CAS CONNECT 2016

PHOTO: BRIAN PETROTTA/A&S Tyrrel l Conway (left) and Jerreme Jackson prepare a lesson in Brewing Microbiology for the cameras. 5 LEGACY Conway just completed his first year as the microbiology head at OSU, where he is building his own legacy. From instituting a tagline, “Think big about small things,” to enlisting his dog, Chunk, in the Pete’s Pet Posse program, he has worked to build an identity for the program. Brewing Microbiology is his latest success. “The high enrollment in both the credit and free MOOC indicates it will be successful reaching and engag- ing learners on campus and across the globe,” Lewis says. “The MOOC is an excellent example of the land-grant legacy emphasizing educational access and outreach.” With the university as a whole trying to manage budget cuts, posi- tive numbers are welcome — especially for one of the smaller departments on campus. Conway feels generat- ing student credit hours through the MOOC serves the microbiology and molecular genetics department as well as Arts & Sciences as a whole. “I think it’s important for us to contribute back to the college,” he says. While the MOOC is bringing an unusual amount of attention to the department, Conway knows it is the quality of faculty, students and staff that makes the biggest difference. Just as he has enjoyed learning about microbrew- ing, Conway appreciates perspectives other than his own, and that quality helps attract talented people like Jackson. Believe it or not, the Brewing Microbiology MOOC was not part of the sales pitch to entice Jackson to OSU. When he did find out about the course, though, his reaction was similar to many others: “I was going to ask Dr. Conway if I could enroll and take it myself.” Instead, Jackson became involved in nearly every step of the project including speaking roles on topics he was partic- ularly qualified to talk about “off the dome.” Jackson sees the value of the course is in teaching students to look deeper. “The whole idea is to encourage students to think outside the box,” he says. “We want them to think of what they can do with the different curri- cula they’re taking, and that there is a scientific component to the products we consume on a daily basis.”