Even though the space shuttle program has only four missions left and the U.S. space program is facing an uncertain budgetary future, NASA astronaut Terry Wilcutt urged students at WKU to keep reaching for the stars.
The seemingly impossible challenge of missions to the moon or Mars “takes the best the country has to offer,” Wilcutt told a group of students at the Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky. “That’s you.”
Later that afternoon, first-year student Syndey Combs has the opportunity to chat one-on-one with Col. Wilcutt about STEM, NASA, and making a difference.
Nine Gatton Academy students shared research at the 2010 Posters event.
Nine Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky students were among hundreds of undergraduates from across the Commonwealth who presented their academic research at Posters at the Capitol 2010 on January 28 in Frankfort.
Posters at the Capitol is an event held during the legislative session where students from Kentucky’s eight public universities and the community and technical college system share research findings with the state’s legislators and decision makers.
A key feature of Posters at the Capitol is the chance for students to talk one-on-one with their state representatives and senators about the value of research at the undergraduate level.
Thomas Choate (Warren ’10) believes it is extremely important for legislators to realize the role these emerging thinkers and industry leaders will play in the future of the state and it’s economy.
“As a Gatton Academy student and an undergraduate researcher, it is imperative to ensure the support of state legislators by demonstrating that undergraduate involvement in research at Kentucky’s post-secondary institutions holds great potential for the state,” Choate said.
Second-year student Katie Rush (Franklin ’10) agrees: “As a student in a state-funded program, I think it is very important to show what you have learned to those who have made this opportunity available, to demonstrate that their efforts were well worth it,” she said.
In all, Gatton Academy students were able to meet with six of Kentucky’s senators and nine members of Kentucky’s House of Representatives to talk about the research work they have been able to conduct through Western Kentucky University’s Ogden College of Science and Engineering.
Held in the State Capitol’s Great Hall, nearly 200 students shared their research work this year. Research posters ranged across disciplines in both science and the humanities.
Jae Lee (Christian ’10), who presented with three of his lab partners, commented that his experience was equally exciting and education. “Not only was I grateful to see interest from lawmakers to our work, I also got to see a lot of intriguing and advanced research projects from other students,” he said. “Moreover, it was great to hear positive feed-back and encouragement from the legislators and senators.”
Victoria Gilkison and Justine Missik
The Gatton Academy not only challenges students to perform research at the undergraduate level but also encourages them to share the knowledge they discover with academic peers across the state and country. To date, Gatton Academy students have also presented at the Kentucky Academy of Sciences annual meeting, the Women in Physics national conference, and the Argonne National Laboratory Research Conference during the 2009-10 academic year. Additionally, students will share research at the WKU Undergraduate Research Conference later this month.
“Presenting research is a chance to not only practice speaking and communication, but also to show your thorough knowledge of a subject and ability to answer difficult questions you’ve never been asked before,” Rush observed.
Now through its tenth year, Posters at the Capitol has become an annual destination for undergraduate researchers from across the state.
Gatton Academy participants and their research projects included:
Thomas Choate (Warren ’10) Using Sustainability Indicators to Guide Local City Growth
Clarice Esch (Pulaski ’11): Is Collema sp., a Gelatinous Lichen, a Sustainable Source of Nitrogen for Greenhouse and Nursery Crop Production?
Victoria Gilkison (Anderson ’11) : Ecology of American Ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) at Mammoth Cave National Park and Justine Missik (Boyle ’11): Microbial Networks Create Pathway Proliferation in Marine Food Webs
Alexander Hare (Rowan ’10), Ben Neal (Estill ’11), Jae Lee (Christian ’11) and Paul “P. J.” Kasinski (Boone ’11): Genomic Comparison of C. scatologenes to M. thermoacetica
Western Kentucky University President Dr. Gary Ransdell has been busy as of late. Between meeting with departments across the WKU campus and maintaining the university’s presence in Frankfort during the legislative session, there’s a lot on the president’s plate. Not to mention, he just started using Facebook.
Despite the busy schedule, Dr. Ransdell met with Gatton Academy students for an informal seminar where he set out to answer questions on the minds of the Academy students about topics ranging from research and study abroad opportunities to the school’s history and even some absurd things, such as his pick for the Super Bowl and a certain “artful” tree on campus.
In his opening remarks, he told us about Western Kentucky University’s already-impressive and ever-expanding international outreach.
“We are in talks with the China to make Western one of 62 schools in the United States to be named a Confucius Institute, with funding from the Chinese government,” Ransdell said. “We would be the first in Kentucky, and in one of 38 states given this honor.”
An impressive statistic on its own, and easily fitting in with Western’s commitment to study abroad programs. “Over Winter Term we had students all over the globe. Kenya, Greece, China.”
As always, Dr. Ransdell was quick to let students know how of his pride in the Gatton Academy, and how important its students are to the University. “The Gatton Academy is becoming the wonderful program we knew it would be, as evidenced by all 66 juniors returning for their second semester. No campus in Kentucky was as prepared as WKU to receive the Gatton Academy program, with our infrastructure, honors program, and research.”
After his short introduction, he fielded questions from Academy students. No topic was off limits, and some of the questions are of a more bizarre nature.
Q: What about Western’s recent recession of REU programs?
A: We’re doing a number of things. We’ve got a strong emphasis on undergraduate research. We’re emphasizing it and it’s moving up on our agenda.
Q: Are they ever going to cut down the “bunny tree” located near the top of the College Heights portion of campus?
A: (laughs) Probably, sooner or later it’ll have to come down. I have to sign off on every tree that is cut down, whether it’s diseased, dead, or struck by lightning. Part of my job is preserving the natural beauty our campus. My rule is, you take one down, you have to plant two.
Q: My mom told me to ask, what exactly does “The Spirit Makes the Master” mean?
A: It really means whatever you want it to mean to you. To me it means, what it means to our founder, Henry Hardin Cherry. To me it refers to an inner confidence, a self-esteem, and a bond with a campus. I boil it down to leadership, and the inner fortitude to succeed and lead. It defines our character as an institution.
Q: What are they planning on doing with Thompson North Wing? Are there plans to tear it down?
A: I hope so. (laughs and applause from crowd) It’s old, tired. I don’t even want to think about how many chemicals have run through that building since 1958. As soon as we have the funding, that building is coming down.
Q: Will we be getting a new football team this year?
A: Is that a request or a question? (laughs) In a way, yes. We’re getting a new coaching staff and attitude. Recruiting season is over, and I can tell you it is the most talented group of players to walk this campus.
Q: Who do you want to win the Super Bowl?
A: Saints. I think it’s a magical story how after all that team and that city have been through to have the Saints in the Super Bowl.
Q: What are some plans for the future of the Gatton Academy?
A: Right now is not quite the climate, but when things improve we are planning on adding an extra 80 academy students, 40 on each side with an expansion of the building. You have to be realistic about the finances. Now is just not the right time, but it is something we plan on down the line.
Western Kentucky University hosted a reception in Beijing, China on January 16, 2010. Students participating in the Chinese Flagship field study were invited to attend. Inge Hooker, a WKU photojournalism alumnus, captured several photos of the event. (Photos used with permission.)
Ballard Metcalfe shares with WKU representative Rick Dubois and other guests at the WKU-sponsored reception.
by Derick Strode
Seven Gatton Academy students are finishing up a four-week intensive language study abroad course in Tianjin, China. As members of WKU’s Chinese Language Flagship Pilot Program, they have been studying abroad at Nankai University this winter term.
The students have taken daily classes in Chinese language, have worked with one-on-one Chinese tutors, and have taken cultural classes in shadow boxing, calligraphy, and Chinese cooking.
Study abroad trips teach students lessons that are impossible to fully match in an American classroom setting. As Benjamin Venable (Oldham ’11) points out, one lesson he has learned has gone far beyond language: “I have learned so much about etiquette here. While eating, speaking, walking, and toasting, the Chinese have so many unwritten laws regarding body language. It is so easy to offend someone unintentionally. The good thing is, though, that I can use these etiquette rules anywhere. One can never be too polite,” he said.
Students are also imbedded into the culture with the intention of helping them use their Chinese language skills in everyday, real-world settings.
Jason Ludden (Adair ’10) has noted that his experience is helping him identify what he still has to accomplish in the Flagship program. “When I first came to China from the U.S.A., I felt pretty confident. I thought we had learned every useful phrase possible, but communicating in China was not as easy as I thought it would be. Now I know how hard it is and where I need to improve,” he said.
Students have been on excursions to the Tianjin port, a special economic development area of the country, and to Beijing. On Thursday, the students will make one final trip to the Huangyaguan section of the Great Wall.
While on excursion in Beijing this past weekend, students were greeted by WKU President Gary Ransdell. In Beijing, Dr. Ransdell and the WKU Chinese Flagship Pilot Program hosted a Presidential Reception for Chinese business leaders, education leaders, and journalists.
Three Gatton Academy students were on-stage during the program. Seniors Samuel Firkins (Spencer ’10) and Amy Cordero (Pike ’10) performed the popular Olympic welcome song, Beijing Huan Ying Ni (Beijing Welcomes You) with WKU student Will Meredith. Firkins played piano and led vocals and Cordero joined in on the violin.
At the program, junior Sarah Schrader (Warren ’11) was selected to give a speech in Chinese to represent the Gatton Academy. In Chinese, she introduced herself to the mostly Chinese audience, described the Gatton Academy, and talked about her experience in the Flagship Program.
“I was extremely honored to be selected to represent the Academy,” Schrader added. “It meant that my teachers considered me responsible and capable enough to adequately convey how much we have all learned this past semester. Although I was a little nervous, I knew it was important to do my best in order to enforce the prestige of our program.”
Students will return to Florence Schneider Hall just in time to start the spring semester. However, the conclusion of the trip is not the end of their Chinese studies. Each student is enrolled in the next step Chinese language course for the spring semester.
The trip is directed by Dr. Liping Chen, Academic Director of the WKU Chinese Institute, and Amy Eckhardt, Administrative Director for the program.More information about the Chinese Language Flagship Pilot Program can be found at http://www.wku.edu/chineseflagship/.
If you have access to an ancient theater with accoustics better than some modern performance halls, what should you do? Sing the WKU Fight Song. Check out this video and “Stand Up and Cheer”!
The remarkable thing about the ancient theater in Mycenea, Greece is that the acoustics are remarkable. I love my iPhone and its video recorder, but the audio is only so-so. Notice how far away the camera is from the group and how you can still hear the soft melodies.
The ancient city of Delphi presents picturesque mountain vistas perfect for photos. The city is also known for the ancient Oracle, who would provide sometimes cryptic advice to those in search of answers. In our fifth videoblog, students share their questions and answers.
Twenty-four WKU students, including nine from the Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky, will participate in the ninth annual Posters-at-the-Capitol event on Jan. 28 in Frankfort.
Posters-at-the-Capitol, an event hosted collaboratively by WKU, Eastern Kentucky University, Kentucky Community and Technical College System, Kentucky State University, Morehead State University, Murray State University, Northern Kentucky University, University of Kentucky and University of Louisville, is intended to help members of Kentucky’s legislature and the governor better understand the importance of involving undergraduates in research, scholarly and creative work.
Gatton Academy students and their poster projects include (more information on the projects is available on the Posters-at-the-Capitol booklet):
Thomas Choate (Warren ’10) Using Sustainability Indicators to Guide Local City Growth
Clarice Esch (Pulaski ’11): IsCollema sp., a Gelatinous Lichen, a Sustainable Source of Nitrogen for Greenhouse and Nursery Crop Production?
Victoria Gilkison (Anderson ’11) and Justine Missik (Boyle ’11): Ecology of American Ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) at Mammoth Cave National Parkand Microbial Networks Create Pathway Proliferation in Marine Food Webs
Alexander Hare (Rowan ’10), Ben Neal (Estill ’11), Jae Lee (Christian ’11) and Paul “P. J.” Kasinski (Boone ’11): Genomic Comparison of C. scatologenes to M. thermoacetica
Several Gatton Academy students accompanied by WKU faculty members attended the Kentucky Academy of Science’s 95th annual meeting Nov. 13-14 at Northern Kentucky University.
For Alex Hare (Rowan ’10), simply choosing what sessions to attend was the hardest part.
“KAS had quite a number of interesting posters and presentations over quite a few interesting scientific fields,” Hare said. “Mostly I regret that I didn’t have more time to see more of them. I would gladly have spent two days seeing presentations and posters if that were possible.”
Students both made presentations at the conference and attended presentations from other faculty members and undergraduate students at other Kentucky institutions of higher learning.
Hare, along with three other Gatton Academy students, were honored with an outstanding for their poster Genomic Comparison of C. Scatologenes to M. Thermoacetica in the computer and information sciences division. Additional presenters on the post included P.J. Kasinski (Boone ’11), Jae Lee (Christian ’11), and Ben Neal (Estill ’11).
Justine Missik (Boyle ’11) believes the conference will serve as a springboard for pursuits both now and later.
“It was interesting and inspiring to learn about all of the various projects that were presented,” Missik said. “KAS was a wonderful opportunity to get experience in presenting scientific findings, which will be a very important skill later.”
Leah Frazier (Greenup ’10) added that the KAS conference was the best thing to happen to her since getting accepted into the Academy.
“Before going I was confused about my future plans, even though I am still relatively undecided, KAS helped me determine where I want to direct my life,” Frazier noted. “I enjoyed seeing researchers from all walks of life and ages come together at one event to present what they’ve been working on. It was inspiring to hear the achievements of older generations and imagine the improvements the younger generation is going to bring to society and life.”
What will the future look like? I have been asking myself that question a lot these last few days. It has been quite a week. I have had the pleasure of meeting with peers from Vanderbilt, of discussing opportunities with leaders and decision makers from other state universities, of exploring potential partnerships with a leading industry in the Commonwealth, and of viewing a sample of the incredible scientific legacy of one of our finest national laboratories. Each experience has fueled a fire within me to spread a gospel of hope. We are living in one of the greatest times in history. The accumulation of knowledge, the depth of resources, and the amazing creativity of the human mind have never been more primed than this moment in time. Yet, we as a society have allowed ourselves to be distracted or discouraged from embracing this phenomenal opportunity.
As I walked through the offices of Lexmark and the labs of Oak Ridge, alongside students and colleagues, I was able to glimpse how far we have come in terms of technology and innovation in just the short span of my lifetime. Simultaneously, I envisioned what the future will hold in the hands of these students. I saw the light of promise in their eyes as they viewed the most powerful computer ever created and heard them discuss the next generation of possibilities. I was moved by the passion I saw in the present leaders of these organizations and how it infused the lives of these future world changers, inspiring them to believe in the abundance of potential before them.
With this bold vision, comes a responsibility. We who have seen the power of the present environment must convince those who have lost hope that the best is yet to come. We must equip this generation of young people to engage in creative and critical thinking, to ask the insightful questions, and to persevere through challenges and setbacks. We need to encompass them with a spirit of support and encouragement which will allow them to explore, to dream, to experiment, and yes, to stumble and fall. For it is in the arena of trial and error, failed attempts, and renewed efforts that we will find those concepts, ideas, and creations that will impact our lives in the days ahead.
What will our future look like? Cures for cancer and other illnesses? What new forms of communication and transportation will arise? What deeper understandings of our universe or the atom will we grasp? If we will take the time to learn from our past, we can see that the rate of change in our lives is exponential. In a relatively short time, we have embraced cell phones, internet, space travel, MRIs, and microwaves as common place. The next ten years will be mind-boggling. But the time is now, the place is here, and we are the ones who will do it. The challenge is before us. We have a choice: we can invest our time and energy in the meaningful work before us or we can waste our resources and the gains of our predecessors. Let’s choose wisely and pass a bright torch forward to the ones ahead.
At the program, junior Sarah Schrader (Warren ’11) was selected to give a speech in Chinese to represent the Gatton Academy. In Chinese, she introduced herself to the mostly Chinese audience, described the Gatton Academy, and talked about her experience in the Flagship Program./Personnel_Cabinet_files/cap_0048_sm.jpg)
