CISE Magazine - 2022

The official magazine of the College of Integrated Science and Engineering at James Madison University

JMU’s edible food forest

– Bob Kolvoord, Dean, College of Integrated Science and Engineering

We’re excited to present to you the inaugural edition of the CISE magazine as we enter our second decade as a college. We’re emerging from the pandemic and have fully returned to the face-to-face educational experiences for which we are known. It’s been a challenging couple of years here in Harrisonburg. Still, our students, faculty, and staff have found ways to persevere and do compelling work - some of which you’ll see featured in these pages. Our recent Senior Capstone/Engineering xChange event reminded us of how our students and faculty can come together to take on tough problems and create innovative solutions. You’ll read about hearing protection for local farmers, nature-inspired design to clean our oceans, and the first-ever JMU rocket taking flight. Our students are innovating for good - all over the world.

Our college continues to grow and now includes the following undergraduate programs:

• Computer Science

• Engineering

• Geography (also known as Geographic Science)

• Information Technology (brand new in 2022!)

• Integrated Science and Technology

• Intelligence Analysis

And these graduate programs:

• Masters of Computer Science in Information Security (online)

• Masters of Integrated Science and Technology, offered jointly with the University of Malta, focusing on Environmental Management and Sustainability, restarting in Fall 2023.

• Graduate Certificate in CyberIntelligence (online)

As you can see, a lot has changed over the years, but our core values remain the same: innovation, applying science, technology and engineering to solve human problems, teamwork and the societal impact of our solutions. We’re ready to embark on another exciting decade and we invite you to join us on this journey. Enjoy the magazine and please stay in touch.

Welcome Friends of CISE,

Bob Kolvoord, Ph.D. Professor and Dean kolvoora@jmu.edu

“...our core values remain the same: innovation, applying science, technology and engineering to solve human problems, teamwork and the societal impact of our solutions”

MAJOR DESCRIPTIONS

Intelligence Analysis

Our IA major provides a multi-disciplinary education for stu dents who seek careers as analysts, with a specialization in intelligence analysis. You’ll integrate knowledge from a vari ety of academic disciplines, learn innovative ways to struc ture your thinking to assess complex real-world problems, how technology can be used to acquire and evaluate data, and how to communicate it effectively to others. Course topics may include the eight intelligence domains: public sector, national security, military, homeland security, and law enforcement sectors, private sector, cyber intelligence and geospatial intelligence domains.

Learn more: jmu.edu/ia

Engineering

We offer a world-class undergraduate engineering expe rience based on a philosophy of learning by doing. Smaller classes facilitate supportive mentoring by faculty and require a high level of student engagement. Our project-based cur riculum is designed to provide a modern way to specialize, and the required 2-year capstone project experience pro vides a platform for customized learning in a focused area of interest. We provide you with an engineering education built on math and science foundations, rich in sustainable design, systems thinking, and project management with opportunities for customized in-depth learning through a variety of electives and engineering projects.

Learn more: jmu.edu/engineering

Information Technology

In JMU Information Technology, we go beyond the science behind computers, teaching you how to design and develop solutions in a wide range of computing and networking appli cation areas. We will provide you with the knowledge and skills to meet the computer technology needs of business, govern ment, healthcare, education, and other organizations. In addi tion to core competencies in programming and networking and other application-focused computing fields, the IT major features a junior-level project to address a community need, as well as a senior capstone project allowing students to apply the range of their abilities in a real-world context.

Learn more: jmu.edu/it

Integrated Science and Technology

JMU’s ISAT program emphasizes the interdisciplinary appli cation of science, technology, mathematics, and systems thinking to the compelling and complex problems that challenge our society today. Our students collaborate to integrate science and technology with the political, social, economic, and ethical considerations required to address complex, real-world challenges such as pandemics, climate change, information privacy, and more sustainable transpor tation networks. From developing clean energy, advancing modern medicine through biotechnology, to improving sus tainability, ISAT is a community that joins together to learn, solve problems, and make a difference. Learn more: Learn more: jmu.edu/bsisat

Geography

Geography at JMU is a vibrant community of professors and students who join together to learn, solve problems, and make a difference in the world. Our program offers a unique, holistic approach: the geographical perspective. Geography emphasizes the examination of why the world is as it is: The environmental and human processes that shape our planet and our lives; How humans interact with their environment; and how place matters to environmental, economic, and cultural issues. You’ll have an opportunity to work in the field focusing on real-world issues; practice essential conservation skills; work with schools, farmers, non-profits, businesses, and governmental agencies; explore major cities and fascinating countries.

Learn more: jmu.edu/gs

Computer Science

In JMU’s computer science program you’ll learn how to solve problems and strive for the best solutions using resources effectively. Software design and development principles are foundational knowledge as well as the implementation knowl edge of computing platforms and programming paradigms. You learn how to blend principles, theories, technologies, and practical know-how to design and build systems to store, retrieve, and process data. This involves studying the struc ture, expression, and efficiency of algorithms, which are mechanical processes for solving problems. Our courses are capped at 30 students per class and are taught by our full-time faculty members.

Learn more: jmu.edu/cs

INNOVATING FOR GOOD

ISAT STUDENTS IMPLEMENT CAPSTONE PROJECTS IN COSTA RICA

By Meghan Long (‘22)

A team of JMU Integrated Science and Technology (ISAT) students travel to Costa Rica and implement two capstone projects in 21 days.

What could you accomplish in 21 days?

If you ask a team of JMU Integrated Science and Technol ogy (ISAT) seniors if they could travel to Costa Rica and implement two capstone projects in 21 days over Winter Break - the answer would be a resounding yes.

Despite facing many challenges — two canceled trips, strin gent travel guidelines due to COVID, and less than a month to get the job done — students packed their flip-flops and materials and headed to Hotel Punta Leona.

Maria Liu, Nicholas Long, and Brian Tang focused on the Water Out of Thin Air (WOTA) project. They designed a low-energy system that produces water from the atmo sphere to address the problem of water scarcity.

Tang designed a system that was easy to build, inexpensive to produce, and met all the necessary criteria. Long designed and built a monitoring system that could measure the sys tem’s temperature, humidity, water collection, and flow rate using multiple sensors and control devices. “Being able to translate what I study in the classroom into hands-on work was so rewarding,” says Tang.

ISAT students installing the geothermal piping of the underground heat exchanger of the Water Out of Thin Air (WOTA) system.

His experience was an eye-opener to the kind of work he hopes to do in the field. “There were so many things that I learned that I would not have gotten from the classroom alone,” Tang explains. “I learned the importance of good communication, collaboration, as well as the challenge of managing a project. When it came to implementing our design, especially in another country, understanding how the country operates and adapting to the culture was a learning experience.”

Ethan Leming, Evan Mason, Connor O’Brien, and Annie Williams worked on the Coral Reef Restoration project. The idea to work on a Coral Reef Restoration project is one Wil liams proposed herself—having a passion for the issue and the desire to make a change. “Knowing about this program and the feasibility to work on a project like this was in arm’s reach,” Williams explains. “I had no idea how the project would turn out or what we exactly would do. However, after

getting our group together and doing the research, the project finally started to gain some momentum,” she says.

Williams and her teammates were able to collaborate with Hotel Punta Leona and an organization called MareBlue in Costa Rica to create four artistic struc tures to place underwater. The project helps to enhance the growth of the coral reef while simultaneously incorporating aesthetic elements to add interest to the design. The project is marketed as an “Underwater Museum,” which Wil liams says has also helped the hotel promote business.

Though Williams acknowledges there were challenges in completing the work, she is grateful to have contributed some thing useful and meaningful to the area. “We really felt the gravity of what we were able to accomplish together,” she explains. Along with a turtle and a Gara bito Indian—a nod to Costa Rica—one of the structures the group designed was a JMU-themed design—now permanently sitting in the Underwater Museum for hundreds of visitors to admire.

ISAT professor and project advisor, Karim Altaii, explains the group’s passion for sustainability. “For us, it was all about ask ing how we can make people’s lives better without doing damage,” Altaii explains.

“We have been working with the Hotel Punta Leona since 2010.” says Altaii who has been advising capstone projects in Costa Rica for many years. “It is a beau tiful working relationship. There is trust, faith, and, most importantly, a willingness to continue working together towards sustainability,” he says.

Altaii is impressed with his students’ drive and rigor. “It is serious work. Not only was the on-the-ground work completed by the students impressive, but so was the exten sive planning the group did beforehand. We’re dealing with a real customer, and we needed to deliver what we promised—and that’s exactly what they did,” he says.

Both Altaii and the students stress the camaraderie and reliance they had on each other as a group. It was one of the most amazing life experiences,” says Williams. “The experience working with students made it all worthwhile,” explains Altaii. Tang adds, “I do not believe this project would have been successful if we didn’t lean on each other to get it done.”

“I hope other JMU students will see and be inspired by the work completed by the two teams,” says Altaii. “Great ideas come when you talk and reach out to people, travel, and you start to look at things around you in a new way. If you get out and pursue your passions, great things can happen.”

(Above): ISAT students are sculpturing the concrete version of an “Indio Garabito” - a Native Indian of Garabito, Costa Rica.

(Below): Concrete sculptures being placed into the water.

“If you get out and pursue your passions, great things can happen.”

– Karim Altaii, ISAT professor

EDIBLE FOOD FOREST

JMU’s Edible Food Forest Garden offers unique and innovative learning opportunities while enhancing awareness of sustainable food production and whole food nutrition. It will expand pollinator habitats, restore marginal soils, improve localized nutrient cycling, enhance biodiversity, and provide local produce to the campus and community.

JMU’S EDIBLE FOOD FOREST OFFERS UNIQUE AND INNOVATIVE LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

By Haley Huchler (‘23) and Lynn Radocha (‘18)

Imagine a campus with classrooms where students can learn and connect in outdoor spaces to gain first-hand knowledge and experience in agriculture and sustain ability. This is what Mikaela Schmitt-Harsh, biologist and professor of Interdisciplinary Liberal Studies, envisioned when she brought the concept of an edible food forest garden to JMU.

An edible food forest garden is an ecosystem of plants that imitates the patterns of a natural forest. Located on the east campus, the JMU Edible Food Forest Garden (EFFG) is a step toward improving bio diversity and thinking about local food production.

“The food forest landscape not only provides food that is local and nutritious, but also rethinks how we can utilize the landscape more sustainably,” explains Schmitt-Harsh.

Integrated Science and Technology (ISAT) professor Wayne Teel has been a supporter of the EFFG since its inception. He believes that JMU’s outdoor classrooms are just as crucial as indoor classrooms. “It should be more than just mowed grass,” says Teel. The food forest is the next step in utilizing JMU’s landscape for more than just getting from point A to point B.

“Having a food forest on campus is a way to provide stu dents with knowledge of food production without them having to step off-campus,” explains Teel. “We bring the agriculture to the students, rather than taking the students to the agriculture.”

Schmitt-Harsh has been working on the project since 2020 –designing and marketing the EFFG and creating partnerships within JMU and the Harrisonburg community. Finally, on October 15, 2021, she brought the EFFG to fruition. Fac ulty, students and the community came together to plant approximately 100 fruit-producing and nitrogen-fixing trees and shrubs. “We deliberately planted in the fall because it gives trees an extra growing season before the stresses of summer,” explains Schmitt-Harsh. “The trees go dormant

for a while and expend most of their energy to establish their roots. A healthy, well-established root system goes a long way toward ensuring vigorous growth in the spring and will hopefully increase the trees’ chance of survival in warm, dry summers.”

Now that the trees are in the ground, the primary caretakers of the food forest are Schmitt-Harsh and Kyle Snow, lab coordinator for the School of Integrated Sciences. Biology and ISAT students helped Schmitt-Harsh and Snow with maintenance and planning – staking and installing fencing around the fruit trees to protect them from deer.

The EFFG is planted in a trios design - alternating fruit trees and nitrogen fixers. Nitrogen fixers are plants that contrib ute the essential plant nutrient nitrogen to the soil, aiding other plants around them. “Adding nitrogen fixers in with the fruit trees is intended to help improve nutrient cycling as well as slow the spread of pests,” explains Snow. “The trios design presents a great research opportunity for our students and faculty.”

The trees will produce a variety of common fruits – from apples and apricots to lesser-known fruits like persimmons and jostaberries. However, it may take three to five years before the trees bear fruit. “Most fruits that develop in the first two years will be removed so that the trees put more energy into vegetative growth,” explains Schmitt-Harsh. Heavy fruits (even if small) can stress young branches that haven’t fully developed. So even though one of the aims is to produce fruit, we’ll have to be a bit patient about the

(Above): A volunteer plants an apple tree which should produce fruit in three to five years.

(Left): Fruit trees in pots waiting for planting on the site.

timing of fruiting. When the trees do start to bear productively, it’ll be an exciting time – students can harvest fruits for the dining halls, campus pantry, personal consumption or for the community.”

Although the food forest is currently made up of trees, Schmitt-Harsh plans to introduce other woody shrubs, ground cover, herbs, and vines. The EFFG also contains 18 ash stumps donated by the City of Harrisonburg. These stumps provide seating for students who may come to use the EFFG as an outdoor classroom. Schmitt-Harsh hopes the food forest will present opportunities for engagement between JMU and the local community. “I’d like to eventually invite K-12 classes to use the EFFG to learn about food forestry.”

ISAT majors Jason Darling (’22) and Lizzie Emch (’22) participated in the tree-planting event. “It was an educa tional experience as well as a memo rable one,” says Emch. “It’s exciting to leave something on campus and come back a few years later hopefully see it grow and flourish.” Darling is passionate about projects like the food forest that

could help mitigate the effects of climate change. “It’s probably not going to stop climate change, but adding trees and other native vegetation have numerous benefits,” explains Darling.

“I think students are interested and would like to see the transformation of campus in different ways,” says SchmittHarsh. “Every Friday that I’m there, stu dents stop in and ask how they can get involved in the project.”

(Above): JMU

students

how to properly plant a fruit tree. (Below): The guide map is used to place the trees in the right location.

faculty educate

and community volunteers

ENGINEERING BIOMIMICRY

ENGINEERING STUDENTS WORK TO FIGHT LITTER CRISIS

By Meghan Long (‘22)

Engineering students embark on a fight against the world’s litter crisis, to learn about biomimicry and how they can help to clean up the world’s oceans.

Every week, the average human consumes around five grams of microplastics — an amount equal to the weight of a credit card. Our oceans are littered with these microplastics. How ever, they are minuscule plastic fragments, often too small to be visible to the human eye.

Senior Engineering students AJ Smith, Gage Waltner, Jer emy Lunn, Kelly Riggan, Wesley Quill, and Zack Mountjoy joined together during their junior year to embark on a fight against the world’s litter crisis, to learn about bio mimicry and to figure out how they can help to clean up the world’s oceans.

Gage Waltner and Wesley Quill explain the bio-inspired microplastic collection system prototype to guests at the 2022 Engineering xChange. The solar panels in the background power a pump in the system.

“The team’s system essentially mimics how the Man o’ War eats, except the system is collecting microplastics.”

– Jacquelyn Nagel, Engineering professor

The capstone team getting ready to present their project to an audience at the Student Sustainability Summit in Staunton, VA in April 2022.

The capstone team planned to compete in the Biomimicry Global Design Challenge. However, the challenge, which operated for six years and supported nearly 5,000 participants, was discontinued after the students’ junior year. But the team remained motivated to see their work through. “We are doing the project now because we are passionate about it,” says Wesley Quill. By following the competition guidelines, the group chose the topic of reducing the amount of plastic in the world’s oceans. “We knew we had two years to do it. So we focused on making this design from scratch and seeing it to completion,” explains Quill.

The team’s work focused on developing a robust understanding of biomimicry, which is the process of taking inspiration from nature as a model for human inven tions. Their inspiration — the Portuguese Man o’ War.

Engineering professor Jacquelyn Nagel, who has mentored the team since its inception, explains the group’s decision to choose the Man o’ War. “The inspi ration the team gets from the Man o’ War is the way it does filter feeding. It glides along the top of the water, and its tentacles spread out to grab different food sources,” she explains. “The team’s system essentially mimics how the Man o’ War eats, except the system is col lecting microplastics.”

The students’ design consists of a solar panel that charges a battery to power a pump and tube system—extracting water and microplastics from the water way. Inside the system are two-layered filters that filter out microplastics. A buoyancy system and anchor allow the design to stay at the most effective location and depth.

Nagel notes how the students have become biomimicry ambassadors. “They have worked hard to help people under stand biomimicry and the undeniable benefits that come with it,” she explains. “Throughout the two years, there has been a lot of converging and diverging— but they’ve remained focused on their project the entire time,” she says. As a result, the students shared their work and knowledge about biomimicry at the Sustainability Summit in Staunton, VA.

The team explains the valuable working relationship they developed with Nagel throughout the project. “From the begin ning, she helped give structure to the project. She pushed us to select a topic that everyone on the team would be pas sionate about and something that could be realistically achievable over two years. She’s pushed us to be successful and stay on track,” says Quill.

As their eyes have been opened to the harm caused by microplastics in the

just give up on once the competition was discontinued,” Quill explains.

In 2021, their capstone project won the “Peoples Choice Award” - voted by their peers as the favorite capstone project.

“It’s motivating to know that others are impacted by our work and found our proj ect interesting,” says Quill.

The group is also involved in sharing their knowledge and passion for environmen tal sustainability within the community. Last year, the team participated in the annual Blacks Run Clean-Up Day. They were part of a group of 200 volunteers who gathered 2.5 tons of refuse. The event was one of their favorite memo ries of their time together—noting the unique opportunity to gather outside the classroom and share their passion for the environment.

The capstone team hopes their project and work in the community continues to inspire others to be more mindful of their environment. “Personally, our work has reframed how I think about the world around me,” Quill says.

ERGONOMIC GUITAR

ISAT STUDENT DESIGNS GUITAR FOR MANAGING HAND INJURIES

By Meghan Long (‘22)

Tendonitis, arthritis, carpal tunnel, and chronic pain. If you talk to someone who plays the guitar, they have likely experi enced at least one of these symptoms.

Robert Aguillen, a senior in JMU’s Inte grated Science and Technology (ISAT) program, has been playing the guitar since he was 15 years old. On any given day, you can find him in his room — lined with his many guitars, playing the instrument for hours on end. It’s always been a hobby he’s enjoyed — until one day, his doctors told him he needed to stop playing.

Aguillen was diagnosed with tendonitis — which was directly associated with his extended guitar sessions. He describes the pain as “chronic” and “severe” — acknowledging that it’s something he will likely deal with forever.

Despite the diagnosis, Aguillen is deter mined to keep playing the guitar. “I began to look for ways I could reduce my symp toms and still play,” he says.

Aguillen began thinking about ergonom ics — designing things people use to be more safe and efficient — and applying this to guitars. “I am looking to reduce the strain on guitar player’s hands, to offset the symptoms of tendonitis, carpal tun nel, arthritis, and other nagging chronic pain,” he explains.

As part of his major, Aguillen has to complete a capstone project. Initially, he pursued other projects, but nothing was resonating — until he proposed the idea of an ergonomic guitar to ISAT professor Chris Bachmann.

Robert Aguillen designed a guitar specifically for people suffering from repetitive motion injury. He is shown here shaping the body for his new guitar design.

Aguillen describes how he and Bachmann bonded over their love of the instrument. “He loves the guitar, as do I, which is a major reason why I think he took on the project,” Aguillen explains. The two began to meet weekly — brainstorming where the project could go and how to develop a guitar that people could enjoy without symptoms of pain.

After extensive research into the market of ergonomic guitars, Aguillen discovered another problem — they are costly. “It’s hard to afford what is currently on the market,” he explains. “Many of them cost over $2,000,” he says.

Now, with increased motivation — reduc ing pain and reducing costs — Aguillen has set out on a journey to formulate a cost-effective and pain-free guitar design.

“I want to help not only my own longevity of playing the guitar — but everyone’s,” he says.

With encouragement from Bachmann, Aguillen also entered JMU’s College of Business Fallon Challenge — an opportunity for JMU students to share their business ideas with top entrepre neurs in a Shark Tank-style competition. Winners receive signifi cant recognition for their unique ideas and a $1,000 scholarship.

After applying, Aguillen was named a finalist and invited to pres ent his work to the panel. “I was so nervous about presenting my work, but when I looked out into the crowd, people seemed inter ested,” he explained. Aguillen went on to win the competition — a feat he says came as a total shock to him. “Seeing that people were interested and invested in my work lit a fire under me.”

Aguillen surveyed guitarists to try and construct a design that has everyone’s favorite aspects of the “classic” guitar. His goal is to create a finalized design and get a prototype in people’s hands.

Bachmann enjoys mentoring Aguillen. “I’ve been really pleased watching Aguillen take his idea from the earliest conceptual designs to creating a full three-dimensional model — and even building prototypes out of Styrofoam for preliminary testing,” he says. Aguillen is just as grateful for Bachmann’s mentorship — explaining how he has gone above and beyond in helping him, even taking him to meet with local luthiers who make instruments.

Aguillen’s ambitions for his project have grown far beyond the requirements of a capstone project. “This is now a busi ness opportunity,” he explains. After graduation, Aguillen hopes to build a final design and is determined never to give up until he gets it just right.

(Above): In order to better understand the guitar building process, Aguillen visited the shop of master guitar luthier Chuck DeHart, to see first hand how hand-crafted artisan guitars are created. (Right): Aguillen, an avid guitar player, suffers from tendonitis and was looking for a way to continue live performances during a flare-up. He’s seen here working on the neck of his guitar design.

DESIGNING HEARING PROTECTION

ISAT STUDENTS DESIGN HEARING PROTECTION FOR LOCAL FARMERS

By Sophie Edlich (‘23) and Lynn Radocha (‘18)

A team of ISAT students design a hearing protection prototype to protect farmers in the Shenandoah Valley from hearing impairment.

Farming is a huge source of economic activity in the Shenan doah Valley, In fact, Harrisonburg is located in the center of Virginia’s top-producing agricultural region. Many in the local community work on farms and, unbeknownst to them, are often subject to excessive noise exposure that can eventu ally lead to irreversible hearing damage.

Christian Bowman, Zayne Luker, and Will Sin, who have a strong connection with the local farming community, utilized their capstone project to develop a noise detec tion app to address the problem and take action against a preventable injury.

“I work with a lot of heavy machinery, like tractors and forklifts,” explains Luker, who grew up in Harrisonburg and currently works in agriculture. “All of the machines make noise with extremely high decibel readings that can damage your hearing over time.”

Integrated Science and Technology (ISAT) professor and capstone adviser, Chris Bachmann, lives on a farm and uses a tractor. “I’ve never used hearing protection or thought about using it,” he admits. “My students showed me the sound intensity of a running tractor – it’s definitely above the threshold that causes hearing damage.”

Using farming equipment is similar to attending a concert. “At first, it sounds deafening,” Bachmann explains. “But after a few minutes, it doesn’t because your hearing has a way of toning down the sound so that it doesn’t feel excessive, even though it still is.”

“I thought a noise protection solution was a really inter esting idea,” explains Bachmann, who drives to JMU each morning through miles of farmland. During these rides, he often observes young farmers operating machinery. “They just aren’t aware of how loud that is and the damage they are causing.”

Sin developed a mobile app that detects the exact intensity (in decibels) of sound. When a phone with the app is in the presence of excessive noise, it vibrates, shows the decibel reading, indicates the length of the excessive noise, and

Preliminary prototype

of the noise canceling device that will allow farmers to communicate while using their equipment and protect them from hearing impairment.

alerts the individual to use hearing pro tection. In addition, the system records both the level of noise and exposure time to catalog long-term risks.

Bowman and Luker created a noise-can celing device, allowing farmers to com municate while using their equipment and protecting them from hearing impairment. “We purchased various earplugs and speakers, set up a control board, made all of the connections, and programmed the speakers and earplugs,” explains Bowman. However, on a farm, the distance between workers is too far for Bluetooth to work effectively, so the team had to overcome the hurdle of helping farmers communicate.

Knowing walkie-talking signals can keep people in contact in deserted areas when they’re miles apart, the students utilized the wiring and technology behind walk ie-talkies. They developed earbuds with the push-to-speak format – creating hearing protection with a noise-cancel ing microphone that allows farmers to communicate clearly.

When used together, the device and the app will allow farmers and agriculture workers

to be more aware of noise exposure and be prepared to protect themselves.

Although designed to protect farmers, their prototype will help anyone work ing around loud machines or sound. “It’s not limited to just farmers, even though that was the project’s focus,” Bachmann explains. “It could benefit a lot of people.”

The students are currently testing out their prototype on farms. “It’ll be good to see how this app and these earbuds will work with the farmers themselves,” says Bowman.

“What really impressed me was that this was all based on the student’s ideas. They were the primary drivers behind every aspect of the project.” Bachmann said. “Our students have tremendous creativ ity, but often their ideas don’t come to fruition. Through efforts like ISAT’s cap stone project and the Gilliam Center for Entrepreneurship, we are helping more students turn their ideas into reality.”

Luker and Bowman finalize the adaptive hearing protection system prototype.

“It’s not limited to just farmers, even though that was the project’s focus. It could benefit a lot of people.”

– Chris Bachmann, ISAT professor

FABRICATING MISSING PARTS

BREATHING NEW LIFE INTO AN OLD MACHINE

By Andy Perrine (‘86)

Apprentices in the JMU Machine Shop answered the call from a local jeweler to fabricate a missing mechanism on a machine that would allow him to produce vintage works of art.

Imagine unearthing a lost artwork that is hundreds of years old. That’s precisely what a handful of JMU students did while working as apprentices in the university’s Machine Shop.

Every year, juniors and seniors majoring in engineering at JMU apply to the competi tive apprentice program to learn machining and manufacturing in real-world settings. Clients across a broad range of industry sectors are solicited to bring their engi neering problems to JMU, and the appren tices are assigned to solve these problems.

Enter jewelry manufacturer Hugo Kohl (’89). His company in downtown Harrisonburg,

Virginia, uses human-powered machines built in the early- to mid-1800s to craft modern “antique” jewelry. After recovering the machines, Kohl must restore them to working condition with no manuals or spare parts, and he often runs into challenges beyond his considerable manufacturing abilities. One of Kohl’s employees happened to be dating a JMU Machine Shop appren tice and introduced Kohl to Mark Starnes, who runs the shop.

“Mark showed up here with a couple of his apprentices, and we went through an interview process,” Kohl said.

The apprentices’ challenge was to fabri cate the missing mechanism between the artwork and the machine that processes it, which had essentially been lost to time.

“The project required a bit of SolidWorks CAD work when they created models to

to fabricate a missing mechanism on a machine that would allow him to produce vintage works of art.

a local

project how the movements would work,” Starnes said. “The solution to Hugo’s prob lem was creating a simple, polyurethane plug that they had to calculate how much compression they could achieve out of it without a significant amount of distortion. So, they had to employ basic engineering solutions, which had manufacturing appli cations that they also had to apply.”

“The project that we selected was excit ing not only to me,” Kohl said, “but it’s a project that should be exciting to the world because we took artwork that was almost 200 years old, from an important company that was one of the great art houses of America … and [the students] allowed us to bring that artwork back to life.”

Starnes said the project amounts to “a very small microcosm of a capstone project that an ordinary engineering student [at JMU] would pursue.”

Engineering students work with Hugo Kohl,

jeweler,

SAYING GOOD-BYE TO LONG TIME FACULTY AND STAFF MEMBERS

Louise Temple, Professor Integrated Science and Technology

18 years of service

For fifteen years, Louise taught a viral discovery course – dedicated to keeping students interested in science. Aside from teaching students, Louise has dedicated her research to microbiology, where she studies bacteria and viruses. She made an impact on feminism, science, and the community.

Read more: https://bit.ly/3U2gs2s

Bob McKown, Professor

Integrated

Science and Technology

26 years of service

Bob developed a research laboratory at JMU in 2001 for external grants until his retirement in 2021. He focused much of his research on lacritin. Bob enjoyed working with undergraduates for discov ery research to perform experiments, presentations, and publish co-authors for science journals.

Mark Starnes, Machinist

JMU

Machine Shop

27 years of service

Mark negotiated to move the Machine Shop to East Campus and agreed to open the shops’ services up to all of JMU—not just the sciences. He also started the apprentice program that has taught and employed numerous students.

Read more: https://bit.ly/3DyZ52r

Carole Ritchie, Office Services Specialist

Computer

Science

24 years of service

Carole supported both the graduate and undergraduate CS programs. She was a friendly face to welcome all to the depart ment. Carole and Kathy worked side by side for 24 years!

Kathy Laycock, Office Manager

Computer

Science

24 years of service

Kathy supported faculty and students, was a JMU systems guru and worked with many people across campus to support CS. She was an essential part of the CS community!

SHELL ECO-MARATHON TEAM WINS DUPONT SAFETY AWARD

By Meghan Long (‘22)

JMU Engineering students Adam Gremminger, Camden Hollowell, Kyle Lewis, Nick Pumpelly, Jake Schmank, Jack Stephenson, Charlotte Solak, and Nick Tsoleas joined together to participate in the Shell Eco-marathon.

The competition challenges Science, Tech nology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) students worldwide to design, build, and operate energy-efficient vehicles. Carbon emissions contribute to greenhouse gases which significantly impact climate change around the globe. The combination of environmental and automotive contexts results in a competition that is compelling to engineering students.

JMU Engineering’s involvement in this prestigious competition has evolved over the past few years. The current team competed in the Prototype/Internal Com bustion Engine (Gasoline) category and built on the efforts of those before them. Students inherited a full vehicle chassis, but they had significant work to do. The engine system required modifications to

include fuel injection and an electronic ignition, these components needed to be integrated with an Electronic Control Unit (ECU) and subsequently tuned. The drive system from the engine and drive wheel was not adequate for the competition goals and there was a need for a vehicle testing device.

The team split into three sub-teams. The first group focused on fabricating an engine dynamometer, the second dealt with engine/propulsion optimization, and the third group designed and fabricated the drive system.

The students’ work in the competition earned them The Dupont Safety Award. This notable honor recognizes the team with a superior commitment to safety. Stu dents earned this honor after the safety judges took note of the group’s intentional safety approach to shop practices and their work during the competition. In addi tion, the judges noted the team’s unique emphasis on using safety as a guiding prin ciple in planning out their travel logistics.

“To work on the vehicle for two years and seeing it all come to fruition at the competition in Indianapolis was incredi ble,” says Pumpelly. “Winning the safety award and completing successful laps was a huge success for the team. Nothing will beat the feeling of seeing Kyle drive the car around the brickyard after all the analysis, design, fabrication and testing we did to get the car going strong.”

Rob Prins and Robert Nagel, Professors of Engineering and co-advisors to JMU’s Shell Eco-marathon team note the team’s admira ble ability to work together. “The team func tions very well,” says Prins. “Working with them has been an enjoyable experience.”

“We worked very hard over the last two years to finish this project,” says Solak. “Through this project we all became friends and learned more than we could have imagined about engineering. We’re proud of our work and we are excited to see what the next team does.”

Preliminary design of the energy and propulsion systems on the vehicle, includes the 30cc Ryobi four stroke engine, gear reduction system, Ecotron engine control unit, wire harness and fuel pressure system.

Prins emphasizes how the students have been able to grow through their capstone experience. “As with many other teams, the biggest growth I observed is their development of individual agency and responsibility. As individual members, they have demonstrated significant increases in their ability to apply engi neering principles to problems,” he says.

The 2022 team is the fifth JMU Engineering team to engage with the Shell Eco-marathon competition, a sixth team has been prepar ing for the last semester to take over the car for the 2023 season and a seventh team is beginning to form for 2024. Prins notes that the complex nature of the project provides numerous opportunities to transform stu dents into engineers while the blending of environment and automotive contexts into a competition serves to motivate students to do the work required to grow.

ENGINEERING STEEL BRIDGE TEAM COMPETES AT REGIONAL COMPETITION

By Meghan Long (‘22)

JMU’s Steel Bridge Team traveled to the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Virginias Symposium, hosted by the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) in Lex ington, VA, to compete against Marshall University, Old Dominion University, Vir ginia Military Institute, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia University on April 9, 2022.

William Ahorsu, Michael Allsop, Jack Lochary, Andrew McHale, Jadon Rabon, and Katie Smith are the six Engineering seniors who make up JMU’s inaugural Steel Bridge Team. The students joined together in fall 2020 to participate in the Student Steel Bridge Competition (SSBC) through the Engineering program’s 2-year Capstone project.

The SSBC is supported by the American Institute of Steel Constriction (AISC) and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) since 1987. The competition chal lenges engineering students to design, fabricate, and assemble a pre-fabricated scale-model steel bridge at the compe tition site.

In fall 2021, the group secured sponsor ship from Shickel Corporation, located in Bridgewater, VA. Shickel donated steel

materials and offered their support and mentorship to the students.

Considering it was the team’s first time at the competition, the group competed as “guests,” which made them ineligible to formally receive any awards. Despite this technicality, the JMU Student Steel Bridge Team was among only three teams to comply with all competition constraints. Christina Ammens, ASCE Region 4 Gov ernor for the Commonwealth of Virginia, witnessed the team’s performance at the competition and later shared that the team “did a fantastic job on the bridge and your students should be very proud of their accomplishments.”

Following their strong performance at the competition, the team pre sented their work at JMU’s Engineering xChange. The group was awarded the Technical Analysis Award, judged by a panel of Engineering faculty. In reflect ing on their feelings at the end of this 2-year effort, Jadon Rabon said, “I was ecstatic participating in the first-ever steel bridge competition for JMU, and the by end of it I was left with a sense of pride and accomplishment.”

an X-truss

Daniel Castaneda, Professor of Engineer ing, advised the team. He explains what the group’s strong performance means for JMU Engineering. “The inaugural team’s strong performance reflects the JMU Engineering program’s strong emphasis on project-based and hands-on learning. Our interdisciplinary approach to engineering education prepares our engineering students to demonstrate their structural engineering knowledge and construction engineering skillset, matching the capability of civil engineering students at other institutions in the Commonwealth of Virginia,” he says.

The JMU Steel Bridge Team’s success is just getting started. Seven junior students plan to pursue the Student Steel Bridge Competition in spring 2023. “They are looking forward to building on the inau gural team’s success,” says Castaneda.

Team members conducting a quality assurance check on fabricated steel beams that come together to form

structure, their principal design for the April 2022 competition.

JMU ROCKETRY TEAM COMPETES IN NASA STUDENT LAUNCH

By Meghan Long (‘22)

JMU’s Senior NASA Student Launch Team made their way to Huntsville, Alabama on April 21 to participate in the competition with their rocket – two years in the making.

Engineering students Abigail Maltese, Ben Hoare, Brandon Carroll, Cameron Funk, Coleson Baughan, Gray Roisch, Kelly Sadel, Kris Krueger, and Trace Scordo make up JMU’s inaugural team. Advised by Engineering professors, Keith Holland and Jacquelyn Nagel, the team worked together to assemble their ten-foot-tall rocket—paving the way for future JMU Engineering students.

“It was the moment we had been waiting for,” says Gray Roisch, Safety Officer. “It was really neat to be there with so many people with a similar passion,” adds Cam eron Funk, Modeling and Simulations Lead. “We got to talk to teams from all over the country. It was rewarding to look around and see that we had built something amaz ing and so had all of these other teams.”

A windy day in Hunstville, AL—with 13mph winds—wasn’t enough to get in the way of the team’s hard work. Their rocket launched and rose to 4,000 feet in altitude, an accomplishment the team is proud of. “Everything went the way it was supposed to,” says Kelly Sadel, Meeting Manager.

Kris Krueger, Payload Lead, describes what it was like to be on the JMU Rock etry Team. “This was the most fulfilling thing I have done at JMU. We did every thing together,” he says. “This was the first team that I’ve ever been on where everyone pulls their weight.”

The team credits a large part of their suc cess to the overwhelming support from JMU and the Harrisonburg community. During the team’s launch, students and

other supporters gathered to watch the launch on the big screen during the Mad ison Engineering xChange. “They weren’t even there, and they were there for us,” says Sadel. “It was an absolute blast—an unforgettable experience,” adds Funk.

Now that the launch is over, the group has had time to reflect on the gravity of their work. They hope they have inspired future groups of JMU Engineering students. “If you are interested in something—just go for it,” urges Sadel. “If the opportunity isn’t there, you can go and make it. You can do that here at JMU,” says Kreuger.

Abby Maltese, the team’s STEM Engage ment Leader, led the group in creating an impressive following for their project. She describes the legacy they hope to leave behind. “We wanted to create an aerospace legacy here at JMU, and I think we’ve gone beyond that. Yes, there will be more aerospace capstones, but we have gotten people excited about JMU Engi neering and the project-based learning that we do. People have reached out to us saying that they are transferring here because they want to do hands-on learn ing. It’s exciting to see that we’ve had that impact,” she says.

As the students get ready to trade in their safety glasses and materials for caps and gowns, they are grateful for everything they have accomplished. “The JMU Engi neering department has been incredible. The way they have supported us is what made this possible. We can’t wait to see the future of JMU Rocketry,” says Sadel.

(Left): The Senior NASA Student Launch Team’s full scale rocket.

In November 2021, a team of past and pres ent JMU students, Integrated Science and Technology (ISAT) professor Jonathan Spin del, Biology professor Bryan Cage, along with members of Staunton and Harrison burg ham radio operator clubs launched a high-altitude balloon test in Vinton, Virginia.

The flight was the first step in proving the team’s ability to launch, track, document, and recover a payload. In March 2022, the group launched a second flight with two balloons to test if the two satellites could communicate. “All the work we’ve been doing to this point is to show that the concept works,” Spindel said.

While Spindel said the goal is to become a network provider for low Earth orbit,

DUKES IN SPACE!

By Haley Huchler (‘23)

his priority is to give students experience building hardware for satellites. “My goal is to allow students to get some JMU student-designed hardware into space,” he said.

“My favorite part was being able to jump in on launch days last year,” says ISAT major Alexa Houck, who joined the team last year. “It was like a little scavenger hunt, tracking it and driving in the right direction.”

Houck said her main objective is to work out some technology bugs plaguing the satellite. She and the rest of the team are exploring different options for improving the design.

“It’s our turn to pick up the project and decide if we want to shift the technology we’re using or fix the bug,” Houck said.

A view from the top of the world. This picture was captured during the “High-SAT Two” balloon launch from an altitude of over 100,000 feet.

The team is working on building an antenna for better communication with other satellites and fixing the technology bugs. They are also preparing the next capstone team to take over the proj ect and eventually apply for the NASA CubeSAT Launch Initiative (CSLI), allow ing the team to fly their CubeSAT on a NASA launch.

NEW INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY MAJOR

NEW INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY MAJOR OPENS DOORS FOR STUDENTS

By Meghan Long (‘22)

New doors are opening for JMU stu dents—as Information Technology (IT) becomes the latest major to join an impressive list of opportunities in the College of Integrated Science and Engi neering (CISE).

The new Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Information Technology focuses on cybersecurity, computer networking, enduser design, and development. Students have the opportunity to learn about cyber security, databases, computer network ing, and digital electronics. As students advance through the major, they will explore the world of web administration and new powerful tools – data science, machine learning, and interaction design.

“Several majors at JMU fall in the comput ing world,” explains Samy El-Tawab, the new IT Program director. “However, none of these majors dig deep into the world of cyber security at the undergraduate level.” After hearing from CISE alumni, faculty decided that a new STEM major was needed to provide what El-Tawab describes as “the missing piece” for CISE students. “It allows for more in-depth stud ies for students looking to enter the world of information technology,” he explains.

This new major helps address shortages of IT graduates in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the nation. El-Tawab describes how information technology students develop “a vast set of skills” that

enables them to be confident and wellrounded professionals upon graduation.

Bob Kolvoord, Dean of CISE, describes the excitement and possibilities surround ing the new IT program. “The Information Technology major takes advantage of our strengths in the College of Integrated Science and Engineering and brings new opportunities to our faculty and stu dents,” he says. “This program is going to provide a pathway for students who want to combine interests in hardware and software to create new solutions to challenging problems. IT is at the center of many industries—and we’re ready to produce graduates who are ready to make a difference,” he adds.

PROFESSOR AMY GOODALL CELEBRATES 10 YEARS OF GARDENING AT KEISTER ELEMENTARY

Geography professor Amy Goodall and her students cele brated 10 years of gardening at Keister Elementary School on Earth Day, Friday, April 22,2022.

JMU Geography students first built a garden at the school in 2012. Since then, they have built eight additional raised beds. Goodall and her students work with teachers to plan the gardens and work with the students to plant, weed, water, harvest vegetables and create signage.

Through this partnership, Keister Elementary students learn about pollinators, healthy eating and other benefits of gar dening while JMU students participate in community service, learn about growing food and enjoy interactions with the elementary students.

STUDENTS CONTINUE TO WORK ON JMU’S AUTONOMOUS CART

During the spring semester, Computer Science, Information Technology, and Engineering students worked closely to enhance the functionality of the JMU Autonomous Cart (JAC art). The students were divided into sub-groups: Robot Oper ating System (ROS), User Interface (UI), Cellular/Networking, and Electronics. The ROS Team focused on the navigation of the cart, specifically obstacle detection and avoidance. The UI team focused on creating an administration panel and a speech system, as well as updating and expanding the map overhaul. The Cellular/Networking team focused on a wireless connection through Zigbee and a cellular network, while the Electronics team focused on building a custom board and keeping up with cart maintenance.

Students mapped the entire JMU Campus and enhanced obsta cle detection and avoidance to detect small objects – such as the JMU starship food delivery robotics. Now, you can see the JMU Autonomous Cart all over campus!

NEW GRANT SUPPORTS DIVERSITY INITIATIVES IN COMPUTING MAJORS

The Center for Inclusive Computing (CIC) has awarded $200,000 in first-year funding for a proposed 3-year grant to support JMU in increasing the number of women and minorities in our computing majors. The grant is a joint effort between the Department of Computer Science (CS) and the Department of Computer Information Systems (CIS) & Business Analytics (BSAN) in the College of Business (COB) to support an inclusive curriculum and support systems for our computing majors.

The grant supports four main initiatives: revising the introductory sequence in both programs to provide additional entry points into the majors for students who haven’t traditionally been attracted to them, formalizing the innovative CS Teaching Assistant (TA) training and develop a TA program in CIS, training faculty in both departments on best practices for inclusive teaching, and developing a plan for a general education course in computing.

In addition, the grant supports data collection and analysis for both departments to make informed decisions about areas to improve and identify successful strategies. CS professor Dee Weikle, and CIS professor Amy Connolly are the Principal Inves tigators for the grant.

CS OFFERS 4TH ANNUAL COMPUTING CAMP FOR REFUGEE STUDENTS

JMU’s Computer Science Department (CS) and the Harrisonburg Church World Service (CWS) Refugee Resettlement team up to offer the fourth annual Computing Camp for 25 local refugee stu dents to increase students’ access and familiarity to programming.

During the week-long camp, CS professor Chris Johnson taught new students how to use Twoville – a language he created to help students learn programming through coding and printing 2-D designs. Other faculty taught returning students Python through turtle graphics, finch robots, encryption, and networking.

“During the camp, I saw students identify clear objectives for what they wanted to accomplish with their code – navigating an obsta cle course with a Finch Robot or creating a T-shirt design,” says Paige Normand, computer science outreach coordinator. “The faculty did such a fantastic job of capturing the students’ curiosity and creativity and connecting it to learning programming.”

The JMU Computer Science Department plans to continue their work with the CWS Refugee Resettlement to increase the num ber of young men and women skilled in computer programming.

FACULTY AWARDS 2022

The College of Integrated Science and Engineering prides itself on the accom plishments and commitment of its faculty. Each year, a faculty member is recognized for their superlative achievement in teaching, service, mentoring and excel lence in scholarship. Congratulations to this year’s winners.

Hao Zhang Outstanding Student Mentor

Dee Weikle Outstanding Service

Nathan Sprague Madison Scholar

Tony Chen Outstanding Teaching

Daniel Castaneda Outstanding Junior Faculty

ALUMNI UPDATES

Porter (‘15)

Geography

After graduating, Justin joined the U.S. Census Bureau as a GIS Analyst. He then moved into the consulting world at Deloitte, working in the federal market on GIS projects and later in the state and local government practice. Four years later, he joined Lacuna Technologies as their Mobility Strategy Lead; managing projects focused on curb management, urban air mobility, and micromobility. In 2020, he received his master’s in Urban Planning from the Sol Price School of Public Policy, University of Southern California. In 2021, he re-joined Deloitte, leading the Transportation Operations team. He focuses on managing projects and programs that tackle some of the most challenging transportation issues plaguing our cities and regions today. “My degree from JMU propelled me into the world of geospatial science and urban planning. The expertise of the professors and staff in CISE solidified my interest in this field and armed me with the tech nical chops to be successful in several different roles.

Jeffrey Lewis (‘04) Computer Science

Post-JMU, Jeffrey worked in network administration/support at a commercial real estate firm in Virginia Beach. Then, he transitioned into full-stack develop ment at SC Johnson in Milwaukee, WI. While at SC Johnson, he transitioned back into data backend and business intelligence development, doing sales/ marketing data pipelines, analytics, and data science work. He left SC Johnson to work as a data engineer for SVA Consult ing in Madison, Wisconsin. He focused on the emerging life sciences vertical and became the data team lead, and even tually CTO of the firm. In 2021, Jeffrey began working for Adobe as a Principal Enterprise Architect in Digital Experi ence. He is responsible for analyzing the cloud, data, and marketing technology footprint at large enterprises during and after-sales cycles.

Patrick Muradaz (‘20) Geography

Currently employed with Booz Allen Ham ilton in New York, Patrick began employ ment as a developer. In less than two years, he was promoted to technical lead on an R&D contract developing a suite of data management and analysis tools for clients. Patrick recalls seeing the sunset over the Blue Ridge Mountains during his first night at JMU. “I knew I was in the right place.”

Gavin Jackson (‘17) Intelligence Analysis

As a Data Scientist for the U.S. Government in Washington D.C., Gavin assists with strategic data science initiatives in his office and the community. He also develops novel program ming scripts to detect anomalies within data.

“The Intelligence Analysis Program at JMU

Justin

provided me the ability to think critically to come up with creative solutions to solve hard problem sets and gave me the keys to success. I can confidently say that I wouldn’t be where I am today without the career advice and the assistance that my professors gave me.”

company that advocates national security. She is thankful for the entire Intelligence Analysis Department and professors for being her mentors and role models. “JMU gave me the best home, friends, and com munity I’ve ever had these past four years.”

After a year, he decided to pursue his M.S. in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After graduating, George worked as a design engineer for Phillips-Medisize and then as an R&D engineer at Boston Scientific.

He recently moved back to North Carolina and is employed with Gilero as a Design Engineer. He designs and develops medi cal device products. His favorite memory was the 2016 Engineering xChange and celebrating with his capstone team.

Jack Cash (‘12) Engineering

While a student at JMU, Jack interned at a small structural engineer design firm in Har risonburg and continued employment for five and a half years after graduation. He helped design residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional structures. Jack has 12 P.E. licenses and is now a Senior Forensic Struc tural Engineer at EFI Global. He determines the failure method when a structure is damaged and the necessary repairs to bring it back to a pre-failure condition. “JMU Engineering taught me how to approach a problem and determine multiple solutions while keeping feasibility, financial, and customer concerns in mind.”

Nicolas Acton (‘14) Engineering

Post-JMU, Nicolas worked as a Systems Engineer for contractors working with the Navy for their submarine and guided-missile destroyer fleets. He then joined the engi neering team at In-Q-Tel and later worked for Accenture Federal Services. Nicolas lives in D.C. and works for Snorkel A.I. supporting federal sales and customers. “As you can probably tell by my career trajectory, I have had a varied career that has touched a lot of technology and skill requirements. I give credit to the general engineering approach taken at JMU to prepare me for the challenges of decomposing new, unseen problems and quickly becoming a well-respected expert.”

Kate Withers (‘17) Geography

Kate lives in Chicago and is completing her J.D. in Energy and Environmental Law. After graduation, Kate worked as an Envi ronmental Educator for Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Then, returned to Virginia to work with the Science Museum of Virgin ia’s STEM Education Team. In 2018, she attended King’s College London, where she received her master’s in geography. “CISE helped me define my passions, so I entered the workforce with a clear under standing of what I wanted to do with my life and the kind of impact that I wanted to make. I was very thankful for the opportu nities to learn practical skills in my classes - particularly through service-learning. Having a set of marketable skills has been very helpful in the job search.”

Alayna Stormer (‘22) Intelligence Analysis

Alayna is a recent graduate and hopes to find a position in security or threat analysis for either a business or government-related

George Schmidt (‘16) Engineering

George began working for Epic as a tech nical services analyst after graduation.

Josh Dunn (‘16)

Intelligence Analysis

Josh began his career as an OSINT Ana lyst at Capital One in Northern Virginia, reporting on various cyber threats tar geting the financial sector. He experi enced many different roles from threat hunting, threat detection and is now a Malware Analyst. “The IA Program helped mature my critical thinking abilities and helped with writing “Bottom Line Up Front” type of reporting – which I have found to be very important for my job.”

Nicholas Solinsky (‘11)

Computer Science

Nicholas works for an Automotive Group in the I.T. Department and owns a small e-cycling business. “My experience at JMU gave me an appreciation for others’ points of view and crucial experience collaborating with peers and superiors.”

Joel Tigges (‘19)

Integrated

Science and Technology

Joel is employed with Booz Allen Hamil ton in Harrisonburg, Virginia, as a Scrum Master and Software Tester. He and his team work with the National Ground Intel ligence Center in Charlottesville updating and enhancing their webpages and data bases. “My ISAT background made me well-versed to be a functional member of each project and prepared me to succeed in any role I want to try.”

Garrett Hughes (‘16)

Intelligence Analysis

An entrepreneur from the start, Garrett ran his photography company after grad uation. Then, he moved to San Diego and joined a startup as a software engineer while simultaneously working on his M.S. in Computer Science from San Diego State University. He is currently the Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder for Mint Songs, where he runs the organiza tion’s tech, product, and analytics.

Alexander Chamberlain (‘15)

Integrated Science and Technology

Alexander works for Cisco as a cloud solu tions architect. “I have never been so pre pared for my real first job. We were given three months to complete our training program. I and another JMU grad com pleted the required training in two weeks. Once I got onto my technology team, I quickly advanced because of my depth of knowledge on so many topics cov ered in my classes.” Alexander currently helps manage Cisco’s Software-Defined Network product, “which I was fortunate enough to help launch when I joined the company.” He is currently working on his MBA in Information Security at JMU. “Once again, I am able to lean on what I learned in all of my ISAT classes for the information security courses.”

Marcus O’Malley (‘04)

Computer Science

Marcus started Immerge Technologies in Harrisonburg, Virginia, before launching subsequent technology ventures. He has since transitioned into Product Manage ment, starting at Ricoh to help launch Mic rosoft’s suite internationally and moving on to run Papa John’s Loyalty program. Marcus is now the Product Manager for Data and Business Intelligence at Wiley University Services Division, helping universities worldwide go digital. “The computer science degree has been invaluable. It has instantly provided credibility in the technology world and supported my career trajectory.”

Engineering

(‘18)

Jess began working for Tetra Tech just after graduation. As an environmental engineer/technician/project manager and superfund technical assessment and response team contractor for the EPA, Jess travels around the country performing environmental field services such as air, water and soil sampling and monitoring, site assessments, and project management. Jess also responds to envi ronmental emergency calls when the EPA or other agencies need technical assis tance. Favorite Memory: Taking lessons learned during a summer study abroad experience with Dr. Frysinger about the world’s need for inexpensive desalination solutions and turning that into a success ful two-year capstone project.

master’s degree in Energy System Engi neering from the University of Michigan. She then worked as a design and electri cal engineer for a solar EPC firm. Caro line is now a Development Engineering Manager for Sol Systems in Washington, D.C. and provides technical guidance during origination, project development, financial closing, and construction for utility-scale photovoltaic power plants across the United States. “Some of my favorite memories are of driving out to our advisor’s 44-acre farm in the valley to do research for our senior thesis.”

Simeon Teopaco (’06)

Geography

Caroline Mills (‘11)

Integrated Science and Technology

After working in renewable development for a year, Caroline joined the Peace Corps, where she partnered with a nonprofit organization focused on sustain ability. After returning to the U.S. and working in solar sales, she pursued her

Christopher French (‘08)

Integrated Science and Technology

After graduating, Christopher worked for a tech company on Capitol Hill. After moving to Miami in 2011, he worked with a friend selling used books on Amazon –handling all the technical setup, emails, domain, and improving efficiency. After a few years, he started his own business, Contraband Sports, where he designs and sells fitness products. He recently started manufacturing apparel and owns Miami Promos, which does Screen Printing, Embroidery, DTG printing, vinyl, sublima tion, and sewing. “CS gave me widespread knowledge in computers and technology and allowed me to build the technical infrastructure to set up both of my com panies. In addition, ISAT introduced me to various technologies and focus on researching different topics that have helped me take on new projects and see us roll out new services.”

Simeon began his career at Booz Allen Hamilton supporting the DOD and DHS on multiple GIS projects. Back then, there wasn’t a lot of data available, so he made infrastructure network maps and even tually supported NGA for a good part of his career. After receiving his MBA, he worked for Target but wanted to return to GIS. Simeon is employed with Esri as a senior account manager. He works with commercial retail customers supporting their data and analytical needs. “One of my fondest memories was my first geography class, Intro Cartography with Dr. Stephen Wright. That class opened my eyes to a new field and completely changed my life. I changed my major that semester, and it’s been my passion ever since!”

Cate Gwilliam (‘03)

Integrated Science and Technology

Five years ago, Cate and her husband founded Geollect, a geospatial intel ligence and analytics company in the United Kingdom. They are expanding into the U.S. She is the CEO but is still involved in the day-to-day operations, product

Jess (Justin) Smith

development, sales, HR, and investment discussions. “My ISAT degree enabled me to understand the application of my areas of study, not just from a scientific per spective but from a real-world business perspective. In the working world, I think that set me apart from peers because I could look at problems more holistically. ISAT also helped me to understand that not every challenge or problem needs to have a 100% solution to mitigate the risk presented or resolve the problem com pletely. This mindset has been crucial to starting a business where we are selling intelligence software and capabilities to other businesses.”

Engineering

MS in Integrated Science and Technology

Post-graduation, Nathan worked as an artificial intelligence intern at Leidos (formerly SAIC). His role was converted into a full-time research scientist position before becoming a software engineer, then a senior data scientist. Later he took a position with Lockheed Martin as a staff data scientist. After two years, Nathan was promoted to principal autonomy and artificial intelligence research engineer. He remained at Lockheed Martin for three years before moving to Apple as a senior machine learning engineer. “The MSISAT program gave me broad expo sure to a wide variety of disciplines that encompassed both technical domains and national security-related topics. This eclectic combination uniquely positioned me to provide significant contributions and insights on wide-ranging defense and intelligence applied technology programs for many years.”

Jessica is an environmental engineering Ph.D. student at the University of Virginia, where she does remote sensing hydrology research. She is currently working on a project to analyze the 2019-2021 drought in the La Plata River Basin in South Amer ica. Jessica is also an intern at NASA God dard, working to utilize GRACE satellite data to predict reservoir level heights in the Parana basin in Brazil. “JMU taught me to be a well-rounded engineer and gave me many opportunities both in and out of the classroom. I was awarded a fellow ship under the NSF’s National Research Traineeship Program my first year of grad school due to the interdisciplinary aspects of my education.”

director for their defensive cover portfo lio. In 2017, Matt co-founded ShorePoint, a privately held cybersecurity services company serving the Federal Civilian, DOD, and commercial markets. “The ISAT program helped me learn about differ ent personality types and how to build effective teams to solve problems. In addition, ISAT gave me a broad technical background with the professional skills necessary to support both tactical and strategic objectives.”

Matt Brown (‘97)

Integrated Science and Technology

In 2000, Matt co-founded Knowledge Consulting Group (KCG) – a cybersecu rity services firm. Over the next 15 years, his company grew into an award-winning cyber firm serving the federal civilian market. In 2015, KCG was sold to ManTech; however, Matt remained on as the division

Integrated Science and Technology

After completing his undergrad, Zac took his first job as a software engi neer but quickly decided he wanted to attend grad school. So he moved back to Harrisonburg to pursue his master’s in ISAT while also taking a full-time job with the City of Harrisonburg as a sys tems analyst for the Fire Department. After a decade in public safety, Zac transitioned to the private sector as a systems administrator before being promoted to cybersecurity team man ager. “An ISAT grad has a well-rounded experience that may or may not pertain exactly to one concentration or focus area. For example, I had no experience in cybersecurity or risk management. Still, I knew enough about supporting roles and what I needed to learn to be a strong candidate for the position.”

Nathan Fields (‘12M)

Jessica Besnier (’21)

Zac Hittie (‘06, ‘10M)

Remy Pangle

(‘09)

Integrated Science and Technology

Remy went on to get her master’s from UMaine Orono in Oceanography. She worked for two years in the university’s marine field station as the lab manager for the Phytoplankton and Optics Lab. In 2003, Remy moved to Florida and worked for the University of South Florida in the Institute for Marine Remote Sensing. In 2007, she moved back to Virginia to work at JMU through the Virginia Coastal Energy Research Consortium to map offshore space for potential offshore wind. She now manages the Center for the Advancement of Sustainable Energy (CASE) at JMU and leads all the K12 renewable energy education efforts. Remy is also the Executive Director of REpowering Schools, a 501c3 with a mission to build a diverse and sustain able renewable energy workforce. “The breadth of my ISAT education prepared me for my winding career path and allowed me to take more time to hone my interests. I’m now in a career where I can share my knowledge and build a clean energy future for Virginia.”