Department of Instructional Technology hosts Alumni Career Panel

On November 7^th, 2018 the Department of Instructional Technology at Bloomsburg University was honored to have five alumni return to campus to participate in a career panel discussion. The panel discussion was attended by current graduate students and perspective students who are considering enrolling in the Master of Science in Instructional Technology degree program. Alumni panelists answered questions from the audience pertaining to internships, skills used in the workplace, maintaining a healthy work life balance, and other career oriented topics. Student feedback from the event included “That was awesome!” and “This was the best event I attended all semester!” 

Pictured are alumni panel members from left to right: Brenda Machuga, Lee Millard, Rachel Troychock, Mike Thompson, and PJ Michael. The Department of Instructional Technology would like to thank our alumni panelists for volunteering their time to participate in this event.

To learn more about the Department of Instructional Technology and for instructions on how to apply, please visit http://iit.bloomu.edu/ or contact Department Chairperson Helmut Doll at hdoll@bloomu.edu. Applications are now being accepted for the Spring 2019 and Fall 2019 semesters!

 

Chemistry seniors earn ASBMB certification

Allison Martin and Kimberly Hollister in the lab. Photo credit: Jaime North

One sees chemistry as a path to law school and the other, a journey to a doctorate degree in synthetic chemistry. Both are set to graduate Bloomsburg University this December as among the few chemistry graduates — less than 425 in the country — walking this year with American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) certification.

Kimberly Hollister and Alison Martin capped their spring semester by passing the ASBMB National Accreditation exam, enabling BU to exceed the national average by eight percent. Nearly 1,000 college students took the exam, some 417 (42 percent) achieved certification with 122 students (12.3 percent) achieving certification with distinction, as announced by ASBMB last month.

“I love the personalness you feel in our chemistry department,” said Hollister, who plans to pursue a doctorate in synthetic chemistry. “The professors are very invested in our success. They have not only helped me during my academic career but also prepared me for grad school and the workforce. I love that I get the opportunity to work in a research lab for multiple semesters. I’ve learned so much from the hands-on and personal nature of the department.”

Martin, who plans to attend law school and study intellectual property and patents, said BU’s small size is actually an asset, allowing students to develop a collaborative working relationship with professors in addition to mentorship.“Each professor really wants what’s best for their students to succeed in and out of the classroom,” Martin said. “The chemistry program has taught me how to think critically. I learned memorizing is not enough. Being able to apply what you know to practical applications is extremely important in the real world.

All students who are part of an ASBMB accredited program are invited to take the certification exam. Students are permitted only a single attempt at the exam during their undergraduate career. The certification exam is designed to test students’ knowledge and understanding of the core competencies in biochemistry and molecular biology developed by the ASBMB and its members.
BU, the first State System school to garner ASBMB program accreditation, isone of six PA schools accredited by ASBMB to include Dusquesne, Penn State and Villanova.

“This highlights the ability of our program to prepare students to be successful on a national stage, especially considering who we compete against,” said Michael Borland, associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry. “This credit does not fall solely on the biochemists; this is a victory for all the (department) faculty and their dedicated and unwavering commitment to undergraduate education. We spend countless hours in the classroom, lab, and office providing these students with the knowledge, tools and opportunities to become diligent, intelligent and competent scientists.”

According to Borland, the ASBMB accreditation and recent exam certification validates that a chemistry and biochemistry education from BU — with small class sizes and hands-on laboratory experiences with cutting-edge instrumentation — makes its undergraduates competitive nationally.
“We may be a small department in terms of graduates,” Borland said. “… but we are an impactful department that provides students the opportunity to evolve and blossom into the best version of themselves as leaders and scientists.”

Hollister agrees. “Every professor I’ve talked to in the department has wanted to help me with my future goals,” Hollister said. “I started doing research a couple summers ago, which really solidified my idea of going to graduate school. I’ve been able to learn so much from my research advisor and mentor. It’s really cool they push us to explore opportunities to do research here but also research at other institutions. At a larger institution you wouldn’t receive the same quality of undergraduate research experience that you would at Bloomsburg University.”

~from http://bloomsburgu.tumblr.com

Instructional Technology Professor and Graduate Student Receive Awards at DevLearn 2018

Kristen Venditti and Dr. Karl Kapp pose with Kristen's award

Kristen Venditti, BU Instructional Technology graduate student (MSIT), has been awarded the DemoFest 2018 "Best Student Solution" at the industry conference DevLearn. Her project was titled "Improving Reading Comprehension with AR in Storytelling." Kristen used Augmented Reality to make the pages of a booklet she designed come to life. The learner could place their phone over certain areas of the booklet and additional information would appear on the phone in the form of images and pictures. DemoFest is an event held in a ball room at the DevLearn conference where over 100 individuals show off an share elearning projects in a science fair-like environment. Attendees have the opportunity to see a wide variety of solutions to common eLearning challenges and to talk with the project developers about the tools, technologies and processes they used to build them.  

Bloomsburg University MSIT students have won the "Best Student Solution" at DemoFest for four straight years, ever since the student category of DemoFest was introduced in 2014. 

Kristen demonstrates her AR storytelling project

Karl Kapp, Ed.D. Professor of Instructional Technology at Bloomsburg University in Bloomsburg, PA received recognition at DevLearn 2018 for his "outstanding contributions to the eLearning Guild community and the learning technologies industry." The award was created to recognize members of the elearning community who have consistently contributed to the community in terms of both quantity and quality of content—and thus help make the community a vibrant center for learning. Karl was recognized for his pioneering work in the gamification of learning and for his continual efforts to build the future of our industry by tirelessly working to involve students at eLearning Guild events and introducing them to the professional community. 

At the conference, Dr. Kapp presented on the eLearning Rockstars Learning Stage. Check out some of Dr. Kapp's talk in the video at the bottom of the eLearning Brothers page. 

Dr. Kapp's Guild Master award

Geography Professor Expresses Gratitude to Bloomsburg University with a $700,000 Bequest

Dr. John Enman

A $700,000 gift from the estate of John Enman, Ph.D., professor emeritus of geography at Bloomsburg University will further support students, faculty and programs in the department of Environmental, Geographical and Geological Sciences (EGGS).


“Dr. Enman’s gift will go a long way toward helping the EGGS department provide the best possible Husky Experience for students and faculty,” said Bloomsburg University President Bashar W. Hanna. “As a member of our BU family, Dr. Enman was committed to helping students and fellow faculty in any way he could. We are eternally grateful for his generosity and the lasting impact his gift will have on the students and faculty in the department he loved.”


Enman died in August 2016 at the age of 94, following a lifelong career devoted to his passion for geographical sciences. Prior to joining the faculty at Bloomsburg University, Enman served as a cartographer in India while serving in the Army Air Corps during World War II.


From the time Enman began his career at BU in 1959, he developed a strong connection to the department and viewed his fellow faculty members and students as an extension of his family. According to Dr. Brian Johnson, a fellow retiree and Dr. Sandra Kehoe-Forutan both of the EGGS department, the direction of the gift stemmed from Enman’s sense of connection with his fellow faculty and students.


“Our department has always felt like a family,” says Kehoe-Forutan. “From the day I arrived here in 1992, John mentored me and treated me as an equal. It was important to him to build that sense of community to make all the faculty, staff and students feel like they belonged here.”


In 2014, when Enman’s health began to decline, he turned to his EGGS family to help him with basic needs. “Because of the relationships he had built with us, he was comfortable turning to us for help with everyday things like getting groceries or transportation to appointments,” said Johnson. “And we were happy to pull together to help him, because that’s what he would have done for us.” 


It was the outpouring of support from the faculty, both retired and current, staff and students in the department that inspired Enman to remember his Bloomsburg University family in his will.  With the gift, the EGGS department is already bolstering student support through equipment upgrades, and providing funding to sponsor several trips for students that allow them to gain valuable field experiences.


“This will allow us to do so much more for our students by providing high-impact experiential learning opportunities beyond the classroom setting,” said EGGS Department Chair Dr. Michael Shepard. “Dr. Enman truly loved this department and considered it his home in many ways. This gift is an expression of that love."

Michael Shepard, chair of the EGGS; Sandra Kehoe-Forutan, professor of EGGS; Brian Johnson, professor emeritus of geography and planning; and Cheryl Smith, department secretary, holding Enman’s United States burial casket flag to honor his service as a veteran.

~Article from https://giving.bloomu.edu/news/news

Undergraduate Lauren Barrett Conducts Chemical Oceanography Research

Howdy! Y’all gig’em in Aggieland!

That’s just some of the culture I picked up this summer at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. I and nine other undergraduate students from around the country were selected to participate in their ten week Observing the Ocean Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program. In this program, I had the opportunity to work with an Oceanography research professor on an independent research project. My responsibilities included writing a formal research proposal, conducting laboratory experiments, collecting water samples on an oceanographic research vessel, processing and analyzing data, and communicating the results of my research both orally and in a poster presentation. 

I was mentored by Dr. Kathryn Shamberger, who studies carbonate chemistry, ocean acidification, and coral reef biogeochemistry. My research project studied the effects of Hurricane Harvey on the coral reef ecosystems at the Flower Garden Banks (FGB) National Marine Sanctuary, which is in the Gulf of Mexico. Little is known about their water chemistry, so the data I analyzed this summer will be used in future work to elucidate the temporal variation in the environment. My research found that, with respect to their ability to generate calcium carbonate skeletons, the FGB coral reef ecosystems were not negatively impacted by Hurricane Harvey. 

The most exciting part of the REU was the opportunity to work on an oceanographic research vessel. In June, we embarked on a three-day cruise in the Gulf of Mexico on the R/V Pelican. We used a Conductivity, Temperature, Depth (CTD) instrument to assess water column data such as dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll, temperature, depth, and salinity. We also collected water samples for chemical and biological analysis. 

My experiences in the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department at Bloomsburg University prepared me for this experience. I was able to quickly learn to use and troubleshoot our lab’s main analytical instrument, the VINDTA, as well as display mastery of other laboratory techniques. Those skills were not granted naturally, and the excellent guidance of BU chemistry faculty, in both research and coursework, is where credit is owed. My exposure to a wide variety of instruments in Physical Chemistry and in my research at BU last summer was particularly helpful. I could not have succeeded as I did this summer without the prior mentorship of BU faculty! 

Though my research project has concluded, I will continue to communicate its results. Based on an oral presentation I gave at the end of the program, I received a travel award to attend the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico this February! I am so grateful for the opportunities that I have been exposed to by participating in this REU.

My positive experience at Texas A&M this summer has inspired me to pursue a career in Chemical Oceanography. This fall I will be applying for Ph.D. programs! I highly recommend participation in REU programs to undergraduate chemistry students. I wish I would have participated in one earlier in my undergraduate career. It is important to be exposed to different fields of research as well as the resources that larger universities can offer. An REU program can also be a good indication of your suitability for graduate school, if that’s something you’re not sure about (I wasn’t). My advice would be to keep an open mind when considering what you would like to do with your chemistry degree. Without the guidance of the wonderful Dr. Venn of the EGGS Department, I probably would have never known that Chemical Oceanography existed. Cast a wide net, because you never know what research you will end up falling in love with!

~ Lauren Barrett

5th Annual PASSHE Undergraduate Reserach Conference in STEM

The 5^th annual PASSHE Undergraduate Research Conference in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics was hosted by Millersville University on Saturday, October 27, 2018.  This conference was an opportunity for undergraduates from the PASSHE schools to present their research conducted at their undergraduate institution or conducted as a research experience at another institution.  The day included both oral and poster presentations, and served as a networking event for both students and faculty.  Five BU students, accompanied by Dr. Greg Zimmerman, professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, presented at this event.

Computer Science major Daniel Berner presented a talk entitled, "Elements of Cryptography: An Educational Model Based on Open Source Collaboration Using the SCM Software Git" in the Computer & Information Sciences/Technology category.  Daniel was mentored by Dr. Drue Coles, professor of Mathematical and Digital Sciences. 

Chemistry major Daniel Staros presented a talk entitled, "Genetic Algorithms and DFT for Prediction of Novel Stable/Metastable UFx Compounds" in the Chemistry category.  This was research Dan completed as a research intern at Oak Ridge National Laboratory this past summer under the mentorship of Dr. Ashley Shields.

Chemistry and EGGS dual major Lauren Barrett presented a talk entitled, "Post-Harvey Carbonate Chemistry at the Flower Garden Banks Coral Reefs" in the Geosciences category.  This is research Lauren completed as a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) participant at Texas A & M this past summer under the mentorship of Dr. Kathyrn Shamberger.

EGGS major Connor Gray presented a poster entitled, "A Comparative Study of Porphyry Cu-Mo Deposit Mineralogy" in the Geosciences category.  Connor was mentored by Dr. Adrian Van Rythoven, assistant professor in EGGS.

Chemistry major, Eric Hilbert presented a poster entitled, "Synthesis of [(C6F5)C5H4]Co(COD) and Initial Catalytic Investigation of Substituted Aromatic Compounds" in the Chemistry category.  Eric was mentored by Dr. Eric Hawrelak, associate professor in Chemistry. 

Eric Hilbert

Connor Gray

Lauren Barrett

Daniel Staros

COST Pathways Event

Exercise Science faculty, panelists and students. Photo credit: Andrea O'Neill

Two BU colleges organized career events during Homecoming weekend to help their majors get a handle on the transition from college to career. Pathways in Science and Technology, hosted by the College of Science and Technology, and the Liberal Arts Symposium, hosted by the College of Liberal Arts, both welcomed alumni back to campus to serve on professional panels, provided information sessions on internships, study abroad opportunities, financial literacy and graduate school, and invited inspirational keynote speakers, faculty and staff as a way to help students navigate their way from student to professional. More than 2600 BU students attended the programs collectively, and the two colleges welcomed over 170 alumni.



“We wanted to allow students to explore the liberal arts in a setting that expands their understanding of the value of such a degree” explained Joyce Bielen, Administrative Assistant to the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, and coordinator of the symposium “We’ve invited alumni to share how they have used their liberal arts degrees to find jobs and give students the opportunity to network with alumni who share their interests.”


Alumni played a major role in both events as they returned to share stories and advice on working in their field, how they obtained their current positions, and how the skills they learned within their major have translated into other professions.


“It’s like Thanksgiving or Christmas for a traditional family” said Dr. Scott Inch, Professor in the Department of Mathematical and Digital Sciences who said that the event is his yearly favorite, as it brings former students “home” to BU and provides invaluable industry insight to current students. “I appreciate how willing our graduates are to go out of their way to be helpful to the program and to our current students” said Inch “They all generously donate their time and are so happy to help.”


The alumni panels for both events were enhanced by presentations on various career topics such as the importance of study abroad experiences for cultural understanding and language, confidence in interviewing, preparing for the world of work through job shadowing and searches, internships and other career experiences, as well as how to apply one’s major in an unrelated career field, such as using a music degree to advance toward an MBA.


“This is a great way to help prepare for the job market, internships or graduate schools” said Angela Ciucci, Administrative Assistant to the Dean of the College of Science and Technology, and organizer of the Pathways event “It’s a great opportunity to interact with alumni, businesses, and professionals who work in the field of science and technology.”


The Pathways program involved a networking luncheon among returning alumni, current student and faculty/staff, as well as a Dean’s Reception later in the evening. A Communication Studies networking reception was also held in another part of campus where alums, students and faculty shared some food and drink, a few BU stories, and some business cards.


“The networking luncheon is a great opportunity for these upperclassmen to directly network with alumni working in prospective career fields” explained Dr. Ellen Kehres, Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry “It is a great way to help prepare for the job market, internships or graduate school.”


Kehres added that while Pathways may have been seen as something for upperclassmen closing in on graduation, it was also an opportunity for students, especially freshman and sophomores, to gain insight on making the most of their college experience and thinking about career fields they may not have thought about before.


~ from Bloomsburg University Alumni and Professional Engagement