2007 Edition - Contents

—by David Wilson, Associate Dean and Director of the Graduate School

As this seventh issue of Graduate Highlights goes to press, I continue to be inspired by the spectacular achievements of our graduate students. Across campus, we see the impact of graduate education and research everywhere—from grant projects to undergraduate mentoring.

Others have recognized the high quality of our students as well. In three of the last six years, an SIUC student has won one of the two Outstanding Thesis Awards given annually by the Midwest Association of Graduate Schools.

Two first-year master's students in civil and environmental engineering have opened another chapter in the strong relationship between SIUC and one of Taiwan's leading universities. Dawn Brady and Sarah Gilomen spent the 2006-07 academic year at National Cheng Kung University, where they were the first SIUC students to participate in a new dual-degree "One Plus One" master's program in which students receive master's degrees from both universities. Both students received scholarships from the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago.

SIUC and NCKU began collaborative exchanges in 1987. The new program offers opportunities for research partnerships between the two institutions to tackle "significant emerging problems," said John Koropchak, SIUC vice chancellor for research and graduate dean.

Brady specializes in water resources planning, especially peak flow reduction and sediment control and optimization. Her work included designing a swale for highway runoff and sediment trapping. The program gave her the opportunity to learn design criteria in Taiwan, where rainfall patterns are different.

Gilomen is studying microbiology and environmental remediation processes. While overseas she conducted research on environmental pollution, a growing problem in Taiwan and China.

The National Science Foundation is funding a new five-year, $1.8 million research training program in environmental and ecological studies at SIUC through its Graduate Teaching Fellows in K-12 Education (GK-12) program.

Beginning this summer, the SIUC program will fund several graduate fellowships per year. Under the mentorship of faculty with SIUC's Center for Ecology, newly recruited graduate students will partner with high school teachers from three local districts to carry out summer research projects at Touch of Nature Environmental Center. During the academic year, the fellow/teacher teams will develop hands-on activities for high school students and work to fill curriculum gaps.

The program, directed by plant biology professor Karen Renzaglia, will involve faculty from several departments. The project aims at being a model to increase scientific literacy that could be replicated across the region or nation.

The Princeton Review has named SIUC's College of Business and Administration one of the nation's "Best 282 Business Schools" for 2007. It features COBA in the latest edition of its annual business school guidebook, which was released in fall 2006 and highlights top M.B.A. programs.

"We are pleased to recommend SIUC to [prospective students] as one of the best institutions they could attend to earn an M.B.A.," said company executive Robert Franek.

Graduate students surveyed by the Princeton Review gave COBA high marks for affordability and its "famous" finance department. They also commended the professors who "work to extend the understanding of the discipline in all classes." In particular, students praised the "very interactive" courses and the "good courses in management of information systems."

Graduate education at SIUC gained national recognition in the 2007 "America's Best Graduate Schools" guide published by U.S. News & World Report.

The Department of Workforce Education and Development in the College of Education and Human Services was ranked for the second consecutive year as one of the country's top 10 specialty programs in education. Among the largest of its kind in the nation, the program ranked with counterparts at such schools as Ohio State University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in vocational and technical education.

The rehabilitation counseling program in the college's Rehabilitation Institute ranked sixth in a field of 18. This program, which consistently garners top national ratings, also is one of the largest and most comprehensive of its kind nationwide.

In addition, the U.S. News & World Report guide republished its list from 2003 of top master of fine arts programs, which ranked SIUC's School of Art and Design 45th in the nation. The school is part of the College of Liberal Arts.

Rankings are determined by surveys of deans and department chairs in the relevant fields.

SIUC's Rehabilitation Institute received the 2006 Commissioner's Award for Excellence in Education and Training from the federal Rehabilitation Services Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Education. The award recognizes innovation, collaboration, effectiveness, and distribution of curriculum materials.

"We are the oldest and probably the largest and most diverse rehabilitation education program in the country," said John Benshoff, interim director of the institute, "and the award recognizes our very strong and continuing commitment to be the premier rehabilitation program in the country."

The institute's research and service activities include investigating treatment approaches for autism, methamphetamine addiction, traumatic brain injuries, and gambling disorders. In spring 2007, 211 students were enrolled in the Rehabilitation Institute's five graduate degree programs.

This year will see the start-up of two new master's programs and two new doctoral programs at SIUC.

The College of Applied Sciences and Arts will begin offering a master's degree in physician assistant studies in May 2007. The new program expects ultimately to accommodate 30 students per year. In keeping with national trends, the 26-month program will be a conversion and upgrading of the current bachelor's degree program offered through the School of Allied Health. The program will also offer a 12-month Web-based master's degree completion option for practicing physician assistants who already hold bachelor's degrees from accredited physician assistant programs. SIUC's program is the only physician assistant program at an Illinois public university.

The new master's degree program in architecture will begin admitting students in summer 2007. The 15-month, 42-credit-hour program, to be offered through CASA's School of Architecture, will provide a professional degree option for students who have completed the pre-professional architecture degree at SIUC or elsewhere. It will satisfy the state requirement for licensing and registration of architects. The program will have a special emphasis on historic preservation, community planning, and community service, and will continue the school's history of outreach to Southern Illinois towns.

The first students in the computer science doctoral degree program will enroll in fall 2007. Typically, it will take about three years to obtain the degree. The program will allow graduate students the opportunity to do more-intensive research. Computer science undergraduates at SIUC will be able to enter the program directly, without having to first earn a master's degree. Such students will have to take some additional classes but will still be on a faster track to the doctorate. With the new program, all departments in the College of Science now offer doctoral degrees.

Finally, a doctoral degree program in electrical and computer engineering (ECE) will begin admitting students this summer. Students in the department currently participate in the doctoral program in engineering science. That will remain an option for those interested in interdisciplinary studies. Those concentrating in ECE will transition to the new program. The ECE department has the largest graduate program on SIUC's campus, with more than 250 students. The establishment of the new program should help attract research funds, according to Glafkos Galanos, department chair.

Qualified graduate students in rehabilitation counseling can now receive a formal certificate in addiction studies. The certificate, which requires four specific courses and 500 internship hours at an agency that provides drug and alcohol treatment services, meets national and state standards and is portable to other states. John Benshoff, director of the Rehabilitation Institute, says the certificate option will enhance job opportunities for graduates.

There are three required courses: Introduction to American Law and Legal Systems, Legal Research and Writing for Non-Lawyers, and a capstone writing requirement. The remaining curriculum for the most part is from courses the law school offers regularly. Students can complete the program in two years.

SIUC faculty, staff, and students were awarded nearly $66.5 million in grants and contracts by external agencies in FY 2006 (July 2005 - June 2006), an increase of 4 percent over the previous fiscal year.

The grant funding supported more than 500 graduate assistantships at the University in FY 2006.

Some $32.7 million of the grant total was awarded for research projects, an increase of about 10 percent from FY2005. Another $4.6 million supported training projects, and the remainder supported various outreach and service projects.

More than half of SIUC's grant funding in FY2006 came from federal agencies. Federal funding for research increased 12 percent, from $15.7 million to $17.6 million.

The Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Dean made awards totaling $41,244 through the Graduate Technology Enhancement program for FY 2007. The awards, listed below, went for computers, software, and other equipment. Funding decisions were made by a committee of three graduate students, one faculty member, and the vice chancellor.

• Beth Freeburg, Workforce Education and Development, $8,000
• Kevin Curry and Trey Gossett, Art and Design, $8,780
• Michelle LaRue and Eric Hellgren, Wildlife Lab, $5,875
• Tonny Oyana, Geography and Environmental Resources, $5,600
• Mary Kinsel, Chemistry and Biochemistry, $4,950
• Tamira Brennan, Anthropology, $4,639
• Ronald Naversen and Brad Carlson, Theater, $3,400

M.F.A. students in playwriting penned four of the six one-act plays selected for reading at the regional Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival held in January 2007 in Milwaukee. The theater students were Thomas Michael Campbell, Michael Rose, Randall Colburn, and Laramie Dean. Dean's play took second place at the event; Colburn's took third. Colburn also took first place in the festival's 10-minute play competition, and Rose's 10-minute play Antarctica was produced on stage at the festival. Only a handful of students each year have work selected as a participating production.

Four graduate students at SIUC currently hold research fellowships from the Environmental Protection Agency. Amanda Harwood, a master's student in zoology, holds a two-year STAR fellowship. Andrew Trimble, a doctoral student in zoology, and Brian Benscoter, a doctoral student in plant biology, hold three-year STAR fellowships. Finally, Christine Goldstein, a master's student in forestry, holds a two-year GRO fellowship. The prestigious awards carry a stipend of $20,000 per year, plus tuition and fees.

Harwood and Trimble, whose advisor is Michael Lydy, are investigating the effects of pollutants such as pesticides on aquatic organisms. Benscoter, whose advisor is Dale Vitt, studies carbon storage in peatland ecosystems, research that relates to global warming. Goldstein, whose advisor is Karl Williard, is working to determine whether autumn-olive, an invasive shrub common in Southern Illinois, increases nitrate levels in watersheds, which could add to ground­water pollution.

A new book compiled by a dozen graduate students portrays 60 years of student life at the University. In 2006, Arcadia Publishing, a top local-history publisher based in South Carolina, released Southern Illinois University Carbondale, a book of photographs and commentary reflecting student experiences at SIUC from the1940s to the present. The photos depict fashions, fads, homecomings, parades, politics, housing, and hangouts.

The students started work on the book while they were enrolled in an American history seminar taught by Michael Batinski, chair of SIUC's history department. They used photographs stored on campus and collected snapshots taken by students and alumni. They also interviewed alumni. The project taught the students that "oral histories and personal experiences are more important" to the study of history than they had realized, said graduate student James Whistle.

Christopher Walls, a graduate student in public administration, found the work so interesting that he went on to create an exhibit for the University Museum entitled "Southern Illinois University in Photographs: From G.I. Joes to Generation X." The exhibit, on display last fall semester, included photos compiled by Batinski's students and artifacts of student life.

The title of the exhibit paid tribute to SIUC's unique history. "Two factors transpired at the same time that assisted SIU to become what it is today," Walls said. "SIU developed into a dynamic university because of the initiation of the G.I. Bill and the vision of former SIU President Delyte W. Morris. Morris's vision transformed a university that catered to local [students] to a university that recruited worldwide."

Today, SIUC attracts students from every state in the union and 119 countries.

Two students were awarded $18,000 Morris Fellowships for doctoral study at SIUC during 2005-06. The fellowships support promising scholars with strong potential for academic research.

Kevin Spencer, who is working toward a doctorate in sociology, earned his bachelor's degree in sociology from Missouri Southern State University and his master's degree, also in sociology, from Oklahoma State University. His studies will concentrate on deviance and crime; inequalities as demonstrated in race, class, and gender; and social movements. He plans to teach at the college level, where he can continue to pursue his research interests.

Seth Vannatta, who is working toward a doctorate in philosophy, earned his bachelor's degree in history from Colorado College and his master's degree in philosophy at Oklahoma City University. He will focus on the American pragmatist tradition, working with SIUC's Center for (John) Dewey Studies, which has extensive Dewey source material. Vannatta has a particular interest in the philosophy of education. He will also continue with research begun in his master's program in phenomenology and process philosophy.

Abani Ranjan Samal and Kevin Butak (Geology) were awarded research grants by the Geological Society of America in 2006. Samal received $1,700 for research on the Florida Canyon gold deposit in northwest Nevada; Butak received $2,100 to study an ancient igneous rock fomation in Montana. Butak also received a $1,500 award from the Society of Economic Geologists to support his work, which he hopes will allow scientists to better predict the location of mineral deposits. A third geology graduate student, Jennifer Kelley, won one of seven Institute for Rock Magnetism Visiting Fellowships in 2006 to help fund her studies of volcanic materials.

Alison Marr (Mathematics) received funding to work at the National Security Agency in summer 2006. The agency's highly competitive Graduate Mathematics program gives students the chance to develop and apply cryptomathematical theory.

Daniel Hechenberger (Curriculum & Instruction) received a 2006 Studs Terkel Humanities Service Award from the Illinois Humanities Council for his long-term contributions to cultural education. Hechenberger co-authored and co-produced a documentary, "The Early History of the Illinois Indians," and founded an organization in Mascoutah, Ill., called Nipwaantiikaani to cultivate appreciation for social studies, history, and the cultures of Illinois' first peoples.

Leah Holmes (Animal Science) took first place in a 2006 student research competition sponsored by the Midwestern sections of the American Dairy Science Association and the American Society of Animal Science. Holmes's work involved dietary supplementation for dairy cows.

Ingrid Moody (English) won a $1,000 prize from the national Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Fund for poetry. The fund seeks to assist young poets "of unusual promise."

Caren DeGiacinto Schaecher (Medicine) was named one of five semi-finalists for the 2006 Gusdon New Investigator of the Year Award from the American Society for Reproductive Immunology. Schaecher did research on preeclampsia, a sometimes life-threatening obstetrical complication.

Michael Meyerhofer (English) won the Liam Rector First Book Prize for Poetry sponsored by Briery Creek Press for Leaving Iowa, which the press published in fall 2006.

Jill Hunt (Zoology) received a $1,900 research grant-in-aid from the Declining Amphibian Task Force and U.S. Geological Survey. Hunt researches the effects of ultra-low concentrations of pesticides on amphibians.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources selected Leslie Rodman (Zoology) for a one-year Natural Heritage Residency at Ferne Clyffe State Park in Southern Illinois. The agency also selected another zoology graduate student, Chelsea DeBay, to receive the 2006 Todd Fink Award from the Illinois Conservation Foundation for her work with threatened species.

Barbara Shiplett (Health Education and Recreation) was elected a member-at-large representative of the American School Health Association Research Council.

Michael Bonkowski (Pharmacology) was one of 20 applicants selected worldwide by the Ellison Medical Foundation to receive a three-week fellowship to attend the Molecular Biology of Aging course last August in Woods Hole, Mass. Bonkowski has published 13 articles on geriatrics and aging.

Abhijit Shukla (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology) holds a two-year, $52,000 doctoral fellowship from the American Heart Association - Greater Midwest Affiliate. He published four first-authored papers in 2006. He and Pratibha Bajwa (Biochemistry) presented a paper, "Transcriptional Regulation by Chromatin and RNA Polymerase II," at the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology annual meeting in November 2006. Other biochemistry students in the laboratory of Sukesh Bhaumik who co-authored published articles in 2006 included Zhen Duan, Nadia Stanojevic, Payel Sen, and Thomas Shadle.

Matt Bergbower (Political Science) presented a paper, "Negative Campaign Advertising Revisited," at the 2006 Midwest Political Science Association conference in Chicago.

Michelle Wade (Political Science) presented a paper, "He Heard, She Heard: Does Gendered Political Communication Influence the Gender Gap?", at the Pre-Conference on Women and Politics at the 2006 Midwest Political Science Association conference in Chicago.

Jane Bryant (Political Science) presented "Playing Politics: Assessing American Government Students in Different Environments," at the American Political Science Association (APSA) Teaching and Learning Conference in February 2007.

Betsy Feutz (Kinesiology) co-presented a paper, "Calf Venous Compliance Differences Between Young Adults of Different Sex and Training Status," at the national conference of the American College of Sports Medicine in May 2006 in Denver.

Brian Gordon and Michael Mohr (Kinesiology) co-presented a paper, "College Students with Disabilities' Satisfaction with School Recreational Sports Facilities," at the North American Society for Sport Management conference in June 2006 in Kansas City.

Prentice Norman (Business) won a two-year Presidential Management Fellowship from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Norman, who began the fellowship in fall 2006, was one of 395 finalists chosen from more than 5,000 applicants.

Jodi Lynn Kostecki (Civil Engineering) received a graduate fellowship from the Department of Homeland Security in 2006. The two-year research award, which carries a total stipend of $55,200, is supporting research that Kostecki is conducting on the structural dynamics and integrity of buildings.

Cortney Boyd (Art & Design) was one of three glass artists invited to participate in the "GLASS: 3-Directions" exhibit at the West Nebraska Arts Center in Scottsbluff in February 2007.

Sandra Collins (Workforce Education) gave two presentations at the 6th Annual Hawaii International Conference on Business: "Valuable Human Capital: The Aging Healthcare Worker" and "Succession Planning and Leadership Development: Critical Business Strategies for Healthcare Organizations," both published in the conference's proceedings volume. She also co-authored an article in Health Care Manager.

Stephen McCaskey (Workforce Education) gave presentations on social interaction learning styles at the 34th Annual Delta Pi Epsilon Business Education Summer Conference in 2006 and at the 2006 Association for Career and Technical Education national meeting—the latter published in the ACTE conference proceedings.

Tina Dierkes (Workforce Education) received the Outstanding Teaching in Community Service award from the Illinois Association for Career and Technical Education in June 2006.

David Worrells (Workforce Education) presented a paper, "Characteristics of Cooperative Education and Internships in Aviation Management Programs," at the University Aviation Association's Fall 2006 Education Conference in Anchorage, Alaska, and published it in the Collegiate Aviation Review.

Sally Arnett (Workforce Education) gave presentations in 2006 at the Hawaii International Conference on Education and at the Association of Teacher Educators annual conference in San Diego. She published papers in proceedings volumes and in the Journal of Family & Consumer Sciences. She is a subject matter expert for SIUC's Awards for Innovation grant from the Illinois University Council for Career and Technical Education.

Frederick Polkinghorne (Workforce Education) co-presented "Teaching Academic Skills: A Role for Business Educators?" at the 2006 National Delta Pi Epsilon Conference.

Mary Cook-Wallace (Workforce Education) co-presented "Enhancing Online Student Motivation and Cognitive Strategies with Interactivity" at the 2006 Association for Career and Technical Education meeting and presented "PlayMoney: Using Self-Regulating Money Management Skills" at the Illinois ACTE meeting.

Zoology graduate students affiliated with the Fisheries and Illinois Aquaculture Center landed a number of awards in 2006. Amanda Harwood and Andrew Trimble both hold prestigious STAR Fellowships from the Environmental Protection Agency; see above. Harwood also won second place for Best Poster at the Master's Level at the annual U.S. EPA Fellowship Conference, as well as the Jeff Black Award from the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. Heidi Lewis and Jesse Trushenski won the Skinner Award at the American Fisheries Society meeting in Lake Placid and Best Abstract at the Aquaculture America meeting in Las Vegas. Trushenski also won an honorable mention for her presentation at the Lake Placid meeting and Best Abstract in the fish culture section. In addition, she won the 2006 Lewis Osborne Best Student Paper award at the annual meeting of the Illinois American Fisheries Society. Finally, Rob Colombo won Best Lectern Presentation at the Mississippi River Research Consortium meeting in LaCrosse, Wisc.

Tony Svoboda (Philosophy) published "Is Falstaff a Stoic?" and a book review in the journal Dialogue in 2006. He also gave paper presentations on Hegelian philosophy at conferences in Indiana, Utah, and Illinois.

Dwayne Tunstall (Philosophy) published a paper in the Transactions of the Charles S. Peirce Society, a quarterly journal, in 2006 and gave paper presentations at the Society for the Advancement of American Philosophy's meeting in San Antonio and the 7th Biennial Radical Philosophy Association International/National Conference in Omaha.

Kelvin Booth (Philosophy) presented papers at numerous conferences in 2006, including the Eastern American Philosophical Association meeting in Washington, D.C., the Midsouth Philosophy Conference in Memphis, and the Society for the Advancement of American Philosophy meeting in San Antonio.

Three graduate students in art were named finalists in the 2007 NICHE magazine student awards competition. Mitch Martin was named in the Fine Jewelry category for "Energy Pin #2," Benjamin Cowden was named in the Metal - Non-wearable, Sculptural category for "A Series of Passionate but Arbitrary Decisions," and Kyounghwa Oh was named in the Functional Ceramics category for "Movement of Nature 24." Cowden's piece also was the second-place winner in the Engineering Ingenuity category in the 2006 International Kinetic Arts Competition, and another of his works won second place in the Functionetic category. Oh also won a juror's choice award and a second place award in the 2006 National Cup Competition and a second place award in the 14th Annual Strictly Functional Pottery National. Martin's work was highlighted in the New York Times in 2006, and he took second place in the Headley Whitney Design Competition.

"Papergoods," a collection of work by Diana Baumbach (Art & Design), was exhibited at A Room with a View Gallery in Chicago in December 2006.

Ilona Niemi (Art & Design) won best-in-show in a 2006 art contest organized by myartspace.com with 700 competitors. She also was invited to take part in the 8th Annual Art Papers Auction at the Mason Murer Fine Art Gallery in Atlanta in February 2007, and was included in a group exhibition of works on paper at the Gescheidle Gallery in Chicago in January 2007. She contributed several articles in 2006 to the journal Art Papers.

Robin Rogers (Art & Design) received a 2006 Student Scholarship from the Pittsburgh Glass Center.

David Linneweh (Art & Design) had work included in the MFA edition of New American Paintings: A Juried Exhibition in Print and "NY Arts Magazine" (online journal.)

Daniel Randall (Art & Design) was named a finalist in the Saul Bell Design Award Competition for the 2007 JCK Show in Las Vegas, N.M.

Adam Mysock (Art & Design) has been awarded an artist-in-residency position at the School for the Creative and Performing Arts in Cincinnati.

Suzanne Ashby (Curriculum & Instruction) wrote a proposal that netted the Science Center of Southern Illinois a $60,000 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Several zoology graduate students affiliated with the Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory gave paper presentations at professional meetings during 2006, including the following:

• Craig Bloomquist, at the 13th annual meeting of The Wildlife Society, at the 86th annual meeting of the American Society of Mammalogists, and at the 42nd annual meeting of the Illinois chapter of The Wildlife Society.
• Emily Croteau, at the 67th Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference.
• Michelle LaRue, at the 67th Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference and also at Carnivores 2006. LaRue also co-authored a paper in Endangered Species Update.
• John Rohm, at the 60th Annual Conference of the Southeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and at the 29th annual meeting of the Southeast Deer Study Group.