The Mustang Connection March 2022

March 2022 vol.

The

MUSTANG CONNECTION

2

no.

3

A PUBLICATION of THE MASTER’S UNIVERSITY

a call for in the Media We Create & Consume

WELCOME to THE MUSTANG CONNECTION. FILM MEDIA. DIGITAL MEDIA. SOCIAL MEDIA. Every day we have opportunities to consume (and create) media. And while it can be tempting to either embrace or reject these options wholesale, there is a harder – and better – third way. Prof. Matt Green addresses the topic in this month’s faculty article, looking at the power of media and its potential for good, when handled with discernment.

This article is followed by a highlight from “The Shade,” a superhero TV pilot produced by TMU’s communication department. Then, read further on to meet Dr. Monica Vroman and Dr. Tai-Danae Bradley, two visiting professors who have been instrumental in the recent growth of TMU’s computer science and engineering programs.

You can subscribe to the magazine at masters.edu/magazine.

C O V E R P H OT O BY M A R K F I N S T E R

CONTENTS

3

5

Right Out of the Gate

M A S T E R’S I N M I N I S T RY:

Daniel & Lindsey Sheaffer C O V E R S T O RY:

7

A Call for Biblical Discernment in the Media We Create & Consume

by P R O F. M AT T G R E E N

C A M P U S F E AT U R E:

13

TMU Students Work on Superhero TV Pilot FA C U LT Y F O C U S:

17

22

24

Visiting Professors Strengthen STEM Fields at TMU

Just Catching Up

Alumni Job Board March

2022

2

RIGHT OUT OF THE GATE

CAMPUS

HIGHLIGHTS

01

L A D I E S A C R O S S T H E T M U C O M M U N I T Y G OT TOGETHER DURING WOMEN TO WOMEN LAST MONTH.

02 On Feb. 25, TMU’s School of Music put on its spring Chorale concert, with Dr. Paul Plew directing and senior Abriana Church accompanying on piano.

The lineup included classics like “Amazing Grace,” “Great is Thy Faithfulness” and “It is Well,” more modern works like “His Mercy is More,” and built up to the beloved choral showstopper, Beethoven’s “Hallelujah.” The evening concluded with Tom Fettke’s “You Are the Light,” with TMU Chorale alumni in the audience invited to join in with the song.

3

The M U S T A N G C O N N E C T I O N

03 Creation Summit 2022, which happened on Feb. 26, opened a window for participants into the “small world” of insects, parasites and microorganisms.

These creatures often don’t seem to fit neatly into the idea that all things were originally made good, but the conference speakers highlighted how a biblical understanding of creation and the fall explain what we observe of these creatures today. TMU was particularly glad to welcome guest speaker Dr. Jeremy Blaschke, who spoke both at the conference and in chapel.

Late last month, TMU held its annual Women to Women event. It was a wonderful opportunity for faculty and staff to invite groups of students into their homes for fellowship. With this iteration of the event, TMU sought to form and strengthen ties with the local church by connecting participating students with hosts who are members of their church community.

04 It’s already been an exciting semester for TMU Athletics. On Feb. 26, The Master’s University women’s basketball team won the Golden State Athletic Conference tournament for the fourth time in program history. That wasn’t long before the school’s distance medley relay earned the first NAIA Indoor Track & Field All-American recognition in program history, taking second place at nationals.

The relay team consisted of Arianna Ghiorso, Seanna Nalbandyan, Ellen Palmgren and Hannah Fredericks. For updates on TMU’s 17 intercollegiate athletic teams, visit gomustangs.com.

FA C U LT Y

UPDATES

UPCOMING

EVENTS MARCH 24-25

DR. JOHN BECK (marketing media) is helping to develop a “business as missions” internship. The business department is working with Josh English, TMU’s global outreach director, to equip students to spend a summer abroad working for a Christian-owned business. One student is currently lined up for a pilot this summer with a business in Europe. The goal is to eventually expand the effort.

Keep an eye out for the spring release of a new video series called “Transformed.” The series, produced by Wretched and hosted by DR. GREG GIFFORD (biblical counseling), will highlight the practice of biblical counseling in an unusual way: by recording real counseling sessions. Gifford hopes this series will bring broader exposure to the type of biblical counseling taught at TMU, which treats Scripture as sufficient to meet the needs of individuals and relies on God’s Word to offer people true hope.

DRS. ABNER CHOU, MONICA VROMAN and TAI-DANAE BRADLEY each wrote articles for the first edition of The Journal of The Math3ma Institute. This journal, published by an academic research institute based at TMU, features expository articles on research in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics written for the ambitious layperson with interests in these fields of study.

Chancellor John MacArthur also wrote an article for the journal’s inaugural edition. All articles are freely available online at math3ma.institute/journal.

VIEW THE U MARCH 25-26

“DADDY LONG LEGS” MARCH 30

CAREER FAIR APRIL 1-2

“DADDY LONG LEGS” APRIL 11

MONDAY AT MASTER’S APRIL 13

PASSION WEEK CONCERT APRIL 18

TMU ANNUAL GOLF TOURNAMENT APRIL 22

In February, DR. WILLIAM VARNER published his fourth book on the Letter of James. It was published by Kregel Press in the Big Greek Idea series. More details can be found on the publisher’s website. Varner was also recently notified that Bloomsbury Press will publish his most academic work, “The Apostolic Fathers: An Introduction and Translation.”

In a survey published last year by bestaccreditedcolleges.org, TMU’s Department of Mathematics (chaired by DR. MICHAEL BUTTON) was ranked eighth best in the nation among those surveyed. Programs were evaluated on the basis of their affordability, accessibility and quality.

TMU STUDENT RESEARCH CONFERENCE APRIL 22

MATH3MA INSTITUTE LECTURE with DR. MONICA VROMAN APRIL 22

DR. MATTHEW MCLAIN, who leads TMU’s geoscience program, created a new course (complete with lab) this year for his majors. The course, Sedimentology and Stratigraphy, “introduces students to the principles of sedimentary rock deposition and structure as well as the principles of stratigraphy and rock correlation.”

ADMITTED STUDENT DAY APRIL 22

NIGHT OF FILM MUSIC

COMMUNITY BEST OF

THE WEB MASTER’S IN MINISTRY

VIDEO

DANIEL & LINDSEY SHEAFFE

Watch at masters.edu/tmu-media

TMU CINEMA & DIGITAL ARTS PRESENTS, “RECKONING”

PODCASTS

Listen at masters.edu/tmu-media

1

EP. 18: PROF. DAVID LARSEN ON A BIBLICAL VIEW OF NUTRITION & EXERCISE

EP. 131: AN INTERVIEW WITH PASTOR PHILIP DE COURCY

EP. 24: AN INTERVIEW WITH BASEBALL HEAD COACH MONTE BROOKS

2 3

NEWS ARTICLES

Read the full stories at masters.edu/news

Ken Ham, founder and CEO of Answers in Genesis, recently spoke in TMU’s chapel on cultural conflicts. Where does confusion about origins and gender come from? Ham explained that it all begins with a question of worldview: Do you trust man’s word, or God’s?

This month, TMU’s distance medley relay team earned the first NAIA Indoor Track & Field All-American honors in program history.

5

The M U S T A N G C O N N E C T I O N

ER

DANIEL (TMU, ’13) LINDSEY (TMU, ’14)

1

Bethany Baptist Church

2

Living Hope Community Church

3

New Castle Bible Church

4

Lexington Community Church

4

7422 N. Heinz Lane, Edwards, IL 61528 Josh Beakley, Teaching and Care Elder Daniel Sheaffer, Children and Family Minister

6116 W. Lancaster Road, Bartonville, IL 61607 Art Georges, Pastor-Teacher

17931 Dee-Mac Road, Mackinaw, IL 61755 Kevin Sauder, Senior Pastor

805 S. Pine Street, Lexington, IL 61753 Kendall Coffman, Lead Pastor

AFTER BEING A RESIDENT DIRECTOR AT TMU FROM 2016-2020, THE LORD MOVED MY WIFE AND ME TO PEORIA, ILLINOIS, TO SERVE ALONGSIDE JOSH BEAKLEY (ALSO A TMU ALUM) AT BETHANY BAPTIST CHURCH. I am the minister to children and family at Bethany, where I oversee our children’s ministries and family discipleship.

I am so privileged to be able to serve this wonderful church body. Please pray for us as we continue to build relationships with our new church family, and as I launch a family discipleship ministry strategy for the church this fall. Pray with us that the Lord will bring many kids to saving faith as we teach the Bible, share the gospel and equip parents.

March

2022

6

COVER STORY

a call for

in the Media We Create & Consume

by P R O F. M A T T G R E E N

The year was 1985. I sat in a packed movie theater, my elbows awkwardly positioned on the armrest to avoid the stranger on my right. On my left was my father, sharing his love of cinema with a curious 5-year-old.

The lights dimmed, and I was immersed into another world where I lived vicariously through the adventures of Marty McFly, a teenager struggling to fit in – not only in his own time, but anytime. It was a communal experience unlike anything in which I had participated before. Huey Lewis belted out “Back in Time,” as Doc, Marty and Jennifer flew toward the screen in an airborne DeLorean. The lights slowly illuminated the theater, and I knew from that point on that I wanted to make movies. The film affected me subconsciously in ways impossible for a child to process. But the fact remained – this form of media was powerful, and I knew it.

Dr. Bob Dickson, a colleague of mine at The Master’s University, astutely points out that “media is the information currency of our day.” Over the last two years of the pandemic, the world has recognized and attempted to harness the power of media. Subscriptions to online streaming platforms reached 1.1 billion during the pandemic. A long time ago (the 80s), most of us only had one TV in the living room. Now almost everyone has a mobile TV in his or her pocket. For Christ followers, this can be concerning and something that prompts us to ask three questions: Is media good? Is it bad? Or does it even matter?

My favorite filmmaker Steven Spielberg, in his powerful tribute to World War II veterans, “Saving Private Ryan,” begins the movie at the end of the main character’s life. A much older Private Ryan visits the graves of his fallen friends, and after three hours of the most realistic depiction of war ever captured on film, the story returns to the older Ryan back at the cemetery. This technique is called a “wrap-around” and is commonly used in narrative filmmaking. Likewise, I will address my final question first: Does media matter?

Let’s begin by defining media. It encompasses a wide variety of fields. Simply put, media is any way an individual or group communicates a message to influence the masses. The evolution of media can be traced throughout history, from Egyptian hieroglyphics

and the prominence of theater and debates within Greek society, to the invention of the printing press in the 14th century. This was followed by George Eastman’s pioneering of photographic film in 1888 and the birth of social media in the 21st century through the growth of the internet.

The world uses media as a microscope to explore the human condition because individual people are desperately searching for meaning. Although often unacknowledged, an awareness of our need for a Savior is revealed in humanity’s art. Therefore, films like “Star Wars,” “The Matrix,” “Harry Potter,” and “The Terminator” focus on a “chosen one,” a singular character whose powers are so strong, they are destined to save the world. The superhero genre, currently the most popular in cinema, is littered with Christ-allegory.

Not all media is redemptive, however. Philip Ryken, in his book “Art for God’s Sake,” writes, “Modern and postmodern art often claims to tell the whole truth about the pain and absurdity of human existence, but that is only part of the story.” Christians, on the other hand, are commanded to share the good news of Jesus Christ and His redemptive work – the whole, true story.

Not all redemptive films or TV shows will do this by means of a “conversion scene,” but they will tell a story that communicates the truth about our relationship to our Creator. Good films, TV shows and songs get it right when they accurately depict the human condition

MATT GREEN ON THE SET OF “THE MAN FROM NOWHERE,” TMU’S FIRST FEATURE FILM. THE MOVIE WAS RELEASED LAST YEAR.

9

The M U S T A N G C O N N E C T I O N

To Ask When Engaging With Media What is the message?

What is being portrayed as good or noble?

What is being portrayed as ignoble?

Are good and evil clearly defined?

Are there consequences for evil actions?

Are there any Judeo-Christian values, and if so, how are they portrayed?

– our brokenness, our innate sinfulness, and our inability to save ourselves – and show the consequences, while retaining, as Ryken writes, “a sense of what we can become” because of Christ’s finished work. “Rather than giving in to meaninglessness and despair, Christian artists know that there is a way out,” he writes. This biblical worldview will stand in stark contrast to secular thinking because we know the whole story.

How we use media matters, too.

When used properly, media can be an effective tool in persuading and influencing an audience – shaping

ideas, changing minds, and moving people to action.

In all forms of art, the goal is to establish an emotional connection with the audience. In a fallen world, however, media can easily be used to manipulate. We see this tendency every election cycle – commercials for tax hikes are disguised by pictures of cute school children. These emotional messages are designed to manipulate voters. The difference between persuasion and manipulation is simple – the truth. If media withholds or exaggerates the truth, it loses its veracity.

And truth is of particular importance to our Creator. It should be important to us too.

So, since we’ve established that media most definitely matters, we must ask ourselves: How should we consume media and contribute to it? Paul, in his letter to the Colossians, makes it very clear that our affections are to be on “the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God” (Col. 3:1, LSB). In Philippians, he encourages us to think about what is true, honorable, pure, lovely, and commendable (Phil. 4:8). We must remember that whenever we consume any form of media, we are on the receiving end of a message. It is imperative that when a believer engages with media, he or she critiques it through a biblical worldview. Solomon writes in Proverbs 2:6, “For Yahweh gives wisdom; [f] rom His mouth come knowledge and discernment.” We must resist the temptation to “turn off our brains” when we watch a movie, listen to music or read a book. A Christ-follower must approach media with a heightened level of wisdom and discernment, especially since the messages can be so powerful.

As believers, we must make sure we are not enslaved by our love of media, which should never replace our desire for God. We should be consumers, but never consumed.

There is a place for the consumption of media if it does not drive a wedge between us and our first love, Jesus Christ. To actively engage with media, we must train ourselves to always be asking questions: What is the message? What is being portrayed as good or noble?

What is being portrayed as ignoble? Are good and evil clearly defined? Are there consequences for evil actions?

Are there any Judeo-Christian values, and if so, how are they portrayed? By training ourselves to actively engage rather than to passively absorb, we will learn to identify

March

2022

10

the subtle messages and worldviews embedded in the content we consume.

How should Christians engage as content creators within media? I have the pleasure of instructing students in the Cinema & Digital Arts program within the communication department at TMU. My goal is to train up men and women to use their artistic giftedness to communicate God’s truth. In Exodus 31, the Israelites were instructed to use their artistic gifts to build the tabernacle in a way that would glorify God by exhibiting His artistry, truth and relationship with His people.

Artists often wrongly assume that within art there are no rules, but G.K. Chesterton, in his 1908 book “Orthodoxy,” points out:

on BACH & BAROQUE MUSIC The Life of Bach PETER WILLIAMS An excellent, readable (200 pages vs. 600 for Wolff’s tome) biography of Johann Sebastian Bach by one of the leading scholars on the life and works of the great Baroque composer.

Williams uses the obituary written by Bach’s son CPE Bach and his pupil J.F. Agricola as a framework.

“It is impossible to be an artist and not care for laws and limits. Art is limitation; the essence of every picture is the frame. If you draw a giraffe, you must draw him with a long neck. If, in your bold creative way, you hold yourself free to draw a giraffe with a short neck, you will really find that you are not free to draw a giraffe.”

The Keyboard Music of J.S. Bach

Even within art there are rules and order. Therefore, I have a passion for utilizing the gifts God has given me in training future generations to create media that testifies to the Creator of order. If the Lord has prompted someone to engage culture through media, I want them to pursue it with excellence. Christians should strive to make content that has redemptive value. Whether it is through TV, movies, books, music, or even social media, we can utilize whatever platform we are given to be a vessel for good.

Dance and the Music of J.S. Bach

If you create content, continue to ask good questions: Does what I make glorify what God hates? Am I neglecting work, tasks and relationships in favor of what I am creating or consuming? What does this content inspire me toward? If you can answer these questions in a way that glorifies the Lord, then be bold in using your giftedness to be a light in this fallen world.

MATT GREEN Associate Professor, Communication

11

A SHORT READING LIST

The M U S T A N G C O N N E C T I O N

DAVID SCHULENBERG An invaluable source. After three introductory chapters on performance and style, every single keyboard work of Bach’s is examined, including sources and editions.

MEREDITH LITTLE AND NATALIE JENNE Much baroque music is based on court dances. Little and Jenne study the history, dance steps and examples of 13 dances, and then discuss each with reference to Bach.

Performing Baroque Music MARY CYR Composers in the Baroque assumed that musicians knew contemporary style and practices, and thus their scores give far less information to the performer than later music. Indications of tempo, dynamics, phrasing, ornamentation and even rhythm might be lacking. Mary Cyr introduces performers to important issues of baroque performance practice. Scores to 11 works are included for close study.

A History of the Harpsichord EDWARD L. KOTTICK A comprehensive history of the harpsichord by an esteemed musicologist and harpsichord builder, Ed Kottick. A beautiful book with 16 color plates, many pictures, and a CD recording of examples of harpsichords from different countries. I essentially memorized the book in preparation for my doctoral comprehensive written exam.

composed by DR. RUTA BLOOMFIELD Associate Professor, Music

Chapel is a vital part of The Master’s University, complementing a student’s academic and spiritual experience and providing the campus community with a dynamic worship experience. Three times each week, students, faculty and staff gather for a time centered on the expositional preaching of Scripture.

Speakers include pastors, missionaries, faculty members and Christian leaders. You can watch the livestream at masters.edu/live, or on YouTube where you can also browse previous chapel videos.

MASTERS.EDU/CHAPEL

CAMPUS FEATURE

A TEAM OF STORYTELLING

TMU STUDENTS WORKED ON NEARLY EVERY ASPECT OF TV PILOT ABOUT MASKED VIGILANTE.

by M A S O N N E S B I T T

When The Master’s University filmed a superhero TV pilot earlier this year, students were seemingly everywhere.

Ian Washer performed stunts for choreographed fight scenes.

Eliza Nesheim decorated the walls of a warehouse with intricate graffiti.

Owen Parlo operated an 8K digital cinema camera.

Anika Mellwig served as a producer and first assistant director.

In January, six classes in TMU’s communication department — consisting of 52 students — teamed up to produce “The Shade,” a TV pilot about a vigilante superhero tasked with subduing an ancient, unimaginable evil.

The intense four-day shoot took place on a soundstage in TMU’s Music Recital Hall over Winterim, providing students with hands-on experience in nearly every aspect of filmmaking. They worked with lighting, props, costumes and cameras; a team of students edited together nearly an entire rough cut before week’s end.

Journalism students documented the groundbreaking work, and marketing students promoted it.

TMU Cinema & Digital Arts Director Matt Green — who directed and co-wrote “The Shade” — estimates that 90% of the jobs on the show were held by students.

Seven industry professionals were also on set, each of them eager to offer pointers and advice.

“Throughout the production, there’s just this constant teaching, constant learning,” says Jefferson Henson, a professional cinematographer and TMU professor who served as the director of photography on “The Shade.”

Junior Cam Specht had worked in various roles on previous TMU productions. But he viewed serving as a producer on this year’s project differently because he was involved from the get-go. He attended budget, creative and production meetings, observing the inner workings of the industry and tackling practical tasks like

15

The M U S T A N G C O N N E C T I O N

FOR “THE SHADE,” STUDENTS DECORATED THREE SETS INSIDE TMU’S MUSIC RECITAL HALL: A WAREHOUSE, AN INTERROGATION ROOM AND AN ASYLUM. HERE’S THE WAREHOUSE.

feeding roughly 65 cast and crew members each day.

“I got to be there from A to Z,” Specht says. “I was really able to see the amount of work that goes into a production.”

Tricia Hulet — TMU’s Theatre Arts director — oversaw students who handled sets, props and costumes for “The Shade.” TMU hired an outside company to build the walls of the soundstage in the Music Recital Hall. But Hulet’s crew dressed the set, creating a graffiti-covered warehouse, an interrogation room and an asylum, with incredible attention to detail. The team went so far as to write a handful of stories that populated a fictional newspaper, The Edge City Gazette, that they printed and used as a prop.

“They did things I never even thought of,” Green says. “But when you have an entire class devoted to something, you’re able to really dive in.”

Members of Henson’s class — Narrative Cinematography and Lighting — operated 8K RED EPIC-W and 6K RED KOMODO cameras. Students racked focus, executed camera movement and served as dolly grips. When they weren’t operating cameras, they constructed and shaped the lighting on set. Senior Katie Seitz said she came away with an understanding of the connection between

strong lighting and good storytelling.

“You start by lighting the room,” she says, “then you light your subject for the story and progress into specifics like, ‘We want to make sure we see the ring he’s wearing, so we need a special light to capture that, or we need to make sure his eyes are bright and popping.’ You go from the world that you’re lighting to the specific subject and shot that help you tell your story.

“I had never thought of it that way.”

Henson believes real-world, hands-on experiences are crucial for students interested in cinema and digital arts.

“In-the-moment teaching is something that I think is invaluable, and especially for this industry,” he says. “It’s something that gives the students such an advantage when they leave here.”

The footage captured by Henson’s students was

“In-the-moment teaching is something that I think is invaluable, and especially for this industry. It's something that gives the students such an advantage when they leave here.” transferred to Professor Peter Shickle’s class, Film to Post: Postproduction Workshop. Shickle’s team of eight edited scenes as they came in — on one occasion rushing a rough cut back to the set so Green could see if a complicated action sequence had worked. By the end of the week, the crew had mostly completed a rough cut of the 15-minute production, in large part thanks to computers equipped with Avid video-editing software and a network-attached storage system that allows multiple students to work on different scenes simultaneously.

TMU has plans for an on-campus premiere of “The Shade” on April 19. It will also screen the show at Laemmle Newhall theater later that month.

“The Shade” is just the latest product of TMU’s growing Cinema & Digital Arts program. The program – which aims to train the next generation of artists to recognize God as the ultimate creative force and to reflect this knowledge in what (and how) they create – has now produced an original musical, a western and a fulllength feature film, just to name a few projects. The school is also in postproduction on a show that deals with heavy biblical truths in a way that’s digestible for children. The show features a combination of live action and animation. And this should come as no surprise: TMU students are spearheading the animation.

THE TEASER POSTER FOR TMU’S SUPERHERO TV PILOT.

MASON NESBITT is the director of communications at The Master’s University.

March

2022

16

FA C U LT Y F O C U S

Dr. Tai-Danae Bradley

Dr. Monica Vroman

T W O V I S I T I N G P R O F E S S O R S H AV E B E E N I N S T R U M E N TA L I N E X PA N S I O N OF TMU’S COMPUTER SCIENCE AND

by K A E LY N P E A Y

ENGINEERING PROGRAMS.

On separate Sunday mornings, a computer science expert from Romania and an East Coast mathematician walked into Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California. As a result, they both now work at The Master’s University as visiting professors.

STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) at TMU may never be the same.

Under the umbrella of TMU’s School of Science, Mathematics, Technology & Health, Dr. Monica Vroman and Dr. Tai-Danae Bradley have their dream jobs. The University, in turn, has added two teaching and researching powerhouses who have been instrumental in the recent expansion of its computer science and engineering programs. These additions to an already impressive and high-caliber faculty in the STEM fields represent a new era of growth.

--As a new believer, Monica Vroman originally traveled to the U.S. from Romania to study computer science at Rutgers University in New Jersey. She stayed because she fell in love with an American named Dave.

that Dave could attend The Master’s Seminary.

The couple began attending Grace Community Church. And though Dr. Vroman was humble about her credentials, word finally reached Dr. John MacArthur that one of his congregants had serious chops in the realm of STEM. In 2020, he alerted Prof.

David Crater, another Grace Community member and the newly-hired chair of TMU’s Department of Engineering and Computer Science.

Of particular interest to Crater was Vroman’s background in machine learning.

At the time, Crater was working passionately toward his dream of starting an artificial intelligence emphasis at TMU. And according to Crater, the three biggest subfields of A.I. are computer vision, natural language processing and machine learning. The first fell within the wheelhouse of Dr. John Eickemeyer, a longtime TMU faculty member. The second was Crater’s specialty. Vroman filled the missing third piece of the puzzle.

She was not hard to convince.

Monica’s graduate research was on imitation learning – the art of teaching computers to learn through observation. After graduating and marrying Dave, she lent her expertise to a fellow Rutgers graduate doing research into improving computer science education.

But for the most part, her academic credentials in machine learning were left on the shelf as she focused on working at home.

“TMU is my dream job,” she says. “I knew that The Master’s University stood for excellence in teaching and was solid biblically. It was just a perfect combination.

I didn’t know anything about the computer science department. But I thought that teaching at TMU would be a dream because you could really do your best in teaching and in using the abilities the Lord has given you, while doing it for the Lord.”

Then, in 2015, the Vromans moved to Los Angeles so

In the fall of 2020, Vroman began teaching her

March

2022

18

Machine Learning course. This enabled Crater to create his hoped-for AI emphasis.

“It was such a great trip because I got to meet everyone and see the beautiful campus and interact with the students for the first time,” she remembers.

--One of the people she met was Vroman.

While this was happening, a certain mathematician was doing a postdoc for X, the Moonshot Factory (previously called Google X). Dr. Tai-Danae Bradley hadn't always planned to have an academic career in math, but she’d fallen in love with it after a great calculus teacher helped her see the underlying concepts behind the formulas. These concepts, in turn, pointed her to the author of mathematics.

“The more I learned about mathematics, the more it just endeared the Lord to me,” Bradley says. “I mean, there’s so much beauty and order and precision, and you see His genius in creation through mathematics.”

Her graduate studies in pure math at the City University of New York led to a dissertation exploring mathematical structure in language, bringing her into contact with AI and machine learning. This expertise drew the interest of X, which gave her a new avenue for her research once she finished her program.

Meanwhile, Bradley and her father, James, were struggling to find a solid, biblically faithful church where they lived in New York City. They watched Grace Community Church’s livestream to fill the gap. They also prayed for an opportunity to travel to California to attend Grace Church on a Sunday morning. In January 2021, they finally got the chance.

That Sunday, MacArthur received word that there was a visitor with strong math credentials. Once again, he found and forwarded her resume to Crater.

“She was guest-lecturing in my class,” Vroman says, “and I asked her, ‘What’s your dream job?’ And she said, ‘Creating a research institute where believers would be free to take science where it needs to go.’

“In other contexts, you aren’t able to say, ‘I think that my discoveries lead to a Creator – a good and a kind Creator who is also holy and just.’ You can’t say that, because it’s established in the scientific community that evolution is the way life happened. A lot of us who have done science in secular environments know that we aren’t free to speak about where our discoveries take us. So she had this vision of an institute where scientists would be free to take science where it leads, which is to God.” After the visit, Crater and Bradley stayed in touch, talking through her vision for a research institute.

Eventually, they pitched the idea to TMU’s leadership and received the funding, and Bradley came aboard as a visiting professor starting in fall 2021.

“To have this opportunity at TMU is better than anything I could have ever imagined. This is definitely Ephesians 3:20 – ‘beyond all we can ask or think,’” Bradley says. “It’s amazing to me to see it crystalizing. I wake up and I’m like, ‘Am I still dreaming? This can’t be real.’”

“The next morning, I woke up to an email from David Crater at TMU,” Bradley says. “Basically, it said, ‘Hey, we heard about your work and heard that you’re in town. I just wanted to reach out and see where this conversation leads.’”

As it turned out, the conversation led to Bradley visiting TMU’s campus in March. She participated in a Q&A and guest-lectured for multiple courses.

19

The M U S T A N G C O N N E C T I O N

Bradley was a featured speaker at TMU’s TheoTech conference in October 2021 along with, left to right, David Crater, Abner Chou, John MacArthur, Joey Kim and Joe Francis.

This new institute, called The Math3ma Institute, has already launched multiple projects, including an expository STEM journal, a public lecture series and a faculty blog. Across all of these, Bradley’s hope is to communicate research topics in a way that’s approachable for laypeople.

“We’re slowly building up a body of work that is going to do several things,” Bradley says. “It’s going to help stimulate more research activity on this campus.

It’s going to put some great content out there about cutting-edge topics. It’s going to provide an extra measure of publicity and scholarly weight for us in the community at large, and especially for potential students and their families. And it’s going to, we hope, glorify the Lord in all these things.”

And the institute is just one expression of the overall movement to expand STEM at TMU. Though the University has long had computer science and biological science programs, Crater has worked to build three new engineering programs in addition to the new AI emphasis. He has also spearheaded TMU’s new annual TheoTech conference, an event designed to explore STEM topics through a biblical lens.

Crater explains, “This will bring in new categories of students to TMU: engineering and AI-leaning students who will be able to participate in things with The Math3ma Institute, engage in new research projects with faculty, and perhaps publish in The Math3ma Journal. We hope that, over the next five years, this increases into a sizable and meaningful new type of activity on campus.”

The engineering and computer science department is already seeing the fruit of these new initiatives. In 2021, the department had 25 students. This year, it has more than 50. Next year, Crater expects to have over 70 – meaning the department is on track to triple over the course of two years. But this rapid growth isn’t necessarily a surprise.

“These fields, both in industry and in academia, are growing at rates of 7-10% a year,” Crater says. “They’re in high demand. As Dr. MacArthur put it to me when he and I were first talking about this, there’s a whole

“To have this opportunity at TMU is better than anything I could have ever imagined. … I wake up and I’m like, ‘Am I still dreaming? This can’t be real.’” segment of potential students and their families that we weren’t really serving, because we weren’t really involved in these fields. Now that we are involved in these fields, there is a whole new category of people who are interested in TMU.” Plans for the future include more public lectures, more issues of the journal, outfitted labs for mechanical, electrical and computer engineering, and expanded student research opportunities.

“To see it grow and flourish has been amazing,” Vroman says. “I’m very privileged to be part of it.”

Bradley, who is heavily involved in many of these plans for the future, says, “It’s a lot of work. But this is like my dream come true, so it doesn’t really feel like work. This is so fun for me.”

David Crater, chair of the engineering and computer science department, has helped expand the STEM fields at TMU by working to build three engineering programs.

KAELYN PEAY is a marketing writer at The Master’s University.

March

2022

20

The Math3ma Institute Public Lectures

ON-CAMPUS | LIVESTREAMED Talks by TMU faculty and colleagues on mathematics, engineering, science and technology, all from a biblical perspective.

Friday, April 1 | 2–3PM Dr. Tai-Danae Bradley Friday, April 22 | 2–3PM Dr. Monica Vroman

watch at masters.edu/lectures

JUST CATCHING UP

sarah hicks husband Jacob

tmu connection Sarah (maiden name is Stead) graduated from TMU in 2018 as a liberal studies major with an emphasis in elementary education.

where they're at Newhall, Calif.

on the job Sarah is a fifth-grade teacher at Newhall Elementary School in the Newhall Unified School District. Jacob is head coach of TMU’s men’s and women’s golf teams.

favorite memory of tmu Although Sarah had many amazing memories from TMU, by far the most memorable would be her time playing on the women’s soccer team. Specifically, when the team beat Westmont at home her senior year and gained a spot in the national tournament.

how can the tmu community pray for you?

Please pray that I can have the boldness to share the gospel with some of my coworkers and also represent Jesus well to my 30 students.

mike & carlyle crawford tmu connection Mike graduated from TMU in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology, and again from TMU’s online department in 2018 with an MBA. Carlyle (maiden name is Cullen) graduated in 2014 with a bachelor’s in communication.

child Noah - 1

where they’re at Santa Clarita, Calif.

on the job Mike has been working in marketing and public relations for Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital for the past three years. After Noah was born, Carlyle transitioned from her marketing career to being a mom and freelance copywriter.

favorite memory of tmu Mike’s favorite memories relate to serving in Student Life on ASB with some of his closest friends and mentors. Carlyle’s favorite memories were helping plan ASB events, and her favorite class was SciFi Writing with Prof. Dickson.

how can the tmu community pray for you?

We’d appreciate prayer for continued opportunities to faithfully represent Christ in our respective careers and communities, and for wisdom in raising our son as we start out as new parents.

March

2022

22

MASTER’S CONNECT This is where you’ll find a monthly alumni newsletter, a church directory, a job board, and the opportunity to network with other members of the TMU family.

All in one place. stay connected at masters.edu/alumni

COMMUNITY

ALUMNI

JOB BOARD Accounts Payable Accountant (AP) A P P LY N O W

Student Ministries Pastor A P P LY N O W

Audio Engineer/Producer A P P LY N O W

Recruiting Coordinator A P P LY N O W

Technical Coordinator A P P LY N O W

March

2022

24

SCHOLARSHIP HIGHLIGHT

BARBARA CHERRY MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP Benefitting TMU Students Studying the Sciences

This fund was established in remembrance of Mrs. Barbara Cherry, a beloved wife and mother. It provides scholarship aid to deserving TMU students, with preference given to students studying the sciences. Donors give to the Barbara Cherry Memorial Fund knowing that their gifts will help worthy students whose ability to afford TMU is out of reach. The scholarship’s committee evaluates students based on their faithfulness to Christ and learning; affirmation from church leaders and educators; and financial need.

Those interested in contributing can do so at masters.edu/give.

TMU at the GRAND CANYON Thursday, June 2, 2022 – Sunday, June 5, 2022 YOUR TOUR HOST

Dr. Matt McLain BIOLOGY & PALEONTOLOGY PROFESSOR AT THE MASTER’S UNIVERSITY

This summer, join Dr. Matthew McLain in exploring the Grand Canyon and learning what the rocks and fossils found there reveal about the Flood.

This trip is open to anyone who wants to learn about geoscience through a biblical lens. learn more at masters.edu/grandcanyon