College of Science & Engineering Technology News Archive

Samuel Adu-Prah, assistant professor of geography, has been awarded a fellowship by the Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship Program to travel to Ghana to work with Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology on advanced geospatial techniques research and training for social science research.

This is the second year that Adu-Prah has received the fellowship award.

Adu-Prah has taught courses in geographic information science and environmental modeling at SHSU since 2013. He holds a Ph.D. in environmental resources and policy with concentration in geographic information science and environmental modeling from Southern Illinois University.

Currently serving as co-editor in chief of the International Journal of Geospatial Research, Adu-Prah has been the principal investigator on a number of grant-funded projects.

“I plan to collaborate with the faculty at KNUST to provide course descriptions and materials for the new advanced geospatial courses proposed from my first visit to the department of Geography and Rural Development,” Adu-Prah said.

During his time in Ghana, he will also organize and teach four weeks of summer courses in advanced geospatial techniques for graduate students and social science faculty. In addition, Adu-Prah will work with the research consortium established during his first visit to respond to grants and research initiatives and assist the faculty and graduate students in the publication of their scholarly works.

“The proposed project will build on the existing foundation and provide a continued relationship that will bridge the gap and deal with shortages of qualified teaching staff, Ph.D. supervision and mentoring of young scholars at the host university,” Adu-Prah said.

Adu-Prah’s project is part of a broader initiative that will pair 55 scholars with one of 43 higher education institutions and collaborators in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda to work together on curriculum co-development, research, graduate teaching, training, and mentoring activities in the coming months.

The visiting Fellows will work with their hosts on a wide range of projects that include controlling malaria, strengthening peace and conflict studies, developing a new master’s degree in emergency medicine, training and mentoring graduate students in criminal justice, archiving African indigenous knowledge, creating low cost water treatment technologies, building capacity in microbiology and pathogen genomics, and developing a forensic accounting curriculum.

“To deepen the ties among the faculty members and their home and host institutions, the program is providing support to several program alumni to enable them to build on successful collaborative projects they conducted in previous years,” Adu-Prah said.

The Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship Program, now in its fifth year, is designed to increase Africa’s skilled labor, build capacity at the host institutions and develop long-term, mutually-beneficial collaborations between universities in Africa and the United States and Canada.

The program is funded by Carnegie Corporation of New York and managed by the Institute of International Education in collaboration with United States International University-Africa in Nairobi, Kenya, which coordinates the activities of the Advisory Council. 335 African Diaspora Fellowships have now been awarded for scholars to travel to Africa since the program’s inception in 2013.

March 12, 2018

Horticulture Club To Compete In Landscape Competition

SHSU Media Contact: Emily Binetti

Story by Hannah Haney

Nine Sam Houston State University Horticulture Club students will spend Spring Break demonstrating their talents at the 42nd Annual National Collegiate Landscape Competition, presented by the National Association of Landscape Professionals, March 14-17 in Graham, North Carolina.

The National Collegiate Landscape Competition provides students enrolled in horticulture programs the opportunity to hone their skills, connect with professionals from the field and compete with peers.

“This is an excellent venue for students to showcase their knowledge and talent in a competitive setting,” Tim Pannkuk, associate professor for the Department of Agricultural Sciences said.

The three-day event, coined the ‘Olympics of the landscape industry,’ will host over 750 students from approximately 60 schools, who will compete for top honors in 30 team and individual competitions. For the fifteenth year, SHSU students will compete in the plant identification, cost estimation, irrigation design and landscape design competitions.

“I am most excited about Plant Problem Diagnosis competition. This event requires identifying common pests/diseases of flora, listing affected flora, and in some cases, providing a solution to the problem,” club president and senior, Aubrey Ryan said. “Having knowledge to diagnose plant problems is very useful for my field because it will allow me to understand whether the plant is infected or if there is a deeper, underlying issue with the ecology
of the environmental community.”

In addition to a variety of networking and competitive events, SHSU students will be given the opportunity to shape their professional paths. At the career fair, over 100 industry employers will be on site to recruit the best talent across landscape disciplines, including construction, greenhouse/production, design, business development and management.

“My future goal is to receive a position in the Plant Science industry. This event offers multiple opportunities to network myself with a career fair and job search. During this event, we not only learn how to compete, we learn about the industry itself and what it takes to be in a position of that field,” senior Sean Lakhani said. “Last year I was fortunate enough to have my resume picked out for an internship from a big company.”

For more information on SHSU’s Plant & Soil Sciences Program, visit

https://www.shsu.edu/programs/bachelor-of-science-in-plant-and-soil-sciences/index.html.

January 18, 2018

Biological Sciences Receives Grant from Coastal Chemical

In collaboration with Sam Houston State University, Coastal Chemical Company is lending its support to the department of Biological Sciences for more than $100,000 in grant funding, equipment and labor in an attempt to devise a cost-effective and ecofriendly method that would reduce the level of oxygen from natural gas streams.

Natural gas streams contain various impurities, oils and unwanted gases including oxygen. Overtime, oxygen corrodes gas containing vessels and the oxidative environment produces other byproducts like organic acids that adversely affect the life of natural gas solvents such as amines and glycols. Therefore, oxygen poses a serious problem for oil and gas industries.

For this reason, Coastal Chemical chose to fund research activities and newly designed equipment to a deserving educational institution to perform the experiment. Associate Professor Madhusudan Choudhary and his student research team were selected to participate in the partnership out of multiple other universities because of the quality of their research proposal, the accessibility of the SHSU department of biological science’s facilities and equipment, which were judged during previous on-site visits, and the overall merit of the program.

In an official laboratory launch on Dec. 14, representatives from SHSU and Coastal Chemical demonstrated the equipment. Through consultations, basic operating parameters were selected to develop a “proof of concept” for a proposed Coastal product, which would reduce oxygen in natural gas streams.

“It was great to interact with the people from Coastal Chemical Company. We set up the instrumentation and reactor in my laboratory. We had five natural gas vessels with different cocktails of gases and oxygen concentration to be tested. Our four undergraduate students were very active in setting and operating the protocols necessary for the growth of micro-organisms, the loading of the reactor and monitoring the samples,” Choudhary said.

If successful, their investigation will provide the mechanical design, fabrication and the operating protocol for this new cost-effective technology. Additionally, if the team is able to reduce some significant level of oxygen from the natural gas feed, Coastal Chemical will be able to profit greatly from the application of this new technology. Coastal Chemical projects that it will take approximately one year to a see the complete results of the experiment and begin phase two.

“It is a great adventure to work on a highly impactful and collaborative project with Coastal Chemical Company. Competing for this grant and becoming successful for the award make us very happy and proud,” Choudhary said. “This grant will enhance the industrial and economic successes of the oil and gas industry.”

In addition to serving a role in the future of the oil and gas industry, the project also allows for SHSU students to actively participate and contribute to the scientific community in a controlled and supervised environment.

“Getting the opportunity to participate in this project and knowing it can potentially help people in the future really inspires me to work hard,” student researcher, Noah Zavala said. “I also admire learning the different aspects of biology beyond the scope of the classes I have taken. Each day I come in I learn new applications that allow me to enhance my knowledge in the field.”

February 9, 2018

Call for Nominations for SHSU College of Science and Engineering Technology Awards

The Sam Houston State University College of Science and Engineering Technology recognizes significant achievements in research, teaching, and service by members of our college, both faculty and students. The College of Science and Engineering Technology Awards & Recognition Committee invites your nominations by March 9, 2018, for the following awards:

Nominations can be made by any faculty member or department chair in the College of Science and Engineering Technology, and staff members are welcome to make nominations for the Faculty Excellence in Service Award. Student nominations and self-nominations will not be accepted. Nominations are due by Friday March 9, 2018. Nominees will be contacted to supply additional documentation which will be due by Monday April 9, 2018. The Awards & Recognition Committee will weigh all of the information and make recommendations to the Dean, who will notify the winners near the end of the spring semester and make a public announcement at the College of Science and Engineering Technology Fall Meeting.

The award descriptions and criteria are given at https://www.shsu.edu/academics/sciences/awards.html. This page also contains the Awards & Recognition Committee Policies & Procedures.

Award Winners will receive $500 in their departmental account for their use, a glass award, and inscription on the College Award Winners Plaque.

To submit your nominations, please email the Committee Chair, Dr. Chris Randle (randle@shsu.edu) with the nominee's name and the award for which you are making the nomination.

January 13, 2017

SHSU Summer Math Students Present Poster at Joint Math Meetings in Atlanta

SHSU summer students Kristen Lawler and Christian Schmidt were recognized with the "Outstanding Poster Award" for their poster titled "Optimal Net Energy and Foraging Behavior of the Grus americana" at the prestigious 2017 Joint Mathematics Meetings. Lawler, who attends Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York, and Schmidt, a student at the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minnesota, created the poster while attending SHSU this past summer, and Lawler attended the Joint Mathematics Meetings and presented the poster. The students were mentored by Department of Mathematics & Statistics professors Edward Swim and John Alford. Their poster was selected out of hundreds presented at the conference, making this a singular honor for the students.

January 11, 2017

Physics Professor Wilson Authors New Book

Dr. John Wilson, a member of the faculty of the Department of Physics, has recently published a book titled A Physicist Examines Hope in the Resurrection: Examination of the Significance of the Work of John C. Polkinghorne for the Mission of the Church. Wilson focuses on Polkinghorne, who, like Wilson, had a background in both theology and physics.

January 9, 2017

Montaña Co-Authors New Study

Carmen G. Montaña, Ph.D., of the Department of Biological Sciences at SHSU, is the co-author of a new study investigating the relationship between Body Size-Trophic Position among fishes of the lower Mekong River, Cambodia. The study was the result of team collaboration, including lead author Chouly Ou (Cambodia), Carmen G. Montaña (Venezuela), and Kirk O. Winemiller (USA).The study has been published in the journal Royal Society Open Science (an open access journal from the Royal Society of London). See http://rsos.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/4/1/160645 for the full study.

October 4, 2016

Garcia Honored by AMS Article

Dr. Luis Garcia Puente, associate professor of mathematics in the College of Science & Engineering Technology's Department of Mathematics and Statistics, has been chosen as a scholar featured in the American Mathematical Society's (AMS) Notices "Hispanic Heritage Calendar," which is viewable on the organization's "Latin@s and Hispanics in Mathematical Sciences" ( www.lathisms.org ) website. As the website states, its mission is, "[t]o provide an accessible platform that features prominently the extent of the research and mentoring contributions of Latin@s and Hispanics in different areas of the Mathematical Sciences."

September 23, 2016

Biological Sciences' Daza Co-Authors Revealing New Study

Dr. Juan Daza, of SHSU’s Department of Biological Sciences, is co-author of a new study that has discovered a new species of fossil lizard from Morocco that illustrates a link between African and South American life from 90 million years ago.

The study has been published in the journal Royal Society Open Science (an open access journal from the Royal Society of London).

August 31, 2016

Mathematics and Statistics’ Chapman Honored as Fellow of American Mathematical Society

Dr. Scott Chapman, Professor and Scholar in Residence in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Sam Houston State University, was recently invited to join the 2017 class of the Fellows of the American Mathematical Society (AMS), after nomination by department chair Dr. Brian Loft and letters of support from three current Fellows earlier this year.

Designation as a Fellow of the AMS is a very prestigious distinction. As the AMS website notes: “The Fellows of the American Mathematical Society program recognizes members who have made outstanding contributions to the creation, exposition, advancement, communication, and utilization of mathematics.”

Dr. Chapman joins a very select group of distinguished scholars and researchers designated as Fellows of the AMS. Dr. Loft notes that have been 50 Fellows in the state of Texas, and all but three of them are from the state’s flagship institutions (University of Texas, Texas A&M University), and Rice University. Dr. Chapman’s naming as an AMS Fellow is a great honor for Sam Houston State University.

Details of the Fellows of the AMS program, including a history of its enactment, can be found at the AMS website.

March 29, 2016

UT Southwestern Medical's Carroll to Speak at March 31 Seminar

Dr. Thomas Carroll, from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, will present “Wnt/beta-catenin signaling in kidney development and disease: How can one pathway do so many things?" at the Department of Biological Sciences weekly seminar. The seminar will be held in Room 214 in the Lee Drain Building from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 31, 2016. Dr. Seeling is hosting the seminar.

March 10, 2016

University of Houston's Chen to Address Physics Department Symposium on March 14

Professor Jiefu Chen, from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Houston, will speak on "A Semi analytical Finite Element Scheme Developed in the Hamiltonian System, and Its Applications in Well Logging" at the upcoming Physics Department Symposium on Monday, March 14 at 2 p.m in Farrington Hall, Room 107.

March 2, 2016

Aide to Present at March 3 Biological Sciences Seminar

Dr. Mitch Aide, from the University of Puerto Rico, will present “Using "big data" to improve biodiversity conservation and management in the tropics" at the Department of Biological Sciences weekly seminar. The seminar will be held in Room 214 in the Lee Drain Building from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 3, 2015. Dr. Pascarella is hosting the seminar.

February 29, 2016

Reppond to Present at Physics Colloquium on March 4

Adam Reppond, from L3 Communications of Greenville, Texas, and a distinguished alumnus of the SHSU Physics Department, will present "Project Liberty" at the Physics Colloquium on Friday, March 4, 2016, at 2 p.m. in Farrington Room 209.

February 18, 2016

Costa Rica's Fuchs to Speak at February 25 Seminar

Dr. Erich Fuchs, from the University of Costa Rica, will present “Forest fragmentation and its effect on the genetic structure of tropical trees in Costa Rica" at the Department of Biological Sciences weekly seminar. The seminar will be held in Room 214 in the Lee Drain Building from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 25, 2015. Dr. Hargrave is hosting the seminar.

February 8, 2016

Call for Nominations for SHSU College of Sciences Awards

The Sam Houston State University College of Sciences recognizes significant achievements in research, teaching, and service by members of our college, both faculty and students. The College of Sciences Awards & Recognition Committee invites your nominations by March 6, 2015, for the following awards:

Nominations can be made by any faculty member or department chair in the College of Sciences, and staff members are welcome to make nominations for the Faculty Excellence in Service Award. Student nominations and self nominations will not be accepted. Nominees will be contacted to supply additional documentation. The Awards & Recognition Committee will weigh all of the information and make recommendations to the Dean, who will notify the winners near the end of the spring semester and make a public announcement at the College of Sciences Fall Faculty Meeting.

The award descriptions and criteria are given at https://www.shsu.edu/academics/sciences/awards.html. This page also contains the Awards & Recognition Committee Policies & Procedures.

To submit your nominations, please email Chris Randle (randle@shsu.edu) with the nominee's name and the award for which you are making the nomination.

January 21, 2016

Texas A&M's Dessler to Present "The Science of Climate Change and Why You Should Believe It" at Physics & Geology Colloquium on February 3

Professor Andrew Dessler, of the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at Texas A&M University, will speak on "The Science of Climate Change and Why You Should Believe It" at the Physics & Geology Colloquium on Wednesday, February 3, 2016, at 3 p.m., at the Lowman Student Center Theater (LSC 112). Dr. Dessler will discuss the solid evidence of current climate change, including the presence and effects of greenhouse gases such as more extreme temperature events, rising sea levels, acidification of the oceans, and changing precipitation patterns.

Download the event flyer for more details on the presentation.

January 20, 2016

Walker Awarded Three-Year NSF Grant for Research Proposal

Dr. Joel Walker, associate professor of physics at Sam Houston State University, has been awarded $75,000 over three years from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for his research proposal: “RUI: Supersymmetric Theory, Phenomenology, and Tool-Building.” In keeping with the NSF’s educational mission, the Research at Undergraduate Institutions (RUI) designation of this project indicates that Walker’s work will involve students in the research process at the earliest possible juncture, increasing their chances of securing a space in a competitive particle physics graduate program.

December 15, 2015

Mills Receives Prestigious National Award for Excellence in College and University Teaching

Foy D. Mills, Jr., Professor and Agribusiness Program Leader in the Department of Agricultural Sciences & Engineering Technology, was recently honored with a National Award for Excellence in College and University Teaching in the Food and Agricultural Sciences by the U.S. Department of Agriculture-National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Dr. Mills was presented with the award on November 15, 2015, at the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities (APLU) annual meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Dr. Mills, who came to Sam Houston State University in the fall of 2012 after 23 years of service at Abilene Christian University (including 10 as department chair there), leads the Agribusiness Program in SHSU’s Department of Agricultural Sciences & Engineering Technology. He was nominated for the award by a colleague in the department, Dr. Marcy Beverly. Dr. Mills presently teaches Principles of Agricultural Economics, Ag Sales and Consulting, Agriculture and Government Programs, and a graduate course in Agricultural Policy.

November 30, 2015

Ray Presenting at December 3 Biological Sciences Seminar

Dr. Donna Ray, from the University of Michigan, will present “Environmental effects on the T cell epigenome in lupus" at the department's weekly seminar. The seminar will be held in Room 214 in the Lee Drain Building from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 3, 2015. Dr. Harper is hosting this seminar.

November 10, 2015

Texas A&M's Strigari to Present "Galactic Searches for Dark Matter" at Upcoming Physics Colloquium

Professor Louis Strigari, of Texas A&M University's Mitchell Institute for Fundamental Physics and Astronomy, will speak on "Galactic Searches for Dark Matter" at the Department of Physics Colloquium on Thursday, November 19, 2015, at 2:30 p.m. in Farrington Room 105. For more information, see the Physics Colloquium page.

November 10, 2015

University of Oklahoma's Cureton to Speak at November 12 Seminar

Dr. James Cureton II, from the University of Oklahoma, will present “Reservoirs as drivers of phenotypic diversity? Rates and patterns of locomotive trait evolution in stream fishes" at the Department of Biological Sciences weekly seminar. The seminar will be held in Room 214 in the Lee Drain Building from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 12, 2015.

October 26, 2015

Daza to Present at October 29 Seminar

Dr. Juan Daza, of the Department of Biological Sciences at SHSU, will speak about on “News From the Geckolab” at the Department of Biological Sciences' weekly seminar. The seminar will be held in Room 214 in the Lee Drain Building from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday, October 29, 2015. Dr. Harper is hosting this seminar.

October 12, 2015

Dr. Gabler Presenting at October 15 Biological Sciences Seminar

Dr. Christopher Gabler, from the University of Houston, will present “Climates change, environments fluctuate, and niches shift: finding order and opportunity in ecological variability" at the department's weekly seminar. The seminar will be held in Room 214 in the Lee Drain Building from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 15, 2015. Dr. Lewis is hosting this seminar.

October 5, 2015

Rice University's Dr. Wagner to speak on Cell Evolution at October 8 Seminar

Dr. Dan Wagner, from Rice University, will present “Evolving new cells: Conservation and novelty in the zebrafish yolk cell" at the department's weekly seminar. The seminar will be held in Room 214 in the Lee Drain Building from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 8, 2015. Dr. Lewis is hosting this seminar.

September 28, 2015

Huttlocker to Speak at October 1 Biological Sciences Seminar

Dr. Adam Huttlocker, from the University of Utah and the Natural History Museum of Utah, will present “Making a Mammal: How New Approaches to Fossil Data are Reshaping Our View of the Origins of Mammalian Physiology" at the department's weekly seminar. The seminar will be held in Room 214 in the Lee Drain Building from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 1, 2015. Dr. Lewis is hosting this seminar.

September 21, 2015

Chaminade University's Carter to Present at September 24 Seminar

Dr. David Carter, from Chaminade University in Honolulu, will speak about on “Postmortem microbiology on Oahu” at the Department of Biological Sciences' weekly seminar. The seminar will be held in Room 214 in the Lee Drain Building from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday, September 24, 2015. Dr. Lynne and Dr. Bucheli are hosting this seminar.

September 14, 2015

Valverde to Speak at April 30 Biological Sciences Seminar

Dr. Roldán Valverde, from Southeastern Louisiana University, will present “Vitellogenin in the Reproductive Physiology of Sea Turtles" at the department's weekly seminar. The seminar will be held in Room 214 in the Lee Drain Building from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 17, 2015. Dr. Harper is hosting this seminar.

September 9, 2015

College of Sciences Undergraduate Research Program

Dean John Pascarella has launched a program to support undergraduate research among the seven departmental units in the College of Sciences. This innovative program provides awards to successful student applicants that will help defray the expenses associated with conducting scholarly research as well as presenting research at professional conferences. Students will gain valuable experience throughout the research process – from developing an idea with a faculty mentor to preparing an academic proposal and budget, conducting research, and presenting the outcomes to members of the academic community.

Full-time students with strong academic records and who are currently enrolled as majors in the College of Sciences are encouraged to work with a faculty mentor in their program to prepare and submit an application for review. The deadline for applications is Friday, October 2, 2015. A separate application review will also occur for travel and research projects in spring 2016.

September 4, 2015

Baylor College of Medicine's Engevik to Present at September 10 Seminar

Dr. Melinda Engevik, from Baylor College of Medicine, will speak about her work on “The role of host mucus in C. difficile infection” at the Department of Biological Sciences' weekly seminar. The seminar will be held in Room 214 in the Lee Drain Building from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday, September 10, 2015. Dr. Primm is hosting this seminar.

August 27, 2015

Stefanovic to Speak at September 3 Biological Sciences Seminar

Dr. Sasa Stefanovic, from the University of Toronto-Mississauga, will present “Systematics and plastid genome evolution in the parasitic plant genus Cuscuta (Convolvulaceae)" at the department's weekly seminar. The seminar will be held in Room 214 in the Lee Drain Building from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 3, 2015. Dr. Randle is hosting this seminar.

June 11, 2015

Prokosch to Represent US Astronomy in Education Community in Upcoming Astronomy in Chile Educator Ambassadors Program (ACEAP) Trip

Michael Prokosch, laboratory assistant in the Department of Physics, will travel to Chile as one of nine ambassadors chosen to represent the United States astronomy education community in Chile. During the trip, which will run from June 19 to July 1, Prokosch will visit many of the major international observatories located in the Atacama Desert, including Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), Gemini South, and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA).

Prokosch has set up a blog on the trip that is hosted by the Huntsville Amateur Astronomy Society. The blog is located at http://www.huntsvilleastronomy.org/seeing-stars-blog. In addition, he will take part in a Google Plus Hangout on Friday, June 12 at 2:00 p.m. to help get the word out about the trip, at https://plus.google.com/u/0/events/cifv884e6jsmo2bv2gvnut7vol4.

April 28, 2015

Gamble to Speak at April 30 Biological Sciences Seminar

Dr. Tony Gamble, from the University of Minnesota, will present “Diversity and evolution of gecko sex chromosomes" at the department's weekly seminar. The seminar will be held in Room 214 in the Lee Drain Building from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 30, 2015. Dr. Daza is hosting this seminar.

April 21, 2015

Texas A&M's Smolensky to Present at April 23 Seminar

Dr. Nicole Smolensky, from Texas A&M University, will speak on “Cryptic Diversity of African Crocodiles and Implications for In Situ and Ex Situ Conservation” at the Department of Biological Sciences' weekly seminar. The seminar will be held in Room 214 in the Lee Drain Building from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 23, 2015. Dr. Santamaris is hosting this seminar.

April 6, 2015

Texas A&M's Rosenthal to Speak at April 9 Biological Sciences Seminar

Dr. Gil Rosenthal, professor in the Department of Biology at Texas A&M University, will present “Mate choice and its consequences: insights from natural hybrid zones” at the department's weekly seminar. The seminar will be held in Room 214 in the Lee Drain Building from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 9, 2015. Dr. Carlson, of the Department of Philosophy at SHSU, is hosting this seminar.

April 1, 2015

Second Annual SHACS Future Tech Conference Coming Soon

In a fast-paced world, the technology that surrounds us is constantly changing. For those who are looking to learn about these changes, the Second Annual Sam Houston Association of Computer Scientists Future Tech Conference might present the perfect opportunity.

The conference will be held April 10-11 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the Lowman Student Center Ballroom. Those who attend will have the opportunity to observe faculty research and company presentations about new technology.

Printable Flyer

March 31, 2015

UT Medical School's Bridge Troll to Present at April 2 Seminar

Dr. Peter Bridge Troll, from the University of Texas Medical School in Houston, will speak about his work on“Biological and Structural Diversity of Bacterial Type IV Secretion Systems” at the Department of Biological Sciences' weekly seminar. The seminar will be held in Room 214 in the Lee Drain Building from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 2, 2015. Dr. Choudhary is hosting this seminar.

March 23, 2015

Rosen to Speak at March 26 Biological Sciences Seminar

Dr. Jeffrey Rosen, from Baylor School of Medicine, will discuss his work on Wnt signaling and fibroblast growth factor signaling in the mammary gland at the department's weekly seminar. The seminar will be held in Room 214 in the Lee Drain Building from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 26, 2015. Dr. Harper is hosting this seminar.

March 16, 2015

Rice's Miller to Present at March 19 Seminar

Dr. Tom Miller, Godwin Assistant Professor of BioSciences at Rice University, will speak on “Ecological interactions of plants through the lens of demography” at the Department of Biological Sciences' weekly seminar. The seminar will be held in Room 214 in the Lee Drain Building from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 19, 2015. Dr. Randle is hosting this seminar.

March 12, 2015

Chapman Quoted in Houston Chronicle Article on Upcoming "Pi Day"

Dr. Scott Chapman, of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, was among the experts quoted in lighthearted Houston Chronicle article today on what has been dubbed "Pi Day" - Saturday, March 14 (or 3.14.15), which evokes the first digits (3.1415) in the mathematical figure Pi. Read the article here.

February 27, 2015

Zientek and Onwuegbuzie Co-Author Most Read Article in Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning Journal

Dr. Linda Zientek, associate professor of mathematics education in SHSU’s Department of Mathematics and Statistics, co-authored an article last year in the journal Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning that was was selected as the journal’s Most Read article of 2014. The article, “Differences of Mentoring Experiences across Grade Span Among Principals, Mentors, and Mentees", also featured Dr. Anthony Onwuegbuzie, professor in SHSU’s College of Education, as a co-author.

More information can be found at the Taylor & Francis Online website, in the Teaching and Teacher Education section.

Congratulations to Dr. Zientek and Dr. Onwuegbuzie!

February 27, 2015

Mathematics & Statistics' Garcia Earns Distinguished University Teaching Award From Texas Section of Mathematical Association of America (MAA)

Dr. Rebecca Garcia, associate professor and program coordinator for mathematics in SHSU's Department of Mathematics and Statistics, was awarded the Distinguished College and University Teaching of Mathematics Award for 2015 by the Texas Section of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA). Dr. Garcia is the first SHSU faculty member to earn this prestigious award for teaching mathematics. More information about this award can be found at the Texas Section's website. Congratulations to Dr. Garcia on this important recognition!

February 23, 2015

Lafferty to Speak at February 26 Biological Sciences Seminar

Dr. Kevin Lafferty, from the University of California-Santa Barbara, will present “Parasites and environmental change” at the department's weekly seminar. The seminar will be held in Room 214 in the Lee Drain Building from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 26, 2015. Dr. Buck is hosting this seminar.

February 16, 2015

Michigan State's Gibbs to Present at February 19 Seminar

Dr. Jason Gibbs, faculty member in the Department of Entomology at Michigan State University, will speak on “The social evolution, systematics and historical biogeography of sweat bees” at the Department of Biological Sciences' weekly seminar. The seminar will be held in Room 214 in the Lee Drain Building from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 19, 2015. Dr. Pascarella is hosting this seminar.

February 16, 2015

Call for Nominations for SHSU College of Sciences Awards

The award descriptions and criteria are given at https://www.shsu.edu/academics/sciences/awards.html. This page also contains the Awards & Recognition Committee Policies & Procedures.

To submit your nominations, please email Chris Randle (randle@shsu.edu) with the nominee's name and the award for which you are making the nomination.

February 9, 2015

Ostrofsky to Speak at February 12 Biological Sciences Seminar

Dr. Milt Ostrofsky, from Allegheny College, will present “Predicting Internal Phosphorus Loading in Stratified Lakes” at the department's weekly seminar. The seminar will be held in Room 214 in the Lee Drain Building from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 12, 2015. Dr. Wozniak is hosting this seminar.

February 5, 2015

Texas A&M's Brown to Present at Upcoming Physics Colloquium

Dr. Peter Brown, of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Texas A&M University, will speak on Calibrating Exploding Stars for Precision Cosmology at the SHSU Department of Physics Colloquium on Thursday, February 12 at 3:30 P.M. in Room 209 in the Farrington Building. Dr. Brown's abstract for the talk states: "Type Ia supernovae are one kind of "standard candle" used to measure distances and the expansion rate of the universe. With the hundreds or thousands of supernovae used in current analyses, the systematic errors now dominate over the statistical errors. Many of these systematics are poorly understood but are expected to have strong signatures at ultraviolet wavelengths. I am using the Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Explorer to observe supernovae in the ultraviolet. I will show constraints on progenitor systems and extinction derived from Swift ultraviolet observations. I will also discuss the effects expected from metallicity, asymmetry, and explosion differences. I will also show recently discovered evidence for a possible change with redshift in the supernova Ia population."

February 4, 2015

Park to Present at February 5 Biological Sciences Seminar

Dr. Jae-Il Park, from MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, will present “Manipulating Wnt Signaling in Stem Cells and Cancer” at the department's weekly seminar. The seminar will be held in Room 214 in the Lee Drain Building from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 5, 2015. Dr. Seeling is hosting this seminar; please contact her at jms120@shsu.edu if you would like to meet with Dr. Park.

January 26, 2015

January 29 Physics Colloquium To Explore Cutting-Edge Research on Matter-Wave Solitons

(courtesy of Today@Sam)

Rice University post-doctoral research associate Jason Nguyen will discuss his research on matter-wave solitons and the discoveries his team made in a study on Thursday (Jan. 29) at the Physics Department Colloquium. The colloquium presentation will begin at 3 p.m. in Farrington Building Room 209.

In the study, titled “Collisions of Matter-Wave Solitons,” Nguyen and his team found that when dealing with ultracold matter, results may produce an important new idea that was previously unknown to the physics community.

Solitons are non-dispersive waves that have been observed in many wave phenomena, such as the motion of water waves in narrow canals and light pulses in optical fibers. When Nguyen and his team began their study, they noticed that while solitons are supposed to pass through one another, some seemed to bounce off of one another.

“We are proud to host these conferences, because they provide an opportunity for students and faculty to continue to learn more and stay up to date with what is new in the physics community,” said Barry Friedman, professor of physics at SHSU. “If you’re interested in physics, this is a chance to hear cutting-edge information from the best group of physicists in the country.”

January 26, 2015

Siddall to Speak at January 29 Biological Sciences Seminar

Dr. Mark Siddall, of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, will speak on “Advanced genome and imaging technology totally sucks: lessons from leeches” at the department's weekly seminar. The seminar will be held in Room 214 in the Lee Drain Building from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 29, 2015. Dr. Cook is hosting this seminar.

January 22, 2015

Wolfram Research's Schaudt to Speak at Physics Colloquium

Mr. Troy Schaudt of Wolfram Research, Inc., will present "Mathematica 10 in Education and Research" at the upcoming Physics Department Colloquium on Monday, February 9, 2015, to be held from 3:30-4:30 PM in the Lowman Student Center, Room 315. This talk will illustrate capabilities in Mathematica 10 and other Wolfram technologies that are directly applicable for use in teaching and research on campus. Topics will include:

Enter calculations in everyday English, or using the flexible Wolfram Language
Visualize data, functions, surfaces, and more in 2D or 3D
Store and share documents locally or in the Wolfram Cloud
Use the Predictive Interface to get suggestions for the next useful calculation or function options
Access trillions of bits of on-demand data
Use semantic import to enrich your data using Wolfram curated data
Easily turn static examples into mouse-driven, dynamic applications
Access 10,000 free course-ready applications
Utilize the Wolfram Language's wide scope of built-in functions, or create your own
Get deep support for specialized areas including machine learning, time series, image processing, parallelization, and control systems, with no add-ons required

Current users will benefit from seeing the many improvements and new features of Mathematica 10 but prior knowledge of Mathematica is not required.

http://www.wolfram.com/mathematica/new-in-10/

January 21, 2015

University of North Texas' Roberts to Present at January 22 Seminar

Dr. Aaron Roberts, faculty member at the University of North Texas, will speak on his work involving the effects of heavy metals on fish at the department's weekly seminar. The seminar will be held in Room 214 in the Lee Drain Building from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, January 22, 2015. Dr. Harper, of the Department of Biological Sciences, is hosting this seminar.

January 20, 2015

James' Harvard Presentation Available on YouTube

Professor Reneé James, of the SHSU Department of Physics, was recently invited by the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics to give a public talk about her book, "Science Unshackled." The presentation was well-received and was made to a packed house.

January 9, 2015

SHSU Students Attend American Astronomical Society Meeting in Seattle With Physics Department's Miller

Physics faculty member Dr. Scott Miller recently accompanied two SHSU students, Travis Hites (physics major) and Katrina Reeves (astronomy lab instructor), to the American Astronomical Society meeting in Seattle, Washington on January 5-8, 2015, where they presented posters on research they completed with Dr. Miller regarding the NASA-funded ASSET summer workshops presented over the past two years by Dr. Renee James and Dr. Miller.

Reeves and Hites

Travis Hites and Katrina Reeves with their posters at the AAS meeting in Seattle

Katrina Reeves discussing her poster with another AAS conference attendee

Katrina Reeves discussing her poster with another AAS conference attendee

November 18, 2014

Texas A&M's Webb to Speak on Searching for Dark Matter at Physics Department Colloquium on November 21

Professor Robert C. Webb, of Texas A&M University, will present "Searching for Dark Matter with the LUX and LZ detectors at the Sanford Underground Research Facility," at the Department of Physics Colloquium on Friday, November 21, 2014 at 2 p.m. in Room 105 in the Farrington Building at SHSU. All are welcome to attend. From Dr. Webb's abstract: "The Large Underground Xenon (LUX) experiment, a dual phase xenon time projection chamber, has been operated underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility since February 2013 and the next generation dark matter detector based on this same technology (LZ) is in the planning stages. I will review the case for dark matter and report on the first WIMP search dataset from LUX, taken during the period from April to August 2013. I will then go on to outline the near and long term prospects for the discovery of dark matter in the coming decade."

Printable flyer

November 17, 2014

University of Texas' Wallingford to Present at November 20 Seminar

Dr. John Wallingford, professor in the Department of Molecular Biosciences at the University of Texas at Austin, will speak on his work in Xenopus as a model organism at the department's weekly seminar. The seminar will be held in Room 214 in the Lee Drain Building from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 20, 2014. Dr. Seeling, of the Department of Biological Sciences, is hosting this seminar.

November 11, 2014

Ubelaker Keynote Speaker at Texas Association of Biological Anthropologists (TABA) Annual Meeting November 14-15

Dr. Douglas Ubelaker, from the Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, will be the keynote speaker for the Texas Association of Biological Anthropologists (TABA) annual meeting to be hosted by Dr. Patrick Lewis and Dr. Monte Thies in the Department of Biological Sciences, Dr. Joan Bytheway in the College of Criminal Justice, and Dr. Maria Botero in the Department of Psychology and Philosophy. The meeting will be held this Friday evening (November 14) and Saturday (November 15). Dr. Ubelaker will give a second seminar at 6 p.m. on Friday evening entitled “The Use of Modern Radiocarbon to Assess the Birth and Death Dates of Human Remains”, which will be held in LDB 213.

Anyone interested in attending is welcome to come to Dr. Ubelaker's talk. Attached is a program for the TABA conference. All are welcome to attend. Registration for the meeting is $5 for students and $20 for non-students and faculty.

November 11, 2014

Smithsonian Institution's Ubelaker to Present at November 13 Biological Sciences Seminar

Dr. Douglas Ubelaker, of the Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, will speak on "Forensic Cases in Contemporary Perspective" at the Department of Biological Science's weekly seminar. The seminar will be held in Room 214 in the Lee Drain Building from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 13, 2014. Dr. Lewis and Dr. Thies will host the event.

October 21, 2014

Wingfield to Deliver E.O. Wiley Lecture at October 23 Biological Sciences Seminar

The Department of Biological Sciences' weekly seminar will be the E.O. Wiley lecture, titled "Putting the brakes on reproduction: implications for biomedicine, conservation and global climate change?." to be given by Dr. John Wingfield, of the University of California-Davis and the National Science Foundation, on Thursday, October 23. Please note that this seminar will take place at 7 p.m. instead of 4 p.m., and will be held in the Ron & Linda Mafrige Auditorium in the Smith-Hutson Business Administration Building.

October 20, 2014

Department of Physics Offers Special Partial Eclipse Viewing October 23

The SHSU Department of Physics invites you to a special eclipse viewing atop the SHSU parking garage (1730 Avenue I) on Thursday, 23 October 2014. The moon will partially eclipse the Sun that evening, with "first contact" beginning at 5 p.m. Central Daylight Time. The eclipse will be at its best around 6 p.m., when a little over a third of the Sun will be blocked. Viewing will continue until sunset, but the eclipse will continue for western viewers until and will end about 6:42 p.m. CDT.

To view the eclipse, viewers need to wear special eye protection, which the Physics Department will provide. Also on hand will be special solar telescopes. Do NOT try to look at the eclipse without proper filters.

October 1, 2014

Texas A&M University's Kerr to Appear at Department of Mathematics and Statistics Colloquium October 8

David Kerr, professor of mathematics in Texas A&M University's Department of Mathematics, will present "Entropy Inside Out" at the Department of Mathematics and Statistics' Colloquium on Wednesday, October 8, 2014, at 2:00 p.m, in Room 401 in the Lee Drain Building. Dr. Kerr will discuss a number of developments in the application of the concept of entropy in various contexts since the late 1950s, and will describe how the passage from single transformations to actions of general amenable and sofic groups marks a shift in applications away from geometry and smooth dynamics and more toward noncommutative harmonic analysis and operator algebras.

September 29, 2014

Biological Sciences' Gaillard to Present at October 2 Seminar

Dr. Anne Gaillard, associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and associate dean for graduate programs and research for SHSU's College of Sciences, will speak on "Programmed Cell Death in Chlamydomonas" at the department's weekly seminar. The seminar will be held in Room 214 in the Lee Drain Building from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 2, 2014.

September 22, 2014

Biological Sciences' Primm to Speak at September 25 Departmental Seminar

Dr. Todd Primm, associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, will speak on "Collateral Damage: How Antibiotics Affect the Normal Microbiome" at the department's weekly seminar. The seminar will be held in Room 214 in the Lee Drain Building from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday, September 25, 2014.

September 16, 2014

Waitt to Speak on Wildflower Center at September 18 Biological Sciences Seminar

Dr. Damon Waitt, from the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, will present "The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. It’s not just about Bluebonnets, Bunnies and Butterflies" at the Department of Biological Sciences' weekly seminar on Thursday, September 18, 2014. The seminar will be held in Room 214 in the Lee Drain Building from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The seminar will be hosted by the Texas Invasive Species Institute.

September 10, 2014

Biological Sciences' Harper to Present at September 11 Seminar

Dr. James Harper, assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, will speak on non-traditional model organisms in aging research at the department's weekly seminar. The seminar will be held in Room 214 in the Lee Drain Building from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 11, 2014.

September 3, 2014

College of Sciences Undergraduate Research Program

IMPORTANT - SEE NOVEMBER 1, 2013 UPDATE ON THIS PROGRAM

Dean John Pascarella has launched a program to support undergraduate research among the seven departmental units in the College of Sciences. This innovative program provides awards to successful student applicants that will help defray the expenses associated with conducting scholarly research as well as presenting research at professional conferences. Students will gain valuable experience throughout the research process – from developing an idea with a faculty mentor to preparing an academic proposal and budget, conducting research, and presenting the outcomes to members of the academic community.

Full-time students with strong academic records and who are currently enrolled as majors in the College of Sciences are encouraged to work with a faculty mentor in their program to prepare and submit an application for review. Applications in this program are being accepted now through October 17, 2014. A separate application review will also occur for travel and research projects in spring 2015.

September 2, 2014

Excerpt of Book by Physics' Reneé James Published in Discover

An excerpt from a new book by Dr. Reneé James of the Department of Physics, Science Unshackled: How Obscure, Abstract, Seemingly Useless Scientific Research Turned Out to Be the Basis for Modern Life, is appearing in the August 29 edition of the popular science magazine Discover. The excerpt, titled "Like GPS? Thank Relativity," describes an early experiment to test Einstein's relativity theory which involved measurements with a number of highly accurate atomic clocks dispersed around the world via jet travel. The tiny differences in the various clocks' timekeeping due to distance demonstrated the reality of relativity in a way that had implications for the development of today's accurate GPS systems. The article is available online here.

August 27, 2014

Annual Fall Meeting Kicks Off New Academic Year for the College of Sciences 2014

Annual Fall Meeting Kicks Off New Academic Year for the College of Sciences

College of Sciences administration, faculty, and staff convened for the Annual Fall Meeting on August 26, 2014, at the beginning of the 2014-2015 school year.

August 26, 2014

Biological Sciences Seminar Series Kicks Off on September 4 with Dr. John Halfman of Finger Lakes Institute

Dr. John Halfman, of the Finger Lakes Institute of Hobart and William Smith Colleges, will present "Nutrient Sources, Variability and Their Water Quality Impacts: A Case Study From the Finger Lakes of Central New York" at the Department of Biological Sciences Seminar. The seminar will be held in Room 214 in the Lee Drain Building from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 4, 2014. Dr. Wozniak, of the Department of Biological Sciences, will host the even.

August 26, 2014

Pluta to Speak on "Noncommutative Retracts" at Mathematics & Statistics Colloquium on September 3

Robert Pluta, visiting assistant professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Sam Houston State University, will present "Noncommutative Retracts" at the department's Mathematics & Statistics Colloquium on Wednesday, September 3, 2014, from 2:00 p.m. to 2:50 p.m. in Room 400 in the Lee Drain Building. Dr. Pluta's abstract notes: "A subalgebra S of an algebra A is called a corner of A if there is an S-bimodule M contained in A such that A = S + M (direct sum of S-bimodules). Of course the prime example is the Peirce corner S = eAe associated with an idempotent e in A, but the above definition is more general and makes no reference to idempotents. In the first part of this presentation we will give a number of basic results about corners of general algebras and C*-algebras, partly surveying [1]. In the second part we will be concerned with closed and self-adjoint corners of C*-algebras that are complemented by ideals - a notion which we consider as a noncommutative analog of topological retracts."

[1] R. Pluta, Ranges of Bimodule Projections and Conditional Expectations, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2013.

August 25, 2014

University of Oklahoma's Strauss to Present "Properties of the Higgs Boson" on September 10 at Physics Colloquium

Michael G Strauss, Ph.D., David Ross Boyd Professor of Physics in the Homer L. Dodge Department of Physics and Astronomy at The University of Oklahoma, will present "Properties of the Higgs Boson" at the Department of Physics Colloquium on September 10, 2014, at 3 p.m. in Room 105 in the Farrington Building. Dr. Strauss's abstract for the presentation states: In July 2012 the ATLAS and CMS collaborations at the CERN Large Hadron collider announced the discovery of a Boson consistent with the predicted standard model Higgs Boson. Since that discovery, further measurements have given insight into the properties of this particle. This talk will discuss the importance of the Higgs Boson within the standard model, the discovery of this new Boson, and subsequent measurements of its properties.

July 24, 2014

Geography & Geology's Acton Co-Authors Article in Science on Mediterranean Outflow Water

Dr. Gary Acton, of the Department of Geography & Geology, is one of the co-authors of an important article recently published in Science on Mediterranean outflow water. Dr. Acton, who served as Stratigraphic Correlator for the investigatory team, participated in an on-site study on the science vessel JOIDES Resolution in the Atlantic Ocean just beyond the Mediterranean Sea, in the Strait of Gibraltar area. Their research shows a considerable relationship between the oceans and climate, and has implications for oil and gas exploration as well.

Press Release From Investigatory Team (Word)

July 23, 2014

College of Sciences Fall Meeting Scheduled for Tuesday, August 26 (2-4 p.m.) in Lee Drain Building

The College of Sciences will have our annual fall meeting in the Lee Drain Building from 2 to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, August 26, 2014. Refreshments will be available in the Lee Drain Atrium from 2 to 3 p.m., and we will kick off the meeting at 3 p.m. in Lee Drain 214. We will present awards of excellence for faculty and students during the meeting, introduce new faculty and staff, and review goals and challenges for the college.

July 23, 2014

College Schedules "Active Shooter" Training for August 26

On Tuesday, August 26, 2014, College of Sciences faculty and staff members will have an opportunity to take part in a training program dealing with "active shooter" situations on campus. The training session will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Lee Drain 214. A light lunch will be provided for training participants. All faculty and staff members are encouraged to attend.

June 30, 2014

Albert Attends Turkish Association of Geographers’ International Congress

Dr. Donald Albert (right), professor of geography at Sam Houston State University

Dr. Donald Albert (right), professor of geography at Sam Houston State University and editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Applied Geospatial Research, is joined by Dr. Yilmaz Ari (left), president of the Turkish Association of Geographers, and Dr. Karl Donert (center), president of the European Association of Geographers, at the Turkish Association of Geographers’ International Congress.

The event, which took place at Mugla University in Mugla, Turkey, was held June 4-6, 2014. Dr. Albert delivered a paper titled “The First Five Years: International Journal of Applied Geospatial Research,” and also participated in an amazing post conference tour of Koycegiz Lake, Dalyan Strait, and Kaunos Ruins.

June 26, 2014

Dean Participates in International Study Tour “Germany Today”

Dean John Pascarella participated in the 2014 Germany Today program June 14-21, as a guest of the German Higher Education Exchange agency, known as DAAD in German. Nineteen individuals, from American and Canadian universities and government agencies, participated. Besides enjoying good food and World Cup soccer games, Dean Pascarella learned about the different types of universities in Germany, differences between higher education in Germany and the United States, and explored opportunities for student and faculty exchange and study abroad in Germany and vice versa.

German higher education offers a three-year bachelor’s degree, a two-year master’s degree, and the doctoral degree. The shorter bachelor’s degree is due to the lack of general education requirements, which are covered in high school in Germany, and the focus on the specialization in the major. Most bachelor degree programs in Germany are only taught in German, but many master’s degrees and most doctoral degrees can be done in English. Universities of Applied Science do not offer doctoral degrees, faculty must have at least five years of industry experience, and teaching loads average 18 hours per week, while teaching loads are less and research expectations much higher at comprehensive and technical research universities. Interesting fact: Tuition is not charged at any German public university for German citizens!

The group visited the DAAD headquarters in Bonn, Germany, two universities of applied science (UAS- Cologne and UAS- Trier Birkenfield campus), a comprehensive research university (University of Cologne), a governmental research organization (Franhofer Institute), and a technical research university (Technical University of Munich). The University of Applied Science-Trier Birkenfield campus offers summer study courses in sustainability and renewable energy, and is a leader in these topics among German applied science universities. Dean Pascarella says, "We hope to begin developing programs with this campus in our engineering technology disciplines related to renewable energy technologies." Students and faculty members interested in studying, teaching, or doing research in Germany are encouraged to contact Dean Pascarella for more information.

DAAD (German Academic Exchange Agency) hosts Uta Gaedeke and Miriam Hippchen and Germany Today participant Dr. Jeffrey Peck (Dean, Weismann School of Arts and Sciences, Baruch College, City University of New York) at the Technical University of Munich, Germany.

DAAD (German Academic Exchange Agency) hosts Uta Gaedeke and Miriam Hippchen and Germany Today participant Dr. Jeffrey Peck (Dean, Weismann School of Arts and Sciences, Baruch College, City University of New York) at the Technical University of Munich, Germany.

View of the roof at University of Applied Science-Trier Birkenfield Campus with a green roof and solar photovoltaic panels. The University generates approximately 1/3 of its total electrical power needs from a combination of solar panels and wind turbines.

June 26, 2014

Dean and Provost visit Firat University, Elazig, Turkey

Dean of the College of Sciences Dr. John Pascarella and Provost and Vice-President for Academic Affairs Dr. Jaimie Hebert visited Firat University in Elazig, Turkey on June 9-11, 2014.

While at Firat, Provost Hebert and Dean Pascarella met the university's rector (equivalent to president), vice-rector, deans, faculty, and students in various faculties (equivalent to colleges), including engineering, nursing, technology, and education.

Firat University and Sam Houston State University have been working to develop a 2+2 program where students from Firat University will study for the last two years of a BS degree in Software Engineering Technology at Sam Houston State University, following a year of intensive English training and two years of university courses at Firat University.

In addition, Firat University is interested in a similar 2+2 program for the BS in Computer Science (concentration in Digital Forensics).

Firat University has invited the SHSU Geology department to consider holding an international geology field camp course as the region of Eastern Turkey is extremely interesting geologically, with many different rock types and active mines.

Dr. Jaimie Hebert (SHSU Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs), Dr. Asaf Varol (Dean of the College of Technology at Firat University), Dr. John Pascarella (Dean, SHSU College of Sciences), and Dr. Cihan Varol (Assistant Professor, SHSU Department of Computer Science) in front of a hydroelectric dam near Elazig, Turkey.

Dr. John Pascarella (Dean, SHSU College of Sciences) and Dr. Jaimie Hebert (SHSU Provost and Vice-President of Academic Affairs) near Elazig, Turkey.

Dr. John Pascarella (Dean, SHSU College of Sciences) and Dr. Jaimie Hebert (SHSU Provost and Vice-President of Academic Affairs) near Elazig, Turkey.

June 10, 2014

Physics Department Professor's Forthcoming Book Included in Johns Hopkins University Press Fall Catalog

A new book by Dr. Renee James, professor in the Department of Physics, will be featured in the fall catalog of the prestigious Johns Hopkins University Press. Dr. James' book, Science Unshackled, explains the sometimes unexpected impact of basic science research on modern life. As the catalog notes, "With a novelistic style, C. Renee James reveals how obscure studies of natural phenomena--including curved space-time, poisonous cone snails, exploding black holes, and the precise chemical makeup of the sun--led unexpectedly to WiFi, GPS, genetic sequencing, pain medications, and cancer treatments."

A description and capsule review of the book can be found on page 8 of the catalog. A digital version of the catalog can be viewed here.

June 9, 2014

College of Sciences Participates in 2014 Undergraduate Research Symposium

College of Sciences Dean John Pascarella was the keynote speaker in the Undergraduate Research Symposium, hosted by the Elliot T. Bowers Honors College. Dean Pascarella spoke from personal experience on the value of participating in undergraduate research, which he took part in as an undergraduate ecology major at the University of Kansas. Dr. Pascarella emphasized the value of participation in research not only to the student, but also to the institution, in that students who are involved in undergraduate research have higher graduation rates and give back to the university at higher rates than non-participants. College of Sciences students from multiple departments presented talks and posters during the day. Faculty moderators from the College of Sciences included Dr. Madhusudan Choudhary, Dr. Todd Primm, Dr. Joni Seeling, Dr. Monte Thies, and Ms. Sonja Yung.

A full list of participants and abstracts can be found at the Undergraduate Research Program 2014 page.

Biology student Oscar Chavez

Biology student Kaylin Henson

June 6, 2014

Dean Takes SHSU Students to National HACU Capitol Forum Meeting

College of Sciences Dean John Pascarella and 13 SHSU students (Santiago Casa Alvarez, Stefany Cornejo, Christopher Cruz, Jessica Estrada, David Hernandez, Nayeli Lopez, Ismael Rodriguez, Jr., Mayra Rojas, Paul Ruiz-Requena, Cristina Ruiz, Victoria Rodriguez, Gloria Sanchez, and Francisco Reza) attended the Hispanic Colleges and Universities (HACU) Capitol Forum meeting April 6-8, 2014 in Washington, D.C. At the meeting, they learned about efforts to promote STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) to Hispanic students from President Obama’s Science Advisor, Dr. John Holdren (see photo). Students also participated in visits to congressional and senate representatives from Texas.

Dean John Pascarella with College of Sciences students at the HACU meeting (from left to right, David Hernandez (undergraduate in Physics), Christina Ruiz (undergraduate in Physics), Victoria Rodriguez (graduate student in Biology), and Dean John Pascarella.

President Obama’s science advisor John Holdren addressed the need for more Hispanic students to study in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) disciplines.

May 30, 2014

Walker Awarded 2014 Enhancement Research Grant

Associate Professor Joel Walker, of the Department of Physics, has been awarded a competitive “2014 Enhancement Research Grant” by the Sam Houston State University Office of Research and Sponsored Programs for a proposal entitled “Dynamically Determining Stable Local Minima in No-Scale Supergravity”. This funding affords Dr. Walker valuable summer research time to investigate specific mechanisms by which physical parameters such as the mass of the Dark Matter particle might be naturally predicted.

Additionally, a research assistantship will be funded for two SHSU undergraduate physics students, Jesse Cantu and Trenton Voth, working on optimization of search strategies applicable to related models of physics at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in Geneva, Switzerland.

With cooperative support from the Department of Physics, the College of Sciences, and the SHSU Society of Physics Students, Dr. Walker will also represent Sam Houston State at a planning conference for a next-generation 100 TeV Particle Collider (Stanford Linear Accelerator Center), a conference on high energy physics Phenomenology (University of Pittsburgh - accompanied by Jesse Cantu and recent SHSU graduate William Ellsworth), a workshop on Dark Matter and Collider Physics (Texas A&M University), a workshop on creation of particles in the early universe (Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics), and a conference on Particle Physics and Cosmology (University of Guanajuato, Leon, Mexico).

Dr. Walker will present research findings at each of the latter four meetings on topics to include the no-scale F-SU(5) grand unified theory (with Dimitri Nanopoulos, Tianjun Li and James Maxin), enhancement of supersymmetric particle decay signatures using boosted event topologies (with Bhaskar Dutta and Kuver Sinha), and applications of his computer program AEACuS to the projection of current LHC data refinement strategies onto simulated particle collisions (with Jesse Cantu and William Ellsworth).

May 15, 2014

Fang Contributes to Groundbreaking Research on Nanoparticle Cobalt Oxide Photocatalyst

Dr. Hui Fang, faculty member in the Department of Physics, participated in a breakthrough research led by Dr. Jiming Bao, from the University of Houston, on nanoparticle cobalt oxide photocatalyst. This research was the first to use cobalt oxide and the first to use neutral water under visible light at high energy conversion efficiency without co-catalysts or sacrificial chemicals. Cobalt oxide nanoparticles were prepared in two ways, using femtosecond laser ablation and through mechanical ball milling. Once the nanoparticles are added and light applied, the water separates into hydrogen and oxygen almost immediately, producing twice as much hydrogen as oxygen. The research demonstrated the potential of using cobalt oxide nanoparticles as a source of renewable fuel. The results of this research were published in Nature Nanotechnology under the title, “Efficient solar water-splitting using a nanocrystalline CoO photocatalyst”.

May 2, 2014

SHSU Mathematics Students Shine in COMAP Contest

Three undergraduate mathematics students from SHSU's Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Austin Ramsden, Kerrie Prieto, and Andrew Anderson, scored high in the Consortium for Mathematics and Its Applications (COMAP)’s Mathematical Contest in Modeling (MCM), which challenges teams of students to clarify, analyze, and propose solutions to open-ended problems.

April 28, 2014

Biological Sciences Seminar on May 1 to Feature University of Houston's Amy Sater

Dr. Amy Sater, associate professor in the Biology and Biochemistry Department at the University of Houston, will present "Roles of microRNAs in early vertebrate neural development" at this week's Biological Sciences Seminar. The seminar will be held on Thursday, May 1, 2014, at 4 p.m. in LDB 214. A reception will be held prior to the seminar in the foyer of the Lee Drain Building. Dr. Joni Seeling of the Department of Biological Sciences will host this seminar.

April 21, 2014

Dr. Rama Singh of McMaster University Will Present at Biological Sciences Seminar on April 24

Dr. Rama Singh, from McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, will present "Why males? Molecular signatures of sexual selection and theories of sex" at this week's Biological Sciences Seminar. The seminar will be held on Thursday, April 21, 2014, at 4 p.m. in LDB 214. A reception will be held prior to the seminar in the foyer of the Lee Drain Building.

April 16, 2014

Biological Sciences Seminar on April 16 to Feature Southeastern Louisiana's Chris Beachy

Dr. Chris Beachy, professor and department head of biological sciences at Southeastern Louisiana University, will present "Cadmium integration and life history biology in tiger salamanders" at this week's Biological Sciences Seminar. The seminar will be held on Thursday, April 16, 2014, at 4 p.m. in LDB 214. A reception will be held prior to the seminar in the foyer of the Lee Drain Building.

April 15, 2014

ISDFS Conference Coming to The Woodlands Center on May 12

Sam Houston State University’s Department of Computer Science will host the Second International Symposium on Digital Forensics and Security (ISDFS), which will be held at SHSU’s The Woodlands Center on May 12-13, 2014.

April 14, 2014

Undergraduate Researchers Win EURECA Funding for Summer Projects

(From Today@Sam): Eight teams of faculty and undergraduate students at Sam Houston State University have the “green light” to begin summer-long research projects, and they are getting the necessary funding through the Summer 2014 Faculty and Student Team Awards, provided by the Center for Enhancing Undergraduate Research Experiences and Creative Activities.

>> Read More at Today@Sam

April 11, 2014

Dixit Named Lead Participant in Prestigious International Energy Agency Project

Dr. Manish Dixit, an assistant professor of industrial technology in Sam Houston State University’s Department of Agricultural and Industrial Sciences, was recently named the lead participant for the United States in Annex 57 of the International Energy Agency’s Energy Conservation in Buildings and Community Systems Program.

April 7, 2014

Biological Sciences Seminar on April 10 to Feature Julia Buck

Dr. Julia Buck, who recently joined SHSU as a postdoc at TRIES, will present her current and future research plans involving the interplay between ecology and parasitology at this week's Biological Sciences Seminar. The seminar will be held on Thursday, April 10, 2014, at 4 p.m. in LDB 214. Please note that the Wiley lecture originally slated for this date has been postponed until Fall 2014.

March 25, 2014

SHSU Joins Area School Districts in Career Technology Education Initiative

Sam Houston State University is linking up with several East Texas school districts to bring advanced science/technology/engineering/mathematics education (STEM) career-oriented and job-ready programs to high school students in the area in what they have dubbed the Career Technology Education Initiative.

March 24, 2014

Hafner Discusses "Plasmonics for Membrane Structural Biology" in March 25 Physics Colloquium

Professor Jason Hafner of the Department of Physics at Rice University will be the guest speaker at the SHSU Department of Physics Colloquium on Tuesday, March 25, 2014. The colloquium will be held in Room 101 in the Farrington Building at 3 p.m. See the Physics Colloquium page for more details.

March 24, 2014

University of Colorado's Metcalf to be Featured in Biological Sciences Seminar on March 27

Dr. Jessica Metcalf, faculty member at the University of Colorado, will present "A microbial clock provides an accurate estimate of the postmortem interval" at the Biological Sciences seminar on Thursday, March 27, 2014. The seminar is hosted by BSGSO and will be held in Room 214 in the Lee Drain Building at 4 p.m. There will be an informal reception in the foyer outside from 3:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.

March 17, 2014

Biological Sciences Seminar Coming March 20

Dr. James Loughry, from Valdosta State University, will present the March 20 seminar for the Department of Biological Science on Wednesday, March 20, 2014. Dr. Loughry will present “Nine-banded armadillos: The very model of a modern major mammal.” Dr. John Pascarella will host the seminar, which will be held in Room 214 in the Lee Drain Building at 4 p.m. There will be an informal reception in the foyer outside from 3:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.

March 6, 2014

A Promising Natural Resource for SHSU: The Center for Biological Field Studies

Sam Houston State University’s Center for Biological Field Studies (CBFS) is now poised to make use of the old hatchery acreage for a wide variety of biological research studies, experiments, and observations.

March 3, 2014

Biological Sciences Seminar Set for March 3

Dr. Brian Boutwell, from Sam Houston State University's College of Criminal Justice, will present the March 3 seminar for the Department of Biological Science on Thursday, March 3, 2014. Dr. Boutwell will present “Uncomfortable Realities: On the Origins of Human Violence, Aggression & Crime.”

February 28, 2014

Pooley Awarded Grant from Research Corporation for Science Advancement

Dr. David Pooley, faculty member in the Department of Physics, has received the Cottrell College Science Award from the Research Corporation for Science Advancement (RCSA). As RCSA describes the award: "The Cottrell College Science Award (CCSA) program, RCSA's oldest initiative, was created in the early 1970s to promote basic research as a vital component of undergraduate education at primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs). Program initiatives are aimed at helping early career faculty to start active research programs targeting complex scientific problems. Because most modern problems in science require teamwork and often cross-disciplinary approaches, CCSA encourages collaborative work."

Dr. Pooley's research supported by this grant will focus on understanding the late stages of evolution in the lives of massive stars. As stars age, they lose a portion of their mass in the form of a wind. The amount of material lost in this wind is not well known, and it can vary as the star goes through different stages before finally dying in a violent explosion known as a supernova. The timescales for these stages are thousands to millions of years, so it is impossible to study this in real time. However, certain types of emissions, such as X-rays and emission lines from hydrogen, are produced as a fast-moving shock wave from the supernova races through the material that was shed earlier in the life of the star. X-ray observations and hydrogen emission observations therefore act like a time machine, tracing the mass-loss history of the progenitor star. With this grant, Dr. Pooley will perform a search of existing X-ray satellite observations, and will also equip the SHSU Observatory to perform systematic observations of the hydrogen emission lines from supernovae.

February 26, 2014

Team’s Microbiology Research Works To Produce New Forensics Tool

(From Today@Sam)

Sibyl Bucheli and Aaron Lynne envision a time when crime-scene investigators look to bacteria to bring them a step closer to solving their cases.

Bucheli, an entomologist with Sam Houston State University’s Department of Biological Sciences, and Lynne, an assistant professor of molecular microbiology, have received a three-year, $300,000 grant from the National Institute of Justice to examine the microbiology of human decomposition.

February 14, 2014

California State-Los Angeles' Barrett to Speak at Biological Sciences Seminar February 20

Dr. Craig Barrett, Assistant Professor in California State University-Los Angeles' Department of Biological Sciences, will present "Plastid genome evolution in the coralroots, a group of North American fungus eating orchids" at the next SHSU Department of Biological Sciences seminar, to be held at 4 p.m. on Thursday, February 20, 2014, in Room 214 in the Lee Drain Building. A reception preceding the seminar will be held in the foyer outside Room 214 from 3:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. This seminar is being hosted by Associate Professor Chris Randle of SHSU's Department of Biological Sciences.

February 13, 2014

Mathematics and Statistics’ Garcia-Puente Receives Funding for Planned Research Workshop

Associate Professor Luis Garcia-Puente, of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics (right), has been informed that a proposal for a full research workshop he and several of his colleagues submitted to the Banff International Research Station (BIRS) has been accepted by BIRS for one of the inaugural meetings of the organization’s new mathematics research station in Oaxaca, Mexico.

February 11, 2014

Physics Colloquium Features Texas A&M University's Le Xie, February 19, 2014

Professor Le Xie of Texas A&M University's Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering will present "Integrating Data-driven and Physics-based Analytics for Predictive Operations in Electric Energy Systems" at SHSU's Department of Physics' Physics Colloquium on Wednesday, February 19, 2014 at 3 P.M. in Room 101, Farrington Building, on the SHSU campus. See the Physics Department's colloquium page for more details.

January 27, 2014

Undergraduate Research Funding Program Begins - Applications Being Accepted Now Through February 14, 2014

This year's Undergraduate Research Funding Program, supporting undergraduate research among the seven departmental units in the College of Sciences, is now underway. This innovative program provides awards to successful student applicants that will help defray the expenses associated with conducting scholarly research as well as presenting research at professional conferences. Students will gain valuable experience throughout the research process – from developing an idea with a faculty mentor to preparing an academic proposal and budget, conducting research, and presenting the outcomes to members of the academic community.

Full-time students with strong academic records, and who are currently enrolled as majors in Agricultural and Industrial Sciences, Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Computer Science, Geography, Geology, Mathematics, Statistics, or Physics, are encouraged to work with a faculty mentor in their program to prepare and submit an application for review, using this cover sheet. An application for funding to present research (to cover travel expenses), along with this cover sheet, should also be completed where applicable. Applications in this program are being accepted now through February 14, 2014.

January 24, 2013

Albert Receives Distinguished Fellowship Award from IGI Global

Professor Don Albert, of the Department of Geography and Geology, has been selected as IGI Global’s 2013 InfoSci®-Journals Distinguished Fellowship Award. Dr. Albert, who also serves as Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Applied Geospatial Research (IJAGR) and specializes in medical geography and geographic education, was recently interviewed by IGI Global on the occasion of the award.

As IGI Global states, the Distinguished Fellowship Award requires that the recipient “must exhibit a record of success in raising citation, visibility, and scholarship of their journal. They must also secure an adequate quantity of submissions from leading authors and publish each journal issue on a timely basis. The fellowship honors exceptional work in gaining recognition of the journal in top indices.”

The College of Sciences congratulates Dr. Albert on receiving this prestigious award.

See a list of Dr. Albert's selected publications.

January 22, 2013

Students Present Posters at American Astronomical Society Meeting in Washington, DC

Two students in Sam Houston State University’s Department of Physics, Anna Kareva and Cale Lewis, joined the department’s Assistant Professor Scott Miller at the recent semi-annual American Astronomical Society (AAS) meeting in Washington, DC on January 5-9, 2014.

January 21, 2013

Physics Colloquium Features Texas A&M University's Lucas Macri, January 27, 2014

Professor Lucas Macri of Texas A&M University's Department of Physics and Astronomy will present "Probing the Cosmic Expansion: The Age of the Universe and Dark Energy" at SHSU's Department of Physics' Physics Colloquium on Monday, January 27, 2014 at 3 P.M. in Room 105, Farrington Building, on the SHSU campus. See the Physics Department's colloquium page for more details.

November 27, 2013

Mathematics & Statistics' Malandro to Present at December 4 Colloquium

At the Department of Mathematics & Statistics' weekly Colloquium on December 4, 2013, Assistant Professor Martin Malandro will discuss "Enumeration of Finite Inverse Semigroups."

Groups are algebraic structures that capture symmetries. The utility of groups in data analysis is far-reaching, from the classical Fourier transform to weather forecasting to the statistical analysis of voting data. Inverse semigroups are algebraic structures that capture partial symmetries, and their applications to data analysis include a framework for the statistical analysis of partially ranked data. In this talk Dr. Malandro will discuss some of the history and basic theory of inverse semigroups before discussing his recent work on counting and classifying the inverse semigroups of order n.

As n grows, the number of groups of order n (on average) grows much slower than the number of semigroups of order n. In fact, the number of groups of order n is known for n into the thousands, while the number of semigroups of order n is only known for n<=10. The growth rate of the number of inverse semigroups of order n is somewhere in between, but closer to the growth rate of semigroups. Dr. Malandro will discuss a fast parallelizable algorithm for counting the number of inverse semigroups of order n and show the output of this algorithm (which has been running on SHSU's new SAGE server for the last several months) for n<=15.

November 1, 2013

Undergraduate Research Awards Program Announces New Round of Applications With February 14, 2014 Deadline

In Fall 2013, the College of Sciences' Undergraduate Research Awards Program received a large number of very competitive applications. The Committee looks forward to the next round of applications, which will be due on February 14, 2014. We will be making the transition to an online submission process; however, the application guidelines will remain the same.

This innovative program provides awards to successful student applicants to help defray the expenses associated with conducting scholarly research as well as presenting research at professional conferences. Students will gain valuable experience throughout the research process – from developing an idea with a faculty mentor to preparing an academic proposal and budget, conducting research, and presenting the outcomes to members of the academic community.

Full-time students with strong academic records and who are currently enrolled as majors in Agricultural and Industrial Sciences, Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Computer Science, Geography, Geology, Mathematics, Statistics, or Physics are encouraged to start working with a faculty mentor in their program now to prepare an application.

October 22, 2013

Geography Student and GOSH Member Dobos Honored in Photo Contest

Ashley Dobos, a geography major and president of Geographers of Sam Houston (GOSH), the campus-wide student organization comprised of students interested in the field of geography, served as the photographer/visual documentarian during Dr. John Strait's Field Experience to the Mississippi Delta trip this past summer. She entered some of her work from that experience into the contest and was awarded first place in the black and white category.

September 10, 2013

NSF Funds New Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program to Be Led by Veteran REU Directors Chapman and Smith

The National Science Foundation has funded a new Research Experience in Mathematics (REU) grant awarded to Principal Investigator Dr. Scott Chapman and Co-Principal Investigator Dr. Ken Smith, both faculty members in the Sam Houston State University Department of Mathematics and Statistics. The nine-week summer program will provide an opportunity for 12 undergraduate students, working in four teams of three students each, to study under a professor in an area of specific interest.

September 6, 2013

Geography Professor Rocks His Students in Cultural Field Studies Course

John Strait, associate professor in the Department of Geography and Geology, knows how to rock his students… all the way from Huntsville to the Mississippi Delta!

Dr. Strait teaches a course formally called Cultural Field Studies (GEOG 4360)… but unofficially it goes by the name "Race, Blues, and Rock 'n' Roll." As Dr. Strait says, “the course uses blues music and culture as a lens to investigate a host of topics that pertain to cultural geography. “

September 4, 2013

Department of Mathematics and Statistics' Chapman Interviewed by International Center for Mathematics Bulletin With Scientific Committee members of the Iberian Meeting on Numerical Semigroups

Scholar in Residence Professor Scott Chapman, of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, discussed his research in the area of numerical semigroups in an interview with him and other members of the Scientific Committee for the Iberian Meeting on Numerical Semigroups. The meeting was held in Vila Real, Portugal. The interview was published in the International Center for Mathematics (CIM) Bulletin.

The interview can be found on pages 5-8 in the CIM Bulletin.

September 4, 2013

College of Sciences at the President’s Academic Awards Dinner

(Left to right): Dr. Joseph Hill (Geography and Geology), Dr. Anne Gaillard (Biological Sciences), Dr. Peter Cooper (Computer Science), Dr. Chad Hargrave (Biological Sciences), Dean John Pascarella (College of Sciences), Dr. Joel Walker (Physics), Dr. Luis Garcia (Mathematics and Statistics), and Dr. Rebecca Garcia (Mathematics and Statistics) celebrated the accomplishments of SHSU faculty at the 2013 President’s Academic Awards Dinner. Dr. Hill, Dr. Walker, and Dr. Luis Garcia were awarded tenure and promoted to Associate Professor in the College of Sciences.

Others at the event who were tenured and promoted to Associate Professor were Dr. Kyle Stutts (Agricultural and Industrial Sciences), Dr. Lei Chen (Computer Science), and Dr. Linda Zientek (Mathematics and Statistics). Promoted to Professor were Dr. Marcy Beverly (Agricultural and Industrial Sciences), Dr. Melinda Holt (Mathematics and Statistics), and Dr. Dwayne Pavelock (Agricultural and Industrial Sciences). Dr. Ilona Petrikovics (Chemistry) won the University Excellence in Research Award.

August 28, 2013

Annual Fall Meeting Kicks Off New Academic Year for the College of Sciences

Annual Fall Meeting Kicks Off New Academic Year for the College of Sciences College of Sciences administration, faculty, and staff convened for the annual fall meeting to kick off the 2013-2014 school year. Dean John Pascarella presented the inaugural awards of excellence to faculty and students, introduced new faculty and staff, and reviewed goals and challenges for the college during the coming academic year.

August 20, 2013

College of Sciences Fall Meeting will be Tuesday, August 27 (2-4 p.m.) in Lee Drain Building

The College of Sciences will have our annual fall meeting in the Lee Drain Building from 2 to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, August 27, 2013. Refreshments will be available in the Lee Drain Atrium from 2 to 3 p.m., and we will kick off the meeting at 3 p.m. in Lee Drain 214. Please attend as we will be presenting the inaugural awards of excellence for faculty and students during the meeting, introducing new faculty and staff, and reviewing goals and challenges for the college.

September 10, 2013

NSF Funds New Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program to Be Led by Veteran REU Directors Chapman and Smith

September 6, 2013

Geography Professor Rocks His Students in Cultural Field Studies Course

September 4, 2013

Department of Mathematics and Statistics' Chapman Interviewed by International Center for Mathematics Bulletin With Scientific Committee members of the Iberian Meeting on Numerical Semigroups

The interview can be found on pages 5-8 in the CIM Bulletin.

September 4, 2013

College of Sciences at the President’s Academic Awards Dinner

August 28, 2013

Annual Fall Meeting Kicks Off New Academic Year for the College of Sciences

August 20, 2013

College of Sciences Fall Meeting will be Tuesday, August 27 (2-4 p.m.) in Lee Drain Building

August 12, 2013

College of Sciences Teaching and Learning Workshop

July 16, 2013

Dean Visits Universities in China

July 15, 2013

Christmas Mountains Available for Teaching and Research for SHSU Students and Faculty

July 10, 2013

Astronomy Faculty Members Bringing an Important ASSET to Area Secondary Educators

April 16, 2013

Distinguished Texas A&M Professor Suntzeff Speaks on “Our Dark Universe” at SHSU

Nicholas B. Suntzeff, a Texas A&M University Distinguished Professor and holder of the Mitchell/Heep/Munnerlyn Chair of Astronomy in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at Texas A&M, was a guest lecturer at a public talk presented by the Department of Physics on Wednesday, April 24, 2013, at 7:30 p.m., in Room AB4, Olson Auditorium, on the Sam Houston State University campus.

Dr. Suntzeff is an observational astronomer specializing in cosmology, supernovae, stellar populations, and astronomical instrumentation. He is a co-founder (with Dr. Brian Schmidt of the Australian National University) of the High-Z Supernova Search Team, which began observing supernovas outside the Milky Way galaxy in 1994 to discover the phenomenon of universal acceleration of the universe. The Search Team was honored with the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2011 (to Dr. Schmidt, Dr. Saul Perlmutter, and Dr. Adam Riess).

At the April 24 event, Dr. Suntzeff presented “Our Dark Universe.” As he summarizes the topic: “With the discovery of dark energy in 1998, cosmologists now know what our Universe is made of. We can describe the origin and evolution of the Universe from a fraction of a second after Creation all the way until today with remarkable precision - and even predict our future evolution. But this Universe we inhabit is preposterous, filled with matter and energy of a type that does not fit into our theories of physics. As one of the cosmologists who discovered the three-quarters of the Universe that is now called dark energy, I will take you through the history of our Universe as we know it, and leave you with the best estimate of where our Universe is heading.”

In addition to continuing his work on universal acceleration and the expansion of the universe, Dr. Suntzeff helps construct instruments for telescopes. He has also served, in past years, as associate director of science at the U.S. National Optical Astronomy Observatory, and received a fellowship from the National Academy of Sciences in 2010 to serve as a humanitarian affairs officer in a bureau of the U.S. State Department.

March 22, 2013

Randle Studies Tropical Plant Parasites in Democratic Republic of the Congo

March 8, 2013

Pilot ECO-IMPACS Workforce Program in Math and Biology to be Held This Summer

Drs. John Alford, William Lutterschmidt, Jeffrey Wozniak, and Edward Swim spent last summer developing a proposal for the National Science Foundation (NSF) to fund a research and workforce program in math and biology. The ECO-IMPACS (Enhancing Career Opportunities: Integrative Mathematical Program for Analyzing Coastal Systems) Program will train students in quantitative methods used to model and investigate ecosystems, in particular the impacts of climate change and anthropogenic factors on biodiversity and sustainability. The program will run a pilot in Summer 2013 to provide an unconventional workforce experience and truly expose its participants to real “on-the-ground” training that will result in improved recruitment, retention, education and placement of students in mathematical-biology careers.

ECO-IMPACS will immerse undergraduate and graduate level participants in a summer internship to broaden their perspectives on the use of mathematical and statistical models in environmental-based sciences. The program will use a truly interdisciplinary approach to train participants in the field of environmental mathematics. Students will have the opportunity to integrate field-based and laboratory data to construct mathematical models to understand the coastal marshes of the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). At the conclusion of the program, students will present their research findings to community partners to aid in real-time habitat management applications. The program will focus on the dynamic coastal ecosystem at the ANWR, home to the endangered whooping crane, to inspire complex modeling efforts rather than attempting to apply generic mathematical methods across a wide variety of biological problems.

The application deadline for the ECO-IMPACS Program is May 1, 2013. Phone interviews will begin on May 6, with acceptance notification beginning on May 15. The program will run from July 8, 2013 to August 9, 2013. Eligible participants must be mathematics or biology majors with junior or senior standing, and U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Lodging will be provided on the SHSU campus. A $2000 stipend and travel reimbursement are available for participants.

A summary of the program, and an application form, are available at https://www.shsu.edu/~tries_www/ecoimpacs. Contact Dr. Jeffrey Wozniak in the Department of Biological Sciences at 936.294.3759, or Dr. John Alford in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics by email or at 936.294.4663, for more information.

February 28, 2013

Study Abroad Opportunity in Costa Rica This Summer

Study Abroad Opportunity in Costa Rica A four-week study abroad course, BIOL 4096: Clinical Health Sciences Practicum in Costa Rica, will be offered in Summer I 2013. The course will take place at the Universidad de Iberoamerica (UNIBE) in San Jose, Costa Rica. UNIBE is a private, non-profit university with a strong international student program offering degree programs in medicine, pharmacy, psychology, and nursing.

Most students who enroll in BIOL 4096 will participate in a four-week program in medicine (although there is also an option for psychology). During the four-week program, students will be in the clinic/hospital on weekday mornings, and will receive Spanish training, including medical Spanish, in the afternoons.

Students will live with host families during their stay in Costa Rica. The host families have worked with UNIBE for up to 10 years and are excellent hosts for students. The families will provide students with an additional opportunity to practice Spanish. Spanish-speaking skills are NOT required for enrollment in the course.

costa rica beach Students will have free time to explore Costa Rica during the evenings and on weekends, including an organized trip on one of the weekends.

The cost of the course is $2950, plus SHSU tuition, for the 3-credit hour course and airfare to San Jose, Costa Rica. Financial aid is available to students to help offset the cost of the course. For more information about financial aid, please contact Ms. Brandi Jones in the Financial Aid Office.

Students interested in this unique study abroad opportunity should contact Dr. Anne Gaillard, associate dean for graduate programs and research, as soon as possible to reserve a spot in the course.

February 7, 2013

New Undergraduate Research Funding Program Begins - Applications Being Accepted Now Through March 1, 2013

College of Sciences Dean John Pascarella has launched a new program to support undergraduate research among the eight departmental units in the College of Sciences. This innovative program provides awards to successful student applicants that will help defray the expenses associated with conducting scholarly research as well as presenting research at professional conferences. Students will gain valuable experience throughout the research process – from developing an idea with a faculty mentor to preparing an academic proposal and budget, conducting research, and presenting the outcomes to members of the academic community.

Full-time students with strong academic records, and who are currently enrolled as majors in Agricultural and Industrial Sciences, Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Computer Science, Geography, Geology, Mathematics, Statistics, Nursing, or Physics, are encouraged to work with a faculty mentor in their program to prepare and submit an application for review. An application for funding to present research (to cover travel expenses) should also be completed where applicable. The first applications in this program are being accepted now through March 1, 2013.

January 31, 2013

Walker Named Kavli Institute Scholar

Sam Houston State University Assistant Professor of Physics Joel Walker has been named a Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics (KITP) Scholar for 2013-2015. Operated in association with the University of California at Santa Barbara, the Kavli Institute was launched in 1979 with principal funding from the National Science Foundation. Since that time, it has been dedicated to providing an essential forum for extended and intensive research collaboration among theoretical physicists from around the world. A 2007 study published by the National Academy of Sciences ranked the institute as the single most impactful organizational center for (non-biomedical) basic scientific research in the United States.

The KITP Scholars program exists to promote a deeper engagement by the faculty of primarily undergraduate colleges and universities within the broader community of research scientists, by providing uniquely broad opportunities for high quality research exposure, networking and collaboration. This highly competitive fellowship is awarded each year to approximately eight applicants from across the nation, and funds a series of two-week visits to the Kavli Institute during three consecutive years. Dr. Walker's first visit is scheduled for May 2013, to coincide with a workshop on the search for new manifestations of high-energy physics with the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at the CERN laboratory in Geneva, Switzerland. He credits physics department chair Dr. Barry Friedman, who was himself a KITP Scholar during the 2001-2003 award cycle, for promoting the program's high value and strong alignment with the academic mission of Sam Houston State.

January 28, 2013

Special Announcement - Site Review for Baccalaureate Nursing Program

Sam Houston State University's Department of Nursing wishes to announce that it will host a site review by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) for initial accreditation of its Baccalaureate nursing program.

The Public is invited to meet the visit team and share your comments about the program in person at a meeting scheduled for February 13, 2013 from 8 - 9 a.m. in Lee Drain Building 207.

Nurse Administrators, nurse managers and graduates of the program are invited to meet the visit team and share comments at a meeting scheduled for February 13, 2013 from 3:30 - 4:25 p.m. in Lee Drain Building 213.

Written comments are also welcome and should be submitted directly to Dr. Sharon Tanner, CEO of NLNAC, at

E-mail: sjtanner@nlnac.org

Dr. Sharon Tanner, Chief Executive Officer
National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission
3343 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 850
Atlanta, GA 30326

All written comments should arrive at NLNAC by 2/4/2013