SFA University
June 9, 2016 NACOGDOCHES, Texas — The second phase of a significant Texas Department of Transportation grant was awarded recently to Stephen F. Austin State University faculty members in the Department of Geology to support their work identifying existing geologic hazards along a roadway in Culberson County, Texas, just south of Carlsbad, New Mexico.
“It is an honor to have been asked by TxDOT to conduct research that will assist them in developing better practices for road stability within an area that is prone to significant failure,” said Dr. Kevin Stafford, project director and SFA associate professor of geology. “As oilfield activity expands throughout Culberson County, the heavy truck traffic is having a significant impact on infrastructure that was originally only intended for light/ranch traffic. As the only person who has significantly worked on the gypsum karst in this area, I have been fortunate to have been contracted by TxDOT to assess the karst phenomena associated with road failure and help them develop engineering solutions.”
The first phase of the contract was awarded to Stafford from the University of Texas – El Paso for just more than $60,000. Dr. Wesley Brown, chair of SFA’s Department of Geology, is serving as the project’s co-investigator.
“The first round of funding was an initial assessment of causes of road failure within Culberson County, which proved to be more complicated than originally suspected,” Stafford said. “The causes of failure are numerous and range from initial road construction a half century ago to variable karst manifestations. The first round of funding was very successful in that it identified the types of geohazards in the area. The second round of funding will focus on classifying and delineating the physical extent of each geohazard associated with RM652 in Culberson County.”
Upon successful completion of the project’s first phase, the second round was awarded totaling more than $705,000. The project, Stafford said, is designed to characterize and map out geologically hazardous areas along a 34-mile stretch of road in Culberson County.
“We will be utilizing various techniques to accomplish this, including geophysical surveys, remote sensing, karst surveys and traditional geologic field assessment,” he added. “Geophysical surveys include: high-resolution imaging to depths of 10 meters for sites that have continuously required road repairs; collection of continuous resistivity profiles along the entire stretch of road; and interpretation of shallow ground-penetrating radar throughout the study area for characterization of road-base conditions.
“Karst surveys and geologic field assessment will be carried out in the field with traverse-based field mapping adjacent to RM652, while caves discovered within 100 meters of the right-of-way will be entered and mapped to delineate their spatial extent and determine if they cross beneath RM652.”
Five SFA geology graduate students will be hired for the project this summer. An additional two to three undergraduates will be hired in the latter part of the summer to assist with field mapping and cave exploration. Stafford expects several undergraduate research projects and master’s theses will evolve from the TxDOT grant project.
“Effectively, this contracted research evolved from previous research I conducted prior to joining SFA and has turned out to be a great opportunity to continue work in the region,” Stafford said, “while providing funding to enable students to work in an area and environment that has been cost-prohibitive in previous years because of the distance away from Nacogdoches.”
June 8, 2016 - NACOGDOCHES, Texas — A limited number of students can still enroll in a weeklong science, technology, engineering and mathematics camp hosted by Stephen F. Austin State University’s STEM Research and Learning Center aimed at engaging East Texas students entering the seventh or eighth grade in hands-on STEM activities.
“The goal is to expose students to STEM disciplines in a way that excites them about the many possibilities in math and science,” said Dr. Jana Redfield, assistant director of the SFA STEM Research and Learning Center, which is part of the College of Sciences and Mathematics. “Each module is about two hours and 45 minutes of hands-on learning, allowing students to not only be exposed to math and science concepts, but to create a spark of interest in a possible future STEM career.”
What math concepts go into the construction of a rollercoaster? Who is the criminal behind a messy crime scene? Investigations in Math and Science, or iMAS, Academy answers these and similar questions during the course of five days. The camp consists of modules that cover chemistry, biology, nursing, engineering, mathematics and physics basics.
In one module, students engage in a crime scene investigation lab designed to simulate activities that take place in a forensic laboratory setting, including DNA glass fragment and chemical analyses. In another, students are exposed to the high-energy bustle of a hospital emergency room and learn four of many skills—blood loss estimation, aseptic techniques, cardiovascular and respiratory assessments, and virtual intravenous infusion. Students also will investigate effects of acid on eggshells using flat and carbonated root beer during the “Acid Attacks!” activity.
“So much goes in to the development of the curriculum for iMAS. The iMAS modules are designed to be student centered, hands-on and fun. They are initially written by STEM faculty members and area master teachers,” Redfield said. “Once written, modules are reviewed for accuracy and science/math appropriateness for the grade level, then piloted during the school year to insure student engagement. Several of the modules created for this year’s iMAS are brand new, such as the 3-D printing/engineering and rollercoasters. Others have been proven successful in past summer iMAS Academies.”
New to iMAS camp is a rollercoaster module inviting participants to explore mathematical concepts as they design and build paper rollercoasters from cardstock. The science of motion and the financial literacy component of budgeting and cost analysis also will be explored.
A second new module will utilize state-of-the-art 3D printers acquired by the College of Sciences and Mathematics. In the module, students will create and build a pair of interlocking rings using a computer-aided design program.
The 2016 iMAS Academy will be held from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Monday through Friday, June 20-24, on the SFA campus. The cost is $100 per attendee and includes the price of materials, snacks, prizes and a T-shirt. Visit cosm.sfasu.edu/stem/imas-academy to register.
June 7, 2016 - The following student(s) has/have been named to the President's List at Stephen F. Austin State University for the spring semester.
To be eligible for this honor, a student must be enrolled in 12 or more semester hours and maintain a grade-point average of 4.0.
HOMETOWN, STATE; NAME, MAJOR, DEPARTMENT
Center, TX
Lesley Cockrell, Interdisciplinary Studies, Elementary Education
Erika Figueroa-Franco, Pre-Nursing, School of Nursing
Whitney Haddox, Communication Disorders, Human Services
Aaron Liker, Accounting, Accounting
Jessica Massey, Art, School of Art
Chelsea McDaniel, Music, School of Music
Carsen McFarland, Social Work, School of Social Work
Julie McSwain, Undecided, Special Advising
Lindsey Snell, Interdisciplinary Studies, Elementary Education
Joaquin, TX
Bailee McSwain, Interdisciplinary Studies, Elementary Education
Shelbyville, TX
Tiffanee Vaughn, Interdisciplinary Studies, Elementary Education
Timpson, TX
Ian Angelo, Kinesiology, Kinesiology & Health Science
Kaela Hudman, Pre-Nursing, School of Nursing
Madilyn Sanford, Communication Disorders, Human Services
June 7, 2016 - The following student(s) has/have been named to the Dean's List at Stephen F. Austin State University for the spring semester.
To be eligible for this honor, a student must be enrolled in 12 or more semester hours and maintain a grade-point average of 3.5.
HOMETOWN, STATE; NAME, MAJOR, DEPARTMENT
Center, TX
Brianna Evans, Interdisciplinary Studies, Elementary Education
Jannie Garcia, Social Work, School of Social Work
Yvette Garcia, Mathematics, Mathematics & Statistics
Celia Gonzalez, Interdisciplinary Studies, Elementary Education
Harlie Hagler, Kinesiology, Kinesiology & Health Science
Alisha Horton, Communication Disorders, Human Services
Darby Hudspeth, Interdisciplinary Studies, Elementary Education
Taylor Hudspeth, Interdisciplinary Studies, Elementary Education
Kristin Peace, Professional Accountancy, Accounting
Emily Rodriguez, Communication Disorders, Human Services
Kaleth Salazar, Pre-Nursing, School of Nursing
Haley Shofner, Interdisciplinary Studies, Elementary Education
Taylor Tanner, Creative Writing, English & Creative Writing
Joaquin, TX
Nicholas Cheatwood, Biochemistry, Chemistry
Megan McGee, Pre-Social Work, School of Social Work
Tionnee Turner, Health Science, Kinesiology & Health Science
Shelbyville, TX
Morgan Jernigan, Interdisciplinary Studies, Elementary Education
Tenaha, TX
Kelsi Hooker, Chemistry, Chemistry
Jordan Latrache, Kinesiology, Kinesiology & Health Science
Timpson, TX
Katie Bush, Biology, Biology
Margo Hooper, Agriculture Development Prod, Agriculture
June 6, 2016 - The following students received degrees from Stephen F. Austin State University during May commencement exercises:
Center, TX
75935, Josue Arcibar, Bachelor of Arts, Psychology, College of Liberal and Applied Arts
75935, Clifton Boniol, Bachelor of Arts, Art, College of Fine Arts
75935, Frances Bridges, Master of Social Work, Social Work, College of Liberal and Applied Arts
75935, Linda Choate, Bachelor of Science, Hospitality Administration, James I. Perkins College of Education
75935, Burval Holt, Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, Agricultural Engineering Technology, Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture
75935, Maddison Myers, Bachelor of Arts, Theatre, College of Fine Arts
Joaquin, TX
75954, Promise Lonsford, Bachelor of Science, Kinesiology, James I. Perkins College of Education
75954, Johnathan Watson, Bachelor of Science, Spatial Science, Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture
75954, Kain Yates, Bachelor of Business Administration, General Business, Nelson Rusche College of Business
Shelbyville, TX
75973, Yetzemanit Sanchez, Bachelor of Business Administration, Management, Nelson Rusche College of Business
75973, Feleshia Thompson, Bachelor of Science, Health Science, James I. Perkins College of Education
Tenaha, TX
75974, Victor Flores, Bachelor of Business Administration, Professional Accountancy, Nelson Rusche College of Business
75974, Victor Flores, Master of Professional Accountancy, Professional Accountancy, Nelson Rusche College of Business
Timpson, TX
75975, Ian Angelo, Bachelor of Science, Kinesiology, James I. Perkins College of Education
75975, Allison Burns, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Nursing, College of Sciences and Mathematics
June 6, 2016 - NACOGDOCHES, Texas — Stephen F. Austin State University’s SFA Gardens will host the monthly Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 9, in the Ina Brundrett Conservation Education Building at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, 2900 Raguet St. Greg Grant, research associate with the SFA Gardens’ Pineywoods Native Plant Center, will present “Show Me Your Garden and I Shall Tell You What You Are: Twenty Years Creating One View.”
Grant, who is an award-winning horticulturist, writer, conservationist and seventh-generation Texan, will relate two decades of planning the landscape in front of his restored family home during his lecture. He lives in his grandparents’ restored dogtrot farmhouse, where he tends a small cottage garden, his Rebel Eloy Emanis Pine Savanna and Bird Sanctuary, a flock of laying hens, and terriers Acer, Lizzie, Mollie and Sonny.
He is author of “In Greg’s Garden: A Pineywoods Perspective on Gardening, Nature, and Family” and “Texas Fruit and Vegetable Gardening,” and is co-author of “Heirloom Gardening in the South,” “Texas Home Landscaping” and “The Southern Heirloom Garden.” He is currently finishing “The Rose Rustlers” with William C. Welch and Texas A&M Press. He also writes the popular “In Greg’s Garden” column for Texas Gardener magazine and writes “Greg’s Ramblings,” a monthly blog at arborgate.com.
Grant has degrees in floriculture and horticulture both from Texas A&M University, and he has attended post-graduate classes at Louisiana State University, North Carolina State University and SFA. His garden, farm and plant introductions have been featured in many magazines and newspapers, including Southern Living, Woman’s Day, Texas Gardener, Neil Sperry’s Gardens, The Dallas Morning News, The Houston Chronicle, The Los Angeles Times and The San Antonio Express News.
The Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series is held the second Thursday of each month at SFA’s Pineywoods Native Plant Center. A rare plant raffle will be held after the program. The lecture is free and open to the public but donations to the Theresa and Les Reeves Lecture Series fund are always appreciated.
Parking is available at the nearby Raguet Elementary School, 2428 Raguet St., with continual shuttle service to the Ina Brundrett Conservation Education Building.
For more information, call (936) 468-1832 or email grantdamon@sfasu.edu.
June 6, 2016 - Students in the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Theatre will promote the SummerStage Festival’s children’s show at the Texas Blueberry Festival June 11 in downtown Nacogdoches.
Theatre students will appear in costumes portraying popular characters from fairy tales and children’s stories. Children (and adults) will have the opportunity to talk with the students and take photos with them, according to Angela Bacarisse, professor of design and arts management at SFA. The School of Theatre’s trademark dragon character, Schlaftnicht, from the children’s show “Trudi and the Minstrel,” performed the summer of 2005, will make his annual Blueberry Festival appearance.
“We have a lot of fun just dressing up and seeing how excited the kids are when they see us and get to talk to their favorite characters,” Bacarisse said.
Students will be promoting the upcoming SFA SummerStage Festival, which kicks off Friday, June 24, and runs through July 16. The family friendly festival will feature the children’s favorite "A Year With Frog and Toad" by Robert and Willie Reale. Also in the festival lineup is something for the adults, "Picasso at the Lapin Agile," a witty comedy by actor, screenwriter and stand-up comic Steve Martin.
Bacarisse, the director of the smash hit "Spamalot" and the summer kids' favorites "The Emperor's New Clothes: The Musical" and "How I Became a Pirate," directs "A Year With Frog and Toad,” which is based on the books by Arnold Lobel. The musical follows the story of the beloved suburban amphibians who leap to tuneful life with irresistibly upbeat Frog lifting the spirits of his worrywart neighbor Toad.
The students perform at the Blueberry Festival each year to “let the community know that the SFA School of Theatre offers good quality family entertainment at affordable prices to our neighbors in Nacogdoches,” according to Bacarisse. Discount coupons for the SummerStage Festival will be distributed that day.
The costumed characters can be seen in front of The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House at 329 E. Main St. Theatre students will be selling crafts and doing face painting as a fundraiser.
For performance times and ticketing information for the SummerStage Festival, visit theatre.sfasu.edu or call (936) 468-6407 or (888) 240-ARTS. All performances are in W.M. Turner Auditorium in the Griffith Fine Arts Building on the SFA campus.
June 1, 2016 - More than 14,000 miles away in Bangalore, India, Stephen F. Austin State University graduate student Nandita Mehrotra puts the finishing touches on her thesis in preparation for its defense.
During the past few months, she has been studying patient-turnaround time at an outpatient cancer center in India and the role interior design plays in health care settings.
As a full-time employee in India, Mehrotra was able to complete her Master of Science in human sciences online in May through SFA’s School of Human Sciences within the James I. Perkins College of Education.
“The ability to pursue a master’s degree in the U.S. while living in India was wonderful,” Mehrotra said. “I was able to complete my degree only because it was available online.”
Heather Catton, director of international studies and programs at SFA, agrees offering courses online provides international students with great opportunities.
“For students like Nandita, who are working full time and/or have a family, they can’t drop everything and move to another country to earn their degree,” Catton said. “When a degree can be offered completely online, it’s a great option for students because they have access to the academic content. They can continue to work, live at home, and still have a U.S. degree and a different perspective.”
Mehrotra said she enjoyed the experience.
“It was very interesting to interact with faculty members and students halfway around the world and understand their way of thinking, working and expressing thoughts, ideas and analyses,” Mehrotra said.
Through Desire 2 Learn, SFA’s online course-delivery system, Mehrotra worked with other SFA students and faculty members. Her coursework consisted of the completion of specialized health care readings and textbooks, performance of on-site facility analyses and weekly interaction with renowned leaders in the health care design industry, which she described as interesting and helpful.
Mehrotra surveyed patients for 12 days for her thesis to obtain an understanding of patient experiences and satisfaction levels. She mapped the movement of 19 patients in the facility and interviewed 15 health care providers and staff members. She also studied patient, doctor and staff member perspectives on patient turnaround time.
“The Collaborate feature in Desire 2 Learn is a wonderful tool for online education and really makes the educational/classroom interaction easy and enjoyable,” Mehrotra said. “I was able to attend a significant percentage of online study sessions because of the difference between Indian Standard Time and U.S. Central Time. When it was morning at SFA, it was late evening in Bangalore, and I was home from work then.”
Dr. Mitzi Perritt, professor of interior design and graduate coordinator in SFA’s School of Human Sciences, met with Mehrotra weekly via Collaborate in D2L and said it was as if they were in the same classroom.
“Nandita has been a special student. She is eager to learn, very respectful and produces high-quality work. It has been an amazing experience for me to work with her as her major professor and teacher,” Perritt said. “Our relationship is a close one, and we have enjoyed working together.”
May 31, 2016 - Stephen F. Austin State University’s Nelson Rusche College of Business has announced former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush will serve as guest speaker for the college’s inaugural Nelson Rusche Distinguished Lecture Series on Nov. 3.
“We are so pleased to launch the Nelson Rusche Distinguished Lecture Series by featuring as our speaker such a notable and accomplished businessman and politician,” said Dr. Tim Bisping, dean of SFA’s Nelson Rusche College of Business. “While selecting a speaker, we worked diligently to bring to SFA an individual who fit Mr. Rusche’s vision for the series, as well as our college’s Learn, Launch, Lead mission.”
Through a question-and-answer format, Bush will discuss various topics focusing on leadership and business issues.
“Mr. Bush’s business acumen combined with his extensive policy experience should yield a unique perspective attendees will find both interesting and useful,” Bisping said. “His substantial and varied leadership background will be especially beneficial to SFA students as they work toward achieving their academic and professional goals.”
Bush was elected the 43rd governor of Florida in November 1998 and re-elected in 2002 to become the state’s first two-term Republican governor. He is the son of former U.S. President George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush and the brother of the 43rd President of the United States George W. Bush.
Born in Midland, Texas, Bush grew up in Houston. In 1973, he graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Latin American Studies. Bush moved to Florida in 1981, where he started a small real estate development company, which grew to become the largest, full-service commercial real estate company in South Florida.
In 1987 and 1988, Bush held his first government post, serving as Florida’s secretary of commerce under Bob Martinez, Florida’s 40th governor. As secretary of commerce, Bush promoted Florida’s business climate to the world.
Later, Bush founded the nonprofit Foundation for Florida’s Future, which joined forces with the Urban League of Greater Miami to establish one of the state’s first charter schools. He also co-authored “Profiles in Character,” a book about 14 of Florida’s civic heroes—people making a difference without making news. Additionally, he co-authored “Immigration Wars: Forging an American Solution.”
As governor, Bush focused on reforming education. Under his governance, Florida students made the greatest gains in achievement, and Florida became one of a handful of states to narrow the achievement gap. In addition, Bush cut taxes every year, and Florida led the nation in job growth seven out of eight years.
After serving as governor, Bush led his own successful consulting business, Jeb Bush and Associates. His clients ranged from small technology start-ups to well-known Fortune 500 companies. He also served as the chairman of the Foundation for Excellence in Education, a national foundation focused on education reform, and he was the co-chairman of the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy and chair of the National Consortium Center.
He authored “Reply All,” in October 2015, which tells the story of his governorship through email exchanges with his staff members, the media and the Floridians he served.
Bush ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2015. He currently lives in Miami, Florida, with his wife Columba. The couple has three children and four grandchildren.
May 25, 2016 — The addition of a crop science course into the core curriculum has accelerated the need to build a 7,200-square-foot, three-bay, gutter-connected greenhouse totaling $150,000 on the Stephen F. Austin State University campus at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center.
The new facility will provide the SFA Gardens with a much-needed area for plant production and student-driven research projects, said SFA Gardens Director Dr. David Creech, as well as assist horticulture and forestry students in obtaining real-world experience in an industry-standard greenhouse.
“Our current area is already inadequate to house the space needs we have for numerous horticulture labs,” said Dawn Stover, SFA Gardens research associate, “including crop science, fruits and vegetables, plant propagation, nursery management, greenhouse management, etc., as well as soil science experiments, graduate student projects, an active horticulture club, and plants for the SFA Gardens and the Sprout Garden.”
The greenhouse will be used to grow plants for special projects and research. It also will be used to grow many of the plants available for purchase at fundraiser plant sales. Stover said the SFA Gardens also would benefit by incorporating many of the plants grown there into its landscapes.
“With the addition of crop science into the core, we have the potential to see 150 additional students each semester,” said Stover. “We simply need more space to accommodate our growing program.”
To make a donation, call (936) 468-5406; visit www.sfasu.edu/give; or mail checks, write “greenhouse” in the memo line, to P.O. Box 6092, SFA Station, Nacogdoches, Texas 75962-6092.
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