The Periodic Review Spring 2008 University of Southern Volume 1, Issue 2

USI participates in consortium to promote workforce and economic development WIRED grant will support ’s STEM outreach

he University of ’s The money will help fund outreach TPott College of Science and We have brought programs of the University’s regional Engineering will have a part in promoting STEM (science, technology, engineering, partnerships to transform and rebuild the together a strong group mathematics) Education Center. USI was regional economy over the next three selected in 2007 as the lead institution in years as a member of a consortium which of individuals and Southwestern Indiana for the Indiana has received a $5.1 million grant. STEM Resource Network. The U.S. Department of Labor award- organizations who will An individual with experience in K- ed the grant to the State of Indiana 12 STEM disciplines and professional through its Workforce Innovation in work together and development will be hired this spring to Regional Economic Development develop the necessary direct the USI STEM Education Center, (WIRED) initiative. which will build partnerships with region- The consortium, Southwest Indiana strategies to maximize al schools and with business and industry Go (SWIGO), will use the money to to improve STEM education. strengthen collaboration between work- our use of education, The center will initiate activities and force development and economic devel- programs that communicate the impor- opment organizations and invest in work- workforce, and tance of STEM education and build force development strategies. awareness of career paths. The center also Dr. Scott A. Gordon, dean of the Pott economic development will sponsor workshops and opportunities College, said that, as a member of the for teachers to re-examine and improve SWIGO consortium, the University will to grow our economy. curricula and develop hands-on inquiry- have responsibility for a $600,000 portion —Andy Goebel of the grant. Continued on page 2

Generous donors provide more than $2 million IN THIS ISSUE in cutting-edge technology for new center Letter from the Dean ...... 2 Federal funding approved ...... 3 enerous donors have responded with Major gifts to support the engineering Genthusiasm to the need for program- program in addition to those announced in Inspirational engineer Richard Merrick ...... 3 matic support that will provide state-of- the fall issue of this newsletter include the Outstanding Teaching by New Faculty ...... 4 the-art teaching and learning facilities in following: the new Business and Engineering Center. • Alcoa Foundation, $50,000, Pott College Hall of Fame...... 5 Gifts pledged to date bring the cam- power and machines lab and classroom More K-12 teachers in classrooms ...... 5 • Casino Aztar, $25,000, physics paign total to $2,029,000. Summer workshops for K-12 teachers ...... 5 Dr. Scott A. Gordon, dean of the Pott classroom College of Science and Engineering, said • Deig Bros. Lumber and Alumni Elements ...... 6 private gifts for instructional support will Construction Company, $25,000, com- Tri-State Science and Engineering Fair ...... 6 provide the engineering program “the puter lab (shared space for business and ability to teach cutting-edge curricula engineering) INDOT engineering scholarships ...... 7 with the tools of tomorrow, producing New academic programs ...... 8 graduates that are well prepared for the Continued on page 3 workplace of the future.” Pott College of Science & Engineering

ing to prepare our workers – current and “WIRED” continued from page 1 emerging — for today’s changing econo- based activities for students. (See story on my. We have brought together a strong Letter from the Dean page 5 about 2008 summer workshops.) group of individuals and organizations Another priority is to expand the who will work together and develop the elcome to the spring 2008 edi- Project Lead the Way curriculum which necessary strategies to maximize our use Wtion of the Pott College of introduces high school students to the of education, workforce, and economic Science and Engineering newsletter, scope, rigor, and discipline of engineering development to grow our economy.” as a career field. The SWIGO consortium also The Periodic Review. Since our last Andy Goebel, chair of the Regional includes the Southwest Indiana Regional newsletter, many exciting events have Workforce Board of Southwestern Workforce Board, Evansville Regional occurred and many Indiana, which led the WIRED grant Business Committee, Inc., University of application, said, “We appreciate the sup- Evansville, Corporation, Welborn accomplishments port of both the Department of Labor and Foundation, , Ivy were achieved. The State of Indiana for providing assistance Tech Community College, the City of faculty, staff, and to our efforts to grow the economy of Evansville, and other organizations active in the economic development of students continue to Southwest Indiana. We share their belief in the importance of education and train- Southwest Indiana. work hard at making Gordon USI a leader in sci- ence, technology, ICHE approves new program in advanced manufacturing engineering, and mathematics (STEM) Federal funding approved for equipment in new building education. The Indiana Commission for Higher Education has approved the bachelor’s pro- This spring we have been busy gram in advanced manufactured for implementation in the fall by the USI Pott College with a variety of projects, plans, and of Science and Engineering. ICHE approved the program at its March meeting. initiatives, such as finalizing plans for Dr. Linda Bennett, USI provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, said, “This program continues USI’s tradition of being responsive to the needs of the region. the new Business and Engineering Graduates of the program will contribute to the economic growth of Indiana and the Center; working through the design Tri-State area.” aspects for renovations of the "old" The new Business and Engineering Center scheduled to begin construction this Science Center; developing and finaliz- year will contain state-of-the-art laboratory equipment for the advanced manufacturing program as well as engineering. Federal funding of $750,000 was included as part of ing the 2008-09 college budget the Fiscal Year 2008 Omnibus Appropriations measure signed into law by President requests, and presenting this informa- Bush in December. tion at the annual USI budget hearings; USI President H. Ray Hoops expressed appreciation to Congressman Brad Ellsworth ’81, Indiana senators Richard Lugar and Evan Bayh, and hosting another highly successful Pott the congressional office of Baron Hill for their support of the funding. Foundation Tri-State Science and Engineering Fair; and finalizing pro- Renovation of Science Center begins in summer posals to offer degree programs in bio- The original Science Center, which opened in 1969 as the first building on campus chemistry and environmental science. and was last renovated in 1999, will get an update over the next three summers. This edition of The Periodic Conner Architecture of Evansville has prepared the plans. The renovation will include improvements to office areas and conversion of some storage space to laborato- Review provides details on just a few of ry space. Improvements also will make laboratory space more efficient and bring it up to the many exciting activities accom- the demands of modern teaching and learning. plished or under way in the Pott Phase one of the project will begin on the third floor with renovation of offices, class- rooms, and labs. The improvements will include a study lounge for students; new chem- College. Enjoy. istry, geology, and physics labs; and a boardroom for the Pott College of Science and Engineering. In 2009, the project continues on the second level with renovation of offices and Dr.Scott A.Gordon upgrades to classrooms and labs as well as improvements that will make the corridors more consistent with the appearance of the Torrington Wing which opened in 2003. Scott A.Gordon, Dean Similar renovations on the first level in 2010 will complete the project. Pott College of Science and Engineering Completing the project in three phases over the summers will provide minimum dis- ruption to class schedules.

The Periodic Review • Spring 2008 2 • Empire Contractors Inc., “Donors” continued from page 1 $25,000, materials/soils lab • Hafer Associates PC, $25,000, Engineering labs available classroom as naming opportunities • , $50,000, digital Naming opportunities are still systems lab available for spaces in the new • Toyota Motor Manufacturing Business and Engineering Center Indiana, $100,000, two computer-assist- that will prepare the engineers of ed design labs and a vibrations lab tomorrow for jobs in a changing Bonding authorization for the $29.9 workplace. million classroom and laboratory building Consider making a gift to pro- to serve both the business and engineering vide state-of-the-art instrumentation programs was approved by the 2007 and equipment for these spaces: . Ground- • Optics/modern physics lab and breaking will take place later this year. classroom • Biomechanics lab • Fluid mechanics lab • Environmental engineering lab Shaun Koyama, president of Toyota • Automotive engineering lab Motor Manufacturing Indiana, visited To make a gift or get more campus to present a $100,000 check to information about naming opportu- fund two computer-assisted design labs nities, contact the USI Foundation at and a vibrations lab on the lower level 812/464-1918. of the new Business and Engineering Center.

Career of Evansville’s Richard Merrick inspires new generation of engineers

Engineering students have an oppor- Rice Library and are available to researchers. As previously announced in this tunity to learn about the significant work Through a series of changes, Arkla newsletter, the Merrick family gave of an Evansville engineer thanks to a gift Industries ultimately became a part of an $25,000 to the Campaign for the Business from his family. Italian company, Robur Corporation. and Engineering Center to fund a Richard H. Merrick was a mechani- Merrick is included in the Robur Wall of heat/thermodynamics laboratory. cal engineer, an inventor, international Fame, which also includes Albert Einstein consultant, and lifelong learner. He retired and Mother Teresa. in 1984 from Arkla Industries, where he headed the engineering department. Merrick held 23 patents. Most of his work was related to absorption refrigeration. Merrick died in August 2006. His family has presented to the University many of his books on engineering, includ- ing sets of handbooks from the 1980s through 2005 from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air- Conditioning Engineers. Materials related to his patents, including handwritten notes and sketches, are included in the gift as well as tools related to engineering. David Ellert, instructor in engineer- ing, uses some of the resources in teach- The family of Richard H. Merrick presented materials relating to his distinguished career in engineering to the University. From left are Margery and Stephen H. Merrick, daughter-in- ing. Others are preserved in a controlled law and son; Dana and Sara Hollin, son-in-law and daughter, Sally Merrick, wife; and environment in University Archives of the Susan and Marvin Hooper, daughter and son in-law.

3 University of Southern Indiana Pott College of Science & Engineering

Faculty awarded summer Students pick up enthusiasm for physics research fellowships Shadow Robinson honored for outstanding teaching by new faculty Three faculty members from the Pott College have received fellowships for “When they talk summer research activities. to each other and Two members of the mathematics develop their ideas, I faculty were among 11 USI faculty mem- may see quickly bers awarded 2008 Lilly Summer where they have a Research Fellowships. misconception. It is Dr. John R. often difficult to see Donnelly, assistant that when they are professor of mathemat- putting down line ics, will conduct after line of mathe- research on the topic matics,” he said. “Ruinous Sets, Weakly Robinson also Ruinous Sets, and Thin wants physics stu- Donnelly Sets.” dents to develop Dr. Melody Lee, skills in writing and assistant professor of speaking about sci- mathematics, will study entific matters. In the topic “How Rational some courses, he Numbers are Presented includes assign- in U.S. and Japanese ments requiring stu- Textbooks and the dents to write Possible Effects of research papers and Presentation in Excelling make class presenta- Performance of U.S. tions. If he were Lee Students.” responsible for hir- Dr. Shadow J.Q. ing employees or Robinson, assistant approving requests professor of physics, is one of three for grants, he would University faculty members receiving the trust the person who new USI Foundation Summer Stipend for Shadow Robinson shares the secrets of the universe with students. could explain his or Research. His topic is “The K Quantum her ideas well. Number in 50Cr.” r. Shadow J.Q. Robinson’s interest “People can get far if they are good at Din physics has a lot to do with its explaining their ideas,” he said. “If they Jeannie Collins promoted widespread implications. can’t talk to others about their ideas, it Dr. Jeannie T. Collins will be pro- “Your goal is to explain everything in doesn’t matter how good the ideas are.” moted to associate professor of chemistry the universe. If it happens inside this uni- Students say Robinson’s enthusiasm effective August 25. The promotion was verse, physics is going to try to answer for physics is contagious. Kyle Besing, a approved by the USI Board of Trustees at why that happened,” he said. mathematics major with a physics minor, its March meeting. The assistant professor of physics is completed Robinson’s special topics Collins joined the the recipient of the 2007-08 USI course in Einstein’s theory of general rel- University in 1999. She Foundation Outstanding Teaching by New ativity last spring. earned a doctoral Faculty Award. The award recognizes a “I couldn’t help but think that if he degree at the University faculty member who has been with the was excited about the material, then it of Southern Mississippi University less than six years. Since join- must be worth learning,” Besing said. in 1998. ing the faculty of the Pott College of Robinson earned bachelor’s degrees In addition to her Science and Engineering in 2003, in mathematics and physics at the teaching responsibili- Robinson has taught all levels of physics, University of and a doctorate in Collins ties, Collins serves as from introductory courses to independent physics at Rutgers University. the USI faculty repre- topics. The USI Foundation Outstanding sentative for the Barry M. Goldwater Robinson is committed to teaching Teaching by New Faculty Award includes Scholarship, a nationally competitive physics because he can share the secrets a $1,000 cash stipend and a $1,000 profes- scholarship program that recognizes stu- of the universe with more people. sional development grant. dents pursuing careers in science, mathe- He encourages students in the class- matics, and engineering. (See page 8.) room to interact.

The Periodic Review • Spring 2008 4 Nomination deadline extended Joint committee studies how to attract students for first Hall of Fame class to teaching careers in science and mathematics he first class in the new Pott College A joint committee representing the recruitment and retention patterns in sci- THall of Fame will be inducted in April Pott College of Science and Engineering ence and mathematics education programs 2009 at the fourth annual STEM (science, and the USI Department of Teacher and review USI curricula in science and technology, engineering, mathematics) Education is at work on an issue that math teaching programs for consistency dinner. affects the nation and Southwestern with area school needs. The Hall of Fame was originally Indiana: a shortage of well-qualified sci- Dr. Kathy Rodgers, a member of the scheduled to begin this year, but the dead- ence and mathematics teachers in K-12 committee and chair of the Pott College line for nominations has been extended to classrooms. Department of Mathematics said, “USI is allow more participation. The Hall of Dr. Linda Bennett, USI provost and committed to providing excellent opportu- Fame will recognize graduates in science, vice president for Academic Affairs, has nities for future teachers of science and mathematics, and engineering who have charged the committee with identifying mathematics. We subscribe to the philoso- demonstrated outstanding achievement in strategies to reverse this trend. phy that the best way to improve second- their careers or in service at the local, The committee will review the ary science and math education is to state, national, or international levels. UTEACH model developed at the ensure that a qualified teacher is in every For more information and a nomina- University of Texas at Austin. This model classroom; this will happen only when tion form, visit www.usi.edu/science. encourages math and science majors to universities attract the brightest and best Nominations may be made throughout the enter the teaching profession by offering a to the teaching profession and then pro- year. The deadline is January 1. math or science degree plan integrated vide positive experiences modeled by out- The Hall of Fame recognition cere- with teacher certification, financial assis- standing educators in content-rich courses.” mony will become an annual part of the tance, and early teaching experiences for In addition to Rodgers, members of STEM dinner, a spring event that wel- undergraduates. the committee are Dr. James Bandoli, Dr. comes administrators and STEM teachers Bennett said the study of the Tony Maria, Dr. Henri Maurice (chair), from school corporations in nine counties UTEACH model is a starting point to cap- Dr. Kent Scheller, and Dr. Jeff Seyler of Southwestern Indiana to campus. ture “best practices” and look at the from the Pott College and Dr. Paul Guests have an opportunity to learn about model’s applicability to USI teacher edu- Parkison and Dr. Jeff Thomas from the Pott College STEM initiatives and hear a cation but not a directive to adopt it. Department of Teacher Education. nationally known speaker. The committee also will study

Summer 2008 Chemistry major Wilson nets Teacher development workshops Academic All-American honors Best practices in high school chemistry classes June 9-13 olleyball senior setter Stephanie Participants will share their approaches to introduction of concepts, pre-lab lectures, lab safety, and learning assessment. Teacher aids will be developed and posted on the Web site VWilson of Terre Haute, Indiana, was of the Indiana Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (I-STEM) Resource named to the ESPN The Magazine/ Network (www.istemnetwork.org/). Areas of interest indicated by area high school teachers CoSIDA (College Sports Information include stoichiometry, thermodynamics, kinetics, and electrochemistry. Contact Dr. Jeffrey Directors of America) Academic All- W. Seyler at 812/464-1923 or [email protected]. America second team. Wilson has main- Earth’s history rocks! July 21-26 tained a 4.0 grade point This intensive workshop focuses on minerals and their properties, rocks and the stories they average in chemistry tell us, fossils and earth history, and earth science teaching strategies. Participating high during her first three school teachers will come away with new and easy ways to teach these concepts and years of college. improve students’ interest in earth science. Contact Carrie Wright at 812/465-1145 or She is a three-time [email protected]. Academic All-District Mathematics June 9-13 Wilson V performer as well as Teachers participating in MATH (Mathematics, Activities, and Technology for High School a three-time Academic Teachers) will explore the use of technology and manipulatives to enhance the teaching and All-GLVC honoree. She finished her USI learning of mathematics. They will use USI resources to develop activities for classroom use volleyball career in second-place all-time and will share activities with peers. This workshop is appropriate for individuals who teach at USI with 4,602 assists. She also record- mathematics in grades 8-12. Contact Dr. Kathy Rodgers at 812/465-7093 or [email protected]. ed more than 950 career digs, 300 career kills, and 200 career blocks. These workshops are among several planned for K-12 teachers in STEM disciplines this summer. Watch for information coming your way.

5 University of Southern Indiana A L U N I E L E E N T S

Eileen Weber promoted A biotechnology company, enGene is Eileen Weber ’98, chemistry, has developing an innovative therapeutic plat- been promoted to Ultraviolet Coatings form, which is targeted to induce normal (UV) product manager at Red Spot Paint cells in the intestinal tract to produce a & Varnish Co., Inc., in Evansville. She wide range of proteins to treat such dis- previously served as UV research and eases as diabetes, obesity, GI disorders, development manager for the company. and hemophilia. Adams is co-founder of a Weber was a USI Presidential Scholar. biopharmaceutical technology company, a She is a member of the Pott College of founding member and director of Science and Engineering College Omnitech Capital Corporation, and a Advisory Board. member of the Pott College of Science and Engineering College Advisory Board. Chemistry graduate Eric Adams After graduating from USI, Adams is alumnus in residence studied for two years at Universitaet Regensburg in Germany as a scholarship A chemistry graduate who has stud- recipient through the German Academic ied and worked throughout the United Exchange Program. He completed a mas- States and internationally talked to Pott ter’s degree in international business stud- College students on the topic “What Can’t ies at the University of South Carolina in You Do with Your USI degree?” 1988 and returned to Germany to work for as alumnus in residence. four years for Fresenius, a global health- Eric A. Adams ’86 is president, care company. He also has worked for CEO, and director of enGene Inc. He has Abbott Laboratories in Abbott, , more than 19 years’ management experi- and Advanced Tissue Sciences in La Jolla, ence in international business develop- California. He and is family live now in ment, marketing, mergers and acquisi- Vancouver, British Columbia. tions, and sales in pharmaceutical and Eric Adams related health-care industries.

Record number of entries in Tri-State Science and Engineering Fair

The 2008 science and engineering competi- tion attracted more than 500 middle school and high school students completing 465 projects. Senior Grand winners Stacey Vosters and Hannah Scudder, both of North Daviess Senor High School, competed at the Indiana State Science and Engineering Fair in Greencastle and are attending the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Atlanta in May. Alternate winners and the Junior Grand winner and alternates also attended the state competition.

David Albright, site manager for SABIC Innovative Plastics, judges a high school engineering project. Albright is a member of the engineering industry advisory board for the Pott College’s engineering progam.

The Periodic Review • Spring 2008 6 Engineering students in co-ops Help strengthen the Demand by area companies continues to be high for engineer- ing students to complete internship and co-operative programs. More than 25 students will gain practical experience working side- by-side with professional engineers at companies throughout the Tri-State this summer. Your gift to the Pott College of Science and Seven students graduating in May will bring the total number Engineering strengthens programs and provides of engineering graduates to 44 since the first class completed the program in 2004. Spring graduates are in negotiations with poten- support for students and faculty. tial employers. Companies providing internship and co-op experiences for Apply my gift in the following way. engineering students include AK Steel; Alcan Aluminum; Alcoa; (You may choose more than one.) APEX Engineering; ARC Construction; Bernardin Lochmueller and Associates; Berry Plastics; Bowen Engineering; City of Ë Pott College of Science and Engineering Evansville; Clark Dietz Inc.; Consolidated Grain & Barge; Duke (where the need is greatest) Energy; ECS Solutions; Electronics Research, Inc.; Frontier Ë Biology program Kemper Contractors; GAF Elk Materials; Guardian Automotive; Ë Chemistry program Indiana Tube Corp.; Masterbrand Cabinets; Mead Johnson Ë Engineering program Nutritionals; Navsea War Centers – Crane Division; PCI Design; Ë Geology and physics programs PPG Industries; PPMI Construction; QualEx, Inc.; Ragle Ë Mathematics program Construction, Inc.; Red Spot Paint; Shamrock Engineering; Toyota Ë Other (Please specify______) Motor Manufacturing Indiana; Traylor Bros. Contractors; Three I Engineering; Vectren Energy Corp.; and Whirlpool Corp. Amount committed: $______e

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e Ë Check enclosed INDOT offers engineering scholarships v n

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Please bill me in ______. (Specify month.) n

The University of Southern Indiana is among seven Indiana i

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universities to offer new engineering scholarships from the Indiana a Ë Enclosed is my matching gift form m

Department of Transportation (INDOT). d Ë Charge to my credit card INDOT created the new scholarship to educate stu- n a Ë Visa dents and encourage graduating engineers to remain in the state. m r Ë o MasterCard The scholarship gives recipients more than $3,000 a semester for up f

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i Ë to five years of college, including up to two years of graduate l Discover school. Each academic semester, INDOT will make scholarship C payments to 20 engineering students. In return, recipients will work Cardholder Name______

at INDOT in full-time paid positions during the summer. After grad- Ê Card Number______uation, scholarship recipients will work six months at INDOT for each academic semester they received a scholarship. Exp. Date______“Indiana’s transportation system is our state’s economic future, and to create a world-class transportation system, we need world- Signature______class engineers,” said INDOT Commissioner Karl B. Browning. Other schools include Purdue University, Rose-Hulman Name______Institute of Technology, , University of Notre Dame, Tri-State University, and Valparaiso University. Address______

City, State, Zip______

Pott College promotional video wins awards Telephone ______E-mail______The production crew of a video created to promote the Pott College of Science and Engineering has received three gold and two Make your tax-deductible check payable to: silver awards in the 2007 International Davey Awards. USI Foundation, 8600 University Blvd., The USI Office of Instructional Technology Services produced Evansville, IN 47712 the DVD entitled “Learning Science by Doing Science.” The Davey Awards are judged by the International Academy of Visual Arts. Ë Please contact me about an estate gift. More than 4,000 entries were received from around the world. Visit www.usi.edu/science to view the video which introduces A contribution of $25 or more to any USI Foundation prospective students and their families to the programs and special fund makes graduates “active” members of the opportunities offered by the Pott College. USI Alumni Association. 7 To learn more, visit www.usi.edu/giving Two new academic programs under study

he Pott College of Science and urement and analysis, and environmental TEngineering will propose the addition science and society. of two academic programs—environmen- The proposed program in biochem- tal science and biochemistry—to the istry includes a track leading to a bio- University’s Academic Planning Council. chemistry degree certified by the Both programs respond to changing needs American Chemical Society in addition to in the workplace and workforce needs in a track that provides for a greater mix of Southwest Indiana. chemistry and biology courses. The program in environmental sci- Implementation of new academic ence would include three specialty area programs is contingent on funding and options: water resources, resource meas- appropriate approvals.

Jamie Johnson named Goldwater Scholar University of Southern Indiana 8600 University Boulevard amie Johnson, a junior majoring in leges and universities throughout the Evansville, IN 47712 Jchemistry, is among 321 college stu- country. The student representative to the dents nationwide to be named a 2008 USI Board of Trustees, Johnson has main- Dr. Scott A. Gordon, Dean 812/464-1977 Goldwater Scholar. tained a 4.0 grade-point average. Her Biology Department 812/465-1084 The award recipi- career goal is to become a physician. Chemistry Department 812/464-1701 ents were selected on The Goldwater recognition program Engineering Department 812/464-1877 the basis of academic was established by Congress to encourage Geology and Physics Department 812/464-1701 merit from a field of excellence in science and mathematics. Mathematics Department 812/465-1689 1,035 mathematics, The scholarship will cover the cost of science, and engineer- tuition, fees, books, and room and board www.usi.edu/science ing students nominated up to a maximum of $7,500 for the 2008- University of Southern Indiana is an affirmative by the faculties of col- 09 academic year. action/equal employment opportunity institution. Johnson

POTT COLLEGE OF The Periodic Review SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING University of Southern Indiana 8600 University Boulevard Evansville, Indiana 47712 A publication of the D07-5373 Pott College of Science and Engineering University of Southern Indiana

Scott Gordon, Dean Pott College Betty R. Vawter, Newsletter Editor