November 2008
Katrina Clean Up
by Mark Williams
Student helps Mississippi hurricane residents
W
hen meeting Katrina Mijal,
it is easy to understand why
current students are already making
the world a better place. She cares
about helping people. It’s as simple
as that.
relief effort was made possible
when she won a $1,000 national
grant in an essay competition
sponsored by Outside the Classroom, a public health company
based in Boston, MA. The grant
covered Katrina’s travel expenses
while participating in the United
Way’s Alternative Spring Break
program.
In 2005 she followed Hurricane
Katrina news coverage and just
wanted to help. And yes, the irony of
sharing her first name with the infamous hurricane is not lost on her. So
Besides learning how to hang
during Spring Break in 2007 Katrina
and tape drywall, Katrina said
Katrina Mijal in Mississippi during her second relief trip
was among twelve UWSP students
“I gained an understanding of
who traveled to Lake Charles, Louisiana to
the social issues and feel so much more
Besides learning how to
help hurricane victims recover.
aware.” And, she added, “The people
were so thankful and appreciative…one
hang and tape drywall,
The trip made such an impact on her, that
person offered us Gatorade as a gift and
Katrina said “I gained
she traveled to Biloxi, Mississippi the folthat was probably all they had.” On a
an understanding of the
lowing August with a church group. The
lighter note, she also gained an appreciasocial issues and feel so
Sociology major made her third trip to help
tion for sweet tea and Jambalaya.
hurricane victims during Spring Break in
much more aware.”
2008, returning to Biloxi. The most recent
Katrina, from Stevens Point, is thankful
for the opportunities she has on campus like working for the UWSP Student
Involvement and Employment Office. “I
owe so much to SIEO because they have
given me the opportunity to work as the
Service Trip Coordinator. I’ve learned a
lot and I’m so grateful.”
Hurricane destruction Katrina Mijal witnessed
Katrina and other volunteers rebuilt this Biloxi home
To the Point
| 1
Excelling in Physics
by Mark Williams
Eight students earn National Science Foundation research appointments
B
uilding an “external ring cavity to
assist in cleaning it. Karen credits her older
frequency double A Ti: sapphire
sister and a high school teacher with inspirlaser” project was among the eight
ing her to pursue Physics. Her summer
research appointments UWSP physics
research experience helped Karen realize
students earned this summer from The
that nuclear physics was her main area of
National Science Foundation (NSF) for
interest. Both students plan to attend
their acclaimed Research Experiences for
graduate school.
Undergraduates (REU) program. Kyle
Taylor a senior Physics and Mathematics
Also receiving research appointments from
major accepted this project appointment
UWSP were:
at the University of Rochester in New
· Chelsey Driessen – Duke University
York. His experience included running
· Karl Larsen – Montana State University
Karen Chamberlin inside the open particle accelerator
his own project, which is not typical of the
· Steve Lynam – Duke University
prestigious appointments and a tour of the second
· Liza Piltz – Southeast Association for Research in
Building an “external
largest laser in the world.
Astronomy at Valdosta State University in Georgia
Kyle was drawn to physics because of his
fascination with lasers, a high-school teacher’s
influence and a UWSP lab experience with
assistant professor Hai Nguyen. Plus, he can
talk about physics at family gatherings with his
grandfather, UWSP Physics Professor Emeritus,
Allen G. Taylor.
ring cavity to frequency
double A Ti: sapphire
laser” project was among
the eight research
appointments UWSP
physics students earned
this summer...
Karen Chamberlin, a senior Physics and Mathematics major completed her second research assignment in
nuclear physics at the University of Notre Dame. One of her
highlights included climbing into an open particle accelerator to
· Michelle Stephens – University of Notre Dame
· Luke Wilson – University of Nevada-Las Vegas
The NSF’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program supports active research
participation by undergraduate students in any of
the areas of research funded by the National
Science Foundation. REU projects involve
students in meaningful ways in ongoing research
programs or in research projects specifically
designed for the REU program. For more information, please visit
www.nsf.gov/crssprgm/reu/reu_search.cfm.
News & Notes
What’s Happening in the College of Letters and Science
S
Photo courtesy of U.S.
Fish & Wildlife Services
To the Point | 2
tudents at the Northern Aquaculture
Demonstration Facility in Bayfield put their
internship experience to work and helped solve a fish
habitat problem in Ashland County. Abby Purdy and
Ryan Huber marked trout for assessment in response
to water flow problem caused by a faulty culvert on
Wildcat Creek. A new 6 foot by 60 foot culvert was
installed to restore proper water flow. The student
interns conducted both pre- and post-construction surveys in conjunction with project leaders from multiple
agencies and organizations. For more information
visit www.fws.gov/arsnew/regmap.cfm?arskey=23207
T
he Web and Digital Media Development
program placed its first international intern
at the City University of London. Jim Raymonds
will be working with the eLearning Services unit
to develop innovative distance learning applications such as video conferencing, real time chat
rooms and online video recording. Assistant
professor Anthony Ellertson is coordinating the
initiative and paved the way with an earlier collaborative effort. For more information visit
http://pointer.uwsp.edu/Article.aspx?id=186
From the Dean’s Desk
A message from Interim Dean Charles Clark
I
am very pleased to have the opportunity
to write this message to the friends of the
College of Letters & Science at the University
of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. As some of you
know, Dr. Lance Grahn, having served as Letters & Science Dean since 2004, assumed the
position of Provost and Dean of Faculty at the
University of Central Arkansas. We thank Dr.
Grahn for his service to the university and wish
him well as he takes up his new position.
“research and learning that generate new knowledge
and new insights which, through their application, promote economic development, community wellbeing.”
To the Point began during Dean Grahn’s tenure
as a means of informing our friends of the good things happening in the College of Letters & Science at UWSP. We continue
this tradition with the current issue. The students featured here,
whether serving the victims of Hurricane Katrina or working as
researchers under the auspices of the National Science Foundation or improving fish habitats, embody the mission and values
of the College of Letters & Science. As stated at the College’s
website, “we prepare and empower students to make a difference in our world.” Certainly, Katrina Mijal’s work in Biloxi
has made a difference in that part of our world. By the same
token, Abby Purdy and Ryan Huber – through their work at the
Northern Aquaculture Demonstration Facility – live the College mission, which states, in part, that the College carries out
A
nthropology assistant professor Stephanie Aleman’s fieldwork and research in the Amazon was
center stage when she was the debut speaker in a new
lecture series sponsored by the College of Letters and
Science. For more information about the lecture series
visit www.uwsp.edu/cls/lecture_Series_Videos/lectureindex.aspx Samples of
her artifacts from the
Amazon are currently
on display in front of
lecture hall 101 Collins Classroom Center.
Photo of friends in the Amazon by Stephanie Aleman
C
As our current students help the College to fulfill its
mission, so, too, do the alumni and current and retired
faculty of Letters & Science. Those faculty and alumni
featured in “News & Notes” are outstanding examples
of commitment to the liberal arts and sciences, both
here at UWSP and beyond. Especially notable is the
endowment retired Dean Justus Paul and Associate
Professor Emerita Barbara Paul have established to
provide resources to university faculty on sabbatical. This endowment will help ensure the success of faculty sabbatical work,
which, in turn, will ensure the continued professional vitality of
our faculty.
I am proud to be Interim Dean this year in the College of Letters & Science. The work of our faculty, students, and alumni is
truly remarkable and demonstrates the fulfillment of the Letters
& Science mission to achieve “academic excellence that fosters
students’ career preparation, professional expertise, civic responsibility, personal development, and global adaptability.”
had Felch won the prestigious Siemens Inventor of the Year award for “Wet
Oxidation to Treat a Soot Slurry from a Gasification Process.” His invention is used
to treat waste stream generated by a gasification process used in tar sand fields in Alberta
Canada. The Wausau resident and UWSP alumnus (Chemistry and Mathematics 1995)
was the only North American winner of 57,000 worldwide research specialists. For more
information visit http://w1.siemens.com/press/en/events/inventors2007/felch.php
C
hemistry and Mathematics major Brennan Walder received
the nationally renowned Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship. He is
the 10th winner on campus and represents the sixth consecutive year a
UWSP student has won at least one scholarship. For more information
visit www.act.org/goldwater/
Barry Goldwater photo courtesy of www.act.org
To the Point
| 3
News & Notes
What’s Happening in the College of Letters and Science
D
ave Haecker continues his research on professional wrestling as a social movement and
issue. The 2007 Sociology major has had one of his articles used in a Comparative Media class at MIT. For more information visit http://mitcmsprowrestling.blogspot.com/2007/05/
why-study-profeesional-wrestling.html
N
Photo courtesy of Paul family
R
etired L&S Dean Justus Paul and
Associate Professor Emerita Barbara
Paul created an endowment to help offset faculty
sabbatical expenses for the College of Letters
& Science and the University Library. The first
year recipient was Richard Barker in Foreign
Languages. For more information visit
www.uwsp.edu/cls/scholarship.htm.
athan Bowling, assistant professor of Chemistry received a Cottrell College Science
award from Research Corporation for his grant proposal “Generation and Studies of
Pyrazinyleneethynylenes: Controlling Oligomer Geometry via Transition Metal Coordination.” For more information visit www.uwsp.edu/news/forTheMedia/nrArchive/pr/tmBowlingScienceAward08.htm
F
ive faculty members received University Awards in 2008. Emmett Judziewicz (Associate Professor of Biology) received the University Scholar Award. Ed Miller (Professor
of Political Science), Craig Wendorf (Associate Professor of Psychology), Kathleen Lamb
(Assistant Professor of Sociology) and Todd Huspeni (Associate Professor of Biology)
received the Excellence in Teaching Award. For more information visit www.uwsp.edu/NEWS/
pr/chOutstanding08.htm.
Mark Williams & Andrea Medo, Editors
Make a difference - make a gift now!
www.uwsp.edu/foundation/givingform.shtm
online giving code: AG/08NL/LS
For more information about scholarships or supporting our programs, please contact Mark Williams at (715)346-4211 or email: mark.williams@uwsp.edu.
To view current scholarship programs please visit: www.uwsp.edu/cls/scholarship.htm
from the College of Letters and Science, UWSP
To the Point: Connecting to the Future, Serving the Public Good
STEVENS POINT
WI 54481
Stevens Point, WI 54481
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