Spring:summer15visionmagazine

SPRING/SUMMER 2015

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IMPACTING THE WORLD VISION SPRING/SUMMER 2015 | COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES

A PUBLICATION OF THE COLLEGE OF ARTS| &VISION SCIENCES COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES FALL 2013

DEAR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS: As we conclude another academic year, I take enormous pride in our College’s achievements this past year. Our students continue to receive excellent educational opportunities, both within and outside of the classroom. Our students are fortunate to be able to work with an amazing group of faculty who are challenging them to make the most of their education. Our faculty are regularly recognized and honored for their dedication, innovation and effectiveness in teaching and instruction. This year was no different. In fact, Arts & Sciences’ faculty swept all of the major University awards in teaching and advising including: Jared Keeley (Psychology)Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award; Lindsey Peterson (Sociology)Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award; and Frances McDavid (Communication) Irving Atley Jefcoat Award for Advising. Additionally, our very own Karyn Brown (Communication), editor of Vision magazine, was selected as the Grisham Master Teacher – our University’s most prestigious honor for teaching.

And speaking of Vision, this issue focuses on international and global themes. One of Mississippi State’s emphases is globalization, and the College of Arts & Sciences figures very prominently in helping MSU to connect to this goal. As I write, our College has students and faculty in almost every continent engaged in study abroad programs, research projects, outreach efforts, and conferences and workshops. Our global reach is vast and expanding. We firmly believe that providing opportunities to work and study in the international community enhances our students’ educational experiences, as well as provides a profound appreciation and respect of different cultures and peoples. It also has the benefit of reaffirming our own social values and culture, which we all sometimes take for granted. We also are excellent ambassadors to other countries. Our efforts in the international community often lead to attracting international students to come to MSU for their college education. I hope you will enjoy reading some of these wonderful student and faculty stories and agree that these endeavors are essential to providing a truly world class education.

I hope you enjoy the rest of your summer. Fall will be here before we know it and we anticipate another great year for Arts & Sciences and MSU. Thank you so very much for your support of the College of Arts & Sciences at Mississippi State University.

Come visit when you can!

Hail State!

R. Gregory Dunaway Dean

TABLE OF CONTENTS 18 STUDY ABROAD STORY

22 EMINENT SCHOLARS

24 DSAC & SOCIETY OF SCHOLARS

25 MENTOR AWARDS

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GLOBAL POLITICAL AWARENESS

ARTS & SCIENCES STAFF

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Freedom Summer Remembered

Faculty Research

10 Creative Impact

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12 Lien Van Geel, Study of Classics

14 Major Israeli Find

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DR. R. GREGORY DUNAWAY - Dean DR. GISELLE THIBAUDEAU MUNN - Associate Dean for Research & Graduate Studies DR. RICK TRAVIS - Associate Dean for Academic Affairs & Student Services KARYN BROWN - Director of Communication ALEX MCINTOSH - Director of Development SHERYL KINARD - Business Manager DR. CARLY CUMMINGS - Assistant to the Dean - Research ALEX HAMMOND - Admissions Coordinator TRACY BRITT - Academic Coordinator BARBARA STEWART - Academic Coordinator NIKKI ROBINSON - Advancement Coordinator ALISA WHITTLE - Administrative Assistant to the Dean SIMONE COTTRELL - Administrative Assistant WHITNEY PETERSON - Administrative Assistant JOY SMITH - Administrative Assistant

Student Workers:

DAMARIUS HARRIS - Student Worker ADAM SIMONTON - Student Worker MARCY SLOWIK - Student Worker FEI FEI ZENG - Student Worker

Editors:

KARYN BROWN LAURA DUNN HANNAH RINEHART

16 Pranaav Jadhav, Reporting Around the World

17 Mike Pace, Alumnus Global Impact

20 Casey May, “Hero” Status

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Writers:

Christine Bowman Bonnie Coblentz Audra Gines Hannah Rinehart Lisa Sollie

Designer:

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Direct comments or questions to: KARYN BROWN | 662.325.7952 kbrown@deanas.msstate.edu P.O. Box AS | Mississippi State, MS 39762

IS PUBLISHED

BY THESPRING/SUMMER COLLEGE OF ARTS & 2015 SCIENCES VISION | COLLEGE

OF ARTS & SCIENCES

Eric Abbott

CULTIVATING

GLOBAL POLITICAL AWARENESS: The Mississippi Model Security Council

By Audra Gines

S

ince 1979, the Mississippi Model Security

“The first is to allow our college students to learn about the

Council Program at Mississippi State has

United Nations and international diplomacy,” he said. The role-

provided high school and university students

playing simulation continues when some of the participants take

opportunities to experience international politics.

Sponsored by the Department of Political Science and Public

he added.

Administration, the United Nations Security Council simulation

“We have been doing that for the past 10-to-15 years,” Shoup

gives participants an inclusive peer environment where

said, noting that in 2014, senior Jamie Aron of Flowood,

constructive feedback is provided in a competitive atmosphere.

MS, became MSU’s first major award winner at the regional

Ultimately, the experience is designed to help students enhance

competition.

and improve their debating and negotiating skills.

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part in the Southern Regional Model UN in Atlanta, Georgia,

A political science and mathematics double-major and

Since 2010, assistant professor Brian Shoup has served as

Shackouls Honors College member, Aron holds both the

MMSC coordinator. The annual spring semester event has two

Grisham Presidential and Haley Barbour scholarships at MSU.

components, he explained.

Recently, she also was named a national Harry S. Truman Scholar.

By: Kayleigh Swisher VISION SPRING/SUMMER 2015 | COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES

Shoup said MMSC’s second component takes place when MSU

format and what their respective countries are supposed to think

and his department welcome to campus high school students

about particular issues. And they are really getting it; they’re

from around the state, as well as from Alabama and Tennessee,

fantastic.”

for a two-day UN simulation. By representing a nation of their

Shifting his attention to the MSU students and others who go

choosing, they become its delegate to argue and discuss national

to the Atlanta simulation each fall, Shoup noted, “MMSC is the

issues in formal diplomatic fashion.

state’s only educational and programmatic conference focusing on

After the students and their faculty advisers have selected a

international peace and security that provides a well-trained staff

country to represent, they research its international situation and

of college students who act as a bridge in facilitating high school

determine which resolutions are important enough to take before

students’ understanding of crucial and long-standing security

the entire body. While an open-agenda format gives them the

issues and strategies.”

ability to discuss any topic deemed relevant, delegates also must be

Many students involved in the MMSC have taken the knowledge

knowledgeable of other member states’ foreign policies if they are

they gained at MSU and used it to help make a difference on the

to be successful debaters, Shoup emphasized.

world stage, he said. As an example, he cited Taylor Luczak of

A highlight of the campus gathering includes an address by an

Starkville, a 2013 magna cum laude double-major in political

international speaker. Professor Feisal Amin Rasoul Istrabadi of

science and foreign language who also was co-captain of the

the Maurer School of Law at Indiana University, Bloomington,

varsity basketball team.

was last year’s special guest. A native of Iraq, he was a principal drafter of his country’s provisional constitution in 2004.

Whether debating international affairs or hearing from a dignitary

and watching him figure this stuff out on his own was really

of another country, Shoup believes MMSC provides learning

impressive,” Shoup recalled of the former student who had served

opportunities for the participants—and for him and others at

as MMSC secretary-general during his time on campus.

MSU who organize the programs.

He also cited Ellen M. Davis of Southaven, an economics and

“It’s good to see what 15 and 16-year-olds in Mississippi think

political science double-major who graduated summa cum laude

about civil war or abuses in Burma, what they think about an

last year. She was among the first MSU students to co-publish a

organization like Boko Haram, and how they think about solutions

professional academic article, with much of her information first

to deal with those kinds of problems,” he observed.

derived from topics discussed in a model UN class, he noted. Davis

While students are what the event is all about, Shoup gave high praise to the teachers of participating schools that make the process possible. “They are amazing,” he said.

currently is pursuing a graduate degree in agricultural economics at the University of Georgia.

“A lot of these students go on to do good things career-wise,”

He continued: “I think teachers as a general rule often have a

Shoup said. “It’s good to follow them through it, but, at the end of

thankless job. They certainly don’t get paid probably what they

the day, did Model UN make them great or did they make Model

deserve, and you see how much work they put in.

UN good? It’s probably a little bit of both.”

“They are getting up at 4 a.m. to take these students half-way across the state to a UN Security Council simulation. They obviously have taught the students how to engage this particular

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Luczak is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and now works as a policy analyst in Washington, D.C. “Watching him go through,

VISION SPRING/SUMMER 2015 | COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES

For more information about the MMSC, visit www.mmsc.org. msstate.edu.

REMEMBERING

FREEDOM

SUMMER

By Christine Bowman

I

n October, the College of Arts & Sciences’ African American

—“Civil Rights vs. Uncivil Wrongs: Combatting Discrimination in

Studies program organized a special conference

the Workplace and the Legacy of Freedom Summer Activism” by

honoring the 50th anniversary of the Freedom

Shirley Hanshaw, associate professor in the Department of English.

Summer of 1964.

cases to illustrate the theory: the works of Aaron Henry and Medgar

State and other institutions around the country. Some topics and their

Evers in reorganizing and redefining the NAACP, an organization

authors included:

that had a national reputation as less oriented toward activist, street

—“Freedom Schools and the Lessons of Social Change” by university alumna and author Susan Follett on the role of historical fiction in civil rights education and conversations.

—“Mississippi Grounding: The Role of Indigenous Leadership

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Of his presentation, Morrison said he “developed two leadership

Various sessions included speakers representing both Mississippi

mobilization.”

Morrison said Henry and Evers made the organization’s state more assertive and helped to establish its role “as a prime mover in the early 1960’s.”

in Freedom Summer” by K.C. Morrison, Department of Political

When asked why she chose to focus on workplace discrimination,

Science and Public Administration head, on the importance of

Hanshaw responded, “It’s a timely topic,” adding that, “People talk

indigenous leadership in Mississippi’s struggle for civil rights and an

about the Civil Rights Movement as they are relics of the past, and

analysis of those who had the most impact.

some of the conditions still exist today, unfortunately.”

VISION SPRING/SUMMER 2015 | COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES

She said that while passage of the Civil Rights Bill provided change theoretically, such often was not the case in practice.

“I have been to numerous conference sessions over decades, and none were more important than this one to me and to my understanding of our history and place.”

As an example, she cited Dereck Bell, a law professor at Harvard in the 1970’s. She explained how Bell, though a well-published and prominent author, became so frustrated that African Americans, especially females, were not getting tenured or promoted that he resigned and joined the Princeton University faculty.

“Dr. Bell created the ‘critical race theory’ because, even though the Civil Rights Act was passed, there was still entrenchment in the legal system,” Hanshaw continued. “What appeared fair was most certainly not. In this theory, racism is described as systemic and institutionalized in this country, and the rules tend to favor those in power.”

She called the fall event “a good conference to be held for all generations, especially millennials and all ethnicities.”

Agreeing with her was Susan Hall, an associate professor in the College of Architecture, Art and Design and chair of the campus President’s Commission on the Status of Women.

Hall said all sessions she attended “were excellent and many were ground breaking discussions for MSU. I have been to numerous conference sessions over decades, and none were more important than this one to me and to my understanding of our history and place.”

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VISION SPRING/SUMMER 2015 | COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES

STEPHEN BRAIN and the

STUDY OF ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY

By Hannah Rinehart

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VISION SPRING/SUMMER 2015 | COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES

W

hen most consider the study of Russian history, they may not consider the country’s environment and forests.

Mississippi State historian Stephen Brain has made it

his focus in research and teaching. A member of the university faculty since 2007, he is an associate professor specializing in Soviet environmental history. He also coordinates the Department of History’s graduate program.

Studying Soviet history initially was not his plan, the University of CaliforniaBerkeley doctoral graduate said. In fact, he avoided history classes altogether as an undergraduate by taking advanced placement exams.

After receiving a bachelor’s degree in ecology, he worked for a while in that field in California. Over time, he became convinced he didn’t really want to be an ecologist and began thinking about trying to do something else.

Russian history was that “something else,” Brain said. After reading books about the subject, he wanted to study Soviet history. “They looked at me twice because I didn’t really have any background,” Brain said.

Though several institutions provided assistance, it was Berkeley that introduced him to the study of environmental history. “I didn’t even know there was such a thing as environmental history, but by going to Berkeley and talking to the scholar there, I learned about it and one thing led to another,” he explained.

Brain joined the MSU faculty shortly after completing his terminal degree. He said his first project “was about the way the Soviet Union managed their forests.

I also wrote an article about Soviet fishing in the Arctic Ocean.”

Presently, he has two research efforts in progress. “One looks at Soviet agriculture, including food security, environmental protection and soil erosion.

The other examines Soviet and American environmental diplomacies during the Cold War. All of these things fit under a larger umbrella of environmental policy and environmental attitudes of the Soviet government,” Brain said.

In 2013, Brain received a Fulbright Fellowship to further his Russian investigations. At the Southern Federal University in Rostov-on-Don, he focused

“There’s no better way to learn language and culture than to go there.”

on Soviet agriculture from the 19th century to 1932. On future trips, he will take up the former communist nation’s experiences during the Joseph Stalin era when agriculture began to be industrialized.

When not focusing on teaching and research, Brain said he is devoting his energy to designing a study-abroad program to Moscow for interested MSU students.

“In the mornings, the students would have the option of taking intensive Russian language; they wouldn’t have to, but it would be included in the price of the trip,” he said. “There’s no better way to learn language and culture than to go there.”

The second part would take place twice weekly over a five-week period and include “field trips to places where Russian history was made,” he said.

If everything works out, Brain plans to begin the study-abroad program as soon as possible. He also expressed hope that it could become an annual event.

“I teach the classes here about Soviet and Russian history, and people always seem interested,” he said. “I try to show them pictures of what it’s like, but what could be better than seeing it?”

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VISION SPRING/SUMMER 2015 | COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES | VISION SPRING/SUMMER 2015

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CREATIVE IMPACT:

MSU’S THE STREETCAR IN THE FAST LANE

By Audra Gines

T

oday,

Mississippi

State

and encourages submissions from the

University once again stands

university’s entire student body. Originally

at the precipice of change.

The Streetcar’s conception began back in

The Streetcar, a student-run publication

spring 2012 as a collaboration of ideas

on campus, illustrates the creative works

between Christopher Snyder, dean of the

of students from across MSU’s diverse

Shackouls Honors College and professor

student body. Additionally, the creative

of history, and Donald “Field” Brown,

publication stands as a marker for the

Mississippi State’s recently named Rhodes

new STEAM movement that seeks

Scholar.

to expand the academic emphasis on science,

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technology,

engineering

“It started as a conversation between Dr.

and

Snyder and Field Brown, and they were

mathematics (STEM) to include the arts

talking about how MSU is a STEM driven

as well. Students from all disciplines are

campus; but, there didn’t seem to be an

contributing to this forward-thinking

outlet for students to publish their creative

journal, thereby showing the arts are a

work, or a constructive community for

critical aspect to the growth of the College

students to get together and talk about

of Arts & Sciences and Mississippi State

their creative work,” Dennis said. “As it

University.

stands now we are the only fully student

The Streetcar initially began as a venue

run, fully student submitted creative arts

for students of the Shackouls Honors

journal at MSU. We take submissions from

College, but shortly thereafter it opened up

all majors, all disciplines, and we publish

to include the College of Arts & Sciences

from all majors and all disciplines, and we

and is now sponsored by both colleges

also have a very diverse staff.”

VISION SPRING/SUMMER 2015 | COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES

As the process unfolded, the staff was

College, is advisor and mentor for The

important to meeting the needs of a more

pleasantly surprised about the amount of

Streetcar. Vivier said he and the staff are

demanding global market, it is important not

submissions from students all across campus.

concerned with “making sure that this is a

to forget that fine arts disciplines stand as a

Editors-in-chief Kylie Dennis, a junior

recurring process rather than something that

necessary and critical function of the creative

English major pursuing a double minor

is only happening because [they] happen to

process.

in history and psychology, and Dakotah

have two amazing co-editors right now.”

“How do we make sure that people who

talking about The Streetcar as a creative outlet,

to see work submitted by students from

are underclassman can invest in this and

in fact, we want to shift the perspective to

majors not typically associated with writing.

take it over? I do think there is a need for

be that The Streetcar is necessary. It’s not an

“There seems to be a lot of closet poets out

mentorship. There does need to be some way

outlet; it is a necessary component of what it

there that are masquerading as mathematics

of getting other people to invest themselves

means to be in a university, what it means to

majors or engineers,” Dennis said. “We

the way these two (Dennis and Daffron)

think critically, what it means to be a student,

weren’t expecting that kind of reception at

have,” Vivier said.

to learn and what it means to be creative,”

all. We were expecting a lot of art majors and

Daffron believes the success of The

Vivier explained. “So we want to say that

English majors. And what we really found

Streetcar is strengthened by its relationship

the arts are absolutely imperative, absolutely

interesting in the first issue was the kind of

with the College of Arts & Sciences, the

critical at Mississippi State, not just an outlet.

themes we saw emerging.”

Shackouls Honors College, the Mitchell

And I know that they have the backing of

For the first issue Dennis said they saw a

Memorial Library and the Writing Center.

me, they have the backing of Dean Snyder

lot of people focusing on life experiences of

The journal also hopes to be more involved

of the Honors College for that, and Dean

growing up in the South and what it means to

in campus related activities in order to create

Dunaway, with the CA&S who has been very

grow up in the South, while also challenging

more publicity for it. By doing this, the staff

supportive of the arts as well.”

the traditions that we take for granted.

hopes to ensure that it is known by everyone

The second issue took a bit of a different

from the moment they get to MSU.

An arts education is key to the creative process. It is a critical element to the

tone. It looked more outside the home and

This may not prove too difficult as The

innovative process, and innovation fosters

even stepped outside of Mississippi, offering

Streetcar continues to draw a plethora of

future industry. All of these are necessary to

a critique of general society. According to

submissions each year, across all disciplines

compete in the global market—a win-win,

Daffron, the third issue of The Streetcar

and fields of study. The staff has even been

according to STEAM’s mission statement.

took on a personality of its own.

forced to turn away many submissions,

As The Streetcar moves forward and as the

though they encourage resubmission for the

push to integrate STEM + Arts & Design

following year.

(STEAM) increases, the Shackouls Honors

Many of the art submissions that came in were non-traditional. One piece in-particular that was submitted for the second issue was

Vivier is passionate about the ongoing battle

College and the College of Arts & Sciences

a work called Dancers that stood out and

for the arts. In a world where integrated

are doing what they can to ensure the fine

consequently became a point of interest for

learning appears more pivotal than ever in

arts are as fundamental to college education

the staff. It is an animation of two dancing

order to meet the needs of a competitive

in the future as they have been in the past and

figures created using a mathematical program

global economy, there stands a dichotomy

by doing so, set a precedent for impacting the

called Mathematica. The journal published

between the traditional disciplines of science,

world.

still photos of the art piece.

technology, engineering and mathematics

“The creative process is really something

Many of Mississippi State’s students have

(STEM) and a growing movement to

that is inextricably intertwined with STEM

never been given the opportunity to share

incorporate art and design (STEM +

fields, so when you’re an engineer you use

their creative and artistic talents. “I think

Art & Design or STEAM). A movement

creativity and architecture and mathematics,”

we were just surprised that there seems

championed by the Rhode Island School of

Daffron reflected. “So we want to take the

to be so much creativity, so much critical

Design (RISD) back in 2011 has now taken

stigma away from the arts and the creative

thought happening and being channeled into

on support from some of the country’s

side of things and show that it really is

creative work at Mississippi State,” Dennis

leading experts who challenge the traditional

something that is important to students

commented.

STEM field disciplines as the only means of

whether they realize it or not.”

Eric Vivier, assistant professor of English and faculty fellow for the Shackouls Honors

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“Even though we started this conversation

Daffron, a senior English major, were thrilled

meeting the needs of a global economy.

While it is recognized that STEM fields are

VISION SPRING/SUMMER 2015 | COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES

The Streetcar is going into the early stages of production for its fourth issue.

Lien Van Geel (left) Senior and Kylie Dennis (right) senior pose at University of Oxford Summer 2014

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VISION SPRING/SUMMER 2015 | COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES

BELGIAN STUDENT TAKES THE CLASSICS HEAD ON AT MSU

By Audra Gines

W

hile many enjoy modern literature and the latest authors, senior Lien Van Geel’s reading tastes go further back— to the 19th century and beyond.

She developed a love for the classics during secondary school in her native Belgium. At age 12, she began studying literature and the works of authors Jane Austen, John Keats and William Shakespeare.

“I think that was just a teenage girl obsession, but I very much enjoyed that as well,” she said. “In 10th grade, we started reading the actual literature and that is when I became interested in it, especially the classics. There is a reason why they stay around for so many years because they actually matter.”

Van Geel came to Mississippi State in 2012 on a tennis scholarship. After playing for one year, she was able to transition to an academic scholarships provided by the College of Arts & Sciences and Shackouls Honors College.

Her transfer was made possible, in part, with the assistance of Dr. Christopher Snyder, dean of the Shackouls Honor College and professor of history and Dr. Thomas Anderson, associate professor of English and its director of prestigious scholarships.

“That is how I got to stay at Mississippi State and pursue my degree in Latin and English,” she explained. “I got very lucky because Dr. Snyder and Dr. Anderson helped me with the scholarships; if it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t be here.”

She also gives credit to assistant professor Salvador Bartera, her adviser and mentor, and his colleagues in the Department of Classical and Modern Languages and Literatures.

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“I wouldn’t have gotten this attention, I suppose, in Belgium at all, because in Belgium it is quite different,” she said.

Last summer, Van Geel had the opportunity to travel to England. There, she presented research papers at Oxford University about Shakespeare and Roman poet Ovid that will be the basis of her required honors college thesis.

“I wrote those papers for my Oxford professor, who seemed to like them,” she said. “I was fairly pleased because the stakes were quite high.”

During 2015, Van Geel made several other presentations at Eastern Washington University; University of Tennessee, Knoxville; and on the MSU campus.

According to Bartera, receiving an invitation to present at these conferences is quite an honor. “It’s very difficult to get into some of these conferences, about three out of 10 actually get in,” he added.

This summer, Van Geel travels to Germany to attend Heidelberg University, then will return in the fall to Oxford for the entire semester, a prospect she finds exciting since it’s her goal to pursue graduate study there. “I will continue to work with the professor I worked with last summer,” she added.

Van Geel said her long-range plans include a doctorate in the classics, though she also wants to continue her education in English.

However, as her future academic plans progress, Van Geel said she always will be grateful for the College of Arts & Sciences, the Shackouls Honors College, and the Department of Classical & Modern Languages and Literatures for the assistance she recieved as an undergraduate.

VISION SPRING/SUMMER 2015 | COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES | VISION SPRING/SUMMER 2015

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MAJOR ISRAELI FIND

EVIDENCE OF BIBLICAL PROPORTIONS

S

By Bonnie Coblentz

ix official clay seals found by a Mississippi State

southern Israel. His findings were published in the December 2014

archaeological team at a small site in Israel offer

issue of Near Eastern Archaeology, a leading peer-reviewed journal.

evidence that supports the existence of biblical kings

David and Solomon.

political entity that is typified by elite activities, suggesting that a state

Many modern scholars dismiss David and Solomon as mythological

was already being formed in the 10th century B.C.,” Hardin said. “We

figures and believe no kingdom could have existed in the region at

are very positive that these bullae are associated with the Iron Age

the time the Bible recounted their activities. The new finds provide

IIA, which we date to the 10th century B.C., and which lends general

evidence that some type of government activity was conducted there

support to the historical veracity of David and Solomon as recorded in

in that period.

the Hebrew biblical texts.

Jimmy Hardin, associate professor in the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Anthropology and Middle Eastern Cultures, said these

“These appear to be the only known examples of bullae from the 10th century, making this discovery unique,” he added.

bullae—seal impressions—were used for official correspondence in

The finds contribute significantly to an ongoing debate in the

much the same way wax seals were used on documents in later periods.

archaeological community about whether governments or states existed

Hardin, co-director of the Hesi Regional Project, has been excavating

in the early Iron Ages. They may also have far-reaching implications

each summer since 2011 at Khirbet Summeily, a site east of Gaza in

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“Our preliminary results indicated that this site is integrated into a

VISION SPRING/SUMMER 2015 | COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES

for the growing number of scholars who maintain that such political

organization occurred much later than biblical texts suggest.

“Some text scholars and archaeologists have dismissed the historic reliability of the biblical text surrounding kings David and Solomon, such as recorded in the Bible in the books of Kings and 2 Samuel, which scholars often date to the Iron Age IIA or 10th century B.C,” Hardin said.

dated by Christopher Rollston, an epigrapher in the Department of Classical and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at George Washington University.

Jeff Blakely of the University of Wisconsin-Madison co-directs the Hesi Regional Project and has studied the region for 40 years.

“Our dates for the bullae are based on multiple types of evidence

“The fact that these bullae came off sealed written documents

we combined to determine a general 10th century B.C. date,” Blakely

shows that this site, located out on the periphery of pretty much

said. “The style of the bullae, the types of ancient pottery found

everything, is integrated at a level far beyond subsistence,” he

in the same contexts as the bullae, the types of Egyptian scarabs

explained. “You have either political or administrative activities going

found, the style of an Egyptian amulet, and the overall stratigraphy or

on at a level well beyond those typical of a rural farmstead.”

layering of the site each suggested a 10th century date.

The NEA article describes the dig site as a borderland area between the heartlands of Judah and Philistia that originally was assumed to be a small Iron Age farmstead. Excavation of the bullae and other recent archaeological finds indicate, however, a level of political organization previously thought not to exist at that time.

“We believe that the aggregate material culture remains that have been discovered at Summeily demonstrate a level of politicaleconomic activity that has not been suspected recently for the late Iron Age I and early Iron Age IIA,” according to the article. “This is especially the case if one integrates data from nearby Hesi [a much more extensively excavated site].

“It is our contention that, when taken together, these reflect a greater political complexity and integration across the transitional Iron I/IIA landscape than has been appreciated recently, as scholars have tended to dismiss trends toward political complexity (e.g., state formation) occurring prior to the arrival of the Assyrians in the region in the later eighth century B.C.” Two bullae excavated by Hardin’s team have complete seal impressions, two have partial impressions and two others have none.

Also, two were blackened by fire and one has a well-preserved hole where the string used to seal the document passed through the clay.

The bullae impressions do not contain writing.

The dig site was chosen so researchers could study border dynamics

“In addition, archaeomagnetism dating, which is based on the

between the nations of Philistia and Judea in the area previously

strength and direction of the earth’s magnetic fields in the past, also

dated to the 10th century B.C.

suggested the layers in which the bullae were found must be 10th

“We were trying to identify in the archaeological record the differences between Philistia and Judah,” Hardin said. “Why is there

decades rather than a century,” he said.

a border in this area and only at this time? We’re trying to learn the

From the project’s start, Blakely said archaeologists have tried to

process by which these political entities were created. Within that

determine what people were doing in the region of Khirbet Summeily.

larger question, you have a number of questions about whether the

“Generations of scholarship have suggested farming, but over the

archaeological record matches the historical record from the texts,

past few years, we have slowly realized that humans rarely farmed this

and if it disagrees, how do we reconcile the two?”

region,” he said. “It was a pasture; shepherds tended sheep and goats

Bullae the team found were in the layer of material tested by the National Science Foundation-funded Center for Rock Magnetism at the University of Minnesota. The markings were examined and

15

century. Further research and analysis should refine our dating to

under the protection of their government.

“Finding the bullae supports our idea that Khirbet Summeily was a governmental installation,” he emphasized.

VISION SPRING/SUMMER 2015 | COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES

A

modern university

resulted in the deaths of so many.

television center and

Jadhav attributes his selection for the

the opportunity to

internship to his MSU education, as well

major in communication/broadcasting

as time spent at the campus TV center.

are what first attracted Pranaav Jadhav to

He also cited his work as a reporter with

Mississippi State. Though accepted to

The Reflector, MSU’s student-produced

eight different schools, he said he became

newspaper, where he wrote more than

sold on the land-grant institution after

100 articles.

meeting with faculty in the Department of Communication.

“The Reflector taught me crucial values of being a journalist, maintaining

“MSU was a blend of equipment

integrity, reporting the truth and being

and top-class professorship; it was a

aggressive when necessary,” he said,

fairly easy choice.” the 2014 December

emphasizing that he considers journalism

graduate said. “An experienced teacher

a service to society that must be executed

who has worked in the industry can help

with integrity.

a young aspiring journalist more than any textbook can,”

For prospective high school students interested in that field of study, he offers

Born in Pune, Maharashtra, India,

the following observations: “We are the

the only child of Veekkas and Sammitra

eyes and ears of our fellow countrymen,

Jadhav initially was hesitant to explore

and we are guided by the constitution of

new places but eventually decided to take

the United States. Always be passionate

a chance on Mississippi.

about telling a story, and your success will

“I have met some amazing individuals at MSU in the form of friends, professors and staff,” he said. “From the janitor

be measured by the difference you make in society.”

“The sky is the limit,” he added.

who gave me a cake on my birthday to

The combination of his classwork, his

Dr. Keenum who actively responded to

internship and working at The Reflector

my emails as a young news reporter on

was revolutionary for him and helped

campus, this place has welcomed me

him further focus on his future career

with open arms.”

plans.

In addition to campus experiences,

“Wherever I will be in the world,

Jadhav was selected for a prestigious

which I don’t know yet, I will be

student internship in his native country

serving my people with a camera and a

with CNN-IBN in Mumbai. In spring

microphone which are mightier than a

2012, he got on-air time covering several

pen in today’s world,” Jadhav said. “My

PRANAAV JADHAV

hard-news stories. “The network sent me

goal in life is not a luxurious car, a nice

out to cover stories of riots, elections,

house or a beautiful girlfriend, it is and

national budget, price hikes, floods and

it always will be the impact I make to

By Christine Bowman

food poisoning which killed 22 young

change lives, bring peace and dig up the truth.”

After returning home for a time following graduation, Jadhav recently took the next step in preparing for his life’s mission. In the late spring, he returned to Starkville to begin his master’s degree in public policy and administration.

STUDENT FEATURE:

children,” he recalled.

His coverage of the food-poisoning

“ALWAYS BE PASSIONATE...”

epidemic gained the attention of the British Broadcasting Corporation, which contacted him for a piece on its World Service show. He said the incident was important because the government’s lack of health services for students had

16

VISION SPRING/SUMMER 2015 | COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES

MSU EDUCATION LEADS TO GLOBAL IMPACT:

ALUMNUS MIKE PACE By Hannah Rinehart

M

ississippi State has been part of Mike Pace’s family for many years.

“We had a very tight-knit department where

Woody, Leah and Lynn established geosciences

our mantra of ‘work hard, play hard’ was the

endowments in honor of their father, Forrest.

rule, one that I still live by today,” Pace said.

They did the same at the Medical University

“The geology parties we organized were well

of South Carolina, both to honor their mother,

known around the campus and were a great

Barbara, and commemorate their parents’ 50th

recruiting tool for the department.”

wedding anniversary.

After graduation, Pace went to work for

The family also created a separate MSU

a seismalogical company called Western

geosciences endowment as a tribute to Mylroie

Geophysical, where he served for a year

and his wife Joan, a longtime instructor in

on a crew in Argentina’s Andean foothills.

the department. This particular gift supports

Following the South American assignment,

graduate studies, field work and research, all

he left the California company to join the

areas of importance to the Mylroies.

Anadarko Petroleum Corporation.

have had on my life and career,” Pace said.

gas exploration company, he worked with its

“We established it when John retired from the

Like his grandfather, father, uncles and

domestic U.S. assets for three years before

university.”

brother, Pace is a graduate of MSU, with a

being offered an opportunity to relocate to

Mylroie, in expressing gratitude for himself

master’s degree in geology earned in 1992.

Africa, specifically the Sahara Desert region

and his wife, said he appreciated how most of

Though he already had a bachelor’s degree

in Algeria. Following a decade in that dry

the Pace family came back to campus for his

in microbiology from Texas A&M University,

environment, he was sent to open Anadarko’s

retirement reception in late 2014.

career goals led him to conclude that a geology

exploration office in Mozambique, which is in

degree might be best for his future endeavors.

southern Africa on the Pacific Ocean side.

“The entire Pace family has been a major supporter of the Department of Geosciences,

He said he applied to the graduate school

That move was followed by promotion

including initiatives to get students into the

at MSU “specifically to study under John

to country manager in Nigeria on the vast

field to change classroom book-learning into

Mylroie,” the veteran professor of what

continent’s central Atlantic side. In June 2009,

real-world experiences,” Mylroie added.

once was the Department of Geography

he remained in western Africa as he moved to

Mike Pace said he has no doubt of how much

and Geology and now is the Department of

open another exploration office in the nation

MSU, in general, and Mylroie’s mentorship, in

Geosciences.

of Côte d’Ivoire. After managing there for five

particular, influenced his professional life and work.

“My brother had studied under him, and

years, he returned to the United States to direct

“Studying at MSU gave me the independence

I had joined them on a field course to San

international business development at the

and maturity to enter into my career,” he said.

Salvador Island in the Bahamas,” Pace recalled.

company’s Houston-area headquarters.

“John Mylroie nurtured and developed my

“A combination of the cultural experience and

As a way of giving back to higher education

John’s crazy enthusiasm set me on a course to

institutions that most influenced their lives,

focus on an international career.

Pace and other family members have created

“After a couple of false starts,” he continued,

several endowments. At MSU, he and siblings

“I realized that geology was a perfect route to my goal. I contacted John to tell him of my plans, and he suggested I come visit MSU immediately. After two days of visits, I was admitted into the graduate school.”

As a graduate student, Pace studied modern cave types in the Bahamas. While his studies were important, he also came to appreciate the strong interpersonal relationships among department members.

17

“It is in recognition of the influence they

At The Woodlands, Texas-based oil and

VISION SPRING/SUMMER 2015 | COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES

leadership capabilities and instilled the concept of critical thinking in me.

“It’s a concept that I try to instill into those I work with to this day.”

LEARNING WITHOUT BORDERS:

STUDY-ABROAD PROGRAMS IN ARTS AND SCIENCES

By Hannah Rinehart

S

tudy-abroad is an academic

day at spring semester’s end. “We talked about

“We were in smaller cities like Sligo and on

concept designed to enhance

how gender, ethnicity, class and religion are

the Aran Islands, where we hung out with the

students’ educations.

represented in the films and what they can tell us

locals and enjoyed local music,” he added.

In addition to allowing them to earn credit

hours, discover new places and meet local

it means to be Irish,” she said.

In the Department of Political Science and Public Administration, Brian Shoup, assistant

residents, such programs enable participants to

Cooley said another study-abroad benefit is the

professor of comparative politics and public

experience the history of other countries while

interaction MSU students have with other higher-

policy, lead a course in South Africa titled “State

exploring new ideas and worldviews.

education peers from throughout the U.S.

Building and State Failure.”

In recent years, Mississippi State University’s

“One thing that is really cool for our students

“My course will look at precisely why some

College of Arts & Sciences has seen an increase

is that they get to experience a new culture in

nation-states are able to develop and maintain

in study-abroad enrollment. During the summer

a foreign country, and get to meet and make

systems capable of creating social and economic

of 2015, the university program included the

friends with students from various universities,”

opportunity while also sustaining widespread

additions of Ireland and South Africa.

he observed. “We will be our own little

legitimacy in governing institutions while others

community of travelers, experiencing Ireland

are not,” Shoup said. “This is a significant

together.”

issue since many of the most pressing global

Department of Communication Assistant Professor Skye Cooley took students to the

18

about how we, as Americans, conceive of what

Emerald Isle for a public relations course, while

In addition to traveling throughout the island

dilemmas, such as the rise of ISIS, are directly

Emily Ryalls, assistant professor, lead a class

nation to “truly get a feel for what the country

related to the inability of existing states to

called “Gender in Irish Film.”

is like as a whole,” Cooley said the group visited

cultivate durable social contracts with their citizens.”

Ryalls, who also teaches in the Gender Studies

the capital city of Dublin, where, among other

Program , said her students began preparing for the

activities, they toured the 82,300-seat Croke

trip by viewing a different Irish-based film each

Park stadium with marketing professionals.

VISION SPRING/SUMMER 2015 | COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES

Also in that African nation is an academic collaboration between the College of Arts &

Sciences and the College of Business. Meghan Millea, professor of economics, taught a course titled “Economics of Recovery” that focused on challenges facing post-conflict countries like South Africa that are rebuilding their economies following years of violence or war.

Shoup said the country once-internationally ostracized for strict, government-enforced racial segregation should provide an ideal location for American students to examine these topics.

“Given its long period of colonization and the

Participating students also take part in faculty-

As for cultural experiences in America’s

subsequent 40-plus years of racial stratification

led excursions to Madrid and Segovia, as well as

northern neighbor, he said the students reside at

under Apartheid, South Africans of all races

cultural activities offered through their courses

the Hôtel Manoir des Remparts, which is located

know all too well the dilemmas of democratic

that included food tours and museum and theater

at the heart of the Old City and just a few blocks

and economic transition,” he said.

visits, among other activities.

from the popular St. Lawrence River promenade.

As part of the itinerary, Shoup said the MSU

During the Iberian Peninsula experience,

They also may attend the Festival d’été, an annual

travelers visited Robben Island, site of freedom

students have additional opportunities to

music event, and visit several museums and other

fighter (and, later, first post-Apartheid president)

experience daily home life. “They live with host

noteworthy locales.

Nelson Mandela’s longest incarceration during the

families to give them consistent exposure to

Finally, the Department of Geosciences

white-dominated era; and the Kimberly Diamond

everyday spoken Spanish,” Davvison said, adding

continues its long-standing study-abroad program

Mine, once the largest diamond extraction site on

that host families additionally provide most of the

to the Bahamas. On San Salvador Island, John

earth and a locus of South Africa’s 20th century

visitors’ meals and take care of their laundry needs.

Rodgers, professor of physical geography, teaches

economic development. In addition to the new

Because it provides a “lived experience in a

a course called “Geosciences Study Abroad:

study-abroad programs, several others continue to

Spanish-speaking country for a significant period

take MSU faculty and students to Canada and Spain.

of time, while still having the support of MSU

“The course focuses on tropical carbonate

One of MSU’s largest is a foreign language

faculty on the ground as the program runs,” this

island geomorphology and coastal processes,”

program to Alcalá de Henares, Spain, led by

program is especially appealing and meaningful

Rodgers said. “We explore caves, snorkel coral

Brian Davisson and Karina Zelaya, both assistant

for students completing a Spanish-language

reefs and monitor beach processes with the

professors in the Department of Classical and

degree, he said.

over-arching goal of understanding how marine

Bahamas Field Methods.”

Modern Languages and Literature. It tends to

Back on the North American continent, a

and atmospheric processes shape carbonate

attract students in many different majors who

program in the Canadian providence of Quebec is

island landforms. We also devote significant

want to further their knowledge of Spanish

being led by Forrest Blackbourn, a lecturer in the

time to understanding climate change, sea level

language and culture, Davisson said.

Department of Classical and Modern Languages

fluctuations, and marine environmental issues.”

“Students take courses through Alcalingua,

and Literature. In the capital, Quebec City,

Though providing geoscience field experience

which is a language school connected to the

participants from several different majors may

is a primary focus, students also are encouraged to

University of Alcalá,” he continued. “Beginning

take courses in French, the province’s primary

examine human aspects of the academic major.

this summer, some of the more advanced

language.

“We do spend some time discussing human-

students take courses offered by the faculty

Blackbourn said this program provides the

related topics, such as the historical significance of

coordinators. Students can earn up to six credits

“opportunity to earn a double major or minor

San Salvador Island, including the initial landfall

if they participate in the one-month program, or

in French in a truly immersive, Francophone

of Christopher Columbus, the fate of the natives

12 credits in the two-month program.”

environment.”

after Europeans, Spanish and English settlements and cultural differences between Bahamians and Americans,” Rodgers said.

For more information on MSU study-abroad programs, visit http://international.msstate.edu/ abroad/.

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VISION SPRING/SUMMER 2015 | COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES

MSU-MERIDIAN STUDENT,

WORKING MOM EARNS ‘HERO’ STATUS IN FAMILY

By Lisa Sollie

A

t 37, Casey May is the benefits analyst manager at

Business Division. Though she had earned an applied science degree

Anderson Regional Medical Center and a mother of

in business and office technology years before at Meridian Community

five in a blended family with husband Danny.

College, none of her technical credits would transfer.

Last summer, she added part-time student at Mississippi State

University-Meridian to the mix.

She had been working for Meridian’s Meyer & Rosenbaum

recently began offering a new bachelor of applied technology degree

Insurance Agency for three years when company president Bruce

in healthcare services. Secondly, she heard Carl Young explain the

Martin invited her to attend Morning Coffee, an East Mississippi

BAT degree was designed for individuals like her with applied

Business Development Corp. program held downtown at MSU-M’s

science degrees who wanted to continue their education in the

Riley Campus.

healthcare field.

Martin, a 1977 MSU insurance graduate, is a well-known advocate for education, as well as a die-hard Bulldog fan.

Months before his invitation, May had begun considering the pursuit of a healthcare administration degree offered through MSU-Meridian’s

20

During the Morning Coffee session, however, she learned two things that made her very happy. First, she found out MSU-Meridian

VISION SPRING/SUMMER 2015 | COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES

Young, MSU-Meridian associate professor of

healthcare

administration, also said the degree program would accept up to 28 health-related credits as pre-requisites.

After the transcript from MCC had been evaluated, May was told

she needed only three more classes before she could transfer to the university.

In March of 2014, May changed jobs and began work at Anderson. Later that year—and despite fears of being “the oldest in the class” and “unable to juggle everything”—she began advanced study at MSU-Meridian.

May said the first semester went well and she was able to “focus better and stay on task.” She attributed the success to taking education more seriously this time around, both for herself and her children.

Recently, that new level of devotion was recognized when one of her 8-year-old twins was assigned the classroom task of writing about heroes. Guess who he chose for a subject?

“He said I was his hero because I am in school, I’m real smart, I study all the time and I go to MSU,” May said with a chuckle.

She also said returning to school is providing a clear benefit at work since the material learned in class is directly applied to her day-to-day job responsibilities.

Part of her duties involves benefit analysis “to make sure we are staying on top of the healthcare trends,” May explained.

For example, she recently employed a formula learned in a statistics class taught by biology instructor Jarrod Fogarty to determine “how many employees are utilizing our retail pharmacy.” She then shared that information with supervisor Joel Windham, Anderson’s vice president of human resources and organizational development.

“Education is the source of renewal in a successful organization,” Windham said. “It’s a tremendous asset for our department, as well as for the hospital, to have someone working for us as motivated to learn as Casey is. She is a real blessing and we are proud of what she is accomplishing!”

May said taking classes part-time helps minimize her overall

Dear Alumni and Friends, From reading these articles, you get a taste of how exciting things are here in the College of Arts & Sciences. From classics and archaeology, to geology and broadcast meteorology, our students and faculty are having a global impact.

Support for study abroad is a priority for our college. Whether it is a two-week study or a whole semester abroad, we believe there is real value in international opportunities. Our graduates will enter a globally connected society and workforce. As a land grant institution, you know that we have a mission to educate the people of our state and region. Of course, many of our students have never traveled outside of the south, let alone internationally.

Our first hurdle is simply letting our students know the opportunities exist and that they are capable of engaging in them. We are making great strides in this both as a College and as a University.

Our second hurdle is that study abroad experiences are relatively expensive. For a student working through school or accumulating student loans, it is hard to make the decision to engage in a valueadded opportunity like study abroad.

We are working to create a scholarship fund to help our students in Arts & Sciences experience the larger world via study abroad.

An anonymous donor has offered to match up to $50,000 for an endowed scholarship supporting students going on foreign language based study abroad trips. Will you partner with us in this effort and help us meet his challenge?

While we have more students than ever before participating in study abroad, there are many, many more who do not because they cannot afford it. If you would like to support our students through study abroad scholarships, please contact me at amcintosh@ foundation.msstate.edu or 662-324-3240. Thank you for all that you do for the College of Arts & Sciences and MSU!

work load and still leaves time for her family. Her goal is to finish her degree in 2017 before her 14-year-old son graduates high school the following year.

Hail state,

Having completed her first semester, May is able to confidently share an observation with others whose situations were similar to hers: taking the first step is the biggest hurdle to going back to

Alex McIntosh

school.

“I was worried about a lot of different factors, but I’ve had a great experience at MSU-Meridian,” she said, adding that she readily encourages others thinking about returning to school to give it a try.

“I’m so glad I did!”

For more about MSU-Meridian degree offerings, visit www. meridian.msstate.edu/academics.

21

VISION SPRING/SUMMER 2015 | COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES

Director of Development (Class of ’07, ’12) College of Arts & Sciences

EMINENT SCHOLAR AWARDS

CLINTON E. WALLACE EMINENT SCHOLAR AWARD: STACY HAYNES

By Christine Bowman

Stacy Haynes is the 2014 Clinton E. Wallace Eminent Scholar.

An assistant professor of sociology who came to Mississippi State in 2008, her university research focuses on issues related to victimization, sentencing, juvenile justice and criminal justice policy.

She currently is working through the National Institute of Corrections on two projects. The first examines the mental and physical health of incarcerated women in Mississippi, while the second focuses on providing the general public with current and accurate information about correction topics.

Haynes received bachelor’s degrees in psychology and sociology from Western Kentucky University in 2002. She then enrolled at Pennsylvania State University, where she completed a master’s in 2004 and, four years later, a doctorate in crime, law and justice.

“It’s hard to say when I first became interested in sociology, but my interests in sentencing and victimization, more specifically, developed during my time at Penn State,” she said.

“As a graduate student, I spent several years working with the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing and on a research project examining restitution and victim compensation orders in Pennsylvania,” she explained.

Haynes said she deeply appreciates the many campus mentors and collaborators “who have assisted me in getting my research off the ground.” Specifically, she cited colleagues in the sociology department, Social Science Research Center and Office of Research and Economic Development.

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VISION SPRING/SUMMER 2015 | COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES

EMINENT SCHOLAR AWARDS BEVERLY B. AND GORDON W. GULMON EMINENT SCHOLAR: STEPHEN BRAIN

By Hannah Rinehart

Stephen Brain, graduate coordinator for the Department of History, is the 2014 Beverly B. and Gordon W. Gulmon Eminent Scholar.

An associate professor, he joined the history faculty in 2007 after completing a doctorate at the University of California-Berkeley.

As a specialist in Soviet environmental history, Brain currently is working on two research projects, one of which will require multiple trips to Russia.

“I’m studying how the Soviets thought their southern landscape worked and what kind of agriculture worked there best,” he said. “It would be something like Kansas or Nebraska with similar rainfall.

“We irrigate places like that in the U.S., but they don’t do that there,” he continued. “The rivers don’t lend themselves to irrigation or canals very well.

So, the American plan of irrigation was not a valid response in the Russian setting. I’m researching how they responded to that.”

Because it now is possible to investigate other aspects of Cold War environmental diplomacy without the need for overseas travel, Brain also is examining “to what degree the Soviet Union and the United States influenced each other to do things they wouldn’t have done otherwise.”

He observed that, while “the Cold War had so many awful aspects, it could be that the competition created a setting where environmental diplomacy and environment treaties were more likely to be signed.”

Beyond teaching and research work, Brain currently is working to establish a study-abroad program to Moscow.

He said he feels it imperative that Mississippi State students develop an awareness and appreciation of other nations. With global attention currently focused on armed conflicts in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, as well as many other locales, this is essential, he added.

“That’s why I’d like the students to go over there, get a real understanding of how Russians think, see the other side of the story and be an infinitesimal part of this history as it is unfolding,” Brain said.

“When people have more contact with each other, it makes peaceful solutions more likely.”

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VISION SPRING/SUMMER 2015 | COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES

EMINENT SCHOLAR AWARDS HUNTER HENRY FAMILY EMINENT SCHOLAR AWARD: RENEE CLARY

By Christine Bowman

Renee Clary, director of the Dunn-Seiler Geology Museum, is the 2014 Hunter Henry Family Eminent Scholar.

An associate professor of geology, she is a University of Louisiana at Lafayette chemistry graduate, with minors in business management, physics and mathematics.

After teaching high school chemistry and calculus for a time, she returned to ULL to earn a master’s in geology and education. That was followed with a doctorate in geoscience education from Louisiana State University, where she researched the history and philosophy of geology and their implications for geoscience education.

“One reason I enjoy the university environment so much is that it brings incredible freedom for research,” Clary said.

Her MSU research spans such topics as the Golden Age of Geology (17881840), works of English geologist and paleontologist Henry De la Beche, women in geology and the progression of geological mapping innovations. She also has a special interest in visualization strategies and how to convey scientific information in various settings.

“The late Jim Wandersee and I founded EarthScholars Research Group (at LSU) to promote interdisciplinary geology-biology education, since science education has unfortunately, and artificially, compartmentalized science learning into discrete classes,” Clary explained.

She also had formed a partnership with a current National Science Foundation Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow to research and improve an underdeveloped and underutilized fossil park site in Fairborn, Ohio.

“I am incredibly honored to have been selected as a Dean’s Eminent Scholar,” Clary said. “We have outstanding faculty researchers in the College of Arts & Sciences, and it is hard to fathom that I was actually chosen among my incredible group of colleagues to receive this award.”

24

VISION SPRING/SUMMER 2015 | COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES | VISION SPRING/SUMMER 2015

24

DEAN STUDENT ADVISORY COUNCIL Front Row, L-R: Jayme Castillo, Susie Witkiewicz, Becca Cash, Lisa Boney, Kayleigh Sandhu, Kylie Dennis, Jenna Kilgore 2nd: Emily Kolano, Sally White, Katie McCracken, Ashley Adams, Breana Miller, Casey Caveness 3rd: Kristen Kennedy, Christine Bowman, Molly Beckwith, Meredith Pearson, Haley Hardman, Paul Walker 4th: Damarius Harris, Jon Gutman, Jordan Dressman, Tucker Fleming, Drew Campbell, Pierson Crowder

SOCIETY OF

SCHOLARS Brandon L. Anderson Joshua K. Bedi Tineka R. Burkhead Anna M. Warren Thomas A. Ricks IV Benjamin P. Stevens Jamie A. Aron Abby L. Bassie Zachary W. Anderson Benjamin S. Vargason Kylie A. Dennis Leslie R. Howard Selah L. Weems

25

Andrew T. Hanna Paul M. Barrett Mary K. McGowan Mallory G. Parker Brian D. Tow Thomas A. Burnham Leanna S. Warren Michael A. “Drew” Camron Katherine T. Davis Matthew G. Dunaway Sally J. White Brittany L. Bane

VISION SPRING/SUMMER 2015 | COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES

JOHN MYLROIE NAMED OLDHAM FACULTY MENTOR

By Hannah Rinehart

John Mylroie, newly retired geology professor in the Department of Geosciences, is the 2014 Phil and Kari Oldham Faculty Mentor.

A 1977 doctoral graduate of New York’s Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Mylroie taught for eight years at Murray State University in Kentucky before coming to Mississippi State in 1985 as head of the university’s then-Department of Geology and Geography, now the Department of Geosciences.

Accompanying him to campus was a field program Mylroie had established at the Gerace Research Centre on San Salvador Island, Bahamas.

He began an annual trip for MSU students to study coral reefs, limestone deposition and caves, his primary research areas. By enabling research in the Bahamas and, later, throughout the world, the field program became a magnet for student recruitment.

With Joan, his wife, research partner and MSU geography instructor, Mylroie traveled to more than 40 countries to examine how cave development influences water resources, contaminant transport, hydrocarbon reservoirs and tourist operations.

As he explained, their work often “involved islands where all

26

VISION SPRING/SUMMER 2015 | COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES

food and freshwater had to be manually brought in while living in tents in the jungle amongst snakes, biting insects and plants with thorns and poison.”

Among many career achievements, Mylroie was founding president of the Karst Waters Institute in Leesburg, Virginia, an internationally recognized organization that promotes research into caves and related features.

He was twice recognized for professional achievements by the National Speleological Society, including the 2008 Honorary Member Award, its highest tribute.

In addition to producing more than 250 professional papers and co-authoring two books on cave and karst science, he helped develop MSU students that went on to become major figures in the fossil fuel industry, as well as at higher education institutions and government agencies.

“The students have been the single most rewarding aspect of my career,” he emphasized.

Mylroie also said Mississippi State had been “very good to my family and me,” adding that all three of the couple’s sons hold graduate degrees from the land-grant institution.

2015 ALUMNUS OF THE YEAR

WE WANT YOUR

Malcolm Lightsey Lightsey is the retired president and CEO of SunTech Inc. He received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mathematics in 1961 and 1963, respectively.

news!

Simply send an e-mail or letter to:

2014 ALUMNA FELLOW

Karyn Brown

Director of Communication Mississippi State University College of Arts & Sciences P.O. Box AS Mississippi State, MS 39762 kbrown@deanas.msstate.edu

VISION magazine is the newsletter for alumni,

Diane Roberts Roberts received two zoology degrees from MSU - a Bachelor of Science and a Masters of Science, earned in 1963 and 1964, respectively. She went on to receive a Doctor of Science from University of Texas School of Public Health in Houston, Texas.

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VISION SPRING/SUMMER 2015 | COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES

students, faculty and friends of the College of Arts & Sciences. We want to showcase the great things the College has to offer, and to do that, we need your help. Past issues have featured pretigious awards won by professors, organizations making a difference in the community and impressive faculty projects. If you have anything that you feel would fit in with what we do, please send it to us!

SUCCESS

DISCOVERY

OUTREACH

GLOBALIZATION

EXPERIENCE

Reporting Success Each day, Mississippi State University’s faculty and students are finding success through opportunities both inside and outside the classroom. Thanks to the financial support from our many alumni and friends, students like Kaitlyn can gain valuable real-world experience while at MSU.

KAITLYN BYRNE CLASS OF 2014 REFLECTOR EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT, FOUNDATION AMBASSADOR

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VISION SPRING/SUMMER 2015 | COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES

FRANCES MCDAVID MSU ALUMNA REFLECTOR ADVISER, JOURNALISM INSTRUCTOR

Post Office Box AS Mississippi State, MS 39762

Mailing Address: Post Office Box AS Mississippi State, MS 39762

Physical Address: 175 Presidents Circle Mississippi State, MS 39762

Mississippi State University complies with all applicable laws regarding affirmative action and equal opportunity in all its activities and programs and does not discriminate against anyone protected by law because of age, color, disability, national origin, race, religion, sex, handicap, or status as a veteran or disabled veteran.