The topic is a familiar one for first-day-of-school essays and get-acquainted exercises for generations of students: “How I Spent My Summer Vacation.”
When the question was posed recently to William Jewell College faculty, the responses were fascinating and wide-ranging. Over the summer months, Jewell faculty members were actively engaged in the larger community, both at home and abroad.
“Since our new Applied Critical Thought and Inquiry major encourages students to be active members of the community beyond the campus, I think it’s appropriate that our faculty members are setting an example with their scholarship and engagement beyond the Hill,” said Dr. David Sallee, president of William Jewell College. “Our faculty are following a path of lifelong learning that enriches their disciplines and informs their teaching in the classroom, and that in turn inspires their students to follow a similar path.”
Points of contact for William Jewell faculty members conducting summer research included China, Africa and the Middle East, in addition to numerous examples of equally important works involving more traditional forms of rigorous individual scholarship. Following is a brief summary of some representative examples of faculty engagement during the summer of 2007. |
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Research and Writing
 Dr. Paul Klawinski, associate professor of biology, concluded a busy sabbatical year with a summer that included study in Puerto Rico with Mack Malloch of Western Washington University and Jewell student Christina Morris. Their primary work focused on gathering another year of data on elevational distributions of spiders in the Luquillo Mountains and how they change after hurricane disturbance.
“During the course of collecting spiders to monitor how animal species respond to hurricane disturbance, my students and I came across a number of spiders that we could not identify,” Dr. Klawinski said. “These turned out to be new to science, in spite of the fact that Puerto Rico has been fairly well studied. The process of describing a new species is long and complex and few people outside the field of taxonomy are aware of what is involved.
 “The three species that Jennifer Haggerty (class of 2007) and I are currently working on describing are in the family Ochyroceratidae and the genus Ochyrocera. These species are small (less than 4 mm in length) and weave small tangle webs in leaf litter or on tree trunks in the Luquillo Mountains of eastern Puerto Rico. We propose to name them Ochyrocera magnirostra, Ochyrocera amethystina and Ochyrocera enesefa. The first two are named after aspects of their morphology and the third is a patronym consisting of a phonetic spelling of the initials of the National Science Foundation which funded this research.”
Dr. Klawinski also presented a paper in July entitled “Parsimony Analysis of Spider Distributions in the Caribbean Archipelago” at the Association for Tropical Biology held in Morelia, Michaocan, Mexico.
Dr. Jason Morrill, assistant professor of chemistry, was involved in collaboration with scientists in the Energetic Materials Team of the United States Army Research Laboratories (ARL) to investigate impact sensitive high energy materials. The project was funded by the Army Research Office Scientific Services Program. His research is directed at developing a mathematical tool that can predict how readily high energy materials, commonly referred to as explosives, will detonate when struck by a hard impact. He presented his research at Army Research Labs in Maryland in July and the presentation led to collaborations on two other projects. The work done this summer will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal this fall.
Dr. Beth Sperry, professor of philosophy, spent part of the summer working on a paper concerning the intersection of two key problems in philosophy: relational autonomy and moral luck.
“Relational autonomy is a fairly recent field of inquiry, in which philosophers (most of them feminists) suggest that one becomes an independent and self-directed adult through one’s dependence on relations with others,” Dr. Sperry said. “Moral luck is the idea that one’s moral standing is distressingly subject to factors outside one’s control: e.g., imagine two equally negligent drivers, only one of whom has the bad luck to be startled by a small child in front of her vehicle. Both drivers are guilty of negligence, but only one of them becomes guilty of manslaughter. My paper brings these analyses together in order to examine the ways in which our autonomy is subject to luck in the relationships by which we find ourselves being shaped.”
Dr. Martha Baird, assistant professor of nursing, set up a research project this summer for her dissertation for a Ph.D. in nursing with an emphasis in Transcultural Nursing through the University of Arizona in Tucson. Her project is a qualitative study using ethnographic methods to explore the resettlement experiences of a group of Sudanese refugee women from the Dinka tribe of southern Sudan who have been resettled with children to Kansas City from refugee camps. She is focusing on influences to their well-being during the resettlement experience. She hopes to start interviewing Dinka women this fall.
Dr. Brad Chance, professor of religion, spent the summer working on a draft of “People of God: A Biblical Perspective.” He has completed the first six chapters, which progresses through the Old Testament. He plans to work on the New Testament chapters throughout the fall semester, employing students in his Biblical Studies seminar as research assistants.
Dr. Pat Schoenrade, professor of psychology, presented a paper in July at the Annual Vision Conference of the International Institute for Christian Studies in Kansas City. The paper, entitled “Religious Doubt: Faith-Shaping Tool or Instrument of Destruction,” was co-authored by Dr. C. Ray Owens, professor of psychology and chair.
Dr. Kim Harris, professor of communication and director of the William Jewell College Theatre, spent the summer writing the first two of a cycle of five plays based on Icelandic Sagas and exploring the question of why humans fight and go to war. His research in Iceland in the spring of 2004 was part of the preparation for this writing project. These two plays will premiere in the spring of 2008, with a tentative completion and production of the other three plays by fall of 2008.
Dr. Thomas Howell, professor of history and chair, researched and wrote two articles. One article, written for the Red River Heritage Association, is entitled “The Colfax Battle: Riot or Massacre?” The article concerns one of the best known incidents during the Reconstruction period in America, a conflict on Easter Sunday in 1873 in Colfax, Louisiana, that resulted in the death of 150-200 people, mostly black.
“In early histories written from the southern white point of view, it was referred to as a ‘riot,’” Dr. Howell said. “After the Civil Rights revolution in the U.S., it often came to be termed a ‘massacre.’ I argue that neither description is entirely accurate but that the event fits the definition of a ‘battle.’”
A second article to be submitted to peer review journals is “Finding the Line: Reconstruction, the Origin of Grant Parish, and the Dispute over the Boundary.” This article focuses on a study of how historical research into the atmosphere and events of 1868-1869 was a decisive factor in deciding an extensive court case over a bitterly contested boundary line fought out from 1999-2004.
 Nathan Wyman, associate professor of communication, spent the summer researching theater safety initiatives and writing up a set of documents to distribute to all students involved with theater this year.
 “There are several new policies and procedures that will be set in place to help us prevent accidents and keep our students healthy and safe while they do their creative work on campus,” Wyman said. Some of these include mandatory training and certification on all power tools used in the shop; mandatory use of personal protection equipment such as ear, eye and skin protection when needed; incident report forms to be kept on file; and emergency evacuation practice at a random rehearsal. The research included production of safety manuals, posters, reports and other documentation. Wyman conducted his research by internet, book and journal readings, and interviews with staff from other college and university theatre programs.
Dr. Kathleen Tacelosky, professor of Spanish and chair, wrote an article called “Service-Learning as a Way to Authentic Dialogue in Foreign Language Instruction” that is currently being reviewed by a journal called Foreign Language Annals. She also began a new research project that examines the language of Starbucks and accompanied students to Mexico for study at the University of Guadalajara.
Dr. Nelda Godfrey, professor of nursing and chair, has been working with Dr. Bernadette Dierckx de Casterle, a professor at the Center for Health Services and Nursing Research, University of Leuven, Belgium, to prepare a manuscript for publication that is a meta-analysis of 10 empirical studies examining nurses’ ethical reasoning and ethical behavior. This is an extension of Dr. Godfrey’s doctoral work on character and ethical behavior of nurses, which included Dr. Dierckx de Casterle’s Kohlberg-based Ethical Behavior Test (EBT). Her dissertation work marked the first time the instrument was used with American subjects.
Dr. Michael Cook, professor of economics, rewrote a paper presented at an economics meeting in 2003 and submitted that revised paper for publication. The paper is entitled “The Effects of Supplemental Instruction in a Principles of Macroeconomics Course.” He has also been working with Joel Bryce ’07 from the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City on a paper constructing a model of a particular type of micro-credit firm and then examining the corresponding micro-credit market. They will present a draft of this paper at the Missouri Valley Economic Association meetings in October.
Dr. Kevin Prine, professor of business administration and chair of the department of business and leadership, finalized a paper for publication and presentation at the September conference in Bangkok of the Southeast Asian Association of Institutional Research. The title of his paper is “Sustainability through the Successful Development of Alternative Revenue Streams.” While in Asia, Dr. Prine also met with representatives from Hong Kong Baptist University to explore further development of existing partnership opportunities.
Dr. Robert Troutwine, professor of psychology, participated in a “brain exchange” with the Los Angeles Angels baseball team to explore player profile and development approaches employed by the National Football League and Major League Baseball. The discussion ranged from scouting players and organizational structure of the scouting department to how to structure contracts and sign free agents. He also participated in psychological testing exercises with the Navy SEALs.
“My mission with the SEALs is to help the Navy determine candidates that can successfully complete training,” Dr. Troutwine said. “Currently only 35% make it through Hell Week. In task one of this mission, I tested a team of current SEALs who just returned from combat in Iraq. This provided baseline information. In task two, we tested class members at the beginning of their training and then observed who successfully made it through. Once the Navy gives me the outcome information, I will conduct research on the results and build a prediction model. Preliminary analyses have been promising, and I was told that the entire combat community and the Secretary of the Navy are aware of this project and are very excited about it.”
Presentations
Dr. Suzanne Hatcher, assistant professor of music and director of vocal studies, gave a presentation at the Festival 500 International Symposium of Singing held at the end of June in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada. The multi-media presentation explained the process Hatcher went through to transcribe a choral work originally written for four soloists with significant electronic effects, entitled “Hymnodic Delays,” into a work for 16 solo unaccompanied voices. The original composition, by Ingram Marshall of Yale University, utilizes early American hymn tunes as the melodic basis, with the electronic effects including echoes, reverberation and pitch-bending. The “new version” of the work received its premiere in September 2006 as part of a series of South Florida concerts by the professional chamber choir Seraphic Fire, and had received a great deal of press. Hatcher recently completed another revision of the work, this time for only 12 voices, to be used by Seraphic Fire during a Northeast U.S. tour in the spring of 2008.
Dr. Elaine Reynolds, professor of history, enjoyed a three-week visit to England and France in July. She presented her paper, “Paving and Public Order in Eighteenth-Century London,” at a conference on urban living in eighteenth and nineteenth-century England at the University of Northampton, England in the first week of July. The next week, she traveled to Paris to meet her French colleagues, Professor Vincent Denis of the Sorbonne, University of Paris and Professor Catherine Denys of the University of Lille. Dr. Reynolds is contributing an essay to a collection that will be published in France, edited by these two scholars of French police history. Dr. Reynolds’ contribution examines the published draft of the Westminster Night Watch Act of 1774, written by Sir Charles Whitworth. Dr. Reynolds’ essay will be translated into French.
Dr. Reynolds also visited the Conciegerie, a prison that was used in Paris until 1914. Returning to England for the third week of July, Dr. Reynolds visited another prison, this one located at Oxford Castle. She also spent two days at the private archive of the Bedford Estate, which holds the family papers of the Dukes of Bedford. It is located at the Estate offices at Woburn Abbey, the country estate of the Russell family. Dr. Reynolds was also able to meet Professor Joanna Innes of Somerville College, Oxford, for consultation and conversation about eighteenth and nineteenth century policing. Reynolds’ final days in England were spent with her colleague Dr. Ruth Paley. An article on the failed Night Watch Act of 1812 by Drs. Paley and Reynolds has been accepted for publication by the British journal Parliamentary History, contingent on some revisions.
Linda Bell, professor of accounting, participated in a faculty panel discussing “The Shortage of Accountants: Is Education to Blame?” before the Greater Kansas City Chapter of Certified Fraud Examiners. Other participants included faculty representatives from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Pittsburg State University and Washburn University.
Service Learning
Dr. Kelli Schutte, assistant professor of business administration, and junior Jewell student Hannah Smith traveled to Africa this summer to work with villagers in the Machakos District of Kenya.
 “When you think of Africa, you think of the extremes–the beauty of its landscape and the ugliness of the poverty that is scattered across that same terrain,” Dr. Schutte said. “Our experience captured those two extremes.” Their goal was to work with an artisan cooperative to help find distribution outlets for the villagers’ art work. After a year of research and networking, Schutte and Smith traveled to Kenya to further the conversations with the artisans themselves.
“What we found was an amazing group of people who were shackled down with poverty and lack of markets,” Dr. Schutte said. They worked with the group to better understand their resource limitations, current distribution channels and production capabilities. After these areas were explored the team met with various not-for-profit organizations in Nairobi to help find funding and distribution avenues for the group. As a result they hope to find ways to help increase the daily wage of the artisans from about $1 a day to $4-$5 a day. This will be accomplished through setting up a micro-loan system, establishing a packaging company, partnering with African and U.S. businesses for distribution and shipping and working with Worldstock.com to market the products.
Campus minister Jeff Buscher led a Jewell summer mission team to the region of Atlantida, Honduras.
 “Our group consisted of two primary teams–a health care team of 10, and a construction/ministry team of 16,” Buscher said. The construction ministry team stayed at a small hotel in La Masica, just a short walk to a nearby orphanage. The team members ate their breakfast and dinner meals at the orphanage, and spent their days at the nearby village of San Juan Pueblo, where they built a wooden frame house for a family that had been living in a small shack. The construction team built the house using funds donated by William Jewell’s Student Senate earlier in the year. As part of the group worked on construction of the house, a handful of students played games and shared Bible stories with children from the area. The team took soccer balls, a t-ball set, and teaching materials with them and worked on building relationships with families and children from the village.
The health care team stayed at a dormitory setting provided by Missionary Ventures in the town of El Porvenir. From this base camp the team spent five days doing health care clinics and education in remote villages. “One of the most remote sites they visited was an area that required a two-hour drive followed by a hike of about three miles to a place where a pastor had started a small church in an area that has had very limited contact with the outside world,” Buscher said. “At this church we saw about 100 patients that had needs ranging from simple check-ups to machete wounds on their feet and ankles. Following the clinics each day our nursing students taught classes on hygiene, first aid, contraceptives and women’s issues.”
 
 Honduras was the site of another service learning trip involving members of the William Jewell community. Because a vast number of Hondurans lack ready access to safe water for drinking, cooking and other needs, Dr. Nancy Crigger, associate professor of nursing, has been investigating water quality issues in rural Honduras for several years. Each year Dr. Crigger leads Brigade De Salud (Health Brigade), a healthcare relief effort to the underserved rural communities on the edge of the rain forest outside the port city of Puerto Cortez. In addition to providing primary healthcare services, Dr. Crigger and selected research students visit homes and businesses to obtain information about sources of water as well as how it is stored and used. By determining the problems in water quality, more effective water purification methods can be implemented.
In May, nursing students Laurel Herzog, Denica Klenken and Dena Hayes prepared a survey instrument after careful study of the literature as part of their requirements for a Jewell nursing course. Hayes, who traveled with a team of William Jewell students on an earlier trip, obtained one data set from a rural community near La Ceiba, Honduras. Herzog, who is expanding this research for her senior honors project, traveled with Brigade De Salud and obtained a second data set in the rural town of Compana. In addition, Herzog, along with Dr. Crigger and Dr. Patrick Bunton, professor of physics and chair, met with engineers at the water Department of Puerto Cortes, and traveled with a Honduran engineer to rural homes to implement the survey. Herzog also obtained water samples and shipped them back to the United States for micro-organism testing.
Dr. Bunton and his physics department colleagues, Dr. Blane Baker, professor of physics, and Dr. Don Geilker, professor of physics emeritus, are working to develop an ultraviolet water purification system for testing in Honduras. The system is based on an inexpensive UV purification system in use in Cambodia. Water flows by a lamp that produces intense ultraviolet light which destroys the DNA of harmful bacteria, rendering them unable to reproduce. Such germicidal lamp purification systems are commercially available, but are generally cost-prohibitive for widespread use in developing nations. Alternative designs based on less expensive materials (primarily PVC pipe in place of stainless steel) may make these systems more cost-effective.
During the summer, incoming physics major Emma Farris built and tested such a prototype system, which incorporates a UV germicidal lamp enclosed in PVC pipe. With the help of Dr. Scott Falke, assistant professor of biology, Farris was able to test the system against e coli. One of her designs successfully purified water that had been intentionally contaminated with wild-type e coli. The goal is to test a more robust system in a Honduran home. A discussion with an engineer in the Puerto Cortez water department reveals an openness, but not yet a commitment, to such testing. Further progress is expected in the coming months as students and faculty continue this effort.
Fellowships and Conferences
 Dr. Randall Morris, professor of philosophy, attended a conference in Beijing, China. The “International Conference on Law, Morality and Politics from a Constructive Postmodern Perspective” was hosted by China University of Politics and Law, the leading law school in China. Approximately 50 scholars from universities across China and seven invited participants from the United Kingdom, Australia and America spent two days discussing the contribution process philosophy can make to developments in China.
 “Since Deng Xiaoping, China has embarked on a process of modernization,” Dr. Morris said. “But some Chinese scholars want to avoid replicating in China the negative consequences of modernization experienced by western society. This conference focused on a discussion of some alternative conceptions of law and morality that Chinese academics can draw on in pursuit of this goal. I was invited to participate because of my recently published article on Alfred North Whitehead and legal realism.”
Dr. Alan Holiman, professor of political science and chair, was selected to participate in the Brandeis University Jacob and Libby Goodman Institute for the Study of Zionism and Summer Institute for Israel Studies. Participants gathered this summer on the Brandeis University campus in Waltham, Mass., for initial study, with the remainder of the program conducted in Israel. The seminar was designed to assist faculty in colleges and universities primarily in North America in the design of new courses in Israel Studies that they plan to introduce into the curriculum of their home campuses. Approximately 20 candidates were selected.
“I am honored that Brandeis University gave me this wonderful opportunity for scholarly and professional growth,” Dr. Holiman said. “Not only was I able to read extensively and to engage in seminars led by prominent U.S. experts and scholars of Israeli affairs, but I also had the chance to spend time in Israel itself meeting with prominent academics, writers, journalists and public policy professionals. The goal of the institute is to help U.S. academics acquire the expertise necessary to teach about Israel at an advanced level. I was particularly excited that participants were required to design a course syllabus and submit it to peer-review and criticism at the conclusion of the program. I return from Brandeis University and from Israel ready to teach a course on Israeli politics & society. This will not only expand the curriculum of the department of political science, but will enrich the education of our Jewell students.”
Dr. Gary Armstrong, professor of political science, attended two conferences in Washington, D.C. The Fund for American Studies sponsored “An Insider's Look at Politics” which featured briefings by senior officers at the U.S. State Department and National Security Council, senior staffers at the U.S. Senate, a freshman Congressman, and major lobbyists dealing with health care reform and energy. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence sponsored the second conference, and focused on curriculum development dealing with intelligence issues, including strategizing of grant funding for “centers of academic excellence.”
“The American intelligence community aims to reach out to American colleges and universities to build a deeper and more diverse talent pool for national security and foreign policy analysis,” Dr. Armstrong said. “During the national intelligence conference, we heard major presentations from Adm. Mike McConnell, the head of U.S. intelligence, and senior officers dealing with intelligence collection, counter-intelligence, and weapons of mass destruction proliferation.”
Dr. Armstrong’s ongoing research deals with the politics of ending wars, with a goal of publishing his Ph.D. dissertation on the end of World War One. He has been invited to give a lecture, “The Final Fury: The U.S. Debates How to End World War One,” to a new and innovative multi-disciplinary course at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and to staffers at the National World War One Museum at the Liberty Memorial.
Music Performance
Instrumental music students from Kansas City’s Northland and Blue Springs, Mo., participated in the Second Annual Royal American Conservatory Examinations for music achievement held this summer on the William Jewell campus. Originally developed for piano, these comprehensive music examinations now include orchestral instruments as well as guitar and voice. Musicians of all ages are examined on various musical skills which include repertoire of various periods, technical development, sight reading and ear training. The result is the acknowledgment of a musician’s development from the elemental stages to the Performer’s Certificate.
“The examinations, known as the Associated Boards of the Royal School of Music, have been used in Britain and internationally,” said Dr. Ian Coleman, chair of the music department at William Jewell. “Having grown up in England with this system, I know the pride that the youngsters have with sharing their accomplishments as they advance through each level, along with the reality of knowing when one should perhaps work a little harder at one or the other aspects of the program.”
Dr. Ann Marie Rigler, associate professor of music and college organist, returned to the University Park campus of The Pennsylvania State University for several days in July to undertake the initial work toward releasing a recording of solo organ music. The recording will feature the new two-manual mechanical-action instrument built by Orgues Létourneau, Ltée. for the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center, the only truly multi-faith house of worship on the campus of a public university in the United States to date. Prior to coming to William Jewell College, Rigler served on the committee that selected the organ for Penn State, and she played the dedicatory recital on November 6, 2005. In honor of the mission of the Pasquerilla Center, the recording will feature music that represents a wide variety of major world religions and musical styles.
Visual Arts
Nano Nore, professor of art, worked on linoleum prints based on her three-month residency in Norway during the summer of 2006. An exhibition is planned November 4 through December 15 at Park University’s Campanella Gallery.
Faculty/Student Research
Jewell physics students participated in full-time research on topics ranging from astronomy to materials science during a very busy summer led by faculty Dr. Blane Baker, Dr. Maggie Brewer, assistant professor of physics, and Dr. Patrick Bunton. Students Michelle Oltman and Jenna Gales participated in the Pillsbury Summer Research Scholars Program funded by the Fred and E.S. Pillsbury foundations, which provide a stipend as well as other support for summer research in physics. Students Dane Engquist and Daniel Miller were supported by a grant from Research Corporation.
The Pillsbury Scholars began the summer with a trip to the Lowell Observatory in Santa Fe, N.M. Students spent several nights of observation using a research-grade 30-inch telescope. When they returned to Jewell they pursued various research avenues. Oltman, a double major in chemistry and psychology with a minor in physics, worked primarily on electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) experiments in polymer science. In particular she monitored radicals that remain after polymerization in samples prepared at The University of Southern Mississippi. She also obtained data on the conducting polymers PEDOT (polyethylenethioxythiphene) and MEH-PPV (methoxyethylhexyloxylphenylenevinylene) provided by Vanderbilt University in support of research there in laser deposition of conducting polymer films. Oltman also contributed significantly in computer modeling of EPR spectra, particularly in analyzing V2O5 glass prepared at Coe College.
Gales is pursuing a double major in physics and mathematics. Under the leadership of Dr. Brewer, Gales did research on pulsating stars by creating light curves to find the periods of those stars. In particular she performed computer analysis of data that Jewell students participated in obtaining at the Lowell Observatory in New Mexico as part of the National Undergraduate Research Observatory.
Engquist and Miller began the summer by traveling with Drs. Baker and Bunton to West Virginia University. There they observed graduate students and faculty doing electron paramagnetic resonance experiments and then had the opportunity to try their hands at experiments themselves. Upon their return to Jewell they focused primarily on optical techniques for detecting structural phase transitions in Vanadium Dioxide. In particular they continued development of a system that monitors the transmission of infrared laser light through nanoscale films. This required programming a computer to control sample temperature during the phase transition while monitoring the transmission of the laser light. They accomplished this using Labview, an industrial quality programming language. Later in the summer Engquist returned to West Virginia University for additional EPR experience. Oltman and Gales also traveled to Vanderbilt University for sample preparation.
Dr. Scott Falke, assistant professor of biology, worked with biology, biochemistry and Oxbridge majors this summer on a variety of research projects. Students worked on developing two-dimensional gel electrophoresis protocols (and ran the first-ever two-dimensional gel at WJC), protein purification, differential bacterial growth and the effects of micronutrients on bacteria harboring mutations in protein folding machinery of the cell. Dr. Falke also worked with two other Jewell students in partnership with research training collaborators at the University of Kansas School of Medicine Department of Biochemistry.
Dr. Vicki Meek, assistant professor of nursing, collaborated with four junior nursing students to begin a research study to assess depression in the Honduran population. In June, she spent a week in Honduras with the Honduran Brigade de Salud (Health Brigade). She conducted interviews with individuals attending the medical clinic and compared two depression assessment tools currently used in the U.S. As the study continues, she plans to develop an assessment tool and educational programs in the areas of stress management, anxiety, and depression relevant to the Honduran population to be used each year during the Brigade and beyond.
Jewell Academies of Science
 Thanks to a generous grant from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, William Jewell faculty and students from the biology, chemistry and physics departments conducted free week-long summer science camps for rising 7th- and 8th-graders in the greater Kansas City metropolitan area. The Jewell Academy for Women in Science (JAWS) and The Jewell Academy for Men in Science (JAMS) involved about 80 young men and women. Emily Abdoler ’06 served as the director for the camp, with the assistance of Morgan Romine ’09, Carina Collins ’10 and faculty sponsor Dr. Tara Allen, associate professor and chair of biology. Approximately 15 science students served as resident scientists, teachers in the classroom and mentors for the students.
The camp focused on the theme of energy from a multidisciplinary approach. The curriculum, administered by Jewell professors and current students, was integrative and centered on lab-based independent inquiry. Participating students had the opportunity to engage in activities spanning a range of disciplines (biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, computer science) contributing to their overall scientific literacy. The camp curriculum also emphasized leadership development and teambuilding. Less formal evening activities ranged from astronomy and bio-art to scientific scavenger hunts and talent shows. The camp culminated in a science fair, with students giving demonstrations and presentations based on their work during the week.
 
Liberty School District/William Jewell Partnership
Jewell faculty and students in the departments of biology, chemistry, physics and computer science partnered with the Liberty School District to offer a science enrichment experience for 6th, 7th and 8th graders as part of their summer school program. This experience was designed to engage students in the process of science. During this two-week experience, students explored the importance of energy and energy flow using tools of biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics and computer science in a variety of systems. Students experienced an integrative approach to asking questions, designing and running experiments and analyzing results. Participants were placed in groups, which rotated between different disciplinary-related experiments with a common theme, “Feel the Burn.” These courses were taught by William Jewell College faculty Emily Abdoler (instructor in biology), Dr. Tara Allen, Dr. Blane Baker, Dr. Maggie Brewer, Angela Klein (assistant professor of business administration), Dr. Jason Morrill, Dr. Jeremy Rush (visiting assistant professor of chemistry) and Dr. Lori Wetmore (associate professor of chemistry), with assistance from William Jewell College students.
I Do!
 In addition to his academic research on theater safety, Nathan Wyman ’95, associate professor of communication, found himself immersed this summer in planning a very special event: his marriage.
“It was not your average wedding,” Wyman said. “We had 250 guests (some dressed in costume) in Peters Theater. I built a set and hung lighting. My fiancé (Julianne Donovan) and I wrote a play about our lives coming together that ended in our wedding. We hired actors to play the old us and the young us. A narrator, dressed as a circus ring master, filled in the gaps and helped the story along.”
Following the play, the couple was escorted to their reception by a bagpiper and more than 70 guests on foot in a parade to the nearby Liberty Square. “Nathan and Julianne never did anything the traditional way,” said Adam Martin ’05, who played the role of the ring master-narrator and was also the groom’s best man.
Wyman has been the technical director in the theater program since 1998. He teaches technical theater and oral communication courses.
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