Category Archives: Student News

Google Offering Applied CS Program at SEU

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NSCI welcomes Google to campus this Fall.  Google is offering its Applied CS with Android workshop series on 5 consecutive Sunday afternoons (October 23 – November 20) from 1 – 6 pm in JBWS 363.

Applied CS with Android is a program designed for Juniors and Seniors that enhances concepts from their current CS curricular work, with the support of professional engineers. The program revisits concepts from Data Structures and Algorithms and uses Android as a development platform for its combination of modernity and easy to use graphical interface—also, it’s just fun.

The experience employs a ‘flipped classroom,’ where students complete independent pre-work, such as reading and software set-up to prepare for the workshops. Workshops are in-person sessions where students work in small groups to build the Android activity or game for each unit with the help of facilitators. Workshops also contain optional extensions.

Requirements for students to register:

  • Java experience (specifically: language basics, inheritance, basics of generics)
  • Prior coursework in Data Structures and Algorithms (familiarity with hash tables, heaps, queues)
  • A laptop (helpful but not essential)
  • Commitment to attending all workshops
  • A gmail account

More details on how to register coming soon.  Contact Michael Lykaios for more information.

In addition, Google welcomes applications from interested students who wish to serve as “student facilitators” at these workshops.  Requirements for facilitators are:

  • Enrolled in full-time undergraduate/postgraduate study
  • Computer Science (or closely related) major
  • Successfully completed and passed classes university-level Data Structures and Algorithms courses (strong understanding of hash tables, heaps, queues)
  • Java experience (specifically: language basics, inheritance, basics of generics)
  • Ability to dedicate 30 hours to program prep and execution on campus
  • (Preferred) Experience mentoring, TA-ing or teaching programming or university CS coursework
  • (Preferred) Experience developing with Android Studio

Expectations of facilitators from Google.

  • Review all facilitator prep materials and and complete all trainings
  • Run one full Applied CS program on campus
  • Ability to attend and facilitate all five workshop sessions on campus
    • Time commitment: ~30-40 hours total over two months

To apply for a facilitator position, click here.

Questions?​ ​Email Sarah Henderson: ​hendo@google.com

Women Who Code Event Coming to SEU – Sept. 28

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NSCI is pleased to welcome Women Who Code to campus.  They’re brining an Intro to HTML and CSS class to St. Edward’s University on Wednesday, 28 September from 6:30 – 9:00 pm in JBWS 363.  There are only 30 slots available at this workshop, which will be run by Cameron Buckingham from Galvenize.  Click here for more info and sign up today!

New Study Abroad Capstone Course Spring 2017

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Juniors and Seniors if interested please email Dr. Toledo to be placed on a mailing list with course updates.

You can email Dr. Toledo at: stoledoc@stedwards.edu.
CAPSTONE Study Abroad Ecuador 2017 Flyer_Page_1

Videos of Weather Balloon Filling and Release from 30 July 2016

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MSEM Graduate student Chris Cormier set up a GoPro camera to record the filling and release of a weather balloon as part of the Tropospheric Ozone Pollution Project.  Set up in front of Main Building, it was a picturesque day for the first TOPP launch from St. Edward’s University.

Until I get that uploaded, here is my Vine video of the second launch on Thursday, 4 August!

You can find the data on the Munday Library Institutional Repository Website.  Stay tuned to this blog for more information on the project.

Coming soon!

Welcome Our New NSCI Full-Time Faculty Members

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I’m excited to welcome our new, full-time colleagues to NSCI:

  • Kaitlyn Phillipson, Assistant Professor of Mathematics
  • Raychelle Burks, Assistant Professor of Chemistry
  • Thomas Moe, Visiting Assistant Professor of Computer Science
  • Mitch Phillipson, Visiting Assistant Professor of Mathematics
  • Erika Schwarz, Visiting Assistnat Professor of Biological Sciences
  • Casey Parish-Fisher, Assistant Professor of Forensic Science

Be sure to say, “Hello!” and offer your welcome and greetings to our new, full-time colleagues this year.

Kaitlyn comes to us from Texas A&M, where she just earned her Ph.D. this past Spring.  Her husband Mitch got his Ph.D. from A&M in May 2015 and spent the last year teaching at SUNY Oswego.  They both join our Dept. of Mathematics.

Raychelle (a.k.a., Dr. Rubidium or @DrRubidium on Twitter) joins our Dept. of Chemistry from Doane College, where she taught the last 3 years after two years of teaching at Seattle University and a summer semester at Seattle Central Community College.  Her Ph.D. is from U. Nebraska, Lincoln.

Thomas just retired after 23 years working with the Texas Legislature, most recently as a manger of infrastructure and operations in I.T.  His MS degree is from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN. He’s joining our Dept. of Computer Sciences.

Erika arrives at St. Ed’s after adjuncting for 3 years at ACC (where she taught) Biotechnology and Biology) while she was completing her Ph.D. at the University of Texas, earning her degree this past May. She will be on the faculty in the Dept. of Biological Sciences this academic year.

Finally, we’re happy to formally welcome Casie Parish-Fisher as a member of the NSCI faculty!  Casie has led the Forensic Science program at St. Edward’s in the School of Behavioral and Social Sciences since 2008.  She had her Ph.D. conferred this past year from the University of Central Lancashire and moved her program to NSCI (under the Dept. of Chemistry) this past summer.

Welcome to all!

First Weather Balloon Launch from the Hilltop!

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Preparing to release the balloon in front of Main Building with Austin in the background.

Preparing to release the balloon in front of Main Building with Austin in the background on Saturday, 30 July 2016 – the first flight from St. Edward’s University.

The Tropospheric Ozone Pollution Project (TOPP) has come to the Hilltop!  The project, started by Dean of Natural Sciences Gary A. Morris in Houston in 2004, has since coordinated >750 flights  from Beaumont, College Station, Ft. Worth, Galveston, and Nacodoches in Texas; Valparaiso and Ft. Wayne in Indiana; University Park, PA; Cumberland, MD; St. Louis, MO, and Hastings, MI, as well as Las Tablas, Panama; San Jose, Costa Rica, and Sapporo, Japan.

Now we add Austin, Texas to the list.  With funding from the Capital Area Council of Governments (CAPCOG) and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), the St. Edward’s University team will fly 16 weather balloons to measure ozone along with meteorological data over the next two ozone seasons (2016 and 2017).

Ace Manning (SEU undergraduate) prepares an ozonesonde for flight while Physics Professor Paul Walter supervises.

Ace Manning (SEU undergraduate) prepares an ozonesonde for flight while Physics Professor Paul Walter supervises.

The project’s initial Austin flight occurred on Saturday, 30 July.  The launch team prepped and calibrated the instrument in the John Brooks Williams South Building, then assembled in front of historic Main Building to fill and release the balloon around 2:15 pm CDT.  The balloon ascended past 30 km at a rate of ~ 5 m/s before popping.  Members of the launch team were able to see the balloon (a small white dot) overhead for the entirety of the ascending portion of the flight.

The balloon came down near Spicewood, TX about 2 and a half hours later.  The initial ozone profiles can be found on the project website.

The second weather balloon launch has been scheduled in conjunction with the Austin Area STEM Conference for Thursday, 4 August at around 1:30 pm CDT, weather permitting.  Given the start of the construction project at Main Building, our next launch will occur on the North side of the Mary Moody Northen Theatre Building.  All are welcome to come watch.

Filling the balloon with Austin in the background

Filling the balloon with Austin in the background

Filling the balloon with historic Main Building of St. Edward's University in the background.

Filling the balloon with historic Main Building of St. Edward’s University in the background.

Flight trajectory based on GPS data for 30 July 2016 ozonesonde from St. Edward's University. Map courtesy Google Earth.

Flight trajectory based on GPS data for 30 July 2016 ozonesonde from St. Edward’s University. Map courtesy Google Earth.

Initial ozone (blue), temperature (red), and potential temperature (orange) data over Austin, Texas from ozonesonde flight of 30 July 2016.

Initial ozone (blue), temperature (red), and potential temperature (orange) data over Austin, Texas from ozonesonde flight of 30 July 2016.  The ozone layer is visible near 25 km (the peak of the blue curve), while the tropopause appears near 15 km (minimum of the red temperature curve).

Portal to the World Arriving at St. Edward’s – Sept. 2016

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What would you do if you had 10 minutes to communicate with someone from the other side of the world? Share a meal?  Share a song?  Perform a short play? Would you speak?  What if you didn’t know the language? How do we communicate with others in cultures different from our own?  What can we learn about each other and ourselves?

Starting 30 August 2016 and continuing throughout September, St. Edward’s University will host a portal (a technologically enhanced shipping trailer) from Shared Studios.  The gold colored portal will be on our campus to provide our students, faculty, and staff as well as Austin area schools and our Austin community family members a chance to connect to a part of the world they might otherwise never experience in person.

Take on Your World in the Shared Studios Portal.  Learn more about what others have done on Instagram for Shared Studios and on YouTube and see the significant media coverage of this groundbreaking project that we now have the chance to bring to our campus.

More details to come, including reserving times for your planned activities.  Watch for future posts with more information.

How will you spend your time in the Portal?  And where will you go?

This project is coming to St. Edward’s thanks to the efforts of the Office of Information Technology with support from faculty and staff in Instructional and Emerging Technology, the Global Engagement Office, the School of Humanities, and the School of Natural Sciences.

NEW INFO:  Here’s a link to the sites with which the portal will be connected:

https://stedwards.app.box.com/notes/78135201822

Sustainability Internship with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

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The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Student Internship Program introduces interested college students to career opportunities in positions located statewide and job settings to gain practical experience and training in natural and cultural resource fields.

Paid internships are available in various divisions depending on available funding. The student internship program employment period varies depending on the specific intern opportunity.  NOTE:  If selected for a paid opportunity, intern will be paid at the rate of pay reflected from the completed hours on the fall transcript.  Spring semester credit hours do not count towards the rate of pay for the internship.

The Infrastructure Division provides design and construction project management expertise for the repair and development of all built-environment facilities for the TPWD.  Under the direction of the Sustainability Program Manager within the Infrastructure Division, the Sustainability Internship position is an opportunity designed for students to obtain relevant work experience to be competitive for future positions in environmental and facility sustainability project implementation. Areas of focus will include waste management, energy efficiency and water conservation with the implementation of projects to improve conservation efforts within these categories.

This Internship is responsible for performing a range of tasks to learn various aspects of environmental sustainability and program implementation.  Duties include, but are not limited to:  conducting utility data entry and analysis; assisting in development of sustainability website and social media information; assisting in development and implementation of small-scale sustainability projects; assisting in development of “Green Building” product guides and information; participating in site visits and project meetings; assisting in operations of the TPWD Green Team.  Performs additional duties as assigned.  Complies with all Agency, Division, and Branch rules, regulations, and procedures. 

Click here to apply!

 The posting will only be up for a couple of weeks, so apply today!

For more information, contact Nicolette Ledbury.

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.