One School One Book
The Kansas Masonic Literacy Center teamed up with Village Elementary School to encourage families to read together. The project kicked off on campus on Monday, March 12, with activities and ESU student-athletes reading the first chapter of Beverly Cleary’s “Mouse and the Motorcycle.”
High Achievement
Emporia State University Ambassadors earned high honors during the Council for Advancement and Support of Education Affiliated Student Advancement Programs conference. ESU was recognized as the District VI Outstanding Organization and District VI Outstanding Student Advancement Program for Spanish campus tour. Ambassador Barret Koch was also named Outstanding Student Leader. All three awards now move on to national competition.
Successful Competition
Fourteen BizHornets brought home 15 first place, seven second place and seven third place awards from the Kansas Phi Beta Lambda competition at Butler Community College on March 10. Twelve of the 14 students are eligible to compete at the National Conference in June in Baltimore. James Willingham also brought home PBL Advisor of the Year.
Arts and Sciences
A debate team from Emporia State is headed to the National Debate Tournament. The partnership of Arriq Singleton and Kalese Warfield (Emporia State SW) secured their bid to nationals with wins over talented opponents from Baylor University, the University of Texas-San Antonio, Missouri State University, the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and the University of Texas-Dallas during the District III National Qualifier at the University of Central Oklahoma.
Congratulations to recent biology graduate Jaide Allenbrand who will study microbial ecology in the Kansas State University Division of Biology’s master’s program.
Dr. Màire Johnson worked with the IT staff to make 3-D printings of an ancient historical site. The site is Göbekli Tepe, in eastern Anatolia (modern-day Turkey).
Dr. William Woodworth, assistant professor of music, was featured as a music arranger in the recent Tresóna newsletter.
Dr. Michael Smith recently had a great visit with Tim Rives (M.A., History, ’95) at the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum. He and Amy Williams of the Truman Presidential Library and Museum want to develop closer ties to ESU with opportunities for interns and other high-impact learning experiences.
Dr. Loren Pennington portrayed William Allen White during a celebration of the 150th anniversary of the famed newspaper editor’s birth.
ESU students from Dr. Connie Schrock’s Teaching Middle and Secondary Mathematics class brought the great outdoors inside by creating and running Math and Science Family Night at Emporia Middle School on February 26. The evening was enhanced by Dr. Claudia Aguirre-Mendez and ESU students from multiple physical science classes who created the science stations. The middle school students and their parents made their way through 16 math and 10 science stations created and staffed by more than 60 ESU students. All of the stations’ activities revolved around the night’s theme: “Adventure is Out There! Take the Outside Inside with Mathematics & Science.”
Six students from the Department of Mathematics and Economics became members of Kappa Mu Epsilon on February 28. KME is a mathematics honor society. It was founded in 1931 to promote the interest of mathematics among undergraduate students.
On March 3, more than 200 middle school young women from all over the state attended ESU’s Enhancing Your Future program. Students participated in career sessions and workshops led by more than 60 female professionals in mathematics and science-based careers during the one-day event. The students were also treated to a chemistry demonstration by ESU’s Chemistry Club and listened to Dr. Joslyn Kravitz of the Department of Defense, whose keynote address was titled “From Chemistry to Codes: A Varied Adventure Through STEM (And the Amazing Women I Met Along the Way).” EYF is directed by Dr. Marvin Harrell and Dr. Betsy Yanik.
The Goddard High School string orchestra enjoyed a clinic with Ramiro Miranda on campus last week.
Business
The business student team of Farhan Sadique, Carissa McAfee, and Ifeanyi (Martin) Okonkwo received honorable mention in the Hult Prize competition on March 10 in Boston. The team plans to submit its idea in the Wildcard Competition, which is a second chance for teams to make it to the final national competition in London to compete for the $1 million prize. Their idea is “Sun Time,” a portable backpack with a solar-powered battery needed in developing nations that can power small household items.
Students from 11 different universities from eight different states participated in the Undergraduate Humanomics Colloquium hosted by the Koch Center for Leadership and Ethics. The colloquium addressed whether economics can meaningfully address ethics and the human condition.
Athletics
Taysean Goodwin placed second in the 400m at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field National Championships in Pittsburg, leading the men’s team to a 15th-place finish.
Emporia State outfielder Bryce Fischer was named the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association NCAA Division II Central Region Baseball Hitter of the Week. He had three home runs and 12 RBI in three games including game ending hits in the last two games of Emporia States three game sweep of Southwest Baptist.
Emporia State's Taysean Goodwin has been named the United States Track & Field/Cross Country Coaches Association NCAA Division II Central Region Indoor Track Athlete of the Year.
Library and Information Management
Congratulations to Brandon West, recipient of American Library Association’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Round Table Award for Political Activism.
SLIM Utah students from cohorts 13 and 14 attend ESU classes at the Whitmore Library on February 10. (PHOTO).
Teacher’s College
Alice Hinck, department of counselor education, was nominated to the Kansas Counseling Association’s Hall of Fame for a distinguished career in counseling.
Congratulations to Connstance Allmond (BS 1999, MS 2002), Deanna K. Burton (BS 1976), Abby Cornelius (MLS 2004, MS IDT 2011) & Matthew Irby (BS 2002, BSE 2004, MS 2013) on being 2018 Kansas Master Teachers!
Lindsey Riesselman, graduate student in art therapy and clinical counseling, was named the Outstanding Student CEC/DEC Member for 2018 by the Kansas Division for Early Childhood.
Presentations
Melanie Jones and Franzi Willenbuecher from Information Technology presented career discussions at this year’s Enhancing Your Future Conference hosted by ESU Mathematics and Science Departments on Saturday, March 3. The topic was Information Security and what it takes to become a “Cyber Superhero.” The participants solved a puzzle, and learned what skills are best suited to cybersecurity careers, along with tips on what they can do now to promote safe internet skills.
Dr. Melissa Reed & Dr. Heather Caswell, department of elementary education / early childhood / special education, presented “Teaching Empathy...One Book at a Time” Educators for Social Justice Conference in St. Louis, Missouri, on February 24.
Ceara Shaughnessy, Dr. Katrina Miller and Dr. Jim Costello, department of counselor education, presented on active shooter scenario and psychological first aid at the Kansas Counseling Association spring conference on March 2 in Wichita.
Dr. John Morton and Dr. Tim Marshall attended the Critical Questions in Education Conference in Portland, Oregon. They presented their online practicum for building leadership titled “eLearning for Future edLeaders”.
At the Association for Library & Information Science Education Annual Conference, Denver 2018, SLIM Faculty Drs. Mirah Dow, Andrew Smith and Jim Walther presented "Leveraging internal and external grants to promote curriculum development through collaboration and experimentation.”
Daniel Williams and Stephanie Anderson (ESU alumni) from Phillips 66 presented about the oil and gas industry and career opportunities in their presentation to Beta Alpha Psi on March 1.
GLSEN Greater Kansas City, in partnership with Dr. Jim Persinger and The Teachers College, delivered two educator workshops “Be An Ally to LGBTQ+ Youth in Schools” at the KC Metro Center on March 2. About 60 elementary and secondary educators attended.
Dr. Janet Holland, department of instructional design and technology, presented “Expanding Your Ed Tech Toolkit” at the Mid-America Association for Computers in Education Conference in Manhattan on March 1.
In February, Dr. Connie Schrock presented at the Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators in Houston, Texas, on “How do you Prepare Beginning Teachers to Provide Equitable Mathematics Experiences for Each and Every Student?”
On March 2, Dr. Connie Schrock presented “Promoting Positive Conversations about Mathematics Education and Technology” during the 2018 T³™ International Conference in San Antonio.
Conferences
Members of the ESU Model United Nations Club with faculty advisor Dr. Antonina Bauman participated in the Harvard National Model United Nations 2018 Conference in February. Students represented two countries – Cuba and United Arab Emirates — in four committees of the UN Simulation General Assembly organized by the Harvard University.
Cory Jones, Vivian Mosier and Hailey Vivone, graduate students in counselor education, attended the Kansas Counseling Association spring conference on March 2 in Wichita.
Publications
Dr. Connie Schrock co-wrote two chapters (“Division Involving Zero” and “Product of Two Negative Numbers”) in the “Facilitator’s Guidebook for Use of Mathematics Situations in Professional Learning.” It is published by Information Age Publishing Inc. 2018.
Dr. Connie Schrock published “NCSM Values and #MeToo” in the NCSM Spring 2018 Newsletter, Volume 48, Number 3.