Northwest News
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Atlantic Hope simulation tests students’ crisis management skills Eighteen Northwest students and five faculty members spent four days this spring in Fort Pierce, Fla., participating in Atlantic Hope 2012, a full-scale disaster exercise designed to train participants in humanitarian aid, safety and leadership. Atlantic Hope 2012 took place at the Treasure Coast Public Safety Training Complex at Indian River State College with more than 50 participants from colleges and universities nationwide. The exercise occurs within the fictional country of Atlantica, which has been devastated by a severe earthquake. Within the scenario, Atlantica is divided by its politics, and government officials have requested aid from a humanitarian organization. Tensions between North and South Atlantica have the country on the brink of civil war, and student participants are delegated as humanitarian aid workers. “Atlantic Hope 2012 is an intense, realistic
simulation of the work that is required of humanitarian aid workers after a disaster occurs,” said Abbey Lawrence, a Northwest junior majoring in English with minors in psychology and comprehensive crisis response. “We learned about the core values of humanitarians, which are neutrality, impartiality and independence. The exercise was physically and mentally strenuous, but an extremely rewarding and fulfilling experience. It was an enriching exercise that tested the resilience, compassion and versatility of all participants.” n
Justine Smith (left), a Northwest senior with a minor in comprehensive crisis response, works with other students from throughout the country during Atlantic Hope 2012, a disaster simulation designed to train students in humanitarian aid, safety and leadership. Eighteen Northwest students participated in this year’s exercise. (Photo by Dr. Michael Steiner ’85)
Students present research, earn top honors at annual psychology convention
Professor emeritus Trowbridge named Missouri’s Poet Laureate Gov. Jay Nixon recently appointed Dr. William Trowbridge as Missouri’s Poet Laureate. Trowbridge is a distinguished university professor emeritus at Northwest and the author of more than 340 published or forthcoming poems. The motorcycle enthusiast who now lives in Lee’s Summit was a Northwest faculty member from 1971 to 1998. His appointment will run for two years, and during his term, he will present and lecture on poetry to school, community and civic groups throughout the state. n
Over the years, Northwest students have consistently succeeded at the annual Great Plains Students’ Psychology Convention, and this year was no different as the students presented their research on their home turf. More than 300 students from throughout the Midwest gathered at Northwest for two days in March as the campus hosted the 32nd annual convention. Northwest had hosted the gathering only one other time in the convention’s history, in 1993. The annual conference is an opportunity for students, who come from nearly 30 universities, to hear guest speakers and present psychology projects to their peers. This year’s convention included a Friday night banquet that featured Dr. Jeremy Wolfe, a professor of ophthalmology at Harvard
Medical School, as the keynote speaker. About 50 Northwest students teamed up and gave 14 research presentations during the convention, which featured 136 student presentations. Seven presentations given by Northwest students received first- or second-place honors. Like many Northwest students at the convention, Kyla Johnson, a senior psychology major from Kansas City, participated in hopes of broadening her knowledge in the psychology field as well as networking with other students and professionals with similar interests. “I gained a lot from this experience,” Johnson said. “I was able to improve my verbal communication skills, meet new people, network and learn a little more about the research side of psychology. I also learned there are so many different ways one can conduct an experiment.” n
Fall 2012
Northwest Alumni Magazine