I reflectedlong a dean of the college. University,my invol (includingsummer I havelearneda great the humanitiesand the
To that extent has givenme a b~, tant has been the op formerOSUstudents. the lifeof the universityc mm schoolspirit that pervade the orangewith great pride.
d over four full years f ur undergraduates, s, e socialsciences,
1le e of Artsand Sciences • cati,pn."Equallyimpordreds of current and ed participatingin g the enthusiastic ontinue to wear
Havingcompletedmy fourt r "senio year at OSU,l have decidedto followthe lea of manygr cauate t dents and devote my fullenergiesto teachi g and re etarch.Mycurrent scholarly projectinvolveswritirlg'a ew--bookon erican businesshistory,updatingand expan g A Histo of American Enterprise, published 15 yearsago.I find it verystimulatingto mine the Edmon LowLibrary,readingboth old and more recentbooks and articles,in an effortto understandand explainthe historicalroots of our nation's currentbusiness system.
While workingon the book this fall,1 willalso be renewing my expertisein Americandiplomatichistory.Next spring1 will apply that knowiedgeby teachingat the Universityof Glasgow. Alterour return from Scotland,my wife,Cindy,and I both plan to resume teachingat OSU.
Fortunately,that meanswe willcontinueto be activen;i.embers of the OSU ommunity.Thismovehas been a verygood oneforus and we haveso much appreciatedthe warmthand friendlinessthat everyonein the OSUfamilyhas extendedto us. Welook forwardto our continuingaffiliationwith the institutionand all of the people who makeit special.
The Heart Contracts, Expands
The College of Arts and Sciences has undergone widespread administrative changes during this past summer with the retirement of Dean John Dobson and Professor Stephen McKeever's appointment as the university's vice president for research and technology transfer; Bill Ivy's new assignment as associate vice president for enrollment management; and the appointment of Bruce Crauder as interim dean.
While saying goodbye to old friends or adjusting to friends in new capacities is not always easy, these changes don't cloud the excitement of seeing Dean Dobson pursue his first love, other members of the A&S leadership team assume broader university responsibilities and new A&S leaders emerge. All will do well in their new roles - they've been at the heart of OSU.
In the Interim
OSU appointed Bruce Crauder interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences in August.
A mathematics professor who joined the A&S faculty in 1986, Crauder brings to the job outstanding professional credentials and extensive administrative experience, including the past sevenyears as A&S associate dean for instruction and academic affairs and as interim dean prior to Dobson's appointment.
Crauder has a bachelor's degree from Haverford College, with honors, and master's and doctoral degrees from Columbia University. He held post-doctoral positions at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, the University of Utah and the University of Pennsylvania before coming to OSU.
Crauder's professional expertise lies in algebraic geometry and mathematics education. He has received several NSFgrants in each of these areas and published both scholarly articles and a textbook. He has conducted more than 40 invited lectures and workshops across the country and has been a reviewer for National Science Foundation grants and a referee for six professional journals.
A recipient of two teaching awards, he has advised undergraduate and graduate students and served on a number of master's and doctoral committees as well as the university instruction council and the A&S honors committee. He has served as associate head of the Mathematics Department and adviser to the OSU Math Club.
Daunted but excited by the new responsibilities, Crauder says, "I'm looking forward to the challenges and opportunities as interim dean."
4 Seeing'TheBigPicture'
Curricular pursuits in both arts and sciences teach Michael McNett, a Ph.D.student in theoretical chemistry,an awarenessof the interconnectionsof cultural knowledge,personal success,vocation and avocation,giving him the foundation he needsto make informed choices about his future.
10 Sharingthe Knowledge
A&S researchersfunded by the National Science FoundationAstronomyProgramto addressthe country's shortage of scientistsare teaching outstandingundergraduatesfrom around the country how to conduct researchin a particular field of spaceand planetary science.
12 In (Zany)Control
Acting and actor movementteacher KevinOtos, whose researchof physical comedytechniques includesthe study of clowns,was one of 35 people in the nation invited to audition for Cirque du Soleil.
FormerOSUbasketballplayerand A&Sgraduate ChrisGafney,wellawareof the difficultiesin balancingthe full-timerequirementsof beinga collegeathleteand a student,hopesto encouragemoreOSUscholar-athletes to considermajorsin the college.
Sr.Directorof Development Deborah Desjardins Directorof Development Martha Halihan Editor Eileen Mustain
Art Director Paul V Fleming
AssociateEditor
VicePresident, EnrollmentManagement & Marketing
Coordinatorof Career Services& AlumniActivities Janet Varnum Michael Heintze
Missy Wikle
ARTS & SCIENCES Magazine is a publicationof the OklahomaStateUniversityCollegeof Artsand Sciencesdesigned to provideinformationon collegeissuesand concernswhile fosteringcommunicationamongOSUalumniand friends.Please contactA&S,vithi11formationand suggestionsfor the magazine.
OklahomaStateUniversityin compliancewithTitleVI andVII of the CivilRightsActof 1964, ExecutiveOrder11246asamended,TitleIXof theEducationAmendments of 1972,Americans with DisabilitiesActof 1990,andotherfederallowsandregulations,doesnotdiscriminateon thebasisof race,color,notionalorigin,sex,age,religion,disability,or statusasa veteranin any of its policies,practicesor procedures.Thisincludesbut is not limitedto admissions,employment,financialaid and educationalservices.Thispublication,issuedbyOklahomaStateUn~ versityasauthorizedbytheCollegeof Arts& Sciences,wasprintedbyTheAudiaVisualCenter, UniversityPrintingServicesat no costto the taxpayersof Oklohomo.s5783 09/03
Zoologist and OSU's new System CEO and President David J. Schmidly is a nationally known expert on conservation changes and biodiversity as it relates to mammals.
PresidentDavidJ.
Leadershipby
example
is a way of lifefor OSU's new SysternCEO and PresidentDavid]. Schmidly.
The former professor of zoology, who spent more than 30 years as a leader at two Texas universities and now OSU, places high priority on teaching, mentoring and pursuing scholarly work despite his busy schedule.
"For me it's not a job. It's a passion - a career," says the former president of Texas Tech University who is a nationally known expert on conservation changes and biodiversity as it relates to mammals.
'Tm blessed to be able to do something I enjoy so much," he says. Weekends and vacations are spent writing and making presentations to conservation groups around the country. "These are things I can do without hindering my primary Job of adminisu·ation."
Photosfrom the top: OSU SystemCEO and
Schmidlycollectssmall mammals as a graduate student in 1966. Schmidly,wearing a hat and seated in the middle, poseswith Mexican and U.S. graduate studentson a field trip in Michaacan, Mexico, in 1986. Schmidly,right, visitswith indigenousMexican Indiansan a field trip in Jalisca, Mexico, in the summer af 1985.
.
• Duringhis 25 yearsas a professor of zoologyat TexasA&M, includingfiveyearsas CEOof the Galvestoncampusand six yearsas head of the Departmemof Wildlife and FisheriesSciences,Schmidly authoredsevenbooks on Texas mammals.
His mostrecentbook, Texas NaturalHistory-A Centuryof Change,describeschangesto the naturalenvironmentof the Lone Star stateduringthe past century. Schmidly'sfieldstudiesof mammalsin all 254 Texascounties formanotherbook, The Mammals of Texas,whichdescribes181speciesof mammals.The Universityof TexasPresswillpublishthis book later this year.
"I was fortunate while I was a facultymember to accumulate a tremendous amount of information that I can now publish and present in papers," says Schmidly,58.
He plans to teacha classon conservationand environmental issuesin the deparunentof zoologyin the fallof 2004. ln the meantime,OSU'sCollegeof Business Administrationhas asked him to teacha courseon leadership.
"Leadershipis somethingI havespent a lot of time studying and focusingon since I moved into administrativework,"he says. Besidespresidentialroles, Schmidly'sadministrativeexperince includesservingas Texas ech's vicepresident for research, raduate students and technology ransfer,as wellas dean of the • raduate school.
"The facultyexpertswho are onstantly researchingand creat·ngnew knowledgethat eventuallygoes into textbooksare ·nvaluable,"he says.
Schmidlygrew up on a farm • Levelland,Texas,learning to ppreciate the animals, plants nd environment of the west
Texas area. The son of a cotton farmer,he was the first in his familyto attend college.
A zoologyprofessorinspired him to focuson the study of mammals."l becamecommittedto that degree field,"he says,ultimately earning bachelor'sand master's degreesfromTexasTechand a doctoratefrom the Universityof lllinois,all in zoology.
Schmidlyhas collaboratedprofessionallywith members of OSU's zoologyfacultyfor years and says he looks forward to joim projects in the future concerning Oklahoma mammals and natural resources.
"OSUhas an outstandingzoology department with a reputation as good stewardsand mentors of students,"he says,"as wellas an excellent,broad-basedresearch program.
"1served on the Ph.D.committee of KarenMcBee,"he says,"and 1have known Ron VanDen Busscheand MeredithHamilton for many years.In addition,l first becameacquaintedwith Professor EmeritusBryanGlasswhen I was still a neophyte in zoology.And I'm lookingforwardto workingwith my 'new boss' Jim Shaw,who was at TexasA&Mwhen l first started."
The Collegeof Arts and Sciences is n·ulythe backbone of the university,he says,servingall students on campus at some point in their academiclives.
"Withits emphasison the humanitiesand classicsas wellas the sciences,the Collegeof Artsand Sciencesoffersstudents the opportunityforcomprehensivegrowthin their scholarlydevelopment."
AsOSU'stop administrator, Schmidlyis focusedon the growth and developmentof the entire OSU system,includingOSU'scampuses in Stillwater,Tulsa,OklahomaCity and Okmulgeeas wellas the OSU CenterforHealth Sciencesin Tulsa.
He is dedicatedto bringingmore resourcesto the state,creatingmore opportunitiesforbusinessdevelopment and newjobs. Yetthis leader will no doubt remain dedicated to the well being of the state's vast natural resources of land and wildlifeand their preservation for future generations.
"Weshare our world with hundreds of thousands of other species that contribute enormouslyto our qualityof life,"Schmidlysays. "It's important for students to realize the importanceof their survival and growth and to manageand conservethese resourceswisely."
JANET VARNUM
A&S Offers Many Career and Enrichment Options
The College of Arts and Sciences offers a wide variety of its own programs while supporting and reinforcing all other university programs.
With majors ranging from art to zoology, A&S supports the entire university by providing general education classes that are needed by students in all majors as well as degree minor options.
A&S also grants area studies certificates, the equivalent of interdisciplinary minors, that allow students to pursue cross-disciplinary interests and complement noncollege majors. Students can earn certificates in AfricanAmerican, Ancient and Medieval, Asian, Central Asian, Latin American, Native American, Russian and Eastern European and Women's Studies.
A&S provides a number of specialized, interdisciplinary strengths, a broad selection of professipnal and pre-professional training and academic preparation for law, medicine, social work, nursing, optometry, veterinary medicine, the arts and many others.
In addition, A&S provides extensive extracurricular experiences through musical and theatrical productions, well-known speakers and study-abroad opportunities, all designed to enrich the student's college life.
"One of our main goals is to ensure that students are prepared not only for successful careers, but also successful lives," says former A&S Dean John Dobson.
"The most important influence our college experience has is on life itself. We are all fortunate to be living in an era that offers a stunning array of options for utilizing our after-hours time. Often the electives or general education courses we took as undergraduates lead to an avocation or hobby in later years,'' he says.
"A&S provides an experience that results in education for a lifetime - and for a full and rewarding life."
Learning How To Learn
It has 24 departments, more than 300 facultymembers, 43 areas of study and 74 student clubs and honor societies.lt also teaches 54 percent of the total class hours at OSU.With qualificationslike that, it's easy to see that the Collegeof Arts and Sciencesis truly the "heart of OSU."
KeelyJames, interim director of Arts and SciencesStudent Academic Services,says the collegeis of bedrock importance to the university."Auniversitycannot exist without arts and sciences,"she says."Artsand sciencesteaches the majorityof generaleducation classeson campus providingthe base courses on which other collegesare built."
She citesagricultureand engineering as examplesof programs that depend on the mathematics, biologicalsciences,chemistryand physicscoursestaught in A&S.ln much the same way,she notes, marketingand managementare derived from behavioralsciences such as psychologyand sociology.
"In most cases, the A&Smajor reflectsthe study of a pure discipline while related majors in other collegesfocus on application of the knowledgebase toward a specificgoal,"she says.
A case in point is Michael McNatt,graduate student in theoreticalchemistry at OSU,bridges
He mastered piano literature in half the six years it generally takes, and he placed well in several piano competitions. Then, at the beginning of his junior year, he began to investigate other interests. Remembering he had done well in junior high school science fair
atoms move across the surfaceof metals."He estimateshe will complete his degree program in about two more years.
MissyWikle, coordinator of A&S Career Services and Alumni Activities,says McNatt has probably realized what most students of the arts and
McNett, a doctoral student in theoretical chemistry, is studying how fast atoms move across the surface of metals.
the arts and sciences.McNatt grew up in Mississippiand found himself in high school wondering what he was going to do with the rest of his life when a well-timed gift of a NativeAmerican!lute from his grandmother gave him a new focus.
He taught himself how to play. Shortlyafter,his mother told him she wanted to buy him either a computer or a piano. Which did he want? He chose the piano and started taking lessons. ''I've alwayshad the abilityto totally involvemyselfin whateverinterest I have,"he says."lt was challenging,but I did well and decided to pursue a music scholarship at WilliamCareyCollege in Hattiesburg."
projects, he decided to try a chemistry course.
He did so well in the course that chemistry became the road he wanted to follow.He did some research to determine what areas of chemistry were high in demand but short in supply and landed on theoreticalchemistry, the discipline that uses physics, mathematics and computers to help understand and predict molecularbehavior in different environments.
He is now working on a Ph.D. in theoreticalchemistry at OSU. 'Tm just now getting into the research portion of my work,"he explains. "Rightnow l'm working on a problem about how fast
sciences have come to learn: the A~S curriculum provides lifeenriching skills for everyone, regardless of their vocation.
"Adegree grounded in the liberal arts is a degree built on a firm foundation of awareness," says Wikle.
Armed with this background, students are able to understand how the world and its components work. "Theygain the skills necessary to move beyond the jargon and specializedtrainingof a particular position and to see the larger picture of how everything from business needs to cultural awareness to personal success fits together,"she says.
'This is why A&Sis the heart of OSU."
An accomplished pianist, Michael McNett switched his major from music to theoretical chemistry during his senior year.
TOM JOHNSTON
LiberalStudies Adds Complexity,Breadth
Mustain
Eileen
Anew undergraduatedegree in liberalstudies in the Collegeof Ansand Sciences, pendingfinal approvalof the OklahomaState Regentsfor HigherEducation,supportsa diverseand com-
prehensiveeduca- Crauder tionemphasizing interdisciplinarystudyand providing the llexibilityforstudentsto designtheirowncurricula.
Promptedbystudentspursuing doubleand uiplemajors,A&S administratorsand facultydesigned the newLiberalstudiesdegreeto meetthe needsof individualswho wantto studya numberof disciplinesin theircurricularprogram, saysBruceCrauder,interimdeanof the college.
"Forother majors,students are expectedto earn 30 hours withinone discipline,but in this programthey haveto complete 42 hours in at least three," Craudersays."Theymay take 15 hours in each of two disciplines and 12 hours froma third."
"1couldimaginesomeoneinterestedin physicalanthropology, a majorwe don't have,taking coursesin agronomy,geography, amhropologyand sociologyand makinga degree,"he explains."Or, a studentwho wantedto do a serious studyoflslam historicallyand
in the world todaycould combine elementsof history,religion, sociologyand politicalscience and shape a very robust and attractivedegree."
The liberal studies degree is availableas a bachelor of science or as a bachelor of arts. The former concentrates on science and math courses and the latter on humanities, arts, and a foreignlanguage.
A required senior capstone project completed with a faculty mentor is a criticalcomponent of the program. A committee evaluates the finalproject much like the evaluationfor a master's degree thesis.
"The liberal studies degree pulls from many different disciplines,and the goal is for students to synthesize that knowledge into a new intellectual product," he says.
"Manytop A&S faculty members have signed on to mentor and guide prospectiveliberal studies maJors.
A&Sbelievesthe program will attract ambitiousand forwardlookingstudents who will create unique degrees that make them attractiveto graduate and professionalschools,Crauder says."Our missionis to provide an education that allowsstudents to realize their fullpotential,and graduates of this program willbe able to say, 'I reallyhave an educationin how to think and how to learn."'
Taking TheatreArt to the Next Stage
Followingtwoyearsof development,OSU'sTheatreDepartment has launcheda new degreeprogram that adds in-depth,pre-professionaJtrainingin the theatrearts.
Complementingexisting offerings, the bachelor of fine arts in theatre degree will enable students to refine their talents in acting or design and production technologywhile preparing them for professionalachievement.
"The bachelor of fine arts provides an opportunity for specialization and emphasizes the practiceof fine arts rather than theory,"says Bruce Brockman, professor and head of the OSU Theatre Department.
'The programrequiresabout 30 credithours morethan the bachelor of arts curriculum,"he says.Acting studentswilltake specializedperformanceclassesthat exploredifferent historicalstylesand craftcourses such as dialectsand stagecombat Designand productionstudents willtakeadvanced coursesin sound design, cinegraphictechniques, ·stagemechanics,costume designand other crafts-oriented courses.
The new degree program also advances preprofessionalpreparation by emphasizing the audition process from onset to completion.
"The audition is the natural way into the profession for most actors, so we will use it for adinission to the program and to measure students' growth as performers over the course of the curriculum,"Brockmansays.
A formaJfacultyjmy willevaluate actingstudents'performancesas well as theportfoliosof designand productionstudents,he says,notingthat aJJstudentsmustcompletefour semestersinjury to graduatewith the bachelorof fineartsdegree.
OSU'sis the only theatre department in the state to offer both a bachelorof arts and a bachelor of firlearts in theatre.This fall, 12 students willcomprisethe first class of bachelorof finearts students, and the department anticipates adinittingapproximately30 students - with a ceilingof 16 in acting- to the program each year.
"FromNewYorkto SanFrancisco,we havea numberof alumni out theremakingtheirlivingsas actors,techniciansand production professionals,and thereis workfor studentswho are well-trainedand understandhow the profession works,"Brockmansays.
"Next,we need to start developing a source of funds and scholarship opportunitiesto help bachelorof finearts students travelto auditionsand show what they can do on the national level."
ADAMHUFFER
courtesy
Brockman
On stage in the OSU Theatre Department's production of The Mikado, in alphabetical order, are Elise Barrick, Clayton Blair, Mackenzie Brown, Loren Casey, Michael Edsel, Amanda Hall,Andy Hartley, Ben Kirberger, Brett lee, Elaine Montgomery, Shawna Matt, Brooks Powers, Janee Reeves, Tiffany Roberts, Justin Schumann, Abby Smith, Sarah Spieth, Caleb Stevenson, Lynette Weaver, Sonya Webber and Jason Wilkinson.
What the Butler Saw by Joe Orton
The CherryOrchard by Anton Chekhov
The Triumphof Love by Pierre Marivaux
Oct. 7-12
Nov.19-23
Feb. 25-29
West Side Story by Arthur Laurents, Leonard Bernstein & Stephen Sondheim
April 21-25
For theater information visit http://theatre.okstate.edu/index1.htm1, or coll the box office at (405) 744-9208.
At left, OSU students Lynette Weaver and Heath Hentges perform a scene from The Mikado. Graphic design students,right, RobbyBreisch, and, top right, Sywon-YueShih, BeckyGelder, Angelo Baskett and Julie Qualls pose with samplesof their art at the 2003 Spring Graphic DesignPortfolio Review.
Asking the Tough Questions
When photographs taken at an Alpha Gamma Rho fraternitypany surfaced last Septemberraising questions about racism and creating disquietude on the usually calm OSU campus in Stillwater, StacyTakacs'Introduction to AmericanStudies class used the incident to apply classroom instruction to a real world issue.
The photographsat the heart of the controversydepictedan AGR membercostumedin overallsand a Confederatebandana,anotherin a KuKluxKlanrobeand a third,with a noosedangledoverhis head,as a prisonerin blackface.Editorialcondemnations,AGRapologiesand suspensionof the threeoffending fraternitymembersfollowedthe episodeas wellas discussionsabout free speechand a candlelightvigilto honordiversity.Butno one conducteda studentopinionsurveyuntil Takacs'classundertookthe project.
"We had been talking all semester about cultural contact - how
Ken Helt
groups with differenthistories and agendas encounter each other and su·uggleover resourcesand power in economic,politicaland social terms," says Takacs,assistant professor of AmericanStudies and a specialistin popular culture.
"Thisexeroseenabledthem to see a reallifeexampleof sud1a struggle as theirintervieweesallstruggledover the definitionof the event."
Takacs'students,intenton getting perspectivesfromacrossthe ethnic spectrum,interviewedand videotaped 150students.Beginningwithbut not limitedto scriptedquestions,they delvedintothe issue'scomplexities, asking,"ls thisracismor ignorance? Do intentionsdetenninewhatis racist? Doesdiversityequalanti-racism? ls this a freespeemissue?Doesthe threatof violencesupersedeTherightto free speem7Whatdoesth.issayaboutthe socialconditionson our campus?"
Many of her students reported surprise at encountering racist attitudes and where they found them,
Takacs says. "Theyexpectedsuch attitudes among certain populations but not among others and were surprised to have theirexpectations occasionallychallenged. Overall,they reported learninga great deal from simply talkingto people about their perspectives."
The 20-minutefilmversion, which Takacsedited fromsixhours of surveyvideo,also mallengedaudience expectationsat its debutduring the OSUDiversityTeach-lnheldin NovemberAccordingto the postfilmdiscussion,manyexpectedto hear about racialtensionon campus. instead,the generalconsensus reamed by the interviewees,includingAfrican-Americanand foreignstudents,is th.atthere is no racialconflict and no mistream1entof minoritieson the Stillwatercampus.Asonestudent says,'There is a peacefulbalance betweenminoritiesand the majority."
One flawin the survey,Takacs says,is the absenceof NativeAmerican perspectives."ln addition,many
For gallery information visit http://ort.okstate.edu/gallery.htm, or call (405) 744-6016.
of those interviewedsubstituted nationaldifferencefor racialdifferencein structuringtheir responses,"she says,notingthat this ;hift in the definitionof termscompromisesthe consensusthat OSU's climateis one of racialaccord.
"Allin all,altl1oughabbreviated, l thinkit wasa highlysuccessfulexercise,"shesays.
"Mystudentsconfronted campuswideissuesthattheydid n0t realizeexisted,and nowtheyknow how to gatherdata,howto askthe criticalquestionsthatwillhelpthem ?pproachcomplexsocialissues thoughtfully."Takacshopesthatwill includeconfrontingthequestionshe saysher st11dents,and allof us, must ultimatelyaskabouttheAGRincident - "Whydid thesestudentsfeelfreeto behavethatwayon our campus?"
EILEENMUSTAIN
W9men'sFilm Festival
FALL 2003 SCHEDULE
Refrigerator Mothers Oct. 28
Wrestling with Manhood: Gender, Race, and Class in Professional Wrestling Nov. 19
For information about the films and the Women's Film Festival schedule (including OSU-Tulsa dates and times), log on at http://home.okstate.edu/homepages.nsf/toc/WFFF03 or contact Laura Belmonte at (405) 744-8198 or labelmonte@hotmail.com or Trish Long at (405) 744-7575 or longt@okstate.edu.
Ethics Center Draws International Attention
A group of internationallyrecognizedsmolars came to OSU'sEthics Centerthis year to address the ethicaland socialimplicationsof advancementsin medicalenhancement technology.Eachyear the center presentsa majoracademicconference that includespubliclectures about current ethicalconcerns.
"ShouldEveryoneBeAboveAverage7MedicalEnhancement- Reconsideringthe Promises"was the topic of participantswho discussedthe implicationsof genetic,cosmeticand psychological"enhancements."
Speakingat the freelecture serieson the OSU-Stillwatercampus, AdrienneAsch,the Herny R. Luce Professorin Biology,Ethicsand the Politicsof Human Reproductionat WellesleyCollege,talkedabout the ethicaland moralissuesconcerning prenataltesting.ln the futuretechnologymayallowdoctorsto geneticallyengineerembryosso the resultingchildrenwillbe guaranteed to havecertaincharacteristics,such
as specificpersonalitytraits,eyeand hair color,height,etc.
Allen Buchanan,professor of philosophy at Duke Universityand director of the Consortium on Pharmacogenetics,presented a lecture on "GeneticEnhancement and Human Nature" at OSU-Tulsain conjunction with the conference.
"When the scientificabilityto accomplish these types of genetic enhancement becomes a reality, we're in trouble if we haven't examined the ethics of these issues beforehand,"says Scott Gelfand, director of the Ethics Center and a specialistin medical ethics.
Otherconferencespeakersincluded MatyMahowald,visitingprofessor emeritaat theStanfordUniversityCenterforBiomedicalEthics;John J Mulvihill,KimberlyV Talley/Chiltlren's MedicalResearchInstituteChairin Genetics,professorof pediatrics,chief of the geneticssectionand directorof the Programof HumanGeneticsat the Universityof OklahomaHealth
Gelfand SciencesCenter;and EricParens, associate[orphilosophicalstudiesat The HastingsCenter.
Last year'sconferenceon "ArtificialWombs and DesignerBabies" also drew internationallyknown scholarsand garneredinternational attention,and last fall,thejournal NatureinterviewedGelfandfor an articleabout artificialwombs.The story appearedin the publication's Sept.5, 2002, issue.
ChemistsFind Ways to NeutralizeBombs
replace chlorine atoms in toxic chlorocarbonswith hydrogen atoms, which made the pollutants relativelyharmless.
The chemistshave developed two processes that work at high temperatures.One uses hydrogencontaining materialsand catalysts to neutralize nitrogen and oxygencontaining explosives,such as TNT,dynamite,plastic explosive and fertilizerbombs. The second uses organicamines (ammonia derivatives)to decompose military explosivesand convert them to non-explosivematerials that can be used in the manufactureof plastics.
Homemade bombs, the kind that terrorists generallyuse, are not encased in the heavy protective shells of conventionalweapons. They are more likely contained in boxes, backpacks and other soft packages that can be stashed in waste containers or loaded into cars and trucks.
This accessibilityto the components makes them vulnerableto a new method of neutralization under developmentby OSU chemists AllenApblettand NickMaterer.
Apblettand Matererhave created a number of chemicalsolutions, currently undei; testing[or effectiveness,and a process to neutralizebombs by convertingexplosive materials into non-explosive compounds.
The abilityto neutralizebombs will enable emergencyresponse personnel to safelytransport explosives to an appropriate place for disposal. They could use an apparatus like a fire extinguisher to
spray a neutralizingsolution on a small bomb and a pumping system similar to a fire hose to disable a larger explosivedevice.
"Ratherthan risk injuryby moving a bomb that might be boobytrapped or by attemptingto detonate it on-site,you can neutralizeit right thereand then transportit,"says Apblett,the principalinvestigator.
Apblett and Matererare collaborating with Universityof Oklahoma and Universityof Tulsa researcherson the project, which is funded by the NationalInstitute of Justice through the Oklahoma City NationalMemorialInstitute for the Preventionof Terrorism.The final product will be tested at Sandia NationalLaboratories.
Apblettsays the research project grew out of his earlierwork on groundwater decontamination. He developedreagents that could
The final version of the product will be sized according to need. It can be contained in a small, portable kit that could become a standard part of an emergency team's equipment or be used in a bigger event, such as a car or truck bomb incident.
Materer and Apblett know their job has only begun when they deliver their final report to the Institute. They must obtain funding to develop the product to the commercial stage. Then they must find a manufacturer, so it can become a part of the first responder's bag of tools.
"We think the first use for our process is counter-terrorism,but we also see a use for this in the military and for environmental decontamination.The Department of Defensemust detonate badly corroded missilesand bombs that cannot be opened and destroyvery large quantities of old explosives everyyear,but this causes am10spheric pollution.
"Our process may be a better alternativethan incineration," Apblett says
SHARI DUNN
A Formulafor
Chemist Darrell Berlinhopesto help make cancer a thing of the past with research that mayleadto new drugs to treat ovarianandvulvar cancer as well as cancerofthe neck and head.
"One of our agents was tested in a mouse infectedwith ovarian cancer,"says Berlin,a RegentsProfessor of chemistry who has taught at OSU for 40 years."Themouse had a tumor that grew,but whenit was treated with the new agent,the tumor regressed.Our agentproved more effectivethan an agentnow used in the clinic."
Berlinrecentlygainedhis 28th patent and says a pharmaceutical companyis consideringlicensing the agent.He won't speculateon how long it could take a company to developan approveddrug forthe marketplacebut saysall the chemical groundworkhas been donein preparationof toxicitytesting.
ChemistsAllen Apblett, pictured,and Nick Materer have created chemicalsand a processto counterterrorists' bombs.
Wb.erethe Wind Comes Sweepin' Down the Plain
Oklahomawillhaveits first"wind farms"by the end or this year,says SteveStadler,OSUgeographyproressorand coordinatoror OSU's portionor the OklahomaWind PowerInitiative.
Thesenew facilities,made up of a largearrayor wind-poweredturbinesthat generateelectricity,add 175megawattsof installedwind capacity,bringa $175 million invesu11entinto the state and make onlya smalldent in our wind powerpotential,Stadlersays.
The initiativeis a joint project betweenOSUand the Universityof OklahomaLoevaluateOklahoma's potentialforharvestingwind as an
A schoolbusillustratesthe scaleof the windturbinesusedon this Kansaswind farm. OSUgeogrophersare helping researchthe bestplacesfor wind farms in Oklahoma.
Excellence
"Thisagentis a brand new possibilityforovariancancertreatment,"he says,"but these arejust preliminaryresults.There is no wayto Lei!until the toxicityand life-spantestsare finished>'
For 10years,Berlinhas parumed with DorisBenbrook,a microbiologistand biochemistat the Universityof OklahomaHealth SciencesCenter.Benbrooktests the agentsBerlindevelopson specific cancercells.
"Wecan screenour material againstthe cancercellsimmediatelyto see ifit stops the growth of the cancer,"he says.
The NationalCancerInstitute has awarded$2 millionto several other medicalgroups for further researchon the most activeagent
DarrellBerlin,OSURegentsProfessorof chemistry,(rightbock)worksin hislab with studentsDavidLehenbauer(left back),ThanhLe(leftfront)and KevinTran.
energysource and to inform the public about their findings.
Federal monies administered through the Oklahoma Departmentor Commercefund the project.
Members of the initiativeorganized their third annual cornerence, "Wind Powerand Bioenergy," this year to discuss u·ansmission issues, capacityvalue of wind, community wind power projects, the distribution of wind energy,renewable power marketing,business opportunities and developers'and manufacturers'economic issues.
Stadler says Oklahoma will have two wind farms in the state by early 2004. One of those willbe the Blue CanyonWind Farm north of the Wichita Mountains,which i.s being built by Western Farmers Elecu-icCooperative.
He adds that the start-up costs for large wind farm operations are significantat about $1 million for each megawattor energy produced. The Blue Canyon farm will generate 75 megawatts,enough energy to supply more than 20,000 homes with electricity.
"In the early 1980s,wind power cost about 38 cents per kilowatt hour to produce," Stadler says "Todaywith the cost less than five cents per kilowatt hour, not including any federalor state production tax credits,wind power is sin1ilar in cost to fossilfuel generation technologies."
Smallwind turbine technology is possible for Oklahoma, he adds. A typicalsmall turbine has an output of 10 kilowattswhile mounted on a SO-foottower and can be connected to the power grid.
developedby Berlinand Benbrook through a Rapid Accessto Intervention and Developmentgrant.
Widely recognizedfor his research and teaching,Berlinwon the prestigious 2003 Oklahoma Medal for Excellencein College/
Carolyn Gonzales
UniversityTeachingfrom the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence. He is also the recipient of the 2003 OSU RegentsDistinguished ResearchAward.
His researcheffortshavebrought between$4 and $5 millionto OSU
As a geographer,Stadler has been involvedwith the mapping and assessment of the state's wind resources.He and his colleagues divided the Oklahoma map into a grid of cells, each 372 square ;:: meters,and 0 s determined the 0 s wind energy potential for each cell using various research data. Stadler
The group has developed an Internet-based map server (http:// www.ocgi.okstate.edu/owpi)that makes the assessment readilyavailable to the public. Map viewerscan zoom in on their property and determineits windresourcepotential.
CAROLYNGONZALES overthe past 40 years,and he has helped shape the careersof some 4,000 to 5,000 undergraduates through his courses.He's successfully11!-entoredand directed20 students to their master'sdegreesand 46 sn.identsto their doctorates.He has also workedwith 29 postdoctoralresearchassociates fromall overthe worldwho have come to OSU to studywith him.
While students consistently praise Berlin'smotivationalteaching style,he is quick to credit his students. "Mystudents over the years have made major Lionsto our researchprogram, and together they'vepublished 294 papers. Without these students, good results would not havebeen possible,"says Berlin.
JANETVARNUM& CAROLYNGONZALES
Preparing 'The Next Generation'
Arts and Sciencesresearchersare helping train the country's next generation of scientists.
Outstanding undergraduates from across the country come to OSU during the summer to study with A&S's nationallyand internationallyrespected scientistsas part of a ResearchExperiencefor Undergraduates(REU)program funded by the NationalScience Foundation (NSF) Astronomy Program.
The students work with faculty mentors in ongoing research effortsin a particular field or space and planetary research, ranging from asteroid composition to lifeand geologicalprocesseson the surfaceof Mars to locatingextra-solarplanets, says RichardMarston,Sun Professor and OSU Schoolof Geology graduate advisor,who along with ElizabethCat.las,assistant professor of geology,co-administersthe program at OSU. •
OSU and the Universityof Arkansasjoimly operate the NSFREUProgram in Spaceand Planetary Sciencesthrough the Center for Spaceand PlanetarySn.tdies housed al the Universityof Arkansasin Fayetteville.
This is the second year or the three-yearprogram, which is designed to address the counn-y's shortage of scientistsby helping
promising students prepare for scientificcareers in government, academe and indusn·y.
"Studentswork closelywith facultyand also on their own, developinga researchproject and presentingit to the center at the end of the 10 weeks,"he adds.
"Ultimately,the goal is to involve the undergraduatestudents at a levelthat will lead to co-authoring
physics major from Oberlin College in Ohio, on a study to determine wind directions on Mars using geomorphic featuressuch as sand dunes and wind streaks on the planet's surface.They derived their maps using imagery of Mars from the Mars Global SurveyorOrbital Camera.
Another REU student,John Sakon, a physics major from William and Mary Collegein Virginia, worked with Robert Burnap, professor of microbiologyand moleculargenetics,to study oxygenic photosynthesis and the geneticadjustments or this process in extreme environments.
Studentswho porticipated in the ReseorchExperiencefor Undergraduates program in space and planetarysciencesthis past summerare, clockwise from the top,John Sokonwith Ph.D.student Brad Postierand mentorRobert Burnap;BretYount;BenStanleywith mentor RichardMarston;and Dustin Trail with mentor ElizabethCatlos.
refereedjournal articlesand/ or presentinga paper or poster at a professionalmeeting."
This year,Marston worked with Ben Stanley,a geologyand
Dustin Trail,a computer science major with minors in geology and math at the Universityof Colorado,came to OSU this summer to study with Elizabeth Cat.las,assistant professor or geology,and to use the OSU electron microprobe to compositionally analyze the Earth's oldest zirconium silicateminerals to
understand the nature and composition of the Earth's earlycrust. BretYount,a physicsmajor from ArkansasState University, worked with SteveMcKeever,the MOSTChair in physics,on the effectsor high energyparticleson materialsused in radiation measurement dosimetry as part of a larger project to develop new methods for radiation dosimetry (measurement) for asn·onauts.
This summer's students had the opportunity to interactwith severalhigh-rankingscientists from the Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, Calif.,and with NASA scientists and astronauts,including Karen McBide,NASAproject manager for the Mars ScoutMission planned in the near future.
The students will present their projects at the 35th AnnualLunar and PlanetarySciencesConference in March 2004 at ASAin Houston, Texas.
"Allfour students who spent their summer at OSU are now inspired to apply to graduate school,"Marston says,"and OSU will be one of the universitiesto which they apply."
A 'Natural'Place to Study
The valueof the McPhersonPreserve,justifiablycalledone of OSU'smost "natural"places to study,wasrecognizedthis year whenit wasplaced on the OklahomaNaturalAreasRegistry.
The nearly 160acres of wildernesswest of Stillwateris locatedin a part of Oklahoma calledthe "crosstimbers,"so namedbecauseit is a transition areabetweenthe great prairies and the Eastern forests.
The crosstimbersfeaturesa richvarietyof plants ranging frompost and blackjackoaks to speciesfoundin Oklahoma's tallgrassprairies.
MikePalmer,a botany professor who managesthe area, says the regionis a livinglaboratory with forestsof all kinds, several kindsof wetlands,a waterfalland disturbedand undisturbed areas.
The invitationto Join the OklahomaNaturalAreasRegistry, a programof the OklahomaBiologicalSurvey,came from Kim Shannon,an alumna of the departmentwho is now a conservationspecialistwith the registry.
OSUtransferredthe land, knownas the EcologyPreserve, Lothe botanydeparU11entin
1968.The department renamed the preserve in 1994 forJames K McPherson,an OSU botany professorand plant ecologistwho died soon after his retirement.
"He was very concerned with environmentalissues and was activein severalorganizations," says BeckyJohnson, head of the botany department. "He also was a great scientistand a dedicated teacher."
Palmer says the department makes good use of the preserve. He has conducted research on how some wild plants disappear, then reappear in the preserve over severalyears.His work won the Editor's Prize from the journal of EducationScience.
One of his graduate students is looking at an issue dear to the hearts of Oklahoma's farmers and ranchers - the invasion of the Eastern Red Cedar. The aggressivetrees are gobbling up thousands of acres of pasturelands in the state and driving out Oklahoma's native plants and wildlife.Palmer and his students occasionallyconduct controlled burns in certain areas of the preserve to bring back the native grasses and flowers of the prairie.
"We're very fortunate to have this unique area for teaching, research, ecology classes, field trips, experiments and observational studies," Palmer says. "It's a wonderful resource for our department."
NESTOR GONZALES
Geography Department Establishes New Program
The first all new doctoral program established in the College of Arts and Sciencesin the past 20 years allowsgeographysn.1dents to earn Ph.D.swith the department. Graduate students previouslyhad to seek doctoral education in environmentalscience or the Collegeof Education's Ed.D.program if they wanted to stay at OSU.The department also recruited nationwide and has attracted a diverse group of doctoral students from other states and other countries.
"The new program providesan integratedsystemsapproach to the study of human and environmental resources,"saysDale Lightfoot,professorand head of the deparunent. It retainsthe GeographyDepartment'slongstanding emphasison natural resourcesmanagementand cultural and historicalgeographyand adds a new, unique focusin urban and transportationgeography.
Administratorsand faculty conceivedthe transportation specialty in part due to the proliferation of geographicinformation system (GIS) applications to address urban and transportation planning issues. GIS research and developmenthas spikedjob demand in trnnsportation for people with high-levelanalytical and research skills,particularly geography Ph.D.s.
Jim McPherson'swidow, Iris, continues to honorher husband'slegacy by contributing $1,000 a year to the Jim McPhersonMemorial Fundthat helps finance graduate studentsummer research.Contributionscan be made directlyto the Jim McPhersonMemorial Fund,OSU Foundation,P.O.Box 1749, Stillwater,OK 74076-1749or by callingthe OSU Department of Botany at 405-744-5559.
The emphasis also meshes well with the mission of the Oklahoma Transportation Center. Established at OSU in 2001, the center fostersresearch that benefits the Oklahoma Department of Transportation and addresses transportation issues in the state. Geographyfacultymembers have already obtained ODOTgrants through the center for a number
of research projects that attract graduate students to the department and give them indispensabl~ experience,Lightfootsays Lightfootexpects the new Ph.D. program, which currently has 11 students, to grow slowlyat first,but when funds are available, he hopes to add a 13th faculty member and to establishan endowed chair position. Lightfootsays the programis comingonline at a great tin1efor those seekinggeographycareers. Thereis a growingnational demand for Ph.D.-leveltrained geographersin indusu·yand government and in academe,where for the last decade tl1enumber of facultypositionsadvertisedhas exceededthe availabilityof new Ph.D.geographers.r~
Dale Lightfoot,professorand head of the geography department, works with Weiping Li, one of the 11 Ph.D. students in the department's new doctoral program.
Ju t Cl wning Around
lt must be a "man" thing. Your wifeand daughter are away for the weekend.Youhave time on your hands, so you decide to run off and become a circus clown. Which is what KevinOtos, assistant professorof theatre, almost did.
"lt was a whim. l was teaching summer school and my wifeand daughter went out to visit her parents, and I suddenly had all this free time on my hands,"he says, admitting,"l don't know if l actually would havejoined."
He submitted a video and resume to Cirque du Soleil, whose North Americanheadquarters is in Las Vegas,and they were interested.
At the audition, everyonepresented a five-minuteroutine, or "numero,"and participated in improvisationalexercises.
"The thing that was neat for me was to see what the other people did, the other numeros. Everyonewas good, but l was able to see the ones who are reallybrilliant. l'm good but not brilliant.Part of what makes being a clown an interesting thing to work on is that it reliesupon an audience, so the others auditioning became your audience. Peoplewere very supportive of other people's efforts."
His area of study at OSU has been physicalcomedy techniques, and pan of that research led him to study red-nosed clowns, applying contemporary red-noseclowning techniques to the clowns and rustics in Shakespeare'splays,he says.
"Clowningis part of my research,not my career path," he explains. "l did the audition for the experience,and also because when I submitted for i.L, l clidnot expect them to invite me. They work with world-classartists, so when they did inviteme to come, l wasn't going to say no."
The Torrance,Calif.,native has just completed his third year of teaching."l teach mostly acting and movement for the actor,"he says."When the job was advertised at OSU, I thought it was a good match for me.
"The important thing for me is for people Lounderstand I'm not just a clown.l enjoy clowning, but I'm chiellyan acting teacher. But isn't it great that one of the stylesof performancel happen to teachis clown7"
The Buzz About Abramson
PsychologyProfessorand Adjunct Professorof zoologyCharles Abramson'salready-impressive vita expanded over the past year with new accomplishmentsand additionalpeer tributes.
The AmericanPsychological Associationhonored Abramson with its 2003 Robert S. Daniel TeachingExcellenceAwardof the Societyfor the Teachingof Psychology,an award given annually to only one recipient.APArepresentativessay Abramson received the award in recognitionof his
Afri.canizedhoneybees (so-called "killer bees"), has studied the effect of alcohol on honeybees and its possible application to human alcoholism problems.He also studies the effectof pesticides on the learning abilitiesof both types of bees.
He has conducted researchin Sloveniaand Brazilfor the past severalyears,receivinga grant from the Sloveniangovernment to continue his research,and has CharlesAbramson,psychologyprofessor and adjunct professorof zoology, garnered additionalteachingowards and researchfundingthis pastyear.
long record of contributing articlesand books to enhance the teaching of psychology.
In addition, for the third ti.me since he began his teaching career at OSU in 1993,Abramson receivedthe Outstanding Teaching Awardfrom the Oklahoma PsychologicalAssociation.
Abramson, internationally known for his behavioral research on honeybees and
a contract with the government to work with the country's national zoo to write a science curriculum for middle schoolstudents. The Braziliangovernment has funded his researchon Africanizedbees for the last four years,and he was the only researcherto receivefunding from the country this past year.
ICM Honors Cogdell
JamesCogdell,professor of mathematics and a number theorist, presented an invitedlecture at the International Congressof Mathematicians(lCM) in Beijing, China,in 2002. He was one of nine invited
James Cogdell, mothemotics professor, is the first 0SU mathematician to be invited to lecture at the International Congress of Mathematicians. to presentICM lectures in number theory, and he is the first OSU mathematicianto be invitedto present an ICM lecture.
"It'sperhaps the most prestigious speakinginvitationa mathematiciancan get,"saysBennyEvans,former math departmenthead.
The lCM is held every four years under the auspices of the lnternational
Mathematical Union, a non-governmental and non-profit scientific organization with the goal of promoting international cooperation in mathematics. The first ICM was held in 1897.
Cogdell,RegentsProfessorand Vaughn Professorof mathematics,has gained wide acclaim for his research and has presented invited lectures at other prestigious mathematicalgatherings in the U.S.,Italy, France and Hong Kong. ln the summer of 2002, he taught at a math institute summer program in Park City,Utah, that was sponsored by the Princeton Institute of AdvancedStudy.During the 1999-2000 academicyear,Cogdell took unpaid leave from OSU to conduct research with his colleagues at Princeton.
Sincecoming to OSU from RutgersUniversityin 1987,Cogdellhas taught a variety of math classesat all levelsin addition to continuing his research.He was on sabbatical leavethis past year.He spent the fall semester working with a colleagueat Yale Universityand continued his researchat the Fields Institute in Toronto,Canada, in the spring.
"Dr. Cogdell'sinvitation to lecture at ICM is one more recognition of the quality of our continuing research program," Evanssays.
CAROLYNGONZALES
OSU's Hometown Hero
Reader'sDigestand AmericanProfilemagazinesrecentlyfeatured semiretiredmusicprofessorEvan Tonsingas a hometown hero for his efforts to help the PawneeNation recoverits lost music and preserve its languageand culture.
Tonsinghas worked far a number of years repatriating Pawnee musicto the tribe.In his research,he found that various museum collectionsaround the country held recordings of early Pawnee singers and musicians.Pawnee tribal members, who didn't know these musicianshad everbeen recorded,were thrilled when Tonsing made and gavehundreds of free copies of the tapes to the Pawnees.
He also createswritten materials and makes tapes for Pawnee languageclassparticipantsand has bought artwork for some of the Pawnee administrationbuildings.
Tonsinghas personallyfinanced the cost of all of his volunteer projectswith the Pawnees. r~
CAROLYNGONZALES
McKeever Appointed
New Vice President
Stephen McKeever, associate dean for researchin the Collegeof Arts and Sciencesand RegentsProfessorof physics,hosbeenappointed vicepresidentfor researchand technologytransfer at OSU.
McKeeverwillprovideuniversity-wideleadership inresearchandtechnologytransferandcoordinate planning,policies,procedures,programmingand publicand privatefundraisingfor all of OSU'sresearchprograms.
McKeever,whojoinedthe OSUphysics facultyin 1983,headedon OSUteam that helpeddevelopa new optical modelfor radiation monitoringdevicesnow used worldwide.Oneof hisradiation-measuring deviceswas sent into space aboard the spaceshuttleDiscoveryin August2001 to monitorradiationlevelsin space. McKeever
In addition to administration,he is co-directorof the Centerfor Spaceand Planetary Sciences.The center,headquarteredat the Universityof Arkansas,bringstogetherUAand OSU researchersto workonconceptualadvancesthat will impactfuture solarsystemexploration.
McKeeveralso servedfour years as head of the physicsdeportment and was named the MOST(More OklahomaScienceandTechnology) Choirof ExperimentalPhysicsin 1999.
"Dr. McKeeveris respectedinternationallyas a researcher,lecturerand teacher,"soys David Schmidly,OSU SystemCEO and president."His experiencein planning,and hisvisionand leadershipwill helpOSUcontinueitsclimbto notional prominencein researchandtechnologytransfer."
NESTORGONZALES
Evan Tonsing, left, semi-retired OSU music professor, poses with some ofthe Pawnee tribal members who are part of a Pawnee language class. (L-R} Back row:
Rebecca Eppler and Maude Chisholm. Front: Evan Tonsing, Donald White (Maude Chisholm's son} and Gary Leading Fox.
Achieving Balance
AprilMarciszewskistarted her writing careerin seventhgrade with a biweeklystory on middleschool news forher hometownnewspaper, The Edmond Sun. The assignment influencedher decisionto pursue writingfurther- a choice she sayswas confirmedby her experiencesat OSU.
Aftergraduating from Santa Fe High School in Edmond, Okla.,where she edited the school paper, Marciszewskiinitiated a livelyand productiverelationship with OSU's The Daily O'Collegian."I actuallystarted at the O'Collybefore I arrived on campus,"she says. "I contacted the managing editor,wrote a story for the second issue of that semester and became a staff writer within a week."
Her associationwith the O'Co//ylasted four years, including one year as editor,and continued until she graduated with a bachelor's degree in news-editorialjournalism in May 2003.
The three-timeWentz Scholar and Arts and SciencesScholar earned summer internships at The Edmond Sun, The Daily Oklahoman and the Fon Worth Star-Telegramduring her college years.This summer, as recipient of the PulliamJournalism Fellowship, she honed her craft as a business reporter at The Indianapolis Star.
Marciszewskisays she loves going to new places and would like to go to Latin Americawhere she could become Ouentin Spanish, her collegeminor. "I would like to write featureson a community news beat, perhaps a Hispanic communi.ty,where I could cover all aspects,"she says.
"Acommunity beat gives you a tangibleway to impact your community as you try to bring problems to light so citizens can address them and also point out the good things happening that others might not notice.
"I think the journalist's roleis to reflecta communityback to itself,"she says. "It's hard to see what's happening when you'rein the middle of something,but journalists can look at the bigpicture and communicatewhat's happening in an accurate,balanced and compassionateway."
Marciszewskiis well on her way to becoming an outstanding journalist, says Jack Lancaster, The Daily O'Collegian adviser.
"I watched April'sloveand passion forjournalism everyday in her four years at the O'Colly," he says. "Simplyput, she has her act together in all aspects- academics, respect from peers,dedication, reliability- as an award-winningstudent journalist and, most of all, as a person."
"It'samazingto stand there and imaginewhat it must have beenlikein the 1600s or 1700s," saysthe psychologygraduate, "betweenthe everydaylifesetting of familyand work to being wondersn·uckby the beauty createdby the Tuscanartists.
"Itwas such a blessing to get a Baileyscholarshipand have the opportunityto study art and to paintin such a magnificentsetting,"saysMorris,who joined ProfessorMartyAvrett'sannual summerclassin Spannocchia, ltaly,last May.
Studentsspent time painting the picturesquelandscape,visiting museumsand touring outlying
areas."We saw incredible amounts of artworkby many of the great artists and investigated all the littletowns that are famous for their glassware,ceramicsand alabasterart," she says.
"Now that l'm back from Italy I ask myself,'Was it a dream7"'
Morris returned to college more than a decade ago at age 40 after her oldest son and daughter were grown and her youngest son was in high school.Initiallyshe pursued a degree in fine arts but switched to psychologybecause of her interest in mediation from her volunteer work as a victim witness coordinator for the district attomey's officein Okmulgee,Okla.
She says her dream job would be to counsel women and children who are battling domestic violence,child abuse and other problems and to incorporate art techniques into their therapy where applicable.
"If people are having a problem it will come out in their art," she says. 'They will put their feelings down on paper using colors, shapes and objects."
Whether she's going back to school as an adult, winning a BaileyScholarship for study abroad or sharing her paints with her grandchildren, Morris approaches every endeavor with a can-do attitude.
"I try to remain positive,"Morris says. "It's hard for people to complain to me. I tell them, 'Come on, you can do it."'
JANET VARNUM
AdClubEarns NationalRecognition
OSU's Advertising Club (AdClub) received national attention this spring when it won the American Advertising Federation's (MF) membership contest for growth with an increase of 260 percent from the previous year. AdClub grew from 49 to 144 members, earning president Briana Patterson a free trip to represent the group at AAF's national convention in Los Angeles.
Danielle Latta, chapter vice president, coordinated recruiting efforts with the help of Patterson; Jessica Patti, secretary; Rocky Ommen, treasurer; Jamie Vowel, community service chair; Sondra Hutcheson, publicity chair; Jennifer Looper, programs chair; Jessica Wyatt, awards chair; Samantha Hall, social chair; Carrie Dougherty, finance chair; and Candace Mata, historian.
AdClub also competes in AAF's National Student Advertising Competition (NSAC), an exercise requiring students to apply their education to produce an advertising campaign for a real world client. Toyota's Matrix automobile was the client in 2003. The work began with students presenting portfolios and interviewing for the team and continued for six months while they completed the planning, research, production, creative and marketing steps in producing the campaign.
The team, which dubbed itself "O-State Advertising," placed second at the 10th District Competition, the first time OSU's team has finished second since 1999.
Professor Roy Kelsey is the AdClub faculty advisor and the faculty co-advisor to the NSAC team along with fellow journalism and broadcasting faculty Jami Fullerton and Tom Weir.
Alumni interesting in helping support OSU's 2004 NSACefforts should contact Kelsey at kelserj@okstate.edu or 405-744-8267.
GONZALES
Members of OSU's Advertising Club earned second place in the American Advertising Federation's National Student Advertising Regional Campetitian in Little Rock. They are: (back row) Meaghan Hueste, Devon Reeves,Professor Jami Fullerton, Justin Kellogg, Sondra Hutcheson and Rocky Ommen; (middle row) Elisha Stivers, Jennifer Glidden, Danielle Latta, Sarah Wicker, Joy Aspiazu, Professor Tom Weir and Jennifer Looper; (front) Rusty Wheeler, Karen Holt, Briana Patterson and Jamie Vowel.
A Bailey Scholarship gave Patricia Marris the opportunity to study and paint in Italy.
CAROLYN
WeNeedYourStory
Howdid your careerevolve?Shareyour careerstory with currentA&S students wonderingwheretheirdegreescan take them.All it takesis a businesscard and a descriptionof howyourA&S experience helpedyou get whereyou are.today. Pleasesendyour businesscardand careersuccessstory to MissyWikle, Coordinator A&S CareerServices& AlumniActivities 203LSE Stillwater,OK 74078-3016 (405) 744-7547 / wikle@okstate.edu
Leading the Quest for Excellence
Cherish Kingis one of many talented Arts and Sciencesscholars, but fewof her peers matched, and none exceeded,the May 2003 graduate's accomplishmentsduring her OSU tenure. While impressive,her record is not surprising. The highlydisciplinedand energetic Kingapproaches every undertaking determined to excel.
King also worked part time, earned a scholarship to the University of Oklahoma Collegeof Law, which she'll attend this fall,and served internships ,vith Oklahoma Governor Frank Keating, Oklahoma's Sen. Don Nickles and Congressman Frank Lucas.
'Tm driven,"she says, adding that she got that from her parents who practiced community service and stressed the importance of education in reaching her goals.
"l have always strived for perfection,"she says. "Mygoal is to perform public service, and l've done the best I can do academically in order to do the best l can do to serve."
Although she anticipates national and international public service,perhaps with the state department, King says she would also like to help Oklahoma, particularlyin the areas of education, health care and social security.
Matthew Morgan's Voyage
Honored by the OSU Alumni Associationas an outstanding senior, King graduated with double degrees in politicalscience and economicsand was named outstanding senior by both departments. In addition, King completed 36 hours of French and Spanish languagestudy and holds a minor in Spanish.
She was vice chair of the Student GovernmentAssociation,treasurer of the A&S Student Council, A&MBoard of Regentsstudent liaison, a member of Chi Omega NationalWomen's Fraternity,a LeadershipLegacy,an OSU royalty finalist,a Georgeand Donna Nigh Public ServiceScholar,a Wentz Scholarand a member of the Society of Phi Kappa Phi.
For two semesters,when her parents facedhealth crises, King's workload also included a commute home to Madillin southern Oklahoma two or three times a week to operate the family'santique business. With typicalresolve,King turned a hardship that would have daunted many into an opportunity.
"lt was really a growing experience that prepared me for new adventures in the outside world. ll made me more disciplined and helped me learn time management," she says. "I learned there is no straight path in life.There are curves in the road."
But the road will lead her back to OSU, she says. "l plan to give back everythingthat's been given to me."
Arts and Scienceshonor student Matthew Morganadvisesincoming freshmen to sample the broad range of challengingclassesand professors availableat OSU.He says then the collegeexperience will u·ulybe the intellectualexploration it should be.
Practicinghis own advice,Morgan has packed an assorunentof subjects and experiencesintohis four years at OSU,whilemaintaining a perfect 4.0 GPA."lt's beena voyageof discovery,"saysthe Waurika, Okla., senior.
Morgan,who enteredOSUasa Regents'Scholar,startedin engineering."Butl could see thatengineering was the most limitingmajor in terms of exploringotherinterests. Math and Englishare mytwo loves,"he says,"perhapsEnglish more so than math, but l didn't know that then. l waspushedto study math in high school,andI do like math becauseof the critical thinking involved."However,when the math began to turn toward
"Astatisticiancan work anywherein the world,"he says. Now 11~Lhthesecurityof a major in statisticsand minorsin mathematics andLatin,the 2003 OSUTruman Scholarshipnomineesays he can refocuson the humanitiesuntil his May2004graduation,after which heplansto attend law school - or perhapsdivinityschool.
"Mybrainis splitanalyticallyand verbaliy," he says."Historically,people ~th suchanassortmentof analytical andverbalinterestsoftenmaniculatedtooneofthosetwoplaces."
ThispastsummerMorganstudiedOxfordauthors in Oxford, England,~th OSU'sfirst Rhodes scholar,BlaineGreteman,who • majoredin historyand Englishat OSUand has sinceearned his master'sdegreefromOxford.Morganalsois consideringstudy abroadin spring 2004.
Duringhisyearsat OSU,Morgan hasbeennamedthe Dan Wesley
OutstandingJunior in the Collegeof Artsand Sciencesand has receiveda PfizerCorporationScholarshipand the Georgeand Donna NighPublic ServiceScholarship.He has also participatedin manynationaland universityhonor societiessuch as the Phi AlphaDeltaPre-LawFraternity, BlueKeyNationalHonor Fraternity and Phi KappaPhi Honor Society. He has held various leadership positions in the organizations he's served including the OSU Student Government Association, and during the summer of 2002, Morgan interned in the Washington, D.C., office of Oklahoma Sen. Don Nickles. MorgancreditsA&Swith providing strongpreparationfor the professionalworld."Youcan go through many programson campusand haveno exposureto other colleges, but Arts& Sciencesinfluencesall students,and that broad influence embodiesthe experienceof intellectual exploration- whichis what l believecollegeshould be,"he says.
Laying the Foundation
LaceyGoodgerhopes to sit on the U.S.Supreme Court someday.She also believesthe job requires a comprehensiveliberal arts education like the one she's pursuing in the Collegeof Arts & Sciences.
The Ponca City,Okla., senior, majoring in political scienceand history,plans on law school after she graduates from OSU in May 2004. ln the meantime she's making the most of the college'sclassical course offeringswhile keeping up with an early first love.
Goodger,who arrived at OSU as a RegentsDistinguishedScholar with a scholarshipin music, plays bassoon in the OSU Symphony. 'Tve played some sort of instrument since l was 7,"she says. "It's just something I do."
The 2003 Truman Scholarship nominee also studies philosophy and Latin.
"Latin is fun,"she says,"like working a puzzle."Goodger credits Paul Epstein, associateprofessor of foreignlanguage and literature, for making the class enjoyableby bringing the culture alivethrough the study of language.
"Asa law student,it's extremely important to learn the culturethat produces the law,"Goodgersays.
"Welookedback to the Romansin forminggovernment,but we also need to look at them as human beingsbecausethey taught us so much about virtue,about humanity."
Studyingphilosophy provides understanding of the principles behind the law,she says. "Knowing where it comes from is just as important as knowing the First Amendment if we are to move beyond censorship of others and gain a broader understanding of freedom of speech."
One of the principles underlying the law is that freedomis necessary for people to reach their ultimate potential, she says.
She believesit is this understanding of the law's core values that allows for its advancement.
"lf I don't sit on the Supreme Court then l'd like to argue a case beforeit," she says."Butmost of all l'd like to help people. I know this sounds corny,but I want to move the law or understanding of the law forward."
Goodgerappears wellsuited for the task 'Tm argumentative,"she says. "I alwaysquestion things.I want to know why.That has led me to Artsand Sciencesand the courses I'm taking."
An Easy Sell
It took 24 hours for Rhonda (Burrows) Hooper to make the decision to change her major to advertising in 1974.
The decision set her on course for an exciting and fulfilling career as 0 top advertising executive, and the decision is one she has never regretted.
"Looking back, I can't believe I acted so quickly on O lifelong ~areer choice," says Hooper, who Is now executive vice president and director of account service for Jordan Associates in Oklahoma City, one of the largest advertising agencies in the Southwest.
In the fast-paced world of advertising and marketing, Hooper says there are no "typical" days. "It's a business of constantly creating ideas that generate r~sults," she says. "We're responsible for helping position brands th0 t make companies successful. And we're always under deadline. That's what keeps it exciting, and I can honestly say I've never had O dull day in my career."
Hooper says OSU prepared her for this dynamic arena by providing one of the best learning and life experiences in the country. In addition to agency management and business development,
Hooper directs the account service and creative teams for The Oklahoman, Hardee's Restaurants, Kraft and Nabisco channel marketing, Glamour Shots and the Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention campaign, which won a 2003 Distinguished Service Award from the Oklahoma City Ad Club.
Weeks
Hooper serves on the board of the Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, is past president of Forward Oklahoma and O graduate of Leadership Oklahoma City. She also competes in Morgan horse shows and in 2002 was ranked seventh worldwide in Amateur Park Saddle.
Hooper also found time to serve as national president of the OSU Alumni Association in 2001-2002.
"I believe in the philosophy that you're not successful unless you've helped others realize their potential," she says.
"With what OSU gave me, it's i'.11portant for me to give back my time, talents and whatever means I have to perpetuate 0 positive atmosphere for future generations of students and alumni," she says.
JANET VARNUM
In the Swing of Things
In only her third year as head coach of women's golf, Amy Weeks led the Cowgirls to fifth ~lace in the NCAA championships m May - the team's third consecutive appearance and highest finish since 1989 - and was later named the Central Region's Coach of the Year by the National Golf Coaches Association.
All this before
Weeks has even reached the ripe old age of 30. Yet her experiences at OSU first as a top-notch ' player and then as assistant coach, more than prepared her to take over one of the elite programs in women's collegiate golf in 2000.
An A&S student in the mid-1990s, Weeks was a key ~igur_e in OSU's golf program registering two top-five and four top-10 finishes during her fouryear career. A member of three Big Eight championship teams this 1998 geography graduate' was also a two-time Academic All-Big 12 selection and a National Golf Coaches Association Academic All-American in 1995. Now she helps her team balance academics and rigorous golf schedules. "They are all full-scholarship students representing OSU for the opportunity to better their skills, get a college education and play an a championship team," she says.
"By competing and representing OSU as student-athletes, they will know success and will be mare likely to succeed in their career_ just as golf and OSU did for me."
JANET VARNUM
Among his favorite OSU memories, former OSU basketball player Chris Gafney cites a night in February 1987 when the Cowboys with just six wins on the season upset archrival and Na. 1-ranked Oklahoma in front of a raucous home crowd in Gallagher Hall. Another favorite is his graduation three years later when Gafney, one of only two stu· dents university-wide receiving bachelor's degrees in statistics, accepted the honor of carrying a gonfalon into the commencement ceremony.
The versatile guard from Tulsa's Washington High School played four years at OSU and was also 0 consummate scholar-athlete who credits the guidance he received at OSU. Today as a member of the College of Arts and Sciences Alumni Board, he hopes ta encourage more scholar-athletes to pursue degrees in A&S.
"Like a lot of kids coming out of high school, I guess I had some ~reliminary thoughts about playmg professionally, but for me bas ketball was more of a vehicle ta get an education," he says.
"When I got to OSU, I walked into the office of my counselor, Dr. Bill Ivy, and told him exactly what I wanted to do' - play basketball for four years and graduate in four years. I'm really grateful for his guidance through those first couple of years, and later for Dr. Larry Claypool, my departmental adviser, who helped me maintain the course to finish on time."
~ofney initially pursued O degree m management information systems, but when he found statistics more to his liking he
Hooper
Jo Glenn Golf Photos
Gafney
s the Score
I combined elements of the two emphases to prepare for a career in information technology. Following graduation, he worked for Conoco for three years before joining MIS Technologies, on information technology consulting firm in Oklahoma City. He later formed his own company, Cherra International Inc., and for threeyears provided staffing and marketing services for MIS as a subcontractor before relocating the companyand his family to Dallas in 1999, where he provides mainframe information technology consulting with on emphasison corporate financial systems.
"When we were in school, my wife, Chere,a 1990 OSU businessgraduate, used to tease me by showing me her bursar bill, and that mode it easy for me Westphal to place a value on the price of my education and realize the incredible opportunity I hod with a scholarship," Gofney soys.
"From the perspective of a former athlete, I'd like to help give current OSU athletes more exposure to the college and the benefits of seeking certain types of degrees. It tokes a high level of discipline to balance the fulltime job requirements of being a college athlete with being a student, but I think we con get athletes to look at the college and soy, 'I con complete these courses in four or five years."'
ADAM HUFFER
osu Shapes Career
Joseph Westphal, a member of OSU's political science faculty in the early 1980s, celebrated his first year as chancellor of the Moine University System this post spring. Westphol's key research interest while at OSU was water policy. "Really, my work at OSU honed me for what wos to come," he soys. "While I was at OSU, I developed a love for academics;
A Good Fit
When Koren Keith become director of communications for Tulsa Mayor Bill LoFortune in fall 2002, she swapped a thriving 21-yeor career as on award-winning television news anchor and talk show host for a job even more rewording.
Keith soys she mode the career move because she wonted to be involved in LoFortune's city revitalization efforts. "I really loved my work in television, but this hos been the best and the most intense work experience I've ever hod," she soys.
"Reporting on the news is one thing," Keith notes, "but being in the middle of news events and trying to make things happen is very exciting and very interesting."
Keith - who soys she now hos more appreciation for city government and its hardworking employees - worked closely with city managers and mayors in the development of Vision 2025, a comprehensive renewal pion for the Tulsa area that come before the voters in September.
The OSU broadcasting graduate is particularly excited about the higher education component of Vision 2025 that earmarks $60 million for higher education, including construction of on advanced I went to Washington and got to work in both the Congress and the executive branch; and I developed a keen interest in public service. It gave me a solid foundation for
Heath Shelton technolwhat were to be very interesting experiences."
Those experiences hove included being senior staff associate to the House Committee on the Budget; special assistant to the Secretory of the Interior; executive director of the Congressional Sunbelt Caucus; senior policy advisor for water at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; and both assistant and acting secretory of the Army, where he administered a budget of almost $76 billion - good practice for his present-day duties of coordinating a system of seven campuses and trying to maintain quality education during a time of shrinking state budgets.
TOM JOHNSTON
'In Character' atOSU
Ever since Dr. William J. McDaniel mode his television debut on ABC's The Mole 2: the Next Betrayal, some 7 million viewers know him as the wily mole assigned to covertly thwart his teammates' successes.
They also know him as the guy who wore the OSU T-shirt throughout the 13 episodes that aired in summer 2002. What fans
Bill McDaniel don't know is how little resemblance the deceptive reality-show character bears to the real Bill McDaniel, on honored OSU alumnus who hos mode service a career.
The Oklahoma native graduated from OSU with a bachelor's in physiology in 1964 and from the University of Oklahoma with a doctor of medicine degree in 1968.
ogy research center for basic and applied research at OSUTulso. She soys the center will attract $5 million in annual
Keith research grants and create on economic impact of $8.7 to $10 million annually. It is the possibility of making Tulsa better that motivates fhe College of Arts and Sciences and OSU Alumni Association distinguished alumna. "This is what I wont to do now," Keith soys. "It's a nice fit for me. I've walked into something I con totally embrace."
EILEENMUSTAIN
Well before he starred on The Mole, McDaniel received a commission in the Medical Corps; completed flight surgeon training and orthopedic surgery residency; served in Vietnam; become a rear admiral in the U.S. Novy; and held a number of high-profile Naval assignments, including surgeon for the U.S. Pacific Command before he retired in 1997.
In real life, instead of hindering the games, McDaniel hos served as notionol team physician for freestyle wrestling, track and field, basketball, cycling and boxing world championships and as physician for the U.S. Olympic Team.
"Most of the people who know me well hod me pegged for the Mole almost immediately, because they knew I was out of character," he soys.
In 1994 the OSU Alumni Association inducted McDaniel into the OSU Holl of Fame in recognition of his outstanding lifetime achievement in society and professional life.
That's the real Bill McDaniel.
ch Gift Creates OS
To onor his wife,PeggyLayman We ch who graduated from OSU's School ofJournalism and Broadcastingin 19/3, and to bolster OSU's preparatio of communications professi0nals, sa businessman William"Bill" Welch committed $500,000 to the OSU Foundation to establish the PeggyLaymanWelch Faculty Chair in lntegrated Marketing and Communications.
lsa's FirstJournalism Chair
William "Bill"Welch establishedthe PeggyLaymonWelch FacultyChoir in Integrated Marketing and Communications as a tribute to mark the 30-yeor anniversaryof PeggyLaymonWelch's gradutionfrom OSU. John M. Dobson, former dean of the Collegeof Arts and Sciences,and RonArea, presidentof the OSU Foundation,announcedthe gift in front of family and friendsat a surprise dinner on the OSU-Tulsocampus.
Welch's gift,augmented by matching funds from the Oklahoma State Regentsfor Higher Education,will support a fulltime resident facultyposition, the first facultychair in journalism at OSU-Tulsa.
"Public relations and advertising, once perceived to be separate communications or
The Most Important Step
I hearand I forget.I see and I remember.I do and I understand.
The U.S educationalsystem is unique - there are no national standards. Its curriculum is textbook driven, repetitiveand unchallenging."Teachby telling, learn by listening"- and it doesn't work.
But,there'shope - OSU'sCenter for ScienceLiteracy(CSL)is a leaderin the systemicreformof the teachingof scienceand math through inquiry-basedinstruction. And that hope has foundhelp through a giftof$140,540fromthe ArthurViningDavisFoundations. CSLis goingsomewhere- fast.
With the grant fromDavis,the CSLis currentlyconducting weeklongsessionsthat instruct knowledgeableteachers,grades
arketing functions, are now drawing closer,"says Tom Weir, associate professor of journalism and director of the school. "As the marketplacehas changed, it has become evident to advertising, public relations and marketing managers that the key to successfulproduction promotion and constituencyrelationships in this rapidly diffusingmarketplace is through integrated marketing communications.
"Schoolsofjournalismthat had traditionallypreparedadvertising and public relationsprofessionals must now acknowledgethe blending of those disciplinesin industry and reflectthe changein their curriculum,"Weirsays."Asa result, many schoolshave adopted coursesand, in some cases,entire
OSU-TulsaPresident Gary Trennepohl says establishmentof the Welch FacultyChair strengthens OSU-Tulsa'scommitment to this growing academicarea and demonstrates the university's commitment to meeting the needs of Tulsa-areastudents and businesses.
'The PeggyLaymanWelch Endowed FacultyChair willhelp OSU-Tulsastrengthen degree programs that area students want," Trennepohl says. "Publicrelations, advertisingand media management are broad-based programs focusingon decision making and problem solving,key characteristicsfor sought-after employees."
MARYBEADRUMMOND
9-12,in the hands-onteaching strategiesthat form the backbone for the CSLphilosophy.Thesetechniquesfocuson the student as a scientist,emphasizingthe need for the teenagerto experiencehandson discoveryfirst,then to engagein thinkingskillsto developa theory to explainwhat they see and finally to test the plan by designingadditionalexperiments.The lessonis finalizedwith student/teacherdiscussionabout the process.
The teacher program includes an additional workshop at the end of one year for the seasoned teachersto instruct their peers. Thus, the program builds a cadre of secondary teacherswho serve as the nucleus for change.Over 2,000 teachershave received materialsand instruction over the
past fiveyears.Future plans include the CSLtaking its awardwinning model nationwide.
One of the champions of the CSLprofessionaldevelopment program is the NationalScience ResourcesCenter (NSRC),a joint agencyof the Smithsonian Institution and the NationalAcademies. Henry Milne,co-director of the ProfessionalDevelopment Center for NSRC,commended the OSU program during a recent
Sande Sparkman, Moster Teacherin Residencefor the Center for ScienceLiteracy (CSL),checksout inventoryfor module material. The modulescontain nine weeks of integrated, hands-on,sciencEHJosedlessons,includingall mater~ ols necessaryfor implementation.The CSLprograms addresselementary and secondarystudentsand teachers.
session. "This program is state-oftqe-art.The emphasis is on the kids in the classroom,discovery by doing. It reallyworksl"
BARBARASWIGGART
Foundation Bolsters
Plarit Biotechnology
The SamuelRoberts Noble Foundation,headquartered in Ardmore,Okla., committed $1 millionover 10 years to support cross-campusresearch and trainingprograms in molecular plant biology at OSU The project supports the OSU Plant BiotechnologyNetwork,composed of more than 25 research facultyon the Stillwatercampus.
The non-profit organization conducts agriculturaland plant biologyresearch,assists farmers and ranchers through educationaland consultativeprograms and providesgrants to numerous charitable,educational and health organizations.
"Thissupport grew out of longstandingresearch collaborationsbetween scientistsin several differentdepartments at OSU and members of the Plant BiologyDivisionof the Noble Foundation,"says David Meinke, Regentsprofessorof botany and the network director.
The project goal is to enhance the international visibilityof existingstatewide programs in molecularplant biologyand to
encourage additional interactions between research personnel at the two institutions.
Researchersworldwideare using Medicago truncatula, a legumerelatedto alfalfa,as a model forresearchin plant genomics. Much of the genomesequencing work is being done in Oklahoma.
Meinke,a pioneer in the field of plant genomics,made major contributions to the international research effort to complete the first floweringplant genome sequence. He and other researchers in the region hope to apply the information gathered on this project to the Medicago truncatula functionalgenomics program.
Meinke says additional funding receivedfrom the National ScienceFoundation's Experimental Program to StimulateCompetitiveResearch(EPSCoR)for nanotechnologyand functional genomicsalso helps to solidify OSU's network and provides a criticalmass of researcherswho will help OSU remain competitive with largerprograms around the country. r~
BRENTANOMARYJANEWOOTEN CLINEYOUNG For infdrmation on becoming a member of the A&S Associates, • contact Martha Halihan at (405)744-4035 or marthah@okstate.edu.
In Memory
Eli ethMannersHolt 1930- 2003
Elizabeth (Betsy) Halt came to OSU in 19B1 and was promoted to full professor in 1987. Known to her students far her willingness to explain everything from theory to homework problems until they understood it, Holt mentored visiting scientists and students from the postdoctoral to the undergraduate levels. She olso served as adviser to the American Medical Student Association and on the premedical advisory committee.
Highly regarded far her research, Holt received two Fulbright Foundation Fellowships to analyze certain phosphate materials common in Morocco. As director of the X-ray analysis laboratory, Holt collaborated with an-campus and off-campus scientists. Her research attracted more than $500,000 in support, and she participated in additional grants that brought more than $1.2 million ta OSU.
Halt, who taught organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry and X-ray crystallography, received the AMOCO Foundation Outstanding Teacher award, the Phi Eta Sigma Excellencein Undergraduate Teaching and the OSU Regents Distinguished Teaching Award. She also received the Etta Louise Gerry National Award far Women Chemists.
Holt earned her bachelor's degree (cum laude) from Smith College and her doctorate from Brown University. She died this past summer in Paris, Fronce, while en route to Morocco, where she had joint research projects with scientists at the Ecole National Superior de Chemie in Lille, France, and at the Department du Chimie du Solide of Mohammed V-Agdal Universite of Rabat, Morocco.
EttaLouisePerkins1942- 2003
Etta Louise Perkins came to the OSU History Department as a visiting assistant professor in 1983 and became assistant professor of Russian/East European history at OSU a year later.
While at OSU, Perkins received a grant to study in St. Petersburg in the Soviet Union and funding to research prominent African-American Oklahoma women. She also served as president of the Central Slavic Conference, a regional organization of the American Association far the Advancement of Slavic Studies.
Before OSU, Perkins taught at Indiana University, Purdue University, Oklahoma City University and Langston University and worked in Washington, D.C., and New York City as a researcher far several institutions including the Smithsonian Institute.
A native of Oklahoma City, Perkins attended Frederick Douglass High School and the University of Oklahoma where she was a Wilson Fellow and graduated with a bachelor's degree in history and a minor in political science in 1964.
She earned her master's degree in history with a minor in area studies from Indiana University in 1967 and her Ph.D. from Indiana University in 1980 specializing in Russian history with a minor in fine arts. Her dissertation on aristocratic sponsorship of the arts produced several published articles in academic journals and a number of conference papers.
Since leaving OSU in the late 1980s, Perkins made her home in Stillwater where she pursued writing and maintained a wide circle of friends. She published two volumes of poetry and authored three mystery novels, unpublished at the time of her death.
amesThomasBlankemeyer1943- 2002
James "Jim" Thomas Blankemeyer, professor of microbiology and molecular genetics from 1995 until his death in September 2002, began his OSU tenure in 1977 as an assistant professor of physiological sciences. He became an associate professor of zoology in 1984 and a professor of zoology in 1991.
Blankemeyer served as faculty advisor to the microbiology club and helped students learn how to succeed in the application process far veterinary school and medical school. He also helped teachers discover techniques with hands-on inquiry based science.
Detection of sparse numbers of microbes, membrane toxicology and science education were his research interests. He published 42 peer-reviewed papers and monographs and developed and patented two products.
Vice president and systems analyst far research and development at Logic Corporation, he was a member of the American Association far the Advancement of Science, American Physiology Society, American Chemical Society and American Association of University Professors.
Blankemeyer, born in Cincinnati, Ohio, earned a bachelor's degree and master's degree in biology from Temple University in Philadelphia, Pa., where he also graduated in 1977 with a Ph.D. degree in biology and minor in mathematics. He graduated cum laude with honors and was honored as a University Fellow.
JohnE.Thomas1914 - 2002
John E.Thomas joined the Oklahoma A&M faculty in 1950 and was appointed head of the Botany and Plant Pathology Department in 1967. The department separated in 1974, and Thomas retired in 1980 as professor and head of the Department of Plant Pathology.
Holding the offices of counselor, secretary and chairman, Thomas served the faculty council far 20 years during his career at OSU. He was named Outstanding Agricultural Instructor in 1958 and was a recipient of the Fellows Award from the Oklahoma Academy of Science.
A native of Youngstown, Ohio, Thomas graduated from Youngstown High School, received his bachelor's degree in 1941 from Ohio State University and earned his doctorate in plant pathology from the University of Wisconsin in 1947.
Thomas was a member of Phi Sigma Biological Society and Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society at the University of Wisconsin and a member of Phi Epsilon Phi, the honorary botanical fraternity, and Gamma Sigma Delta, the agricultural honor society, at Ohio State.
He became an Eagle Scout while in high school and remained actively involved as a den master in Stillwater area Scouting activities.
SusanReneeShaull1961- 2003
Susan Renee Shaull, 39, formerly a senior staff assistant in the OSU Geography Department, died in March at her home in Yale, Okla., after a brave struggle with cancer, which fallowed a series of illnesses that included the need far a liver transplant in November 2000.
After graduation from Yale High School in 1981, Susan joined the Geography Department, where she was employed far over 21 years, working her way up from clerk-typist to senior staff assistant.
Her Geography Department friends say she was the "trusted confidante, friend and 'chaperone' to all in the department," and she was "the glue that held the place together," staying on the job even after she became very ill.
She earned a Staff Distinguished Service Award in 1994-95 and the O-State Award in September 2000 far her dedicated service during times of adversity. The department has established the Susan Shaull Medal far Excellence in Teaching far an outstanding teaching graduate student.
A Golden Year for Edmon Low
The EdmonLowLibrarycelebratesits 50th anniversaryin 2003.Tocommemoratethis golden anniversary,the library is holdinga yearlongcelebration.The theme of the anniversary is "ThatwasThen,This is Now."
"Our programmingthis year highlightsthe many changes overthe last50 years.Our focusis on libraryservices,collections,technologicaladvancesand new challengesfacingthe EdmonLowLibraryin the 21st century,"says Suzanne Thompson,librarydirectorof development.
Agoal of the 50th Anniversaryis to build the library's endowmems.Donorsmaygive to existingendowments or establishtheir own.Byusing only the interest from the originalgift,endowmentsprovidesupport for a designated area in perpetuity.
Severalexistingendowmentsfor the librarysupport the CollegeofArtsand Sciences.The MendenhallEndowment purchasesmaterialsin physics.TheJill,Cy and VyLacher HolmesEndowmentsupportsthe humanities,and the Lottie HerdEndowmentsupplementsgeneraleducation.Native AmericanSu1diesbenefitsfromthe ChiefWilmaMankiller Endowment.ln addition,the Classof 1939Endowment fundscurrelllprize-winningor notableworks of fiction.
Endowmentsalsosupport the OSU LibrarySpecialCollections.ThePaul MillerEndowmentfunds an archiveof the well-knownjournalist'spapers and photographs.The WomenArchive'sEndowmentpreservesthe archiveand supportsthe pursuitofprojectssuch as the Women in the Dustbowloral history.Formore informationon library endowments,callThompsonat (405) 744-6323.r~
50THANNIVERSARYCALENDAROFEVENTS
Sept.-0ct.:PeggyV. HelmerichBrowsingRoom:Listeningto the Prairie:Farmingin Nature'sImage.ThistravelingSmithsonianexhibitwillbe openta the publicduring regularbuildinghours.
Oct.17:PeggyV. HelmerichBrowsingRoam:LibraryEmployeeReception.Current andformerlibraryemployeesandthe classal 1953are invitedto a comeand go receptionduringHomecomingwalkaround.Pastemployeescanupdatetheirinfor• malionat http://w-.llbrary.okstate.edu/lor111s/e111ploy.ht111-
Sciencesfacultycontinuetheir tradition of creativeand scholarlyexcellence. Hereore somepublicationsof
note.
Hollywood's White House: The American Presidency in Film and History (fhe UniversityPress of Kentucky2003) and The West Wing: The American Presidency as Telerision Drama (SyracuseUniversityPress 2003) edited by PeterC. Rollins,Regents Professorof English,and John E. O'Connor,NewJersey Institute of Technology.The essays includedin these two books apply historicalscholarship and media analysis to translate the visual language of on-screenAmericanpoliticsfor universitystudents and the general public. West Wingtakes a critical lookfrom a wide range of perspectivesat the language and dramatic structure, the issues presented in and the perceptions of the NBCtelevisionseries The West Wingwhile Hollywood'sWhite House probes the limitations,strengths and weaknesses of filmand televisionportrayals of the executiveoffice, including how history is sometimes revisedfor dramatic purposes and the emphasis on presidential character as a dominant theme.
Femmes dramaturges en France (1650-1750), P/~ces cho/sles, Tome II, Tubingen:Gunter Narr (2002).PenyGethner,professorand head of the Departmentof ForeignLanguagesand Literatureand editor of this collection of Frenchwomenplaywrightsof the 17th and 18th centuries rescued texts through years of research and documentation.The resultingwork,the second of a two-volumeanthology,is judiciouslyannotated, clear and accessible for a wideaudience as wellas an invaluableresource for specialists. Thisvolumeand the first one, publishedin 1994 and titled LunaticLover: and Other Playsby FrenchWomen of the 17th & 18th Centuries,each consist of six plays by sixdifferentauthors. VolumeI appears in both Frenchand English-languageversionsand the second only in French.
Lizard Soc/al Beharlor, TheJohns HopkinsUniversityPress (2003), StanleyF.Fox,Regents Professorof Zoology,editor and co-author along with J. KellyMcCoy,AngeloState University,and TroyA. Baird,University of Central Oklahoma.Thisvolume,informativefor any reader interested in social behavior,is the first to focus on the adaptiveness of social behavior in lizards,which have served as model systems for the study of ecological and evolutionarytheory for 30 years. The authors present contributions from researchers who are using lizards to study social behavior,prefaced by outside perspectivesfrom three well-knownbehavioralecologists who do not work with lizards. Each contributor begins by developingone or more hypothesesand then presents daio on a specific lizard system that addresses these issues. The chapters are logicallyarranged in three sections: variation of social behavioramong individuals,among populations and among species.
Indra'• Pearls: The Vision of Feliz Klein, Cambridge UniversityPress (2002). DavidWright,associate professor of mathematics; David Mumford,BrownUniversity;and CarolineSeries,The Universityof Warwick.Nineteenth century geometer FelixKlein- drawing on the Buddhist story of Indra's heaven that each pearl in an infinitenet of pearls, mirroringeach other, reflects the whole universe- studied the forms of infinitelyrepeating reflectionsand the fractals produced by their interactions. The authors' computerizedstudy gives shape to Klein'svisionas they journey along the plane of complexnumbers from basic mathematical ideas to the simple algorithms that create intricate fractal patterns. The book includes cartoon illustrations,exploratoryprojects, step-by-step instructionsfor writing computer programs to generate the images and the beautiful images that even non-mathematicianswillenjoy.
Select.cl,.,,,.. and 1/ofraphy of Charle Henry 7i er 1887-11 '3: Pl-r In the pon,tweAnlmol ll#,horlor lllo t, EdwinMellen Press(2003).CharlesI.Abramson,psychologyprofessorand adjunctprofessor of zoology,Camille L Fuller,zoologygraduate student and LatoshaD. Jackson,psychologystudent, co-editedthis bookabout Dr.CharlesHenry Turner,a forgottenpioneerwhomade manysignificantcontributionsto the studyof animalbehaviorwhilefeeingincredibleobstaclesas a blackman strugglingto workas o scientistand educatorduringthe early 1900s.
BONNIE A. CAIN
College of Arts & Sciences
INTERIM DEAN
Bruce Crauder
INTERIM ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR INSTRUCTION AND PERSONNEL
Thomas Wikle
INTERIM ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR RESEARCH
John Mintmire
ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR EXTENSION
Thomas Walker
INTERIM DIRECTOR, STUDENT ACADEMIC SERVICES
Keely James
SR. DIRECTOR, DEVELOPMENT
Deborah Desjardins
DIRECTOR, DEVELOPMENT
Martha Halihan
A&S Department Heads
AEROSPACE
John Woodward
ART
Nicholas Bormann
BOTANY
Becky Johnson
CHEMISTRY
Neil Purdie
COMMUNICATION SCIENCES AND DISORDERS
Randolph Deal
COMPUTER SCIENCE
George Hedrick
ENGLISH
Carol Moder
FOREIGN LANGUAGES
Perry Gethner
GEOGRAPHY
Dale Lightfoot
GEOLOGY
Ibrahim Cemen
HISTORY
Bill Bryans
JOURNALISM AND BROADCASTING
Tom Weir
MATHEMATICS
Alan Adolphson
MICROBIOLOGY AND MOLECULAR GENETICS
Robert Miller
MILITARY SCIENCE
Denise Corley
MUSIC
William Ballenger
PHILOSOPHY
Doren Recker •
PHYSICS
James Wickstead
POLITICAL SCIENCE
David Nixon
PSYCHOLOGY
Maureen Sullivan
SOCIOLOGY
Charles Edgley
STATISTICS
William Warde
THEATER
Bruce Brockman
ZOOLOGY
James Shaw
Alumni Make
a Difference
The Collegeof Arts and SciencesCareer Servicesand Alumni Programs offera varietyof on- and off-campusopportunities for alumni contributions to student success.
BECOMEAN ARTS& SCIENCES
ALUMNIMENTOR
A&Salumni mentors discusscareeroptions in their fieldsand providejob searchadvice and networkingopportunitiesfor current students.As part of the 2003-2004MentorProgram,alumni are listedas contactsfor students interestedin their fieldsand attend a networkingreception.
SPEAKTOA&SSTUDENTORGANIZATIONS
ORHELPPRESENT A CAREERWORKSHOP
A&S Career Servicespresents workshops to current students regardingcareer-related issues.Alumni participation makes presentations more meaningfulby bringing realworld experiences to students.
SPONSORAN INTERN
ATYOURPLACEOFEMPLOYMENT
A&Sstudentsmake tremendouscontributions as they learn.Hiringinterns givesstudentsthe experiencethey need and providesalumni with new ideas and an extra set of hands.
HELP"BEHINDTHESCENES" WITHALUMNICAREERINFORMATION
Studentsoften ask, "What can I do withmy degree?" Bysharing the evolutionof their careers,alumni provideinvaluableinformation to currentA&S students who arewondering where their degreescan take them.To participate,send a business card and description of yourJourney from degreeto career. Formoreinformation,to get involvedorto sendcareersuccessstories,contact: MissyWikle,Coordinator A&SCareerServicesand AlumniActivities 203 LSE Stillwater,OK74078-3016 (405) 744-7547/ wikle@okstate.edu
Come Home in October
Cowboys and Cowgi,rls will celebrate America's greatest homecoming on Saturday, October 18, 2003, as OSU challenges the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Boone Pickens Stadium. This year's homecoming theme is "A Universal Spirit. "
Pleasejoin Arts and Sciences alumni and friends at the annual A&S reception, two hours prior to kickoff, in the lobby of the Seretean Center. We will be honoring 25- and 50-year graduates.
FORMORE INFORMATIONABOUTOSU HOMECOMING 2003, visit http://www.orangeconnection.org.For informationabout the Collegeof Arts & Sciences and other alumni activities,visit http://www.alumni.okstate.edu.
About the Artist
Benjamin Harjo Jr., a SeminoleShawnee who graduated in 1974 with a bachelor's degree in fine arts, is considered one of the ation's leading Native American artists. He has received more than 35 major awards, been featured in numerous books and national periodicals and has frequently exhibited his work in national and international one-man and group shows. Harjo has an upcoming exhibition at OSU's Gardiner Art Gal-
1er y Jan. 12 - Feb. 11, 2004.
OSU Tradition
A group of OSU's American Indian alumni have formed the American Indian Alumni Association (AIM) as an alumni constituent society of OSU.
AIM's goals are to benefit Oklahoma's American Indian population and to keep former American Indian students and the state's American Indian citizens informed about the work and progress of the university.
Gena Timberman Howard (Engl. '96), an attorney and deputy director of the Native American Cultural and Educational Authority, is president of AIM.
"During our first year, we've concentrated on increasing membership," Howard says. "Now we want to focus on a scholarship fund-raising drive."
Pete Coser, OSU's Native American coordinator and an AIM member, says the group will probably plan events in c_onjunction with OSU's Homecoming and/or the OSU Native American Student Association's spring celebration of American Indian heritage.
AIM also wants to help the OSU Alumni Association update its records and identify alumni who are American Indian and who might be interested in AIM.
Howard says AIM wants to promote and recognize accomplishments by American Indian students, support OSU and enhance the overall alumni experience for American Indians.
"OSU has a strong future, and we want American Indians to be a part of that," she says.
Those who would like more information about AI.AAshould contact Howard at 405-8155129. Anyone who wants to update his or her alumni records to denote an American Indian heritage should contact the OSU Alumni Association at 1-800-433-4678.
"The Earth, the Maon and the Stars Above;" Acrylic; 2001.
A Living Tribute
The Studio Theatre in Gundersen Hall now carries the name of a well-known and popular former department head who was instrumental in the development of the OSU Theatre Department, Emeritus Professor Jerry L. Davis.
"As department chair, Jerry Davis worked tirelessly for the resources that were necessary to make a real
Oklahoma State University Collegeof Arts & Sciences 204 Life SciencesEast Stillwater, Oklahoma 74078-3015
difference for the theatre students here at OSU," says Bruce Brockman, current head of the department.
"His hard work secured the space in Gundersen Hall for use as an acting studio, a classroom, costume production lab and script library. Were it not for his efforts, all of those activities would still be squeezed into the
basement of the Seretean Center, which is really the trap room for the theatre."
Davis, who received his M.A. in theater and a Ph.D. in theatre and drama from the University of Kansas, came to OSU as a visiting professor in 1969,joined the deparnnent in 1971 and became department head in 1993.
He taught courses in stage lighting, scene design and introduction to theatre and oversaw all productions in OSU's Vivia Locke Theatre. He was responsible for bringing Hair, The Importance of Being Eames~ Six Degrees of Separation,Oldalwma, Cyrano de Bergerac,Voice of the Prairie,A Midsummer Night's Dream and Brighton Beach Memoirs to OSU. He also had numerous lighting
Jerry and Judy Davis established a scholarship awarded annually to outstanding design and technical theatre students. For information about the Jerry and Judy Davis Scholarship fund, please contact Bruce Brockman at brockma@okstate.edu or 405-744-6094.
credits, including Macbetl1, Little Shop of Horrors,Indians and Noises Off.
Davis served as president of the Southwest Theatre Association from 1986 to 1988 and received the Ruth Arrington Outstanding Theatre Educator Award from the Oklahoma Speech, Thean·e and Communication Association in 1994. He retired from OSU in August of 1997.
"I think it is highly appropriate that this theatre be named for Jerry," Brockman says. "He has always loved the students here at OSU and worked very hard on their behalf To have the student theatre named for him is a wonderful tribute to a great person and an exceptional teacher."
