View in browser | May 2020
For members of the Missouri S&T Order of the Golden Shillelagh
May 2020
S&T study abroad student Abigail Carr, who received assistance from the Miner Resilience Fund.
Building Miner Resilience with a safety net fund
S&T trustee and OGS member Joan Woodard, Math’73, gave to the Miner Resilience Fund for one reason: “When we are faced with a global crisis, we need all hands on deck to help.”
For trustee and OGS member, Mike Bytnar, ME’68, MS EMgt’73, it’s about hope. “The end of this semester has been devastating for students,” he says. “They need encouragement and support.”
In March, S&T established the Miner Resilience Fund to help with student emergency needs, support online program development and more.
“We continue to look for new ways to serve our students, not only to support their academic success but also to encourage their resiliency,” says Chancellor Mo Dehghani. “The Miner Resilience Fund is a bridge between the uncertainties of today and a stronger tomorrow.”
Trustee and OGS member Peggy Montana, ChE’76, believes that bridge is vital. “I worked my way through college with scholarships, a residence hall position and summer work,” she says. “The pandemic has taken away most of those opportunities for our students through no fault of their own.”
Read more about how the Miner Resilience Fund is helping students. Support resilience at giving.mst.edu. For S&T’s ongoing response to COVID-19, visit coronavirus.mst.edu.
Chancellor's virtual town halls connect the S&T family
Chancellor Mo Dehghani began hosting virtual town hall meetings in April to discuss the university’s continuing response to COVID-19. The town halls meet via Zoom and feature other university administrators including Cuba Plain, interim vice chancellor for finance and operations, Dr. Dennis Goodman, director of student health and chief medical officer, and Stephen Roberts, interim provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs. Visit the chancellor’s website to view town hall videos as well as questions and answers.
Making a difference for medical workers
Miners are meeting the COVID-19 challenge as innovators, problem solvers and manufacturers. Beginning in mid-March, a small group of students and faculty marshalled a dozen 3-D printers on campus and began fabricating masks and face shields for regional medical center Phelps Health and other local hospitals. So far, they have delivered more than 2,000 face shields and masks — and shared their prototypes with others nationwide via open-source software.
“The S&T prototypes were phenomenal,” says Phelps Health Director of Medical Research Casey Burton, Chem’13, PhD Chem’17, who, as research liaison between Phelps Health and S&T, reached out to his alma mater for help in response to the mask shortage.
“I’m very proud of the way our students and university responded to this critical need,” says Chancellor Mo Dehghani. “The rapid response and support for one of our important community partners typifies the true S&T spirit of innovation and ingenuity.”
A grassroots research effort makes The New York Times
An enterprising research project led by Yang Wang, S&T assistant professor of environmental engineering, landed in The New York Times on April 5. The article, “What’s the Best Material for a Mask?,” included Wang’s research on the effectiveness of masks made from household materials such as scarves and pillowcases. Wang and Ph.D. student Weixing Hao conducted testing with a device that measures aerosol particle size and concentrations, and shared their results on Twitter, attracting widespread interest. The researchers found that the best aerosol blocker among their test subjects was the filtration material in a household air filter, although they warned that this material (often fiberglass or polyester) could pose health risks. Wang, who won an international award for his research on aerosols last year, is continuing the study.
S&T Day kicks off 150th celebration at State Capitol
Miner pride — and memorabilia — filled the Missouri State Capitol rotunda on Feb. 25 when state and university officials, alumni and friends celebrated S&T Day at the Capitol on the 150th anniversary of the legislation that created the Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy. Speakers included University of Missouri System President Mun Choi, S&T Chancellor Mo Dehghani, State Auditor Nicole Galloway, Econ’04, Math’04, and S&T Student Council President Kaeden Kessinger, among others. Larry Gragg, Curators’ Distinguished Teaching Professor emeritus of history, served as master of ceremonies. Attendees participated in science demonstrations and toured an S&T pop-up museum following the ceremony. A campus kickoff for the 150th celebration is planned for Homecoming Weekend Oct. 16-18. Visit 150.mst.edu for more information.
S&T announces new athletics director
Missouri S&T will welcome Melissa Ringhausen as the new director of athletics in July. She succeeds Mark Mullin, director of athletics since 1992, who will retire in September after 35 years with the university. Ringhausen comes to S&T from McKendree University in Lebanon, Illinois, where she has been associate director of athletics since 2013 and previously served as women’s basketball head coach. Ringhausen earned a bachelor of arts degree in biology from Ottawa University and a master of science degree in education from the University of Kansas.
“We are very fortunate to have Melissa Ringhausen join us,” says S&T Chancellor Mo Dehghani. “Her track record of successful coaching and administrative leadership at McKendree in managing 34 sports and more than 800 scholar-athletes is exactly what we need to build on our success in Miner athletics.”
S&T launches Global Engineering Program
Future engineers who aspire to work globally have the option of a new Global Engineering Program starting this fall. Students in the program will earn two degrees simultaneously in five years: a bachelor of science in an engineering discipline and a bachelor of arts in multidisciplinary studies with an emphasis in language and culture.
“Giving our engineering students the opportunity to earn dual degrees provides them an even greater edge,” says Richard Wlezien, vice provost and dean of the College of Engineering and Computing. The program offers study abroad and language options in French and Spanish, with future plans to add German and Russian.
“S&T’s top-notch engineering education complemented with international experience will give our graduates a rich toolbox to use throughout their careers,” says program co-director Audra Merfeld-Langston, chair of arts, languages, and philosophy and associate professor of French. Learn more at globalengineering.mst.edu.
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