Grand Valley: College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Spotlights GVSU College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Spotlights http://www.gvsu.edu/clas/ Wed, 23 May 2012 07:08:09 EST Grand Valley: College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Spotlights http://www.gvsu.edu/images/rsslogo.gif http://www.gvsu.edu/clas/ 112 33 Gilman Scholar to Study Across the Pond Allendale, MI (September 1, 2010)--Congratulations to Ellise Williams who has been awarded a Gilman International Scholarship to study abroad this academic year. Williams will attend Edge Hill University an affiliate program in Ormskirk, England.

Williams is looking forward to, ¿Making a lot of new contacts with people from different backgrounds.¿ Williams, a film and video production major, hopes to work in England doing animation in the future. As part of her Gilman follow-on project, Williams will create a video promoting study abroad to students on campus. She encourages students to quit making excuses and see the world!

To learn more about the Gilman International Scholarship Program, visit http://www.iie.org/en/Programs/Gilman-Scholarship-Program and schedule an appointment to meet with Amanda Cuevas, Office of Fellowships director at fellowships@gvsu.edu.

]]> http://www.gvsu.edu/clas/module-spotlight-view.htm?entryId=38322367-AFC6-DFC4-CA80E630C1E0C876 Assoc. Dean Schutten Named for Education Specialist Award Mary Schutten, Associate Dean of CLAS and Professor of Movement Science will be presented with the 2011 American Association for Health Education University Health Education Specialist Award. This award is presented to an individual who has made a susbstantial contribution as an educator in the university setting.

The award will be presented at a luncheon on April 1, 2011 at the national convention of American Association for Health Education.

]]> http://www.gvsu.edu/clas/module-spotlight-view.htm?entryId=FE90C312-D752-DB33-93EE96E4C2C2A991 Elaine Videan, '97 Dr. Elaine Videan, '97, was honored as a College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Distinguished Alumni-in-Residence during Homecoming 2009.

Videan has traveled far since receiving a B.S. in biology from GVSU in 1997, including to Central America and east Africa. After graduation, she entered Miami University of Ohio where she earned both master's (2000) and doctorate (2005) degrees in zoology with a focus on primatology.

Videan has worked with and studied a variety of primate species including howler monkeys, macaques and chimpanzees. She has conducted field work on howler monkeys in Nicaragua and studied chimpanzees in Tanzania. Her true passion, however, is captive primate research.

While pursuing her graduate degrees, she worked and conducted research at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Keeling Center for Comparative Medicine and Research, the Southwest National Primate Research Center, and the Primate Foundation of Arizona. For the past two years, Videan has worked at the Alamogordo Primate Facility on Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico. She holds a variety of management and administrative duties at Alamogordo including, regulatory compliance, quality assurance, program development, and coordination of the facility's Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. She continues to be active in both behavioral and clinical primate research and has produced over 20 peer-reviewed publications. Videan believes passionately in the human care and use of primates in biomedical research and is working at both the local and national level to ensure the continued availability of primates for biological research aimed at improving human health.

Added November 2009

]]> http://www.gvsu.edu/clas/module-spotlight-view.htm?entryId=BFC03FC3-97C9-6495-AAA5207FAEC635D2 Super Science Saturday Hats off to the Regional Math & Science Center and the many departments that made Super Science Saturday 2011 such a big hit with over 700 area kids. The interdisciplinarity of CLAS was on display.


Classics provided word games related to chemistry.
Art and Design demonstrated print making and made water colors with salt. Statistics held the Pepsi vs. Coke challenge as well as a measuring the heat of water. Math hosted math games. Physics was riding the wave (giant slinkies). Integrated Science and Biomedical Sciences helped introduce kids to conceptes in their fields.


And in this International Year of Chemistry, our Chemisrty Department was out in force.


A group came from Muskegon with 82 children and the mandatory adult companions in a 5:1 ratio.


President Haas even posed for pictures with some of the participants.

]]> http://www.gvsu.edu/clas/module-spotlight-view.htm?entryId=7308E1CC-D82E-835B-35D7732B4B1806ED Troy Hardy, '95 Multi-Emmy nominated music editor, composer, and guitarist, Troy Hardy, '95, will receive the 2009 Distinguished Alumnus Award during the winter commencement ceremony on December 12. Hardy earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music from GVSU in 1995 and is owner of Los Angeles-based Meltro Music. He has completed work as a music editor on over 250 television episodes, including Entourage, CSI, The West Wing, Huff, My Name is Earl and Grey's Anatomy. Hardy also boasts an impressive list of composition credits, having scored original songs for a multitude of television shows and movie trailers. The accomplished guitarist can be heard playing on the main title theme for TLC's Little People, Big World, and has played with many established Los Angeles artists and Grammy winning songwriters. He has received four Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series and earned Motion Picture Sound Editors Golden Reel nominations in 2008 and 2009 for Best Sound Editing.

Added December 2009

]]> http://www.gvsu.edu/clas/module-spotlight-view.htm?entryId=4C3A2746-9747-2FE2-09F2D4A22CBA45D1 CLAS Women Recognized at Women's Commission Awards


Adapted from News & Information Services Posted on March 04, 2011 To kick off March as Women's History Month, the achievements of women students, faculty and staff members were celebrated at an awards banquet sponsored by the Women's Commission. Among these were two notable faculty members from CLAS. Gretchen Galbraith, chair and associate professor of history, received the Barbara Jordan Award, presented by Women and Gender Studies to a longtime advocate of women¿s issues on campus. Maria Cimitile introduced Galbraith and called her a "vocal and unswerving advocate for women and gender studies, the university and West Michigan community." "She has improved conditions for women at Grand Valley and is a consistent advocate for equitable treatment for all students," said Cimitile, academic program and curriculum development officer. A Women's Impact Award was presented to Dana Munk, associate professor of movement science for long service to women in coaching education and preparation.


]]> http://www.gvsu.edu/clas/module-spotlight-view.htm?entryId=A77848B6-D313-E84E-1A46EC30D96CB971 Stabler of History Awarded Fulbright


Scott Stabler, Assistant Professor of History, has been awarded a Fulbright for his work in Ghana. Scott explains that the award will allow him "to study and teach at the University of Cape Coast in Ghana, Africa for the winter 2011 semester. I will be teaching in both the College of Education and for the History Department. My research will involve studying how schools in Ghana teach the African slave trade to the Americas as Ghana formed a major locale for the export of slaves." The College congratulates Scott on this wonderful achievement.


]]> http://www.gvsu.edu/clas/module-spotlight-view.htm?entryId=AFF56D80-BD53-E958-6DB1775505468FCA Classics professor selected for teaching excellence award


Peter Anderson, associate professor of Classics, received a Collegiate Teaching Excellence Award at the American Philological Association Annual Meeting in San Antonio, Texas, on January 8. The APA is the principal learned society in North America for the study of ancient Greek and Roman languages, literatures, and civilizations. The association noted that Anderson has inspired his students, his colleagues, and the larger Classics community through his commitment to innovative teaching and to fostering intellect. A scholar of Seneca the Younger and Martial, Anderson brings to his classes the best qualities of each author: philosophical and contemplative thought together with wit and literary knowledge. Charles Pazdernik, department chair, praised Anderson for his insight as well as the grace with which he delivers it. "He has become an object of fascination for his students ¿ and the subject of a Facebook page dedicated to his quips and classroom exploits ¿ without seeking to foster a cult of personality or playing to the crowd," he said. In 2009, Anderson received Grand Valley's Pew Teaching Excellence Award, and was the Margo Tytus Visiting Fellow at the University of Cincinnati. He has published several articles on teaching Latin, and is the author of a report on state standards for Latin teaching for the Michigan Department of Education, and criteria and items for the statewide Latin certification exam.



News & Informations Services


]]> http://www.gvsu.edu/clas/module-spotlight-view.htm?entryId=6E771234-F924-B142-2C7228BF9515D3ED Louisa A. Stark, '79 Dr. Louisa A. Stark is the April 2009 recipient of the GVSU Distinguished Alumna Award. She is a leader in genetics and genomics education, having made notable contributions to the field of science education that are of national and international significance. She is director of the University of Utah's Genetic Science Learning Center. She also serves the University of Utah as clinical professor of Science Education and associate director of the School of Medicine's Community Engagement Core Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences.

Stark earned a bachelor of science in biology from Grand Valley State University in 1979, where she spent several years as a teachers assistant. This role provided the foundation for her interest in becoming an educator and ignited her ongoing interest in facilitating learning for others.

Following graduation, she worked for six years as a research assistant and laboratory manager in the neurophysiology research laboratory at the University of Colorado at Boulder. She was accepted into UCB's graduate school and earned a Ph.D. in evolutionary genetics in 1992. Her graduate work was supported in-part by a highly-competitive and prestigious pre-doctoral fellowship from the National Science Foundation.

During her final year in graduate school, she began work with the UCB Hughes Biological Science Education Initiative (HBSEI), promoting science in Denver's inner-city high schools and conducting professional development workshops for teachers in the area. This work sparked her passion for science education and the focus of her career.

After earning her doctoral degree, Stark worked as scientist-in-residence, a position which she helped create for HBSEI, and significantly expanded the organization's science education outreach and professional development programs for area teachers. She eventually advanced to the role of senior scientist.

In 1999, she began work for the Genetic Science Learning Center at the University of Utah. The Center is a science education outreach and partnership program with the mission of "making science easy for everyone to understand." Under her direction, the center has gained a national and international reputation for producing high quality educational materials and offering teacher professional development programs. It is best known for its Learn.Genetics Web site, the most widely-disseminated genetics education site in the world. The site provides easy-to-understand educational materials focused on genetics, life science and health. In addition to the educational materials it produces, the Center annually provides professional development for over 600 primary and secondary teachers throughout the world.

For her marked contributions to science education, Stark has received numerous recognitions from prestigious groups, including the American Society of Human Genetics' Award for Excellence in Human Genetics Education, and the Utah Science Teachers Association's lifetime achievement award. She has held numerous elected positions in national organizations and served on various national boards and committees. She is an accomplished grantsmaker and author, and her expertise is sought internationally through consultations, invited lectures and presentations, and to organize national meetings.

Stark and her husband currently reside in Salt Lake City, UT.

Added March 2009

*January 2010
Under the Stark's direction, the University of Utah's Genetic Science Learning Center's Learn.genetics and Teach.genetics sites won the Science Prize for Online Resources in Education. SPORE recognizes outstanding freely available online materials that enrich science education.

]]> http://www.gvsu.edu/clas/module-spotlight-view.htm?entryId=CDE641A7-0B6B-A468-6EC85FDC92642998 Mary Tejeda and the Bright Lights of NYC Mary Tejeda (Theatre, 08) has been really busy promoting a season of new plays as the Educational/Outreach intern at Premiere Stages outside of New York City.

Her work there also included marketing/PR and being the house manager for productions. She ran playwriting camps for middle and high schooler students, and also got to sit in on the Equity auditions in NYC for the show "Any Other Name" by George Brant.

Most recently, she has spent the year at Performance Network Theatre in Michigan as an apprentice, working both in the office and backstage for the season.

]]> http://www.gvsu.edu/clas/module-spotlight-view.htm?entryId=CC92D138-0FCD-40B3-EFFC35312E3033F9 Math Major wins prestigious Ernest F. Hollings Scholarship Kate Coveney, Applied Mathematics major and a student in the Frederik Meijer Honors College has been awarded a prestigious Ernest F. Hollings Scholarship. She is one of 72 recipients selected nationally.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Ernest F. Hollings Scholarship Program is designed to increase undergraduate training in oceanic and atmospheric science, research, technology and education and foster multidisciplinary training opportunities; increase public understanding and support for stewardship of the ocean and atmosphere and improve environmental literacy; recruit and prepare students for public service careers with NOAA and other natural resource and science agencies at the federal, state and local levels of government; and recruit and prepare students for careers as teachers and educators in oceanic and atmospheric science and to improve scientific and environmental education in the United States.


Coveney was awarded an $8,000 award for the next two years plus $6,500 during the summer while she completes a 10-week, full-time internship position during the summer at a NOAA facility. The internship provides Scholars with ¿hands-on¿/practical educational training experience in NOAA-related science, research, technology, policy, management, and education activities. The award also includes travel funds to attend a mandatory Hollings Scholarship Program orientation, conferences where Coveney will present a paper or poster, and a housing allowance.


To learn more about the Hollings Scholarship, visit http://www.oesd.noaa.gov/Hollings_info.html . Interested students should contact Amanda Cuevas, director of the GVSU Office of Fellowships located in the Frederik Meijer Honors College at cuevasam@gvsu.edu or 331-3219 for eligibility and application information.

]]> http://www.gvsu.edu/clas/module-spotlight-view.htm?entryId=1BF6BE9B-DFD1-1B0E-9C1A930A1738B345 Alumni Career Panel 2011 Follows Passion Facilitated by Tim Bulson (masters in Health Communications '09 and president of the CLAS Alumni Chapter), five panelists discussed the paths their educations and careers had taken for an audience of students (and the video camera). In each case, their educational roads had been varied and their careers sometimes unforeseen, but the value of their liberal arts education was clear.

The panelists were:

¿ Heather Allegrina-Bowe: '95, BA in Philosophy (Business Operations Manager for Travel leaders Corporate)
¿ Michael Messner, '95 & '00; MSE, BS in Biology (Dir. of Student Academic Success Center at GVSU)
¿ Lindsay Patton-Carson; BS in Journalism, minor in Spanish (Managing Editor at Revue Magazine)
¿ Meahgan Pear '07; BA in Writing, minor in Ad/PR (Dir. of Marketing & Communications for Girl Scouts of Michigan Shore to Shore)
¿ Patrick Johnson, Jr. '09, BS in Liberal Studies (Branch Manager for United Federal Credit Union)

Sponsored by Career Services, the CLAS Alumni Chapter and the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.

]]> http://www.gvsu.edu/clas/module-spotlight-view.htm?entryId=10DC5893-BBF1-012D-DFD4DB3154988C71 Mary Epps, '05 With the lead up to the original February 17, 2009 deadline for the conversion of nationwide television broadcast signals to digital, it has been nearly impossible to avoid the onslaught of media coverage regarding the switch. In Michigan, much of the thanks for this broad awareness can be credited to Mary Epps, '05, DTV project coordinator for the Michigan Association of Broadcasters in Lansing, MI.

Epps was hired by MAB in June of 2008 as DTV project assistant. After just a few short months, she was named project coordinator for the state, providing support and DTV-related communications to the organization's over 300 member stations. One of her main goals has been to help broadcasters around the state in informing and preparing the general population for the conversion through public service announcements and other means.

"We achieved 100 percent awareness of the transition according to a recent Michigan State University poll," she explains - a tremendous accomplishment, especially in light of the fact that the U.S. House of Representatives last week passed legislation postponing the conversion deadline to June 12, 2009 amid concerns that millions of households in the nation were still not prepared.

At the heart of the bill delaying the switch were concerns regarding the U.S. Commerce Department's coupon program, which offers households coupons to defray the cost of purchasing a digital TV converter box. By the end of 2008, all funds for the coupon program had been allocated. Consumers using an antennae or rabbit ears to view broadcast networks and requesting coupons were put on a waiting list. The coupons expire 90 days after issuance and if unused, the designated money is returned to the treasury and additional coupons can then be issued. The hope with the extension is to allow more time for consumers to redeem these coupons.

"With the extension of the transition deadline, I will continue in my capacity to support our members and to educate the public on all things DTV. Our message to the general public will continue to be, 'Get prepared now. Don't wait to make the transition until June.' There is concern that there might be limited availability of converter boxes in the months to come," says Epps.

Epps earned a B.S. in advertising and public relations from Grand Valley State University in 2005, and went to work as a communications assistant for the Michigan Department of Transportation. She then worked for the Coldwater Daily Reporter before taking her current position.

She credits Grand Valley and connections made through the institution in helping prepare her for her role. "Michael Walenta [general manager of WGVU-TV] was an excellent resource for me regarding all things DTV," says Epps, who looks forward to continuing on at MAB after the conversion is complete to focus on event communications and assistance with legislative issues.

The position will bring her back to Grand Rapids March 9-11 for the Great Lakes Broadcasting Conference. GVSU broadcasting, engineering and communications students and professionals are encouraged to attend this career fair and great networking opportunity.

Added February 2009

]]> http://www.gvsu.edu/clas/module-spotlight-view.htm?entryId=6218B1FE-0D3E-E758-A0C0ECC117B31746 Supporting Excellence at Grand Valley Our Spotlights feature faculty, students and alumni who have made wonderful contributions to our world. Everyone can participate in this excellence by supporting a scholarship, the CLAS Fund for Excellence, our new library, the William James Fund or any of the other hundreds of funds specifically targetted to make a difference in educational opportunities at GVSU. Visit http://www.gvsu.edu/giving/ today!

]]> http://www.gvsu.edu/clas/module-spotlight-view.htm?entryId=A24215CD-B169-0ACB-68E7CBB4A4236FC4 Kevin Michael Schmitz, '06 Kevin Michael Schmitz, '06, is a professional advertising and editorial fashion photographer in Los Angeles and New York. He is the principle/founder of Kevin Michael Schmitz Photography, specializing in location lighting, digital imaging and large scale production. Kevin Michael photographs magazine spreads, fashion lookbooks, advertising campaigns, fine art pieces, documentary spreads, album covers, and is branching into celebrity fashion photography. His high-profile work has been published in eight national and international magazines within the past year.

After receiving a bachelor of science in photography from Grand Valley State University, Kevin Michael Schmitz pursued a master of fine arts in photography at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Upon moving to Manhattan Beach, California, he began his advertising photography business full-time. He employs six photography interns whom he mentors about the business of photography and advanced lighting techniques. As an educator, he guest lectures at photography and fashion workshops in Los Angeles.

Kevin Michael has taken his photographic thesis from GVSU entitled Alchemy of a Dream, to an entirely new level. As dreams have a unique way of transforming our unconscious into a limitless reality, photographs can trigger deep unconscious memories. Each fine art fashion piece is photographed as a multi-image composition of an archetypal figure meshed into a black & white negative background. This new style of fine art and fashion digital montage encompasses an ethereal feel that is represented by an inverse dreamscape of the collective unconscious.

In January of 2009, Kevin Michael Schmitz traveled throughout Israel during the war in Gaza. He photographed and authored documentary magazine editorials published in the United States and Europe. The project entitled ISRAEL: A Culture at War documents the people and Holy Land of Israel and the West Bank during a time of war. These gripping images and articles tell the perspective of the people living within the conflict.

Kevin Michael Schmitz is an active member of numerous professional organizations and holds an impressive list of clients. He plans to begin working as an adjunct professor of photography in Los Angeles this year to educate the future of the photographic industry in Southern California.

"I am deeply honored to have been nominated for the GVSU Young Alumni Award. Grand Valley truly prepared me for the world in so many ways, and I am excited to be living my dream as a professional advertising photographer."

www.KevinSchmitz.com

Added September 2009

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