CAS CONNECT 2015

elcome, alumni and friends, to the 2015 Arts & Sciences magazine! With so many positive things happening, it was hard to choose what to include in our annual magazine. To enjoy even more achievements, come see it for yourself and visit us on campus. It was wonderful to see the undergraduate student body become more invested in the college in 2014-15 through two new events. The A&S Student Council created the Autumn Arts Gala and the Undergraduate 3MT ® Competition with the idea these would become annual events. These public displays — student-run produc- tions that featured student work and research — gave all of us a chance to observe the high level of talent within the college and pushed undergraduates to think critically about what they want to accomplish and how to present it to a broad audience. Our student achievements continued. Political science undergraduates captured the award for Best Overall Delegation at last year’s Oklahoma Intercollegiate Legislature (O.I.L.) competition. Thirty-two first-year students comprised the initial cohort of Life Sciences Freshman Research Scholars. Three OSU students were honored for outstanding research presentations at the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science national conference. Two students placed at the Oklahoma Association of Professional Historians, and for the second straight year, the OSU Small Trumpet Ensemble topped 63 other programs to claim the 2015 National Trumpet Competition championship. And chemistry junior Meaghan Murie was selected as a Udall Scholar, one of the nation’s most prestigious academic awards for an undergraduate student. To match the talent of our students, we continue to complement them with outstanding faculty members. John Chaney received a $1.2 million grant from Indian Health Services to continue his highly successful American Indians Into Psychology (AIIP) program for another five years. This program is responsible for OSU graduating the largest number of American Indian psychology doctorates in the country. His department-mate, Larry Mullins, received a $3 million NIH grant to research psychosocial intervention FROM THE Dean’s Office PHIL SHOCKLEY / UNIVERSITY MARKETING for parents of children newly diagnosed with cancer. Henry Segerman (mathematics) drew national attention by using 3D printers to create geometrical models and artwork (thereby blending both the art and science of our college’s name). Meanwhile, Joe Haley (physics) led, and still leads, a team at CERN in Geneva, Switzerland, to search for billion-year-old subatomic particles. Our faculty members have received distinguished awards and appointments. Jack Pashin was honored with the Cady Award, the highest honor in the discipline of coal research, from the Geological Society of America. The aforementioned Chaney and Mullins were both named Fellows of the American Psychological Association’s Society of Family Psychology (Division 43). Physics profes- sor Aihua Xie was elected to chair the International Union of Pure & Applied Physics. The next year will undoubtedly bring more good news to share. One piece I can offer now is the creation of the School of Visual & Performing Arts. This school will lend more prestige to the Departments of Theatre, Music, and Art, Graphic Design, and Art History and coincides with plans to build a new Performing Arts Center on campus. I can only imagine the creative activity these changes will inspire. For now, please enjoy the following stories that show how our Arts & Sciences community continues to increase the impact of education and research across this great state and nation. Best Wishes W BRET S. DANILOWICZ DEAN, COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES