[fblike] Gretchen Walch

Four months ago, I began reaching out to humanitarian organizations, looking for an opportunity to job shadow someone “making a difference in the world”. I was humbled and amazed when in response to my outreach; The Peace Corps invited me to spend two weeks, during the month of January, at the Peace Corps headquarters in Washington, D.C. From the outside looking in, I observed the inner workings of the Peace Corps to gain an understanding of how it functions as a whole. Through intriguing conversations with employees from all over the Headquarters, I was able to not only understand the Peace Corps’ work, but also, its unique community.

Upon meeting my first contact, I immediately appreciated the open, multicultural, and yet close knit environment of the Peace Corps. The community is rooted in a shared passion for service. Through conversation, it became evident the headquarters also connects to the government community. The Peace Corps is an accredited organization because it is a government organization. It has access to USAID, The State Department, and other partners in the government; all of which consistently work together to initiate change. This idea of collaboration extends to the non-profit and NGO partners, which are affiliated with the Peace Corps. These strategic partnerships open many resources, like the embassies, for volunteers. At the headquarters, Peace Corps employees can attend meetings with partners and add input on global issues. The Peace Corps’ community is what sets it apart from other organizations.

The acquaintances and friends I made at the Peace Corps were invaluable. I can extract many conclusions about humanitarian work and my future from these relationships. First of all, to understand Peace Corps Volunteers is to appreciate the diverse reasons for which everyone serves, and the humble, passionate, and focused person they become. Every returned volunteer I met said they left with a new perspective of themselves and their effect on others.

I asked many people for their perspective on the needs of communities around the world. I found that when driven by passion, each person finds their niche in service. I also discovered personally listening to each person’s focus; everything from gender development to sustainability to education, I gained knowledge about many areas of need. It is exciting to see there are many ways to link areas of development together. For example, being a teacher who empowers women, by teaching them how to maintain a cook stove, addressing at a minimum three areas: gender development, sustainability and education. I now understand each area of service and the importance of ensuring a balance of all areas within a community.

Looking forward, the perspective I gained could benefit any visitor. Personally, I gained knowledge that in order to be most helpful to others, following my passion throughout my education and acting as a citizen and advocate for diversity, will prepare me for this career. Everyone chooses a career path, understanding the path of others’ is what makes you effective in your goals and in that of a greater purpose. Gaining, not only an understanding, but an appreciation of the roles of each person in your workplace, helps you to become more efficient at your own work and increases your ability to contribute to the goals of the entire organization or company.

I have honestly been forever changed by my stay in Washington D.C. and by my time spent at the Peace Corps Headquarters. I am thankful for each acquaintance I made and hope I cross paths with the Peace Corps again, in the near future.

[fblike]Eleven Gatton Academy students presented their research at the Posters at the Capitol state research conference. The conference occurred at the Kentucky State Capitol building in Frankfort, KY.

The Academy students’ presentations represented a variety of STEM disciplines ranging from chemistry to biology to mechanical engineering. Chad Phillips, assistant director of admissions and external relations, said the conference gave Academy students the opportunity to share their research findings and learn about other academic disciplines.

“Poster at the Capitol was quite a unique conference. While some research conferences focus solely on one area of research such as chemistry, this conference allowed Academy students to see how research is conducted in multiple fields helping them to understand the interdisciplinary nature of research.”

Since the conference occurred at the state capitol, students were able to share their research findings with their state representatives and state senators. Furthermore, many Academy students took this opportunity to share stories from their Academy experience with their state officials.

The following is a list of the Academy students who participated in the event:

William Storrs, Covington, and William Johnson, Elkton, presented their research on Developing a Four-Rotored Radio Control Helicopter for Photography and Photogrammetry Applications with faculty mentor Joel Lenoir.
David Brown, Central City, presented Creation of Poly(3-hexylthiophene)-Functionalized Silsesquioxane Nanorods for Organic-Based Solar Cells with faculty mentor Hemali Rathnayake.
Ryan Gott, Bowling Green, presented Understanding the Haptic Response of Wood Finishes with faculty mentor Chris Byrne.
Lara van der Heiden, Carlisle, presented Mercury Analysis in Rafinesque Big Eared Bat Populations with faculty mentor Cathleen J. Webb.
Nitin Krishna, Corbin and Hannah Pennington, Union, presented Formulating Mathematical Models to Analyze the Treatment of Chronic Wounds with faculty mentor Richard Schugart.
Matthew Gonzalez, Brodhead, presented Antimicrobial and Antiangiogenic Drugs – Relevance in Biomedical Research with faculty mentor Rajalingam Dakshinamurthy.
Wayne Schmitt, Jeffersonville, presented Microbial Fuel Cells: Generating Electricity From Mud with faculty mentors Yan Cao, Wei-Ping Pan and Hou-Yin Zhao.
Melissa Smith, Guthrie, and Meghan Hall, Hustonville, will present Does Ecology Promote Sexual Dimorphism in the Pecos Pupfish (Cyprinodon pecosensis)? with faculty mentor Michael Collyer.

[fblike]The Gatton Academy is the U.S. Department of Energy’s West Kentucky Regional High School Science Bowl winner and will compete in the National Science Bowl April 25-29 in Washington, D.C.

The senior Gatton Academy team won the Feb 9 regional competition at the University of Kentucky Extension Campus at West Kentucky and Technical College, while the junior team made a strong showing winning two matches. Last year, the Gatton Academy teams placed second and third.

Members of the senior team included Jeet Parekh, Samuel Saarinen, Samuel Dong, Jon Biechele-Speziale, and Sibi Rajendran. Members of the junior team included Joseph Crafton, Patrick Osterhaus, Grace Babbs, Ajit Deshpande, and Aline Irihamye. Chad Phillips and Samuel Earls served as the team coaches.

Science Bowl is the A fast-paced, question-and-answer format similar to the Jeopardy TV game show tests teams of students in all areas of science and mathematics. It is the only educational event and academic competition that is sponsored by a federal agency.