The department is looking forward to seeing their next speaker, Dr. Duane Pierson, next Tuesday at 5:00 PM in the Science Amphitheater.  Dr. Pierson is a 1966 NWOSU graduate (biology/chemistry major and math minor) who is now the lead microbiologist at NASA, Houston.  A more complete biography is below:

As a Fellow in the American Academy of Microbiology, Dr. Pierson serves as NASA’s Chief Microbiologist and expert on the many microbiological aspects of space flight. After graduation from NWOSU with a B.S. in Chemistry and Biology, he earned his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Oklahoma State University and was at Baylor College of Medicine for ten years before joining NASA over 30 years ago. He is responsible for formulating, developing, and implementing NASA’s microbiology program for current and future human exploration of space. His focus is on identifying microbiological risks of the spacecraft environment to the crew and implementing plans to prevent or mitigate these risks. In addition to his spaceflight operational responsibilities, he directs a highly productive research program with strong collaborations with many U.S. and international scientists. He has published over 160 manuscripts in a wide variety of peer-reviewed journals. He also has 22 book chapters, 24 NASA Tech Briefs, and 3 patents. His leadership in space microbiology has made Dr. Pierson a well-recognized figure throughout NASA, the academic community, and the aerospace industry. He maintains academic appointments at Baylor College of Medicine, the University of Texas Medical Branch, and the University of Houston. The emphasis of his research has been on the microbiology of closed environments, the effects of microgravity on bacteria and viruses, and viral reactivation as a biomarker for human immune function.

These guest speakers were arranged by Dr. Pfeifer-Hill as part of a series of talks for biology majors enrolled in biology seminar.

The idea is simple:

To study common plants of Oklahoma, you need to get out and look at the common plants of Oklahoma! (Not just read about them or look at pictures on the internet or a Wiki.) 

So, the plan is to make the class "field trip heavy."  The first field trip is just north of Alva, followed by trips to area attractions rich in natural history.  Then, it's back to the basics on the back roads of the immediate area: north, south, east and west of Alva.

• September 11: Outskirts of Alva, north of town
• September 18: Little Sahara State Park
• September 25: Boiling Springs State Park
• October 2: Great Salt Plains National Wildlife Reserve
• October 9: Outskirts of Alva, west of town
• October 16: Outskirts of Alva, south of town
• October 23: Outskirts of Alva, east of town
• October 30: Outskirts of Alva, north of town

The moral of this story is very likely what many in the science building try to drive home to their students every semester and through outreach activities : Anyone can do science and you can do science anywhere.  All you have to do is look around, appreciate what's in your own back yard and follow up your observations with some questions that guide you to dig a little deeper . . .

This act was unsolicited, unexpected and was carried out at no cost to NWOSU, teachers, students or school districts.  It was a volunteer enterprise entirely funded from grant monies secured from the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education as part of a closely related project.

Above: Dr. Thompson purposely posed for this photo as evidence of "working" this summer!  Full panels were first cut into lengthwise strips before the final cut.

The effort was to bring Project Oklahoma Whiteboard to fruition: getting class sets of student-sized whiteboards in every single Oklahoma high school physics classroom.  This idea for the project emerged following a summer professional development opportunity for Teachers of Physics and Physical Science (ToPPS, for short).  See the POW homepage.

Above:  A four person assembly line helped complete the cutting in a single day.  Some packages shipped with boards and sawdust . . .

It took six volunteers five hours of continuous work at Starr Lumber of Alva to pull it off:

• Richard Ryerson (of Starr Lumber, Alva)
• Dr. Tim Maharry (NWOSU Mathematics)
• Dr. Steve Maier (NWOSU Physics)
• Dr. Dean Scarborough (NWOSU Agriculture)
• Dr. Steve Thompson (NWOSU Biology)
• Dr. Jason Wickham (NWOSU Chemistry)

Whiteboards are extremely low tech, yet they can be very effective agents in the classroom for engaging students and facilitating discussions.  Some pedagogical models even place "whiteboarding" as the central focus of classroom activities to help students build mental models of the concepts being investigated.  For example: instead of being told the equations of motion, students collect the data and report trends they see in the data  in teams.  Collectively, they arrive at the equation(s) of motion after making comparisons among the teams.  Want more examples?  See AMTA.

So in late August, 214 packages were picked up from the Alva NWOSU campus and put in the mail.  Those receiving packages were 2011/2012 OK ToPPS participants and OK high school physics teachers.  Some teachers sent in appreciation emails within 24 hours of pick up--amazing!

Above: While it took hours-days of cutting, counting, packaging and stacking to get ready, took the USPS only 15 minutes to load and get into the mail system.

The total cost of the project, excluding donated labor, was just under $6,000.  It may not be a high-tech-flashy gadget in a classroom that is the usual suspect for gaining attention.  However, this gesture of goodwill has spurred additional interest in an already growing network of physics teachers in Oklahoma.  We hope the interest continues so professionals in the field can grow together--sharing resources and expertise.  

Congratulations, Mr. Polwort! 

The day after giving his physical science exam, Kellen Rae was born: 8 lbs 8.7 oz and 20 inches long!!

Mr. Brent Polwort is an NWOSU science adjunct, offering sections of general physical science and general biology.  He has several years of teaching experience at the high school level, a masters degree in education, is an NWOSU alum (Natural Science Education major) and is an active participant of the AAPT/PTRA ToPPS program.

And now . . . his life is about to get a whole lot more exciting!

2012 Outstanding Senior Science Majors include:

• Tiffany George (Biology major, Chemistry minor)
• Joeseph Martin (Biology major, Chemistry minor)
• Amanda Moyer (Biology major, Chemistry minor)
• Shannon Rose (Biology major, Chemistry minor)
• Wade Schwerdtfeger (Biology major, Chemistry minor)

For the full story on all 12 of NWOSU's Outstanding Seniors, visit http://www.nwosu.edu/northwestern-2012-outstanding-seniors-announced

Dr. Wickham introduces Dr. Rice (Dr. Wickham's PhD advisor) with a little humor.  Little did he know the favor would be returned at the close of the talk!

The official title of Dr. Rice's talk was: Chemistry, Microbiology and Professor Wickham: NMR, Bacteria, and Life on Mars (the official abstract is at the bottom of this post).

Unofficially . . . His talk gave very favorable recollections of Dr. Wickham's times as a graduate student, including his early contributions that directed Dr. Rice's research.  And, of course, the talk ended with Dr. Rice sharing stories, recapturing the interest of Dr. Wickham's students (as well as Dr. Wickham!).

During his talk, Dr. Rice walked the audience through his pathway from initial research conceptions to his most current projects.  It was a wonderful example pathway of doing science, illustrating that research questions change, data have a history and that with concerted effort anyone can contribute to scientific discovery.  The offical abstract is below:

Professor Rice started his academic training at Illinois State University where he completed his undergraduate work in 1993. After finishing his MS degree at ISU in 1995, he moved to Purdue University to work with Professor Daniel Raftery. At Purdue, Dr. Rice used NMR to study the photodecomposition of trichloroethylene on titanium dioxide, in addition to research with hyperpolarized xenon as a means to enhance weak NMR signals. In 2000, He moved to St. Louis to work with Professor Jacob Schaefer at Washington University. This post-doctoral appointment focused on biological NMR studies to complement his work in catalyst surface chemistry. In 2002, Dr. Rice was able to combine these research areas at the University of Oklahoma where he joined the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry as an Assistant Professor. His research group uses NMR spectroscopy to study problems at the interface of materials science and biology, such as the conformation of peptides and proteins in polymer hydrogels. These biomaterials are used as tissue scaffolds for wound repair and replacements for diseased organs in humans. At the other end of the evolutionary scale, Dr. Rice is interested in the bacterial cell wall. This work has applications to bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation, which has expanded into studies of metal chelation and antifreeze properties of teichoic (tay-co-ic) acid. Dr. Rice is collaborating with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to study bacterial spores and the potential for life on Mars. 

This 4" diameter rocket flew on an Estes G80 motor.  Estimated altitude: 1,200 ft.  Although the flight up was successful, the parachute did not fully deploy.  It landed with a "thud" safely in the field.  Good thing there was a review of the letter "S" for safety just before launching this rocket!

Mrs. Vore had the honor of sending the first rocket into flight.  Her students helped track the rockets once they left the launch pad!

Two rockets landed on a nearby roof, all others were retrieved by physics students.  They also helped prepare the launch field and get the rockets ready for flight.  And they did a good job, too--all rockets successfully launched.

The cool and breezy weather kept some folks inside.  But over 12 rockets were launched, including two drag races. 

1. "Electroencephalogram Changes Dependent on Sleep Deprivation" by Clay Reed (sponsor Dr. Cynthia Pfeifer-Hill)
2. "The Effects of Participating in Visual Arts on the Cognitive and Social Development of Children" by Allison Reinart (sponsor Dr. Nancy Knous)
3. "Electrooculogram (EOG) Comparative Analysis Between Diabetic and Non-Diabetic Readers" by Tiffany George (sponsor Dr. Cynthia Pfeifer-Hill)

Overall, nine science students presented (Tiffany George presented two separate posters) and two posters were co-authored with a science faculty member (Dr. Cornelia Mihai).

Clay Reed with his research sponsor, Dr. Cynthia Pfeifer-Hill (placing 1st)

Tiffany George with her research sponsor, Dr. Cynthia Pfeifer-Hill (placing 3rd)

Participating Science Students and Their Faculty Sponsors:

• Courtney Florence; Dr. Cornelia Mihai
• Tiffany George; Dr. Cynthia Pfeifer-Hill and Dr. Steve Maier
• Joe Martin; Dr. Cornelia Mihai
• Eric Pribil; Dr. Jason Wickham
• Chase Ratzlaff; Dr. Cornelia Mihai
• Clay Reed; Dr. Cynthia Pfeifer-Hill
• Wyatt Rice; Dr. Cornelia Mihai
• Carmen Sander; Dr. Cynthia Pfeifer-Hill
• Wade Schwerdtfeger; Dr. Cornelia Mihai

At top left: Wade Schwerdfeger, Joe Martin and Courtney Florence with sponsor Dr. Cornelia Mihai

At top right: Eric Pribil (sponsor Dr. Jason Wickham)

At bottom: Tiffany George with sponsor Dr. Steve Maier

The Department of Natural Science is extremely proud of the student and faculty involvement in undergraduate research.  And, events like Ranger Research Day are an important way for all NWOSU students and faculty to showcase their work in a professional environment.  We congratulate all of those participating in Ranger Research Day as well as Dr. Shawn Holliday for organizing the event.

The arrival of the new microscopes temporarily completely filled up Dr. Moorthy's genetics lab.

Within days of arrival, vendor representatives were on campus unpackaging and prepping each and every unit.

NWOSU students will now have access to current, professional grade microscopes.  This is a much welcomed addtition for general education courses and upper-level major courses.

A close-up view of one of the new binocular compound microscopes.