2011 – The Gatton Academy News

Gatton Academy among 21 Kentucky High Schools Selected for “Poetry Out Loud”

November 4, 2011 | Academics, News, People, Students | No Comments

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The Kentucky Arts Council has selected 21 high schools to participate in the state competition for the Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Contest sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. This is the seventh year of the program, which encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization and recitation.

The selected schools are:

School	City	County

Allen Co./Scottsville High School	Scottsville	Allen
Ballard High School	Louisville	Jefferson
Beechwood High School	Ft Mitchell	Kenton
Boyd Co. High School	Ashland	Boyd
Carroll Co. High School	Carrollton	Carroll
Fairview High School	Ashland	Boyd
Franklin Co. High School	Frankfort	Franklin
Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky	Bowling Green	Warren
Grant Co. High School	Dry Ridge	Grant
Greenwood High School	Bowling Green	Warren
Harlan Co. High School	Baxter	Harlan
Hart Co. High School	Munfordville	Hart
Hazard High School	Hazard	Perry
Heath High School	West Paducah	McCracken
Leslie Co. High School	Hyden	Leslie
Lone Oak High School	Paducah	McCracken
Mercer Co. High School	Harrodsburg	Mercer
Ohio Co. High School	Hartford	Ohio
Reidland High School	Paducah	McCracken
Russell Co. High School	Russell Springs	Russell
Western Hills High School	Frankfort	Franklin

Poetry Out Loud begins at the classroom level. Winners advance to a school-wide competition, then to the state competition and ultimately to the national finals. Last year, more than 300,000 students participated in the Poetry Out Loud program in 50 states, five U.S. territories and the District of Columbia.

The winner of the Kentucky state finals, to be held in March 2012 in Frankfort, will receive $200 and an all-expenses-paid trip with an adult chaperone to Washington, D.C., to compete for the national championship. The state winner’s school will receive a $500 stipend for the purchase of poetry books. The first runner-up will receive $100, with $200 going to his or her school library. The program culminates with the national finals in Washington, D.C., May 13–15, 2012. A total of $50,000 in awards and school stipends will be awarded at the national finals.

“We are very pleased to be able to continue this program. Our Kentucky champions have been finalists in the national competition in five of the six years of Poetry Out Loud,” said Lori Meadows, executive director of the Kentucky Arts Council. “Maybe the 2012 national champion will be a student from one of these 21 Kentucky schools.”

For additional information about Poetry Out Loud in Kentucky, contact Rachel Allen at rachel.allen@ky.gov or 502-564-3757, ext. 486. For a general overview of the Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Contest, go towww.poetryoutloud.org.

The Kentucky Arts Council, the state arts agency, creates opportunities for Kentuckians to value, participate in and benefit from the arts. Kentucky Arts Council funding is provided by the Kentucky General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts.

By Corey Alderdice

Academy Students, Alumni among WKU Biology Students Contributing Research to National DNA Database

November 4, 2011 | Academics, Alumni, News, People, Research, Students, WKU | No Comments

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Students in the WKU Biology Department’s Genome Discovery and Exploration class have contributed genomic research to the national DNA sequence database.

Students in the class isolate viruses from soil, purify the viral DNA, then sequence and annotate the viral genome. This unique hands-on, inquiry-based program is sponsored by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science Education Alliance and is designed to engage new undergraduates in the process of doing scientific research.

Through their efforts in this yearlong research experience, the participating students ultimately contribute new information to the scientific community.

Three newly discovered genomes characterized and annotated by the Genome Discovery and Exploration students were recently released by Genbank, the national DNA sequence database. The type of viruses that were isolated are called bacteriophages; viruses that specifically infect bacterial cells. The students named the newly discovered phages Backyardigan, TiroTheta9 andBarrelRoll.

“The characterization of new viral genomes provides insights into the diversity and evolution of bacteriophages which are the most numerous biological entities on the planet,” said Dr. Rodney King, associate professor of biology.

The WKU students who contributed to the annotation of the viral genomes are as follows (* denotes Gatton Academy student):

Bacteriophage Backyardigan (Released August 2011) — Courtney Howard* of Radcliff; Prasanna Parthasarathy of India; Ejike Anyanwu of Washington, D.C.; Kaitlyn Cole of Lawrenceburg; Karlee Driver of Lafayette, Tenn.; Elizabeth Farnsworth* of Burlington; Benjamin Howard* of Morehead; Brittney Howard* of Radcliff; Jordan Olberding of Oceanside, Calif.; Mackenzie Perkins of Hopkinsville; Heidi Sayre of Lawrenceburg; Tyler Scaff* of LaGrange; Sarah Schrader* of Bowling Green; and Cynthia Tope* of Burlington.
Bacteriophage TiroTheta9 (Released August 2011) — Sarah Schrader* of Bowling Green and Prasanna Parthasarathy of India.
Bacteriophage BarrelRoll (Released September 2011) — Benjamin Rice* of Somerset; Akhila Bethi of India; Lee Calvert of Albemarle, N.C.; Charles Coomer of Louisville; Andrea Eastes* of Mayfield; Erin Eaton of Crestwood; John Faughn of Bowling Green; Alex Gutierrez* of Mount Washington; Anthony Gutierrez* of Mount Washington; Samantha Hawtrey* of Union; George Jones of Central City; Mackenzie Jones of Campbellsville; Zimple Kurlawala of India; Taylor Leet* of Louisville; Lori Lovell* of Louisville; Kaysi Phillips of Nashville, Tenn.; Lori Shoup of Frankfort; Aaron Stolze* of Somerset; Erin Walch* of Alexandria; Eric Westerman of Sebree; Makka Wheeler* of Guthrie; Spencer Wright of Lexington; and Prasanna Parthasarathy of India.

The complete annotated genomic sequences can be viewed online at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/

Contact: Rodney King, (270) 745-6910.

By Corey Alderdice

Five Gatton Academy Seniors Recognized as National Semifinalists in 2011 Siemens Competition

November 1, 2011 | Academics, News, People, Research, Students, WKU | No Comments

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Five second-year students at WKU’s Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky have been recognized by the Siemens Foundation as national semifinalists in the 2011 Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology.

Five second-year students at the Gatton Academy have been recognized as national semifinalists in the 2011 Siemens Competition in Math, Science & Technology. (WKU photos by Clinton Lewis)

Keaton Smith, a senior from Alexandria, was recognized in the individual competition. Andrea Eastes, a senior from Mayfield, and Lydia Brothers, a senior from Madisonville, along with Lori Lovell, a senior from Florence, and Samantha Hawtrey, a senior from Union, were honored in the team category.

As the nation’s leading original research competition in math, science and technology for high school students, the Siemens Competition is administered annually by the College Board, and awards scholarships to students in both individual and team categories.

An all-time record 2,436 students nationwide registered to enter the 2011-12 Siemens Competition for an unprecedented 1,541 projects submitted. Approximately 300 semifinalists were recognized.

Reaching the semifinalist stage of this competition puts any student into an elite crowd of the nation’s top high school-aged researchers. To achieve this accolade, students each committed hundreds of hours outside their course schedules researching, writing their reports and refining drafts with their mentors.

Derick Strode, the Gatton Academy’s coordinator for research, internships and scholarships, said research not only serves as an important part of the Academy experience, but also is the springboard to future pursuits.

“Independent research allows motivated high school students a chance to explore a passion and try out a possible career path,” Strode said. “While young, these students are also proving they are ready to make serious contribution to research questions that affect our society.”

(more…)

By Corey Alderdice

Students Shift Gears in Transitioning to Life at the Academy

October 27, 2011 | News, People, Student Life, Students | No Comments

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by Rachel Metcalfe, Academy Avatar

Unlike any other high school experience, moving into a residence hall and taking challenging classes is what all the juniors and seniors at the Gatton Academy are asked to take on–two years earlier than expected. Along with this huge responsibility comes major change and some of the students share just what the transition means to them.

In terms of academics, the rigor of college classes seems to be at the top of everyone’s major transition list.

“I really like the challenging, unique, and different environment,” reports Hannah Pennington, a member of the Class of 2013.

Alonna Ballinger, who has been at the Academy only a couple of months, reflects on her time at the academy so far. Ballinger explained the support systems in place for students are extremely beneficial.

“I like that people are always around me that can help me with my work,” Ballinger said. “If I am ever in need of assistance, I can just ask any of my friends that I now live with, as opposed to having to wait until I got back to school to ask the teacher.”

Other major transitions that students noted include living with new friends, having a roommate, and managing their time effectively.

Cecily Allen, who is also a first-year student, said she really enjoys having complete independence to make her own schedule and figure out what works best for her. “Not having class from the normal eight to three every day is really nice,” Allen said.

Similar to the juniors, some seniors discussed how, although they are already accustomed to the academic lifestyle of the Academy, there are still transitions they are making.

Allie DeCarlo remarked that her biggest change has been both and mental and role shift in becoming a senior member of the student body. “I was really good friends with some of the seniors last year, and now that they have graduated and I am a senior,” she said. “I have had to transition into meeting and making friends with the new juniors.”

Overall, the students at the Gatton Academy are finding their own ways of adjusting to their new lifestyle, whether it be seeking out tutors for academic help, talking to Pokey if they are stressed, or making new friends to take a break and play Ping-Pong with. Each new school year brings new challenges, and the Gatton Academy students are stepping up to the plate, taking on those transitions as if they were simple derivatives.

By Corey Alderdice

Gatton Academy to Host Preview Weekend on November 5th

October 26, 2011 | Admissions, News | No Comments

The Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky will host a Preview Weekend at WKU on Nov. 5 for prospective students, their parents and educators.

Events will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Snell Hall on the WKU campus. Check-in begins at 9:30 a.m. in the building lobby with sessions kicking off at 10 a.m. in Snell Hall, room 2113. Activities for the day will also include campus and residence hall tours as well as parent and student question-and-answer panels.

Preview Weekends present a unique opportunity for prospective applicants and their families to meet with Gatton Academy students and their parents, visit the Gatton Academy’s location in Schneider Hall, and gain a better understanding of student life at the Gatton Academy. Topics will include the role of the ACT and SAT in the admissions process, research experiences, global learning opportunities, and qualities of a strong applicant.

Parking will be available in the Chestnut Street North parking lot. Click here for a WKU parking map.

Students may RSVP for the preview event online.

About the Gatton Academy

The Gatton Academy is a residential program for 120 high school juniors and seniors from Kentucky who have demonstrated talent and interest in pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Students apply during their sophomore year through a competitive admissions process. To date, students from 103 counties across the Commonwealth have been selected to attend the prestigious program.

The goal of the Gatton Academy is to enable Kentucky’s exceptional young scientists and mathematicians to learn in an environment that offers advanced educational opportunities, preparing them for leadership roles in Kentucky that will lead to economic growth. Housing, tuition and meals are funded by the Commonwealth at no cost to students or their family.

Instead of spending their junior and senior years in traditional high schools, Gatton Academy students take courses offered by WKU. At the end of two years, students earn more than 60 hours of college credit in addition to completing high school. Students live and learn with peers who share their enthusiasm and interest in learning.

In 2011, Newsweek magazine ranked The Gatton Academy fifth nationally among all public high schools part of their annual “America’s Best High Schools” listing.

Contact: Corey Alderdice, (270) 745-2971.

By Corey Alderdice

Academy Alumni Co-Author Findings in Journal of Chromatography B

October 24, 2011 | Academics, Alumni, News, People, Research, WKU | No Comments

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Congrats to alumni Camille Turner and Zach Laux on having their research findings they co-authored with faculty at WKU published in the Journal of Chromatography B. This journal publishes papers on developments in separation science relevant to biology and biomedical research including both fundamental advances and applications.

By Corey Alderdice

Academy Seniors Share Research at Argonne National Laboratory

October 24, 2011 | Academics, News, People, Research, Students, WKU | No Comments

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by Will Bickett, Academy Avatar

A group of second-year students at the Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky at WKU presented their physics research at Argonne National Laboratory’s Annual Undergraduate Symposium.

Will Bickett, Lydia Brothers, Andrea Eastes, Christian Jolly, and Ben Rice, along with a group of other WKU students were selected by the Department of Physics and Astronomy to share their findings.Students not only got the chance to tour the immense facility and see firsthand the ground-breaking research being done there, but also to give talks about their research and attend a variety of other presentations.

The Argonne National Laboratory is the oldest and one of the most prestigious of the nation’s research facilities. With its roots reaching back to the Manhattan Project, Argonne has been the birthplace of countless discoveries and marvels of human innovation. Since 1946, Argonne National Lab has vastly broadened its initiatives to include Hard X-Ray Sciences, Leadership Computing, Materials for Energy, Electrical Energy Storage, Alternate Energy and Efficiency, Electrical Energy Storage, Nuclear Energy, Biological and Environmental Systems, and National Security. The Laboratory also houses the Argonne Tandem Linac Accelerator System or (ATLAS) which is the world’s first superconducting particle accelerator and the Advanced Photon Source or (APS) which is a massive synchrotron X-Ray research facility that produces the world’s largest and brightest X-Rays.

“The APS was by far one of the most impressive research facilities I’ve ever seen,” said Jolly. ” The sheer amount and variety of research done was very inspiring to me as an upcoming astrophysicist. Surprisingly enough, I also really enjoyed the biology talks done at the conference. They were fascinating and very well done.”

Jolly wasn’t the only one who enjoyed the conference and the lab though. All the students vastly appreciated the opportunity to participate in an event at one of our nation’s most prominent research labs.

The trip was hardly all work and no play though. Students lived like Chicagoans and dined on Giordano’s famous Chicago-style stuffed pizza, Portillo’s Hot Dogs, and other fine Chicago favorites. As a reward for their excellent work in presenting on Friday, Students were set free in the Windy City on Saturday to be blown about and throughout. After being dropped off on Chicago’s number one tourist attraction or Navy Pier, Academy students bought Chicago Go-Cards and set out. Traveling by trolley, students rode in style through the crowded streets while listening to the bizarre and insightful facts provided by the fabulous tour guides. Students also ascended to the tops of both the sky-scraping Willis Tower and John-Hancock Building, placing themselves at the paramount of the famous Chicago Sky-line. Academy students, being typical nerds, finished up the day exploring the first planetarium built in the Western Hemisphere, Adler Planetarium, and the U.S.’s largest indoor aquarium, Shedd Aquarium.

When asked about the trip, Eastes added that the research and social experiences for the trip were “world class.”

“Argonne is world class facility where cutting edge research is taking place every day,” Eastes said. “Seeing where this is happening and learning about exciting research being done by other undergraduates while sharing my research was a fantastic experience. The icing on the cake was definitely having time to explore Chicago, visit places like the Hancock building, the skydeck, the shed aquarium, Navy Pier, Adler planetarium, and have pretty amazing trolley tours of the city.”

So if you ever find yourself with the chance to visit the Chicago area, be sure to stop by Argonne, you might need security clearance first though and check out those world class facilities. Also, swing by downtown Chicago and see the sights, but be sure to never ask for ketchup on your hot dog.

Visit these links if you want to learn more about:

The Argonne National Lab: http://www.dep.anl.gov/index.html

The Jeweler’s Building or other famous Chicago Architecture: http://www.chicagoarchitecture.info/Building/1064/35-East-Wacker-Drive.php

Adler Planetarium: http://www.adlerplanetarium.org/

Or Shedd Aquarium: http://www.sheddaquarium.org/

By Corey Alderdice

Students Encouraged to Apply for Kentucky Next-Generation Student Council

October 24, 2011 | Gifted Ed, News | No Comments

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In order to gain valuable feedback from Kentucky students and to engage student leaders in learning by doing, Commissioner of Education Terry Holliday has created the Next-Generation Student Council. This group will meet with the commissioner and Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) staff, both in person and virtually, to discuss how decisions made at the state level are affecting students throughout Kentucky and provide feedback – from a student perspective – on critical issues impacting Kentucky students and schools.

The Next-Generation Student Council is a year-long program for Kentucky public school students in grades 10-12. (NOTE: The members selected for the 2011-12 council will serve from January through June 2012 and will be eligible to reapply for the 2012-13 school year based on applicant criteria.) The council will play a vital role in providing input regarding issues that face education in Kentucky and work with KDE staff to develop ideas that will work to improve and transform education.

The council seeks students with refreshing ideas and thoughtful insight into how we can further improve our schools and student achievement. As such, we encourage students to apply who represent the diverse academic, geographic, demographic and school-size variables particular to our state.

Below are the application and FAQs for the council. Please read the FAQs prior to completing the application.Applications must be received no later than 4:30 p.m. ET, Wednesday, November 30.

A committee of KDE representatives will review and score all applications based on the answers provided to the questions. Appointments to the council will be based on how well the applicants communicated their ideas and goals. Then, 11 students will be selected for the council to serve during the 2011-12 school year.

Commissioner Holliday looks forward to getting to know this inaugural council and using the time together to generate results-oriented dialogue and solutions.

The application and supplemental FAQ file are available on the KDE Website.

By Corey Alderdice

First-Year Students Focus on Leadership, Personal Growth in Annual Retreat

October 17, 2011 | News, People, Student Life, Students | No Comments

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by Erin Walch, Academy Avatar

The first few weeks at the Gatton Academy are never easy.

Studying for new college classes, waking yourself up every morning, and figuring out that you will type the words class, new, if, and then in java programming more than you every thought are all challenges juniors at the Academy face. College as a high school junior was never expected to be easy, so each year, our hardworking junior class travels to Camp Loucon for a leadership retreat to broaden their perspectives and refresh their motivation. While at the two-day camp, juniors interact with Academy counselor Dr. Christopher “Pokey” Bowen and director Tim Gott on activities involving personality styles, leadership dynamics, goal-setting and relationship maturity.

The activities on Saturday consisted of a morning drive to Loucon, followed closely by icebreakers and a crash course in leadership with Tim in the seminar Exploring Leadership. During this session, students made index cards that best represented their interpersonal qualities and strengths.

Saturday afternoon, Pokey dove into the types of leaders each student discovered themselves to be in the Personality and Leadership Style seminar. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator was taken by the students to determine their personality styles, and from that information, learn about the types of leaders they could be. In groups, the juniors figured out the ways in which different types of leaders can work together effectively in a professional setting.

Pokey ended the day with a session titled Creating a Life Mission and Vision, which contemplated the struggles and triumphs every student is bound to face at the Gatton Academy. Students separated into groups and collaboratively produced headlines that represented a future goal or achievement they thought Academy students would embody in the future. Hopes of world peace and cures for cancer were among the headlines constructed by students. Later, each student brainstormed a personal mission statement that reflected their goals for the future, and gave them a chance to introspectively analyze themselves.

First-year student Lexi Sunnenberg enjoyed the planning aspects of the day. “My favorite part of the seminar was mapping out my goals for the future,” she said. “It really gave me a better sense of who I am and who I want to be; the seminar also really taught me to focus on myself and my goals, and to not worry about the opinions of others.”

The juniors ended the day with a massive game of zombie tag and a midnight walk to Lake Loucon with Tim. Both activities gave a chance for the students to bond over the shared experiences of the day and expend the pent up anxiety brewing from the first few weeks of classes.

Kesi Amira enjoyed this time to cut loose and relax, explaining the retreat was a good change of pace. “I appreciated having time to get to know other students without the pressure of classes, and enjoyed taking a break from the rapidity of daily life during Tim’s peaceful night walk.”

Wade Vierheller described the natural surroundings of Camp Loucon, of which a bit of peace and quiet was a big change from campus life. “I loved being around so much nature because it reminded me of home,” Vierheller said. “Campus is so loud all the time, so I really liked the quiet. In addition stargazing with Tim was really cool!”

Before leaving for the Academy Sunday afternoon, students spent the morning with Tim, discussing the growth and maturity juniors will begin to experience in the coming semesters at the Gatton Academy in the Exploring Relationships session.

For some juniors, this year’s leadership retreat was a release from the stresses of a newfound college life, but for others the trip to Camp Loucon provided insight into the traits and habits that make us unique leaders. Amidst the beautiful hiking trails and serene lakeside of Loucon, its evident this camp experience will provide lasting lessons and memories for the future.

By Corey Alderdice

Academy Executive Director Julia Roberts Receives State Group’s William T. Nallia Award

October 17, 2011 | Gifted Ed, News, People, Staff, WKU | No Comments

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Dr. Julia Roberts, executive director of The Center for Gifted Studies and the Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky at WKU, is the recipient of the Kentucky Association of School Administrators‘ 2011 William T. Nallia Award. She was presented with the award Oct. 14 at WKU by KASA’s Vice President Paul Mullins, principal at LaRue County High School, and President-Elect Rita Muratalla, principal at Zoneton Middle School (Bullitt County Schools).

The William T. Nallia Award honors an education leader who reflects the spirit of innovation and cutting edge leadership while bringing higher levels of success and learning to children. The award is named in honor of William T. Nallia, a KASA executive director from 1975-1986. Under Nallia’s leadership, the organization experienced tremendous growth and has since remained at the forefront of innovation in public education in Kentucky.

Dr. Roberts, the Mahurin Professor of Gifted Studies, is an influential figure in gifted education on a state, national and international level. She was awarded the 2011 Acorn Award at the Annual Governor’s Conference on Postsecondary Education Trusteeship, was named one of the 100 gifts WKU has given to the world, received the very first David W. Berlin Advocacy Award from the National Association for Gifted Children, and was named one of the 55 most influential people in the field of gifted education in Profiles of Influence in Gifted Education. She serves as treasurer of the World Council for Gifted and Talented Children and president of the Council for Exceptional Children—The Association for the Gifted. She has authored numerous articles, chapters, and books, including the Legacy Award-winningStrategies for Differentiating Instruction: Best Practices for the Classroom co-authored with Tracy Inman in 2009.

Dr. Roberts is also responsible for opening a state-funded residential high school for students gifted in science and math, The Gatton Academy. After 10 years of advocacy work, Dr. Roberts was able to open the doors and has welcomed her fifth class this fall. The academy was recently recognized in Newsweek as one of the nation’s top five high schools.

“Dr. Roberts is a servant leader who keeps her eye on the prize. She is an extremely talented individual who has been a force in helping many students in Kentucky succeed,” Wayne Young, executive director of KASA, said.

“Julia’s passion for gifted children drives her leadership vision. She communicates this vision gently, but persistently, with all she does and with everyone she meets. The kids come first,” Lynette Baldwin, executive director of the Kentucky Association for Gifted Education, said.

Representing nearly 3,000 education leaders, KASA has members in every school district in the commonwealth. KASA has been connecting education leaders to policymakers, legislators and other interest groups in addition to providing numerous benefits and services to Kentucky’s school administrators for over 40 years.

For more information, contact Abigale Piper at (502) 875-3411

By Corey Alderdice

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Year: 2011