Connect 2023

A NEW VISION

JEANETTE MENDEZ BUILDS ON CAS BACKGROUND AS OSU'S NEW PROVOST

2023

CONNECT College of Arts and Sciences

cas.okstate.edu

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Plus …

On the cover Provost Jeanette Mendez and four new Faculty Fellows are some of the many OSU leaders with College of Arts and Sciences roots.

(Cover photo by Jason Wallace)

scholars

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Loyal and true Octogenarian and former faculty member continues to support students by attending countless Greenwood School performances.

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ART DIRECTOR Dave Malec

Drop in the bucket

DESIGNER Stephen Matthews ’23

Intrepid geography student starts a nonprofit with her fellow classmates to bring water to areas of Zimbabwe.

Speaking up Languages and literatures professor working to preserve northern Spain’s Asturian culture and dialect.

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Hall of Fame CAS awards three alumni — Chic Dambach, Bill Goldston and Ron Ward — with its highest honor.

COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR Erin Milek ’20 EDITOR Jordan Bishop ’16

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MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER Elizabeth Gosney ’21

PHOTOGRAPHER Jason Wallace ’03

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WRITERS Dr. Rachael Eaton Sydney Holder ’23 Elizabeth Gosney Sutton James ’22 Erin Milek Sam Milek ’23 Allie Putman ’23 Grant Ramirez ’21 Sydney Trainor Bella Vu ’23 COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES INTERIM DEAN Dr. Keith Garbutt ASSOCIATE DEAN/OUTREACH Dr. Bobbi Kay Lewis ’93, ’03 SENIOR DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT Laura Ketchum YEARS INDICATE OSU CAS GRADUATES

CONNECT is a publication of the Oklahoma State University College of Arts and Sciences and is designed to provide information on college activities and accomplishments while fostering communication among the CAS family and friends. WWW.CAS.OKSTATE.EDU

action. OSU is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all individuals and does not discriminate based on race, religion, age, sex, color, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, disability, or veteran status with regard to employment, educational programs and activities, and/ or admissions. For more information, the director of equal opportunity/Title IX coordinator is located at 401 General Academic Building and can be reached at 405-744-1156 or by visiting EEO.OKSTATE.EDU.

This publication, issued by Oklahoma State University as authorized by the College of Arts and Sciences, was printed by Modern Litho, at a cost of $6,442.46/4,750/July 2023/#9866.

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PHOTO JASON WALLACE

FROM THE DEAN’S OFFICE

t’s amazing how time flies. It does not seem to have been a year since I moved into the dean’s

During the past 12 months, I have met with many of our alumni, and I am amazed by their range of accomplishments. I can think of no better response to the canard that you can’t get a job with an arts and sciences degree than to point to the local, national and international impact of our alumni.

Shortly after I became dean, CAS Senior

it’s recruitment, retention, teaching, research, excellence or student development, arts and sciences — the heart of Oklahoma State University — are right there.

One aspect of the strategic plan we are giving special attention to is Extension. Other colleges across campus are doing remarkable work, but CAS has a strong and central role to play. Three standout CAS Extension examples include: 

of the College of Professional Studies at OSU-Tulsa.

With Freeman’s departure, it was necessary to do a search for a new associate dean and SIO; I’m happy to announce that Dr. Mario Borunda, a professor in the Department of Physics, was selected for that position and has been working with the college since January on our faculty recruitment and

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Former Department of Psychology head Dr.

The Prairie Arts Center – This community arts classes for adults and youth.

Psychological Services Center – Part of the Department of Psychology, the center serves residents of Stillwater and the surrounding communities.

Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic – The Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders provides services to community members of all ages through its on-campus training.

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dean in January. His role, which is over facilities, had previously been part of an associate dean’s portfolios. However, it became clear that the magnitude of managing CAS buildings needed someone’s full attention. We have some of the most imposing, majestic — and oldest — buildings

So, if someone asks where the College of Arts and Sciences is in the strategic initiatives, the answer is EVERYWHERE. Thank you for your continued support of our college as we work to make OSU the nation’s preeminent land-grant university.

understand both the problems and potential opportunities of CAS facilities.

One of the main focuses of the year has been, of course, President Shrum’s strategic initiatives.

As you read through the innovative and creative plan for the future of the university (okla.st/ strategic-plan), you’ll see that the arts and sciences are embedded in almost every area. Whether

Keith Garbutt, Ph.D. Interim Dean, College of Arts and Sciences

GO POKES!

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Retired CAS faculty member continues to impact students' lives 2 CO N N EC T 2 0 2 3

STORY SAM MILEK | PHOTOS GARRETT KIRKSEY, COURTESY OF MYR-LOU ROLLINS WADE

has a love for the performing arts. A love that has spanned almost her entire life and a love that reminds her of the times she felt weightless as she danced on stage.

More than 30 years after retirement, Rollins attends as many performances and recitals put on through Oklahoma State University’s Greenwood School of Music as she can. At 88, it’s a challenge sometimes getting to the event, but she remains loyal and true to the university that has given her so much.

Rollins’ decadeslong love for the performing arts began in her hometown of Corpus Christi, Texas. Born Myrtle Louise, she quickly came to be known simply as Myr-Lou. The daughter of a hardware salesman, she and her family lived frugally, but didn’t let that deter their happiness.

She began to take dance lessons at an early age. Her first instructor, Ella Ilse, played an influential role in Rollins finding her passion through ballet.

“She not only taught me to dance, but she also taught me that the body should be treated properly through posture and exercise,” Rollins said.

At just 14, Rollins had the opportunity to travel around surrounding towns to assist another dance teacher of hers, Margaret Collins. She danced for two years to cover the cost of dance shoes and costumes, before returning to Ilse’s tutelage for her senior year of high school.

Rollins attended Del Mar College in Corpus Christi after high school, though her heart was still set on dance. Not too long after, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity presented itself.

Her former high school dance partner, Lowell Purvis, was headed to Los Angeles to continue dancing and wanted Rollins to join him. Much to the hesitation of her parents, Purvis assured them he would take care of their daughter.

“My parents didn’t think I should venture alone, plus the financial strain,” Rollins said. “Lowell guaranteed them that he would help me.”

Just like that, the eager young Texan was on her way to Hollywood.

Myr-Lou Rollins Wade

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A Content Career

Upon arrival, Rollins landed a room at the Dixon Manor located behind the iconic Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.

Purvis introduced her to various schools of dance such as the Hollywood School of Dance, African Contemporary and Ernest Belcher ballet.

Rollins said that attending each of these required her to master the complex L.A. bus system to get from studio to studio.

As time went on, though, she decided the Hollywood lifestyle was not for her. Returning home in 1953, she attended a dance program at Texas State College for Women (TSCW) in Denton, where she was able to travel and perform around the country for communities and other colleges. She graduated in May 1956 after her last performance, where she met Glenda Williams, head of women’s physical education at Oklahoma A&M College.

The following June, Rollins and a group of friends from the TSCW modern dance group traveled to New

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York City where they met Ruth St. Denis, who at the time was considered a pioneer in modern dance. It was also around this time when she was Rollins a job as a dance instructor.

Rollins said she and her family eagerly awaited a contract in the mail.

After what she said felt like forever, they received a confirmation letter from Valerie Colvin, who had taken Williams’ place. Her only concern for Rollins was finding a place to live in Stillwater.

However, they discovered a newly constructed apartment complex, which Rollins was able to secure a spot in.

Her first month’s rent only cost her $60 and it’s the same apartment Rollins lives in to this day.

For the next 30 years, Rollins taught dance and organized performances at OSU throughout the old Field House, now Gallagher-Iba Arena; the Bartlett Center for Visual Arts; and the Seretean Center for the Performing Arts.

Her teaching career at OSU was all Rollins could have hoped for. She opened the world of dance to students and organized performances like her former

high school instructors did when she was a student. She even had the chance to instruct students who later achieved popularity of their own, like Wally Funk. “[Funk] was a physical education major at the time, and was required to take dance classes, which she wasn’t interested in,” Rollins said. “She was more interested in flying. She would come and tell me all of the fine experiences she had with it.”

In 1985, Rollins met Kenneth Wade at a ballroom dance in Stillwater. She said she had no interest in dating at first, with school being her top priority.

However, Wade was persistent and after Rollins ran out of excuses, the two began to date. She retired in 1986 as an accomplished emeritus faculty member.

“I just enjoyed teaching,” Rollins said.

“And the neat thing is, I would run into students later who would remember me, and we would chat about what year they were in and the memories they had.”

Rollins and Wade moved to the nearby town of Perry after marrying in 1989, still keeping the apartment in Stillwater for a place to stay when there were performances to attend.

Left: Myr-Lou Rollins Wade has lived an adventurous life from dancing on stage around the country to being an instructor at Oklahoma State University. Above: Rollins Wade is a fervent supporter of the Greenwood School of Music and gets tickets for nearly every GSM event at The McKnight Center for the Performing Arts.

the College of Arts and Sciences for students majoring in theatre.

“The process of setting up her Even in retirement, Rollins knew she still had more to give to OSU. College of Education and Human Sciences, at an emeriti faculty luncheon. Eager to give back to the university, Rollins pitched the “She approached me and the former dean of the College of Education about asked for suggestions on areas that needed funding. We suggested some scholarship options and the Dean’s Excellence Fund as possibilities for her to consider.”

They eventually settled on the MyrLou Rollins Wade Endowed Scholarship for physical education majors interested in creative rhythms and movement.

In 2004, the scholarship moved to

said. “She said that OSU had been a great part of her life, and she wanted to give something back.”

The Wades would often frequent concerts and recitals. After Kenneth passed away in 2019, Rollins moved back to Stillwater and devoted her time to attending as many performances at The McKnight Center for the Performing Arts as possible.

With age came new barriers, though. No longer comfortable driving at night, she found a helping hand in McKnight Center house manager Hannah Mans, who drove Rollins to and from a performance during the fall 2022 semester.

“Myr-Lou was having trouble finding a ride to the performance, and asked if I would be able to assist her, even if it meant she had to arrive much earlier

than normal,” Mans said. “I was able to give her a ride, and I am glad I did.”

It was at this performance that Mans also witnessed a heartfelt moment between Rollins and a group of students from the performance.

“After the concert, while she waited patiently in the lobby as I finished up my concert duties, a couple of students approached Myr-Lou,” Mans said. “They recognized her from all of the times she had attended their performances, and thanked her for being there and supporting them. MyrLou was visibly moved.”

In her 88 years, Rollins has achieved a life of adventure and success. Even 36 years after retirement, she remains dedicated to the creative minds in the performing arts at OSU. “I keep coming back because of how hard these students work,” she said. “It warms my heart to see these wonderful people put together such beautiful performances.”

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Dr. Jennifer Borland is the first director of the Center for the Humanities after 16 years at Oklahoma State University.

Hyping the Humanities New director, faculty researchers propel Center for the Humanities to new heights

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klahoma State University’s Center for the Humanities got its first director in 2023 with the appointment of Dr. Jennifer Borland.

Prior to being named director, Borland served as interim director for the center, was the founding director of the Digital Humanities Initiative and taught art history in the Department of Art, Graphic Design and Art History for 16 years.

“I’m utterly thrilled to be the first director,” Borland said, who will also occasionally continue to teach art history courses. “This is the culmination of over seven years of work

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with an amazing group of collaborators.

It is extremely rewarding to see the work over several years materialize into the establishment of the center, and I’m excited to move forward with all our plans.”

The center, a College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) initiative that formally launched in 2022, aims to increase the visibility of humanities research on campus and foster production of new interdisciplinary projects.

One such project Borland is looking forward to expanding is the Research Group Fellowship program launched earlier this year.

“This flagship program provides support to facilitate collaborative interdisciplinary research in areas like medical humanities, environmental humanities and digital humanities,” Borland said. “Very few universities have this type of program to foster new research, and I can see OSU’s ambitious and unique model becoming one that is emulated by other institutions.”

This year’s medical/health humanities research group includes Dr. Reanae McNeal from Interdisciplinary Programs, Marqua Harris from the College of Education and Human Sciences, and Vanessa Oliphant from

STORY BELLA VU | PHOTOS JASON WALLACE

Marqua Harris and Vanessa Oliphant present their research proposal at the Edmon Low Library in April.

the Department of Psychology. Their research topic is “Reenvisioning Community Engaged Research for Black Women” with a focus on health justice and Black women.

“Due to the current backlash of antiBlack gendered oppression and the severe health disparities and inequities, the need to attend to Black women’s health and healing is urgent,” McNeal said. “Our research objective is to call for the creation of sacred spaces for Black women to engage in embodied communal healing.”

The environmental humanities research group includes Dr. Cailey Hall and Komal Nazir from the Department of English and Dr. Rebecca Kaplan from the Department of History. Their research focus is “Food Security and Food Cultures.”

“Food is both essential for survival and full of culturally specific meaning,” Kaplan said. “This project aims to increase awareness of food insecurity to address the issue. By designing a comprehensive website that provides up-to-date information on various foodrelated resources available on campus, it will clearly and concisely provide information for students, faculty and between members of the OSU community who share food cultures and food interests.”

The digital humanities research group includes Dr. Rosemary Avance

Komal Nazir presents her cohort’s research proposal at the Edmon Low Library in April.

Researchers and attendees mingle during the Center for the Humanities research presentation and reception event in April.

from the School of Media and Strategic Communications, Dr. Heather Stewart from the Department of Philosophy and Richard Sylvestre from the Department of English. Their research focuses on “Artificial Intelligence in Academia: Exploring ChatGPT as Risk and Opportunity.”

“Our interdisciplinary team is researching how people understand and talk about the use of ChatGPT in academia,” Avance said. “Our first and primary goal is to get our campus talking about this technology to proactively ensure it is ethically implemented in our teaching and research here at OSU.” In addition to its researchers’ endeavors, the Center for the

Humanities is working toward having a physical home on campus, where it can continue to increase the visibility and reach of the humanities. Nine new research group fellows will begin their work in the fall.

“The center provides an inclusive and collaborative environment in which we want to foster dialogue and engage communities, demonstrating the powerful impact of the humanities to address problems and impact change,” Borland said.

LEARN MORE about the Center for the Humanities and get involved at cas.okstate.edu/humanities.

O S U CO L L EG E O F A RT S A N D S C I E N C E S 7

DEVONSHI PATEL Ph.D. | Clinical Psychology

Sixth Year Research Mentor: Dr. Jaimie Arona-Krems Houston

CAS Student Researchers The College of Arts and Sciences fosters groundbreaking research across its 24 departments. Here are five students doing outstanding work in their fields under the mentorship of CAS faculty.

How did you begin your research?

I joined my first psychology research lab as a freshman and quickly grew to love disseminating research at conferences and community events. As a doctoral student, I found my own research interests by working with families and children, listening to the issues they experience. I now work to better understand stigmas directed at parents and families.

How has it had an impact on you?

I conduct research on stigmas that people face, specifically why people might stigmatize parents of children with higher weights. Weight-related stigma is pervasive and painful to experience. I hope that the work I do brings awareness to the lived experiences of this community. I recently published my first-authored manuscript in Psychological Science on parental stigma. It’s the second paper to empirically demonstrate that people do stigmatize parents of children with higher weights, and it’s the first to explore a model as to why people do this in the first place. I am now working on extending that work.

What are your future plans?

My next step is a clinical internship to complete my doctorate. I am looking forward to continuing my research trajectory by collaborating with leaders in our field who are also researching obesity, stigma and families. I think research illuminating the psychology underlying weight-related stigma will have important real-world implications.

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COMPILATIONS RACHAEL EATON, PH.D. | PHOTOS PROVIDED

CARRIE PRATT Ph.D. | Microbiology and Molecular Genetics

Second Year Research Mentor: Dr. Mostafa Elshahed Kollweiler, Germany

How did you begin your research?

I wanted to improve my medical school application, so the summer before my senior year at the University of North Dakota I joined a research lab studying Lyme disease. I ended up falling in love with research and deciding that medical school wasn’t for me. I took a gap year and worked in another lab where I studied pollinator taxonomy and their microbiomes.

How has it had an impact on you?

My research focuses on anaerobic gut fungi that live in the digestive tracts of herbivores. I’m specifically working with non-standard hosts like birds, reptiles and marsupials. The most exciting part of my research has been my discovery of two new genera of anaerobic gut fungi that were cultured from tortoises. I presented at the 2023 Annual Meeting of the Missouri Valley Branch of the American Society for Microbiology and I recently earned the Women’s Faculty Council Student Research Award, the Distinguished Graduate Fellowship and the Norman Durham Endowed Graduate Fellowship in Microbiology. I also just had a paper accepted to the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology.

What are your future plans?

I’m considering pursuing a postdoctoral position in Europe, hopefully somewhere close to where I grew up. I’ve always planned on joining academia to be a professor, but I’m also open to opportunities in industry or government. Ultimately, I just want a position that allows me to conduct research I’m interested in.

MAGHIN BREWER Major | English (Screen Studies) Class of 2023 Research Mentor: Dr. Sarah Loss Tulsa

How did you begin your research?

I started doing research during spring semester 2021. I applied for the Advancing Undergraduate Research or Creative Activity (AURCA) program and wanted to do research in the English department. At first, I was hesitant because I did not know anything about linguistics, but I wanted to step out of my comfort zone, so I applied to be a research assistant.

How has it had an impact on you?

My research project is important because I was able to broaden the diversity within the study. I looked at minority groups and asked them questions that researchers in the past did not think to ask. I made the data more diverse, while being more inclusive of demographics that are often overlooked. I’ve presented my research a few times, including at the OSU Undergraduate Research Symposium in April and the Center for Oklahoma Studies. These were great opportunities for me to not only share my work, but also get experience with presenting to groups of people that I am not familiar with.

What are your future plans?

I graduated from OSU in 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in screen studies, and I will be staying at the university to complete my master’s in the screen studies program. After completing my master’s, I would love to get my Ph.D. and become a professor.

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MARY VANG

Major | Communication Sciences and Disorders Class of 2023 Research Mentor: Dr. Valerie Freeman Sallisaw, Oklahoma

How did you begin your research?

I was first introduced to research during my second year in college through an Honors add-on course: Deaf Experience, Deaf Expression (DXDX).

I was quickly drawn into the field after spending a semester on the DXDX team and through my introduction to research class. I was then accepted into the Ronald E. McNair Scholars program that assists underrepresented students with goals of obtaining doctoral degrees. Through McNair, I grew my interest in research and developed my project under the guidance of my mentor.

How has it had an impact on you?

I recently received the Student Preparing for Academic and Research Careers Award from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association to fund my research project. I have presented my research at a variety of conferences recently, including the OSU Summer Research Expo and national McNair Scholars Conferences in California, Texas, Maryland and Missouri. I also presented my ongoing DXDX project at the Oklahoma SpeechLanguage-Hearing Association Annual Conference.

What are your future plans?

After graduating from Oklahoma State University, I plan to attend graduate school to obtain a master’s degree and clinician certifications as a speechlanguage pathologist. In the future, I will continue my research career in a communication sciences and disorders Ph.D. program.

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HADLEE SHIELDS Major | Biology: Pre-med Class of 2026 Research Mentor: Dr. Allison Dorko Amarillo, Texas

How did you begin your research?

I knew that I wanted to get into research as soon as possible, but as a freshman, I didn’t know where to start. Then I got an email about a program designed to help first-year research students find a position. I applied to AURCA, interviewed with as many mentors as possible, matched with a mentor and got to work.

How has it had an impact on you?

I have been working with Dr. Allison Dorko on a study looking at the learning process and how students best learn specific concepts. For example, we have found that students learn the material from lectures but truly begin understanding it when they are doing homework. Giving students more homework would allow them the chance to reinforce what they learned in class. Ultimately, I am looking for ways to improve student success. I helped Dr. Dorko create a poster, which we presented at the Oklahoma-Texas Conference on Research in Undergraduate Mathematics Education and the OSU Undergraduate Research Symposium.

What are your future plans?

I want to become a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine.

They take a more holistic approach to medicine, which I really appreciate. I would love to do my part by continuing to do research, as it plays such an important role in medicine.

Wishing for Water

OSU student begins a nonprofit to supply water across the globe

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ily Chavez, a global studies major within the Department of Geography, is just a junior in college but already has the title of “founder” on her resume.

In 2023, Chavez created Wishes for Water, a nonprofit that aims to build wells in rural Zimbabwe.

During a trip with the President’s Leadership Council to Zimbabwe, Chavez connected with Oklahoma State University alumna Dr. Tererai Trent, who introduced her to a need that community: a lack of water.

“I went on the trip and saw the conditions and experiences people were living,” Chavez said. “I decided we needed to find some way to give back rather than visiting annually and leaving without bringing anything to the table.”

Chavez came back to campus and took the first steps to establish her nonprofit organization with the help of

Lily Chavez

her classmates. They then partnered with Trent’s organization, Tererai Trent International (also known as Tinogona Foundation).

Trent founded Tererai Trent International to lead in improving and growing the education system in Zimbabwe. With a focus on increasing access to education, Tererai Trent International aims to empower communities, boost their growth and promote their development through education.

“As a foundation, we realize that the elimination of poverty and waterborne diseases, and increasing rural girls’ school attendance, can only be achieved by partnering with likeminded organizations like Wishes for Water,” Trent said. “That way, we are not only bringing clean and safe water to rural communities, but also creating sustainable income for rural women and girls.”

January 2023 and continues to attract supporters. With the goal of building two wells every year — the cost of each well sitting at $15,000 — Chavez and her classmates hit the ground running to promote their mission and connect with donors any way they could.

“Each member reached out to their personal connections to crowdfund,” Chavez said. “We really relied on social media to spread the word, so when news outlets reach out, I get so excited for the opportunity to share our message.”

At the end of the spring 2023 semester, Wishes for Water celebrated meeting their goal of raising $15,000 to build their first well in the Hurungwe school district located in rural Zimbabwe.

LEARN MORE about Wishes for Water at wishesforwater.org.

Oklahoma State University alumna Dr. Tererai Trent (center right) has been working on improving and growing the education system in Zimbabwe.

STORY ERIN MILEK | PHOTOS COURTESY OF LILY CHAVEZ

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Speaking My Language

Professor shares knowledge of northern Spain’s Asturian language and culture

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r. Isabel Alvarez-Sancho is an expert in languages and literatures, especially those in Spain. But there is one language that holds some significance to the Oklahoma State University associate professor.

And it’s a language that is lacking in its exposure.

Asturian, the native tongue of the principality of Asturias in far northern Spain, is one of several languages Alvarez-Sancho is well-versed in.

A part of OSU’s Department of Languages and Literatures since 2012, she is the Spanish section coordinator for the department and can read Catalan, Galician, French, Portuguese and Asturian. She specializes in 21st century Iberian cultural studies and has a Licenciatura in Hispanic philology from the University of Oviedo in Spain and a Ph.D. in Hispanic cultural studies from Michigan State University. Before coming to OSU, she worked as a Spanish lecturer in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and an associate professor at Central Michigan University.

While her educational background boasts of specialization in language and cultural studies, she noticed a lack of studies in Asturian culture in the United States.

until recently, there was not an association in the U.S. whatsoever dedicated to studying Asturian,” Alvarez-Sancho said. “There were some scholars studying this individually, but many of them did not know each other nor were they collaborating. This may be due to the fact that Asturian as a language is Although Asturian is spoken by around half a million people, it survives through cultural aspects such as music, literature, poetry and science.

Alvarez-Sancho took the initiative to ensure the culture’s conservation by gaining an international network, starting within the U.S. It began with a 2021 Society for the Analysis of Cultural Topics and Linguistic Identities N’Asturies (SAnTINA) conference organized by the University of California to connect scholars interested in Asturian studies across the world.

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The conference received great interest and propelled Alvarez-Sancho into planning her SAnTINA conference hosted virtually by OSU in May. The conference was open to the public and featured 30 papers and 40 scholars from three continents that continued the discussion of Asturian linguistics, history and cinema.

The first goal of these conferences was to unite scholars, cultural creators or anybody interested in the studies, as some may have never left the region.

Because these scholars are located across the at looking at Asturian history that can create new avenues of cultural discussion.

The second goal was to disseminate Asturian language and culture internationally and raise awareness of minoritized languages in all countries. This allows for the contribution of Alvarez-Sancho actively collaborates in Asturian seminars, having recently participated in conferences in Spain as well as Tennessee, which were both well received. She recently published an article on Asturian music and worked with UC Riverside to host an event — Asturian 101 — to explain Asturian’s many facets to those interested in the area of study.

Dr. Susana Perea-Fox, professor emerita in Spanish and Latin American studies at OSU, collaborated and attended panels with AlvarezSancho at the conference of Asturian studies.

Perea-Fox spoke about her admiration for her colleague and highlighted Alvarez-Sancho hosting the second Asturian studies conference.

“Dr. Isabel Alvarez-Sancho has shined in the languages and literatures department for her strong commitment to excellent teaching, research and service to the department, the university and peninsular studies,” Perea-Fox said. “Those who attended the conference — me included — noted the excellent organization not only with the minute details, but also with the breadth of information and the knowledge of the presenters.”

STORY SUTTON JAMES | PHOTO PROVIDED

Dr. Isabel Alvarez-Sancho

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Connect from Anywhere

CAS online degree programs provide crucial flexibility for students near and far

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hrough the College of Arts and Sciences’ online degree options, students have the chance to earn their bachelor’s degree in computer science, sociology or psychology and a master’s degree in statistics from virtually anywhere — as long as there’s a Wi-Fi signal.

COMPUTER SCIENCE With online students making up roughly 18.5% of its undergraduate student population, the Department of Computer Science has made a concerted in a wide variety of circumstances.

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“We have students from all phases of life in our program,” said Cara Brun, academic advisor for the computer science program. “We have some students who are 18 years old and attending college for the first time. We have others who are established in the workforce and looking to add a skill set to advance their careers.”

Sage Woodard, a computer science senior, has been able to engage with faculty and participate in research despite not being on campus.

“Participating in research as an undergraduate student provided a wonderful experience,” Woodard said.

Sage Woodard

STORY ERIN MILEK | PHOTOS PROVIDED

“Going into the program, I was concerned that I would be isolated as an online student. However, the support and community that I have gotten to experience was quite the opposite.”

CASIE WENDLAND, OSU GRADUATE FROM NEW JERSEY

“It has allowed me to advance in my career while still having time to take care of my family. I would encourage anyone interested in computers and willing to put in the work to pursue the program.”

Woodard’s distance learning opportunity even before her December 2023 graduation from the program. technology company, and I started a remote position as a systems engineer with them this spring,” Woodard said. “Having the experience in OSU’s computer science program helped me SOCIOLOGY In the fall of 2021, students interested in sociology could begin pursuing their degrees online.

Laken Pruitt, the advisor for the sociology degree program, said the opportunity is not only a great remote learning option, but also provides students who study on campus with a safety net.

“While the program is fairly new, having the online option has been useful for several students,” Pruitt said. “The online degree allows students to have continuity in their degree and gives them the chance to keep working if they have to leave campus for some reason.”

As the program grows and develops, Pruitt has seen more students enrolling.

“The sociology degree is great because nothing happens outside of the context of society,” Pruitt said. opportunities to learn about society and more and more students are becoming interested in the opportunity.”

PSYCHOLOGY the online psychology program are implementing a new way to engage with distance learners.

“We are introducing a special section of our succeeding in psychology course, specifically for our online students,” said Meredith Beyl, academic advisor for the online psychology program. “This required course leads students to explore their options after completing the degree, with assignments designed to help them understand what career options are available at the bachelor’s level, explore graduate school options, perfect their resumes and understand how to get involved in research and teaching assistantships in the department while completing their degrees.”

Beyl emphasized that the best online courses are customized in similar ways, accommodating the unique situation of virtual classrooms.

“The section specific to online students allows us to tailor those assignments and conversations to their unique standing as remote learners, making their experience more personalized,” Beyl said.

STATISTICS For those who have obtained their one master’s level online degree through the Department of Statistics. The applied statistics program equips students with critical skills in data analytics.

Casie Wendland, a high school teacher in Monmouth County, New Jersey, graduated from the program in May. “I began looking at programs to further my education and came across this one,” Wendland said. “In

Casie Wendland

comparison to other statistics programs that I had researched, OSU could reasonably balance with my everyday life, but still finish the degree in a timely manner.”

Despite being more than 1,000 miles away from campus, Wendland has found community at OSU. “Going into the program, I was concerned that I would be isolated as an online student,” Wendland said.

“However, the support and community that I have gotten to experience was quite the opposite. Any time I had a question, the professors were easy to communicate with. Many courses also posted videos of the class in progress while they taught. This allowed me to hear questions from other students and classroom discussions.”

LEARN MORE about online degree options through the College of Arts and Sciences at cas.okstate.edu/onlinelearning.html.

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STORY ELIZABETH GOSNEY | PHOTOS GARY LAWSON AND PHIL SHOCKLEY

Using experience from her time in the College of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Mendez helps build OSU's academic future

In the 18 years Dr. Jeanette Mendez has been at Oklahoma State University, her roles have included department head, associate dean, interim dean, vice provost and provost — and yet at the outset, she didn’t aspire to any of them.

“I’ve always thought of myself as a professor, someone who just teaches and does research. Being in administration wasn’t on my BINGO card,” said Mendez, whose first foray into leadership came in 2011 when she became the Department of Political Science head. “But at every phase, with every opportunity that presented itself, I jumped in and did the best I could at the job. I’m not one to say no if I think I can provide a skill at that point in time.”

The College of Arts and Sciences showcase that skillset time after time: she served in five permanent and interim leadership capacities within the college over the span of eight years.

Then, in 2019, the university appointed her vice provost.

“I’ve never approached any position as a placeholder, and I think that’s

resonated,” Mendez said. “I haven’t always known what the next step would be, but I have invested myself in the current step. That has meant not standing still, not being complacent and just doing whatever I can.”

OSU President Kayse Shrum made use of that can-do attitude and expertise, naming Mendez provost in 2022. Although this is the first time Mendez has directly reported to a woman, she said it’s leadership style, not gender, that made her buy into Dr. Shrum’s vision.

“I met with President Shrum on day one and thought, ‘I want to be part of her team,’” Mendez said. “I’ve been able to watch her prioritize, juggle, manage and make choices related to her work-life balance that hadn’t been modeled for me in my career. … I had very supportive people I worked with

with President Shrum.”

The admiration goes both ways, with Shrum saying that Mendez not only stood out to her as someone “immensely qualified to serve OSU as the provost,” but who also understood the life-changing impact of higher education.

“The land-grant mission of OSU is of critical importance and personally relevant to both of us,” said Shrum, who, like Mendez, is a first-generation college graduate. “Access to a college education changed the trajectory of what was possible in our lives. Students need strong leaders, and they need examples they can relate to. Jeanette is an example of determination and turning challenges into opportunities.”

One such challenge-turnedopportunity for Mendez was helping

O S U CO L L EG E O F A RT S A N D S C I E N C E S 17

“We’re recruiting the highest quality faculty and supporting them in all their teaching, research and creative endeavors so that they can elevate other things, but we choose to do our teaching and our research at a comprehensive land-grant university because we care about students.”

—

create the university’s new strategic plan, “We Are Land-Grant.” Jerome Loughridge, OSU senior vice president of system operations and CEO of the OSU Research Foundation, was a member of the planning team with whom Mendez collaborated closely to frame initial steps of the plan before crafting the final document.

“You really get to know how someone thinks when you have to produce such a public piece together,” Loughridge said. “Based on my experience [with Mendez], OSU is in very good hands, indeed.”

Loughridge added that in addition to Mendez possessing ideal attributes

Land-Grant” team pulled from their areas of expertise to present a plan aimed at making OSU the preeminent land-grant institution in the country.

“The great thing about having this strategy is that we know what we’re focused on and what we want to do at all points in time,” Mendez said. “It’s about all the puzzle pieces fitting together — that’s on the student side, that’s on the research side, that’s on our faculty side.

“We’re recruiting the highest quality faculty and supporting them in all their teaching, research and creative endeavors so that they can elevate OSU and help our students

— namely those of creativity, energy, intelligence and humility — she also has a keen sense of humor.

“She takes the work of OSU and its mission extremely seriously; herself, much less so,” Loughridge said. “I think that’s an excellent way for a leader to bring people along in any organization.”

Loughridge, Mendez and the other members of Shrum’s “We Are

lot of other things, but we choose to do our teaching and our research at a comprehensive land-grant university because we care about students.”

Loughridge echoed Mendez’s thoughts, pointing out that it is through her past CAS and universitywide roles that she can see future possibilities.

“She has a vision of how OSU can — through its colleges and schools,

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its faculty and students — really impact Oklahoma through innovation, workforce development and ... OSU graduates who can go out and make good communities great,” Loughridge said. “I sense that Dr. Mendez sees her work as a calling, rather than simply a career.”

While Mendez is more visible in her provost role and the stakes of her decisions are often higher, she said there are common threads that run through her tenure at OSU that transcend any titles or perceived prestige.

“I have a really good sense of myself and the things that make me happy,” Mendez said. “I don’t do this job because I want power, recognition or money. I do it because I think I have the right energy and the right skill set to move the university forward. I constantly come back to that. I’m in this job because I think we can make a “I’m not in this for anything more than the fact that I care deeply about OSU.”

Advice for Young Professionals “Then ask and ask again. You’re not supposed to know everything.

That’s part of growing and evolving.”

“Leadership opportunities are everywhere, and they don’t always come with a title or a certain position. People get caught up with, ‘I need to do XYZ in order to lead,’ but there are just so many other ways.”

“Enter into leadership for the right reasons. If you are doing it for that career advancement and not a passion for the mission, you’re going to burn yourself out and it won’t to be worth it.”

"You don’t have to do everything for your team. In fact, if you do, they won’t buy into what you’re building. Learn how to be the leader of the team, not the doer of the team.”

O S U CO L L EG E O F A RT S A N D S C I E N C E S 19

Four CAS members become faculty fellows to aid new strategic plan

A

nswering a call from the provost, four College of Arts and Sciences faculty members have stepped up to lead initiatives as faculty fellows.

In October 2022, Oklahoma State University President Kayse Shrum

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released her strategic plan, “We Are Land-Grant.” The plan outlines priority areas and eight imperatives that OSU will focus on to reach the ultimate goal of becoming the preeminent landgrant institution.

There are currently 10 faculty fellows selected to spearhead the work on strategic plan initiatives. The selected faculty have been asked to utilize their expertise and connections to engage in conversations and collect information

STORY ERIN MILEK | PHOTO JASON WALLACE

From left: Dr. James Knapp, Dr. Tamara Mix, Dr. Rebecca Brienen and Dr. Steph Link.

that will enhance the development of the systemwide OSU strategy.

These fellowships are expected to conclude in the summer of 2024 when the fellows will provide their researchbased recommendations to university administrators.

With four fellows, CAS has the greatest showing on the 10-fellow team.

Dr. James “Jim” Knapp was selected as the faculty fellow to lead energy initiatives under the strategic plan priority, “Powering a Growing World Population Sustainably and Responsibly.”

A Boone Pickens School of Geology professor, Knapp has research interests in carbon dioxide storage and its implications on the future. As a faculty fellow, he has been tasked with leading cross-campus conversations to gather

an inventory of OSU’s current energy endeavors and produce a plan to set OSU apart in the industry.

“I am building my task force and working to make sure there is a voice for everyone who needs to be at the table,” Knapp said. “This is really coming down to figuring out what strengths OSU has in the energy industry and identifying areas of growth and where we can collaborate within our institution and beyond.”

The topic of energy has a longstanding history in Oklahoma. Knapp sees this as an opportunity to grow OSU’s involvement in the industry and to connect with experts to leverage those experiences into a sustainable plan.

“This initiative is really about energy as it relates to critical social issues,” Knapp said. “That aspect has opened the door for some incredible collaboration and conversation with

departments like philosophy and the School of Media and Strategic Communications.”

Dr. Tamara Mix | Sociology Dr. Tamara Mix is the head of the Department of Sociology and serves as the social sciences representative for the General Education Advisory Council.

Mix has been tasked with leading a working group, “Guiding General Education Reform,” to revise OSU’s general education system and enhance student and faculty experiences with general education.

“The timing is perfect for a transformative model of general education that is innovative and provides students with a broad skill their core, contain aspects specific to the culture of an institution. Given

O S U CO L L EG E O F A RT S A N D S C I E N C E S 21

the land-grant mission to provide a ‘liberal and practical education,’ we are working toward the development of a relevant and intellectually challenging general education program.”

The sweeping nature of CAS — with 24 departments covering the social sciences, arts and humanities, and the opportunity to find diverse courses to meet their degree requirements.

Because of that, it is likely that every student who passes through OSU will “One never knows when something we learned in a subject area far from our career-oriented studies can enrich our lives or serve us in a rapidly changing society,” Mix said. “I am proud to serve the university and particularly our students by building a system that is accessible and pertinent to them as engaged scholars and future members of the workforce.”

Along with serving the college as associate dean for personnel and faculty development, Dr. Rebecca Brienen is the faculty fellow in charge of “Enriching and Integrating the Arts.”

Among her other titles and experiences, Brienen is a professor of art history and the director of the Prairie Arts Center, a collaboration between the city of Stillwater and OSU to promote engagement with the arts.

After being encouraged by her colleagues who felt she was the best fit for this role, Brienen accepted the opportunity to represent CAS in a new way as a faculty fellow.

“As the individual heading up this task force, I recognize it is important to take an interdisciplinary approach and speak with entities across campus in programs beyond the college,” Brienen said. “So much of our everyday lives are impacted by art — the design of Theta Pond and the beautiful gardens around campus are both examples of art that appear in somewhat unconventional ways.”

Brienen aims to gather voices from a range of areas and departments to create centralization.

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“I am realizing that there are so many people across campus contributing to the arts in one way or another and things are very siloed,” Brienen said. “I hope to identify the resources and talents that OSU currently has and present a way to strengthen and unite them to contribute to the strategic plan.”

As a first-generation American and a first-generation college student, Dr. Steph Link’s journey to the workforce came with challenges. For that reason, she has taken the leap to assist in both the academic and future career journeys of OSU students through her faculty fellow assignment, “Preparing the Future Workforce.”

“When the call for fellows was announced, I knew I could contribute to how we prepare students for the future workforce by utilizing my own personal and professional background to help better understand the diverse experiences that lead students to OSU,” Link said. “I have a vision for supporting students on their path to acquiring the core competencies that will enable

them to confidently lead our workforce into an undefined future.”

The approach Link is taking to move OSU’s strategy forward is rooted in convergent collaborations. Her vision for the future of student support and and industry partners to the table.

“I want prospective students to come to OSU and already see how our university will lead them on a path to becoming our world’s innovators,” Link said. “To do this, we need to bring together the many wonderful opportunities our community has to in those experiences paired with their degree programs can enable them to acquire the core competencies of an ideal graduate.

“There are many amazing members of our CAS community that contribute to our college in special ways that improve the quality of the student experience and thus the quality of education at OSU. By representing the college as a fellow, I only hope to place myself amongst them all by being an active listener with an opportunity to share their voices in a way that will unify our campus toward a shared mission.”

In addition to Provost Mendez and OSU Faculty Fellows Knapp, Mix, Brienen and Link, there are many other CAS faculty members and alumni serving in universitywide leadership roles. They include: Vice Provost | Chris Francisco (Math) Interim Vice Provost and Dean of the College of Professional Studies at OSU-Tulsa | Craig Freeman (SMSC) Interim Dean, Honors College | Richard Frohock (English) CAS Interim Dean, Dean of Honors College | Keith Garbutt (Plant Biology) Vice President, Institutional Diversity | Jason Kirksey (Political Science) Associate Provost and Dean, OSU Global | Randy Kluver (SMSC) Registrar | Rita Peaster (Math) Vice President, Research | Kenneth Sewell (Psychology) Interim Dean, Graduate College | Jean Van Delinder (Sociology) Senior Associate Vice President, Research | Ron Van Den Bussche (Integrative Biology)

Water Works

NGWA University expands access to groundwater education

I

n the two years since its creation, NGWA University Powered by OSU (NGWAU) has made great strides in growing workforce development programming and K-12 educational materials related to groundwater — reaching professionals and students around the world.

“Over one million dollars has been fundraised from individual and corporate sponsorships to support NGWAU,” said Dr. Caitlin Barnes, director of NGWAU and director of the College of Arts and Sciences Outreach at Oklahoma State University. “These contributions demonstrate both the need for NGWAU resources and the support it already has from the groundwater industry.”

With support from the Boone Pickens School of Geology, NGWAU was established by CAS in 2021 as a partnership between the National Ground Water Association and OSU.

Basics Online and Awesome Aquifer 360 (AA360), with more programming in the works.

“Drilling Basics Online — which includes six professional development courses in groundwater access — has been completed in 18 states and four countries so far,” Barnes said. “Our K-12 Extension program, Awesome Aquifer 360, has reached 41 states and 230 classrooms, totaling more than 6,000 students.”

It’s through AA360 that NGWAU aims to address future geoscience workforce shortages by introducing groundwater careers to children early on.

The AA360 curriculum includes virtual labs to increase classroom accessibility and physical kits to engage students in hands-on earth science activities.

“As a former middle school science it is to find quality, standards-based curriculum for teaching earth science, so AA360 is a phenomenal resource,”

NGWAU instructional designer Nichole Fox said. “We’ve been able to provide AA360 free of cost to many teachers thanks to donations from people who care about the future of geosciences.

We hope to get even more classroom sponsors; whether they’re individuals or corporations, donors will forever impact the future of science education.”

As NGWAU continues to garner attention from professionals, politicians, educators and the like, Barnes’ Stillwater-based team recognizes the program’s potential and responsibility to help the groundwater industry.

“We have momentum, but we must move faster and reach further to address the national workforce deficit,” Barnes said. “Through academics, research and outreach, it is the mission of NGWAU to upskill the current workforce, train future groundwater professionals and establish educational pathways for students of all ages to pursue careers in groundwater.”

LEARN MORE about NGWA University at okla.st/ngwau.

Dr. Caitlin Barnes explains elements of the AA360 virtual lab and classroom kit.

STORY ELIZABETH GOSNEY | PHOTO JASON WALLACE

O S U CO L L EG E O F A RT S A N D S C I E N C E S 23

NEWS AROUND CAS

OSU’s Air Force ROTC commissions its first Space Force second lieutenant Oklahoma State University Air Force ROTC commissioned its first Space Force second lieutenant, Cadet Jacquelyn Harsha, this spring.

The Air Force Detachment 670 has looked forward to the commissioning ever since the establishment of the U.S. Space Force to the armed forces in 2019.

“I am the first who specifically applied to switch to USSF, interviewed for it and got to wear the Space Force uniform as a cadet,” Harsha said. “It is crazy to see underclassmen looking up to me and wanting to take the same path as me. I am honored to set the precedent for excellence here at Det. 670 for future Space Force cadets.”

From a young age, Harsha knew she wanted to join the military, and the addition of the Space Force branch gave her a focus for her passion.

she will attend undergraduate space training to begin her career as a space

Cadet Jacquelyn Harsha

Harsha is currently awaiting orders to report to her first base at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, where

“Everyone needs community during their time in college, and the people you surround yourself with will directly impact not only your experience in college, but also the person you will be at the end of college,” Harsha said.

“Choosing a program like AFROTC is sure to challenge you, but also provide you with a community of driven individuals who will help you through the hard times.”

For those interested, the OSU AFROTC program has multiple scholarship opportunities and does not require an after-graduation military commitment. For more information about the AFROTC and Space Force program, visit afrotc.okstate.edu.

CDIS debuts voice and swallowing lab The Department of Communication opened its new Voice and Swallowing Lab in the basement of the Social Sciences and Humanities Building on the OSU-Stillwater campus at a ribboncutting ceremony in May. “The lab gives CDIS students a chance to learn and practice procedures that would normally be learned

post-graduation,” said Sherri Norton, clinical assistant professor and head of the lab. “This gives them an advantage over other schools and helps to build their confidence and understanding.”

Norton explained that voice and swallowing disorders are areas of speech pathology treatments that often need more attention during students’ academic careers in order to

Sherri Norton (second from left) and CAS Interim Dean Keith Garbutt (seated) gather with

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better prepare them for the workplace.

With the help of CDIS faculty, the lab’s equipment — which includes a computerized speech lab, laryngoscope, anatomically correct head and neck models and more — will do just that.

“I am most excited to allow students the chance to perform simulated and live flexible endoscopic evaluations of swallowing because this is an opportunity that most universities do not provide,” Norton said. “We may be the only university in the state that has this equipment for students to utilize at the undergraduate and graduate levels.”

The lab is currently being used to treat clients in the Speech-LanguageHearing Clinic. However, plans include mobile appointments in local nursing homes, research studies related to breathing exercises, Parkinson’s disease research, and collaboration with the music department to research voice and vocal pathologies that influence the singing voice.

STORIES BELLA VU AND SYDNEY HOLDER | PHOTOS JACQUELYN HARSHA AND GARY JONES

Alum Jaclyn Cosgrove shares journalistic advice at annual lecture series

Jaclyn Cosgrove speaks at the Paul Miller Lecture Series in April.

Oklahoma State University’s School of Media and Strategic Communications (SMSC) gathered in the Student Union Theater on April 13 for the 34th annual Paul Miller lecture series.

This year’s keynote speaker — Jaclyn Cosgrove, assistant city editor at the Los Angeles Times — gave their presentation titled, “How to Succeed as a Good Human (And Journalist).”

Through times when they reported on lives lost in Oklahoma tornadoes and even a story they wrote about the family

of a victim of Charles Manson, Cosgrove stressed the importance of being kind and respectful when in the journalism field.

“You are a human first and journalist second, that is really important to remember,” Cosgrove said.

Recalling a time when they had to break the news to families whose relatives passed away while in prison, Cosgrove emphasized the importance of reporters taking care of their own mental health.

“I had to be the one to tell them that because I was going to print that in the

newspaper,” Cosgrove said. “To this day, it’s a tie for the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”

A 2009 SMSC grad originally from Arpelar, Oklahoma, Cosgrove began their career as a journalist in high school as an intern for the McAlester News-Capital.

They went on to write for The O’Colly, Sand Springs Leader, Oklahoma Watch and The Oklahoman before joining the LA Times in 2017. In 2022, they earned a Master of Legal Studies degree from the UCLA School of Law. The Paul Miller lecture series was established by the 1931 OSU graduate of the same name who headed the Gannett newspaper chain and the Associated Press in his career. It is funded through OSU and the College of Arts and Sciences to continue Miller’s legacy of ethical and accurate journalism. Dr. Jared Johnson, professor and interim director of SMSC, said he is grateful the school continues to have the lecture series each year.

“It’s really important in today’s world, because we need good journalism more than ever,” Johnson said. “And this is a way to teach the incoming journalism students that they can make an impact in the world and especially given this last lecture, do it in a way that is humane and kind.”

Speaker series spotlights women in mathematics The Department of Mathematics is aiming to inspire Oklahoma State University students to pursue careers in mathematics through its Distinguished Women in Mathematics Colloquium Series, with particular focus on sharing its message with women and other gender minorities.

Every semester, math faculty members identify successful female mathematicians to invite to campus. For four days, invitees — many of whom have national awards, prestigious grants or International Congress of Mathematics

speaking engagements — present their findings and interact with OSU research groups, bringing to life diverse areas of expertise that inform undergraduates and inspire senior theses.

“I personally benefited a lot from Dr. Susan Morey’s visit in fall 2021, as it tremendously helped strengthen my research connection with her,” said Dr. Alessandra Costantini, a postdoctoral fellow in the math department. “This positive experience motivated me to join the colloquium’s organizational team in 2022, and the OSU Chapter of the

STORIES SAM MILEK AND SYDNEY HOLDER | PHOTO GARY LAWSON

Association for Women in Mathematics, which Dr. Bella Tobin and Dr. Neil The informal conversations with the invited speaker are helpful in teaching students to find the beauty in mathematics, to persist through the challenges that come with studying this field, and to build their research networks and involvement in department activities.

Stay in the loop about future Distinguished Women in Mathematics Colloquium events by visiting math.okstate.edu/awm.

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Opening Doors

Alumni’s newly established arts and sciences scholarship aids promising CAS students

Sharon and Robert Keating have created the Keating Family Arts and Sciences Scholarship.

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first-of-its-kind scholarship in the College of Arts and Sciences makes its debut this fall.

For years, Robert and Sharon Keating have funded scholarships for students from their hometown of Mangum, Oklahoma, where they met in fifth grade. And still, they wanted to find a way to do something more.

Their solution was the Keating Family Arts and Sciences Scholarship, which was created to help the college recruit the best and brightest prospects while providing the financial aid

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to make attending Oklahoma State University possible for the students. always wanted to make contributions,” Robert Keating said. “And as we talked about this scholarship, we thought if we could use it to recruit top students to come to OSU that sounded really exciting.”

The two students selected as Keating Scholars will each receive a $40,000 scholarship, dispersed in $10,000 increments every year of their four-year undergraduate careers at OSU.

It was meaningful to the Keatings that the award be substantial enough to be a real draw for students to choose OSU focus their energy on their studies.

“It is so important for an OSU degree to be attainable for students, and these scholarships are game changers,” said Dr. Amy Martindale, CAS assistant dean for student academic services.

“Instead of piecing together small scholarships from several sources — each with their own set of requirements — the Keating Scholars have a clear and

STORY GRANT RAMIREZ | PHOTOS ROBERT AND SHARON KEATING, BEAU LAMOREAUX AND GRAYCIE DOHERTY

“We are very grateful to the Keatings for their gift. With this scholarship, we will be able to attract high-achieving students to the college and allow them to prosper.”

DR. KEITH GARBUTT, CAS INTERIM DEAN

Graycie Doherty is pursuing a degree in psychology.

simple financial package that puts OSU in their reach.”

Beau Lamoreaux and Graycie Doherty are incoming freshmen who have accepted the award for fall 2023 and will be welcomed as the inaugural Keating Scholars. Lamoreaux is from Enid, Oklahoma, and plans to study computer science at OSU. Doherty, from Claremore, Oklahoma, will pursue a degree in psychology.

“With CAS, this scholarship can Sharon Keating said. “It’s just an

Beau Lamoreaux plans to study computer science.

amazing opportunity for such a large group of individuals with such a variety of ideas about what they want to be and what they want to pursue.”

The two scholars also fit the mold of the award’s purpose to recruit top talent, as both students were ranked in the top five of their high school class.

“We are very grateful to the Keatings for their gift,” said Dr. Keith Garbutt, CAS interim dean. “With this scholarship, we will be able to attract high-achieving students to the college and allow them to prosper. As an award

that is available for all four years of the student’s career at OSU, it allows them to concentrate on getting the most out of their education so they may become leaders in their chosen field.”

LEARN MORE about making an impact in the College of Arts and Sciences through scholarships by contacting Laura Ketchum at 405-385-0701 or lketchum@osugiving.com.

O S U CO L L EG E O F A RT S A N D S C I E N C E S 27

HONORING OUTSTANDING ALUMNI Each year, the College of Arts and Sciences at Oklahoma State University recognizes remarkable alumni whose accomplishments and service are tangible evidence of their distinction. Honors are separated into three categories: Rising Stars, Distinguished Alumni and Hall of Fame. The annual celebration of these CAS graduates will be held in September on OSU-Stillwater’s campus.

For more information about CAS alumni honors, visit okla.st/cas-hof.

RISING STARS

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI

HALL OF FAME

Recipients of the Rising Star award are alumni who have graduated with their CAS undergraduate or graduate degree within the past 10 years. In addition to already reaching major career milestones, Rising Stars have shown exemplary community service and a commitment to volunteerism.

CAS Distinguished Alumni stand out among their peers, bringing distinction to OSU through extraordinary achievements in their fields of discipline and distinguished records of service.

These individuals are chosen annually by representatives from each CAS department.

CAS Hall of Fame inductees embody the qualities that make OSU an extraordinary place to learn and grow.

Honorees are nominated by their departments for achieving exceptional success in their careers, displaying their communities and showing great loyalty to their alma mater.

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI Lawrence Johnston

Ray Smith

Charles Onstott

Chemistry ’86

Sabine Davis

Kerry Alexander

Communications Sciences and Disorders ’80, ’82

Gary Shutt

Economics and Aerospace Studies (Air Force ROTC) ’70

Gary Smith

Lisa Wingate

History ’80

Languages and Literatures ’93

School of Media and Strategic Communications ’74

Philosophy ’92

Political Science ’86

Larry “Hank” Hankla Sociology ’73

English ’88

Landon “Lanny” Holman Geology ’72

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Kimberly Strickland Music ’00

Tanya Johnson Statistics ’76

COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

RISING STAR

Collins’ studies lead her to helping others

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taken during her junior year at Oklahoma State University sent Emily Ramseyer Collins on a journey she’s still enjoying today.

“The course taught the importance of a journalist’s role as a watchdog,” Collins said. “After some investigative tactics for an article I was writing uncovered wrongdoing, I was inspired to learn more about the legal system and seek a career that would allow me to help people.”

After graduating in 2015 with a degree in multimedia journalism from the School of Media and Strategic Communications, Collins attended the University of Oklahoma College of Law and received her Juris Doctor in 2018. She is now an associate in the advising clients in estate and tax

STORY CAS MARKETING | PHOTO PROVIDED

planning, guardianships, probate and trust administration.

“OSU’s journalism classes prepared me well for law school because of the skills they helped me develop in interviewing, investigating, reading, researching, writing and analysis,” Collins said. “A journalism degree is an excellent foundation for law school. I use the skills I learned at OSU in my career every day.”

While a student in the College of Arts and Sciences, Collins took part in a wide range of activities, from clubs and committees to a broadcast news internship to studying abroad in London. foundation that set me up for success in many aspects of my life — both personally and professionally,” Collins said. “Through OSU’s professors, faculty,

in and out of the classroom, it instilled in me hard work, open-mindedness and passion that propelled me to be the best version of myself.”

Collins’ resume includes interning for Judge W. Eugene Davis on the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and Chief Judge Gregory K. Frizzell of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma.

Collins is an active member of the Junior League of Oklahoma City, and volunteers with RestoreOKC, Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership and the OKC Chi Omega Alumnae.

Collins married her husband, Taylor — a 2017 College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology graduate — in May 2023. The couple live in Oklahoma City and enjoy playing golf and pickleball, as well as attending OSU sporting events.

O S U CO L L EG E O F A RT S A N D S C I E N C E S 29

COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

RISING STAR

DuBoise-Shepherd shares her Native culture through art

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long with being an artist, illustrator and educator, Amber L. DuBoise-Shepherd is a culture bearer; she uses her talent to depict contemporary Native American artwork based on her Navajo, Sac and Fox, and Prairie Band Potawatomi heritage.

“I want to show my Native relatives — both young and old — that we are resilient,” DuBoise-Shepherd said. “I want to make a change, and I believe I can do that through my artwork and through sharing my knowledge of the arts and my Native culture.”

DuBoise-Shepherd earned her associate degree in art from Seminole State College before attending Oklahoma State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with a minor in entrepreneurship in 2016.

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“I had great mentors in several professors who helped me in navigating my first body of artwork,” said DuBoise-Shepherd, who works in oil paint, 2D mixed media, typography, digital art and sound. “I continue to use the skills to this day in my career. I can’t thank them enough … for giving me a solid foundation to build upon.”

Previously the manager of education and outreach at the Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art (MGMoA), DuBoiseShepherd has her own gallery in Shawnee, Oklahoma, and is the assistant to the director for the School of Visual Arts at the University of Oklahoma.

“As artists, we do more than just create artwork,” DuBoise-Shepherd said. “We are running our own business, being our own promoters and

administrators, while creating artwork that is thought-provoking to people and can be challenging to our society.”

In 2020, DuBoise-Shepherd was commissioned by the First Americans Museum in Oklahoma City to create a large oil painting that was digitally converted into a mural for the WINIKO: Life of an Object exhibition.

In 2021, she was chosen as one of the Oklahoma Visual Art Coalition Spotlight Artists and in 2022 she curated the MGMoA exhibition Tkenagen Mnowabmenagwet: The Beauty of Indigenous Cradleboards.

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COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

RISING STAR

Edmonds cracks the code on success

C

omputer science wasn’t the field Victoria Edmonds (née Som de

she came to Oklahoma State University — she’d wanted to solve crimes using mathematics like she’d seen on the TV show “Numb3rs.”

But after receiving encouragement from her engineering-filled family to investigate computer science, she took a CS course with Dr. Blaine Mayfield and fell in love with it.

“I learned that I could make things happen with code,” said Edmonds, who went on to intern with ExxonMobil before securing a full-time job with the company after graduation.

Originally from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, Edmonds was hesitant to

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accept the New Jersey-based position; not only would it take her away from her family, but she had also just started dating fellow OSU student Todd Edmonds, who still had another year of school.

“It was a huge bravery moment,” Victoria Edmonds said. “But I took a leap of faith, and I really love this role.”

Edmonds is the product manager of Research High Performance Computing at ExxonMobil. She noted the great mentors she has within her organization, and the opportunity to be part of the company’s outreach programs. So far, she’s been involved with an elementary school LEGO robots experience, teaching programing techniques and expanded visualization.

In addition to receiving a bachelor’s degree in computer science from OSU in 2015, Edmonds earned a master’s degree from Columbia University in 2019. Her body of work includes the development of algorithms, platform design and the architecture of strategy for some of the largest super computers in the world. She holds several patents, publications and recognitions in the field of machine learning.

Edmonds is married to Todd, who was a 2022 CAS Rising Star. Together they enjoy glassblowing classes, cooking new foods with Victoria’s grandmother and are active in serving their Jersey City community.

O S U CO L L EG E O F A RT S A N D S C I E N C E S 31

COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

HALL OF FAME

Dambach’s career in peacebuilding started in Stillwater

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harles “Chic” Dambach attended Oklahoma State University on a football scholarship but found his

During his time at OSU, Dambach met former debate coach Dale Stockton, who sparked in Dambach a desire to analyze social issues and speak up for what he believed in. When he hung up his No. 51 football jersey for the final time after a career-ending injury, Dambach was able to focus on advocating for change — first at the university level during the Vietnam War, and then throughout his career.

After graduating from OSU in 1967 in speech — before earning a master’s degree in 1977 from Wake Forest University — Dambach volunteered for the Peace Corps and was sent to Colombia. His work in a small fishing village led to him becoming president and CEO of the National Peace Corps Association decades later.

Dambach and Congressman John Garamendi, another Peace Corps alumnus, helped the leaders of Ethiopia and Eritrea reach an agreement to

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end their border war, and the two men played similar roles helping the Democratic Republic of the Congo end a civil war.

Over the years, Dambach has worked with many organizations devoted to peace and acceptance, including serving as the CEO of Alliance for Peacebuilding from 2005-11 and director and CEO for Operation Respect from 2003-05 and 2016-17, respectively. Dambach was a senior consultant with BoardSource, where he helped write two books on nonprofit governance. He also served Garamendi. In 2020, he retired as an adjunct faculty member at Johns Hopkins and American universities after serving for almost a decade.

Along the way, the president of the west African nation Mali designated him a “knight” — the highest honor the country bestows on any foreigner. In addition, OSU’s School of Global Studies inducted him into the Henry G. Bennett Distinguished Fellowship.

In his memoir, Exhaust the Limits, the Life and Times of a Global Peacebuilder,

Dambach recounts a lifetime of service and successful initiatives for peace, including being nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2017.

In 2022, the Dambach Peacebuilder Endowed Fellowship Fund was established as a part of OSU Global to honor Dambach, “whose dedication to the work of peacebuilding has had a significant impact on the lives of people worldwide,” the fellowship’s website states.

After receiving the College of Arts and Science Distinguished Alumni award in 2004, he wrote in his book that he wanted the rising generation to challenge the status quo, explore the world, and “embrace friendships as life’s greatest treasure.”

“Make friends — make lots of them, nurture them, and cherish every one of them,” Dambach wrote. “And, serve your community and your world. Become part of the powerful force of civilization.

Lives filled with friendship and service become lives of purpose and joy.”

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COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

HALL OF FAME

Goldston perfects the art of mentorship

A

lthough Bill Goldston was born in Hatch, New Mexico, and grew up on a farm in southern Oklahoma, he has spent most of his life in New York, working for world-renowned fineart printing company Universal Limited Art Editions (ULAE) as a master printer and mentor to young artists.

After graduating from Lindsay High School in 1961, Goldston attended Oklahoma State University and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1966.

“I learned from OSU professors McKinney, Benson, Bloodgood and McVicker that there is no substitute for hard work in the studio,” Goldston said.

He continued his art education by attending the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. In September 1967, Goldston was drafted into the U.S. Army and completed two years serving as a commercial printer before returning to school in 1969.

At that time, Zigmunds Priede, Goldston’s printmaking instructor and a former printer at ULAE, asked if he

STORY CAS MARKETING | PHOTO PHIL SHOCKLEY

would accompany him to work for ULAE founder Tatyana Grosman at her home studio of Skidmore Place. The summer of 1969 was principally spent printing the photo-sensitive stone series with Robert Rauschenberg. Goldston continued to fly back and forth between New York and Minnesota until he finished his Master of Fine Arts degree and moved to Long Island to begin his full-time career at ULAE in 1971.

Since Grosman’s death in 1982, the legendary print studio has continued to be a unique center for the production of artists’ prints. The successes of the past 40 years are owed largely to Goldston’s guidance.

By the 1980s, Goldston had purchased ULAE workshops.

During this time, Goldston began a student intern program with OSU’s art department to bring students to New York to work with world-class artists at ULAE and attend museum and

gallery exhibitions. As of today, more than 100 OSU students have lived at Skidmore Place and benefited from the internship program.

“When I was an art student at OSU in the early- to mid-sixties, to understand what was happening in the New York or Los Angles art scenes, I looked to magazines like Look, Life, Saturday Evening Post and Art News,” Goldston said. “So, when I graduated, I made myself a promise that if I was successful in my postgraduate years, I would find a way to help OSU art students experience art firsthand.”

In guiding ULAE’s expansion, Goldston has maintained the sense of community and spirit always associated with the house on Skidmore Place. The vision and determination of Goldston, his daughter, Larissa, and the veteran artists and printers have sustained Grosman’s memory through their work and their own dedication to quality, creativity and the necessity of experimentation.

O S U CO L L EG E O F A RT S A N D S C I E N C E S 33

COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

HALL OF FAME

Ward’s love of learning and entrepreneurship runs deep

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rowing up in Stigler, Oklahoma, Ron Ward learned at an early age the value of education and a strong work ethic.

His mother, Gladys, was a schoolteacher and his father, James, a rancher. Ward took those attributes to Stillwater to attend Oklahoma State University, graduating in 1972 with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and statistics.

“Education at OSU — regardless of your degree — is learning how to

best starts for a successful career,” Ward said, adding that it’s also vital to be constantly ready to learn. “Never be complacent or static with what knowledge or skill you have, and never be afraid of hard work.”

While at OSU, Ward met and married his wife, Cindy. Together in 1975

34 CO N N EC T 2 0 2 3

they started Ward Construction and Ward Investments. Both companies are now approaching 50 years in operation, boasting countless regional projects and the management of over 500,000 square feet of commercial property.

Throughout his career, Ward has been active in industry service and chairman of the Associated Builders and Contractors of Oklahoma Board, chairman of the El Reno Public Schools Foundation and councilman for the city of El Reno. In 2004, Ward was appointed to the OSU Alumni Board of Directors, and in 2012 he was elected chairman. His philanthropy includes the Ward Family Fund that regularly gives to educational, faith and nonprofit causes.

Ward has dedicated a great deal of time and energy to improving his

alma mater, including overseeing the construction of the ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center while serving as the OSU Alumni Association president.

“It’s the focal point for all kids coming to campus, where future Cowboys and Cowgirls start student tours,” Ward said. “I’ve seen and heard firsthand how the building serves the mission of OSU by being a gathering place for campus.”

Ward and Cindy have two children, Kent and Amanda, and two childrenin-law, Asma and Josh. The Wards currently enjoy following their four grandchildren’s activities. Ward’s hobbies include golf, fishing, hunting, piloting his plane and — of course — supporting OSU sports teams.

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ACHIEVE

Achieve

ACHIEVE

Achieve

Achieve with CAS Research ACHIEVE

MATHEMATICS Tallman’s research is transforming instructional methods to improve engagement and student success.

Dr. Michael Tallman Assistant Professor

Learn more about research achievements in CAS!

cas.okstate.edu/achieve #CAScowboys

COLLEGE OF

ARTS AND SCIENCES

Artificial Assistance Oklahoma State University CAS faculty conduct research using AI machine learning technologies

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rtificial intelligence (AI) has become a hot topic in recent months because of its ability to rapidly perform various complex tasks.

But, it has caught a negative connotation in academia due to its use by students.

However, researchers in Oklahoma State University’s College of Arts and Sciences use a subfield of AI — machine learning — for positively impactful research studying complex data sets.

DETECTING DISEASE Dr. Lucas Stolerman, assistant professor in the Department of Mathematics, conducted research using digital traces to build prospective and real-time county-level early warning systems using machine

Google (COVID)

10

learning to anticipate COVID-19 outbreaks in the U.S. During his postdoctoral year at the Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Stolerman initially began conducting this research under Dr. Mauricio Santillana and in collaboration with Leonardo Clemente, a doctoral student.

During his first year on faculty at OSU, the project was finalized.

“Our goal was to detect potential COVID-19 outbreaks in U.S. counties ahead of time,” Stolerman said. “To this end, we created a machine learningbased early warning system leveraging internet-based digital data.”

The early warning system provides an alert when the digital data increases

up to a certain level. The digital datasets included Twitter microblogs and Google trends terms including “Covid,” “Covid19,” “How Long Does Covid Last,” “Covid Symptoms,” “Fever,” “Cough” and others.

By training the models over historical data, the researchers could then perform out-of-sample predictions and assess their method’s ability to correctly predict COVID-19 outbreaks.

“COVID-19 outbreaks result from a complex combination of multiple factors, including viral mutations, social interactions, vaccination and human behavior. A powerful message from our study is that digital traces can help detect when those outbreaks will take place in U.S. counties,” Stolerman said.

Los Angeles (2020)

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The figure above shows two datasets from Dr. Lucas Stolerman’s research: one is the Google search volume over time for the term “COVID” in Los Angeles (in blue). The other dataset is the actual number of COVID cases in the same region (in red). Comparing these time series shows an increase (blue circle) in Google searches preceding an increase in COVID-19 cases (red circle).

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STORY SYDNEY TRAINOR | PHOTOS JASON WALLACE AND ASHLEY RAILEY

Dr. Lucas Stolerman

Dr. Howard Sanborn

Dr. Ashley Railey

This research resulted in machine learning methods that leverage internet-based digital traces to anticipate sharp increases in COVID-19 activity in U.S. counties.

“Whether using artificial intelligence to investigate and predict the spread of diseases or adapting advanced computational techniques to tackle relevant questions in biology, Dr. Stolerman’s research shows the wide applicability of mathematics and its deep connections with other sciences,” said Dr. Jay Schwieg, head of the Department of Mathematics.

The goal is to see what words and phrases appear in conversations frequently before, during and after these conflicts. However, combing through the database for government debates and deliberations could take years.

“I applied for the grant to be able to deploy machine learning computing techniques to process a lot of documents all at once with the driving goal of trying to understand what the government responses are to crises,” Sanborn said.

The initial grant assists with the hiring of students experienced in machine learning and political science.

“Right now, we’re starting more with an unsupervised model where we’re picking out just a small period and looking at the government debates and essentially refining the modeling,” Sanborn said.

Together, a statistics graduate student works on machine programming while a political science graduate student helps identify the context of the phrases for each date and session to see what generates from the unsupervised model. As the process continues the model refines.

“Transdisciplinary research is a big deal. And I believe in it,” Sanborn said.

“I think our math, computer science and statistics departments really have

PONDERING THE PAST Dr. Howard Sanborn, professor and political science department head, received a grant through U.S. Department of State, U.S. Consulate General Hong Kong and Macau, Public collect legislative data and use machine learning models to assess government responses to crises in Hong Kong.

While investigating legislative politics in Hong Kong, the 2019 Core Fulbright Scholar noticed a series of changes in how the city was managed based on the action and reaction to conflicts.

China and most of the former and current British Commonwealth countries have comprehensive online databases in English, Chinese and Cantonese of their government documents, particularly legislative proceedings. This allows Sanborn and his team to study protests at discrete points in Hong Kong history, reaching as far back as the 1850s.

sciences, and so I’m hoping this is a step towards that.”

STUDYING STRESS The U.S. has the world’s largest fedcattle industry and is the world’s largest consumer of beef.

This figure from Dr. Ashley Railey’s research shows social media data of cattle producers (black squares) discussing information about feedlot management. The orange circles depict feedlots of varying size and the lines show the sharing of information. Producer A has more connections to other feedlots but Producer B receives more diverse information.

O S U CO L L EG E O F A RT S A N D S C I E N C E S 37

Dr. Ashley Railey visits with a child while performing survey data collection for a previous livestock-related research project in Tanzania.

In Oklahoma, the beef industry represents a significant agricultural commodity. However, mortality from stress in feedlot cattle threatens the sustainability of the industry and is intensified by extreme weather conditions and trends to select animals for high growth rates.

No resources are currently available for producers to identify animals prone to stress and related mortality.

Researchers in CAS and the Department of Animal and Food Science were awarded a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) grant program of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture: Inter-Disciplinary Engagement in Animal Systems (IDEAS) to develop tools that help identify these animals.

“The purpose of this research is to develop precision livestock management tools that use artificial intelligence and machine learning to identify cattle that are susceptible to stress,” said Dr. Ashley Railey, sociology

38 CO N N EC T 2 0 2 3

assistant professor and project co-principal investigator. “Part of this research, and that which is augmented by sociology, is understanding how to disseminate the research to producers and how the tools can best be implemented amongst producers.”

Each co-investigator brings preliminary data to begin the project, with Railey’s initial research suggesting producers value early detection when avoiding major economic impacts, such as mortality of animals. By working associated with the new technologies can be reduced by allowing producers to evaluate whether the technology is appropriate for their feedlots.

“Artificial intelligence is used to sort through the large amounts of data from tracking animal behavior over time on the farm feedlot,” Railey said. “We will receive data from sensors on the animals and of the climate, video and audio of the farm or feedlot.”

Led by Dr. Ning Wang, biosystems and agricultural engineering professor, and Dr. Sathyanarayanan Aakur,

computer science assistant professor, the AI framework will continuously monitor data and derive insights for assessing stress levels by tracking animal behavior over time.

“In the AI field, limited studies have utilized vision,” Railey said. “In this research, Dr. Aakur’s expertise in vision AI — using images to predict an outcome — is very unique.”

MACHINE LEARNING IN ACADEMIA To discover more about what CAS faculty are doing in the world of AI and machine learning research, listen to a recent episode of the College of Arts and Sciences’ podcast wherein Center for the Humanities’ members Dr. Rosemary Avance, Dr. Heather Stewart and Richard and other machine learning bots on academia: okla.st/cas-podcast-ai

Creating a Home

College of Arts and Sciences faculty work to welcome Afghan refugees

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ver the past several years, Drs. Steph Link, Ho’omana Nathan Horton and Michael Amory from the Oklahoma State University Department of English have worked with the Afghan Resettlement Program within the English Language and Intercultural Center (ELIC) on OSU’s Stillwater campus.

What started as reviving the language learning program soon became a central hub for 72 Afghan refugees.

“Our primary responsibility, in the beginning, was English language services,” said Amory, who served as the ELIC interim director in 2021-22. “We would help individuals become valued members of the community and develop the language needed for employment.”

The OSU and Stillwater communities provided the professors with added support, which led to a Community Engagement Award from the College of Education and Human Sciences and the development of OSU Compassionate Afghan Resettlement and English Services (OSU CARES).

“Not only did we have the capacity to provide resources, but we were able to centralize a lot of services, so people knew exactly where to go to get help,” said Link, who served as the director of OSU CARES. In addition to their Community Engagement Award, OSU CARES

An Afghan family new to Stillwater explores OSU’s botanical gardens.

received federal funds in 2022 from the Oklahoma Department of Human Services.

director of Oklahoma Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) for more than 10 years, so when Catholic Charities approached the council in 2021 to help welcome Afghans to Oklahoma, College of Arts and Sciences professors Soltani was there to answer the call.

— and in collaboration with Dean Randy “Our biggest accomplishment Kluver of OSU Global — OSU is now an Every Campus a Refuge (ECAR) campus, through our refugee support is ensuring that the new Afghan community of which ensures other refugees can come Oklahoma knows that our state is a safe to the university to get the resources place where their religion, culture and they need.

Another CAS faculty member doing identity are protected,” Soltani said. work with Afghan refugees is adjunct “We want them to know that we welcome professor of Islamic Studies Adam them holistically, and we want to learn Soltani. He has served as the executive as much about their culture and identity as we want to share ours with them.”

In addition to his work with CAIR, Soltani was recognized as one of the Top 50 Young Professionals in Oklahoma City Dr. Steph Link and received the 2022 Humanitarian supports Award from The Interfaith Alliance elementary Foundation of Oklahoma.

“I am beginning to see the fruits of so parents can this labor in which the Okie and Afghan attend English identities are melding together to and intercultural become something beautiful, unique classes at OSU. and something to be celebrated,” he said.

STORY ALLIE PUTMAN | PHOTOS STEPH LINK AND KELLI NORTON

O S U CO L L EG E O F A RT S A N D S C I E N C E S 39

Inaugural Class of Scholars

OSU receives Beckman Scholars funding, selects CAS students as first awardees

I

n January, Oklahoma State University was selected to participate in the 2023 Beckman Scholars Program (BSP).

The program, sponsored by the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation, awards institutions with funding to support six student-mentor pairs through a 15-month research experience in chemistry, physics or biological sciences. Two students will be selected to participate each year throughout the three-year award term.

Dr. Erika Lutter, associate professor of microbiology and molecular genetics, served as the faculty lead on the university’s BSP proposal team and explained that this is a first for OSU. “I have received several grants in my time, but this one is extremely special,” Lutter said. “I think I am most excited because this is an award for OSU, not just for my department and my college.

It is an amazing opportunity for OSU

Adriahna Blackburn

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program for our students who will become future STEM leaders.”

The BSP has selected College of Arts and Sciences undergraduate students Adriahna Blackburn and Nina Parvin to be the first scholars in the program at OSU. “Adriahna and Nina are outstanding young scholars,” said Dr. Rachael Eaton, OSU BSP director and program manager for CAS student research.

“These students will represent OSU and the Beckman Scholars Program well as they undertake intensive and important research over the next 15 months. We are eager to watch them grow as leaders and scientists.”

Blackburn is a microbiology and molecular genetics sophomore from Nardin, Oklahoma. Alongside her mentor, Dr. Matt Cabeen, Blackburn will research the mechanism of non-canonical pyocin production by strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains of the same species.

“I strive to be a lifelong learner, leader and educator,” Blackburn said.

“Becoming a Beckman Scholar means that I have the resources to grow and hone these skills through research experience and through the leaders and other scholars involved in the program.”

Parvin — a physics and mechanical engineering junior from Beggs, Oklahoma — will be working with her mentor, Dr. Mario Borunda, to understand the radiation tolerance of perovskite materials to increase their stability.

“Receiving this scholarship is a game changer in my academic and professional trajectory,” Parvin said. “Being an OSU Beckman Scholar means being a part of a community that promotes diversity, education and leadership that will provide me with opportunities to work with and learn from other talented researchers.”

To learn more about the Beckman Scholars Program at OSU, visit okla.st/beckman-scholars.

Nina Parvin

STORY ERIN MILEK | PHOTOS PROVIDED

CAS HIGHLIGHTS

engagement. Barker was brought on as the properties — or props — designer to work with Montana Shakespeare in the Parks. The group tours more than 70 shows across Montana each to populations that might otherwise not have the opportunity to experience these productions.

The Ethics Bowl Team, sponsored by the Department of Philosophy, won its regional competition and qualified for the national competition. This marks the third year in a row its won regionals and the fourth out of five years it has qualified for the national competition.

Students in the Department of Art, Graphic Design and Art History unveiled their mural “Building Sunshine,” honoring the life and work of former Stillwater mayor Christine Salmon. The semi-permanent mural sits on Chris Salmon Plaza in downtown Stillwater.

Department of Integrative Biology professors Michael Reichert and Liz McCullagh were awarded a fiveyear, $2.7 million training grant from the NSF to form the Oklahoma Network Addressing Human Impacts Across Biological Processes

In the fall of 2022, the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, in collaboration with the Payne County Health Department, visited communities outside of Stillwater to provide health-related services. The group traveled in a mobile van provided by the Oklahoma State Department of Health to four sites in Oklahoma to perform hearing screenings.

Department of History professor Dr. Laura Arata initiated a public history project to preserve and rehabilitate the historic Booker T. Washington High School in Stillwater. Scan the QR code to listen to the episode of the Pokes PodCAS featuring Arata and the Washington School project.

mentored research experiences for postbaccalaureate graduates in the biological sciences.

The Department of English hosted the inaugural Southern Plains Arts, Humanities, and Languages Conference in April, bringing together instructors and students from various programs in the College of Arts and Sciences along with participants from regional universities.

Dr. Adam Roth, an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology, was awarded a $2.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to fund his research on rural-urban disparities in cognitive aging over the next five years.

This past summer, Boone Pickens School of Geology faculty hosted the inaugural Geoscience Field Experience, an academic summer camp for high school students to get hands-on experience with

Oklahoma State University’s Physics team won the U.S. Physicists’ Tournament in its first year and was chosen to represent the United States at the international competition in Paris in April.

ICYMI: Department of Mathematics professor Dr. Henry Segerman was featured in the New York Times for his novel approach to bringing math to life through art.

Scan the QR code to read the feature.

students in-lab instruction, field trips and the experience of staying in a dorm room on campus.

Department of Theatre professor Eric Barker spent summer 2022 in Bozeman, Montana, working with rural arts

Department of Plant Biology, Ecology and Evolution faculty

member Dr. Ming Yang published a paper in Bioscience Reports about genetic regulation of seed germination with current plant biology major Emily Rillo and plant biology graduate Nadjeschda Goertz.

OSU was chosen as one of 25 sites for the 10-year, NIH-funded Healthy Brain Child Development national study.

Department of Psychology’s Drs. Lucia Cicicolla, DeMond Grant and Amanda Morris are providing grant leadership along with their OSU-CHS colleagues.

Oklahoma State University College of Arts and Sciences 201 Life Sciences East Stillwater, Oklahoma 74078-3015

“We want our son’s OSU experience to be as impactful as our own, and that’s why we decided to upgrade to Life Membership Plus.

We want to support the next generation of Cowboys.”

Sara Brown,’05 & Matt Jeffery,’03

ALUMNI A S S O C I AT I O N Become a member of the OSU Alumni Association or upgrade your membership today and support the College of Arts and Sciences at ORANGECONNECTION.org/joincas.