Nucleus 2016

NUCLEUS THE

Available online at gcsu.edu/science

Inside this issue STEM NEWS ..............................................3 DELIVERING STEM TO YOUR DOORSTEP ...................6 STUDENT PROFILE...........................8 STEM STATS..............................................9 CONNECTING .......................................10 ASTRONOMY WITH THE COMMUNITY Steve Dorman, President Costas Spirou, Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Ken Procter, Dean, College of Arts and Sciences Joseph Peters, Dean, John H. Lounsbury College of Education Omar Odeh, Vice President for Strategic Communications, University Communications SCIENCE EDUCATION CENTER: Catrena Lisse, Director Patti Veal, Administrative Assistant Jessica Minnick, Student Assistant Martin Alcantar, Magic Show Coordinator EDITORS: Catrena Lisse and Aubrie L. Sofala NEWSLETTER DESIGN: GC Printing Services PHOTOGRAPHY: Anna Leavitt, Aubrie L. Sofala and Willie Ledezma

“The Nucleus” is a Science To Serve newsletter published annually by the Science Education Center and University Communications at Georgia College. Science to Serve is supported, in part, by generous donations from the kaolin industry.

The newsletter is available online at gcsu.edu/science.

349 Herty Hall • 478-445-7531 • Send us your science news: science@gcsu.edu

W

elcome to another edition of our page-turning publication, “The Nucleus.” The Science Education Center has spent the better part of a year working tirelessly to change the community’s perception of STEM through new center initiatives and programs.

With our new edition of “The Nucleus,” we’re unveiling a new look and publication cycle as we bring you an academic year of STEM news and events. We hope you like what you see.

We have worked hard to develop and implement a design that’s elegant, informative, eye-catching and easy to navigate.

Whether you read us in print or online, you represent an audience that loves science and shares a deep, steadfast curiosity about the world around you. With every story we write, with every issue we publish, with every day we teach and learn, we are committed to satisfying that curiosity.

I personally look forward to advancing STEM opportunities at our center, in our classrooms and throughout our area communities.

DR. CATRENA LISSE, EDITOR

Local summer camps empower school students to have fun with the sciences The nonprofit organization has been hosting their forensics academy for two years, offering training and educational programs for students and edu-

STEM IN THE NEWS

cators. Students spend two weeks learning about the science of forensics including safety procedures, observation reporting, sitting in on industry professional lectures, completing lab work, conducting field tests and analyzing a staged crime scene. The program takes place on the grounds of Central State Hospital.

Local students spent their summer exploring

“We use forensics to capture the imagination of

STEM

Engineering,

students. We want to reinvigorate their minds and

Mathematics) by participating in science camps

change the way they think about the sciences,”

and programs throughout Milledgeville.

said Davis.

STEMversity Forensics Academy

GC Science Camp

Executive Director of STEMversity Forensics

On the Georgia College campus, another group

Summer Academy Darrell Davis says what his

of local school children spent their summer at the

team aims to do is give local students hands-on

annual science camp. The program is offered by

opportunities. “The beauty of STEMversity is the

Georgia College’s Academic Outreach Program

fact that these are your kids—we are just bringing

in coordination with the Science Education

the knowledge and experience to them, but we

Center. This year’s theme was “Illusions II,” play-

wouldn’t be able to come here and do what we

ing off last year’s camp theme of “Illusions.”

do without the support,” Davis said.

Director of Academic Outreach Ruth Eilers says

(Science,

Technology,

Local high school students spend summer conducting experiments, research dents to participate in the revitalized Science Education Center’s summer program the Young Scientists Academy. The interns were joined by two Young Scientist Academy (YSA) observers, Drew Schilling and Andrew Pratt, from Jasper County High School.

Takeisha Butts carefully places her hands into the gloves of a fume hood in a lab in Herty Hall on Georgia College’s campus. She’s simulating the inhale and exhale motions of cigarette smoke to discover the effects of secondhand smoke on children.

“It’s been an interesting experience,” said the Washington County High School senior. “I’ve always wanted to perform experiments, and my time here has given me that opportunity.”

Butts is joined by her twin sister Lakeisha Butts and John Wesley Mathis, a senior at Jones County High School. The trio are the first local high school stu-

“The YSA program was brought back through sponsorship from the GC Office of Academic Affairs because everyone saw the importance of such a program. It offers high school students an opportunity to perform cutting-edge research in a college laboratory and interact with college faculty and undergraduates,” said Dr. Catrena Lisse, director of the Science Education Center. “But it’s not just scientific discoveries that are made through the internship, high school students are also provided college selection and admissions workshops by GC recruiters. “ The five students spent six weeks on campus conducting research alongside an undergraduate research student mentor. YSA interns received a stipend and spent their time at Georgia College learning the ins and outs of college life, conducting independent lab investigations and participating in NUCLEUS | 3 | gcsu.edu/science

the students loved last year’s theme, making this year’s a natural progression.

“Each year our theme is based on the evaluations of the year before, so our campers actually determine the theme. That is something we are very proud of. We also pride ourselves on high quality, hands-on activities,” said Eilers. “Two afternoons we spent at the pool relaxing, but the rest of the week we are engaged in nonstop hands-on science activities. Last year laid the ground work for ‘Illusions,’ talking about perception, the senses and how our bodies get tricked.”

For more information on next year’s summer science programs, contact Ruth Eilers of Georgia College at ruth.eilers@gcsu.edu or Darrell Davis of STEMversity at d.davis@stemversity.org.

group discussion. In July, they wrapped up their time with a presentation to current students, parents and local school educators and administrators.

Lakeisha Butts says the time she’s spent this summer calculating formulas, finding relevant literature and learning how to operate equipment safely in a laboratory will help her further her studies.

“I knew it would be challenging, and that’s why I wanted to participate,” said Lakeisha. “I’ve been able to learn so much, especially when I made mistakes. I’ve learned to move on from them and create something even better.”

For Mathis, who has known he wanted to study science since the seventh grade, his time spent creating and researching hydrogels at the Young Scientists Academy is just a starting point to his future.

“I’ve learned so much more about chemistry during my time here,” said Mathis. “I know going forward this will all help me as I begin my studies in the medical field.”

Mathis earned the YSA Leadership Award and received an opportunity to present his research in October at the Southeast Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Columbia, South Carolina.

STEM IN THE NEWS

chem club The American Chemical Society’s Committee on Education selected undergraduate student chapters to receive special recognition based on their programs and activities, as described in their chapter year-end reports. This year, the American Chemical Society honored 55 outstanding, 99 commendable and 160 honorable mention chapters. Georgia College’s Chemistry Club was the only University System of Georgia institution to receive the honor of Outstanding Chapter Award. Their activities that garnered this award include their involvement with National Chemistry Week, Family Fun Night and science magic shows at surrounding K-12 schools.

National Science Foundation grant funds new microscope A recent $263,320 National Science Foundation (NSF) grant funded the purchase of a scanning electron microscope and was made possible through a collaboration among several faculty members: Dr. Indiren Pillay, chair of the department, and co-principal investigators

museum moments

Drs.

Gleason,

Melanie

DeVore,

Mike

Gretchen

Ionta,

Kalina

Manoylov and Allison VandeVoort.

Of the 841 proposals submitted across the nation, only about 150 were awarded.

The addition of a scanning electron microscope (SEM) to the department provides faculty and students a valuable resource for innovative research. The imaging capabilities will be used to advance knowledge in a number of areas, including conch biology in the

solar workshop

Caribbean; systematics and taxonomy of diatoms and other algae; the ultrastructural analysis of plant families to understand plant evolution; microscopic nanoparticle mor-

Local middle and high school teachers

phology on soil and soil-organism interactions; bacteriophage identification and charac-

work in groups in a solar learning labora-

terization; and amyloid and prion biology.

tory as they learn more about how they can incorporate solar technology into

Beyond the obvious benefits to faculty and student research, the SEM supplements the

their curriculum. More than 30 educators

department’s mission of supporting students’ development of core competencies includ-

participated in the free Green Power EMC

ing applying the process of science and recognizing the interdisciplinary and collabora-

SunPower for Schools Solar Workshop

tive nature of science. The instrument is also intended to broaden GC’s participation in

hosted at Georgia College in July 2016.

the region’s research and education communities.

NUCLEUS | 4 | gcsu.edu/science

From producing biomass energy from trash to gas, to exploring the case of mistaken identity, to discovering what makes a Coke explode with candy – these are just some inquiries young scientists investigate at the annual Regional Science & Engineering Fair at Georgia College.

Ten counties in central Georgia and more than 180 participants make up the annual event on Georgia College’s campus. The event begins at 7:30 a.m. and lasts until award ceremonies at 4 p.m. Team building exercises are a staple of the science fair and include the Zip-Line Challenge, Paper Table Building and the popular Parachute Design Challenge.

These challenges and the fair’s annual STEM marketplace allow students to learn more about science, technology, engineering and mathematics — better known nationally as STEM — at Georgia College.

Students who place at the science fair go on to challenge themselves even more. Jasper County seniors Briana Nicholson, Aneah Moore and Austin Norwood researched gene frequency of sickle cell among their local population in Monticello, Georgia. Their project garnered them Best in Show at the 2016 science fair. They went on to compete at Intel’s International Science and Engineering Fair in Phoenix, Arizona.

[

The fanfare of the science fair

n ce e i c S l a Region a ir F g n i r ee & Engin ation p i c i t r Pa

[

Students

High School

10

29

Junior High

32

48

Elementary

86

61

Projects

High School Junior High Elementary

“It’s taken a lot of commitment and long hours,” said Nicholson. “We also have learned so much more about science in the process and how to work as a team.”

Science Fair International Sustainable World (Energy, Engineering and Environment) award recipient Nicole Hill also went on to present her research on comparing reverse osmosis and distillation at I-SWEEEP in Houston, Texas. She took home the third place prize.

The deadline to register for the 2017 Regional Science & Engineering Fair, to be held on Feb. 3, is Jan. 12, 2017. To learn more about where the science fair can take you, visit gcsu.edu/science.

NUCLEUS | 5 | gcsu.edu/science

TEAM

5

22

TEAM

24

36

TEAM

36

57 Schools

PUBLIC

PRIVATE

5

1

High School

7

0

Junior High

13

0

Elementary

DELIVERING STEM TO YOUR

DOORSTEP New Science Education Center flagship program impacts local community

A

t any given STEMing into the Community event, there are a few sights one can plan to see. Rapid color-changing reactions, Alka-Seltzer rockets and the swish of vibrant tie-dye lab coats of volunteers as they perform their series of magic shows.

Since its creation in summer 2015, Lisse and her crew of Georgia College students, alumni and community members have brought their events to Hancock, Putnam, Washington, Baldwin and Fulton counties—impacting nearly 5,000 children in the process.

“The outcome has been so much more than I could have ever hoped for,” said Dr. Catrena Lisse, director of the Science Education Center.

“To see everyone having fun, from the children to the parents—it’s inspiring.”

“The idea came from talking with kids about why they weren’t able to attend science summer activities at Georgia College,” said Lisse. “For many of them it was simply because they didn’t have the means. I quickly realized that what we needed to do was bring these activities to their doorstep so all they had to do was walk in and enjoy science.”

It started as a simple idea: make fun, interactive science activities accessible to local children.

What the series of events known as “STEMing into the Community” has become a hallmark of the Science Education Center’s outreach efforts.

NUCLEUS | 6 | gcsu.edu/science

STEMing into the Community events give students hands-on experiences to interact with sci-

ence, technology, engineering and math. The program kicks off with a magic show that includes imaginary water, disappearing plastic cups and flammable dollar bills. But children also have the opportunity to go more in-depth in any given STEM subject area. The events host a STEM Marketplace—from biology and chemistry to math, and each booth gives students a glimpse into how far STEM can take them in their education and beyond. Lisse says it’s been exciting to see how students react to the series.

“The shows are scheduled to last for two hours, but we’ve been there for as long as four,” said Lisse. “As long as children still want to learn—we’re going to stick around.”

The traveling show has visited nearly 40 community groups locally and hosted at an array of venues including churches, community centers and public parks. Keeping close to the local community is a cornerstone of the center’s mission, and it’s one that Lisse says is special.

“We have one GC student who is from Hancock County, and it means so much when he volunteers and helps organize events back in his hometown,” said Lisse. “It’s powerful to see a kid who grew up locally and is now a senior chemistry major. I hope it gives kids hope and lets them know no matter where they come from—you can go on to do great things.”

Lisse says she is hopeful for the future of the STEMing into the Community series. Looking forward, she plans to introduce new STEM subject areas to the marketplace, recruit new communities to bring the shows to and keep updating the magic show activities.

To request more information or host an event in your community, contact the Science Education Center at science@gcsu.edu.

NUCLEUS | 7 | gcsu.edu/science

To see everyone having fun, from the children to the parents— it’s inspiring.

STUDENT PROFILE MARTIN ALCANTAR

Georgia College junior Martin Alcantar has established a home in his free time with the Science Education Center.

Alcantar got involved with the Science Education Center during his first year at GC when he began volunteering under Director of the Center Dr. Catrena Lisse.

“I was interested in the magic shows Dr. Lisse had done. So, I started doing them, and now I’m the magic show coordinator,” Alcantar said. “They weren’t that big at first. Now, there are times when the whole week is booked, because people have heard about us.”

He conducts magic shows alongside other students to help involve and expose children to science. Some scenes require crowd assistance, such as exploding Alka-Seltzer tablets in rockets. There are also more mature acts, like setting the inside of a bottle on fire or color-changing reactions.

“It shows that science is fun, and it’s not all work,” he said.

Alcantar understands the importance of such opportunities for younger children, and he sees the magic shows as a tool for service.

“Growing up, I never saw anything like what we do,” he said.

Using this as fuel for his passion, the bilingual Mexican-American also conducts magic shows to help Georgia College recruiters attract more Latino students to the sciences.

Growing up, I never saw anything like what we do.

“He traveled with me to the annual GoSTEM Latino Festival at Georgia Tech in March, where we performed five chemistry magic shows to more than 1,000 Latino children and parents,” Lisse said. “Martin translated the show and answered questions in Spanish for parents.”

His involvement with the Science Education Center has aided his growth in various ways.

A change that he and Lisse have noticed is his effectiveness in interpersonal communication.

“Since he has been volunteering with the center, Martin has developed an ability to speak to crowds and explain complex scientific phenomena to general audiences of all ages,” said Lisse. “He has more confidence, and his passion for learning is addictive.”

Alcantar’s ultimate career goal is to work for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“At first, I wanted to work with diseases, because I have a lot of family history with diseases,” Alcantar said. “I was going to do drug design, but now I’m more interested in just dealing with diseases themselves.”

Upon completion of his undergraduate studies, Alcantar plans to attend graduate school and obtain a doctorate in chemistry.

He will start his junior year in the fall of 2016 and continue to work with the center.

NUCLEUS | 8 | gcsu.edu/science

2015-2016

STEMing

Event Statistics

36

8

cities

events

5,769 attendees

4,714

1,055

kids

adults

For more STEMing event information please visit gcsu.edu/science

1,161 GC volunteer opportunities

100

1,061

GC faculty volunteer opportunities

GC student volunteer opportunities

NUCLEUS | 9 | gcsu.edu/science

As the only member in the southeast, Georgia College is affiliated with Project ASTRO, which teams Georgia College students and local astronomers with teachers of grades K-12 in middle Georgia. Formed by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP), Project ASTRO has brought astronomy to students across the United States for 20 years and has been affiliated with Georgia College for one year.

“I read about Project ASTRO early on, and found out there are a lot of useful activities for K-12 students, and there are even things I use in teaching my students,” said Dr. Donovan Domingue, professor of physics and astronomy.

“This group [ASP] seemed to be successful in bringing astronomy to the public. As the Kaolin Endowed Chair, this is an opportunity for me to get the funds to do just that. We need to establish the resources that we share.”

Domingue’s goal is to create well-established partnerships by teaming K-12 teachers in middle Georgia with astronomers. Any professional, amateur or student who has extensive knowledge about astronomy can be an astronomer and be paired with a K-12 teacher.

The local schools that partner with Georgia College’s Project ASTRO include: Central High School, Clifton Ridge Middle School, Jasper County High School, Jeffersonville Elementary, Oakhill Middle School and Ridge Road Elementary.

“We have also partnered with Georgia College Early College,” said Domingue. “The math teachers are involved considering there’s a lot of math in astronomy. This is a way of incorporating application with astronomy.”

Through the Science Education Center, Georgia College serves as a liaison between the local K-12 schools and science programs, including Project ASTRO. “One of our goals at the Science Education Center is to provide the mechanism for cooperation and collaboration regarding common interests in science and education among departments and interdisciplinary programs at Georgia College and external to the university,” said Dr. Catrena Lisse, professor of chemistry and director of the Science Education Center. “The Center serves as a pipeline through which Georgia College’s resources and facilities are used to form partnerships with local K-12 schools, community resources and middle Georgia businesses for the purpose of improving STEM education in our area.”

In seeking teachers to partner with for Project ASTRO, Domingue reaches out to those who participate in regional science fairs.

Once he has designated the teachers, they attend the yearly workshop to get started.

He introduces the astronomers and informs the teachers of what’s expected.

As part of Project ASTRO, Domingue also holds a speaking series where he invites talented scientists to the campus to speak to students and the public.

Then, the astronomers visit them several times in the school year.

Domingue and his volunteers will also celebrate the Great American Eclipse to occur on Monday, Aug. 21, 2017 around 2 p.m.

“The students get to learn about many different sciences through astronomy like earth science, chemistry and physics. These are all the subjects that teachers need to cover. Project ASTRO is a great gateway to teach students about those topics, plus most students find astronomy exciting,” he said.

A Georgia College student instructs local middle school students on how to use a solar telescope.

Domingue and his astronomers are available to the teachers for resources and guidance. Astronomers frequently check out equipment such as solar telescopes, model globes of the planets and infrared cameras for use in the classrooms. K-12 students can also visit Georgia College to learn more about astronomy.

“I hope that teachers get comfortable with introducing astronomy activities that are exciting and engaging,” said Domingue. “I also hope they meet all the other teachers in the program so they can call on each other.”

NUCLEUS | 11 | gcsu.edu/science

“I would like to hold some workshops for high school students in the area and provide solar viewing glasses,” said Domingue.

“I hope to educate teachers about preparing students for this total eclipse. This is significant because it’s coming across the entire United States. The sun is going to be 96 percent covered in Baldwin County.”

As for Project Astro, Domingue would always like to recruit more people.

“We are in need of both teachers and astronomy experts,” he said. “Any teacher who is interested in having an astronomer in their class and improving their astronomy activities, and any amateur astronomer who wishes to volunteer and share their time and expertise are welcome to contact me at donovan.domingue@gcsu.edu.”

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First-year undergraduates present at the 19th Annual GC Research Conference.

Elizabeth Proctor, Jasper Co. High School Science teacher was accepted into the Society for Science & the Public’s Advocate Grant program.

Senior chemistry major presents at the 251st National Meeting of the Chemical Society.

Oak Hill Middle students making power from solar, wind and biomass energy at the S.T.E.A.M Academy for Growth and Exploration.

Central Georgia students try out the zip line challenge at the science fair.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS 2016-2017 Visit gcsu.edu/science for more events.

FALL 2016 Events Sept. 1 . . . .Regional Science and Engineering Fair . . . . . . . . . .Request for entries Sept. 22-24 .The Association for Science Teacher Education (ASTE) Regional Meeting – Gatlinburg, Tennessee Oct. 12 . . . .National Fossil Day at the Natural History Museum Oct. 15 . . . .STEMing into the Community show - Location TBA Oct. 16-22 .National Chemistry Week (Family Fun Night on Thursday) Oct. 23 . . . .Mole Day Oct. 23-26 .Southeastern Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society - Columbia, South Carolina Oct. 24-25 .The Georgia STEM Forum – Athens, Georgia Nov. 12 . . . .Georgia Gives Day Nov. 19 . . . .STEMing into the Community show - Location TBA Dec. 1 . . . . .RSEF Online Registration Opens SPRING 2017 Events Jan. 12-14 . .The Association for Science Teacher Education (ASTE) International Meeting – Des Moines, Iowa Jan. 13 . . . .Regional Science and Engineering Fair Registration deadline Jan. 20 . . . .Regional Science and Engineering Fair Paperwork/Fees deadline

Jan. 27 . . . .Oconee RESA Technology Competition Feb. 3 . . . . .Regional Science and Engineering Fair Centennial Center at Georgia College Feb. 18 . . . .STEMing into the Community show - Location TBA March 1 . . .Science Camp Registration opens March 14 . .Pi Day March 18 . .STEMing into the Community show at the GoSTEM Latino Festival – Atlanta, Georgia March 30 April 1 . . . . .Georgia Science and Engineering Fair, Athens, Georgia March 30 April 2 . . . . .National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) National Meeting – Los Angeles, California March 31 . .Young Scientists Academy – Application opens April 2-6 . . .American Chemical Society National Meeting San Francisco, California April 22 . . . .Earth Day April 28 . . . .Young Scientists Academy – Application deadline May 14-19... Intel International Science and Engineering Fair Los Angeles, California