Monday, April 15, 2024
College of Education and Human Sciences honors Outstanding
Seniors for 2024 Jillian Walker OSU News
The Oklahoma State University College of Education and Human Sciences is pleased to recognize seven Outstanding Seniors for 2024. Representing the top 1% of the college, these individuals were selected by their school or department for the prestigious honor based on their commitment to OSU’s land-grant mission through exceptional leadership, campus involvement, academic achievement and professional development related to career goals. Each Outstanding Senior will receive a commemorative stole to wear at graduation and receive their first year of membership in the OSU Alumni Association at no cost thanks to the generosity of the College of Education and Human Sciences Alumni Society. Cara York from Muskogee, Oklahoma, is a design, housing and merchandising major with an option in fashion merchandising. York represents the program as a dedicated student with a 4.0 GPA. She spent a semester abroad in Florence, Italy, in the Fashion Design, Marketing and Merchandising program at the prestigious Lorenzo de’ Medici International Institute. York has spent her time at OSU serving her college as a student leader in roles such as CEHS Ambassador and CEHS Student Council vice president. Mia Feehan from Tulsa, is a public health major with an option in exercise and health. Feehan has maintained a 4.0 GPA while gaining practical experience as a Peer Health Educator with the Take Control Initiative, educating on reproductive health topics. She also works as a nurse tech at Saint Francis Joint Replacement Center, providing patient care and support. Her certifications from the American Red Cross and American Heart Association further demonstrate her commitment to health care. Outside
of academics, Feehan serves as the president of the OSU-Tulsa Health Promotions Club and is a member of the President’s Leadership Society. Tara Bartley from Stillwater is an applied exercise science major with an option in strength and conditioning. Bartley is an exceptional student with a 4.0 GPA, actively involved in research. As an undergraduate research assistant in the Musculoskeletal Adaptations to Aging and Exercise Lab, she applies her studies and technical knowledge to her interests. Bartley is working on an honors thesis project investigating the relationship between past sports participation and the risk of low energy availability in collegiate athletes. Bartley’s involvement outside of academics as a dance instructor, and active member of Pi Beta Phi sorority and the Sports Medicine Club, show her dedication to learning through experience. Emma Dunnigan from Ponca City, Oklahoma, is an aerospace administration and operations major with an option in aerospace security. Throughout her time at OSU, Dunnigan has applied her studies as an honors student and exemplary leader of the OSU Flying Aggies. As an elected community outreach officer for the club, she has organized events to promote the advancement of aviation education. Dunnigan has also coordinated volunteer efforts of the club, increasing engagement and goodwill in the surrounding community. Marah Martinez from Ringling, Oklahoma, is a nutritional sciences major with an option in dietetics. As an undergraduate research assistant, Martinez is examining the relationship between nutrient intake and health outcomes related to ultra-processed food consumption. Martinez has interned with the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program, aiding in nutrition assessments, counseling and education sessions. See Seniors on 8
Courtesy of OSU News
Students’ new white coats carried on a decades-old tradition in the medical field and symbolized knowledge, professionalism and hope.
Inaugural White Coat Ceremony celebrates OSU nursing students Jessica Pearce OSU News
and the nursing program at OSU. The program, developed to address a nursing shortage in Oklahoma and across the country, welcomed its first class of professional nursing students in the fall of 2023. In Twenty-six OSU students remarks given during the ceremony, commemorated the start of their Nursing Program Director Dr. Alana professional nursing education at the Cluck said the ceremony was meanuniversity’s inaugural White Coat ingful to both the nursing students Ceremony. and OSU. The ceremony, held on April “This official White Coat 3 in the Great Hall of the Nancy Ceremony symbolizes the start of Randolph Davis Building, marked a your education in the science and art significant milestone for the students
of nursing,” Cluck said. “When you put on your white coat, wear it with pride as you are not only representing Oklahoma State University but furthermore the nursing profession.” Although the nursing degree program is still in its first year at OSU, Cluck said she expects the 26 students recognized to be the first of many OSU-educated nurses. Eightysix students are enrolled in the program for the fall 2024 semester, and Cluck expects the program to grow to 300 students by its third year. See Coat on 6
A rare opportunity OAIRE researchers use eclipse to gather atmospheric data Courtesy of OSU News
search as part of the NASA National Eclipse Balloon Program. The team began launching balloons to gather atmospheric data at 1 p.m. Sunday. Flights continued on the hour and into the night Monday. Oklahoma State University’s Dr. Jamey Jacob, OAIRE Oklahoma Aerospace Institute for executive director, likened the effect Research and Education used the of the eclipse to that of a pebble in 2024 total solar eclipse path as an a pond. opportunity to improve weather “Just like a pebble causes forecasting. waves in the water, the eclipse Sixteen OSU students and faculty members were joined by NASA causes gravity waves in its wake as it moves across the Earth, and we representatives at the Choctaw Nawant to measure those disturbanction Community Center in Broken Bow, Oklahoma. They conducted re- es,” he said. “These waves are essential for transporting energy in the
atmosphere. They’re good at mixing the air and act as conveyor belts to help move moisture from one location to another just like waves in the ocean.” Jacob said the goal is to take the atmospheric readings from such a rare but known event and use it to provide general improvements to numerical weather prediction models. “The atmosphere is so complex to model — it’s just a very complicated phenomena,” he said. “The eclipse provides a way to verify existing models using a known condition.” See OAIRE on 7