Human Sciences Magazine 2019

HUMAN SCIENCES The official magazine of the College of Human Sciences

OPENING DOORS REMEMBERING THE LEGACY OF NANCY RANDOLPH DAVIS

2019

AVIATION • DESIGN, HOUSING & MERCHANDISING • EDUCATION • HEALTH • HUMAN SCIENCES

DISCOVER OUR ACADEMIC PROGRAMS & STUDENT EXPERIENCES okla.st/discover

College of Human Sciences humansciences.okstate.edu

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United We Can Tulsa students are getting help to succeed — and dream big — with the Unidos Se Puede (United We Can) program from OSU.

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Nancy Randolph Davis On the Cover: As the first African American student at Oklahoma A&M College, Nancy Randolph Davis opened the doors for many. OSU is honoring her legacy with a life-size statue recently dedicated on campus.

(Photos by Gary Lawson) Story, Page 4

Learning for Life The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Oklahoma State University offers participants classes, travel and social activities.

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EDITOR

Dorothy L. Pugh ART DIRECTOR

Paul V. Fleming PHOTOGRAPHERS

Mitch Harrison Diana Haslett Gary Lawson Phil Shockley

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Speaking Out Two OSU colleagues are working to help children who have disabilities find their voices with the help of assistive technology.

COLLEGE OF HUMAN SCIENCES DEAN

Stephan M. Wilson

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MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

Christy Lang COHS@OKSTATE.EDU

PLUS 30 Alumni Honors 34 Seniors of Distinction 39 Faculty Briefs 42 News & Notes

HUMAN SCIENCES is a publication of the Oklahoma State University College of Human Sciences and is designed to provide information on college activities and accomplishments while fostering communication among the CoHS family and friends. HUMANSCIENCES.OKSTATE.EDU The office of publication for HUMAN SCIENCES is 307 Whitehurst, Stillwater, OK 74078-1024. © 2019, HUMAN SCIENCES. All rights reserved.

Oklahoma State University, in compliance with Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Executive Order 11246 as amended, and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Higher Education Act), the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and other federal and state laws and regulations, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, genetic information, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, or status as a veteran, in any of its policies, practices or procedures. This provision includes, but is not limited to admissions, employment, financial aid, and educational services. The Director of Equal Opportunity, 408 Whitehurst, OSU, Stillwater, OK 74078-1035; Phone 405-744-5371; email: eeo@okstate.edu has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies. Any person (student, faculty, or staff) who believes that discriminatory practices have been engaged in based on gender may discuss his or her concerns and file informal or formal complaints of possible violations of Title IX with OSU’s Title IX Coordinator 405-744-9154.

This publication, issued by Oklahoma State University as authorized by the College of Human Sciences, was printed by Modern Litho, at a cost of $4,292/3,750/ October 2019/job #8016.

O K L A H O M A S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y 1

From the Dean

W

elcome to the 2019 issue of Human Sciences magazine! I have been privileged to serve as dean of the College of Human Sciences since 2008, and in January 2019, I was appointed interim dean of the College of Education, Health and Aviation.

We are in midst of a historic first at Oklahoma State University. The College of Education, Health and Aviation and the College of Human Sciences are in the process of coming together to create a new, combined academic college. Both colleges have long and rich traditions at OSU, and the decision to bring them together is truly a growth initiative that will significantly impact our students, the state of Oklahoma and our many stakeholders.

As we build on existing strengths, we will be able to provide more comprehensive services and an enhanced curriculum for our students.

We will also heighten the visibility of our instruction, research and extension across the state and region. We are confident that this new college will be well-positioned for the future as a leader in education, health, the human sciences and more.

The well-being and development of people is at the center of everything we do in both colleges, which you will see illustrated throughout the magazine. We have intentionally included articles that highlight collaborations, programming and projects that already exist between the two colleges. As you read, I hope you are filled with excitement and optimism about our two colleges joining forces.

While a specific launch date has not been set, I expect to share an update on the new college timeline soon. We have already begun operating under a shared administrative structure, but we will remain as two separate colleges for now, and students will graduate from their respective colleges this school year.

It is absolutely an exciting time to be a part of the College of Human Sciences and the College of Education, Health and Aviation as we build new partnerships and create new opportunities together. I appreciate your patience, support and positive energy during this process. Thank you for investing in our joint success as we look toward the future. Stay tuned for great things to come!

Sincerely,

Stephan M. Wilson Dean, College of Human Sciences Interim Dean, College of Education, Health and Aviation Regents Professor of Human Development and Family Science

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A LEGACY OF QUA

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ALITY EDUCATION Nancy Randolph Davis’ statue stands tall for her life and accomplishments

COMMITMENT. COURAGE. CHARACTER. Nancy Randolph Davis embodied all of these qualities throughout her life.

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Above left: Nancy Randolph Davis in 2009. Above right: Calvin Davis gazes on the statue of his mother, Nancy Randolph Davis, after its dedication in January.

Davis was the first African American student to enroll at Oklahoma State University (then Oklahoma A&M College) in 1949. Over the last two decades, the university and the College of Human Sciences have recognized and celebrated Davis’ life and accomplishments.

In 2019, her legacy was honored in a beautiful, eternal way when a statue of her likeness was unveiled in the courtyard of the Human Sciences Building, facing Monroe Street, on the Stillwater campus.

The bronze sculpture, created by artist Jane DeDecker, depicts Davis as a young graduate in master’s academic regalia, celebrating her accomplishments as a student graduating from OSU. A doorway symbolizes her crossing the threshold of opportunity and looking ahead to a bright future. At the base of the doorway, a bronze ring is inscribed with a quote from Davis herself: “I was never trying to make history.

I was just a regular woman and teacher wanting to further my education so that I could improve my community and the lives of my students.”

Nearly 200 people gathered for the sculpture dedication on Jan. 31, ushering in 2019’s Black History month at OSU. The attendees included Davis’ children, son Calvin Davis and daughter Nancy Lynn Davis, and her granddaughter Teklyn Jackson-Davis, who has followed in her grandmother’s footsteps as a current OSU graduate student. Many of Davis’ former students also attended the historic event.

“This sculpture represents an incredibly powerful and profound moment for this institution, for every one of us that know it, that love it, that care about it,” Dr. Jason F. Kirksey, vice president for institutional diversity and OSU’s chief diversity officer, said during the dedication. “This is a commitment to inclusion that is unwavering.”

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The statue is only the second lifesize sculpture of a human being on the OSU campus; the first is of Henry G. Bennett, who served as university president from 1928-51.

Calvin Davis expressed his family’s gratitude to the university and encouraged everyone at the dedication to follow his mother’s legacy of belief in her own success and acceptance of others.

“My mother would not want (the statue) to be about her,” he said. “She would want it to be a beacon of hope, perseverance, determination and encouragement."

HER STORY

In June 1949, Nancy Randolph Davis became a civil rights pioneer, crossing racial barriers at OSU. She was not trying to make history; she simply wanted to earn a master’s degree in her home state. Her conviction to pursue further education changed Oklahoma State University.

Davis was required to sit separately from her white classmates, in the back of two classes and in the hallway for the third, looking through a window and listening through a door.

“I was segregated for about a week and a half,” she shared in a 1997 interview. “After our first test (I made the second-highest score in the class), my classmates said that the laws were unfair, and they wanted me to sit in the class with them. When they invited me to sit with them, they made me feel important instead of different.”

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“My mother would not want (the statue) to be about her. She would want it to be a beacon of hope, perseverance, determination and encouragement.”

CALVIN DAVIS

Davis continued her teaching career and took classes for the next three summers. She completed her master’s degree in home economics (now Human Sciences) in 1952.

Davis said she did not know she was a trailblazer, but she became an iconic figure in the university’s history. “(Davis’ enrollment at OSU) was an important event in terms of legal changes and cultural history and in who we became as an institution,” said Stephan Wilson, dean of the College of Human Sciences and interim dean of the College of Education, Health and Aviation.

Throughout her life, she was active in the civil rights movement in the state including working as an adviser to the Oklahoma City National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Youth Council.

Davis transformed the legacy of OSU, what it stands for and what it aspires to be.

“You could not have better values than Nancy Randolph Davis,” OSU President Burns Hargis said. “She believed in education and spent her life in education and in civil rights. We all have benefited from her.”

A PASSION FOR EDUCATION

In 1999, she was honored with the OSU Distinguished Alumni Award, and OSU’s residential Davis Hall was named in her honor in 2001. Each February, the university celebrates “Nancy Randolph Davis Day.” In 2009 she received the OSU College of Human Sciences’ Enhancing Human Lives Award. She was inducted into OSU’s Greek Hall of Fame in 2012.

Davis, who earned her bachelor’s degree in home economics from Langston University in 1948, dedicated her life to public education. She spent 43 years as a teacher, 20 years at Dunjee High School and 23 years at Star Spencer High School, before retiring in 1991. Davis’ passion and care for people and her desire to educate were evident to all who knew her.

“She was a major advocate for both the human sciences and public education. Throughout her life, she stood up for what she believed, and she earned the respect of all around her for that,” Wilson said.

Davis influenced thousands of students and their families and inspired others to fight through adversity to pursue their dreams. She also did not shy away from making social changes in Oklahoma.

DAVIS’ LIST OF HONORS

Davis has also been honored multiple times by the state of Oklahoma. In 1991, Gov. David Walters designated May 31 as “Nancy Randolph Davis Day.” She received the Oklahoma Human Rights Commission’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008.

Following her death at the age of 88 in 2015, she was posthumously inducted to the Oklahoma African American Educators Hall of Fame (2015) and the Oklahoma State University Hall of Fame (2018). She was also recognized by the state with a three-mile stretch of Interstate 35 west of Stillwater named the Nancy Randolph Davis Memorial Highway in 2018.

“We should make sure that every time we pass (the sculpture), we reflect on who she is and what she stands for and what that sculpture represents about Oklahoma State University,” Kirksey said.

LEARN MORE Watch the dedication of Nancy Randolph Davis’ statue at OSU at okla.st/davis.

From left: Dean Stephan Wilson, OSU President Burns Hargis, and Davis family members son Calvin Davis, granddaughter Teklyn Jackson-Davis and daughter Nancy Lynn Davis.

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UNIDOS SE PUEDE

OSU’s United We Can program helps Tulsa students succeed — and see more options

Jonathan Avendano (from left), Gabriella Lopez and Daisy Gallegos pass water between them while playing a game at Camp Okiwanee.

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"I think it is a pretty cool program because it brings people together and lets people know what is going on in the community."

ALEJANDRA AVINA

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ike many teens, Alejandra Avina doesn’t yet know what she wants to do for a career.

But thanks to Oklahoma State University’s Unidos Se Puede (United We Can) program, she knows she’s got a lot of options. Over the last two school years, she has received academic assistance from the program, which serves roughly 180 Tulsa youth in the Latino and African American communities annually.

“I think it is a pretty cool program because it brings people together and lets people know what is going on in the community,” Avina said. “It also teaches us that we can go into a career and not quit after high school.”

Now in its sixth year, the Unidos program works with seventh- and eighthgraders from eight Tulsa Public Schools to encourage high school graduation and to promote higher education. The program began with Dr. Ron Cox and his colleagues from OSU’s department of Human Development and Family Science doing a needs assessment of Oklahoma’s Latino communities in Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Lawton, Altus, Guymon, Stillwater and Clinton.

“We learned a lot about parents’ fears and their desire to help their children do better academically and to stay away from high-risk behaviors like substance abuse or teen pregnancy,” Cox said.

Latino youth make up roughly onethird of the 40,000 students within Tulsa Public Schools and African American students account for roughly

another quarter. About half the Latino students are English language learners, coming from homes where most parents speak only Spanish.

African American students joined the Unidos program this year, thanks to a grant and partnership between OSU and Langston University, a historically black college south of Stillwater.

“Partnering with Langston to increase its involvement in this program is key to reaching this population,” said Cox, who is also a cooperative extension specialist.

The program is built on three pillars: family engagement, positive peer affiliations and child personal agency.

For a young person to acquire “agency” means they are learning how to act on their own behalf rather than allowing adults to be their only advocates. It’s a critical point in moving from childhood dependency to adulthood independence.

Parents learn about the U.S. school system, including such nuances as what a school counselor does, the importance of parent-teacher conferences and why being on time to school is vital. They also learn research-based strategies to help their child succeed academically.

“These children come in with disadvantage both from poverty and maybe some traumatic experiences they have gone through,” Cox said. “We try to be close enough to the kids to figure out what’s going on and help them find either

the resources they need to succeed or to coach them in a different way to view life. You hear so many people say ‘I’m not good at math or science.’ That’s really a false statement. The way to look at that is ‘I’m really not good at that yet.’

And just by adding that one little word, it changes their whole perspective. It frees the child to explore new pathways toward success. We do a lot of coaching around that.”

A child’s friends can have a lasting impact on their lives.

“You can’t tell a child who your friends are going to be,” Cox said. “But you can create a space where children who are like-minded can have fun together, which then helps them to develop those bonds and relationships that help create positive peer groups. If the youth in our program start to think about academic success — that is, who I’m going to be 10 years from now and how I’m going to get there — having them think this way in peer groups is mutually reinforcing. Kids start feeling like, ‘Hey, I belong here.’”

The Unidos program pairs students with a paid success coach. The coach — typically a college student or a young professional — works with students and guardians to make important changes over the two years before high school.

“I can definitely tell the program is serving a huge need in the community,” said Elber Arroyo-Rivera, Unidos

Hector Ramirez (left) and Fernanda Velaquez build a catapult contraption during a Career Exploration Day event for participants of the Unidos Se Puedo program.

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Stephanie Lopez (from left), Alexabeth Trujillo, Theresa Torres, Ashlyn Murillo and Melissa Romo learn about law enforcement from a Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office deputy during a Career Exploration Day event for participants of the Unidos Se Puedo program.

program coordinator. “The parents and students are really close with the coaches.”

Coaches have access to student grades and attendance records and know right away if someone fails a test. The coach helps the student identify problem behaviors, learn to come up with viable solutions and put those solutions into practice. This might involve finding a tutor if one is needed. Guardians are coached to help encourage the student by making small changes in the home that reinforce the student’s goals to be successful.

“Education is not just the teachers teaching but it is also the parents nurturing,” Cox said. “If your child is going to be successful in school and in life, education has to begin at home. The parents have to be involved in a way that motivates and encourages. We help them do that.”

Francisca Avina wants the best for her three children, including Alejandra.

“My goal is for them to finish high school and then move on to whatever they want to do,” the mother said. “I would like them to learn a profession that they love.”

Students who participated in an eight-week program this summer were tutored in math, science or English by Tulsa teachers, in addition to learning about potential careers.

Members of the Tulsa Sheriff’s Office met and talked with students about their jobs.

“We are hoping that not only are we exposing kids to possible careers in law enforcement, but we are also reducing some of the tension between law enforcement and these traditionally underserved populations,” Cox said.

“After the meeting, one young lady was even more passionate about going into law enforcement.”

Over the summer, students also participated in teambuilding activities at Camp Okiwanee and a variety of Career Exploration Day events.

“The kids walk away from our program thinking college is within reach,” Cox said.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Visit okla.st/unidos or contact: Dr. Ron Cox • r.cox@okstate.edu • 405-744-9938 Unidos program coordinator Elber Arroyo-Rivera • elber.arroyo-rivera@okstate.edu • 323-236-2134.

COX HONORED WITH NATIONAL DIVERSITY AWARD Dr. Ronald Cox Jr., an Oklahoma State University associate professor and cooperative extension specialist, was the 2018 winner of the National Extension Diversity Award.

Recognizing visionary leadership and diversity in educational programming, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Cooperative Extension and the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities presented the honor.

The National Extension Diversity Award recognizes significant contributions and accomplishments in achieving and sustaining diversity and pluralism.

“We are extremely proud of Dr. Cox’s achievements and the national recognition of his communityengaged scholarship in the context of diversity,” said Jorge Atiles, associate dean for extension, engagement and continuing education. “He has managed to blend extension, research, and community partnerships to affect outcomes that will have long-lasting, positive impacts for Latino youth, their families, schools and communities.”

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STORY DAVID BITTON | PHOTO OLLI@OSU

LEARNING FOR LIFE

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Oklahoma State University keeps seniors active and social

A student hard at work during an OLLI@OSU charcoal drawing class in Stillwater.

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t 94 years old, Mary Frye prides herself on being a lifelong learner.

The high-spirited Stillwater resident with an infectious smile is one of thousands of people age 50 or better who have taken courses through Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Oklahoma State University.

“There are an awful lot of people who want to continue to explore, to learn, to be in contact with other folks and this program fulfills it all,” Frye said.

OLLI@OSU gives participants the opportunity to expand their knowledge through classes, travel and social activities while enriching the quality of their lives.

“One of the great things about OLLI is the comradery and the fellowship that comes with being with like-minded people,” said Robbin Davis, who took over as the program’s director in June.

“Certainly there is the learning, which keeps your brain engaged, but the social engagement is equally important.”

2007 BEGINNING

OSU’s program began in 2007 with 35 members and now holds classes in Stillwater, Tulsa, Bartlesville and Oklahoma City.

Non-credit courses this semester — ranging from acrylic painting to the Vietnam War — are taught by qualified instructors who volunteer on subjects they are passionate about.

OLLI@OSU founding director RuthAnn Sirbaugh, now the manager of continuing professional education for the College of Human Sciences, said it is amazing to see how genuinely interested the students are in learning.

Sirbaugh wrote the first grant proposal to the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute with help from retired sociology professor Dr. Ed Arquett after the OSU Emeriti Association approached then-College of Education Dean Pamela Fry — now the OSU-Tulsa president — about offering lifelong learning courses.

The program now numbers more than 1,000 members.

Mary Frye

Students share a laugh during an OLLI@OSU event in Bartlesville.

Robyn Burns (left) and Terry Fenner dissect owl pellets during an OLLI@ OSU science class in Tulsa.

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QUALIT Y COURSE

Sirbaugh loves that OLLI@OSU provides high-quality courses.

About 12 years ago, a course about the Tulsa Race Riots had the last remaining survivors of the 1921 massacre speak.

“There are so many impactful things that we learn about,” Sirbaugh said.

“I have a deep love of the educational process and a serious respect for how we craft our courses. We let people learn what they wanted to learn about.”

Most courses are two hours, once a week, for six weeks. There are no tests or grades.

Though the program is for those 50 and better, all are welcome.

Sirbaugh joked, “You’ve got to have coffee and by God, you’ve got to have Fig Newtons.”

She estimates that roughly 85 percent of the Stillwater OLLI@OSU participants are retired OSU faculty, staff or public-school teachers.

“They appreciate the research going on at OSU and have been willing participants for several professors,” Sirbaugh said.

RESEARCH TIE-INS

Dr. Alex Bishop, Human Development and Family Science associate professor and coordinator of the gerontology program at OSU, studies the vitality of old age.

“I look at very specific things like healthy longevity, subjective well-being, life satisfaction and quality of life,” Bishop said.

The Department of Human Development and Family Science is offering a new minor specific to aging.

“We hope students would take an interest in it because it is a growing population,” Bishop said. “By 2030, there will be more persons turning 65 than there will be babies being born, every day. This is a growing market, and there is opportunity for students to take advantage of it.”

He sees in-demand jobs in health care — think geriatrics — recreational/ hospitality and housing.

Dr. Emily Roberts, an assistant professor in Design, Housing and Merchandising, focuses on gerontology and architecture.

“I’m looking at how the physical environment impacts older adults, whether it’s at home, a long-term care facility or dementia care,” Roberts said. “Long-term learning is a big piece of avoiding cognitive decline.

The four factors of remaining active and being able to remain in your home are longevity, independence, fitness and engagement. The fitness and engagement pieces fit well with OLLI.” One research project she and her students are working on involves the idea of repurposing closed malls into indooroutdoor mixed-use communities where programs and services with multiple levels of care and providers would be offered to people with early stage cognitive decline. Residents would have the freedom go to the supermarket, visit a community garden or go out to dinner — all within the confines of the center.

“We all know that people want to stay in their homes,” Roberts said.

“OLLI is a great opportunity for older adults to continue to have purpose by going to class, staying social and avoiding isolation.”

TO LEARN MORE about OLLI@OSU programs, contact Robbin Davis at 405.744.5868 or olli@okstate.edu or visit education. okstate.edu/olli.

Chef Jeff Marlow, director of Culinary Services at the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma, teaches a cooking class to OLLI@OSU students.

OLLI@OSU director Robbin Davis.

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Stronger Together

Young faculty members team up to increase their impact

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unique collaboration between two early career faculty at Oklahoma State University is paying dividends.

Not long after Sam Emerson began his faculty position in nutritional sciences, he met Nate Jenkins, an assistant professor in health and human performance. The pair discovered they had similar research interests and training across the two disciplines of nutrition and exercise. During that initial meeting, Jenkins mentioned a funding opportunity from the American Heart Association.

Funding from the American Heart Association is often difficult to secure, but they decided to give it a shot together.

“For a lot of grants, you put in the first proposal and hope to hear something positive. You don’t fully expect to receive funding the first time,” Emerson said.

The proposal sought to study specific ways for older women to combat heart disease. The American Heart Association funded it on the pair’s first submission for $153,933 over two years.

Cardiovascular disease and heart attacks are often thought to be a more prevalent problem for men. According to the Centers for Disease Control, heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the United States, and more women than men are living with cardiovascular disease.

Jenkins and Emerson’s study focuses on postmenopausal women. Hormone replacement therapy appears to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, and both the American Heart Association and the American Medical Association advise against estrogen replacement. Interventions and alternatives to control or decrease cardiovascular disease in postmenopausal women are needed.

“From an exercise standpoint, we would typically prescribe aerobic exercise, such as going for a walk, for heart health,” Jenkins said. “But there is also emerging evidence that suggests resistance training may have either similar or additional benefits for cardiovascular health.”

That’s the premise of this study — to determine if resistance training can lessen cardiovascular risk in postmenopausal women.

Emerson and Jenkins are running a series of groups in 16-week training periods. The women go through a series of tests over a three-day period.

Lab assistants look at body composition on a DEXA scan, metabolic outcomes, aerobic capacity, muscle function and more.

“Through the process of recruiting subjects, we’ve heard that women are really excited about the resistance training component,” Emerson said. “Resistance training makes muscles stronger but can also improve your aerobic fitness and ultimately lower your risk. Even if we find that resistance versus aerobic training are not that different in terms of interventions or outcomes, that alone is meaningful, because you may have an (exercise) preference.”

Nutritional sciences department head Stephen Clarke says the support from the American Heart Association is a good reflection of the translational research Emerson and Jenkins are conducting to help improve the quality of life.

“Nate and Sam are providing a stimulating research environment where students can apply what they are learning in the classroom,” Clarke said.

Health and human performance professor Doug Smith is impressed with the duo’s investment in students.

“They are great mentors for undergraduate and graduate students.” Smith said. “Their Ph.D. graduates are seeing great success. They are competitive and receive quality job offers in academia.”

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“It has huge benefits. There is a cross pollination of ideas among students in different programs that wouldn’t normally occur. It’s a benefit for students in different programs to have the opportunity to work together.”

STEPHEN CLARKE, NUTRITIONAL SCIENCES DEPARTMENT HEAD

Sam Emerson (left) and Nate Jenkins are early in their academic careers at OSU, but they’re already gaining attention for their work.

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Jenkins and Emerson are both 29 years old and early in their academic careers. Still, they are already receiving considerable recognition. In 2018, Jenkins was named the Terry J. Housh Young Investigator of the Year by the National Strength and Conditioning Association. He is also part of the American Heart Association’s Research Leaders Academy.

Emerson, entering his third year as a faculty member, has mentored two Freshman Research Scholars and two Wentz Scholars at OSU. He also received the College of Human Sciences’ Outstanding Graduate Student Mentor Award in 2019.

Jenkins and Emerson now hold joint appointments across both the College of Education, Health and Aviation and the College of Human Sciences, which is unique at OSU.

The joint appointments facilitate collaboration on research projects and shared lab access. Jenkins and Emerson are also working to develop a joint course for undergraduate students across campus that is meant to be an overview of how nutrition and exercise science impact overall health.

Department head Clarke believes the joint appointment and collaboration are an asset to students.

“It has huge benefits. There is a cross pollination of ideas among students in different programs that wouldn’t normally occur. It’s a benefit for students in different programs to have the opportunity to work together,” Clarke said.

“It makes a ton of sense. Together, we are stronger than we are apart,” Jenkins said.

Sam Emerson (left) and Nate Jenkins look over some information gleaned from their study on women and cardiac disease that’s being funded by the American Heart Association.

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Giving Voice to the Quietest

Faculty duo promote student independence using assistive technology

Dr. Gretchen ColeLade and Dr. Claudia Otto

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est friends and Oklahoma State University colleagues Dr. Gretchen Cole-Lade and Dr. Claudia Otto have spent the last three years supporting and empowering children who have complex communication needs and varying degrees of disabilities using assistive technology.

“She is a quantitative researcher, and I’m a qualitative researcher,” Cole-Lade said. “It was a natural fit and balance.”

Cole-Lade, an assistant professor of human development and family science in the College of Human Sciences,

and Otto, an assistant professor of special education in the College of Education, Health and Aviation, met while completing their doctorates at OSU. Both had a passion for helping students with special needs, and both recognized an opportunity to leverage their resources and expertise.

“As a special education teacher, you cannot accomplish your goals and help students unless you have partnerships and collaboration,” Otto said. “It’s a pivotal part of our work. Disabilities stem from so many strengths, weaknesses, personalities and

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characteristics. It’s not possible for one person to see and address all of those.”

In 2016, Cole-Lade and Otto formed an interdisciplinary research team to study how technological communication support can help increase the independence of young children living with disabilities. Eight children, ages 2 to 7 with cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, developmental delays, sensory impairments and other intellectual disabilities, were introduced to low- and hightech devices and software in their classrooms. They learned how to use

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the devices and software to assist them with communicating and performing daily tasks. The project, funded by the Bartlett Family Grant, included team members from Oklahoma ABLE Tech, the OSU Child Development Laboratory and the OSU College of Arts and Sciences.

“The most challenging part was creating buy-in,” said Cole-Lade. “Of course, our team had already bought in, and we were all excited. Getting all of the educational professionals and parents on board was the hard part. We had to get them to buy in to the power of the device, always remembering that these are parents with hopes and to respect and support that.”

Initially, Cole-Lade and Otto conducted interviews and met individually with teachers and parents.

From there, they observed students in their classrooms in the OSU Child Development Lab and Stillwater Public Schools, and examined how following steps identified by the Quality Indicators for Assistive Technology (QIAT) impacted the children’s successful use of assistive technology to communicate. The study used speech generating devices and iPads equipped with programs such as Language Acquisition through Motor Planning (LAMP) and Snap Scene, an instant scene-based communication and learning application.

“We had one little one who started with us when he was 3,” ColeLade said. “He was diagnosed with a developmental delay and had a lot of sensory issues, including some characteristics of autism, but not diagnosed. He was completely nonverbal when we started working with him, and he was pretty frustrated with not being able to communicate his needs. We started him on the Accent 800, a high-tech communication device.

Within two years, he was speaking and spelling. He was our rock star.”

The study found that students with disabilities do initiate purposeful communication, and they react more

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to environmental circumstances when using assistive technology devices.

These students have something to say, and they want to say it.

“Yes, we are trying to provide assistive technology and training for these students so they can have a voice, but it’s also about discovering what that voice means to them,” Otto stressed.

“There was a little girl who wasn’t able to feed herself. Once she discovered her voice, we realized she wasn’t eating how she preferred. She had a certain order she wanted to eat her food — she liked to eat all her veggies first and then the meat and then the fruit. If you think about it, we all have a set way we like to

enjoy our meal, and she was eating the way someone else had decided.

Being able to finally communicate her preferences — that’s true membership, true independence. That’s her enjoying her life now, not just surviving it.”

The project far exceeded expectations, and both Cole-Lade and Otto light up when discussing the impact of the study.

“My cheeks hurt from smiling when I talk about it,” Cole-Lade beamed.

It’s been a heartfelt journey for all those involved, especially for the parents who have watched their children thrive with the help of assistive technology.

“I feel that it has given him a sense of independence when communicating with friends and teachers at school, and it has alleviated some frustration of not being able to do so,” said Gretchen Howell, whose son, Graham, participated in the study all three years. “I was apprehensive at first about his use of a communication device; I felt that it may become a crutch or an excuse to not speak for himself. It has done the opposite — it has given him the motivation and confidence to initiate speech more than he ever has before.”

BJ, a participant with developmental delays and complex communication needs who joined the study in the last year, now lights up when given the opportunity to tell someone his name and age.

“We are looking forward to the new school year and expect to see even more improvement with increased opportunities to use the iPad,” said Eillo Pannell, BJ’s mother. “We believe this will greatly increase his independence and decrease his anxiety.”

Formal data collection and grant funding for the study ended this year, but Cole-Lade and Otto are not done yet. They plan to stay involved with the project and periodically touch base with those using the devices, including Graham and BJ. “We are looking for other funding because we can still continue and grow this,” Otto said. “I’m looking at connections with other community research projects. I don’t want to stop.

There’s more work to be done.”

Regardless of what the future holds, this faculty duo remains committed to helping others navigate and overcome life’s obstacles.

“All of our struggles, disability or not, make us the beautiful people we are,” Otto said.

“All of our struggles, disability or not, make us the beautiful people we are.”

DR. CLAUDIA OTTO

O K L A H O M A S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y 21

Honoring Inclusion

Jones’ service-learning project wins recognition from APLU

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klahoma State University continues to garner national recognition for its community engagement efforts. A project from the College of Human Sciences is the latest effort to be honored by the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities.

OSU’s honored project, Engagement to Improve the Lives of Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, is spearheaded by Dr. Jennifer Jones, an associate professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Science.

In June 2019, APLU recognized six institutions, four award finalists and two exemplary designees, for extraordinary community outreach initiatives, and OSU was included among the exemplary designees.

Jones and her team work with several community and state agencies to improve the lives of Oklahomans who have intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.

“We are honored by this recognition because it helps bring awareness to an often-marginalized population,” Jones said. “The work we do is based on the fundamental belief that disability is a natural part of human diversity and that everyone benefits from inclusion.

I am grateful to work at a land-grant university that values and promotes inclusion and community engagement by providing support and resources that allow us to make a real difference in the day-to-day lives of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.”

Dr. Jennifer Jones

Rylee Moore receives support from Dr. Jennifer Jones’ students while riding at Turning Point Ranch.

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Mack Burris (right) works with a Ander Marin at Turning Point Ranch.

STORY CHRISTY LANG | PHOTO COLLEGE OF HUMAN SCIENCES

This marks the second time in three years that OSU has been honored as part of this APLU awards program. OSU was one of four regional winners of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Community Engagement Scholarship Award in 2017 before being selected as the sole national winner of the 2017 C. Peter Magrath Community Engagement Scholarship for a health collaborative between the Department of Nutritional Sciences and the Chickasaw Nation. The award recognizes programs that demonstrate how colleges and universities have redesigned their learning, discovery and engagement missions to become even more involved with their communities.

“We are extremely proud of this year’s recognition,” said Dr. Jorge Atiles, coordinator of the OSU University Network on Community Engagement. “We continue to build on our efforts to maximize our ability to partner and effect positive impacts in communities and in student learning and success. Dr. Jones’ work with individuals and families who are a part of the developmental disability community is indeed exemplary.”

Since 2012, students in Dr. Jones’ undergraduate course, HDFS 2123 Developmental Disabilities, have

been engaged in service-learning.

Over the past eight years, more than 1,000 students have volunteered at community agencies or in programs where they are partnered with community members with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Servicelearning helps students gain valuable real-world experience.

“Most students have little or no experience engaging with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities when they enter my undergraduate class. A good portion of our class time is spent unpacking the experiences they are having at their service-learning site and guiding students in critical reflection,” Jones said. “I am intentional in our discussions and in writing assignments to assist students in challenging, but not necessarily changing, their attitudes, beliefs, assumptions and stereotypes regarding intellectual and developmental disabilities and diversity.

By actively engaging in servicelearning, students not only benefit from a better understanding of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities from these projects, they often gain a better understanding of themselves.”

One of the community agencies that Jones and her team partner with is Turning Point Ranch, an accredited therapeutic riding center in Stillwater.

Through its partnership with Turning Point Ranch, OSU helps more individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities receive horse therapy, which has significant benefits for the population, according to research. The partnership has also made possible the co-creation of several presentations.

“I have been so fortunate to connect with committed community partners who value students and help scaffold their understanding through the experiences they provide,” Jones said. “The staff at Turning Point Ranch has gone above and beyond in their commitment to OSU students providing valuable instruction and feedback to students and exceptional communication with me and my team. Without strong relationships with community partners, students would not gain the benefits of these experiences.”

The Let’s Take a Walk Project, which is a service-learning component in Dr. Jones’ course, brings together OSU students and community members with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

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Financial Planning Expertise

New certificate opens opportunity to undergraduates and professionals alike

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Dr. Kate Mielitz

FOR MORE INFORMATION on the program, visit okla. st/FFPcertificate or contact Mielitz at 405-744-6052 or kate. mielitz@okstate.edu

he Department of Human Development and Family Science is offering a new financial planning certificate to help individuals strengthen their own relationship with money and to help others grow and better their financial futures.

The Certified Financial Planner™ Certification Education Program, approved by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc., is an 18-hour certificate program, open to any undergraduate student at OSU and to professionals.

“For over 17 years, we have been involved in providing a graduate program in family financial planning that provides the educational component that leads to the Certified Financial Planner™ designation,” said Human Development and Family Science department head Sissy R. Osteen. “We are very pleased that we can now offer this opportunity to undergraduates. Finances are core to the functioning of families, and we are proud to prepare our students to help individuals and families make vital decisions about resources and meeting their goals.”

Dr. Kate Mielitz, an assistant professor in family financial planning, coordinates the certificate program.

“This certificate in family financial planning provides knowledge and skills for working with people and their financial resources. We focus on individuals and families first and how money is used as a tool for meeting goals,” Mielitz said.

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Coursework centers on family planning for insurance, retirement, income taxes, investments and more.

After completing the required classes, individuals are eligible to sit for the CFP® (Certified Financial Planner) and/or AFC® (Accredited Financial Counselor) exams.

“Financial planning and counseling represent a growing field, and the undergraduate certificate allows students to pursue the gold standard credentials,” Mielitz said.

Passing the exams and gaining work experience provides the credentialing necessary for a respected career in the financial counseling and planning industries.

In addition to serving current undergraduate students, Mielitz says the certificate offers a great benefit to working professionals.

“Investment advisors, insurance salespersons, Marriage and Family Therapists, Licensed Professional Counselors, and bank or credit union customer service representatives are just a handful of the working professionals who could utilize the certificate for personal and professional advancement,” Mielitz said.

O K L A H O M A S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y 25

Curbing Oklahoma Obesity

Pilot project aims to improve health in Adair and Muskogee counties

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ith support from a nearly $4 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Oklahoma State University is working to tackle the obesity crisis and inject healthy living habits in Adair and Muskogee counties in eastern Oklahoma.

The College of Human Sciences and OSU’s Center for Health Systems Innovation partnered with the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service on the project, which received the five-year funding in the fall of 2018.

The High Obesity Program, which is part of the CDC’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity, funds land-grant universities in states with counties that have more than 40 percent prevalence of obesity in adults.

Oklahoma ranks sixth in the nation for its adult obesity and diabetes rates, second in cardiovascular deaths and fifth in cancer deaths, according to the CDC and the 2014 Oklahoma State of the State Health Report. The two counties initially targeted for help have adult obesity rates exceeding 40 percent: Adair (41.3 percent) and Muskogee (40.6 percent). The project, titled Curbing Obesity in Adair and Muskogee Counties, aims to work with community organizations to create opportunities and incentives for consumption of healthy foods and increased levels of physical activity.

According to Deana Hildebrand, a professor and extension specialist in OSU’s Department of Nutritional Sciences, OSU is collaborating with

community organizations to expand and enhance healthy eating initiatives and safe and accessible physical activity options. In the 12 months since launching the High Obesity project, the team has conducted needs assessments, built relationships and partnerships and begun to influence health changes in Adair and Muskogee counties through policy and environmental changes.

William D. Paiva is the executive director for the Center for Health Systems Innovation, which works across the state to transform rural and Native American health. “(Through the funded project), we are providing valuable programs to our rural citizens to address the obesity crisis, which is causing Oklahomans to die far too young,” Paiva said.

Janice Hermann, a professor and extension specialist in the Department of Nutritional Sciences, said the longterm benefits of the program will be improved physical health of residents in Adair and Muskogee counties.

“It is clear from the research we have conducted at OSU and the CDC’s research efforts that many of the issues related to our obesity epidemic in Oklahoma can be addressed with a focused effort to improve access to healthy food and safe and accessible physical activity options,” Hermann said.

Lacey Wallace, manager for the CDC High Obesity Program, said coalitions and partnerships have been integral to the program’s early success.

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“By collaborating with TSET (Healthy Living Program) grantees, both TSET and CDC funds have been leveraged to achieve outcomes that might not have been achieved otherwise,” Wallace said.

In Adair County, the Stillwell City Council passed the Safe Route to School and Complete Streets resolutions.

Infrastructure improvements have been made on the streets surrounding local schools to encourage walking and biking and to increase student safety.

“Policy changes like this communicate a culture of health to the community,” Hildebrand said.

In Muskogee County, walking trail flyers were distributed through the city’s utility mailing and installation of way-finding signage for the Muskogee trail system has begun. Because of these efforts, community residents have an increased awareness of the free physical activity resources and opportunities in the county. The team also partnered with the TSET Healthy Living Initiative on a special event to prepare and serve free samples of a wide variety of fresh fruit and vegetables at a farmer’s market.

“We are excited and honored to be working with the TSET, Eastern Oklahoma Food Bank, the Cherokee Nation and local health providers as partners in this project,” Hildebrand said. “Together, we are making progress in creating healthy environments to support residents in living healthy lives and experiencing better health outcomes.”

STORY CHRISTY LANG | PHOTO COLLEGE OF HUMAN SCIENCES

O K L A H O M A S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y 27

Reading to Retention

College’s Freshman Reading Program celebrates success with higher retention and graduation rates

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his fall marked the 15th anniversary of the College of Human Sciences’ Freshman Reading Program, which has been key to the college’s strong student retention rate.

When Dr. Shiretta Ownbey began serving as associate dean for academic programs and services in Human Sciences in 2003, the college wanted to improve its six-year graduation and retention rates. In 2004, the college established OSU’s first Student Success Center as a central unit for academic advising, career development and more.

Ownbey also set out to learn about research on the first-year experience for college students, attending a series of conferences and institutes.

“It was not uncommon to hear about a reading program, but most were done across small, private universities,” Ownbey said. “It was typically a volunteer effort, and students could do it or not.

“The research shows that if a student connects very early in their first semester with a trusted adult who is welcoming and willing to help the student, there is a greater chance the student will be retained,” Ownbey said.

She liked the idea of a reading program and felt it was important for participation to be a requirement and to make it easy for students to participate.

Under Ownbey’s leadership, the Freshman Reading Program launched in 2005 to enhance the first-year experience for freshmen in the College of Human Sciences. It has since expanded to include transfer students and is one of a series of initiatives that have benefited the college’s student retention rate.

Ownbey and the academic and program services team have recruited 40-50 volunteers, including faculty and staff from across campus and even community members, who want to help students succeed in their first year of college. These adults serve as discussion group leaders, and many them have participated in the program from the beginning.

“We pick a book, and the college purchases copies that are given as a gift to incoming students when they come to campus for orientation in the summer,” Ownbey said.

The selected book is always small, easy to read and features a message that will be relevant to students’ success in their first year of college and beyond.

Before classes begin, students are provided questions to consider as they read the book.

The book discussion is coordinated through first-year seminar courses, which are taught by academic advisors with students grouped according to their majors. Roughly six to eight students are assigned to each facilitator, and the groups meet twice in September to discuss the book.

“What I notice is the connection students make with their discussion leaders,” said Kristi Seuhs, director of Student Advising and Retention. “The connection and mentorship continue throughout the semester with the adults taking students to lunch or checking in on them. There is a strong message sent to students — ‘Welcome to college and to Stillwater. We’re here to support you.’”

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Discussion leaders have noticed when a student may be struggling or need extra support, she said.

“The opportunity for us (as advisers) to be aware and to reach out with resources or support often helps a student persist,” she said.

Macey Mayberry, a junior studying human development and family science, has experienced the reading as both a new freshman and later as a student mentor.

“I moved 6 hours away from home and knew no on one when I came to OSU, so book club during the second week of school allowed me to have some familiar faces in my classes which was very helpful,” Mayberry said.

Mayberry also noted that the books serve as good conversation starters about struggles freshmen may go through.

“It’s easy to feel like you’re alone at the beginning of your first year. You may feel like you’re not meeting friends or not finding things you want to get involved in. It helps knowing that other people are going through these same struggles too,” she said.

The Freshman Reading Program is one of series of initiatives that have helped the College of Human Sciences retain students. In the mid-1990s, the college retention rate was around 72 percent. By 2010, that number had risen to 86 percent and for 2018-19, it was better than 87 percent, one of the strongest rates on campus.

“Our college has done a really good job of connecting with lower-division students, working with them to keep them in school. It has been a strategic effort over a period of time,” Ownbey said.

STORY CHRISTY LANG | PHOTO COLLEGE OF HUMAN SCIENCES

READING LIST 2005 BLINK: The Power of Thinking without Thinking

by Malcolm Gladwell 2006 The Velveteen Principles by Toni Raiten-D’Antonio 2007 The Art of Possibility

by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander 2008 The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow 2009 A Complaint-Free World by Will Bowen 2010 & 2011 Wellbeing: The Five Essential Elements by Tom Rath and Jim Harter 2012 The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg 2013 The ONE Thing by Gary Keller with Jay Papasan 2014 The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle 2015 The Wisdom of Oz: Using Personal Accountability to Succeed in Everything You Do by Roger Connors and Tom Smith 2016 The Practicing Mind by Thomas M. Sterner 2017 Make Your Bed by Admiral William H. McRaven (U.S. Navy, retired) 2018 How to Break up With Your Phone: The 30-Day Plan to Take Back Your Life

by Catherine Price 2019 Waking Up Chase: The Student’s Journey to Awakening His Potential by Darryl Bellamy Jr.

O K L A H O M A S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y 29

College honors 8 alumni

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klahoma State University’s College of Human Sciences recognized eight graduates during its 2019 Alumni Awards dinner in August on the Stillwater campus.

Teddie Price of Bentonville, Arkansas, was presented with the college’s highest honor for graduates, the Alumni Hall of Fame Award. This award recognizes alumni for service to society, professional achievements and impact on their community and or profession.

Rhonda Paul Ashburn and Ladd of Washington, D.C., and Amanda Baker Kendall of Dallas were recognized with the Distinguished Alumni Award. This honor is presented to alumni who are leaders in their respective fields and who have advanced the reputation of OSU’s College of Human Sciences.

Sheri Glazier of Loyal, Oklahoma, Hayley Goodman and Brooke Kusch of Enid, Oklahoma, and Melissa G. Oliver of Stillwater were honored as 2019 Rising Stars. This award is given to graduates who have distinguished themselves and achieved significant professional accomplishments within the first 10 years of their careers.

2019 ALUMNI HALL OF FAME AWARD

2019 DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD

Teddie Price

Rhonda Paul Ashburn

Teddie Price, a 1991 OSU graduate in design, housing and merchandising, has worked for Walmart Corp. for 28 years and is the director of replenishment for ladies’ apparel for Walmart Stores Inc. In both 2017 and 2018, she received the Walmart Apparel Division’s Quarterly Above and Beyond Award, recognizing her hard work, dedication and willingness to exceed customers’ expectations. She also received Walmart’s Quarterly Merchandising Spot Award, recognizing best-inclass performance in apparel merchandising, leadership and strategy efforts, in 2017. Price was part of Walmart’s Buying Teams of the Year in 1995, 1996 and 1997. An original member of the OSU College of Human Sciences Partners, she served as the group’s president from spring 2017 to spring 2019. Price has also been active as a member of the DHM Advisory Board since 2013 and often shares her expertise and experience with current students by reviewing résumés and speaking to classes. In 2010, Price was presented with the College of Human Sciences Distinguished Alumni Award.

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Rhonda Paul Ashburn earned her bachelor’s degree in home economics education and community services from OSU in 1986. She also holds a Nonprofit Management Executive Certificate from Georgetown University’s Center for Public and Nonprofit Leadership. Since 2016, Ashburn has worked as the executive director for the American Financial Services Association Education Foundation in Washington, D.C. She is responsible for the administration, programs, strategic planning and annual development efforts for the organization.

The non-profit aims to heighten consumers’ awareness of personal financial responsibility. Previously, Ashburn worked for the National Foundation for Credit Counseling as the senior director of financial education programs. She has also worked as the director of development for the Family, Career and Community Leaders of America in Reston, Virginia.

Ashburn received FCCLA’s National Distinguished Service Award, and the National Foundation for Credit Counseling recognized her as Board Chair Making a Difference.

2019 DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD

2019 DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD

Amanda Baker Kendall

Ladd

Amanda Baker Kendall is a senior associate at Gensler, a global design and architecture firm in Dallas. The Stillwater native received her bachelor’s degree in interior design from Oklahoma State University in 1996. Kendall is a registered interior designer in Texas. She is a member of and has held leadership positions in both the International Interior Design Association and the Texas Association of Interior Designers.

She joined Gensler in 2007 and has worked on projects ranging from interiors for consulting and technology firms to largescale headquarters such as AmerisourceBergen, the Dallas Cowboys World Headquarters and Devon Energy. Kendall is involved with the OSU Women’s Council of Dallas, the OSU Design, Housing and Merchandising Advisory Board and the Dallas Children’s Theater Board of Trustees.

2019 RISING STAR AWARD Sheri Glazier

Ladd completed her bachelor’s degree in human dietetics at OSU in 1990. She is the senior technical director for nutrition with ACDI/VOCA, an agricultural development organization that helps small farmers participate in the world economy through improved agriculture and market systems. After graduating from OSU, Ladd took a position at a therapeutic feeding center for malnourished children in the Philippines. She then returned to school to focus on international nutrition and earned her master’s degree in public health and nutrition at James Madison University.

She worked in feeding camps in Somalia during the famine and war. She continued to take appointments in war zones, including Liberia, South Sudan, Darfur, Sudan, Iraq and Afghanistan, working with nutritionally vulnerable women and children. After over a decade of working internationally, Ladd returned to the United States and to work for the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment as a nutrition consultant for the Women Infant and Children program. In 2007, she returned to her passion for international nutrition in Washington, D.C., as a nutritionist for the International Medical Corp., an emergency medical group that responds to disasters worldwide.

Sheri Glazier, RDN, LD, received her bachelor’s degree in human sciences in 2010 and her master’s degree in nutritional sciences along with completing her dietetic internship in 2012. As a registered dietician, Glazier has worked in various aspects of dietetics including clinical, outpatient and food service management. She enjoys assisting clients and working to implement nutritional plans that can forever impact the trajectory of the patient’s health and wellness. She is currently a clinical/outpatient dietitian at Mercy Hospital in Oklahoma City. Most recently, Glazier founded a consulting business, Dirt Road Dietitian LLC. In 2016, she became the consultant dietician to the Oklahoma Beef Council, serving as the health and nutrition liaison between Oklahoma’s beef farmers and ranchers and the medical and health professional communities in the state. Glazier has been active with the board of directors for the Oklahoma Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, serving as member services chair.

O K L A H O M A S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y 31

2019 RISING STAR AWARD

2019 RISING STAR AWARD

Hayley Goodman

Brooke Kusch

Hayley Goodman graduated with a bachelor’s degree in human development and family science with an option in early childhood education and completed teaching certification in 2015. She works for Enid Public Schools at the Northwestern Oklahoma State University Early Childhood Center, a cooperative preschool between Enid Public Schools and Northwestern Oklahoma State University that provides education for 4- and 5-year-olds while functioning as a lab space for students to become the next generation of teachers.

Before her current position, Goodman worked with Enid Public Schools’ intergenerational program at the Commons Retirement Center, where students interacted with residents.

Goodman also tutors K-8 students at the Enid Learning Academy.

2019 RISING STAR AWARD Melissa G. Oliver

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Brooke Kusch graduated summa cum laude from the University of Central Oklahoma with a bachelor’s degree in education with an emphasis in family and consumer sciences education. In 2012, she obtained her master’s degree in family financial planning from the OSU College of Human Sciences. She earned an additional Master of Education in School Counseling from Southwestern Oklahoma State University in 2016. Kusch is a member of the OSU Human Sciences Advisory Board and has served as a mentor teacher to five OSU teacher candidates. She has recently taken a position as a career counselor at Autry Technology Center in Enid, Oklahoma. Previously, she was a family and consumer sciences instructor at Drummond Public Schools, where she developed a successful shadowing program for family and consumer sciences students. She is the current president of the Oklahoma Association of Career and Technology Education.

Melissa G. Oliver, a licensed marriage and family therapist, is a two-time graduate of the College of Human Sciences. She graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in human development and family science with an emphasis in child and family services in 2009. She earned her master’s degree in human development and family science in 2011 with an emphasis in marriage and family therapy.

In January 2019, Oliver co-founded Stillwater Counseling Center, which provides therapy services. Before forming her own practice, Oliver worked for Wings of Hope Family Crisis Services, working with victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and harassment. She has also served as an adjunct instructor at Oklahoma State University and has been an active researcher with many professional publications and presentations.

At OSU, we dream as big as the sky, and we want our students to stretch their horizons in meaningful ways.

Higher education is more than merely enrolling in classes at OSU — it’s a journey.

The $375 million Brighter Orange, Brighter Future campaign ensures no student at Oklahoma State University is alone in their pursuit of higher education by raising funds for need-based and meritbased scholarships, internship and study abroad opportunities, and programs that focus on overall student support.

Before a student steps foot on campus, your generosity illuminates the way with the brightest of orange!

The Cowboy family is always there to help students stay on track, get back on course or navigate a new path to success.

No matter where you decide to make an impact, your gift ensures every student can feel the power — and hope — of having the Cowboy family behind them.

Visit brighter-orange.com to learn more about how you can make a difference.

The 2019 College of Human Sciences Seniors of Distinction are (front row, from left) Katherine Metzinger, Nicole Sparks, Ben Watson and Ashtyn Shugart, (back row from left) Emily Callison, Alexis Ferdinandsen and Carli Curtis. Not pictured is Summer Stevens.

2019 Seniors of Distinction Eight students were recognized as 2019 College of Human Sciences Seniors of Distinction, the college’s highest honor for graduating seniors. Awards are based on academic achievement, balanced extracurricular activities and campus leadership, commitment to major degree program and potential for future success, global learning experiences and significant contributions to the Cowboy community.

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EMILY CALLISON DALLAS Emily Callison graduated in nutritional sciences with an option in allied health. She represented the College of Human Sciences as a Link Leader, assisting with student recruitment events and meeting with prospective students and their families to discuss major options, and as a Freshman Scholar Leader Mentor for first-year students. Callison served as vice president of the Pre-Physician Club, participated in Cowboy Cousins and volunteered for numerous organizations, including Into the Streets, Share the WEALTH and the Stillwater Medical Center. As a Freshman Research Scholar, Callison studied the prevalence of eating disorders in college women and her work was recognized with a second-place award at the OSU Undergraduate Research Symposium.

She was a member of Phi Kappa Phi and Phi Upsilon Omicron national honor societies.

CARLI CURTIS WETUMKA, OKLAHOMA Carli Curtis graduated in human development and family science with an option in child and family services in May. She was a research assistant with the Co-Parenting for Resilience Research Lab in the College of Human Sciences and volunteered with Wings of Hope Family Crisis Center as a sexual assault response advocate and as a church small group leader. A member of the OSU President’s Honor Roll for five semesters, Curtis served as vice president for communication and as director of campus life relations for the CowboyThon, which benefits the Children’s Hospital Foundation in Oklahoma City. She worked as a scholar recruitment scheduler and a campus tour guide for OSU’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Curtis received the Danel Family Endowed Scholarship and was a member of Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society.

ALEXIS FERDINANDSEN ALLEN, TEXAS Alexis Ferdinandsen graduated in hospitality and tourism management in May. She served as events executive co-chair for the Craft Beer Forum of Oklahoma in 2018 and was wine manager for the February 2019 Chef Event and the hospitality executive co-chair for Wine Forum of Oklahoma 2019. Ferdinandsen also graduated with a minor in entrepreneurship and served as part of the entrepreneurship student advisory board. A member of the Dean’s Honor Roll for four semesters, she spent two summers as an intern with the Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas. She was a part of Human Sciences Student Council and served as communication chair for HTM Student Council.

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KATHERINE METZINGER OKLAHOMA CITY Katherine Metzinger graduated in nutritional sciences with an option in dietetics and a minor in child development in May. Metzinger was a Human Sciences Freshman Scholar Leader Mentor and an ambassador.

A student in the Honors College, she participated in research and received the “Recognition of Greatest Potential” Award at the Kathleen Briggs Undergraduate Scholars Forum. Metzinger also received Outstanding Dietetic Student for the state of Oklahoma. She was active in the Nutritional Sciences Club, serving as president this past year, and has been inducted to Phi Kappa Phi. She served as secretary for Phi Upsilon Omicron and received the organization’s Margaret Jerome Sampson Scholarship, one of seven national awards for outstanding academics and leadership with a nutrition emphasis. Metzinger interned with the Regional Food Bank Summer Feeding program.

ASHTYN SHUGART LAVON, TEXAS Ashtyn Shugart graduated in design, housing and merchandising with an option in interior design in May. She represented the College of Human Sciences as a Link Leader, assisting with student recruitment events and meeting with prospective students and their families to discuss major options.

A student in the OSU Honors College, she made the President’s Honor Roll each semester while at OSU. She has been active with Alpha Omicron Pi and the American Society of Interior Designers as both president and vice president. Shugart was also a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and Phi Kappa Phi Honors Society. She interned with the DLR Group | Staffelbach in Dallas.

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NICOLE SPARKS TULSA Nicole Sparks graduated in hospitality and tourism management in May. She served as executive chair for the 2019 Wine Forum of Oklahoma. She was also an ambassador chair for 2018 Hospitality Days and as a part of the beverage committee for the first Craft Beer Forum of Oklahoma. In addition, she served as assistant homecoming director for her sorority. Sparks held two summer internships with Professional Sports Catering for the Tulsa Drillers minor league baseball team. She was also a teaching assistant for the learning lab in Taylor’s Restaurant.

Sparks volunteered for Wings of Hope, the Big Event, Into the Street and the local animal shelter. She received and maintained the Academic Opportunity Award and is a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars.

SUMMER STEVENS PERRY, OKLAHOMA Summer Stevens graduated from design, housing and merchandising with an option in merchandising. She was an Oklahoma State University Senior of Significance for 2018-19, representing the top 1 percent of the senior class. She served as executive director of the OSU Speakers Board and as vice president of membership for the OSU Student Foundation. Stevens was also part of the President’s Partners Committee, where she helped host events on behalf of OSU President Burns Hargis. She was a Top 10 Freshman Woman and has been inducted to the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society. She interned with Samantha Brown Styling and Dear John Denim and participated in a leadership study abroad program to Spain and Portugal. Stevens was also part of a team that earned second place for product development in a competition with Target.

BEN WATSON OKLAHOMA CITY Ben Watson graduated in human development and family science with an option in child and family services in May. Watson was active in leadership roles with CowboyThon, which benefits the Children’s Hospital Foundation in Oklahoma City, serving as both director of campus life relations and as vice president of operations for the year-long fundraising event. He was part of the President’s Leadership Council as a freshman and continued as a PLC facilitator while at OSU. He participated in research, working in the College of Human Sciences Child Trauma Lab, which focuses on child abuse and neglect prevention. Watson served as an OSU Campus Tour guide.

Consistently on the President’s Honor Roll, he was selected for the National Society of Leadership Success, Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society and received College of Human Sciences scholarships.

O K L A H O M A S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y 37

A View to DHM’s Future

New head Lynn Boorady offers her take on the opportunities ahead

D

r. Lynn Boorady is the new head of the Department of Design, Housing and Merchandising.

She came from the State University of New York College at Buffalo, where she had been chair of fashion and textile technology since 2007. She has 25 years of experience in higher education.

She earned her doctorate in textile and apparel management with a minor in information technology from the University of Missouri in 2005. She also holds a master’s in textiles and apparel from Cornell University and a bachelor’s from the University of Pittsburgh. Boorady is the vice president of operations for the International Textile and Apparel Association and won several teaching honors at SUNY-Buffalo State: the system-level Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2018, President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2016 and the ITAA’s teaching excellence award in 2017.

We chatted with her as she began her OSU career. Excerpts follow:

What opportunities or advantages does the OSU Department of Design, Housing and Merchandising have?

What are selling points about the department?

The technology we use in our teaching and research keeps us at the cutting edge of what our industry needs. We want students to learn what is happening now and prepare them for what the industry will be once they graduate. Our faculty conduct research that improves the way we live, shop and interact with our environment. The minor in sustainable design covers the myriad of processes needed in order to make solid business decisions that benefit people and the planet with an eye on the bottom line. We offer great support for students through scholarships, industry connections, real-life projects and experiences before graduation. This helps give them a foothold for success.

Where do you see potential for growth in the department?

I think expanding our sustainable design foothold is important. Industry is looking for people who understand the complexity and potential profit that comes with dedicating your business to sincerely doing good.

Do you have any specific plans or dreams to implement new opportunities for students and/or faculty?

I would love to implement more study abroad opportunities to Asia. Many of my industry colleagues say they need employees who are able to handle the challenge of being in a foreign country. They need to send their employees to countries across Asia for sourcing and quality control.

Tell us about your early experiences in Stillwater. What are your first impressions?

Everyone is so friendly! I already feel right at home.

Dr. Jane Swinney (right) passes the torch to Design, Housing, and Merchandising’s new department head, Dr. Lynn Boorady.

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PHOTO DIANA HASLETT

FACULT Y BRIEFS

College faculty members receive university honors

Jennifer Jones

Amanda Morris

Ronald Cox

Jorge Atiles

Amy Williamson Payton

Cosette Armstrong

Several members of the College of Human Sciences faculty were honored with university-level awards for 2018-19.

Jennifer Jones, associate professor in Human Development and Family Science, was presented with the Regents Distinguished Teaching Award.

In addition, Jones and her team also placed third in the President’s Cup for Creative Interdisciplinary for the Let’s Take a Walk program.

Let’s Talk a Walk pairs OSU students and community members with intellectual and development disabilities for weekly walking and talking sessions and studies how the activity impacts health and stress levels of college students, community walkers and caregivers.

Team members include HDFS associate professor Kami Gallus and nutritional sciences assistant professor Sam Emerson.

Amanda Morris was honored with the Regents Distinguished Research Award. Morris is a Regents Professor in Human Development and Family Science at OSU-Tulsa and the George Kaiser Family Foundation Chair in Child Development.

Ronald Cox received the Land-Grant Award for Excellence. Cox is the George Kaiser Family Foundation Chair in Child and Family Resilience and a cooperative extension specialist.

Jorge Atiles, associate dean for extension, community engagement and continuing education, was honored with the University Service Award.

Amy Williamson Payton received the Distinguished Early Career Faculty Award. Payton is an associate professor in Human Development and Family Science and holds the Ramona Ware Emmons Paul Professor Endowed Professorship in Early Childhood.

She also was one of three winners of an OSU President’s Fellows Faculty Research Award for 2019.

Payton will use the funding to help find ways to ease the stressors faced by early childhood educators.

Early childhood programs expel students at rates three times higher than K-12 schools. While these expulsions are often caused by children’s behavioral problems, it’s the caregivers who institute the actions. Payton believes that offering mentoring and group reflection opportunities to caregivers will reduce their stress levels, extending their empathy and understanding with their subjects.

Design, Housing and Merchandising associate professor Cosette Joyner Armstrong was honored with the Advising Excellence Award.

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FACULT Y BRIEFS

Roberts wins grants for dementia care innovations Design, Housing and Merchandising assistant professor Emily Roberts has received grant funding to support work focusing on innovation in dementia programs. The American Society of Interior Designers Foundation awarded Roberts and her team a Transform Grant for the “Convergency: Laying the Groundwork for Repurposing Distressed Urban Mall Environments for Mixed-Use Dementia-Friendly City Centers.”

Alex Bishop, associate professor in human development and family science, and DHM research assistant Tori Hilger are also working on the project.

Roberts is also a co-PI to Guoliang Fan, the Cal and Marilyn Vogt Professor of Engineering in the OSU School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, on a National Institutes of Healthfunded grant that supports developing an innovative cognitive assistive technology called CATcare. This wearable device is designed to provide two-way assistance to the dementia caregiver and care recipient living at home, enabling more independence and improving the quality of life.

Child Development Lab names new director Longtime educator Sandy Major is the new director of the Cleo L. Craig Child Development Laboratory.

Major has more than 30 years of experience in public education. She served as interim director of the CDL in 2018 and was selected for the permanent director’s role following an extensive search and screening process.

She has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a master’s in early childhood education, both from OSU. She has spent 31 years as a schoolteacher, including 22 with Stillwater Public Schools. She has also served as an adjunct instructor in elementary education at OSU and is a member of the National Association

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for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

The CDL is one of fewer than 10 percent of all child care centers, preschools and kindergartens nationwide that hold NAEYC accreditation, widely recognized as a sign of excellence in early childhood education.

Faculty members get new titles, reappointments from assistant professor to associate professor (action confers tenure). Gena Wollenberg (nutritional sciences) was promoted from teaching assistant professor to teaching associate professor.

Nathan Hardy (human development and family science) was reappointed as an assistant professor. Ron Cox was also reappointed as the George Kaiser Family Foundation Chair in Family Resilience. Amanda Harrist (human

Several Human Sciences faculty members received promotions and more were reappointed to positions during the June OSU A&M Board of Regents meeting. They include: Ron Cox (human development and family science) and Deana Hildebrand (nutritional sciences) were promoted from associate professor to professor.

Jennifer Jones (human development and family science) and Dingo Lin (nutritional sciences) were promoted

Deana Hildebrand

Gena Wollenberg

Nathan Hardy

development and family science) was reappointed to the Bryan Close Professorship. Amanda Morris (human development and family science) was reappointed to the George Kaiser Family Foundation Chair in Child Development. Mike Stout (human development and family science) was reappointed to the George Kaiser Chair in Community Policy, Human Development and Family Science.

Amanda Harrist

Cooking for Kids program wins national honor The OSU team that developed and leads the Cooking for Kids program was recognized with a 2019 Priester Award at the National Health Outreach Conference.

The Priester awards honor extension programs that benefit the health of people across the U.S. Cooking for Kids was chosen in the “Innovative� category, honoring projects that employ new methods and/or go

beyond traditional programming to address an identified need in the community.

Cooking for Kids invests in Oklahoma school nutrition programs and the individuals who oversee and deliver them in order to increase the availability of freshly prepared food, feed more children and expand public support for child nutrition programs.

The program offers consultations and resources at no cost to schools.

The team includes nutritional sciences professor and project director Deana Hildebrand; project manager Cass Ring; nutritional sciences associate professor and food specialist Barbara Brown; evaluation coordinator Jennie Till; senior consulting chef Tiffany Poe; and chefs Callie Farrish and Bill Harris.

National academy names Romano a fellow Diana Romano, an assistant extension specialist in Family and Consumer Sciences, has received the Fellow of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The designation recognizes her commitment to the field of dietetics, her professional accomplishments and pursuit of lifelong learning. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is the world’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals.

At OSU, Romano works with the Community Nutrition Education Program, where she focuses on programming for adults. CNEP provides nutrition education to limited-resource individuals and families.

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NEWS AND NOTES

Early Childhood Education ranks in national top 10

O

klahoma State University is No. 7 nationally among the 25 Best Early Childhood Education Bachelor’s Programs for 2019, according to the Bachelor’s Degree Center.

OSU is one of only a few early childhood programs to offer a development learning lab — the Cleo L. Craig Child Development Laboratory (CDL) — for early childhood education students and other programs across campus.

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The CDL is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, a distinction less than 10 percent of all preschools, kindergartens and childcare centers have earned.

The degree program includes more than 1,200 hours of time in classrooms for students, working with children ages six weeks through the end of second grade and a 100 percent employment rate for graduates.

Kendall Anderson (left) and Christina Sciarillo (right) placed first and second, respectively, in the OSU 3MT competition in 2018.

Nutritional Sciences students top OSU 3MT competition Nutritional Sciences master’s students Kendall Anderson and Christina Sciarrillo took top honors at the 2018 Oklahoma State University 3MT (Three-Minute Thesis) competition. Anderson placed first overall while Sciarrillo was the runner-up and People’s Choice award recipient.

The 3MT helps graduate students learn to present their research and convey its societal significance to lay audiences concisely.

Anderson’s presentation was entitled “Pecans: Altering communication between the gut and the immune system” and won her a $1,000 prize. Brenda Smith, Regents Professor in Nutritional Sciences, is Anderson’s adviser.

Sciarrillo was the judges’ choice for second place and her presentation, entitled “Saturated Fat, Friend or Foe?”, secured the People’s Choice Award. She earned a $750 cash prize, plus another $1,000 as the People’s Choice winner. Sam Emerson, assistant professor in nutritional sciences, serves as Sciarillo’s adviser.

Anderson and Sciarrillo competed against 11 other master’s and doctoral students from across the OSU campus.

NSCI graduate named to 40 under 40 list Alumna Claire (Grady) Gish, a two-time graduate of the Department of Nutritional Sciences in the College of Human Sciences, has been recognized as one of Oklahoma magazine’s 40 Under 40. Gish graduated with a bachelor’s degree in nutritional sciences: dietetics in 2009 and a master’s degree in the same field in 2011.

Since graduating, Gish has worked in Tulsa as a Clinical Dietitian at the Laureate Eating Disorder Program, a part of the Saint Francis Health System. She also currently serves on the board of the Oklahoma Eating Disorder Association.

OSU alumna wins Investigator award Nutritional Sciences alumna Elizabeth Rendina-Ruedy, Ph.D., was one of 10 international recipients of the 2019 John Haddad Young Investigator Award, given by the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research. She is currently an assistant professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

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NEWS AND NOTES

Six students named Wentz Research Scholars Six College of Human Sciences students have been selected as Wentz Research Scholars for the 2019-20 school year. The group of students represents all three departments and is the largest number of Human Sciences students selected for the prestigious honor in a single year.

Thanks to the generosity of the Lew Wentz Foundation, each scholar will receive $4,500 to conduct an original research project under the guidance of an OSU faculty member. The students submitted research proposals that underwent a rigorous blind review process by the Wentz Research Selection Committee.

Wentz Research Scholars, faculty mentors and project titles from Human Sciences are: Sydney Bellah of Stillwater Human Development and Family Science Faculty mentor: Dr. Alex Bishop “A Time to Heal: Examining Forgiveness Among Women in Prison” Destinee Elliott of Ardmore, Oklahoma Nutritional Sciences/Allied Health Faculty mentor: Dr. Sam Emerson “Does Coffee Intake Affect the Validity of an Oral Fat Tolerance?”

Jacob Gray of Fayetteville, Arkansas Nutritional Sciences Faculty Mentor: Dr. Tay Kennedy “Effects of Nutrition Knowledge and Diet Quality on BMI in Young Adult-Men” Bethany Hatter of Stillwater Nutritional Sciences Faculty mentor: Dr. Brenda Smith “Understanding How Dried Plum’s Bioactive Components Mediate Their Effects on Intestinal Mucosal Immunity” Macy McAnally of Lewisville, Texas Apparel Merchandising Faculty mentor: Dr. Hyejune Park “Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality in Apparel Retailing: Examining Retail Strategies to Enhance the Customer Experience” Kara Robinson of Okarche, Oklahoma Nutritional Sciences Faculty mentor: Dr. Brenda Smith “Tart Cherry Supplementation and Chronic Exercise for an Age-Old Problem”

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Brown wins national honor Nutritional sciences associate professor and Oklahoma Cooperative Extension food specialist Barbara Brown, Ph.D., received the National Awards for Family Life and Human Development State Specialists 2018 Career Impact Award.

A 38-year veteran of Oklahoma Cooperative Extension, Brown’s impact has been felt not only in Oklahoma and the United States, but around the world as well. She has taken part in USAID’s Farmer to Farmer program in Ecuador, Mozambique, Haiti and Nicaragua, as well as shared her knowledge in Spain, Italy and Canada. “Cooking with Barb” is a regular segment on Oklahoma Gardening, where she demonstrates the benefits of fresh produce.

DESIGNING EUPHORIA The talent and skill of Design, Housing and Merchandising students was on full display at the eighth annual Euphoria Fashion Show in April.

Students conceptualize and create garments and gain hands-on experience in planning a major event.

Tickets go on sale in February for the 2020 Euphoria on April 17 at 8 p.m. Keep an eye on okla.st/euphoria for more information.

H S

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