Welcome to Black Hills State
University - top
- Danielle Goodwin, math education specialist, Center for the
Advancement for Math and Science Education (CAMSE)
- Arlene Holmes, career counselor, Career Center
Johnson teaches science to
monks in India - top
Dr. Andy Johnson, assistant professor
and associate director for the Center for the Advancement of Math and
Science Education (CAMSE) at BHSU, spent three weeks between semesters
teaching science to monks in India, as a part of a Science for Monks
instituted by the Dalai Lama.
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Dr. Andy Johnson, assistant professor and associate
director for the Center for the Advancement of Math and Science
Education (CAMSE) at Black Hills State University, spent three weeks
between semesters teaching science to monks in India.
Johnson was one of two educators chosen to take part
in the ongoing Science for Monks program instituted by the Dalai Lama to
introduce scientific knowledge and methods to Tibetan monks. By
acquiring knowledge of Western science, the monks believe they can
further the cause of peace and understanding in the world.
Johnson and Dewey Dykstra, a Boise State University
physics professor, taught an inquiry-based inquiry-based physics
workshop to exiled Tibetan monks in Dehradun, India. The workshop was
held at the Tibetan Children’s Village School for Gifted Students.
Johnson, who is an expert in inquiry-based science, said the method
worked well for the monks.
“That’s how I teach physics (inquiry-based),” Johnson
said. “The monks were accustomed to science by inquiry and responded
well to the workshops.”
“Some responses were very similar to college students
and teachers that I teach,” Johnson said. “It was very interesting. Here
we were on the opposite side of the world, in a completely different
culture, and they had many of the very same ideas my students here
have.”
Johnson is grateful for having the opportunity to
utilize inquiry-based methods in the workshops with the monks.
“More than anything this experience convinced me that
the methods we use are on the right track,” Johnson said. “They worked
well with the monks and they also work well with college students.”
Nearly 50 Buddhist monks, in their late 20s to early
40s, attended the workshops focusing on scientific knowledge and
methods. The monks were exposed to Western science and learned about the
physics of optics and light.
Johnson and his colleague presented sessions on image
formation by lenses and pinholes. Due to some of the monks’ limited
English, Dykstra and Johnson worked with translators to convert the
Western course materials into the Tibetan language and to interact with
the monks in the classroom.
Johnson’s reaction to the experience is best summed up
in one word, “intense.”
“Teaching physics is a challenge in a country that has
limited infrastructure and comparatively little material wealth. But the
dedication of the monks and the personal relationships I developed with
the Tibetans more than made up for the spartan surroundings,” Johnson
said.
He said that the monks were anxious to learn and
discuss ideas and concepts.
“There was always a monk willing to talk about his
ideas and ready to argue at any time,” Johnson said. “Sometimes it would
become a great big babble in Tibetan and we’d ask the translators what
was being said.”
He noted that debate is a big part of Buddhist
training and that the monks “brought all their debate skills to the
science classrooms.”
Johnson noted that teachers are held in high regard in
that culture and they were treated very well. At a farewell ceremony,
the teachers were presented with ceremonial scarves. According to
Johnson, the monks said the gifts were an expression of gratitude and a
symbol of comfort, happiness and that they wanted the teachers to stay
around.
Academic excellence is very important to the Buddhist
monks, who spend an average of 18 to 20 years studying Buddhist
manuscripts. At about their 18th year of study, the monks participate in
debate contests in order to earn a title, similar to a doctorate degree.
In the Science for Monks workshop, monks study subjects like astronomy,
genetics, mathematics, and physics in order to advance their knowledge
and gain a better understanding of the world.
Science and Technology News, a national
independent periodical covering the field of science and religion,
recently published an article about the science for monks program which
includes several quotes from Johnson and his colleague.
Johnson was named associate director of CAMSE in the
fall of 1999. He earned a doctorate degree in science education from San
Diego State University in 1999. He has a bachelor’s degree and a
master’s degree in physics and has worked extensively in this field of
physics education.
Anderson presents Mount St.
Helens research - top
BHSU professor Dr. Steve Anderson
recently presented research on volcanic activity at Mount St. Helens.
This recent work gave Anderson the opportunity to return to the site
that originally inspired his career in volcano research which has
included research at sites around the Earth and has now expanded to
research on volcanoes on Mars. Anderson, who first conducted research at
Mount St. Helens as an undergraduate student, appreciates the impact
that experience had for him and has made an effort to involve BHSU
students in ongoing research projects.
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Dr. Steven Anderson, professor of geology at Black Hills State
University, presented recent research on the growth of the new lava dome
at Mount St. Helens at a national conference of geophysicists.
Anderson’s research on Mount St. Helens was an opportunity for the
volcanologist to return to the site which first inspired his interest in
volcanoes which led to research projects around the Earth and has now
expanded to the study of volcanoes on Mars.
Anderson presented his findings at a special session of the American
Geophysical Union Meeting in San Francisco which drew more than 10,000
geophysicists from all corners of the world.
The growth of the 1980-86 Mount St. Helens lava dome became the focus
of Anderson’s master’s thesis and doctoral dissertation. Anderson also
held a position at the U.S. Geological Survey David A. Johnston Cascades
Volcano Observatory as a graduate student. Since then, he has studied
active volcanoes around the world and has written a number of
professional and general interest articles on lava flows.
Anderson presented two ideas for the origin of the new lava dome that
is still growing in the crater at Mount St. Helens. One possibility is
that magma from the 1980-86 eruptions is still residing in the chamber
nearly seven kilometers beneath the surface and slowly degassing with
time this would most likely result in a short and relatively calm
dome-growth eruption.
A second possibility, according to Anderson, is that a new batch of
magma has intruded the volcano which could lead to eruptions that are
more vigorous and explosive. Anderson also demonstrated how analyzing
the hydrogen isotopic signature of gas still dissolved in the lava could
show which of these two scenarios is responsible for the new dome
growth.
Anderson and his co-author Jon Fink from Arizona State University
were able to acquire new lava samples recently and will conduct the
isotopic analyses over the next few weeks.
Anderson and Fink pioneered the early isotopic studies of lava
degassing during the 1980-86 lava dome eruption of Mount St. Helens. The
work resulted in the cover article of the international science journal
Nature in 1990. The new analyses should enable the researchers to
extend some of their earlier findings and lead to a new understanding of
the most recent eruption.
“I visited Mount St. Helens in August of this year with one of my
students, Ashley Marske, where we did some field work for a different
study, and the volcano was as dead as a doorknob. I even commented to a
colleague that I was sad because it appeared as though all of the
activity associated with the 1980 eruption had ceased, and that another
eruption in my lifetime was unlikely,” Anderson said. “When the volcano
generated some explosions in September, I really couldn’t believe it.
This eruption has surprised all of us tremendously, and I’m really
thrilled to get back to the place where I started my career as a college
senior nearly 20 years ago.”
Anderson first visited Mount St. Helens as part of a two-month
college internship during his senior year at Cornell College.
“That experience really was life changing for me,” Anderson said.
“For a boy who grew up in northern Wisconsin, an erupting volcano was
something I had never even thought I might witness, and to actually
stand and work on one that was shaking, steaming and erupting was scary
and intriguing at the same time. The feeling was addicting, the work was
very physically demanding, and at the same time the problems associated
with studying active volcanoes really challenged me scientifically. I
didn’t know if there would ever be a job waiting for me at the end of
it, but I just didn’t care. Opportunities like that just don’t happen
for too many people, so I followed what I loved and never regretted it.”
Anderson estimates that nearly a dozen BHSU students have accompanied
him on research trips to volcanoes around the world.
“Exposing students to these types of experiences is easily one of the
most rewarding aspects of this job. I’m thankful for those who provided
me with that opportunity and I promised myself that I would pay them
back by trying to do the same for others. I’ve been really lucky to find
enough funding to allow a handful of BHSU students to do the same,”
Anderson said.
Shearer-Cremean
publishes article - top
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| Shearer-Cremean |
Dr. Christine Shearer-Cremean, assistant professor of humanities at
Black Hills State University, recently published an article in
Pre/Text: A Journal of Rhetorical Theory.
The article, “Woman as Text: Depictions of Abused Women in Conjugal
Violence Police Reports,” investigates how the institutional discourse
of police in a large Ohio city genders battered women, shifting women’s
identities from survivors of violence to witnesses of their own abuse
and objective texts that are “read.”
The article was featured in volume 18.1-4 of Pre/Text in a
special issue focusing on prison, literacy, and culture.
Shearer-Cremean received her master’s degree in English from the
University of Dayton and her doctorate in English from Bowling Green
State University. She has been a member of the BHSU faculty since 2000.
BHSU professors to present
recital - top
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| Hove-Pabst |
Dr. Susan Hove-Pabst will present a faculty recital
entitled "WomanSong: Women Folk" Thursday evening, March 3 at 7:30 p.m.
in the recital hall in Clare and Josef Meier Hall on the campus of Black
Hills State University.
Hove-Pabst will be joined by BHSU faculty members and
friends including Dr. Janeen Larsen - piano; Dewalea Alsup and Leslie
Speirs - vocals; and Randall Royer, Lori Miller, Connie Hubbard and Gary
Renner - instrumentals.
The recital will examine women’s involvement in folk
music. Traditional music, folk music collection, the "folk boom" of the
1950s and 1960s, world music and contemporary songs will be represented
in the program.
According to Hove-Pabst, some of the musical
selections will be very “un-folk in character, showing the breadth of
some of today’s women songwriters who are classified as folk artists but
write in many genres, including art songs and theater music.” Composed
music will include that by Malvina Reynolds, Linda Waterfall, Anne
Hills, and Hove-Pabst. Hove-Pabst will debut three original compositions
at the performance.
This recital is the fourth in a series in which music
professor Hove-Pabst has combined research on women musicians with
performance of their music. Previous programs have highlighted
torchsingers, sister singing groups, and a biographical portrait of a
1950s singer. These recitals have celebrated not only women in music,
but also Women’s History Month.
Hove-Pabst says her interest in folk music occurred
naturally in her childhood since she was a product both of family
musical gatherings and the 1950s and 1960s folk revival which sent folk
songs to the air waves and "top hits charts." Her interest and knowledge
was furthered when she worked as an instructor, performer and
administrator at the Old Town School of Folk Music, Chicago, the
country’s oldest surviving guitar/folk establishment.
Hove-Pabst was inspired to base this year’s recital on
folk musicians after spending a week during the summer at a Black Hills
Songwriters’ Workshop with Anne Hills and Linda Waterfall. Hills’
multiple roles as a singer, songwriter, equity actress, award-winning
poet and Waterfall’s variety of compositions, including her song cycle
based on segments of Walt Whitman’s "Leaves of Grass," illustrate the
artistry and versatility of women included in the folk musician
category.
Hills and Waterfall also offered encouragement to
Hove-Pabst in her own songwriting. She will be debuting three of her
original compositions: a folk-style tune reflecting her father’s
Norwegian heritage, an art song about her wise piano-playing cat, and a
theater piece duet from a yet-unwritten musical play.
There will be no charge for the recital and no
reservations are being taken. For more information contact Hove-Pabst at
642-6230.
Faculty and Student Senates
will sponsor forum next week - top
The Faculty and Student Senates are sponsoring a forum on improving
campus communication Wednesday, Feb. 23 at 3:15 p.m. in the Student
Union Jacket Legacy Room.
The forum will include a moderated panel of faculty, students, staff
and members of the administration who will address audience ideas and
questions. Refreshments will be provided.
Contact Barbara Chrisman at 642-6358 or
BarbChrisman@bhsu.edu for
more information.
Spring speakers
scheduled for “Writing the West” series -
top
David Evans, South Dakota’s Poet Laureate, will speak
at Black Hills State University Friday, Feb. 25 at 3 p.m. in Jonas Hall
room 305.
Evans, the author of a number of books of poetry for
which he has won many awards and grants, will be the fifth speaker in
the “Writing the West” series at BHSU. He currently teaches literature
and writing at South Dakota State University.
The BHSU Bookstore will have copies of Evans’ latest
book of poetry, The Bull Rider’s Advice, for purchase. After the
lecture, Evans will be available to sign this or other copies of his
work.
The sixth speaker in the series, Charles Bowden, is
slated to speak Friday, April 8 at 3 p.m. in the recital hall in Clare
and Josef Meier Hall. According to David Cremean, assistant professor of
humanities and director for the Bush Grant at BHSU, Bowden is arguably
the finest living writer of literary nonfiction.
The “Writing the West” series, which is sponsored by a
Bush Grant, seeks to bring Western writers, particularly those who write
primarily about interdisciplinary subjects, to the BHSU campus.
The public is invited to attend both presentations at
no cost. For more information, contact Cremean at 642-0829 or
DavidCremean@bhsu.edu.
Lydia Whirlwind
Soldier will speak at BHSU - top
Lydia Whirlwind Soldier, a Sicangu Lakota author,
poet, and educator, will speak at Black Hills State University Monday,
Feb. 28 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. in the David B. Miller Yellow Jacket Student
Union Jacket Legacy Room.
Whirlwind Soldier will share readings from her books
Memory Songs and Shaping Survival: Essays by Four American
Indian Tribal Women. She will also discuss her role as a leader in
ethnic revitalization, bilingualism and biculturalism.
The lecture is sponsored by the BHSU Center of Indian
Studies and a Resource Center grant from the South Dakota Humanities
Council, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
The general public is welcome to attend at no cost.
For more information contact the BHSU Center of Indian Studies at
642-6578.
More than 254 participate in
job fair - top
 Katie
Lembcke, a senior human services major from Madison, talks with Lt. Bob
Marler from the South Dakota Highway Patrol at the recent Summer Jobs
and Internships Fair. More than 254 people attended the annual job fair,
which was held this week in the David B. Miller Yellow Jacket Student
Union.
This year, the university combined the Human Services/Non-Profit Organizations Fair and the Summer Fun Job Fair to offer
participants a greater selection of employers. Students took advantage
of the opportunity to learn about various employment, volunteer, and
internship opportunities available with local and national human service
organizations in addition to positions at camps, national parks, resorts
and similar organizations.
Part-time and full-time jobs, internships, and
volunteer positions were represented. Over 30 organizations and
businesses participated in the fair.
Mirel calls upon educators to
change the way civic education is taught -
top
 During a recent presentation at Black Hills State
University, Dr. Jeffrey E. Mirel, a nationally recognized educator who
has written several books on the decline of the public education system,
said that changes must be made in the type and delivery of civic
education that is offered for elementary and high school students.
Mirel outlined the history of civic education and
discussed the on-going debate of what students should know and how to
make those changes. He called upon educators and parents to spearhead
changes locally.
In his presentation “Civic Education and National
Crises: A History of the Ongoing Debate About What Young People Should
Know.” Mirel said it’s vital to recognize the importance of civic
education especially considering the state of the world today.
“Given the threat from terrorists, it is desperate
that we learn from our mistakes and change the way civic education is
taught,” Mirel said. “Students need to see how the war on terrorism fits
in with history. Educators must confront the issues and work to defend
democracy.”
Mirel highlighted findings from a large study on
citizenship education in Detroit. He said the study showed how difficult
it is to create quality civic education; however, that type of education
is essential to the survival of the American democracy.
According to Mirel, a discipline-based curriculum
should be developed and taught in elementary and high schools throughout
the nation.
Mirel is a professor of education and history at the
University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. Mirel’s first book, The Rise and
Fall of an Urban School System: Detroit, 1907-81, won outstanding
book awards from the American Educational Research Association and from
the History of Education Society. He also coauthored, with David Angus,
The Failed Promise of the American High School, 1890-1995. His
current research focuses on educating for democratic citizenship.
Mirel’s presentation was sponsored by the Black Hills
State University Chiesman Foundation.
Scholz presents puppet show
- top
Markie Scholz, master puppeteer,
visits with members of the audience following a puppet show at Black
Hills State University. The event was sponsored by the BHSU Reading
Council.
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More than 100 parents and children attended a “Dragons
Are Too Seldom” puppet presentation at Black Hills State University
recently.
“A Dragon Mystery,” presented by master puppeteer,
Markie Scholz, was presented by the Reading Council, as the final
activity in a series of events designed to show future teachers how
to incorporate puppetry into their classrooms.
According to Dr. Joanna Jones, BHSU education
professor who serves as advisor for the student Reading Council, the
performance was a learning experience for children and their parents as
well as the BHSU students.
“The children were mesmerized by the storytelling
puppets and the parents are amazed by the language that was enacted in
the script by the puppets,” Jones said.
“Puppetry is an excellent activity because there is a
need for listening and speaking skills to be taught,” Jones said. She
noted that these skills improve reading-level skills for students in the
long run.
Scholz, a master puppeteer who has more than 35 years
experience creating puppets, served as a consultant for the BHSU
students as they learned about puppetry which is a valuable skill for
future teachers.
“It’s the simplicity that Markie has perfected in her
production that students need to learn,” Jones said. “It teaches future
teachers how a simple production can have a great impact on the stories
being told.”
Scholz, a 1993 BHSU graduate with a master’s in
curriculum and instruction, has been touring the United States
performing for over 30 years and will perform in England next week.
BHSU student wins $500 for
being in the right place at the right time -
top
Kelly McGoldrick, (left)
the latest winner in the “Gang Green” promotion at BHSU, accepts a $500
check from Holly Stalder, (right) publisher of the Lawrence County
Journal and a representative for the Rapid City Journal. McGoldrick, a
BHSU junior, won the money for being in the right place at the right
time.
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Kelly McGoldrick, a Black Hills State University
junior, recently won $500 for being in the right place, at a recent home
basketball game, when her name was chosen at random.
In an effort to increase student attendance at
athletic events, “Gang Green” t-shirts, which were donated by the Rapid
City Journal, are distributed to BHSU students as they arrive at
athletic competitions. When a students’ name is drawn, they win the
prize, if they are present at the competition and have a Gang Green
t-shirt. This is the third Gang Green prize awarded this year.
According to Steve Meeker, athletic director and vice
president for institutional advancement, the university and the Rapid
City Journal decided to launch the promotion to encourage fan
participation by students by giving them an added incentive to attend
events. Holly Stalder, publisher of the Lawrence County Journal and a
representative for the Rapid City Journal, said her company is proud to
sponsor this program.
The next home basketball game is Friday, Feb. 18
against Mayville State University.
Deadwood will celebrate
Chinese New Year next weekend - top
The Chinese New Year celebration in Deadwood, which dates back to the
late 1800s and early 1900s, will be held Saturday, Feb. 26. Because the
Chinese lunar calendar is 2637 years older than ours, this is the year
4642 and is the Year of the Rooster.
In keeping with the history of the Chinese in Deadwood, Brandy Clapp,
who works in Deadwood and lives in Spearfish, has been chosen as the
Yellow Doll this year. The Yellow Doll was a legendary young Chinese
lady who lived a life of secluded luxury before meeting a rather grim
end.
The grand entry for the 2005 Chinese New Year celebration will start
on Main Street in front of the Wild West Casino at 1 p.m. and proceed to
Miss Kitty's Gaming Hall. It will feature Vince and Joanne Coyle who
will serve as the emperor and empress during the celebration. Clapp will
be riding in an authentic Chinese rickshaw which was used at the World's
Fair in Seattle in 1940.
People attending the celebration will have a chance to see an
impressive display of Chinese literature, books, periodicals, pamphlets
and calendars sent to Deadwood each year directly from the Chinese
Embassy in Washington, D.C. The celebration will also feature lion
dancers, martial arts performers, a fireworks display, and a
demonstration on snake handing.
Faculty Senate minutes
- top
The Faculty Senate held a special meeting Wednesday,
Jan. 26 at 3:15 p.m.
Members present were: Kristi Pearce, Curtis Card,
Barbara Chrisman, Roger Miller, Sharon Strand, Steve Andersen, Christine
Shearer-Cremean, and Micheline Hickenbotham. Guests attending the
meeting were: George Earley, Gary Hagerty, and Roger Ochse.
The special meeting to consider curriculum proposals
was called to order by Pearce. Earley and Ochse discussed the proposals
for the Honors Program. The special courses are to be funded by the vice
president for Academic Affairs. The first Honors Program students to
graduate will do so in May 2006. The proposed courses are to be taught
as colloquia with HON 390 as the number. Various content areas to be
presented include history of ideas; arts colloquia; social science
colloquia; and science colloquia. Course content will be selected
annually and will include team-taught courses. Faculty will do these as
overloads. These courses were selected because they are presently being
taught at other Regental institutions.
A motion to approve was made and seconded by
Shearer-Cremean and Andersen. The motion passed.
Business proposals were basically title changes and
course number changes. Courses are being offered at the South Dakota
School of Mines and Technology (S.D. Tech) by BHSU faculty. The
entrepreneurial studies program is expanding to all institutions
throughout the state. That has necessitated these changes.
A motion to approve was made and seconded by Strand
and Hickenbotham. The motion passed.
Courses related to research, writing and global
issues needed to be proposed. EDFN 300 Using Educational Research is a
two
semester hour course for education research as it applies to the education
major. This will replace a two-hour elective.
A motion to approve was made and seconded by Strand
and Andersen. The motion passed.
Other course proposals have, as yet, not been passed
by the Curriculum Committee. These include math and biology courses.
Math 490, a two-hour seminar, is a written research course. This
replaces the two-hour elective in mathematics. A motion was made by
Andersen and seconded by Strand that the Faculty Senate president be
directed to approve the proposals contingent upon the approval by the
University Curriculum Committee.
A discussion was held regarding the stress placed on
faculty in dealing with the course proposals in the timeline imposed by
Earley which allowed for little, if any, discussion at the department
levels and/or adequate dialog during the committee process for approval.
Earley indicated that it was out of his hands. It was being directed by
the Board of Regents (BOR) office.
A brief discussion was held related to information
literacy implementation on the BHSU campus. Meetings will be held by
conference call statewide on Friday and on campus Feb. 2 with all
parties involved in this.
The meeting adjourned at 4:40 p.m.
The minutes were respectfully submitted by Chrisman as
secretary.
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