“The trees were a lot smaller when I went there,” said Hertzler, explaining that a had ripped through the small Kansas town shortly before he began his studies there. “Now, there’s all these large trees. But, I guess, 28 years of growth will do that.”

Hertzler, who also graduated from 91����Ƶ with a degree in biochemistry in 1999, visited Hesston in October with three other 91����Ƶ engineering students — Jacob Hess, Benjamin Friesen Guhr and Sean Swartley — and program director Daniel King as part of a collaboration between the two schools. The partnership was sponsored by the , which provides grants to foster relationships and strengthen ties between Mennonite institutions.

“91����Ƶ and Hesston College have a long history of collaboration in various areas,” Johann Reimer, engineering program director for Hesston College, said in a from the school. “I am so excited that we were able to forge ahead with a totally new engineering-related collaboration that provided real benefits for faculty and students alike.”

Picking a project

The partnership started this spring, when 91����Ƶ hosted a group of Hesston College engineering students and faculty members. The group from Hesston reviewed two projects that 11 91����Ƶ students in the Engineering Design II class presented and chose one to improve. They chose to redesign a trivision board the 91����Ƶ students created.

Trivision boards, often used for , are made from vertical triangular prisms aligned together in a frame. The boards can show up to three ads, with the display depending on which of the prism’s sides are facing the viewer. 

“We wanted something fun to do that isn’t super common anymore, but we wanted to add a flair to it,” said Hertzler, a student in the spring semester course. Unlike traditional trivision boards, which use a single gear to rotate all the panels at the same time, students in the class attached a motor to each prism so they could control them individually.  

King said the project was one that students from both engineering schools could equally contribute to.

“Hesston’s program is a mechatronics program — a combination of mechanical and electronics — and we have mechanical and computer engineering,” he said. “So, we came up with a project that had components of both.”

The trivision board could be used to display advertising for events or clubs on campus.

“It could show artwork,” King said. “As our students mentioned, it could also show facts about environmental sustainability.”

91����Ƶ students in the class answered questions from Hesston College students about their design decisions, and the two groups bounced ideas off each other. In addition to their collaborative work on the project, students from Hesston College toured the Harrisonburg, Virginia, campus, sat in on engineering courses and hiked in the nearby Shenandoah National Park.

Returning the favor

During their fall break in October, the 91����Ƶ engineering group traveled about 1,200 miles westward to Hesston College in south central Kansas. There, they toured the campus, attended engineering classes and were presented with a redesign of the trivision board.

Hesston students added a motion sensor to the board that could trigger the panels to rotate with a wave. They also changed the type of motor used.

“It was neat to see them tackle the problem differently,” Hertzler said, “and it was fun engaging with their questions.”

Hess, an 91����Ƶ senior who transferred from Hesston in 2021, was not part of the class that designed the trivision board in the spring, but used the trip as an opportunity to meet former professors and attend a robotics class. He said the long-distance collaboration helps simulate what it’s like to work on projects in the workforce. 

“You might have a group in one part of the country working on a project with a group in another part of the country, with completely different time zones,” Hess said.

King said the collaboration helped students focus on documenting the design process and communicating it to others. The partnership helped build relationships between faculty at both schools and showed students “that engineering is a bigger world than at just one institution,” he said.

Looking back, he said that one highlight of their trip was seeing the rockets and spacecraft at the Cosmosphere museum in Hutchinson, Kansas.

“The hiking was also fun,” he said, “but we joked that we have better hiking in Shenandoah than out in Kansas.” 

One master codebreaker and Appalachian Trail hiker, one supercomputer builder and high school soccer coach, one student organization leader headed to doctoral studies, one environmental designer bound for data analysis, and one cross-country athlete and eco-marathon mechanic.

Austin Engle, Juan Vazquez, Collin Longenecker, James Paetkau and Ben Stutzman comprise the first graduating class of Eastern Mennoninte University’s engineering program.

The program, which was started four years ago, is led by professors Esther Tian, Daniel King, and Stefano Colafranceschi. 

“It’s such a mixture of emotions” to see this first class graduate, King said. “Gratefulness to them because of their hard work and dedication to the program over these years, pride over their accomplishments so far, sorrow over the way their final semester came to such an abbreviated end, and excitement to see where they all will end up over the next few years.”

The next few years will see some of these graduates leave the country, while others plan to stay in Harrisonburg. Some have their sights set on graduate school. For others, the workforce or service assignments beckon.

“Engineering is a special form of art, it takes not just technical knowledge and scientifically sound ideas, but also creativity, fantasy, and the ability to think out of the box,” said Colafranceschi, who guided the students through their capstone projects. “We train engineers to serve and lead the way to a better world.”

Tian has many fond memories with this cohort. “We have had a lot of laughs together during the last four years, which I truly appreciate. They will be sorely missed,” she says. “It is such a fabulous class and I am privileged to work with them in the last four years.”

Austin Engle

Engle is a double major in engineering and computer science from Harrisonburg. He’s participated in and led student organizations Engineers for a Sustainable World, the Astral Society, the Math Club, and the Association for Computing Machinery. He’s most proud of “all the friends I’ve made and all the projects I’ve accomplished with them” while at 91����Ƶ.

Engle’s engineering capstone, the “Garbage Grader,” was a collaborative project with fellow graduate Ben Stutzman. “We created a device to observe food waste at the 91����Ƶ cafeteria in order to generate more sustainable eat-not-waste habits. We are thinking about applying for a patent for it,” Engle says.

Tian says that Engle “has always been freely and willingly to help his fellow students on their assignments and projects.”

He plans to attend the University of Virginia to pursue a doctorate in computer science.

Juan Vazquez 

Vazquez is a computer engineering major who was born in El Pocito de la Virgen, Guanajuato, Mexico, and calls Waynesboro, Virginia his “second home.” He played on 91����Ƶ’s soccer team for four years, was active in the Latino Student Alliance, and was an assistant junior varsity soccer coach at Harrisonburg High School for two years. One of his favorite memories from college is “my first goal my junior year against Ferrum.”

For Vazquez’s capstone project, he built a “supercomputer” – a cluster of 19 computers that can “host web applications, other technology applications, and complete parallel computation.” 

“Juan has been a hardworking student. I appreciate his can-do spirit. He has also done much good work in the IS department throughout these years,” Tian recalls.

He has accepted a job at WF in Charlotte, North Carolina, as a production support analyst.

Collin Longenecker

Longenecker is an engineering major from Harrisonburg. He ran track and cross-country for all four years, helped lead Engineers for a Sustainable World for three, and was involved in the honors council, 91����Ƶ Explore club, and building a super-efficient eco-marathon vehicle. He was also an embedded tutor in engineering classes.

Among his collegiate accomplishments are recovering from a major surgery in running, organizing hikes to Old Rag, and “meeting a ton of incredible people.” One of his favorite memories as a student was traveling to New Orleans with friends for spring break before the pandemic hit.

For his capstone project, Longenecker partnered with James Paetkau and Karissa Sauder to build a website advocating for climate action at 91����Ƶ. The web pages, based on 91����Ƶ’s 2015 climate action plan, includes a map of the energy use of different buildings on campus, information about sustainability projects that have been implemented, and an interactive modeling tool that projects 91����Ƶ’s future carbon emissions.

Tian calls Longenecker an outstanding student, saying, “he has been a wonderful tutor to many students in many classes. His calm manner has benefited us all.”

Longenecker is still determining his future plans, but intends to stay in Harrisonburg for the time being.

James Paetkau

Paetkau is an engineering major from Goshen, Indiana. He served as the president of Engineers for a Sustainable World for two years and was involved with the Sustainable Food Initiative and intramural sports on campus. He counts his greatest collegiate accomplishment as traveling to Guatemala, the U.S.-Mexico border, and Cuba for cross-cultural, and “returning with a solid conversational level of Spanish.”

Paetkau’s capstone project, which was interrupted by the pandemic, was a design for a rainwater harvesting system to be installed at the Suter House, a rental property on 91����Ƶ’s campus. “This system would be used to provide water for toilet flushing and irrigate a forest garden that was going to be planted in the adjacent yard,” Paetkau says.

One of his favorite memories from college is “stargazing on top of the 91����Ƶ hill both as a first year and as a senior, being able to look out over the twinkling lights of Harrisonburg and take a moment to breathe and reflect on the past week, month, or four years.” 

“James has been a brilliant student,” Tian says. He has been insightful in his studies as well as in research.”

He plans to move to Washington, D.C. to work in data analysis and public policy, with the long-term goal of pursuing a graduate degree in those fields.

Ben Stutzman

Stutzman is an engineering major and environmental sustainability minor from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He helped restart the Astral Society, an amateur astronomy club on campus; competed in multiple codebreaking and computer programming competitions; and participated in Engineers for a Sustainable World. He also ran one year of cross-country, and recalls his junior cross-cultural trip to the Middle East as “fantastic.” 

Stutzman’s engineering capstone, a collaboration with Austin Engle, was the “Garbage Grader.” His favorite memories of college are “random dinner conversations with all kinds of people” in the cafeteria and with close friends.

A “superb student,” Stutzman “has been inspirational for us,” Tian says, citing the times he ran the Boston marathon and his summer through-hike of the Appalachian Trail.

He plans to join the Peace Corps in Mozambique this fall to teach high school math.

Classmate Andrew Schunn thought mechanical engineering was in his future. Now, though, “I’m really open to new things,” he said during a final exam period for a spring semester STEM 219, a unique grant-funded science and engineering practicum course designed to get students thinking about their futures.

Mankamyer and Schunn were among the first cohort of a National Science Foundation-funded scholarship program called STEM Scholars Engaging in Local Problems, or SSELP. The innovative program, created by 91����Ƶ professors, fosters real-world impact through socially engaged learning. Students are provided with peer and faculty mentorship, funds for conference participation and participation in problem-solving a local issue during their second year of studies. .

Read more about the first SSELP Scholars.

The $600,000 grant funds seven more students for a second cohort starting in fall 2019, as well as support services, including the strong peer-tutoring program,  and activities for students both years. The scholarships may be renewed for up to four years.

The required multidisciplinary STEM 219 course — co-taught by Professor Tara Kishbaugh, chair of the chemistry and biology departments, and Professor Danny King, of the engineering program — focuses on career exploration and skill-building. Readings came from 91����Ƶ’s Common Read, Callings: The Purpose and Passion of Work by StoryCorps founder Dave Isay with Maya Millett (Penguin, 2017).

Students attended Suter Science Seminars presented by a geographer and environmental scientist, and visited local sites to converse with professionals in a variety of fields including:

• Jon Roller, co-founder of the Charlottesville-based engineering consulting firm EcoSystems Services, who provided a tour of the stream restoration project in Broadway;
• Myrl Sauder and son Dan, who own Sauder Woodworking Company, a third-generation family-owned business based in Archbold, Ohio;
• Daryl Myers ‘84, head of product development and implementation teams at the data management company VistaShare;
• Travis Riesen ‘14, with Afton Scientific, a pharmaceutical manufacturing company; and
• Megen Dalton, with the Shenandoah Soil and Water Conservation District.

For their final projects, students interviewed alumni who had either graduated within their degree program or were working in the potential field of interest.

Jake Myers, who is interested in sustainable agriculture, talked to Trevor Weiner ‘09, a watershed specialist with the Midland County Conservation District, about faith, creation care, stewardship and ethics. Weiner also talked about how his definition of success has evolved over the years in the workforce. “To me, success is if projects are completed or all parties are pleased,” he told Myers. “I want to enjoy my work, but also make a difference and the best way to do that is through establishing relationships with people.”

Alumni addressed a range of questions, from what was particularly valuable about their 91����Ƶ education and cross-cultural experience to their post-graduate paths to graduate school and/or current employment. Students were encouraged to learn more about each alum’s important milestones or experiences as undergraduates that had a lasting impact on their current career path.

Other alumni who contributed their time to the interview projects were Dustin Good ‘11, who works in software testing and general IT support; Aaron Miller ‘03, working as an analytical chemist at Eurofins; David Hooley ‘15, who is employed with an insurance company on the actuarial department analytics team after spending time overseas with Mennonite Central Committee; Steven Rittenhouse ‘11, a seventh grade math teacher; David Showalter ‘09, a postdoctoral researcher in plant pathology; and Jared Stoltzfus ‘05, a professor in the Integrated Science and Technology Department at James Madison University.

Both Eric Moyer and John Swartzendruber serve on the Engineering Advisory Board that has supported 91����Ƶ’s new four-year degree. Moyer works in aircraft design, while Swartzendruber is a consultant in information technology (IT).

“I’m excited for their presentations at the seminar, as this will be a great opportunity to hear about important issues in industry today, and about how their careers in technical fields were influenced by their experiences at 91����Ƶ,” said physics professor . “They have shared knowledge of their respective fields — and a commitment to 91����Ƶ education — as they have helped to shape our program.”

Following the presentations, there will be time for conversation and audience questions.

The free seminar will be Saturday, Oct. 14, at 9:30 a.m. in Science Center room 106.

Eric Moyer

Moyer began working as a structural design engineer at Boeing’s Ridley Park, Pennsylvania, facility in 2006, but was then selected for extended work assignments in Charleston, South Carolina, and Everett, Washington, supporting Boeing’s new 787 composite airplane. In 2010, Moyer moved with his wife Jessica to Seattle to continue his support of the 787. Currently, he is a lead project engineer at Boeing’s new 777X Composite Wing Center facility in Everett.

Moyer grew up in Harleysville, Pennsylvania, and studied math and science courses while at 91����Ƶ from 1999 to 2001. After graduating from Drexel University with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, he worked as a mechanical engineer for two years in a small contract machine shop in Easton, Pennsylvania.

Engineering program director and professor expressed appreciation for Moyer’s involvement at 91����Ƶ and his passion for the projects of the Engineers for a Sustainable World club. “He offers ideas and suggestions about students capstone projects, and shares insider information as a recruiter for students employment upon graduation,” she said.

John Swartzendruber

Swartzendruber is an IT consultant who earned his undergraduate degree in chemistry in 1979. He joined Eli Lilly and Company as an organic chemist in pharmaceutical research, developed software for the x-ray crystallography group and, in 1989, earned his master’s degree in computer science from Purdue University. He led the effort to build ELVIS, Lilly’s worldwide intranet, one of the first corporate intranets constructed.

As the enterprise architect for Lilly Global Infrastructure, Swartzendruber focused on ubiquitous computing and virtualization. In 2008, he joined Apparatus, an IT consulting firm, where he managed large virtualized infrastructures for enterprise clients. He retired in 2015, but maintains an active interest in distributed computing and privacy.

Tian said that Swartzendruber has also been a “strong supporter” of the engineering program at 91����Ƶ and has provided “insight in technology and knowledge of cutting-edge development in computer science and computer engineering.”

The Suter Science Seminars are made possible by the sponsorship of the and the co-sponsorship of supporting programs.

Dylan Grove and James Paetkau, students and members of the Engineers for a Sustainable World (ESW) club, were the primary poster designers. They traveled to the March 2-5 conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico, with engineering faculty members and .

“This ASEE conference was comprised of engineering programs at large and small universities from over 15 states, so we were quite happy to see our students receive this external validation and encouragement about the quality of their project and presentation,” said King.

The win is especially significant considering the competition included large engineering programs from University of Florida, Virginia Commonwealth University, West Michigan University, West Virginia University and Mercer University.

The chapter, which was established in 2013, has also won other accolades for their projects, says Tian, club advisor, who praised the students’ dedication to their work. “Our won second place at the ASEE Southeastern Section conference in 2014, and our solar-powered chicken coop project competed at the ASEE national conference in 2015. I am very pleased with the work of our students.”

Like all ESW projects, the bike and the poster were team efforts. Club members Ben Zook, Collin Longenecker, Austin Engle, Ben Stutzman and Andrew Troyer also contributed to the poster, which was designed during the fall 2016 semester.

At the poster session, Grove and Paetkau said professors and judges showed considerable interest in the project itself.

The goal of the bike was to contribute to 91����Ƶ’s variety of on campus by channeling “the waste of mechanical energy generated by exercise machines,” the researchers said. “To reduce the unnecessary waste, the club saw the opportunity to add an alternative form of energy created by gym goers on campus … The stationary bicycle would serve as a way to promote sustainability and give an opportunity for individuals to generate clean energy while exercising.”

Fundings from an helped start the project, which drew on skills, time and labor of several club members, as well as welding provided by physical plant employee Henry Bowser. A 350-watt gear reduction electric motor replaced the back wheel, a chain connected pedals and motor crankshaft, and a grid tie inverter used to convert direct current to alternating current compatible with 91����Ƶ’s grid.

Several attendees at the poster session suggested that storage of the energy was the next step. “More than asking us questions about the project, they gave us suggestions about what to do with the project in the future,” Grove said.

“They really pushed us to think about how we could use this project to create change,” Paetkau added.

He said being at the conference among engineers and other engineering students was worth the trip itself. “It really made me excited about what we can do in the future, especially seeing some of the junior/senior projects.”

Grove was pleased to see that 91����Ƶ “stacks up” to other programs. “We’re a smaller university, and there were some big ones there, so it’s great to see we are competitive.”

In addition to attending conference activities, the group also did some sight-seeing, including a visit to Arecibo Observatory, a rainforest, one of the island’s three bioluminescent bays, seaside cliffs, and of course, the beach.

Though a special treat for all, these excursions were especially interesting to Paetkau, who hopes to focus his engineering studies on biomimicry, an emerging field that seeks to develop innovation based on nature’s models and systems to solve complex challenges.

For those who share that view, it should come as good news that students enrolling in university science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs across the country are increasingly diverse. At the same time, a poor retention rate among this group is prompting STEM educators to explore different ways to better meet the needs of a changing student body.

91����Ƶ is no exception. More than 30 percent of incoming freshman STEM majors are minority students. But after two years, around 7 in 10 of these incoming students are no longer pursuing a STEM major. These statistics are similar to those reported by universities across the country.

Over the next three years, the university will work to improve its retention rate of minority students in STEM programs, using a recently awarded $300,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to improve instructional techniques in the classroom and laboratory.

New academic language and culture can be a barrier

Ayu Yifru, a sophomore major originally from Ethiopia, understands well the challenges that face a growing number of her STEM peers. One of the primary ones is a simple language barrier.

“When my friends and I are taking an exam, we’ll get stuck on a particular word that we can’t figure out,” says Yifru, who spoke very little English when she arrived in the United States at 16. “It’s not easy to master any kind of language … [And] when we are in class, some of the teachers go pretty fast. Sometimes I get lost, and I have no clue what they’re talking about.”

Cultural norms can also discourage minority students from asking questions in class or approaching professors for help afterwards. Additionally, many of them are first-generation college students, meaning that their parents may be less familiar with how to navigate the academic and social rigors of college.

“[These students] have to adapt to an academic culture and a university culture that their parents couldn’t introduce them to, and on top of that, the STEM culture. It’s like going to a foreign country three times over,” said Steve Cessna, professor of biochemistry.

Cessna is the principal investigator on the NSF grant, “Faculty-Led Institutional Transformation for Teaching Diverse Learners in STEM.” In addition to STEM faculty, 91����Ƶ’s education department and the multicultural services office will also participate.

Multi-faceted grant asks for teaching as research

The grant includes faculty trainings on bias and ways that teaching methods can better respond to changing student needs, a mentoring program for STEM faculty and improvement of a peer tutoring program for minority and first-generation college students in STEM majors.

Cessna said that a challenging aspect of the grant’s implementation for STEM faculty will be “treating our own work as small research projects.” That means consulting the literature and experimenting with teaching methods that have been shown to be more effective than the traditional university lecture. While this process is extremely familiar to program faculty in their work as scientists, it’s not an approach that’s often applied to their roles as teachers.

In his first-year “Chemistry for the Life Sciences” class, Cessna has begun making changes by decreasing lecture time and scheduling more interactive group work.

“[The students] are doing more problems together in a more social way. My class is pretty noisy. It’s something that I’m testing out – it’s based on a good amount of research that I’ve already read that teaching in this way can be effective,” he said.

Each Friday, Yifru – who has signed on as a peer mentor – is there in the class to tutor and help. She also leads extra study sessions before quizzes and exams.

“I really like helping people who are stuck, because I was once in their shoes. I know how to help them,” she said.

As a final component of the grant, 91����Ƶ will share its findings and conclusions with STEM departments with other universities experiencing similar enrollment trends and challenges.

And soon, for the first time ever, CVs like these might include graduation from a at 91����Ƶ (91����Ƶ).

For more than 20 years, 91����Ƶ has offered a pre-engineering program, allowing students to begin coursework toward an engineering degree but requiring them to transfer to another school after several semesters. In the fall of 2016, however, a full engineering undergraduate major will be offered.

Prospective students have, for many years, expressed interest in a full engineering program. , a professor in the mathematical sciences department before becoming undergraduate dean in 2013, said offering a full major had also long been discussed at the university but hadn’t seemed feasible.

That began to change after professors and – both with PhDs in mechanical engineering – joined the mathematical sciences department in 2013. and renovations to the Suter Science Center also allow for enough laboratory and classroom space to host a full-fledged engineering program.

“That created the opportunity for us to think, ‘maybe we could really do this,’” said Smeltzer.

Serious planning, including visits to other small universities with engineering programs and the creation of an advisory committee, began about a year ago.

Seven students already enrolled

The new program will offer a general engineering degree with options to focus on mechanical or computer engineering. As the major grows, Smeltzer said, future emphases might include environmental and biomedical engineering, building on 91����Ƶ’s existing undergraduate and graduate programs in and . The university will likely hire new faculty members in computer science and computer engineering in the near future to support the new program, Smeltzer added.

While undergraduate degrees in engineering can lead to a wide range of careers, all of them involve problem-solving, design and math. These will be important areas of focus in the new curriculum, said King, whose teaching load will include courses in design, analog circuits, fluid mechanics and mathematical modeling.

Though the program has only recently received final approval, seven incoming first-year students have declared as engineering majors, and several others are interested.

One of those new engineering majors is , from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, who plans on a career in architecture. Stutzman had been considering several other schools when he heard that 91����Ƶ was about to launch its new engineering program, and after some thought, decided to enroll.

“I’m not sure yet what kinds of buildings I want to design, but whatever I do, I would definitely want to focus on green, environmentally-friendly designs,” said Stutzman, who hopes that an engineering background will eventually inform the technical aspects of his architecture.

“I’m [also] looking forward to having more one-to-one attention from the professors, since the class size will be small and the faculty all seem dedicated and invested in the program,” he added.

Small class sizes a benefit

Advisory committee member Eric Moyer, class of ’03, said small class sizes and close interaction with professors will be important benefits of 91����Ƶ’s small engineering program, which won’t have access to the same resources and facilities as large schools. Moyer spent three semesters in 91����Ƶ’s pre-engineering program before transferring to Drexel University in Philadelphia, where he and his hundreds of classmates sometimes had to put their student ID numbers rather than their names on all their assignments.

“I decided to go to 91����Ƶ because I really wasn’t into the mega-school atmosphere,” said Moyer, now a project engineer working on a new composite airplane wing for Boeing in Everett, Washington. “Here we bring in lots of folks from the big state schools. The facilities are great selling points, but I think the thing that’s going to benefit anyone going to 91����Ƶ over the other schools are smaller class sizes … and being involved in a community that’s there for your success.”

91����Ƶ’s broader focus on cross-cultural learning and pursuit of the common good will also help distinguish the new program, which has been designed to accommodate a semester-long cross-cultural program that many students participate in.

“Engineering schools can spit out good technicians, but what we really also need is technicians who have some heart, and that can apply [their skills] to things that are good for society,” said advisory committee member Johann Zimmermann, a based in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

“The ‘common good’ framework we apply to all our academic programs will also be an important part of our approach to engineering,” said Smeltzer. “Training engineers who help meet the world’s needs will fit 91����Ƶ’s mission of preparing students to serve and lead in a global context.”

In addition to Zimmermann and Moyer, the advisory committee that helped 91����Ƶ plan the new program over the past year included:

• (chair) – professor of mathematics
• Sara Atwood – assistant professor of engineering and physics at Elizabethtown College
• Ashley Driver – director of operations, Howell Metal, New Market, Virginia
• John Swartzendruber ’79 ­– Former computer engineer, Eli Lilly, Indianapolis, Indiana
• John-David Yoder ­– chair and professor of mechanical engineering at Ohio Northern University

The engineering program will begin using classroom and laboratory space in the recently renovated east half of the Suter Science Center. Upcoming renovations to the west half of the building will provide more space for the new program, including a laboratory with specialized equipment like 3-D printers. Future plans also call for the construction of a new machine shop on campus.

Harnish, who performed research under the supervision of Professor , studied the “Neuronal Basis for Aging in Drosophila melanogaster.”

Herman won for his presentation of research on the effect of a high salt and high fructose diet on rats (his research was titled “The Effect of a High Salt and High Fructose Diet on the Expression of the NFAT5 Gene in Kidney and Intestine Samples of Sprague-Dawley Rats”). Herman works with Professor in support of her .

Forty projects were presented. Some individuals worked specifically under . Others participated as part of required coursework. Professor ’s alternative energy class, for example, presented a range of research on the topic.

The poster show, which is held in both spring and , provides undergraduates and graduate students with the opportunity to practice presentation skills in an informal setting. Several students have presented research in the campus setting before moving on to .

Professors (biology, biomedicine) and (physics, engineering) headed the judging panel, which also included Professor (biology), Professor (mathematics) and Professor , a biology professor at James Madison University.

In the upperclass division, Kaylee Ferguson and Jared Fernandez, who also studied changes in gene expression related to dietary changes in rats with Halterman, finished in second place. Ferguson is a junior biology major and Fernandez a second-year MA in Biomedicine graduate student.

Third ​place went to Katherine Lehman for her research on Judas beetles. She is a research student with Siderhurst.

In the underclass division, Mason Stoltzfus and Maria Yoder won second place for their general chemistry project on the abilities of English ivy and forsythia to phytoremediate copper.

Phoebe Coffie and Maisie Kirkley won third place for their project on the variation of copper concentrations in contaminated soils between sunflowers and beans.

Both of these projects were for a general chemistry II class taught by Professor .

Quiz show elite win ‘The Romie’

The quiz show team of “Mind AJAR” were the first recipients of “The Romie,” a bobblehead trophy celebrating Professor , for which the annual games are named. Miller retires this spring after 31 years at 91����Ƶ (read about his long and dedicated career .)

Mind AJAR consisted of Robert Propst, Aubrey Shelly, Ayu Yifru and Jonathan Patterson. All teams must include a senior, junior, sophomore and first-year student.

Second place was Stephan Goertzen, Noah Haglund, Hannah Weaver and Hannah Daley.

Third place went to Hannah Chappel-Dick, Tyler Denlinger, Maria Yoder and Kat Lehman.

Honorable mention went to the team of David Nester, Grayson Mast, Derek Harnish and RJ Ocampo.

Professors too have prepped, lectured, researched, mentored and encouraged. Now, their work continues, thanks to a successful five-year, $7.3-million “Suter East” campaign, in state-of-the-art laboratories and facilities dedicated over Homecoming and Family Weekend.

“Now that we have beautiful new science labs,” says Vice President for Advancement Kirk Shisler ‘81, “we feel an urgency to bring the western section into the 21st century as well.”

Thus the begins.

The western side of the building, fronting Park Road, is the most commonly used entrance, leading past the D. Ralph Hostetter Museum of Natural History and into the iconic SC 106, where so many 91����Ƶ students (including President Loren Swartzendruber) have gathered for lectures and presentations.

Some of the excitement for this final phase of renovation comes from an anticipated new undergraduate engineering program. Professors and , both engineering specialists, have joined with an expert advisory committee to complete curriculum requirements, with full accreditation anticipated in 2016. Tian holds all three of her degrees, including a doctorate from University of Virginia, in mechanical engineering, while King double-majored in music and physics at Goshen College and went on to earn master’s and doctoral degrees at the University of Illinois in theoretical and applied mechanics.

“Our goal is to raise as much of the $4 million for Suter West as soon as possible, to begin renovations and create a rapid prototyping lab with 3-D printers, computer design lab; engineering support lab, and spaces for faculty/student collaboration to support engineering and our other strong science programs,” Shisler said.

Suter West renovations will also include the museum, which currently attracts hundreds of area schoolchildren for tours and educational programs. These renovations lay the groundwork for greater community outreach through increased museum visits; expanded undergraduate academic offerings; and launch of a mobile museum to take rotating displays to schools and other children’s programs.

A welcoming and open west entrance will also lead visitors into the S-106 lecture hall, where many students have attended classes and lectures, campus movies and other special events. This hall will be named in honor of President Loren Swartzendruber and his wife, Pat.

“We seek leadership gifts to gain needed momentum. Several naming options are available,” Shisler said. “Donors of $10,000 or more to the Suter West campaign will have the option of being named among friends of President Loren and Pat Swartzendruber for the renovation of S-106. We invite all alumni and friends of 91����Ƶ to step up and join this campaign.”

This nudged the second-year graduate student to more investigation: Was vaping as healthy as manufacturers claimed?

For Fernandez, as well as four master’s in biomedicine candidates at 91����Ƶ who defended their theses on Dec. 5, the research process was much more than the sum of the parts.

“I appreciated applying scientific concepts to real world questions that were medically and socially relevant,” said Fernandez, who has received acceptance letters from two medical schools for next year.

Independent research guided by professors

Professor , Fernandez’s advisor, teaches the summer research methods and the fall data methods courses that guide students through the research project, which is the culmination of the five-semester course of study.

“In the summer, the students develop their topic, go through the Institutional Review Board process, create methods and gather data,” she explained. “In the fall class, we look at data analysis and the writing of the manuscript.”

A committee of three professors from different disciplines guides each student through the rigors of research. “We advise carefully, because this is a big investment of time and energy from the student, and an important learning experience,” Halterman said. “You really don’t know how to do research until you create a project of your own and go through the process. There’s troubleshooting, and navigation of politics of different institutions and organizations, and learning how to work with people.”

The process-oriented, hands-on approach is excellent preparation for careers in biomedicine or for medical school, Halterman says. “Most students don’t have any experience with original hypothesis-driven research and this really makes them stand out when they apply to medical or dental school.”

The research project is the final component of a four-part program that includes coursework, a cross-cultural experience and a practicum experience. Transdisciplinary approaches to problem-solving are used and encouraged as students and faculty engage in a curriculum that integrates the natural and medical sciences with faith and ethics, Halterman says, a unique training that also positions students to be collaborative and holistic investigators.

Fall 2015 Research Projects

Rachel Thomas: “A Data Analysis on Demographic Information of Patients with ADHD at [local medical practice]”

Thomas, who works in healthcare and has a goal of becoming a physician’s assistant, says her interest arose from her own awareness of the high rates of ADHD diagnosis. She analyzed demographical data from an area medical practice to identify correlations between adult ADHS and gender, race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status. In demographical analyses of childhood ADHD already done by other researchers, ADHD was more frequently observed in Caucasians and in males. The data set included more than 970 patients ranging in age from 18-65+ and confirmed that a diagnosis of adult ADHS was more likely to be seen in Caucasion men than in other populations. Her research will be used to help identify and treat adult patients with ADHD. Committee members: Drs. and

Hannah Bell: “Women’s Awareness of Risk Factors Linked to Breast Cancer in Harrisonburg, Virginia”

Bell conducted a survey in which 60 female respondents self-reported their knowledge about obesity and breast cancer. She found that women in Harrisonburg did not fully understand the risk factors of breast cancer, including the role of postmenopausal obesity. Though the survey only covered a small population, it affirmed the need to raise awareness among the local population about the risk factors. Committee members: Drs. and

Vipul Nayani:  “The Effect of Collegiate Athletic Training Duration on Athlete Injury Incidence”

Nayani, a 2014 Virginia Tech graduate who plans to become a family physician, developed this project with an interest in “multifactorial” causes and individual proclivities toward injury. He observed a correlation between training time and injury, with evidence suggesting that more than 18 hours of weekly athletic training were 23% more likely to develop athletic injuries than athletes that trained for fewer than 18 hours per week. Committee Members: Drs. and Carolyn Stauffer.

Tareq Yousef: “Cost Analysis of Dental Services Before and After the Implementation of the Affordable Care Act in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area and the Shenandoah Valley Region of Virginia”

Yousef, who has an undergraduate degree from George Washington University in public health, wanted a research topic that integrated current political events with healthcare, and specifically dentistry, his future profession. He studied the effect of the Medical Device Excise Tax, which supports the Affordable Care Act and is levied on device manufacturers, on the cost of oral health services in dental offices and labs. Statistically significant changes in cost of services were reported for all of the lab services as well as some dental procedures. Committee members: Drs. and Roman Miller.

Jared Fernandez: “Carcinogenic Compounds Created by the Vaporization of Electronic Cigarette Liquid: Effects of Variable Voltage within the Modified Electronic Cigarette”

Fernandez’s research, outlined briefly above, hypothesized that there would be positive correlation between the voltage setting of the modified E-cig and the amount of carcinogens within the vapor produced from one modified E-cig design. While no detectable amounts of carcinogens were produced in his data set, Fernandez found that the content of the vapor is significantly different depending on the voltage. Furthermore, increased voltage may increase inflammatory responses in human lungs regardless of flavoring additives due to increased concentrations within inhaled vapors. These findings suggest additional research is required to further characterize E-cig effects on human health. Committee members: Drs. and .

And in participating in the Spring STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Celebration poster session in the , Stoner practiced a few more practical skills he will need: graphic design and public speaking.

Stoner and partner Sarah Carpenter were winners of the upperclass division for their research titled “Bergton Stream Restoration: Stream Health Assessment Using Macroinvertebrate Sampling.”

The poster session, which is preceded by an informal multidisciplinary science quiz-off and pizza feast, offers students “a chance to share their research with fellow students, faculty, and the larger 91����Ƶ community in a fun, social setting,” says physics professor , who judged the contest with biology professor .

Poster sessions are commonly held at scientific conferences, in which “scientists and students present and explain their own findings to those who are interested but are not necessarily experts in that field,” said King, who is also an assistant professor in the program.

Posters were judged on quality of experimental design, quality of research analysis, and quality of presentation, said Herin, also with the biomedicine program. “The presentation included the appearance, accuracy and clarity of the poster, as well as the presenters’ knowledge and explanation of the project.”

Coursework and independent study represented

91����Ƶ’s poster session featured more than 90 participants showcasing research from a variety of courses such as electronics, general chemistry, organic chemistry, statistics for natural sciences, and environmental toxicology. Students in Herin’s advanced human anatomy class (BIO 437) also contributed 3-D visualizations of body systems.

Carpenter and Stoner were among several students presenting water quality research in the nearby Bergton area as part of . Biology professors and are supervising teams of environmental sustainability students working on water quality monitoring and stream restoration in two tributaries of the Shenandoah River and the Chesapeake Bay, with other facets of the project involving and graduate students.

Students in professor ’s general chemistry class focused on phytoremediation of a variety of plants, including carrots, forsythia, corn, cattails, and radishes.

Professor ’s statistics class explored the widest range of topics, including electronic devices owned by students; the fuel economy of cars driven by 91����Ƶ faculty and staff versus those driven by James Madison University faculty and staff; cereal shelf placement based on sugar and price at Food Lion and Kroger; sustainability effectiveness in 91����Ƶ residence halls; and a statistical analysis of the “Settlers of Catan” game.

Two unique projects with professor Steve Cessna explored the rhetoric of science and instructional techniques in the science classroom. In their plant ecophysiology course, Hannah Chappell-Dick, Eli Wenger, and Emma Beachy analyzed plant physiology research literature for changes in the “assignment of agency.” For his biochemistry research course project, Kyle Storc investigated student comprehension and retention of biochemistry topics through the use of two-dimensional tools.

Several posters were the result of independent research that students conducted with faculty members. Camille Williams worked with biology professor to analyze the effects of fermented milk supplementation on gut microbacteria in mice.

Rachel King, who will be a research assistant on this summer, worked under chemistry professor on “A Mixed Methods Approach to Green Chemistry Knowledge Gains in the Organic Laboratory.” Kishbaugh also worked with Ben Stern, who studied the effects of barium toxicity on zebrafish.

Underclass winner links research to upcoming internship

Amanda Williams and Nader Alqahtani paired up to win the underclass division with their project that compared phytoremediation between native and invasive species.

For Williams, a first-year biology and secondary education major, the research project reminded her of how much she cares about the environment.

“I live in the wetlands in Delaware, surrounded by the plants we were experimenting on, cattail and phragmites,” she said, adding that she’ll continue her research in a summer internship with the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. “I think it’s important to understand the possible negative effects of invasive species, but also to know that sometimes they are just as important as native species.”

Alqahtani, a sophomore biology major who is interested in medical research, said the hands-on learning experience “was a more fun and exciting way to learn than reading and studying.”

And the presentation? That was “the exciting part,” he said, even though English is his second language. “We were confident that we knew everything about our project and we trusted each other’s ability to make a perfect presentation … when we started presenting and I saw how well we were doing, I got comfortable and started to enjoy telling our audience about our research.”

Poster Session Winners: Upperclass Division

1st: Bergton Stream Restoration: Stream Health Assessment Using Macroinvertebrate Sampling – Sarah Carpenter and Sam Stoner

2nd: Keyless Entry – Stephan Goertzen and Jordan Leaman

3rd: Bergton Stream Restoration: Ecological Monitoring Using Wood Turtles (Glyptemys insculpta) – Jonathan Drescher-Lehman and Ryan Keiner

Honorable Mention: An ecophysiological study determining how three different invasive evergreen vines handle the varying winter temperatures by measuring their photosynthesis, transpiration, and Fv/Fm levels – Jonathan Drescher-Lehman, Chris Miller, and Abby Pennington

Honorable Mention: The Effects of Barium Toxicity on Zebrafish (Danio rerio) – Ben Stern

Poster Session Winners: Underclass Division

1st:  Comparing Phytoremediation between Native and Invasive Species – Nader Alqahtani and Amanda Williams

2nd:  Phytoremediation in Forsythia – Tyler Denlinger and Jeremiah Robinson

3rd: Electronic Devices Owned by 91����Ƶ Students – Sammy Kauffman, Josh Miller, and Roy Ruan

Honorable Mention: Phytoremediation in Various Plants – Aaron Dunmore and Kat Lehman

The new faculty, announced by provost Fred Kniss, are:

Amy Gillespie, EdD, assistant professor of the practice of nursing

Gillespie earned a BS in nursing from Duke University and an MSN from the University of Virginia. She holds an EdD from the University of Phoenix and has over 30 years of floor and administrative nursing experience. Gillespie also brings collegiate adjunct faculty experience in teaching acute care medical-surgical nursing.

Jennifer Holsinger, PhD, associate professor of sociology

Holsinger earned a BA in sociology at Seattle Pacific University. She holds an MA and a PhD from the University of Washington. Holsinger has collegiate experience teaching as an associate professor at Whitworth University and served as interim director of the U.S. cultural studies minor in 2012-13. Her areas of scholarly interest are race and ethnic relations, urban sociology, environmental sociology, demography, applied sociology and African and Middle Eastern studies.

Daniel King, PhD, assistant professor of physics

King earned a BA in physics and music at Goshen College. He holds an MA and a PhD from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. King served as a teaching assistant providing laboratory instruction at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His research interests include ultrasound, microbubble dynamics, acoustics, biomechanics and fluid mechanics.

Kristen Kirwan, assistant professor of the practice of nursing

Kirwan earned a BS in nursing at the University of Virginia and an MSN from Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. Kirwan brings a variety of nursing experience both in hospitals and family nurse practitioner settings. Her most recent professional experience has been at James Madison University as a family nurse practitioner.

Nate Koser, PhD, assistant professor of counseling

Koser earned a BS in psychology and an MA in counseling from 91����Ƶ. He completed his PhD at Saybrook University in summer 2013. Koser has collegiate experience as an instructor in the MA in counseling program at 91����Ƶ. His interests are in assisting and accompanying individuals to move towards an authentic life.

Jessica Kraybill, PhD, assistant professor of psychology

Kraybill earned a BA in psychology at Earlham College. She holds an MS and PhD from Virginia Tech. Kraybill has collegiate teaching experience as an instructor at Virginia Tech. Her specialty is in developmental and biological psychology and shares that teaching is her passion.

Justin Poole, PhD, assistant professor of theater

Poole earned a BA in communications with a theater emphasis at Eastern University. He holds an MA from Villanova University and a PhD from the University of Maryland. Poole spent two years studying with the Austrian Academic Exchange Program, one year in Vienna and one year in Salzburg, Austria. His research interests are devised theater/ensemble play development, contemporary European experimental performance, and contemporary performances of classical texts.

Andrea Dalton Saner, assistant professor of Old Testament and Hebrew Language

Dalton Saner earned a BA in Bible at Messiah College and an MA at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary. She completed her PhD at Durham University in the United Kingdom in 2013. Dalton Saner’s faculty appointment will be a joint one with Eastern Mennonite Seminary and the undergraduate Bible and religion department. She has previous collegiate teaching experience at Goshen College. Her areas of interest include Old Testament theological interpretation.

Maria Esther Showalter, lecturer in the language and literature department

Showalter earned a BA in foreign languages from Gabriel R. Morena University in Bolivia and an MA from George Mason University. She has prior collegiate experience at 91����Ƶ, having taught as an instructor in both the Intensive English Program and the language and literature department.

Debora Snarr, assistant professor of the practice of nursing

Snarr earned a BS in nursing and an MSN at the University of Maryland. She is a certified adult nurse practitioner and brings years of nursing experience in a variety of settings. Her nursing experience has focused on diverse populations in different settings. Snarr is passionate about the voice of the nurse and evidence-based practice.

Jianghong (Esther) Tian, PhD, assistant professor of engineering

Tian earned a BS in mechanical engineering and a MS at Changsha Institute of Technology. She holds a PhD from the University of Virginia. Tian recently taught statistics and calculus at The Miller School of Albemarle in Charlottesville, Va. Her research interests include robotics.

Anne Waltner, DMA, assistant professor of music

Waltner earned a BA in piano performance and biology at Goshen College. She holds an MM from the Chicago College of Performing Arts and a DMA from the Cleveland Institute of Music. Waltner has collegiate teaching experience at West Virginia State University, where she directed keyboard studies. She maintains an active solo and collaborative performing schedule.