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3.13.19 | Vol. 127, Issue 19| www.obusignal.com
Hubbard, Science department host “Girls in STEM” By MANDY HALBERT Staff writer Girls in STEM is an event created by Dr. Sara Hubbard with the intent to inspire a love of science, technology, engineering and math in fourth through sixth grade girls. The event was held on Saturday, March 9 from 8 a.m to 1:30 p.m. im the Jones Science Center. “OBU’s Girls in STEM event is a chance for us to reach out to girls in the community and help strengthen their love of discovering new things,” Hubbard said. “Several departments in the Patterson School of Natural Science teamed up with Dr. Douglass’s Science for Elementary Teachers course to develop this event.” This year’s event was Dr. Who themed. The girls used various science related activities to solve the scenario’s puzzle. “Dr. Who’s companion has gone missing, and he needs their help solving crime and saving his companion,” Dr. Angela Douglass said. “The girls get that intro and then they’ll travel on the Tardis, which is the elevator, through time and space. On each floor, they’ll do a different science activities in the framework of solving a puzzle.” Fourth through sixth grade girls are targeted for this event because of the lack of opportunities in the
STEM fields offered to this age group. “This is a great age for us to work with because they are excited to learn new things, but they also have a good amount of background knowledge that can help them reach conclusions quickly,” Hubbard said. “Somewhere along the line, we tend to start viewing learning strictly as a serious business, but with this age group we can still have that sense of fun and discovery, which is actually a really important part of being successful in STEM.” While some areas STEM have recently become more balanced in the ratio of women to men in their field and others even dominated by women, areas such as physics, engineering, and computer science have a lower representation of women. The Girls in STEM event was created in hopes of raising the percentage of women in those fields. “There are several reasons that can lead to a disparity,” Hubbard said. “What we are focusing on trying to do with our event is dispel the myths that women are incapable of leading in a STEM field, that STEM activities are boring or too hard for girls, and that you can’t be a cool person and do well in STEM careers.” The event also serves as an op-
Spencer Ewing z Photo lab
OUACHITA STUDENTS teach local students in Saturday’s “Girls in STEM” day in Jones Science Center. Girls in grades four through six were welcome to participate.
portunity for the Science for Elementary Teachers class and others hoping to go into education to get experience working with children. “I haven’t done a lot of work with this age group, which is exciting because they are at such an impressionable age,” Savannah Harris said. “I think we’re doing
some really good things with them. I just hope we can help spark the same joy in them that I have found in science.” Saturday’s Girls in STEM event had an attendance of 22 girls. Hubbard said the event was very successful and went smoothly. “They all seemed to have a
wonderful time and learn a lot,” Hubbard said. “It was great to see our volunteers asking them questions and the girls excitedly shouting out the answers. I hope that the participants had a great time, walked out excited about STEM, and saw some great role models in our volunteers.” n
Wink memorial held in McBeth, allows Ouachitonian wins Columbia Ouachita to mourn friend, colleague Scholastic Press Silver Crown By HAYDN JEFFERS Staff writer Friends, family, students and admirers of the late Dr. Susan Wink gathered in Hammons Gallery and McBeth Recital Hall to celebrate her life on Sunday. Approximately 100 people attended the service to remember Susan Wink, a professor emerita of English at Ouachita who died Feb. 7 from acute respiratory failure. Dr. Johnny Wink, Betty Burton Peck professor of English, wore his infamous “Dr. Wink’s Husband” T-shirt to the service to honor his late wife. Ouachita’s chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, the international English honor society, helped cater the memorial reception by providing cookies, brownies, fruits, and cheese and crackers. Dr. Amy Sonheim, professor of English, and Dr. Jerusa Carvajal, assistant professor of Spanish, provided sandwiches while Sodexo provided drinks. The service itself was held inside McBeth Recital Hall. Dr. Doug Sonheim, Clarence and Bennie Sue Anthony professor of Bible and humanities, gave the opening prayer following a piano ensemble. Dr. Jay Curlin, Kathryn Maddox professor of English, then offered a remembrance of Susan’s life. Following this, Susan and Johnny’s son, Gene, told the audience
stories about his mother by using sports metaphors to explain the dynamic that existed between him and Susan. He told the audience about the nickname system he and his mother had, as well as about the unique lingo they created for each other when texting. Gene then read two poems that Johnny had written and talked about how he dearly loves and respects his father.
“Friends of Susan also recalled her love for gardening and read prose and poetry to exhibit how much her wit and intelligence had impacted their lives.” Countless speakers followed Gene, including one who had given Susan piano lessons and worked with her on the education program that first allowed Ouachita to partner with Peking University in Beijing in 1995. Susan was, in fact, the first Ouachita professor to travel to Beijing as a representative for the teacherexchange program Ouachita had with the university there.
Friends of Susan also recalled her love for gardening and read prose and poetry to exhibit how much her wit and intelligence had impacted their lives. To conclude the service, Dr. Mark McGraw, assistant professor of Spanish, sang with an accompanying guitarist in honor of Susan. Throughout the reception and service, Sigma Tau Delta members were present to welcome guests and ask them to sign their names in the guest book. They urged everyone to partake in the food and drinks, and they even offered free babysitting of younger children during the memorial service. While at the memorial, guests had the option to donate money to the Johnny and Susan Wink Endowed Scholarship for English Majors, a scholarship fund which has yet to reach its base goal but that, once it does, will help English majors manage the cost of attending Ouachita. The scholarship fund has been in the works for a few years now, and the Department of Language and Literature provided donation envelopes for any guest who was interested in contributing to the fund. For more information about the Johnny and Susan Wink Endowed Scholarship for English Majors, contact Doug Sonheim via phone at 870-245-5554 or email at sonheimd@obu.edu. n
By JACOB COTTRELL Staff writer The 2018 Ouachitonian yearbook, with the theme “Timeless,” won a Crown Award presented by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association in New York City this past weekend. Ouachita was one of five schools including Baylor, North Carolina State, Indiana University and University of Miami selected to win the Crown Award for their yearbook publication. The yearbook publications for the 2017-2018 school year were judged and selected based on their design, photography, concept, coverage and writing. The competition awards are presented every year as part of the College Media Associaton Annual Convention. The published works were from university yearbooks, newspapers, digital newspapers and literary magazines. The Crown finalists either received a Gold or Silver Crown. “In this competition, publications are competing against other publications from across the nation, regardless of size of the school,” said Dr. Deborah Root, profesor of communications and adviser to the Ouachitonian. “Your book is judged in different areas, such as writing to show how students report and interview,
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photography in the quality of the pictures, and design that is used to tell the story throughout the book,” said Root. For the Ouachitonian, the work on this book began in the fall of 2017. The yearbook staff begins each year covering events as they happen, both through photograpy and writing, and create the design and concept. The spring semester is the busiest time for the yearbook, since the book covers the entire year. This Crown Award is not the first for the Ouachitonian.“This is the fifth time that the Ouachitonian has made it to the Crown Awards,” said Root. Taryn Bailey, a 2018 communications graduate, served as editor of the Ouachitonian. “I am so proud of Taryn and the hard work and dedication she put into this book. It’s a blessing to work with such wonderful students,” said Root. The photography editor was 2018 communications gradaute Andy Henderson. “This award is very meaningful to the staff because they worked so hard to tell Ouachita’s story through this yearbook. They are very proud of their work and they should be because it shows the quality of work the staff can produce compared to bigger universities, and that it is just as professional,” said Root. n
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