel free to email my executive assistant, Megan Fowler, at roarkme@mst.edu, and we will include them in our monthly newsletters.
We also plan to publish an annual report for the college and update our website. Again, I would like to invite everyone to share their suggestions and ideas with us.
Wishing you all an enjoyable and successful semester.
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The role of a university is not simply to confer credentials but rather to impart learning. However, it is especially joyous when students earn their degrees and enter the ranks of our alumni. In summer 2022, CASE students graduated with the following degrees:
- 5 students earned bachelor degrees
- 2 students earned master degrees
- 5 students earned doctoral degrees
- 1 student earned an undergraduate certificate
- 1 student earned a graduate certificate
Congratulations to all our new graduates. Well done!
Several chemistry students presented their research at conferences this summer including Harmeet Bhoday, Joshua Isert, Nicole Moon, William H. Rice IV, Caitlyn Saiz, and Meenakshi Sharma.
CASE students Ingrid Winter (chemistry) and Alex Kickbusch (psychological science) completed internships at Brewer Science.
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Mehrzad Boroujerdi (Dean, CASE) received the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion’s 2022 Jack Shand Research Grant ($4,950) for a project titled “How Religious is Iran’s New Elite?” He was also quoted in Haaretz's story "Political Football: U.S. and Iran Prepare for Historic World Cup Match!” and Al-Monitor’s “Iranian government intensifies crackdown.”
Jessica Cundiff (associate professor, psychological science) and other colleagues from Missouri S&T (Colin Potts, Missouri S&T provost and executive vice chancellor of academic affairs; Richard K. Brow, interim deputy provost for academic excellence; Kathleen M. Drowne, special assistant to the provost for faculty development; and Robert J. Marley, the Robert B. Koplar Professor of Engineering Management) received a $1 million National Science Foundation ADVANCE grant to attract, retain and advance women faculty in STEM programs. Cundiff also received two additional awards: The State of Missouri Governor’s Award for Excellence in Education, and the Action Teaching Award from the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues for her work on the Workshop Activity for Gender Equity Simulation.
Kate Drowne (professor, English and technical communication) has been named special assistant to the provost.
Daniel Fischer (associate professor, physics) received a $493,565 grant from the National Science Foundation for a project titled “Coherent Control and Analysis of Atomic Multi-Photon Processes.” The period of performance is from July 15, 2022, to June 30, 2025.
Shannon Fogg (professor, history and political science) published “The Effects of the German ‘Occupation’ on Relief Work in Unoccupied France” in Negotiating the Nazi Occupation of France: Gender, Power, and Memory (Center for Basque Studies, University of Nevada, Reno).
Rainer Glaser (professor, chemistry) began serving as interim vice provost of graduate education on July 1.
Daozhi Han (assistant professor, mathematics and statistics) received a $152,848 grant from the National Science Foundation for a project titled “Efficient Hybridizable Discontinuous Galerkin Methods for Phase Field Fluid Models.” The period of performance is from August 15, 2022, to July 31, 2025.
Ulrich Jentschura (professor, physics) and co-author Gregory S. Adkins (Franklin & Marshall College) published a new book titled Quantum Electrodynamics: Atoms, Lasers, and Gravity (World Scientific, 2022).
Alanna Krolikowski (assistant professor, history and political science) was quoted in The Wire China in a story about diplomacy and the politics of outer space.
Clair Reynolds Kueny (associate professor, psychological science) has been named the interim chair of psychological science.
John McManus (Curators’ Distinguished Professor, history and political science) earned the Army Historical Foundation’s Distinguished Writing Award in the category of Operational/Battle History for his book, Island Infernos: The US Army’s Pacific War Odyssey, 1944.
Melanie Mormile (professor, biological sciences and Associate Dean for Research and External Relations at CASE) received a $13,561 grant from the Brookside Capital LLC for a project titled “Investigations into the use of Halanaerobium hydrogeniformans to produce industrially relevant fermentation products.” The period of performance is from July 1, 2022, to August 31, 2022.
Susan Murray (professor, psychological science) has been named the acting vice provost and dean of the newly formed Kummer College.
Dan Reardon (associate professor, English and technical communication) has been named the interim vice provost for undergraduate education.
Michael Schulz (Chancellor’s Professor, physics) received an additional $115,116 grant from the National Science Foundation for a project titled “Coherence Effects: A Sensitive Tool to Study the Few-Body Dynamics in Simple Atomic Systems.” This award, with this amendment, now totals $387,872 and expires August 31, 2023.
Kate Sheppard (associate professor, history and political science) published a new book titled Tea on the Terrace: Hotels and Egyptologists' Social Networks, 1885-1925 with Manchester University Press.
Lia Sotiriou-Leventis (professor, chemistry) has been named the new chair of chemistry.
Kristine Swenson (professor, English and technical communication) was a visiting scholar at the Summer Research Institute hosted by Harris Manchester College at Oxford University.
Philip Whitefield (Chancellor’s Professor Emeritus, chemistry) received a $202,846 grant from Georgia Institute of Technology for a project titled, “Lowering Emissions and Environmental Impact from Civil Supersonic Transport.” The period of performance is from August 15, 2022, through August 14, 2025.
Yanzhi Zhang (associate professor, mathematics and statistics) received an additional $110,885 grant from the National Science Foundation for a project titled “Fractional Viscoacoustic Wave Equations: Mathematical Analysis, Efficient Simulations, and Applications to Full-Waveform Inversion of Seismic Data.” This award, with this amendment, now totals $300,000 and expires June 30, 2023.
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Introducing and celebrating our outstanding CASE staff.
Nancy Winterburg (biological sciences): At Staff Appreciation Day in May, Nancy was presented a Staff Excellence Award for her contribution to the university, especially regarding student support. Nancy was highlighted as one of the most valued members of the department and the go-to person for any student need. As a Staff Excellence Award winner, Nancy received a certificate and monetary prize provided by the chancellor.
The following two new staff members have joined the CASE Dean’s Office:
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Leanna Miller: A transplant to Rolla from Clark County, Missouri, Leanna grew up a farm girl and is now mom to three teens (and a German Shepherd). She enjoys fiber arts and the outdoors activities that living in the Ozarks has to offer. Leanna earned bachelor of science degrees in psychology and anthropology from Missouri State University in 2004. She is especially pleased to join CASE to help support the students, staff, and faculty of the college because it is a warm and welcoming community of folks from all over the globe.
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Megan Fowler: Megan grew up in the St. James area and has been with the university since 2018. After her husband’s military career ended, she knew S&T was her top choice of employer. Megan has one daughter, Isabella, age 2, and one fur baby, a dachshund named Loki. Megan’s S&T career started in the electrical and computer engineering department, where she supported the graduate program. She grew into the administrative support role for the department chair before transitioning to the CEC Business Service Center when it was formed in early 2021. She currently serves as the Missouri S&T Staff Council President. Megan is excited for the opportunity to join her dad’s (Shannon Roark, staff member in the chemistry department) old stomping grounds on the CASE side and looks forward to forming connections with staff, faculty, and students.
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Curtis Laws Wilson Library will be hosting the Americans and the Holocaust exhibition Sept. 18-Oct. 22. A number of CASE faculty members, including Shannon Fogg, John McManus, Petra DeWitt, and Larry Gragg, will deliver public lectures during the exhibition. Add the event to your calendar.
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Consider making a gift, in any amount, to the College of Arts, Science, and Education to support the dedicated teaching and impactful research that is done by our faculty and students daily. Click here to contribute.
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College of Arts, Sciences, and Education
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118 Fulton Hall, 301 W. 14th Street, Rolla, MO 65409
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Copyright 2022, Curators of the University of Missouri
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