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Newsletter The Voice of Science http://www.kyscience.org Susan Templeton, Editor January 2010 in Kentucky From the President... Enhanced Affiliates I am honored to represent the Kentucky Academy of Science as President this year. With 1,829 members, Bellarmine University we are the largest organization in the Commonwealth serving social, behavioral, biological and physical Berea College scientists, engineers and mathematicians. I thought I would take this opportunity to share with you some of Brescia University the things that are going on in the state that I think are important to the future of science in the Centre College Commonwealth and therefore, important to the future of the Academy. I apologize to those who are already Eastern Kentucky University involved in one or more of these initiatives and thus may be bored reading this but I will take that risk Kentucky Community & because I suspect there are many members who do not know but who will want to make their voices heard Technical College System to help shape and support these initiatives. Academy members play an important role in strengthening Kentucky Science and science technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and workforce development in the Technology Corporation Commonwealth. Many of us are academics, directly involved in didactic and laboratory classroom teaching, Kentucky State University others of us mentor in the workplace and participate in outreach to schools and community organizations. Morehead State University Our organization provided the opportunity for 120 high school students to present their work at the Junior Murray State University Academy of Sciences last spring and for 213 undergraduates and 44 graduate students to present their work Northern Kentucky University at our annual state wide meeting this fall. Our annual meeting at NKU this year was spectacular and I can't Spalding University Transylvania University pass up the opportunity to thank K. C. Russell and his local organizing committee for seamlessly hosting University of Kentucky 773 of us on November 13 and 14. University of Louisville The Kentucky STEM taskforce, made up of educators, government representatives and those from private Western Kentucky University enterprise, made a series of recommendations designed to increase the number of children choosing an Patron - $5,000 level education path resulting in a STEM degree. One important outcome is the revision of educational standards Lumins Associates required by Senate Bill 1. Senate Bill 1 calls for a revision of standards to be based on national and Fellow - $1,000 level international benchmarks to increase the rigor and focus of K-12 content. The standards for mathematics are KBRIN (Kentucky well on their way to completion, the process for revising the science standards is just beginning. Biomedical Research Postsecondary introductory course standard reviews are occurring simultaneously to ensure alignment. The Infrastructure Network) Council on Post Secondary Education (CPE) is overseeing the process and there is information on their web Sustaining Member - $500 level site and a time line that includes opportunities for stakeholder input. Academy members who are employed Campbellsville University by post secondary educational institutions can also provide input through their chief academic officers. Member - $250 level One way to increase the number of Kentuckians who choose STEM fields is to actively educate and Asbury College encourage children about the opportunities they will have if they follow a STEM pathway. The STEM task Kentucky American Water force recognized that it will be important to expand hands-on, real life examples of STEM utility in the Company curriculum. While the Academy provides support and encouragement to high school and college students Kentucky Wesleyan College who are already interested in STEM, I hope to communicate through the year about other ways academy Lindsey Wilson College members are already involved and/or can become involved in working on the pipeline. If you have a story to Pikeville College share, please submit it for inclusion in the next newsletter. Women continue to be underrepresented in most Thomas More College STEM fields. Academy members who are interested in this problem can get involved with the Kentucky University of the Cumberlands Girls STEM collaborative, an organization that seeks to convince girls, their parents and teachers that STEM Wood Hudson Research careers are desirable, attainable and fun. Laboratory Associate Member - $100 level In addition to our members’ educational activities, our member scientists, mathematicians, and engineers Hoffman Environmental improve the quality of life in the Commonwealth through their research and development activities. Ten Research Institute continued on page 8 2010 Sectional Officers ....................................... 9 Inside this issue Call for Papers ..................................................... 9 Editor’s Note: When viewing the Science Across the Commonwealth Newsletter in Acrobat Reader the Table of Contents (TOC) contains live Annual Meeting Report ....................................... 2 The View from CPE: Creating Kentucky’s Future links to each article; at the bottom 2009 Undergraduate Research Competition ........ 2 in Space .......................................................... 10 right of each page is a link back to Messages from the Executive Director ................ 3 Kentucky Space Recognized ............................. 11 the TOC! A Letter to the Editor ........................................... 3 KAS Member Honored ...................................... 11 The KAS Newsletter is published in 2009 Superlative Award Winners ..................... 4-6 2010 Posters-at-the-Capitol ............................... 11 January, May and August. Current KAS Research Funds Awarded ............................ 7 2009 Kentucky Society of Professional and archived issues are available at Call for Nominations for Superlative Awards...... 7 http://www.kyscience.org. You may Geologists Fall Conference............................ 11 contact the KAS Newsletter Editor at KAS Governing Board Updates .......................... 8 2010 Kentucky Science and Engineering Fair .. 12 [email protected]. 2009 Graduate Research Competition ................. 8 Kentucky Junior Academy of Science ............... 12 2009 Annual Meeting 2009 Undergraduate Research Competition The 95th meeting of the Kentucky Academy of Congratulations to the students who won awards. Congratulations also to their mentors Science was held at Northern Kentucky University and a special thanks to those who devoted their time to judge the presentations. on November 13-14, 2009. The meeting was very well attended with a total of 773 registered, Agricultural Sciences Health Sciences Oral 1st: Jarred Earnest - Asbury Oral 1st: Kenton Sena - Asbury including 492 students; the largest number in both nd nd categories ever at an Academy meeting. Oral 2 : Stephanie Kortyka - Bellarmine Oral 2 : Shakeeb Ahmad -Bellarmine Oral 3rd: Latoyah Elliott - KSU Oral 3rd: De’Andra Robertson - KSU The meeting started on Friday evening with Dr. Poster 1st : Crystal Walker - U. K. Poster 1st: Daniel Eschenbach - Bellarmine Margaret Hanson, Professor of Physics from the Poster 2nd: Cecilia Albers - Berea Poster 2nd: M. Elizabeth Deel - U. K. University of Cincinnati, presenting an interesting Poster 3rd: Claice Esch - WKU Poster 3rd: Daniel Schucter - NKU talk on open star custers in our galaxy. Prior to and Anthropology & Sociology Mathematics following the Symposium, the Haile Digital Oral 1st: Samantha Gambill - NKU Oral 1st: Meredith Stevenson - Murray Planetarium provided planetarium shows. Oral 2nd: Jamie Cupp - NKU Oral 2nd: Amir Ahmadi - Morehead rd Saturday had a full day of presentations, both Botany Oral 3 : Tichaona Chiwandamira & Sara power point and poster, with the well-attended st Evans - Berea Oral 1 : La’Quida Bowie - KSU st afternoon Plenary Session being the final Poster 1st: Sarah Roebker - Bellarmine Poster 1 : Bradley Schneider - Morehead presentation. Dr. Graham Cooks, Distinguished Poster 2nd: Catherine Brumm - Bellarmine Microbiology Professor of Chemistry from Purdue University, Oral 1st: Tyler Elam - Morehead Cellular & Molecular Biology nd presented a talk entitled on trace analysis by mass st Oral 2 : Crystal Thomas - Berea Oral 1 : Kayla Kinker - Berea rd spectrometry. The Kentucky Society of nd Oral 3 : Sarah Lance - Asbury Oral 2 : Kikshya Bastakoty - Berea st Professional Geologists held their 13th Annual rd Poster 1 : Elizabeth Shelley - NKU Oral 3 : Bonnie McCullagh - WKU nd Fall Conference in conjunction with the Academy. Poster 1st: Aric Johnson - WKU & Justin Poster 2 : Emmanuel Davis - Berea Poster 3rd: Alexis Henry - NKU The meeting concluded with the Awards Banquet. Penticuff - Transylvania Dr. Len Peters, Secretary of the Energy and Poster 2nd: Osniel Gonzalez Ramos - NKU Physics & Astronomy rd st Environment Cabinet, Commonwealth of Poster 3 : Alisha Holmberg - Berea Oral 1 : Benjamin Draper - Bellarmine nd Kentucky, was the featured speaker;his Poster Hon. mention: Devin Rogers - U. K. Oral 2 : Jimmy Rop - Berea Oral 3rd: Mohammed Yusuf - Berea presentation was on opportunities for engineers. Chemistry st st Poster 1 : Richard Jelsma - Bellarmine The winners of the Superlative Awards, the URCs Oral 1 : Anthony Haskamp - NKU nd nd Poster 2 : Tabitha Aldridge - Morehead and GRCs are provided elsewhere in