Category Archives: Faculty News

TOPP Alumna Covers Go-For-Launch! at St. Edward’s University

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Natalie Ferrari, one of nearly 100 alumni of the Tropospheric Ozone Pollution Project (TOPP), now works at KXAN as an on-air meteorologist.  She came to St. Edward’s on Tuesday, 12 July, as part of Go-For-Launch! to both give a talk to the participants on her career trajectory as well as to do a story on the camp itself.  You can see that story, which appeared on the 6 pm news on Wednesday, 13 July, here!

During her presentation, she talked about the importance of making connections, pursuing internships, and communicating with others.  Her broadcast career got started with an unpaid internships at Fox affiliate KRIV in Houston during her senior year at the University of Houston (UH).  She worked in Abilene and College Station before arriving in Austin last Fall.

It was the first time Dr. Gary A. Morris, Dean of Natural Sciences at St. Edward’s, and Natalie had met in person in more than 5 years.  Natalie graduated with a degree in Environmental Science from UH in 2011.  While she was there, she took a class in Advanced Atmospheric Data Analysis and Laboratory from Dr. Morris during a semester in which he was a visiting faculty member at UH.  She joined the TOPP team and helped launch weather balloons instrumented to measure ozone as well as temperature, pressure, humidity, wind speed, and wind direction.

“It’s always nice to meet up with former students to see what they’re up to and where they’ve been along the way,” said Dr. Morris.  “I’m very proud of Natalie — she’s made it in a very tough field!  And it’s fun to think that her experience as an undergraduate with our balloon research project might have helped her on that path.”

You can see Natalie on KXAN on the weekend and morning reports.  Thanks to Natalie and KXAN for covering our inaugural Go-For-Launch! event at St. Edward’s University.

Natalie Ferrari (KXAN meteorologist), Mike Foreman (retired NASA astronaut), and Michelle Lucas (founder and CEO of Higher Orbits) at Go-For-Launch, 11 - 13 July 2016 at St. Edward's University

Natalie Ferrari (KXAN meteorologist), Mike Foreman (retired NASA astronaut), and Michelle Lucas (founder and CEO of Higher Orbits) at Go-For-Launch, 11 – 13 July 2016 at St. Edward’s University

Go-for-Launch Brings Japanese and American Student Teams Together

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The first 30 students at Go-For-Launch St. Edward's University, 11 - 13 July 2016.

The first 30 students at Go-For-Launch St. Edward’s University, 11 – 13 July 2016.

St. Edward’s University hosted its inaugural “Go-For-Launch!” event 11 – 13 July 2016.  30 students participated with 15 here as part of the summer program with Asia Pacific University and 15 from Austin-area high schools.

Team Rigel builds their paper tower on Day 1.

Team Rigel builds their paper tower on Day 1.

Astronaut Mike Foreman met with students all three days, answering questions about life in space and the technical challenges associated with conducting experiments on the International Space Station (ISS).

Students formed teams of 5, with no more than 3 international students on any given team.  Monday started with competitions included building a paper tower, selecting a team name, and designing a team mission patch.  By Wednesday, teams had designed an experiment for the International Space Station.

In addition to Astronaut Foreman, Mac McCall (a longtime NASA contractor with Boeing who worked 18 years on ISS projects), Associate Vice President of Global Initiatives Bill Clabby, Visiting Assistant Professor of Physics Paul Walter, Dr. Paul Colosky (Space Physiologist), Dean of Natural Sciences Gary A. Morris, and CEO and Founder of Higher Orbits Michelle Lucas did the judging.

The winning project, designed by a team called, “Ryusei 5,” sought to watch a phytoplankton species (Nannochloropsis) develop on the ISS to determine the impact of the low gravity environment.

 

We look forward to hosting Go-For-Launch! at St. Edward’s again next summer, 10 – 12 July 2017.  Spread the word!

Winning team, Ryusei 5, with Astronaut Mike Foreman at the inaugural Go-For-Launch! event at St. Edward's University, 11 - 13 July 2016.

Winning team, Ryusei 5, with Astronaut Mike Foreman at the inaugural Go-For-Launch! event at St. Edward’s University, 11 – 13 July 2016.

 

2016 Ozonesonde Workshop Sees Largest Enrollment to Date

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Preparing to launch!

Preparing to launch!

The Tropospheric Ozone Pollution Project (TOPP) started in 2004 with a seed grant from the Shell Center for Sustainability at Rice University.  TOPP uses weather balloons with special instruments to measure ozone, temperature, relative humidity, barometric pressure, latitude, longitude, altitude, wind speed, and wind direction all in an effort to understand ozone pollution.

More than 100 students have participated in the project over the years.  While TOPP started in and is primarily focused on Houston, Texas, the project also runs a station in Idabel, Oklahoma (since 2010), and has orchestrated launches in Nacogdoches, Texas; Beaumont, Texas; College Station, Texas; Ft. Worth, Texas; Valparaiso, Indiana; Ft. Wayne, Indiana; Hastings, Michigan; Cumberland, Maryland, and University Park, Pennsylvania in the United States as well as Las Tables, Panama (NASA TC-4); San Jose, Costa Rica (NASA TICOSONDE), and Sapporo, Japan (Fulbright).  The project is actively preparing to begin a program at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas during the Summer of 2016.

Each year, faculty and student participants gather at the ozonesonde laboratory at the University of Houston for a workshop during which they learn how to condition, calibrate, safely launch, and monitor the flight data from the ozonesonde instruments.  This year’s group included 8 students from the University of Houston, 2 students from Southwester University, and 6 students from St. Edward’s University.

Thanks to Alex Kotsakis (University of Houston Ph.D. student) for taking the lead in many of the training exercises as well as preparing the laboratory for the many visitors during the workshop.

This project is currently funded by the Capital Area Council of Governments, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, and the Earth Science Division of NASA.

2016 Ozonesonde Workshop participants.

2016 Ozonesonde Workshop participants.

Ecology Lab Students Present Wild Basin Work – Tuesday, 26 April, 2 – 4:30 pm

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From Terry Bilinski:

Tomorrow (Tuesday 4/26) from 2-4:30p in Carter Auditorium our Ecology lab students will be presenting on their semester research projects at Wild Basin. The theme of this research is, “The effects of urbanization on ecosystem services at Wild Basin.”  All are welcome to attend!

Steelcase Active Learning Center Press Release

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St. Edward’s University has issued a press release about our recent Steelcase Active Learning Center grant award.  Furniture installation in JBWN Room 206 will commence this summer.  Get ready for a new, interactive learning space to come online for the 2016 – 2017 academic year.

Dr. Laura Baker Receives Distinguished Career Award

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At the Faculty Recognition Gathering on Wednesday, 20 April, Dr. Laura Baker received the Distinguished Career Award from St. Edward’s University, recognizing her outstanding contributions to teaching, scholarship, and service.  Dr. Baker has taught over 600 sections of courses and 4700 students in her time at St. Edward’s, all while frequently serving as Department Chair or Department Head.  Congratulations to Dr. Baker.  (We proudly note that the winner of this award has come from NSCI both of the last two years:  Dr. Bill Quinn was last year’s winner.)

Dr. Baker receives the Distinguished Career Award from SEU surrounded by her CS faculty colleagues.

Dr. Baker receives the Distinguished Career Award from SEU surrounded by her CS faculty colleagues.

 

Celebrate Earth Day (22 May) with NASA

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NASA Administrator Charles Bolden sent around email this morning reminding all NASA researchers of NASA’s celebration of Earth Day:  “At NASA, it’s Earth Day every day…”

You can follow NASA’s Earth Science Field Missions over the next 6 months on the Earth Expeditions page.

NASA has launched a social media campaign with the hashtag #24Seven for people worldwide to upload photos of what they’re doing to celebrate Earth Day and improve our planet.

NASA will share “a day in the life” of Earth Science through a series of images on the 24Seven website.

What did you do to celebrate Earth Day?  Add a comment to this post.

 

Math Professor Carol Gee Quoted in Austin Statesman on Ride-sharing Safety

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Check out the article in Friday’s Austin Statesman.

Thanks, Carol!

CANCELLED: World Intellectual Property (IP) Day 2016 Comes to St. Edward’s

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A conversation on how IP contributes to technology, music, and the arts.

 

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

 

 

Dr. Laura Baker Selected for SEU Distinguished Career Award – 2016

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Dr. Laura Baker has taught at St. Edward’s University in the Department of Computer Science since 1989 and has been Department Head or Chair from 1997 – 2002 and again continuously since 2008.  Dr. Baker was tenured in 2000 and promoted to full professor in 2005.  She has twice been selected for the School of Natural Sciences Outstanding Teacher Award (1992 – 1993 and 2000 – 2001) and once as the winner of the St. Edward’s University Excellence in Teaching Award (2001 – 2002).

A published textbook author and active in her professional society, Dr. Baker has supervised more than 60 undergraduate student research projects over her career at St. Edward’s.

Remarkably, since her arrival in 1989, she has been the instructor of record for more than 600 sections sections of courses (Fall, Spring, and Summer) that have enrolled more than 4700 students.

Please join me in congratulating Dr. Laura Baker, this year’s St. Edward’s University Distinguished Career Award winner.

Sincerely,

Gary A. Morris
Dean of Natural Sciences