College of Arts, Sciences, and Education
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Dear CASE alumni, faculty, staff and students,
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I trust this message finds you well and that the dawn of the new year and semester has ushered in a period of great promise and prosperity for each of you.
It brings me immense joy to extend my heartfelt congratulations to all the remarkable CASE students who proudly graduated last month. Your hard work and dedication have led you to this significant milestone, and your future is filled with boundless opportunities.
Additionally, I extend a warm and wholehearted welcome to our new and transfer students who have embarked on their educational journey with us this month. We are thrilled to have you as part of our academic community and are committed to supporting your growth and success.
As we embrace the new year, I am delighted to share the news that the College of Arts, Science, and Education has been the recipient of some truly generous gifts from our esteemed alumni and emeritus faculty members. These contributions are a testament to the enduring spirit of support and commitment that our extended CASE family holds for our institution. Here are a few notable examples:
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- Ron and Sue Olson's generous gift will provide vital support for the inaugural 2024 psychological science summer camp, enriching the educational experience of young students.
- Donald L. Packwood, Physics '63, MS Physics '65, established the “The Donald L. Packwood and Lona Lewis Packwood Memorial Scholarship in Physics,” with a $56,000 endowment, ensuring the continued advancement of excellence in physics education. The awards will be made to undergraduate or graduate students enrolled in the physics department.
- The philanthropic spirit of Michael and Emily Repperger shines through their generous gift, which will bolster the Teacher Education Gift Fund, furthering our commitment to shaping outstanding educators.
- We are deeply grateful to Gerald Wilemski, an emeritus professor of physics, for establishing “The Gerald Wilemski Graduate Research Fund in Physics” with his generous gift of $89,000. This endowment will support physics graduate program by providing summer stipends and bridge funding to deserving graduate students. Gerry’s dedication to the department's mission and continued success is truly commendable.
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I extend my heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of our generous donors for their unwavering commitment, spirit of giving, and dedication to the advancement of the College of Arts, Science, and Education. Your support plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of S&T, and we are profoundly grateful for your contributions.
As we embark on this new year and semester, I look forward to witnessing the continued growth and success of our students, faculty, and university. Together, we will continue to strive for excellence and make a lasting impact on our academic community and beyond.
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The next big thing
Glassiderm, a proposed alternative treatment for acne scars, developed by Jacob Ward, (pictured above) a senior in chemical engineering, Jayce Billington a junior in biological sciences, and Lacy Chapman a sophomore in biological sciences, won the $5,000 first-place prize in the university’s second annual Startup Challenge on Nov. 13.
The team was one of nine that pitched its concept and business model for a startup during the final round of the competition, which was co-sponsored by Kummer Student Programs and Career Opportunities and Employer Relations. All three students are members of S&T’s Biomedical Engineering Design Team, which was also well represented at last year’s Startup Challenge. Diane Butrus (1986 alumna and member of CASE Dean’s Advisory Council) served as a judge.
Air Force ROTC soaring high
Over this past year, S&T’s Air Force ROTC (AFROTC) cadets of Detachment 442 have demonstrated unwavering commitment to academic excellence and physical fitness, averaging a 3.46 GPA across all cadets and earning 10th place in regional standing, showcasing their academic prowess. Their average was sufficient to secure 36th place honors out of the nation’s 145 detachments, translating to a remarkable 24.8% ranking for GPA.
Where the Flying Miners truly showed their grit was in the physical fitness category, ranking 3rd place in the Northwest Region, surpassing not only all other AFROTC detachments in Missouri but also all units in the surrounding states. Taking their success to a national level, Detachment 442 continued to shine, achieving 9th position out of 145 detachments, marking an impressive 6.2% ranking. These accomplishments underscore Detachment 442's hard work and dedication during 2023, solidifying their reputation as a standout detachment among their national peers.
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Faculty profile: Dr. Michael Eze
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Dr. Michael Eze is an assistant professor of chemistry and leads the Metabolomics and Environmental Toxicology Laboratory at Missouri S&T. He is a recipient of two doctoral degrees: a Dr.rer.nat. (Doctor rerum naturaliumin) biology from Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Germany (2021), and a Ph.D. in analytical and organic geochemistry from Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia (2021). After receiving his dual-Ph.D.s, Eze spent 18 months as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Davis, conducting research in mass spectrometry and metabolomics before joining Missouri S&T in 2023. Read his full profile here.
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Faculty, student and alumni news
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Dr. Diana L. Ahmad, Curators' Distinguished Teaching Professor emeritus of history and political science, published two articles: "Prairie Dog Musings on the Overland Trail, But Not on the California Trail" in Nevada Historical Society Q Vol. 66 (2023) and "Travelers' Observations of Land and Sea Creatures on Their Journeys to the South Seas, 1880s-1910s" in The Hawaiian Journal of History Vol. 57 (2023).
Dr. Amy Belfi, associate professor of psychological science, was an invited speaker at an NIH workshop on Music and Health.
Dr. Akim Adekpedjou, professor of mathematics and statistics, spent his fall 2023 sabbatical at the Jean Kutzman Research Center of the University of Grenoble in France. He worked on three different projects with the Applied Statistics, Reliability, and Survival Analysis research group of the center, and initiated collaborative work with other researchers in actuarial science and spatial statistics, to continue after his return to the United States. Adekpedjou also gave seminar talks at various Universities in France and was invited to be a committee member of dissertation defenses. Adekpedjou’s sojourn at the University of Grenoble was supported by the prestigious National Center of Scientific Research of France.
Dr. Mehrzad Boroujerdi, CASE dean and professor of history and political science, published a review article in the Social Science Research Network. He was quoted in a Times Higher Education article on Iran opening branch universities in India and appeared on a German Deutsche Welle TV primer on the reasons behind the conflict between Iran and Israel.
Dr. Shannon Fogg, chair and professor of history and political science, served as the facilitator for the 2024 Jack and Anita Hess Faculty Seminar at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. The theme for the seminar was Jewish Responses to the Holocaust: Dispossession, Restitution, and Reconstructing the Home. The seminar is designed to help faculty, instructors, and advanced PhD candidates who are currently teaching or preparing to teach courses that focus on or have a curricular component relating to restitution, reparations, conceptions of home and the Holocaust.
Dr. Beth Kania-Gosche, chair and professor of education, received a $127,838 grant from the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development for a project titled “Missouri S&T Early Childhood Teacher Apprenticeship Planning Grant.” Kania-Gosche also received an additional $10,000 grant from the same entity for a project titled “Missouri Teacher Recruitment Scholarships.” This scholarship will be available every year to education student teachers placed in high-need schools. Here are comments from three current students on how being awarded this scholarship funding is helping them as they complete their final semester:
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- "This funding will help me achieve my dreams and help me to be a blessing in the school districts that I’ll be going!” June Brown, history with a secondary education emphasis.
- “The funding has helped me personally by allowing me to pursue my education further and not have to worry about having to pay for school at the same time. The funding has also helped me through allowing me to focus on the education of the students that I will be teaching as well. I am extremely grateful for this opportunity!” Courtney Kelley, psychology with a secondary education emphasis.
- “I am extremely grateful to have received this scholarship. It relieves a lot of stress for my last semester, especially as a student teacher." Hillary Hunter, biological sciences with a secondary education emphasis.
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Dr. Larry Gragg, Curators’ Distinguished Teaching Professor emeritus and University Historian, recently published “'The Very Lower Depths of Hatred and Bitterness:' The 1968 University of Missouri-Rolla and Southwest Missouri State College Basketball Melee” in the Missouri Historical Review Vol. 118, No. 2. In it, Gragg details the history of the rivalry between the two schools, as well as the students’ antics during the basketball game held at the Rolla High School gym.
Dr. Michael Eze, assistant professor of chemistry, presented a paper titled “Metabolomics predictors of vigor in citrus and their application to analyze therapeutic efficacy against Huanglongbing (HLB)” at the 5th Annual Metabolomics Association of North America (MANA) Conference in Columbia, Missouri. At the conference award dinner, Eze was awarded the MANA’s Early Career Travel Award. According to MANA, “this is a competitive award based on research that displays a high level of distinction.”
Dr. Jossalyn Gale, Writing and Communication Center director and assistant professor of English, Beth Reardon, CAFE instructional technologist and technical communication adjunct instructor, and Dr. Dan Reardon, vice provost of undergraduate education and professor of English, co-produced Ozark Actors Theatre’s 2nd annual production of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, adapted by Dan Reardon and Daniel Goff for the OAT stage. Performances were Dec. 7-17, 2023, with an additional performance for 6th graders at the Rolla Middle School on Dec. 18. The 6th graders had read Dickens’ novella for their Language Arts class and participated in a Q&A with the cast after the performance. Dr. Gale directed the 2023 production, Beth served as production manager and assistant director as well as performing the role of Belle Foster, and Dan performed the role of Ebenezer Scrooge.
Dr. Irina Ivliyeva, interim chair of arts, languages, and philosophy, and Curators’ Distinguished Teaching Professor of Russian, presented a paper titled “Promoting Personalized Feedback and Authentic Assessment with Canvas Tools” at the American Council of Teaching of Foreign Languages National Convention (ACTFL) in Chicago, Nov. 16-19, 2023. Her session focused on the critical importance of student-centered feedback on learners’ performance in a motivationally optimal manner and offered techniques for assessing student achievement that require application of acquired knowledge and skills to real-world situations, using Canvas Toolbox. A variety of classroom examples (strategic emails and announcements in the target language, auto-graded quizzes, instructor’s multi-modal grading comments, and surveys) demonstrated ways to personalize student language learning experience.
Dr. Vahe Permzadian, assistant professor of psychological science, published an article titled "Does the format of an assessment (closed book or open book) affect learning? A systematic review of the literature," in Teaching in Higher Education.
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Have alumni news to share?
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Share your stories with us at case@mst.edu. We love to hear and share news about your accomplishments. Also, please make sure to update your information on the Miner Alumni Association so that we can stay in touch with you.
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College of Arts, Sciences, and Education
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Missouri University of Science and Technology
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