April 2009
From combat boots to cap and gown
Letitia Sharp's adulthood has snaked through Europe, South Korea and Alabama with careers as a soldier, patient administrator, air traffic controller and marketer. As she puts it, she traded her combat boots for stilettos.
Sunday, she'll be wearing a cap and gown. Sharp, 42, will receive a bachelor of science degree in management information systems and a bachelor of art degree in criminal justice studies.
She hopes to use her degrees in the federal government, working with policies and procedures that involve personal information and privacy as they apply to government technology.
"I found myself being resilient to negative words such as 'impossible' and 'can't' but having the courage to cling to phrases like 'never give up' and 'you can do it,'" she said.
My Old House: 57 Woodland
Not many houses can say they've hosted 100-person pierogi parties — but this one can.
Deliberating to conservation
There was obviously energy in the room. Some students suggested a campus change to compact fluorescent light bulbs, a decrease in winter heating system temperatures, and rewards for people who turn off their lights or unplug their electronic devices.
This year’s Stander Symposium issue forum brought 600 students, staff and faculty together from a variety of fields to discuss UD campus energy policy last week.
“The issue forum is a good way to introduce people to energy conservation,” said Grant Neeley associate professor in the political science department. “We’re not looking to debate conservation initiatives but deliberate to reach a common interest.”
With three sessions throughout the day, participants gathered on the first floor of Roesch Library for a brief introduction to global energy and conservation issues, then split into groups of 15 for in-depth discussion.
Groups discussed whether UD should be concerned about saving energy, how it could use its energy more efficiently and how energy improvements should be funded.
In preparation for the forum, more than 1,600 students and faculty filled out surveys asking what conservation methods should be enacted on campus. According to Jason Pierce, associate professor of political science, the university will analyze survey results to establish a general consensus, which could contribute to future university policies.
Swinging and swaying
Mixing soul with a touch of swagger, the Ebony Heritage Singers moved the Schuster Center crowd to its feet early in the 90-minute Celebration of the Arts performance on downtown Dayton's showcase stage.
Nearly 1,000 people turned out to hear the University's finest instrumental, vocal, dance and dramatic talent as part of the Stander Symposium, an annual celebration of academic excellence.
Cool science
Carbon nanofibers are "awesome."
"I really like carbon nanofibers," said sophomore Tiffany Ware. "They're experimental and everyone thinks they're awesome. I can be intelligent and speak about my work to sergeants and lieutenants and we can have a conversation."
Since her freshman year, Ware has worked on nanofibers with the UD Research Institute and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base through the Minority Leaders Program.
She reads the literature, asks lots of questions and bubbles over with information — perfect for intellectual discussions with folks at the base or with those just stopping by her Stander Symposium poster presentation.
Her most recent work: ramming nanofibers into a tiny steel vault and running electricity through to check the material's resistivity. She was hoping to help develop a procedure for accurately testing the properties of different grades of nanofibers. But, "when we looked at the results, we had a wide scatter of data," she said.
Turns out the nanomaterials were too small, or fluffy, or prone to puffing out as the plunger rammed them down for this to be a repeatable and accurate test.
No worries. There are other methods to try, many more projects to work on, and lots of conversations to be had as she adds to the body of knowledge on this awesome new material.
Watering well
Michael Doenges' family farms 500 acres, but it took Togo for him to learn about drip irrigation.
The civil engineering major will join two other students — chemical engineering and international studies majors — at the Marianist Agricultural Center during a summer ETHOS immersion trip to Africa. They will survey a stream, fields and a drinking water well to help devise a more efficient way of delivering water to crops, the nation's largest export industry.
Doenges shared his preliminary research on the water supply challenge during a poster presentation yesterday at the Stander Symposium.
"I've never even been out of the U.S. before so it will be a big leap for me," he said of the trip.
He also hopes it will be a big step toward helping the community. After gathering data, the team will return to UD and devise the best construction plan to reduce demand on the town one's drinking well. Next year, another group of students will implement the plan.
Chow down a’ la ’Crest
You can catch these two seniors dining in the “Crestaurant” any day of the week. Caitlin Fox and Meredith Pranske have been long-time patrons of the dining hall in Marycrest. When the two moved there in 2005, they ate there for convenience. “Now it’s just tradition,” Pranske said.
Plasma screen TVs and shiny fabrics now dress the dinning hall. Booths are a prime location to sit comfortably after grabbing your meal in the café, which has new choices and a broader food selection. “While it’s all fresh and remodeled, it’s still the same old place,” Fox said.
Their move into the student neighborhood and the cafeteria’s recent renovation has not kept them away. Even with so many Brown Street eateries to choose from, they say they need the ’Crest. “The renovation is awesome — there are a lot more options for lunch and dinner now,” Fox said. “My friends and I can always find something we are in the mood to eat.”
The two hope to find a similar place to eat with friends after graduation.
“There’s always someone to see and catch up with,” Pranske said. “It’s just the place to be.”
Roesch texts
There's a new digital helper for writing end-of-term papers.
“It’s basically us noticing and identifying that our students are walking around and texting,” said Hector Escobar, the director of education and information delivery at Roesch Library. “They don’t have pen and paper in hand.”
Cell phones and laptops have replaced them. So students can now find a book in the library's e-catalog, click the icon “send via text message” and enter a mobile number and carrier. In seconds a text message with the book’s call numbers and library floor number appears on the cellular device.
As the semester ends and final papers come due, it's getting a lot of use. And it's catching on. Escobar demonstrated it to students in English introduction classes. “There’s a sort of ‘ooh’ reaction on their faces,” he said.
Other tech features at the library include its Facebook fan page, where library updates are posted, and instant message accounts for students to ask questions of a librarian online. They all make the paper-writing process easier.
Escobar even sees the environmental advantage: “If folks can actually text it to their phone without using a piece of paper, it’s actually a 'green' thing.”
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