College of Sciences and Arts Newsblog

In early November, the William G. Jackson Center for Teaching and Learning invited faculty to submit proposals to support blended learning course innovations. Proposals were accepted at three levels ($1,000, $5,000 and $10,000), and a total of $50,000 was originally planned to be awarded during this cycle.

The PIs in the College of Sciences and Arts that will receive support are:

$1,000
* Jason Carter (KIP) “Benchmarking Trip to University of Florida”
* Wil Slough (Physics) “Development of Blended Learning Materials for Uncertainty Analysis”

$5,000
* Karla Kitalong (HU) “MTMC and IGTAAP Tech Upgrade” (partial funding)
* Jason Gregersen (Math) “Blended and Online Linear Algebra”
* Leo Ureel (CS) “Canvas Teaching Assistant”

$10,000
* Jared Anderson (VPA) “Video Arts in Blended Learning (VIABLE)”

Read more at Tech Today.

CSA welcomes new faculty and existing faculty who have now accepted tenure-track and lecturer positions: Brigitte Morin, Andrew Galerneau, Marina Tanasova, Adam Feltz, Kelly Steelman, Leo Ureel, Stephanie Carpenter, Abraham Romney, Zhiying (Jenny) Shan, Tejin Yoon, Jason Gregersen, William Keith, Min Wang, Yang Yang, Ramy El-Ganainy, Melissa Baird, Carl Blair, Ryan Cook, Rebecca Graff, Nancy Langston, Chelsea Schelly, and Josh Loar.

Read more at Tech Today.

Cary Chabalowski, Anne Beffel, and Chandrashekhar Joshi are the three new department chairs in the college for Fall 2013.

Cary Chabalowski joins the Department of Chemistry as chair and professor of practice. Chabalowski is a computational chemist with an interest in quantum chemistry.

Anne Beffel is chair of the Department of Visual and Performing Arts. She defines herself as a “time artist” which she says means that she is deeply interested in connecting art and social context in time, using all forms and media.

Chandrashekhar Joshi chairs the Department of Biological Sciences. Joshi, a world-renowned plant molecular biologist, has been serving as interim chair of biological sciences for the past year.

Read more at Tech Today.

Summer Youth Programs (SYP), weeklong explorations for students in grades 6–12, begin on Michigan Tech’s campus next week.

Explorations feature a week of hands-on activities, a taste of campus life and a host of new friendships for participants. Popular explorations this year include engineering bridges, dams and skyscrapers; studying wolf/moose ecology while backpacking on Isle Royale; video game programming; sports science; mobile robotics and blacksmithing.

Read more at Tech Today.

Associate Professor Nilufer Onder (CS) was included in the Top Women Professors at Affordable Colleges by Affordable Colleges Online, a website devoted to helping prospective students and their families find good colleges at a reasonable cost.

The top professors lists highlights post-secondary educators at affordable colleges who have been honored for excellence in the classroom, on campus and/or in the community. Onder was recently awarded Michigan Tech’s Distinguished Teaching Award.

“Our goal with the top professors project is to recognize today’s truly stand-out educators and mentors,” said Dan Schuessler, founder of Affordable Colleges Online. “We focused on professors at colleges with tuition rates below $20,000 per year to show that a quality education from top professors can be affordable.”

From Tech Today.

Paul Charlesworth, associate professor of chemistry, has received the Faculty Distinguished Service award for the 2012-13 academic year.

In the nominations, Charlesworth was cited for spending “countless hours, outside of regular work duties in service to the campus community and beyond, by giving generously of his time, talents and expertise to support the growth and development of individuals and campus organizations. His work goes beyond campus in his outreach and work with community students and organizations.”

Charlesworth is also an undergraduate advisor and holds an adjunct associate professor position with the Department of Cognitive and Learning Sciences, a reflection of his research interest in education.

Read more at Tech Today.