The content in this preview is based on the last saved version of your email - any changes made to your
email that have not been saved will not be shown in this preview.
August, 2013
MSCI Monthly Newsletter
In This Issue
Creation Care
Geology in Action
Summer Research
Latest News
Update Your Information
Faculty Profile
Dr. Daniela Derderian
On July 15th, Dr.
Derderian delivered a
new angel to this
world! Giovanni
Derderian weighed 5
lbs 10oz and was 19
inches long. Both
mother and baby are
doing wonderful!
We would like to
welcome back Dr.
Derderian to a new
fall semester and
send her our
blessings on her
newest addition to
her family.
Congratulations!
From the "Herb-arium"
Dr. Herb Grover, Dean
School of Mathematics and Sciences
Greetings!
Over the summer I am often asked "How
are you enjoying your time off?" For those
of you with experience with our school, you
know that summer is a time when the pace
is a bit different and the distractions less
hectic - but it is still a time when our
faculty and students are accomplishing
incredible things! Some of the
accomplishments of our faculty and
students are highlighted in this newsletter but this is really an incomplete list. Not mentioned in this newsletter are
several on-line courses taught by our faculty over the summer; meetings
and workshops attended to enrich our background in math, geology,
biology, etc.; participation in numerous field projects and laboratory
programs to benefit our undergraduate research efforts; student
participation in internships; and various administrative meetings involving
both Dr. Hahn and myself to plan future programs.
Just a few side notes from the summer - The drought meeting that I worked
on with the Plainview Industrial Foundation and Hale County AgriLife
Extension service was preceded by about 3-5 inches of much needed rain in
and around Plainview. I am happy to take credit for the respite that very
timely rain event provided from our extended drought! Dr. Kasner and I
later attended a workshop hosted by the Texas Alliance for Water
Conservation in which the topic of future drought and climate change was
addressed, underscoring the relevance and timeliness of the drought
meeting Wayland participated in.
The Environmental Science Program has also recently been consolidated
under the School of Math and Sciences. There are now three degree plans
associated with environmental science - a BS in Environmental Science; a
BS in Environmental Studies; and a BAS in Environmental Studies. The
Environmental Studies degrees are achievable on-line, which is something
new for our school. Along those same lines, Dr. Hahn and Dr. Franklin have
collaborated with Dr. James Antenen and others at the San Antonio campus
Read More...
Calendar
August 23
Ice Cream Social
September 19-21
West Texas STEM Conference:
UTPB
September 25-29
Geology Field Trip
October 3
Fall Cookout
Support our programs
If anything in this newsletter
sparks your interest and you
would like to provide your
financial support to our
students, either by funding
specific areas of research or by
providing scholarship moneys,
there are easy ways for you to
give.
Contact our
Development Team:
Phone: 806-291-3430
Fax: 806-291-1984
E-mail: hope@wbu.edu
Mail: 1900 W 7th Street #621
Plainview, TX 79072
You can also give online:
https://give.wbu.edu
If you would like your funds to
be directed toward research or
scholarships in our School,
please designate your gift. Our
Development Team will make
sure our students receive your
support.
Quick Links
About Us
Photo Galleries
News & Events
Travel Opportunites
on a proposal for a BAS in Computer Information Systems. That proposal
will presumably go forward this fall. It is exciting to explore new ways that
our school can serve the educational needs of our student body and the
broader community in which they pursue their careers.
We have also been working on some new courses and updating some
courses that have been around awhile. Dr. Trish Trifilo, who provides
technical and course development support through virtual campus and
teaches several on-line courses for M&S, is offering a new on-line course in
pathophysiology through our school to support the pre-nursing program.
We have also updated our on-line environmental science and life science
courses, and have on the drawing board plans for deploying a new course in
natural resource management next year, along a few others that I will
report on later.
Finally, Dr. Hahn and Dr. Franklin have been very helpful over the past
several weeks in identifying and implementing iPad tools for the science and
math classrooms and laboratories. As you might expect, the faculty in M&S
are by nature attracted to new technologies. With the recent purchase of
iPads for most of our faculty, we are learning new ways to empower both
faculty and students to express their creative energy. We expect these
innovations will breathe new life into our courses and heighten the rewards
of learning for both faculty and students.
WHEW!! So where did the summer go? Well, like our activities during any
other span of time, it went to furthering the mission of Wayland Baptist
University! It was good to enjoy a change of pace and catch a few moments
of quality time with family and friends, catch up on projects, and even sit on
the porch now and then - but it is also good to be back with students and
colleagues who are invigorated by the learning process. And to join again
with those who share a common commitment to furthering God's Kingdom
through Wayland Baptist University.
We appreciate your continued prayers and support. And - remember Homecoming is coming up the weekend of October 12th. We are planning
some special events and we would love to have alumni and friends of the
university participate. See you then!
God Bless! - HDG
Creation Care
Contact Us
The School of Math & Sciences
Wayland Baptist University
1900 W. 7th St.
Plainview, TX 79072
(806)291-1115
mathscience@wbu.edu
http://www.wbu.edu/mathsci
As a Christian university, Wayland Baptist University is committed to
protecting the earth and natural resources that have been entrusted to
the current generation to ensure plenty of the same for the generations
that follow. As Christians we do not worship the earth we worship the
Creator of the universe. "Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power
and glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven
and earth is yours" 1 Chronicles 29:11.
Since 2010, when Dr. Grover initiated Care of Creation week, the idea for
a community garden formed. Starting as just a dirt plot, the land is now
being reconditioned with raised beds. The garden is now on the right
track with the help from the Wayland administration, faculty,
maintenance, and a generous dontation from the Garrison Institute on
Aging at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. Click here to
read more on the community garden by Richard Porter.
On August 8, 2013, Wayland Baptist University helped host a community
forum, " 21st Century Drought on the Southern High Plains; Principles,
Dimensions and Prospects" presentation by Texas Tech climatologist
Katharine Hayhoe, Ph.D..A crowd of farmers, concerned citizens and a
film crew and Hollywood actor came together to discuss the drought and
where Hale County residents can expect it to go. Read more...
Geology in Action
The department of geology continually extends its classroom learning to
in-field activities. Students are given the opportunity of developing a
one-on-one mentoring relationship with the
faculty and aquire the knowledge of how to
apply the techniques learned.
This summer GEOL4302 Field Geology took a
three week extended field trip through 6 states,
with extended time in NM, CO and WY. Students made extensive field
observations and completed stratigraphic and mapping projects, along
with visits to many museums, state parks, national parks and
monuments. They also met with industry geologists and toured both
active and abandoned mine sites, collecting mineral , rock and fossil
specimens at some localities. A BLM geologist guided students through
their Mineral Science Lab and also gave a 4WD tour through classic
Sheep Mountain anticline. One of the chief staff members from the
Wyoming Dinosaur Center gave a personal tour of their prep labs,
museum and current field collecting sites. Students and faculty camped
all but one night of the trip, sometimes in primitive conditions for
extended periods. This course is one of the capstone classes required of
all geology majors at Wayland. Although rigorous, it is one of the
important activities a geologist remembers the rest their lives, and talks
about too! Ask one of the students about the trip and you will hear! And
hear! And ....
This fall the mineralogy course, GEOL2401,
will be leading a field trip to West Central and
Southern New Mexico. They will visit El
Malpais National Monument and explore its
lava tube caves and other volcanic
features within the area.
Other stops include visiting a fluorite mine,
El Malpais' lava tube
numerous outcrops with fossils, and the ghost
cave
town/mining town of Magdalena. Next
students will go to El Paso to the
Franklin mountains. Travels will continue 30
miles west to the crater, Kilbourne Hole where students will observe the
explosive volcanic maar with olivene (peridote) crystals. Students will
also be able to see the laccolith of Sierra de Cristo Rey.
Summer Research
This summer 4 students were given the opportunity to participate in
their own research that allowed them to apply critical thinking and new
knowledge to real-world problems.
Herpetofaunal Diversity and Abundance Among
Different Aged Burns in a Shinnery Oak Stand:
Jacob Kemmer spent his summer capturing and
comparing reptiles out at the Nature Conservancy's
Yoakum Dunes Preserve in High Plains Texas among
different aged burns on the Preserve. So far he has
caught 30 individuals of 9 different species (5 lizard
species and 4 snake species). Jacob's research will
continue in through the fall semester and will conclude in October.
Western Screech Owls: Natividad Sandoval and Dr.
Andrew Kasner worked this summer in collaboration
with Wayland graduate Corin Olivas (now a biology
graduate student at Sul Ross State University) on
ecology and habitat use of Western Screech Owls in
the Davis Mountains of West Texas. Owls were
captured using mist nets, and a radio transmitter was
attached to the bird to allow them to be tracked to
study their activity and habitat use patterns.
Jessica Kenneson's summer research consisted of
employing a high-end DSLR camera to achieve
professional results that compare to common
instruments used in the scientific community. The
camera was utilized to capture images of
bioluminescence, fluorescence, white-light
transluminescence, and chemiluminescence. These
processes are used to visualize DNA, protein, and
DNA-protein interactions. Various camera settings
were used to determine the setting that yielded the
best results for each assay. Because of its wide range
of settings, the camera was able to match or surpass
the performance of the specialized instruments used to quantify these
various assays for a very small fraction of the cost. This will allow other
schools with small budgets like Wayland Baptist to engage in research
techniques that are essential to fundamental research programs.
Trevor Burrow did some final characterization steps
for his cytotoxic (cancer cell killing) ginger
compounds, as well as determined the mechanism of
apoptosis (programmed cell death) that the ginger
compounds induce. He also investigated 25 new
plants for their cytotoxic potential; a few new plants
have shown surprising potency.
realistic environment.
Anna Kite, a math and chemistry double
major, attended an 8 week summer research
program in Algebra and Discrete Mathematics at
Auburn University. She worked with other math
students on graph theory research and was
exposed to a wide variety of mathematical areas
and ways of approaching problems. Anna
enjoyed the opportunity of doing research in a
News and Events
August 23rd:
The School of Math and Sciences had their
annual Ice Cream Social. Math and science
majors came together to get to know their
faculty and classmates. Information about
the school organizations, scholarships, and
research opportunities were also discussed.
September 19-21: West Texas STEM Conference in Odessa. Math and
Science majors will be participating in the regional showcase of research
in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) performed
by undergraduate students.
September 25-29: Geology will be leading a field trip to West Central
and Southern New Mexico. Their trip will include explorations of volcanic
mountains, numerous outcrops with fossils, lava tube caves and mining
towns.
October 3: 8th Annual Fall Cookout. All math and science majors (and
families) are invited to attend one of the School's favorite fall events.
Faculty and students gather to enjoy great food, fun games and
awesome prizes! The fun begins at 5:30 p.m. at Moody Marsh, northwest
corner of the Moody Science Building.
Help us keep your information updated. We strive to keep
in touch with all of our alumni. If your information has
changed or needs to be added please click here.
us on
Scholarship Applications Now
Online!
All of our scholarship application materials are
available online! If you are a declared math or science
major, you may be eligible to receive scholarships that
are awarded through our school. The application for
high school students planning on attending next Fall is always open. The
application is also open for current science and math students
for scholarships of 2013-2014 school year.
To apply click here, or visit http://www.wbu.edu/mathsci click
Scholarships in the menu and select the appropriate application.
About Wayland Baptist University
Dreaming big for more than a century.
Wayland began in 1908 as the dream of pioneers who respected the lifealtering value of education. Now the oldest university in continuous
existence on the High Plains of Texas, Wayland Baptist reaffirms that
commitment every day through a distinctive combination of offerings.
Mission
Wayland Baptist University exists to educate students in an academically
challenging, learning focused, and distinctively Christian environment for
professional success and service to God and humankind.
Location
Main campus in Plainview, a community of 25,000 on the high plains of
West Texas between Lubbock and Amarillo.
Enrollment
More than 1,500 students on the main campus in Plainview, TX, plus
5,800 students on campuses in Amarillo, Lubbock, San Antonio, and
Wichita Falls, Texas; Anchorage and Fairbanks, Alaska: Sierra Vista and
Phoenix, Arizona; Aiea, Hawaii; Albuquerque and Clovis, New Mexico;
Altus, Oklahoma; and Kenya, Africa.
Our School
The School of Mathematics and Sciences emphasizes a rigorous, ethical
approach to the study of mathematics and science. We believe that
success in these disciplines requires a broad base of content knowledge
and the development of the critical thinking skills necessary for the
ongoing acquisition, processing and communication of current subject
matter. The activities of the School, both academic and professional,
intentionally reflect the Lordship of Jesus Christ and His centrality to all of
creation.
Prepared by Dr. William Hahn, Associate Dean and
Megan McPherson, Technical Assistant
School of Mathematics and Science, Wayland Baptist University
Forward email
This email was sent to hahnw@wbu.edu by mathscience@wbu.edu |
Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy.
School of Mathematics and Science | Wayland Baptist University | 1900 W. 7th St. | Plainview | TX | 79072