LAMAR UNIVERSITYLAMAR UNIVERSITY

Member of �e Texas State University System

Office of Research andSponsored Programs Administration

Chercher (to search), 2004, Susan Dupor, oil on canvas, 30" x 40"

Welcome to the inaugural issue of Lamar University's

research publication, Invenio.

"Invenio” is Latin; it means "to discover." The purpose

of the new magazine is to feature exceptional research,

scholarship and creative activity in each of the five

colleges over the previous year. The faculty at Lamar are

engaged in challenging and distinctive research and

scholarly work in their respective fields of specialization.

In some cases, it has earned them national and

international recognition within their disciplines. We

believe these achievements are deserving of a broader

venue to inform friends, supporters, alumni,

government and business leaders.

In these pages, we have featured only a few of the

many extraordinary research projects being carried out

on campus. The research enterprise here is robust, and

we are committed to making it grow in partnership with

the new Office of Research and Sponsored Programs

Administration. It is our hope that Invenio will serve as

a record of this growing research activity in the future

and provide a window into the remarkable and

resourceful work of Lamar faculty.

While the expansion of the university's research

mission will entail some growing pains, we have every

reason to be encouraged. With each passing year, we see

new cohorts of bright, talented and determined young

scholars who come to us with research projects and

agendas already in place. They are anxious to find a

home for their research and scholarship, and we are

delighted to work with them in helping them reach their

goals. Together with senior faculty as mentors and

collaborators, they are transforming the face of Lamar,

and the future looks very bright.

Invenio is published biannually by the Office of University Advancement and the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs Administration to highlight research initiatives and scholarly activities ofLamar University.

Managing Editor: Brian SattlerEditor: Cynthia HicksDesign: Bill AndersonPhotography: Brian SattlerWriters: Larry Acker, Beth Gallaspy, Brian SattlerContributors: Cathleen Cole,

Amy Pearson,

Amanda Rowell, writing

January 2009 2,000 copies

For permission to quote or reprint any material written herein, for permission to reproduce art, or to request additional copies, write the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, Box 10119, Beaumont TX 77710, or telephone (409) 880-7673. Opinions expressed do not reflect the official view of the University. Use oftrade names implies no endorsement by Lamar University.

Lamar University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097; telephone (409) 679-4501) to award bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees.

Lamar University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action educational institution.

www.lamar.edu

REGENTS

Texas State University System Board of RegentsBernard C. “Bernie” Francis, Chairman (2009) CarrolltonTrisha S. Pollard, Vice Chairman (2013) BellaireDora G. Alcalá (2009) Del RioCharlie Amato (2013) San AntonioRon Blatchley (2011) BryanJohn E. Dudley (2009) ComancheDionicio “Don” Flores (2005) El PasoMichael Truncale (2013) BeaumontGreg Wilkinson (2011) DallasCharles R. Matthews, ChancellorMagdalena Manzano, Student Regent (2008) Huntsville

Steve Doblin Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Jack Hopper Special Advisor to the President and Dean, College of Engineering

Don CottenAssociate Provost for Research

Stuart WrightDirector

Gail Davis Director of Contracts and Grants

Jaime Farias Contracts and Grants Specialist

Jamie PenoExecutive Assistant

Volume 1 2008

discover

Table of Contents The fuel future . . . through nanotechnologyDavid Cocke is pioneering new nanostructures catalyst for better fuel cell efficiency.

A richer blend of ideas: Engaging women and minority studentsPeggy Doerschuk, Jiangjiang Liu and Judith Mann use applied research to mentor women andminority students.

Improving understandingResearchers develop instructional resources to bridge the achievement gap forEnglish language learners.

A model for cleaner airCutting edge work in air quality monitoring draws Thomas Ho closer to the perfect model.

Training Hispanic deaf teachers A five-year DOE grant helps increase the number of teachers working with Hispanic deaf students.

Yin and yang of composites: It’s all in the balance Robert Yuan develops nanotube and polymer composites for high-strength, lightweight, impact-resistant applications.

Our lab is your labState-of-the-art instrumentation resources provide valuable support for industry partners.

MathNerds to the rescueTed Mahavier, Paul Dawkins and Kyehong Kang keep MathNerds on call in support ofinquiry-based learning.

The business of moving research into the classroom Research becomes a vibrantteaching tool for Larry Allen, Frank Cavaliere and Purnendu Mandal.

Lending wings to dreamsSummer science camp sparks interest in science in disadvantaged, high-potential students.

Visual expression of the Deaf experienceWith an NEA grant, Jean Andrews and Lynne Lokensgard paved the way for an inspirational exhibit.

University FundingAward activity is broken down by the numbers.

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ith their eyes toward the future, researchers at Lamar University are helping bring this country one step closer to a viable alternative energy source. Using fuel cell technology, scientists in the College of Engineering are working not only on cutting-edge military programs, but also on applications that may be used in every-day living as well. What are fuel cells? In laymen’s terms, fuel cells are like a battery that never runs out of energy or never needs recharging. Instead, a reaction of hydrogen, oxygen and water produces energy in the form of electricity and heat as long as fuel is supplied. A fuel cell is made up of two electrodes that are wedged between an electrolyte. When oxygen passes over one electrode and hydrogen passes over the other, electricity, water and heat are generated. Hydrogen fuel is then funneled into the anode—or positive electrode—of the fuel cell. Oxygen, in the form of the air we breathe, enters the fuel cell through the cathode—or negative electrode. A catalyst causes a reaction that splits the hydrogen atom into a proton and an electron, which travel through different paths back to the cathode. The proton passes through the electrolyte, and the electrons create a separate current before returning to the cathode where they are reunited with the hydrogen and oxygen in a molecule of water. Hydrogen fuel cells are the focus of a project overseen by professor David Cocke, who is director of the Fuel Cell and Energy Systems Center and Gill Professor of Chemical Engineering at Lamar University. Cocke, who has been with Lamar University since 1989, has been working with hydrogen fuel cells and related research since the 1970s. With a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin, a master’s degree in chemistry from Lamar and a doctorate in chemistry from Texas A&M University, Cocke has long been interested in environmental and catalysis research. He studied at the Fritz Haber Institute in Berlin, Germany, with scientists he considers the best catalyst and hydrogen researchers in the world and worked for Chicago-based Universal Oil Products. Cocke became interested in alternative energy sources during the “first energy crisis” in this country during the 1970s, when many can remember waiting hours in line on alternating days to buy gasoline. At Texas A&M University, he was able to work with two great names in the scientific community—John Bockris and John Appleby—on developing more hydrogen-based energy.

The fuel future . . . through nanotechnology

by Amy Pearson

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David Cocke, left, with Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, Rep. Kevin Brady and Rep. Ted Poe

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When Lamar University began researchand development in the area of energy technology about five years ago, Cockewas thrilled. “Lamar is pioneering new nanostructured catalysts that make the fuel cells more efficient and reduce the cost of fuel cells,” he said. “Lamar’s strategy is to enhance hydrogen use with an eye tothe future.” “Dr. Cocke and his research represent Lamar’s strength as a university,” said Donald R. Cotten, associate provost for research. “Our research in engineering and catalysis, coupled with our partnership with industry and the Department of Defense is strengthening our research infrastructure and building our reputation nationally and internationally.” U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison is focusing a spotlight on alternative energy sources. She recently visited the Advanced Fuel Cell Research Laboratory at Lamar to promote a bill she filed to create a Council on Renewable Energy. The role of the Council would be to advise Congress on national renewable energy development. Currently, the United States is dependent on crude oil for much of its energy. and some 60 percent of that oil comes from foreign sources. Hydrogen fuel cells could eliminate that dependence on foreign oil and make a positive—instead of a negative—impact on the environment, Cocke said. Currently, one of the primary applications of the fuel cell research being conducted at Lamar is for projects with the Department of Defense. The U.S. Army Space and Missile Command Technical Center in Huntsville, Ala., needs mission-oriented applications for the fuel cells, Cotten said, to increase the life-expectancy of unmanned aircraft and for other mechanisms. Cocke believes the hydrogen fuel cell will eventually power the modern soldier. “Right now, the soldier has to carry something like 48 pounds of batteries,” he said. “A hydrogen fuel cell works more efficiently for a longer period of time and only weighs a few ounces. All they have to do with hydrogen fuel cells is keep supplying them with hydrogen. They’re not something that you throw away.” Lamar University is proud of its affiliation with the United States military and works hard to serve our country through its research capabilities. “We are as critical to the U.S. military as

any program at a research-one university,” Cotten said. “Lamar has a rich history in working with the Department of Defense.” Lamar University is also working with industry to advance fuel cell and catalysis research. They’ve taken the first step by partnering with industry leaders who not only advance research, but also aid in the education of Lamar students. Through their partners in industry, Lamar students are afforded the unique opportunity to participate in real-world applications for their areas of study. Lamar University has already partnered with Kaselco in Shiner (TX); LESo, Lynntech Inc. and TesSol in College Station; Radiance Technologies in Huntsville, Ala.; Texas State University; Netazoic in Santa Fe, N.M. and Palm Dessert, Calif.; and Infintium Energy in Dallas along with the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command. “Our relationship with the Departmentof Defense enhances our capabilities to pursue these relationships,” Cotten said. “What we do in academia is all about our students and how we carry their education forward.” Students are very involved in the fuel cell research. He also applauds the marriage of the academic world, the private sector and the military, calling it a “true alliance” that is difficult to manage in today’s world. “This set-up serves our students and engages them in a more competitive position in the real world,” Cotten said. “In addition, our product (the fuel cell) showcases the capabilities of Lamar University’s programs to our alums, investors and to the world.” In addition to its military uses, the fuel cell might someday have more universal applications. It’s a superior product to current technology in that fuel cells are lightweight, power efficient, environmentally clean and cost effective. “Fuel cells can be used to power everything from a cell phone to a major building,” Cocke noted. “They can be used for something like an emergency power back-up or to power a hospital duringa hurricane.” Fuel cells are already used to power fork lifts and pallet movers in some markets. The next logical step is to employ fuel cells to power automobiles. As a matter of fact, car manufacturers are already working diligently on a fuel cell-powered vehicle. Prototypes do exist, but the technology —and cost—keep them out of reach of the average consumer.

“They’re awesome vehicles, but too expensive to be sold on the open market,” Cocke said. The residential applications of fuel cell research are more viable and closer to becoming a reality. Some fuel cells are already being used in communities in Florida. Cocke spent the summer traveling the country drumming up support for hydrogen cell technology. “Hydrogen and fuel cells are going to be an integral part of the future of the United States and the world,” Cocke said. “The European Union, as well as China and the Pacific Rim countries are already heavily into researching this. We seek to extend the technologies to produce more efficient energy and find more renewable sources of our energy. “I’ve been working on this since the 1970s, and what I’m certain of is that we can’t continue to fill our atmosphere with carbon dioxide from conventional ways of getting energy. This is a useful energy with great quality-of-life applications. We’re working hard to make it accessible to everyone.” Under the leadership of Lamar University President Jimmy Simmons, Cotten explained, the school is emerging as an institution where education and research are one and the same.

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growing occupations between now and 2014, studiesshow a 50 percent decline in new computer science majors between 2000 and 2006. "With fewer students choosing to major in computer sciences, a shortage of computer scientists is predicted in the future," Doerschuk said. Doerschuk reports 120 undergraduate students and 113 graduate students in computer science at Lamar University in the fall of 2007. Of those, about 15 percent are female or minorities. Lamar University implemented the three-year INSPIRED program in fall 2007, with hope that it will eventually be used as a model on the national level and become an integral part of the computer science program at Lamar. An earlier Texas Workforce Development Grant and grants from ExxonMobil for Lamar University’s WIRED (Women in Research Development) Program already recognized the need for retention and development in the field of computer science and gave the program the boost it needed to get their female students ready for advanced study in computers or careers in the field. Doerschuk and Liu, however, along with Mann who will serve as an evaluator for the program, wanted to push the envelope with what they are able to offer women and minority students.

As an up-and-coming academician

in the field of computer science,

Peggy Doerschuk noticed

something: she was one of only a

handful of women interested in

what is often thought of as a

male-dominated field.

ow a professor of computer science at Lamar University, she decided not only to devise a program to recruit women and minorities to the field of computing, but also to help retain them by providing the students with the support they’d need to help them feel they weren’t alone. As a result of her efforts and those of her colleagues, Jiangjiang Liu, assistant professor of computer science, and Judith Mann, assistant professor of psychology, the National Science Foundation awarded Lamar University a $490,000 grant to jump-start the recruitment of women and minority students into computer science while supporting the university’s INSPIRED—Increasing Student Participation in Research Development—program. This is an NSF Broadening Participation in Computing grant. "What we hope to do is show women and minorities that computing is for them, not just a small segment of the population,"Doerschuk said. While the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that computer scientists and database administrators are expected to be among the fastest- 6 by Amy Pearson

Judith Mann, left, Peggy Doerschuk, center, and Jiangjiang Liu

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In addition to their lab work, INSPIRED students will go out into the community in what Doerschuk calls "road shows." "They’ll go to local schools and talk to the students about why they’re majoring in computer science," she said. The INSPIRED students will also help lead summer academies on the Lamar campus for high school and middle school students. The academies will engage boys and girls in fun applications of computing like robotics and animation. "We’re trying to get them interested in computers at an early age—in middle school or high school." Doerschuk added, “The beauty of applied research is that we can take it out of the

classroom, but what the students are really learning is to apply the principles they learn in the classroom to real-worldproblems. That enhances their educational experience, making it a life lesson as well.” The 10 students selected for the program this year, and the others who will follow in their footsteps, will also engage in what is known in the computer field as pair programming. "This is a great retention tool," Doerschuk said. "What it means is that two people work together to develop a program. One person works the keyboard, while the other looks over the shoulder, thinking about higher levels of design and offering advice." Pair programming is beneficial, Doerschuk said, because students end up staying in the program longer than they would have without the direct support of another student. "Give them a buddy and the impact of their experience will be much greater, especially for women," she said. "It also takes away the stereotype of a computer science major sitting up alone all night in front of a computer screen." This method will be implemented not only in the INSPIRED program, but also in introductory courses in the computer

"We’ll engage students in research groups led by computer science faculty," Doerschuk said. "They’ll be working in a team and get a sense of belonging, mentoring and valuable experience." Each student selected for the program will receive a research stipend to participate in specific studies and recruiting functions for about 15 hours per week. In the program’s first year, Doerschuk planned for two teams of five students each. During the second year, that will increase to two teams of six students, and by the third year, she hopes the program will grow to three teams of fives students each. Doerschuk and Liu each led a team during the 2007-2008 school year.

Doerschuk’s team will focus on her primary area of research: autonomous robotics. "We develop robots that can react to conditions unforeseen in their environment all by themselves," she said. Autonomous robots can be used to deliver medications in hospitals or to vacuum your living room. They can be used for search and rescue missions. In fact, earlier models, called semi-autonomous, were used during the recovery following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center. Liu’s team will focus on the area of computer architecture. "This is basically high-performance computing," Doerschuk explained. "They work on increasing the speed of your computer and how to increase speed while reducing power consumption. They work on embedded systems to create the most powerful but efficient product." Students work in a state-of-the-art research lab provided by the University for the INSPIRED program. Lamar renovated the area and provided an Internet connection, while the National Science Foundation grant paid for the computers and the robots the students will need topursue their research.

science department as well. "Teamwork is important in computing," Doerschuk said."You have to collaborate, work in a team, and work well with other people." The students in the INSPIRED program, who are required to maintain a grade point average of 3.0 in their computing courses, will also receive peer mentoring from upperclassmen and graduate students, as well as faculty mentoring. The INSPIRED students will attend a research seminar every year, which will also be open to all Lamar University students. In addition, INSPIRED students, along with other students at Lamar, will benefit from a career forum, where computer science professionals speak about their careers.

Based on the students’ experience with the WIRED program, Doerschuk expects a higher retention rate of the women and minority students selected for theINSPIRED program. "I know they have loved the program," she said. "In particular, the women have really benefited, especially from the outreach portion. The program not only reaches out to kids in the community, but also makes our students feel great as well." Recruiting more women into the field of computing will also help put a different perspective on the development of computer programs and applications, Doerschuck believes. "Women need to help produce programs that are more attractive to women," she said. "We want the input of women and minorities to fill the gap between what’s available and what would be interesting and beneficial to all types of people. They can bring to the table a richer blend of ideas." In doing so, these students can break through some computer science stereotypes at the same time. "Computing is creative," Doerschuk said. "It’s not all about sitting in front of a monitor. It’s a creative process that involves brainstorming and teamwork."

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poles. A composite rod of this design could be useful where a metal rod would be deadly.

Another area of interest involves replacing wooden pallets, which are used to transport goods and materials, with pallets constructed of composite materials. Many of the undesirable traits of wooden pallets are absent from composites, Yuan said. Building pallets from wood means cutting down trees, using nails that can tear or damage goods on the pallet, replacing the pallet every few years because of deterioration and dealing with environmental issues related to disposal. Composite pallets are “lightweight, high strength, corrosion resistant and have long-time use,” Yuan said. “The thing is the cost. Currently, it’s more expensive than wood, but this lasts a lifetime. Wood only lasts two to three years.”

esearch for the U.S. Space Missile Defense Command might be the most exciting project facing the Green Composite Research Center at Lamar University now, but it is hardly the only one.

“We do a little bit of everything here and look for applications to industry,” said Robert Yuan, center director and chair of the Department of Civil Engineering. Sometimes those projects come with grant money. Sometimes the payoff comes simply from the pursuit of knowledge and solving real-world problems.

A small project now drawing the attention of Yuan and his colleague Mark Bourland, assistant professor of civil engineering, comes from Entergy Texas. Using aramid fibers and a polyester polymer matrix, researchers are working to develop a shock-proof rod that can be used for repairs at the top of electrical

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by Beth Gallaspy

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The research center previously developed a composite pallet that measures four by four feet made from glass fiber and polyester. Using a resin transfer molding technique, the pallets are constructed in the research center on campus in about 20 minutes. Recently, a representative of a petroleum-drilling company asked Yuan to determine what it would take to build three-foot square composite pallets, each capable of transporting 5,000 pounds of heavy pipe. The previous, larger pallets had openings on two sides to allow hoisting by a forklift. Smaller ones would need openings on all four sides for forklift access. “They want us to do analysis, design and manufacture,” Yuan said. This would require a new resin transfer mold built to the smaller size specifications. Composites even have their place in the world of recreation. A representative of another company approached Yuan about having the Lamar research center develop a new fishing pole. Pultrusion equipment in the center would allow researchers to create a composite rod that will bend under pressure but not break. To construct a rod, a string of fibers is dipped in a polymer resin bath and then pulled through a metal die heated to 240 degrees Fahrenheit, which begins the polymerization process. The shape of the die can be altered to change the shape of the finished product, from construction beams to rebar to fishing poles. Building a new fishing pole is not the only research project the company has in mind for Lamar. “They’re going to bring their competitor’s fishing rod,” Yuan said. “They don’t know what’s in there. They want us to evaluate.”

Department, holds the Andrew and Joyce Green Chair in Engineering and directs the Green Composite Research Center. His expertise in composites research brought him to Lamar after spending most of his career at University of Texas at Arlington. Now, Yuan is bringing his composites expertise to bear on U.S. military projects.For a little more than a year, Yuan has been at work on research for the U.S. Space Missile Defense Command, a joint research project with Auburn University. “We’re doing the fundamental research for military applications,” Yuan said.

in and yang of composites: It’s all in the balance Some day in the not too distant future, American soldiers might find themselves traveling in military vehicles protected by a lightweight material engineered at Lamar University. When those soldiers exit their vehicles and enter enemy territory on foot, their gear might bring an extra layer of security also made possible by research conducted in the laboratory of Lamar professor Robert Yuan. Yuan, who joined the Lamar faculty in 2003, chairs the Civil Engineering 15

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Robert Yuan

Getting the right mix of the right materials is the key to composites research whether the composites are headed to the battlefield or a construction site. Yuan’s interest in composites research developed from his structures, mechanics and materials background. Twenty-five years ago, Andrew Green, for whom the research center and the endowed chair at Lamar are named, asked Yuan, then a professor at University of Texas at Arlington, to perform some composites research testing for his Fort Worth company. Yuan had been “a concrete guy.” He referred to concrete as a type of composite, too, since it is formed from a mix of cement, water and aggregates. As Yuan experimented with new composite materials formed from fibers and a polymer matrix, he was hooked.“It’s just been fascinating material,” Yuan said. Potential applications for composites seem almost limitless. Prior to coming to Lamar University, Yuan was involved in projects using composite materials to build vehicular bridges, pedestrian walkways and cooling towers, a function composites perform ideally since they are not subject to corrosion like metal construction materials. His computer stores photos of composite rebar, which can be used in lieu of its steel cousin for bridge decking, and composite columns used in building a wastewater treatment plant. Yuan, who moved to Lamar at the urging of Green and several Lamar administrators, considers the composite research program here under construction as he actively seeks to attract more faculty and student researchers and more research dollars to support their work. The Space Missile Defense Command project has no firm timeline for delivery of an end result. Research continues with periodic meetings to review progress and funding. Yuan traveled to Auburn last year for a status meeting with Davis and SMDC representatives. Though Yuan is unsure when he and other researchers will complete their work, he feels confident they will be able to deliver what officials are seeking. When they do deliver, soldiers in military attire and others depending on U.S. government-issued gear could have Lamar University to thank for providing them with strong, lightweight, corrosion-resistant equipment made from composite materials.

then manufacture one in the testing laboratory. The design will be modified based on the test results.” The fundamental assessment program includes tests of tension, compression, flexibility and impact. The objective is to obtain the necessary mechanical properties for material evaluation. All test equipment is attached to data acquisition systems to record loads, deformations, stresses and strains. For the impact test, data collected includes impact forces, impact time, energy absorption and impact velocity. “Generally, composite materials have much higher strength-to-weight ratio and stiffness-to-weight ratio than steel,” Yuan said. “But compression and bending is not that strong, so you need to customize the design and optimize the material to use the best composite characteristics possible.” So far, the project has focused largely on composites comprised of carbon fiber nanotubes and vapor growth carbon fiber (VGCF) with glass fiber and polyesters. Yuan also is considering using other polymers such as vinyl ester or epoxy and other fibers such as Kevlar. “It’s so difficult to make the optimal combination. You can put a lot of fiber in one specimen, which is not economic, and you can put lots of polymer in there, which may not be very strong. You have to make it lightweight, strong and satisfy economic design. That’s what makes it difficult. That is very challenging,” Yuan said.

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“This research is developing the material for high-strength, lightweight and impact-resistant applications.” The research eventually will make the move from the lab to practical uses in military and construction ventures. The research for the Space Missile Defense Command focuses on nanocomposites. At Auburn University, researchers led by Virginia Davis, assistant professor in the Chemical Engineering Department, produce single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) that serve as one component in the materials being developed. Once the nanotubes arrive at Lamar University, they are combined with a polymer—in this case polyester—to form a strong, lightweight composite material. As the prefix “nano” implies, the nanotubes are small—black circles of carbon-fiber material about 50 millimeters in diameter and less than half a millimeter thick. Nanotubes are turned into nanocomposites when meshed with polymers in the Lamar University laboratory. Then, they are tested in the Green Composite Research Center housed in the Cherry Engineering Building on campus. “Testing is very important in composite materials research. Many times the computation analysis is very limited because of the complication of the materials architecture,” Yuan said. “You make an initial analysis and design, and

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by Larry Acker

T exas is only one of many states responding to a rapidly increasing Hispanic population. Schools across Texas need guidance and resources to provide a quality education for this growing population. Teaching mathematics to students who are marginally proficient in English is especially challenging. The Texas State University System Mathematics for English Language Learners Project (MELL) is a multi-year effort focusing on developing instructional resources designed to increase the effectiveness of mathematics instruction for students who are not proficient in English. This project is a partnership between The Texas State University System (TSUS), its component universities, and the Texas Education Agency. Partnering TSUS institutions are Lamar University, Sam Houston State University, Sul Ross State University and Texas State University-San Marcos. The project identifies common issues associated with teaching mathematics students, develops tools and training for educators focusing on classroom practice frameworks, and develops guidance for policymakers about how to more effectively assist English language learners and teachers in increasing proficiency in mathematics. Resulting resources will be made widely available to all schools and universities in Texas. As products are developed, strong partnerships will be built with other universities, K-12 schools, intermediate service agencies and state agencies to ensure effective and wide-scale distribution. The direct policy rationale for the project is simple: Improved understanding about how to teach mathematics to English language learners will result in improved student achievement. The project is designed to identify the underlying cultural and linguistic components of poor mathematics performance among these students and to develop practical teaching tools that address those issues.

The Lamar University component of the initiative is a joint effort between the departments of mathematics and professional pedagogy and has a primary goal of supporting the design and implementation of professional development strategies to improve mathematics instruction in Texas for English language learners. Such professional development training includes, but is not limited to, in-service training, supportive instructional resources and tools, and implementation of specific professional development programs. In the initial stages of the project, focus was placed primarily on secondary students; however, as the project expanded into its succeeding research year, emphasis was on K-12 English language learners. “The MELL Project has produced and disseminated a number of resources for teachers. They are listed on the MELL project webpage, www.tsusmell.org,” said project coordinator, Sandra Richardson. “The developed products are divided into four categories: instructional resources (resources for current teachers such as a math Spanish/English dictionary, resource guide with a collection of internet links to lesson plans, teaching techniques, etc.), training resources (a series of professional development modules used to provide training to teachers during summer workshops at various ESC in Texas), pre-service resources, and research resources, which include analysis of research on teaching mathematics to ELL students and review of other current professional development modules.“ Researchers mapped existing ELL professional development programs for mathematics teachers to identified training needs and developed an ELL Quick Start Training Module for mathematics teachers. The module improves teacher efficacy, refines teaching strategies and available resources, and improves the academic success of ELL students. The Lamar University Mathematics for English Language Learners (MELL) initiative hosted more than 20 high school and middle school teachers from around the state of Texas and trained them in best practices for instructing students whose native language is not English. This week-long professional development session answered the goal of raising the level of mathematics achievement for Texas teachers of English language learners and is an extension of The Texas State University System MELL initiative to close the prevailing achievement gap in mathematics between the ELL student population and non-ELL student population. The cadre of participating teachers was immersed in best practices for teaching mathematics to their ELL students by experienced consultants, teacher specialists, and university faculty from Georgia, Houston, Dallas, and neighboring areas. The LU MELL initiative met all expenses, along with a stipend and materials scholarship for participating teachers.

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national air quality improvement actions requires a new body of scientific knowledge. In response to this challenge, researchers from universities, state and federal agencies, private industry, and local governments have joined forces to address air quality issues in Texas. The Aldredge Laboratory has expertise in the two most comprehensive air quality models, the EPA Community Multi-scale Air Quality (CMAQ) and Environ Comprehensive Air Quality Model with Extensions (CAMx). Both modeling systems perform 3-D gridded air quality simulations involving meteorology, emission inventory and atmospheric dynamic processes. By developingexpertise in CMAQ/CAMx air quality modeling, the center is able to assimilate field measurements for improvingmodel accuracy.

Failure to meet federal air quality mandates will result in significant public health consequences and hundreds of billions of dollars in lost economic development. Identifying the most effective and efficient approaches to improving air quality requires a sound understanding of the emissions and atmospheric processes that lead to air pollution. Lamar University's Aldredge Air Quality Modeling Laboratory (AAQML) provides science-based tools for understanding atmospheric chemistry and is able to simulate air pollution scenarios for evaluating control implementation to assist federal, state and local governments in managing air quality problems. Decades of air quality research, in Texas and elsewhere, have dramatically improved understanding of the local factors that control air quality in urban areas. Increasingly, however, air quality is influenced by more than just local emissions. Regional, continental and even global factors are now known to have a significant influence on air quality in Texas. Identifying the most effective and efficient balance between local, regional and

Reducing air pollution is one of the most pressing public policy challenges facing Texas.

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by Brian Sattler

Under the leadership of Regents’ Professor Thomas "T.C." Ho, the center has become a nationally recognized participant in air quality modeling. Ho, who joined the Lamar faculty in 1982, has done research in many areas, including waste management, waste incineration, air toxin emission control and coal combustion. He is director of the Gulf Coast Hazardous Substance Research Center at Lamar and holds the Michael E. and Patricia P. Aldredge Endowed Chair in Engineering. A registered professional engineer, Ho holds both a Ph.D. and master's degree in chemical engineering from Kansas State University. His bachelor's degree is from the University of Taiwan. It is perhaps his cutting-edge work in air quality modeling that will most directly affect Texans. That research is not only addressing the air quality challenges in Texas, but also has taken Ho and colleagues around the globe to address China's growing air quality problems as well. Lamar researchers have made several trips to China to conduct workshops and studies to help the country address its complex air quality problems. Lamar’s growing expertise in using CMAQ was evidenced when the software, developed in 1997, was updated in 2006 and included an adjustment variable for mercury based on LU research. Because of its toxic and bioaccumulative properties, mercury has been a pollutant of concern for decades. Emission from coal-fired power plants is a primary source of mercury pollution that may enter aquatic systems, become magnified up the aquatic food chain and ultimately harm animals and humans. Lamar’s state-of-the-art computer models simulate the meteorological conditions and chemical reactions that contribute to the formation of air pollutants such as ground-level ozone, the most prevalent air pollution in Texas and the nation. The computer models help the TCEQ estimate future air quality in Texas communities that have ozone problems and assist agency staff in designing appropriate air-pollution controls. Caused primarily by emissions from internal combustion engines, chemical plants and power plants, ozone is an unstable and highly reactive molecule of three oxygen atoms bound together. Ozone irritates the respiratory system, reduces lung function and aggravates asthma and other chronic lung diseases Computer models predict how air quality in a region will be affected by economic and population growth and by emissions reductions resulting from federal, state and local programs. Like all models of complex physical systems, the models used by the TCEQ have some uncertainties, but EPA recognizes these models as the best tools available for developing plans to achieve clean air goals. The models examine emissions, meteorological and photochemical processes, and their interactions.

The Federal Clean Air Act (FCAA) requires each state to maintain a state implementation plan (SIP) which "provides for implementation, maintenance, and enforcement" of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), for specified air contaminants,including ozone, particulate matter and regional haze. Because some areas in Texas do not comply with the NAAQS for ozone, the state has amended the Texas SIP to include plans for attaining the standards in each of these areas. The FCAA requires most areas that fail to comply with the standards to use photochemical grid models to demonstrate that the standards will be attained by dates specified in the Act. The EPA may also require states to include plans for addressing regional air quality issues (such as regional haze caused by particulate matter) in their SIPs. Texas ozone nonattainment areas are Beaumont-Port Arthur (attainment date 2008), Dallas-Fort Worth (attainment 2010), Houston-Galveston-Brazoria (attainment 2018) and San Antonio (deferred). To address the requirements of the Clean Air Act, TCEQ has made substantial investment in the air quality modeling program at Lamar University, including funds to create a "clean" room to house expanded computer labs and to purchase additional computers to run the highly complex simulations. The Aldredge Laboratory in the College of Engineering at Lamar University is a newly established workspace designated for intensive air quality simulations. Housed in the Cherry Engineering Building, the laboratory has a number of high-performance computing platforms andnetwork-attached storage for the proposed modeling work and data storage/archiving for data sharing. The primary AQML hardware facilities include two DELL PowerEdge Linux clusters with 120 CPUs for parallel computing, one Dell PowerVault rack-mount NAS server for storage management, one Sun L-9 tape autoloader for data backup and archiving, 4 PCs for document preparation and data analysis, and two high-speed, network-attached color LaserJet printers. The AQML software capabilities include dynamic meteorological simulations (MM5), emission inventory processing (SMOKE and EPS-2) and a number of first-principle chemical transport models, including the USEPA Community Multi-Scale Air Quality Modeling (CMAQ) system, Comprehensive Air-quality Models with Extension (CAMx) and the Sulfur Transport Eulerian Model (STEM). There are also a number of utility programs to support the data I/O and conversion, as well as the software to conduct statistical treatment and data visualization. Directing the center are five Lamar faculty members , supported by two research associates and as many as eight students working in the laboratory.

11

T. C. Ho

Hsing-Wei Chu

Jerry Lin

Through this grant, Lamar University seeks to continue the program, which has four related objectives: 1) increase the numbers of Hispanic teachers of the deaf; 2) train teachers to meet the unique needs of Hispanic-deaf students, including those who are immigrants; 3) increase the quantity and quality of teachers of deaf students; and 4) create, develop and produce a "Teachers & Parents Guide" of teaching practices for Hispanic deaf students, including immigrants (print and CD-ROM versions). In setting the goals for the grant there was an initial cohort of 30 Lamar students in a cohort program to participate in a two-year program. The department developed training DVDs in addition to the recruitment and training of prospective teachers. Innovative features include an emphasis on the role of the Hispanic teacher working with Hispanic-deaf children; a focus on parent counseling and training in homes where Spanish is the primary language; the infusion of Hispanic and immigrant culture into the K-12 curriculum for the deaf; the development of teaching methods to match the cultural learning styles of Hispanic-deaf children; the construction of instructional materials that are culturally sensitive including CD-ROM reading lessons; and providing workshops related to the needs of Hispanic-deaf children via distance learning. The successful implementation of the program has had a positive impact in Texas, where 18 percent of the deaf school children are of Hispanic origin but less than eight percent of their teachers are Spanish-surnamed. The capacity of the institution to continue this project and meet established goals is exceptional.

he Communication Disorders Program at Lamar University received a five-year grant funded at approximately $300,000 annually and initially awarded in 2004 from the Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services. The grant addresses preparation of special education personnel to serve infants, toddlers, and children with low-incidence disabilities and preparation of personnel in minority institutions. The focus of the grant is to increase the number of teachers working with Hispanic deaf students. The majority of the funding has been used in recruiting and scholarships to attract and train students who are interested in teaching and working with Hispanic deaf students upon graduation. The mission of the Lamar University Speech and Hearing Sciences Department is to teach American Sign Language literacy while incorporating understanding of the home culture and how to relate to parents and children who are from a different culture yet who are also dealing with deafness. Lamar University is a state-supported institution with an enrollment of 11,000, of which 26 percent are minority students. Previously funded projects (1988-92 and 1993-97) have been very successful in recruiting and training Hispanic graduate students for careers in deaf education. Since 1989, approximately 40 percent of deaf education graduates have been from minority groups. To date, Lamar has trained 23 Hispanic teachers who now teach Hispanic-deaf children. The deaf education program is culturally diverse and has successfully recruited deaf, minority (partially Hispanic), and minority-deaf faculty and university students at the master’s and doctoral levels.

12

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by Larry Acker

Maxim Sukhodolets, assistant professor of chemistry at Lamar University, is researching a recently discovered protein, a component of the E. coli bacteria, known as RapA. In mutated form, the protein has been linked to several types of cancer of the brain and soft tissues,mainly in children.

Sukhodolets pursues the research in molecular biology at Lamar with support of an Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) Grantby the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

“It is a hardcore basic research project in molecular biology-meets-genetics-meets biochemistry,” Sukhodolets said.“The work in the field of prokaryotic transcription is a study of the relatively recently discovered protein RapA, a novel componentof the transcriptional apparatus in the Escherichia coli bacterium.”

“The study of RapA is important because the mutations in its human homologs (genes separated by the event of genetic duplication) have been conclusively linked to several—predominantly pediatric—typesof cancer of the brain and soft tissue,” Sukhodolets said.

Sukhodolets has published several scientific papers on discoveries related to the role and behavior of RapA with colleagues at the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health. His research at Lamar seeks to extend this knowledge. Research associate Lin Zhang and additional students were recruited this past summer.

A Lamar faculty member since 2004, Sukhodolets teaches two undergraduate biochemistry courses and an advancedgraduate-level biochemistry course.He holds a Ph.D. in biochemistryfrom Moscow State University anddid post-doctoral work at the Laboratory of MolecularBiology at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Md.

The $186,000 grant was issuedby the National Institute ofGeneral Medical Sciences (NIGMS),a component of the NationalInstitutes of Health. The NIGMSserves to support biomedicalresearch that contributes tofundamental cellular andphysiological principles.

13

by Brian Sattler

1. CATLAB 2. DiscoverXRD 3. Saturn2200 4. EndeavorXRD 5. Pioneer 6. SEMS3400

6

4 5

21

3

The recently developed Materials Instrumentation Center is one of ten centers within the umbrella organization Texas Center for Technology Incubation at Lamar University. This new endeavor supports the research activities of the faculty of Lamar University by providing sophisticated and reliable, state-of-the-art instrumentation. The center is also available to assist business ventures in solving sophisticated scientific problems as well as support for the research activities at other universities. Instruments in the Materials Instrumentation Center can also provide emergency back-up to strategic industry partners of Lamar University. The center provides a streamlined process for accessing our modern research instrumentation. Our experienced staff provides expertise in the application and interpretation of results, education and training for graduate and undergraduate students,and a focus on advancing the science of instrumentation technology to improve the research capabilities of Lamar University. The Materials Instrumentation Center houses a wide array of sophisticated instrumentation currently valued at nearly $1.5 million. The center provides five major types of instrumental approaches to analyses and materials study including catalyst performance testing and high resolution visualization. These are X-Ray Analysis; Surface Analysis; Material Characterization; Electrochemical Analysis; and Mass Spectrometry. With new additions planned for 2008, the center represents a major investment by Lamar University in becoming a premier research institution and providing valuable support for our research partners. More information about how the center’s facilities and resources may be of assistance is available by calling Andrew Gomes, manager and research professor, (409) 880-7974 office, (409) 466-1697 cell.

Our labcan be

your lab

Resources for industry partners

Andrew Gomes

17

o many students, "math" is a four-letter word that evokes mental anguish. The same goes for the term "nerd." But mathematicians (and nerds) from Lamar University are changing that misconception. They’ve created MathNerds Mentoring Networks—an on-line tutoring program that aims to improve the math achievement levels of students from elementary through high school while it provides hands-on experience for university students who plan to become teachers. MathNerds Inc. is a non-profit corporation dedicated to supporting inquiry-based learning in mathematics and co-founded by W. Ted Mahavier, associate professor of mathematics at Lamar. In a Texas State University System initiative supported by Vice-Chancellor Kenneth Craycraft, MathNerds partnered with Lamar

and Texas State University to secure $349,500 in funding to create mathematics mentoring networks throughout the state. The Meadows Foundation granted $247,000, and the Texas Education Agency provided a match of $102,500. The funding supports faculty release time, programming and networks at Lamar; faculty release time and networks at Texas State University; and assessment consultants at Texas A&M University and James Madison University. The networks link public school students who have math questions to university students taking math or math education courses. The public school students benefit by having an additional resource for math help. The future teachers benefit by interacting with students at the curricular level that they will eventually teach.18

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Paul Dawkins, left, Kyehong Kang, center, and Ted Mahavier

by Cathleen Cole

Since inception, 24 networks have been implemented with Texas elementary, middle school and high school math classes working with university classes at Lamar, Texas State, Austin Peay State University in Tennessee and James Madison University in Virginia. While the Meadows Foundation specifically funds projects to benefit Texans, Mahavier’s colleagues at Peay State and James Madison wanted to join the networks, so they connected their courses to Texas public school classes. Mahavier and co-founder, Valerio De Angelis, associate professor of mathematics at Xavier University, created the free math-help website mathnerds.com in 1996 while at Nicholls State University because they wanted to help more students through the Internet. "We named it MathNerds because we felt calling someone a math nerd is no longer a derogatory statement. It's a compliment," Mahavier said. "More people realize how important math is to our technology-driven society. Nerds invented that technology, so nerds are cool." MathNerds supports inquiry-based learning in mathematics through hundreds of volunteers who give direction and hints but never the answers to the problems. Volunteer Jason Montgomery, a mathematics graduate student at Lamar, said he likes the inquiry-based method because students leave the class with a stronger understanding of the subject and it teaches them to think for themselves. "To put it plainly," he said. "I'd rather education turn out people who can produce original thought as opposed to pattern-solvers who learn by playing follow the leader." And now MathNerds has added the mentoring networks to its list of free resources that help students. Here’s how it works. First, a university math education professor or university math professor identifies one or more university classes that he or she wants to join the network. Once the university classes are on board, one or more public school classes are added. So the team consists of a university math professor or a university math education professor, a public school

“The key is to make the process simple and seamless for the university professor and the school teacher by having down-loadable materials, sample consent forms, on-line registration for their students, and an on-line learning community that allows ease of communication between all partners in the project." Kang stressed that, beyond all the technology, it is the partnership between the people that helps the younger school kids the most in learning math. In the first year, MathNerds team members trained 259 university students, including education majors, math majors, mathematics club members and mathgraduate students, to answer questions using inquiry-based strategies. They trained 236 teachers and 806 students in the Texas public school system to use the website with 461 students submitting questions through the network. The MathNerds team encourages professors and their students to visit the public school students they are helping. "We have found that this personal contact helps to increase participation by the university students as well as introducing the younger students to the local universities," Mahavier said. Since the project is only in its second year, assessment team members Laurie Cavey of James Madison University, Alex White of Texas State and Gerald Kulm of Texas A&M are still collecting data, but anecdotal research indicates the networks are helping. For Priscilla Riojas, a senior majoring in interdisciplinary studies at Texas State University, the network helps her send a message. "My hope is to convey that I am a student who struggles just like they do," she said. She works with students from McAllen, where about 80 percent of the population is Hispanic and many of the children are considered "at risk" of not completing their education. "The network is providing them with another opportunity to succeed in their academic endeavors," she said. Will the math mentoring networks expand to help struggling students and train future teachers at a national level? The MathNerds are counting on it.

teacher, the university students and the public school students. Once the people are in place, the network is set up. Any combination of the public school classes may be routed to any combination of the university classes, although they typically strive to maintain a one-on-one relationship linking one public school with one university. All university students and public school students receive a user name and password enabling them to access the MathNerds website. Public school students submit questions through online forms. These questions are routed to the university students who have agreed to respond to questions in that category and who have not met their weekly quota. Through online profiles, university students can control the number of questions they receive per week. University students have no obligation to MathNerds to respond to the questions, but their university professors may make it a course requirement. Questions remaining unanswered in a university student's queue for more than two days are moved to a general queue, where another university student can reply. The university students follow MathNerds’ inquiry-based guidelines to address the public school students' queries. These exchanges are monitored by the public school teachers and the university professors. "Rather than providing answers, the university students are trained to empower the younger ones with the ability to solve their own problems," Mahavier said. Of course, the networks wouldn’t exist without the complex programming it takes to make them work. That’s where Paul Dawkins and Kyehong Kang, both assistant mathematics professors at Lamar, come in. Dawkins is lead programmer at MathNerds. Kang joined as a programmer for the networks and also researches on-line education to learn what works best. "Our goal is an automated system where partnerships between universities and K-through-12 schools can be created on-line and without the labor-intensive process that we currently use," Kang said.

19

Professors in the College of Business at Lamar University have shared their research expertise with colleagues around the globe in published journal articles, case studies and books; however, the biggest beneficiaries of the results of this exhaustive research are the students in their classrooms. Pursuing research and translating it into classroom teaching both are critical parts of the job for Lamar faculty members. In the College of Business, professors Larry Allen, Frank Cavaliere and Purnendu Mandal are among those who accomplish the dual roles with aplomb.

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by Beth Gallaspy

Larry Allen Frank Cavaliere Purnendu Mandal

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llen, a faculty member since 1979, focuses his research on global economics and finance. In the past decade, he has published two books: Global Financial Systems from 1750 to 2000 in 2001 and The Global Economic System Since 1945 in 2004. The former has been translated into Turkish and Italian. Knowledge of the global marketplace is becoming increasingly important for Lamar students, who are more likely today than ever before to encounter global issues during their careers. A century ago, only large companies were involved in significant international trade and international banking was handled almost exclusively by large, East Coast financial institutions, Allen said. That is no longer is the case. “Nowadays, I wouldn’t be surprised if a bank in Silsbee doesn’t make a loan to a company in Latin America,” Allen said. “Because of computer networking and telecommunications, banks everywhere get involved in some international lending, particularly if there’s a foreign company doing business with a local company.” In the classroom, Allen helps to prepare his students for a changing world by sharing the global perspective he has gained through his research. Cavaliere, university professor of business law, has two areas of expertise: employment law and the use of technology. His years of research and publishing on the subject have helped him develop an undergraduate employment law class that he believes surpasses the academic rigor of a similarclass he took in law school. On the technology side, an article Cavaliere wrote for Practical Lawyer magazine in the mid-1990s on how lawyers could use the Internet led to a bimonthly column for the magazine on using technology. He has written the column six times a year for more than a decade. Cavaliere also has collaborated with Mandal, chairman and professor in the information systems and analysis department, in research on the legal situations companies can face because of the use or misuse of electronic information.

Their first article together explored the legal implications for companies regarding the use of e-mail. They are completing work on a second article “about the importance and the growing awareness, (and) the legal and ethical implications of metadata, which is the information that’s automatically generated behind the scenes (by computers) when you write a document and share it and get comments,” Cavaliere said. Increasingly, metadata is being requested during the discovery phase of lawsuits, which can create liability for companies as earlier drafts of and comments about documents are made public. Mandal said he and Cavaliere both are interested in the ramifications for companies if they do not store and use information properly. Along with his research on the use and misuse of electronic communications and information, Mandal has an extensive research background and publishing record on enterprise resource planning, or ERP. His expertise includes SAP (Systems Applications and Products in Data Processing), which is the dominant software used by many Fortune 500 companies to implement ERP. In 2003, he published a frequently cited case study on implementing ERP. His research and expertise paid off for Lamar when the campus became part of the SAP University Alliance, a network of about 100 universities with programs to introduce students to this critical business software. Due to Mandal’s work, all LU College of Business students now are exposed to SAP in at least two courses. SAP is taught in five Lamar classes overall with plans to develop more coursework incorporating the software. SAP can increase a company’s competitiveness and efficiency by integrating all operations electronically, Mandal explained. “It really brings some new ideas to the students,” he said. “They can now see how all the functional areas are related.” Knowledge of SAP also gives Lamar students an advantage when they get ready to enter the working world. Already the additional instruction is attracting new recruiters to Lamar. “A student with SAP

knowledge will earn at least $5,000 more in a first-year entry-level job than a student who does not have it,” Mandal said. “Industry is really looking for this. It’s a real skill.” Without a doubt, the research pursuits of Lamar professors add to the classroom experience for students. Their research, however, begins for different reasons. “If you want to be a good faculty member, you have to be intellectually curious,” Cavaliere said. “The research isn’t something you just do because you’re told to do it. You do it because you’re genuinely interested and you want to advance the cause of learning.” The endeavors have the added benefit of helping the professors become better teachers and, in some cases, impressing students. Students are able to see that their professors are not just passing along knowledge from a textbook but sharing what they have learned from first-hand research that they also have published in journals recognized by their peers. Because information gathered through a professor’s research is more recent than that included in a textbook, students also get a more up-to-date perspective. “It brings currency into the class(room),” Mandal said. When a professor’s lectures are drawn from his own published research, “whatever the professor says has some credibility,” Mandal said. The background information gathered from independent research allows the professors to critique textbooks and go beyond what they offer. "Textbooks present a kind of predigested version of a subject, which is intended to put the subject forward in a form that is understandable to as many people as possible,” Allen said."A lot of times it helps to have a bit of background material about where ideas and theories originated. It helps remove some of the mystique of a subject that causes less confident students to overestimate its difficulty." Perhaps the greatest benefit comes from the example the professors set for their students. With their research, they prove that the quest for knowledge never stops.

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Bernard Harris

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Brian

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SPARKINGANINTERESTINSCIENCE

cience, mathematics and engineering are critical to society’s infrastructure for the 21st century. Preserving that future requires an investment in our youth today. The ExxonMobil Bernard Harris Summer Science Camp (BHSSC) is a free, academic program of The Harris Foundation. The foundation takes an active role in shaping the educational career of students in middle and high school through college. The camp program was developed as a collaborative effort of the Harris Foundation, the Houston Independent School District, the University of Houston (UH) and Southwestern Oklahoma State University (SWOSU). It is designed to support economically and/or socially disadvantaged students who have limited opportunities. In 2007, The Harris Foundation teamed with the ExxonMobil Foundation to increase the impact and expand the reach of the program to 20 university campuses across the United States. The Lamar University Bernard Harris Summer Science Camp accommodates 48 incoming sixth, seventh and eighth grade underrepresented high-potential students. They live in the Cardinal Village housing complex on the Lamar University campus during the two-week residential summer camp. Camp sessions comprise formal science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses and weekly field experiences. Students are also engaged in recreational activities. The classroom lessons are team-taught by Lamar University and school district teachers. Instructors work in classrooms and science labs and plan field experiences such as trips to botanical gardens for life science hands-on, real-world lab lessons and a national wildlife preserve where students learn about ecology and the environment. Camp students are trained in research techniques, study skills and writing skills. Special hands-on, real-world lab research projects are introduced to students with emphasis on the scientific method used by

scientists and to current technology skills. In addition, students learn to present research results by creating and using PowerPoint presentations. Students and parents participate in career education workshops. Students attend a workshop entitled “How to Plan Your Career,” and parents attend a workshop entitled “How to Plan Academically and Financially for Your Child’s Career: In College and for the Workforce.” The science camp is an educational endeavor designed to identify underrepresented, high-potential students to enhance participant proficiency in science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills; increase underrepresented participant ability to successfully complete university and college programs in those disciplines, increase the career workforce with underrepresented students who have been groomed to select science career choices, enhance contact with mentors in these fields and enhance parent involvement in their children’s education. The camp serves underrepresented students who have been identified as high-potential candidates who have a desire to enter college and are interested in STEM careers. The program seeks to provide a learning environment that will enhance and enrich skill learning and stimulate the desire to set goals toward careers and college enrollment. BHSSC provides an environment of child-centered, hands-on, inquiry-based, best practice activities taught by university faculty and secondary teachers providing technology classes in PowerPoint, programming and website development. Parents have the opportunity to become partners in their child’s education as volunteers for the program with University staff serving as mentors for participating students. The Lamar University BHSSC also provides a follow-up system that will track students’ progress throughout their educational process.

23

S

by Larry Acker

“Deaf Art expresses the

values of the Deaf culture:

the beauty of sign

language and its

oppression, the joys of

deaf bonding,

communication

breakdowns, the

discovery of language,

community, and the

history of deaf people.”

—Brenda Schertz,

nationally known art

curator and educator

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by Amanda Rowell

Jean Andrews and Lynne LokensgardJean Andrews and Lynne Lokensgard

Brian

Sat

tler

25

unique opportunity to learn the artist’s perspective about being a Deaf individual using visual art to communicate. As the third component, DVD production will add long-term educational benefit to the program. “We videotaped the panel discussion and our artists talkedabout their work in interviews with us,” Andrews said.The resulting DVD produced by graduate students in artand in deaf education will be distributed to the 60 schools for the deaf nationwide free of charge and to an additional 1,000 mainstream programs in Texas for their art education curriculum. The multimedia product will document the events through ASL movies, animation, graphics, captioning in English, digital photographs, graphics and English text.A documentary of the art exhibits and dialogues withDeaf artists and deaf students that take place duringthis project will be created and also disseminated freeof charge to the schools for the deaf throughout thecountry. An American Sign Language and English DVDwith audio and captioning of Schertz providing

an introduction to the Deaf artists and their work willbe included. A website for teachers and students will be created for the sharing of artwork, and a teacher’s guide will be available to assist teachers in replicating the project. “Today more than 80 percent of deaf children are educated in public school where they may not get the opportunity to learn about their Deaf culture until they are older and go into the adult Deaf community. Our DVD will introduce them to new ideas of Deaf identity, Deaf pride and the celebration of their identity as bilingual learners of sign language and of English through the Deaf artists’ exhibition,” said Andrews, who is a researcher in reading for deaf children. Andrews said the date for completion of the technological portion of the project was August 2008. Writing a Lamar Research Enhancement Grant, Lokensgard received more funding for the DVD portion of the project. Russ Schultz, dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communication, provided matching funds for the NEA grant.

month-long exhibition at Lamar University was both a culmination and a beginning for the NEA-funded Deaf Artists in the Community and Schools project, which delves deeply into the culture, inspiration and drive behind the artists who create. The Dishman Art Museum at Lamar was home to more than 40 works of art by eight Deaf artists from around the country. The artists convened at the Dishman on opening night for a panel discussion led by Brenda Schertz, a professor of Deaf Studies at the University of Southern Maine who has curated five national Deaf artists exhibits. Joining her was Deborah Sonnenstrahl Meranski, nationally known teacher, historian, author and presenter, and the artists who focused on how they have evolved as artists over the past decade and how their being Deaf inspires their work. “Artists typically work in isolation. This exhibit provides a forum for Deaf artists to discuss their work with each other as well as discuss Deaf art with an audience from the university and local community, including the Deaf

community,” said Jean Andrews, professor of Deaf studiesand Deaf education. “It also involves K-16 students—both Deaf and hearing—viewing the work.” Five years ago, Andrews and Lynne Lokensgard, professor of art history and director of the Dishman Art Museum, began the early stages of planning for an exhibit that had yet to be fully formed in their minds. Knowing they would need funding for such an exhibit, they began applying for National Endowment for the Arts grants in 2005 and were turned down twice. Revising and re-revising the grant proposal, their efforts were rewarded when the NEA grant was announced in 2007. “We were very thrilled to be recipients of this grant. It will benefit the Deaf artists themselves as well as our Beaumont, Houston and Austin communities,” said Andrews. The panel discussion is one of three components of the Deaf Artists in the Community and Schools project. Added to the exchange is “the obvious combination of three languages,” Lokensgard said. “English, American Sign Language and art—what a great combination.” The second component of the project allows artists to make presentations about their work, giving the audience a

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“Lamar University contributed a significant amount of matching,” Andrews said. The Department of Art and the Department of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education at Lamar University also contributed funding for the exhibition. The exhibition traveled to Austin’s Texas School for the Deaf for display April 21 to May 9. Austin has a large deaf community and more than 500 deaf students in area schools. Lamar picked up another partner along the way. VSArts, an internationally known nonprofit organization dedicated to providing art experiences for disabled persons sponsored three workshops by deaf artists. The deaf artists worked with deaf children and youth at the Texas School for the Deaf during the same time of the Austin exhibition. “There are many people in the community who are deaf,” Lokensgard said. “This project focused on them to help them feel integrated into the community.” The Deaf Artists in the Community and Schools Project wreached more than 1,600 students and deaf and hearing citizens in Southeast Texas and metropolitan Houston, according to Lokensgard and Andrews. “Our DVD documentary will have the potential of impacting 4,000 deaf students in Texas and an additional 80,000 in the nation,” they said. “All programs will be accessible to deaf and hard-of- hearing audiences through use of sign language interpreters.” Following the exhibition, Andrews and Lokensgard hope to do some professional writing on the Deaf art exhibit and its value to deaf children. Andrews has been a teacher of reading for deaf students and has prepared deaf teachers and educational researchers in deaf education since 1983. She is director of graduate programs in deaf education at Lamar University and has co-authored two books on psychology and Deaf people, published more than 35 articles in peer-reviewed journals and made more than 40 presentations at conferences related to language and literacy and deaf education teacher-training issues. Having authored five children’s books, she has also published 10 CD-ROMS that present reading materials to deaf students in multimedia formats in ASL, Spanish andEnglish. She has co-authored and managed more than $11 million in Department of Education grants to support deaf teachers and doctoral level leaders and has secured funding to create multimedia technology literacy materials for deaf students. Lokensgard is a professor of art history and director of the Dishman Art Gallery at Lamar. She has taught numerous courses on art of all types and was instrumental in adding a museum studies specialization to the graduate curriculum at the university. She has served on art juries and curated more than 20 shows and exhibitions. A writer specializing in the arts, she has written an introductory chapter to a philosophy textbook and numerous other art-related writings such as biographical

entries for artists, catalogue descriptions, art reviews for magazines, journals and exhibition brochures. Having directed panel discussions on art, she also has served onstate and local art boards in Southeast Texas. She has written and managed grants from the Southeast Texas Arts Council, the private sector and from Lamar University. Deborah Sonnenstrahl Meranksi has taught at Gallaudet University and was the art department chair for six years. She has lent her expertise to several museums as a consultant on accessibility advisory committees. Her work has resulted in increased accessibility for deaf museum visitors and led to the higher placement of deaf museum interns nationwide. She has authored the only scholarly textbook on deaf art, titled “Deaf Artists from Colonial to Contemporary Times,” published by Dawn Sign Press. She is an ongoing consultant, advisor, panelist, judge and speaker for the Smithsonian Institute, the International Center on Deafness Art Festival, the American Association of Museums and numerous other museum organizations. Brenda Schertz is a nationally known art curator, art educator and museum accessibility consultant from the University of Southern Maine. She attended classes at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf then went on to earn her B.F.A. degree in graphic design from the Institute of Art in Boston. Since 1993, she has curated five Deaf artist exhibitions. In addition to making more than 40 presentations on Deaf art and Deaf culture at universities, conferences and at workshops for teachers and interpreters, she has served on numerous art panels, has been involved in television and video production and has published two articles on Deaf art. After five years of planning, the pieces of the puzzle are falling into place. Selected artists included Ann Silver of Seattle, Wash.; Randy Garber, Newton Center, Mass.;Susan Dupor, Lake Geneva, Wis.; Chuck Baird, Bee Cave, Texas; Tony McGregor, Austin, Texas; Uzi Buzgalo, Superior, Colo.; Paul Johnston, Laurel, Md., and Alex Wilhite of Houston, Texas. “The hearing community will see that there are very talented individuals who create art that is of high quality,” Lokensgard said. “It will not be obvious that the artists who create these works are deaf, and that knowledge will encourage people to appreciate the talents of deaf individuals.” “Undergraduate and graduate students in ASL studies, deaf education and art as well as other majors will benefit from this art exhibit. It presents how the Deaf culture is expressed through the visual arts,” said Andrews. “Deaf artists too will benefit from the opportunity to come together face to face to discuss their ideas and visions.” “It’s a wonderful opportunity to expand our deaf studies program here at Lamar to the benefit of our students,” Andrews said. “We think the Deaf Artists exhibit truly enriches and expands the learning experiences of deaf, hard of hearing and hearing children, youth and adults.”

“Today more than 80 percent

of deaf children are educated

in public school where they

may not get the opportunity

to learn about their Deaf

culture until they are older

and go into the adult Deaf

community. Our DVD will

introduce them to new ideas

of Deaf identity, Deaf pride

and the celebration of their

identity as bilingual learners

of sign language and of

English through the Deaf

artists’ exhibition.”

—Jean Andrews

26

LAMAR UNIVERSITYLAMAR UNIVERSITY

Member of �e Texas State University System

Office of Research andSponsored Programs Administration

Chercher (to search), 2004, Susan Dupor, oil on canvas, 30" x 40"