CONNECT The official magazine of the College of Arts and Sciences FORWARD MOTION DR. MELINDA CRO TAKES THE REIGNS AS NEW CAS DEAN 2024
Dear CAS alumni, colleagues, students and friends, It is a true pleasure and honor to be crafting this letter at the beginning of my time as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. CAS is an incredibly special place, one where the promise of the land-grant institution is fully realized. I recognized that the moment I met with the search committee, made up of faculty across the college who were engaged, friendly and a true testament to the ethos of the servant-leader that embodies Oklahoma State’s values. It was further cemented when I visited Stillwater and met with Provost Jeanette Mendez, President Kayse Shrum and the campus community, including amazing CAS student representatives. We came together to break bread and share experiences, which gave me the chance to discuss my goals to help support students, faculty and staff in realizing our mission to become the preeminent land-grant College of Arts and Sciences in alignment with the university’s strategic plan. This past year, CAS faculty, staff and leadership collaborated to develop the college strategic plan that centers the arts and sciences at the heart of OSU. The university plan leverages the institution’s strengths to serve the needs of the state, deliver an impactful and affordable student experience, and solve the challenges we face in Oklahoma and around the world. Similarly, our college plan harnesses inherent CAS strengths to: Prioritize student success, broadly and holistically defined, through dedicated faculty and staff; Develop innovative curricula and foundational courses that engage learners in transdisciplinary modes to best prepare for the challenges that an increasingly globalized world presents; Advance the research enterprise through increased focus on extramural funding, early career awards, outreach about our research and an emphasis on transdisciplinary work; Build on the outward-facing Extension work we are already undertaking to engage more fully with our community, from the local to the global, and amplify opportunities in that space. This work fills my heart with joy, and I am thrilled to be joining OSU CAS at this important moment. What a truly vibrant and exciting time to be a Poke! I would be remiss if I did not take a moment to extend deep thanks to Dr. Keith Garbutt, who took on the role of interim dean and shepherded CAS through the strategic planning process. His belief in the centrality of the arts and sciences in the landgrant mission, his passion for the liberal arts and his generous spirit shaped his work as interim dean, and we are so grateful for his leadership. Finally, thanks to all of you for your continued support of the College of Arts and Sciences at Oklahoma State. We could not dream as big as we are dreaming without you! GO POKES! Dr. Melinda A. Cro Dean, College of Arts and Sciences FROM THE DEAN’S OFFICE PHOTO JASON WALLACE
20 Taking charge Dr. Melinda Cro takes the helm as CAS dean after a career spent in administration and language arts. 2 Curating cultural connection The OSU Museum of Art started with a dream a decade ago, but has seen its impact in the cultural legacy it has on Stillwater. 8 Happy campers The Les Huston Geology Field Camp marks 75 years of helping provide hands-on experience to geoscientists. 12 Nourishing the world CAS groundwater researchers use skills to impact society’s sustainability. 24 High school heroes Faculty partnership with Payne County Jail prepares inmates with opportunity to earn high school diplomas. 54 74 Plus … 6 New aerospace studies instructor 16 Student research 22 Integrative biology sound exhibits 27 Study abroad stories 30 Philosophy department gift 34 Alumni honors 20 2 12 CONNECT is a publication of the Oklahoma State University College of Arts and Sciences and is designed to provide information on college activities and accomplishments while fostering communication among the CAS family and friends. WWW.CAS.OKSTATE.EDU The office of publication for CONNECT is 307 Whitehurst, Stillwater, OK 74078-1024. © 2024, CONNECT. All rights reserved. Oklahoma State University, as an equal opportunity employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding non-discrimination and affirmative action. OSU is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all individuals and does not discriminate based on race, religion, age, sex, color, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, disability, or veteran status with regard to employment, educational programs and activities, and/ or admissions. For more information, the director of equal opportunity/Title IX coordinator is located at 401 General Academic Building and can be reached at 405-744-1156 or by visiting EEO.OKSTATE.EDU. This publication, issued by Oklahoma State University as authorized by the College of Arts and Sciences, was printed by Modern Litho, at a cost of $9,863/4,500/Aug. 2024/#Connect2024. College of Arts and Sciences cas.okstate.edu MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER Elizabeth Gosney ’21 COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR Erin Weaver ’20 EDITOR Jordan Bishop ’16 ART DIRECTOR Dave Malec DESIGNER Cody Giles PHOTOGRAPHER Jason Wallace ’03 WRITERS Jade Dudley ’24 Dr. Rachael Eaton Adeola Favour Elizabeth Gosney Mallory Pool ’24 Allie Putman ’23 Grant Ramirez ’21 Erin Weaver COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES DEAN Dr. Melinda Cro ASSOCIATE DEAN/OUTREACH Dr. Bobbi Kay Lewis ’93, ’03 SENIOR DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT Laura Ketchum YEARS INDICATE OSU CAS GRADUATES CONNECT On the cover: Dr. Melinda Cro poses outside of Morrill Hall in her new role as CAS dean. (Photo illustration by Jason Wallace) OSU COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES 1
MASTERPIECE IN THE MAKING OSU Museum of Art celebrates 10 years of campus and community enrichment STORY ELIZABETH GOSNEY | PHOTOS JASON WALLACE AND PROVIDED Moh’d Bilbeisi’s OSU Museum of Art (2023, watercolor on paper board) superimposed on top of the OSU Museum of Art exterior. 2 CONNECT 2024
When the Oklahoma State University Museum of Art opened its doors to the public in 2014, it had a newly renovated building, a growing collection, a handful of staff and a lot of promise. “Art is often made out to be exclusive, but we wanted to change that,” said OSUMA interim director Carla Shelton, who was hired in 2012 to plan and oversee the museum’s permanent collection. “Over the past 10 years, we’ve hosted amazing artists and shows that are accessible to audiences of all levels. It’s about exposure and bringing people together so they can have a conversation.” The concept for the museum began in earnest after former OSU president Burns Hargis and his wife, Ann, secured the help of two key alumni: Universal Limited Art Editions owner Bill Goldston and philanthropist Malinda Berry Fischer. Through their art world connections and expertise, the museum started to take shape with an advisory council and donated artworks. “The motivation was to enhance the reputation of OSU as a comprehensive research university and to educate our students in art appreciation and encourage their creativity,” President Hargis said. “As a land-grant university, one of OSU’s missions is to share the expertise and discoveries on campus. An art museum would serve the citizens of Stillwater and the state, as well as the OSU community.” A significant step in establishing the museum came in 2010 with OSU’s acquisition of the Postal Plaza Building in downtown Stillwater. Built in 1933 as a federal post office, the building had been used as business and church office spaces since the late ’70s. “I will not easily forget the hours spent working with campus facilities to manage the climate systems and the challenges inherent in having a basement in Oklahoma,” said Vicky Berry, the museum’s first director, who retired this spring. “Revitalizing an old post office provided many challenges ... and yet we were able to marry the building’s character with its new purpose.” Once renovations were completed in 2013 — OSU grad and architect Rand Elliot designed and supervised the project — the museum team moved hundreds of artworks into the climate-controlled vault. The OSUMA permanent collection has since grown to more than 5,000 gifted pieces. “We like to describe our collection as having breadth rather than depth,” Shelton said. “When it started, we received things from a lot of different people and a lot of different cultures. ... Now the collection process is more formalized, with a leaning toward modern contemporary. “It’s important to understand that our collection is a teaching collection. The most exposure it gets is through vault visits and faculty bringing students behind the scenes. It changes the way people interact with objects when they’re not behind glass — the art is right there in front of them within arm’s reach.” The museum and its collection act as a “physical support to the holistic education OSU offers our students,” according to OSUMA marketing and communications coordinator Casey Ihde. “You can’t have thinkers of the next century without the creative fields,” said Ihde, who has been involved with the museum since 2011, first as an intern and then a full-time employee. “Simply being here allows people to engage with art a little bit more, to become interested and accepting of it. Students and the community are hungry for it now.” Although the museum has a permanent collection, it doesn’t have a permanent exhibition like many larger museums. This allows its 10 full-time staff to create six to eight distinct shows every year, so there’s always something new for visitors to discover. Some shows feature pieces from the museum’s collection, while others are traveling exhibitions on loan from artists and galleries nationwide. Carla Shelton OSUMA Interim Director “Over the past 10 years, we’ve hosted amazing artists and shows that are accessible to audiences of all levels. It’s about exposure and bringing people together so they can have a conversation.” OSU COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES 3
“Some of the freedoms of being a young museum is getting to explore and find ourselves,” Shelton said. “Some institutions are steeped in tradition and bound by different ties, but we’ve been allowed to experiment.” Shelton and Ihde noted past exhibitions that included performance artists, immersive projections, blow-up art, extensive community engagement, interactive elements and more. Over the years, the museum’s growing collection and widening network paved the way for shows featuring artists like Robert Rauschenberg, James Rosenquist and Kiki Smith. In 2017, the museum showcased works from the George R. Kravis II Collection, which was gifted to OSU the next year. In 2021, OSU faculty worked with the museum to create the first exhibition of work by Doel Reed, a renowned artist and former OSU professor. And in 2023, the museum curated a Leon Polk Smith show exploring the Oklahoma-born artist’s abstract style alongside 20th-century design. “Collectively, we have made experiences for our audiences more like a New York moment,” Berry said. “We had to build our facility and staff capacity to handle and present the art at the standard of practice required. ... The success of the museum and the support of the community and campus made way for the arts to flourish at OSU.” While there is a long list of museum highlights over the past 10 years, one accomplishment is especially gratifying for the staff: In July 2021, OSUMA received accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums, which is the highest national recognition given to U.S. museums. “We took the museum from 10% to 100% in nine years by achieving accreditation from AAM. This is no small feat,” Berry said. “We acquired this status through hard work, the quality and collective experience of our team, and the overwhelming support of university leadership and our community.” The Postal Plaza building that now houses the OSU Museum of Art was built with U.S. Government Treasury funds in 1933 to serve as a federal post office. Bill Goldston and Ann and Burns Hargis were instrumental in the OSU Museum of Art’s establishment and growth. 4 CONNECT 2024
The accreditation followed a yearlong self-study by OSUMA, capped by a three-day virtual site visit. During this same period — at the height of pandemic restrictions — the museum continued to provide art access through modified exhibition tours, outdoor art activities and take-home art kits. “We realized early on, even before the pandemic, that we could provide a free, open space for creativity,” Ihde said, noting that their free Second Saturday events are especially popular with families. “This has taken many forms over the years, developing and growing as we have developed and grown, but we’ve made a conscious effort to get art in front of diverse audiences. “Not that long ago, if you wanted to go to a museum, you had to go to Tulsa or Oklahoma City. And not only was that Stillwater, it was surrounding towns like Perkins, Yale, Cushing, Ponca City, so we bring it home for people ... and hopefully prompt lifelong learning and appreciation of art.” With 10 years under its figurative belt, the OSU Museum of Art is looking toward the future. Although there’s limited capacity for collecting more art — the vault isn’t infinite, and donors have been generous — OSUMA staff see it as “an opportunity to explore the permanent collection and bring in traveling exhibitions that serve the interests of academic programs and the community,” Berry said. “The provost and the president are working toward strengthening the arts at OSU through collaborative programming and making connections across the curriculum and into the community. We expect the museum will play a large role in this goal to make the arts a permanent feature of the OSU experience.” Scan to watch exclusive content about OSUMA. Carla Shelton has myriad responsibilities as the OSU Museum of Art’s interim director, including overseeing the museum’s permanent collection. OSU Museum of Art FAST FACTS Admission is always free! OSU students serve as tour guides, assistant preparators and occasionally help curate exhibitions. The museum’s permanent collection can be explored virtually through its Online Collections Database. Stillwater-born artist Yatika Starr Fields painted a mural inside the museum during the Postal Plaza Building’s renovation. OSUMA education staff visit K-12 classrooms and host hundreds of students annually at the museum. OSU COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES 5
Ready for Takeoff Air Force ROTC welcomes Davis as first enlisted aerospace studies instructor at OSU Tech. Sgt. Ephraim Davis, administration for ROTC Detachment 670, became the first enlisted aerospace studies instructor at Oklahoma State University in 2024. The department has traditionally only had military officer instructors, but Davis holds the title of assistant professor of practice in this new role. With 14 years of active-duty service in the Air Force as a non-commissioned officer in charge (NCOIC), primarily in a personnel role, Davis’ transition to an enlisted instructor emphasizes his commitment to career progression and leadership development. “In this capacity, I lead future officers in the Air Force,” Davis said. “So, it’s a big deal for me to be able to coach, mentor and teach people who are going to outrank me one day.” Davis’ special duty assignment reflects his passion for mentorship and teaching future officers in the Air Force. He created a program at OSU for cadets called Advanced Drill for this specific reason. “Commitment, discipline, confidence and leadership are some of the key components I hope the cadets will take with them,” he said. Davis explained that those components are emphasized in Advance Drill: Cadets must commit to drill, even though it’s voluntary; cadets must exercise discipline while executing drill movements correctly — a practice that translates to success in future tasks; and cadets must build confidence. As an officer in the Air Force, Davis expressed the need for confidence to gain trust as a leader. Without it, he said, leadership effectiveness is compromised. In addition to drill, Davis is a hands-on administrator, ensuring the well-being of the students and the ROTC program. Although he is equally dedicated to the administrative side, STORY ALLIE PUTMAN | PHOTOS JASON WALLACE 6 CONNECT 2024
Tech. Sgt. Ephraim Davis teaches a group of Air Force ROTC cadets in his new role as an assistant professor of practice. Davis ensures the cadets are enhancing their skills and personal development beyond the classroom. “Tech. Sgt. Davis provides lessons that benefit future officers, as he knows what the enlisted core is looking for in their officers,” said Hannah Marion, a senior cadet at Detachment 670. Davis views his roles as a mentor and instructor as complementary, acknowledging the significance of fostering personal relationships with his students to facilitate their growth. His students equally appreciate his efforts. “Within the aerospace studies curriculum, Tech. Sgt. Davis has provided us with lessons about the enlisted core, their history, tradition and expectations,” Marion said. “Being an enlisted member himself, Tech. Sgt. Davis provides a perspective that is unique to the other professors at Detachment 670, as they are all officers. These lessons have further enhanced cadets’ understanding of leadership and the role of officers within the Air Force.” Reflecting on his appointment, Davis expressed gratitude for the opportunity to contribute to the development of future officers. He emphasized the collaborative nature of the military, recognizing that success requires a collective effort from both instructors and cadets. Davis embraces his role as part of a larger team working toward the common goal of producing exceptional leaders for the Air Force. “It takes two to tango,” he said. “It takes the instructors and the cadets to work together to be able to make the cadets very good officers later on. It’s not on any one person. It’s how we all work together. The level of impact I have is based on the cadets’ response to my input.” Scan to watch exclusive content about Tech. Sgt. Davis. OSU COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES 7
STORY JADE DUDLEY | PHOTOS PROVIDED The Les Huston Geology Field Camp in the 1950s. 8 CONNECT 2024
This summer, the Les Huston Geology Field Camp celebrated 75 years of providing hands-on experiences for aspiring geoscientists. Since its establishment in 1949, the field camp has become a staple of Oklahoma State University’s Boone Pickens School of Geology. It has offered OSU students — as well as students from other institutions — the opportunity to apply their education to real-world field research and mapping projects. Students travel to Cañon City, Colorado, and spend five weeks putting their geological skills to the test. Among their activities, they conduct detailed geologic mapping, measure stratigraphic sections and hike Cañon City’s vast mountain range. To commemorate the camp’s 75th anniversary, OSU’s BPSoG has initiated an update to not only the summer program, but the camp as well. With a plan in the works, incoming field camp director and OSU geology professor Dr. Brandon Spencer spoke about the vision he is working to implement. “This year, we want to celebrate history, but also present our vision for the future publicly for the first time,” Spencer said. Spencer has taught at OSU field camp for three summers. In 2022, he co-directed with Dr. Jim Puckette, an OSU geology professor who was field camp director since 1998, and then stepped into the director role in 2023 and 2024. Spencer and the BPSoG alumni group plan to build a new camp facility within the next two years. They also intend to update the camp’s technological capabilities and insulate the buildings for year-round usage. “We’re working with an architect in Tulsa called GH2,” Spencer said. “The idea is to make a functional facility that’s technologically capable. It will be a four-season camp and serve as a research station for other schools and universities to come into the area and do field work.” This summer also marked Puckette’s retirement. Puckette attended OSU Field Camp as a student in the ’70s and has since become one of the longest-tenured professors to lead a field camp nationwide. “When I completed field camp in 1975, it was one of those unforgettable life experiences,” Puckette said. “I was also fortunate to have teammates on group projects who were as passionate about geology as I was. All aspects of field camp were enjoyable: fieldwork, breakfast and supper … organizing informal field trips to see more geology, and the recreation, which consisted mostly of playing volleyball in camp in the evening.” During his first summer at the camp, Puckette established a friendship with the camp’s namesake, Les Huston, and his neighbors who lived on the land where the field camp is located. Huston’s daughter, Tiny Striegel, told Puckette throughout their friendship how important the camp’s research was to the local community. “This relationship with our neighbors was more than social because during the severe drought season in the summer, the Eight Mile Creek dries up and our neighbors haul water from the camp well to use domestically and water their livestock,” Puckette said. “Through good times and the tough times, Ms. Tiny Striegel remained our most important benefactor and advocate. Tiny, like her father Les, looked forward each year to the day the camp opened.” Until her passing in 2018, Striegel positively impacted OSU, her local community and generations of geoscientists. The university named her a matriarchal donor in 2019 to honor her contributions. “Tiny was an essential part of field camp,” Puckette said. “She not only helped us with access to property in the area, but she was also our advocate for getting permits approved in Fremont County when we rebuilt cabins following the flash flood of 2006. Tiny loved the camp and the students. She visited often to read her poetry to the students and staff and visit with students and her friends and former neighbors.” OSU GEOLOGY FIELD CAMP MARKS 75TH ANNIVERSARY OSU professor Dr. Jim Puckette (center) attended field camp as an OSU student in 1975. OSU COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES 9
“Through good times and the tough times, Ms. Tiny Striegel remained our most important benefactor and advocate. Tiny, like her father Les, looked forward each year to the day the camp opened.” Dr. Jim Puckette, former field camp director Like Huston and Striegel, Puckette has been a key figure in the development of field camp — something he is excited to see continue under Spencer’s leadership. “Field camp must evolve as geological science evolves,” Puckette said. “I am very enthused and supportive of the proposed camp improvements that can make the facility available for other disciplines outside of geoscience and extend the use of the camp into the spring and fall.” Spencer said that taking over the field camp director role from Puckette was intimidating, as Puckette was recognized as one of the best field instructors in the country. However, Spencer intends to create his own legacy with the vision he has planned. “I don’t think anyone can be the new Jim Puckette,” Spencer said. “So there’s pressure at times. Our alumni had Puckette as their field camp instructor 15, 20 years ago. There’s an expectation there that we’ll continue to run a quality field camp. But of course, it will be different. I’m making it my own.” In his plan, Spencer will work to expand the marketing of field camp. He plans on introducing a few new concentrations to widen the pool of applicants. “Going forward in the next three or four years, we’ll market ourselves not only as a geology field camp, but also a geophysics field camp and an environmental geoscience field camp,” Spencer said. “Running simultaneously in the same field areas or similar field areas, having everybody together, feeding them together, all within the same facilities will be really advantageous. “With this, we can probably reach students that are environmental majors, environmental geoscience, environmental geology and engineering — fields where our students could use this field experience.” The energy of field camp lies within the students, something both Spencer and Puckette agree on. They explained that the remote nature of the camp in Cañon City influences students to collaborate and create memories together. “We want to see students having fun and making friends,” Spencer said. “Jim and I have talked a lot about keeping the spirit alive and living up to their expectations of field camp.” Although Puckette is retired, he will still be present at OSU as an emeritus professor and mentor to the program. “He’s not going anywhere, honestly,” Spencer said. “He’s passed the torch on, and we hope to have a great time out there for years to come.” Scan to learn more about field camp, including how to get involved through giving. 10 CONNECT 2024
American Dream Professors cultivating civic education and engagement in rural Oklahoma Drs. Eve Ringsmuth and Josh Jansa — two professors in Oklahoma State University’s Department of Political Science — have been awarded a Women for OSU grant to engage rural communities across Oklahoma in civic education through American government classes. The faculty members are cultivating engaged citizenship through teaching and research, empowering students with the confidence and skills needed for active participation in politics and government. This approach deepens students’ appreciation for democracy by studying their experiences and tailoring classes to best teach them government and politics. “We were excited to receive the grant funding,” Jansa said. “We intend to utilize it for providing textbooks and addressing internet access barriers for rural students across Oklahoma. This will enable them to take this impactful course online during their high school years.” Ringsmuth said, regardless of major, all OSU students are required to take Introduction to American Government, which “allows us to study how a wide range of individuals encounter civic education and how it prepares them to engage in democracy.” “Our study employs a two-way survey administered at the beginning and end of the class to measure students’ growth in knowledge and confidence,” she said. Past research published by Ringsmuth and Jansa indicates that male and female students acquire knowledge from these classes, yet women exhibit lower confidence levels in their political skills. “As they took the course, female students experienced significant growth,” Jansa said. “We found that the course helped narrow the gender gap, motivating our project to identify and support other potentially marginalized groups — such as rural students — in becoming active citizens.” The partnership with Women for OSU advances OSU’s landgrant mission, extending access to civic education to communities where physical attendance may be challenging. Additionally, the course utilizes engaging techniques to make learning materials relatable and increase student engagement. “We’ve adopted active and interactive teaching methods such as weekly activities and engaging voting exercises to acquaint students with various voting systems,” Ringsmuth said. “The students have responded positively, expressing appreciation for the interactive approach. Additionally, they find value in reflecting on their learning during the weekly activities.” By this fall, the team aims to recruit students from rural districts to enroll in the course offered through Cowboy Concurrent, an online dual credit program housed within the College of Arts and Sciences that gives high school students the opportunity to earn college credit from OSU. This will allow students to take the course with the assistance of high school counselors. “Introduction to American Government is a remarkable opportunity for us as instructors to serve both Oklahoma and the global community,” Ringsmuth said. “It enables us to equip students from diverse backgrounds with the essential skills to engage and participate in American democracy.” STORY ADEOLA FAVOUR | PHOTOS PROVIDED Dr. Josh Jansa Dr. Eve Ringsmuth OSU COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES 11
QUENCHING OUR THIRST STORY ERIN WEAVER | PHOTOS ELLIE PIPER AND PROVIDED CAS FACULTY RESEARCHING WATER, PROVIDING TRAINING TO NOURISH THE WORLD 12 CONNECT 2024
Water management, access and treatment are key to the work Oklahoma State University’s College of Arts and Sciences’ faculty are doing to ensure communities have the resources to nourish the world for years to come. OSU’s land-grant mission inspires the work CAS researchers are taking on. With that vision in mind, these individuals use their skills and knowhow to impact society’s sustainability — sometimes in unseen, but no less important, ways. INVISIBLE WATER SOURCE Dr. Todd Halihan, a professor and interim head of the Boone Pickens School of Geology, has been conducting water research within the geosciences at OSU since 2000. Halihan’s work centers on Earth’s subsurface, which is then applied to address groundwater issues. “In the ‘good old days,’ we said, ‘Water comes in and water goes out,’ and we worked with that understanding,” Halihan said. “If you’re really going to understand the subsurface, you need to know where it’s going in, how it’s moving through and how it’s coming out because along the way, the water is going to undergo chemical, biological and physical changes. Sometimes those lead to good outcomes and sometimes bad outcomes.” Halihan added that the ultimate question he seeks to answer is, “How are we going to provide and manage clean water for 10 billion people?” In September 2023, Halihan was awarded $2 million from the Environmental Protection Agency to study the use and risks of enhanced aquifer recharge (EAR). Halihan and a team of researchers from OSU, the Oka’ Institute at East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma, and Texas State University in San Marcos are using EAR to improve groundwater availability and quality. “We know the aquifer is declining,” Halihan said. “So, we’re looking at developing a system to get more water into it and not have adverse effects while doing so. And then taking it a step further to develop an incentive program of ‘invest this much to get this much additional water and then we will pay this much’ to rally people around supporting the future of the aquifer.” Having earned his bachelor’s degree from Monmouth University, a liberal arts college, Halihan learned early on to value collaborations between diverse fields of expertise. “My work with water has led me to working with other faculty in disciplines you might not expect,” Halihan said. “I’ve worked with history professor Dr. Tonia Sharlach on how the Sumerians used water. I’ve worked with art professor Liz Roth to make cover art for articles, and she has joined me in the Bahamas on geological projects. A land-grant university gives us that opportunity to think about getting involved and trying to change the outcome.” CONTAMINANTS AND PURIFICATION Dr. Sabrina Beckmann, an assistant professor in the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, is addressing the need for clean water for household use and irrigation. She is working on projects that directly impact Earth’s water supply quality. “Our lab studies microorganisms in anaerobic groundwater habitats for enhanced groundwater supply and health,” Beckmann said. “Most of these microbes don’t breathe oxygen as we do, but they can breathe a wide range of other electron acceptors like sulfate and nitrate, contaminants which are chlorinated compounds, or climateactive gases like CO2 and isoprene.” In conjunction with Halihan, Beckmann is working to understand the impacts of EAR by studying microbes in the water within the Arbuckle Simpson Aquifer in southcentral Oklahoma. The Arbuckle Simpson Aquifer provides public water for municipalities and agricultural or industrial needs. “The Arbuckle Simpson Aquifer is the primary — and often only — water source for at least 150,000 people,” Beckmann said. “We are analyzing the groundwater before and after implementing the EAR structures to prohibit and/or eliminate the inflow of microbes that cause a potential threat Drs. Sabrina Beckmann, Todd Halihan and Caitlin Barnes are among many CAS faculty working to improve and sustain the future of groundwater and groundwater careers. OSU COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES 13
to public health. A novel electrode monitoring system will tell us exactly what microbes are active and in what quantities in the groundwater.” Beckmann said not all bacteria are harmful and that most bacteria can help prevent pathogenic bacteria from forming. “If the bad guys take over, we can switch the buttons at the electrodes to eliminate them and make the good ones return,” Beckmann said. “We are developing guidance tools for the characterization and monitoring of these EAR structures with the overall goal of presenting a cohesive, comprehensive and accessible framework to assist water planners in determining the feasibility of costeffective EAR structures for their scenarios elsewhere.” In the pursuit of clean water, Beckmann has also been working on sites with groundwater contaminated with hazardous halogenated compounds. Her goal is to use the good bacteria as probiotics for the groundwater to wipe out the compounds. “If these specific bacteria are absent in the groundwater, we must search for them elsewhere, such as in different contaminated soil habitats, pristine river sediments, or even deep-sea oceans where trace concentrations of these compounds naturally exist,” Beckmann said. “Once we find promising bacterial candidates, we must understand their physiological needs and determine how to isolate and grow them in the lab, mimicking their future home — the contaminated aquifer.” Once the perfect probiotic is found, harvested and grown in the lab, Beckmann and her team use the bioaugmentation process to pump the bacteria into the aquifer, where they will take over and eliminate hazardous compounds. “Our lab specializes in growing microbes that live without oxygen, called anaerobes,” Beckmann said. “In this case, the bacteria breathe the chlorinated compounds instead of oxygen and dehalogenate them for example to ethene, which is nonhazardous for us.” USING A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE Dr. Thomas LaVanchy, an assistant professor in the Department of Geography, is using his research to address global concerns both in the classroom, where he teaches about sustainability and water resources, and abroad, where he works to find adequate water across nations. “The road to meeting global food needs is a shared path through water and water management,” LaVanchy said. “To solve the global food problem, it takes more food, and the water footprint to fill that growing demand is a growing challenge.” LaVanchy has traveled to locations including Cape Town, South Africa, and Ghana to explore climate change’s impacts on agriculture and the sustainability of access to water as a resource. “What a farmer could typically do to sustain their industry is changing,” LaVanchy said. “Now, they are needing to irrigate, and as priorities from competing industries are shifting, we’re looking at supply issues and then the social aspect of who is sharing the burden of getting that water.” LaVanchy said in 2018, Cape Town almost ran out of water. He was interested in helping residents be proactive to avoid future crises. “Something cities sometimes struggle with is the waste from unhoused populations making its way to the water source,” LaVanchy said. “We’re working with populations to use nature-based solutions to clean the water and keep it clean enough to support drinking water and watering crops.” As an instructor, LaVanchy said he aspires to help his students see the bigger picture in the world. “Solving water problems is inherently inter- and transdisciplinary,” LaVanchy said. “CAS offers a variety of perspectives that can be partnered to solve these wicked problems.” Groundwater research at OSU spans several disciplines. Faculty and staff from CAS Outreach, geology, microbiology and molecular genetics and geography are involved in expanding our knowledge of and access to groundwater. Dr. Thomas LaVanchy conducts geophysical surveying in Malawi. 14 CONNECT 2024
ACCESSING THE FUTURE The water below the surface is useless unless trained professionals can access it safely. CAS Outreach is leading the way in workforce development with courses and training materials to prepare future generations of groundwater professionals. “There are several different positions within the groundwater industry that are needed to get the water to our faucets,” said Dr. Caitlin Barnes, director of CAS Outreach. “The more involved I got in conversations about the industry, the more I came to realize people don’t really even know this industry exists.” Compounding this lack of awareness is the Department of Labor Statistics’ estimate that 130,000 geoscience positions will need to be filled by 2029. Amidst the shortage of workers, the industry is expected to also grow by 5% by 2031. In response to these issues — and knowing the resources available at OSU — groundwater industry leaders approached CAS about building selfpaced courses taught by subject matter experts designed to prepare individuals with varying experience levels to join the groundwater workforce. Barnes worked with Halihan in the Boone Pickens School of Geology, her CAS Outreach colleagues and the National Ground Water Association to head up NGWA University Powered by OSU. Now in its fifth year, NGWAU has provided training to people in 24 states and six countries. Complementing the NGWAU workforce development program is Awesome Aquifer 360, a K-12 outreach program aimed at instilling an interest in earth sciences in the classroom. It has reached 387 schools, 42 states and more than 40,000 students. “If we don’t have people filling these positions, we’re going to lose a foundational infrastructure across the nation that helps us access clean water,” Barnes said. “We’ve been accessing water for a very long time, and it is shocking that we could lose that knowledge because no one is paying attention to how we get water from point A to point B.” To bring focus to groundwater’s essential role in providing clean water to communities, Barnes and her team launched a national public awareness campaign in February. The centerpiece PSA, which begins with a medical professional turning on the tap to find dirty water pouring out, has reached 56 million people in 46 states and 27 countries, airing on networks like CNN, HGTV, TNT and Discovery. “It was important to convey that you don’t have a medical industry — you don’t have anything — without clean water,” Barnes said. “It has been exciting to hear from people who have seen the PSA organically and to see that they really are absorbing the message. People who are watching this can make an impact by telling their friends and creating that chain of awareness.” Learn more about groundwater at OSU by visiting groundwater.okstate.edu. FROM DREAMS TO REALITY OSU alumna Lily Chavez, who was featured in the 2023 issue of Connect, has raised over $60 thousand for her nonprofit, Wishes for Water. The organization has funded the drilling of three boreholes at Chivakanenyama Primary School in Zimbabwe and fenced in five acres of land for school gardens, complete with a new irrigation system. SCAN THE QR CODE TO READ MORE. OSU COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES 15 Scan to watch exclusive content about OSU’s groundwater research.
CAS STUDENT SPOTLIGHTS ZYNEYCEA DEFFENBAUGH MAJOR | SOCIOLOGY CLASS OF 2024 RESEARCH MENTORS: DRS. JOSHUA JANSA AND REBECCA HERRICK WAGONER, OKLAHOMA HOW DID YOU BEGIN YOUR RESEARCH? I was unaware that you could do undergraduate research with professors as well as receive compensation for the work conducted. I began my research through a program called Advancing Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity. Through AURCA, I became a research assistant for Dr. Joshua Jansa and Dr. Rebecca Herrick in the Department of Political Science to evaluate “Race and Roadblocks Enclosed in American Voting.” This led me to apply for an internship with Dr. Parker VanValkenburgh from Brown University and Dr. Alicia Odewale from the University of Tulsa to map the historical traumas of the Tulsa Race Massacre. WHAT HAS BEEN THE IMPACT OF YOUR RESEARCH? Within Dr. Jansa’s and Dr. Herrick’s research, the focal point is centered on how registration can serve as a major conflict that can depress and discourage certain voters from participating in the process. Due to this, voting turnout is significantly lower among minorities as opposed to their white counterparts. To help enhance and create better voting procedures, five key registration laws are analyzed: Registration Deadline, Registration Portability, Online Registration Access, Ability to Preregister, and Automatic Voter Registration. I presented this research at the 2023 Undergraduate Symposium at OSU. WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE PLANS? Since graduating in May, I am taking a gap year to focus on the LSAT and apply for law school. I also participated in the Oklahoma Legislative Fellowship Program during the summer. Within the College of Arts and Sciences’ 24 departments, there are countless scholars performing groundbreaking research. Here’s a glimpse of five students who — along with their faculty mentors — are proving why Orange is the Answer when it comes to solving problems and improving the world. COMPILATIONS DR. RACHAEL EATON | PHOTOS ELLIE PIPER AND PROVIDED 16 CONNECT 2024
MAX COE MAJOR | ART HISTORY WITH A EUROPEAN STUDIES MINOR CLASS OF 2025 RESEARCH MENTOR: DR. CRISTINA GONZALEZ MCKINNEY, TEXAS JENSEN BRIDGES MAJORS | MATHEMATICS AND STATISTICS WITH A PHILOSOPHY MINOR CLASS OF 2024 RESEARCH MENTOR: DR. MELISSA EMORY BLANCHARD, OKLAHOMA HOW DID YOU BEGIN YOUR RESEARCH? I originally began learning about how to complete art historical research in my classes. After completing several small research papers, I knew I was interested in completing more outside of class and possibly in my future career. When I heard about the AURCA program from another student, I knew it would be a perfect opportunity to gain more research experience and explore my passion for art history even further. I am so thankful I took the time to plan goals that would assist me in my future career. Because of this strategy, I have been able to intern at the Princeton University Art Museum, work under Sana Masood in the OSU Special Collections and work as a research assistant for Dr. Cristina Gonzalez in planning her New Mexico Museum of Art exhibition, “Saints and Santos: Picturing the Holy in New Spain.” WHAT HAS BEEN THE IMPACT OF YOUR RESEARCH? Researching the artwork and material for Dr. Gonzalez’s exhibition was not only extremely impactful to my skills and interest in art history, but also to the audience for the exhibition. Recently, I completed several saint biographies for the exhibition that will be published. I also had the opportunity to intern at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in their archives and libraries this summer. WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE PLANS? As an art history major, I have found a passion for working in archives and completing art historical research. So, after I graduate in 2025, I plan to secure a position in a library or archive environment. There, I will gain more experience in my field before pursuing a master’s degree in either library science or art history — or both. In my master’s program, I hope to complete research on the art of tarot cards and how they connect to femininity and sexuality. HOW DID YOU BEGIN YOUR RESEARCH? My Calculus I professor first gave me an introduction to the world of academia through a conference she encouraged me to apply to. During this conference, I learned about Research Experiences for Undergraduates, or REUs. In the summer after my sophomore year, I moved to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida, to complete an REU in data-enabled industrial math. Our project was assigned by the Department of Energy, and our goal was to predict the amount of plutonium created during the nuclear fuel cycle. This project was at the University of Texas at Tyler in the field of combinatorics, and I immediately found my niche in this work. WHAT HAS BEEN THE IMPACT OF YOUR RESEARCH? The work I’m doing is in pattern avoidance of permutations, a subfield of combinatorics, or the study of counting complex objects. Though it’s a field of pure math, combinatorics has many applications to computer science and network security. I have now submitted one paper from this REU for publication, and my group members and I are ready to submit a second one. I have also been given the opportunity to present both of these pattern avoidance projects at several conferences in Oklahoma, Texas, Georgia, Nebraska and California. WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE PLANS? I interned at Chesapeake Energy this summer and am now beginning my Ph.D. in pure mathematics at the University of Florida. After finishing graduate school, I will continue to a postdoctoral fellowship and eventually a tenure-track position to become a mathematics professor, continuing my current research in combinatorics. OSU COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES 17
KWABENA FOBI PH.D. | CHEMISTRY THIRD YEAR RESEARCH MENTOR: DR. RICHARD BUNCE KUMASI, GHANA GABBY GOMEZ PH.D. | SOCIOLOGY FOURTH YEAR RESEARCH MENTOR: DR. JONATHAN COLEY LEHIGH VALLEY, PENNSYLVANIA HOW DID YOU BEGIN YOUR RESEARCH? I was fortunate to spend a few holidays in my grandma’s village as a young boy. I was fascinated by how she used herbal preparations to treat various ailments. Although I was unaware of research at the time, I became interested in the idea of learning about this subject. My professor’s advice, motivation and biochemical research experiences during my undergraduate studies pushed me into an M.S. in chemistry at East Tennessee State University and then a Ph.D. program at OSU. WHAT HAS BEEN THE IMPACT OF YOUR RESEARCH? In our quest to discover drugs that can overcome resistance from bacteria, I have synthesized and characterized small molecules having the requisite functionality for perfect binding and interaction at the active site of bacterioferritin implicated in biofilm formation and antibiotic resistance. These antibiotics will serve as a new strategy to combat Gram-negative bacteria and biofilms. Additionally, I have developed a new domino reaction methodology for the synthesis of drug candidates and produced high yield quinoline, naphthol and lactam lead compounds via novel, optimized methods. I received the Gary Smith and Soon Han Scholarship for Outstanding Graduate Student, the OSU Foundation-Berlin Scholarship in Organic Chemistry, and the Boris Franzus Award for Outstanding Organic Chemistry Graduate Student. WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE PLANS? My career goal is to become part of a community of experts in medicinal chemistry, drug discovery and development with the hope of helping humanity. I envision working in research institutions and pharmaceutical firms to design and develop new antibiotic and anticancer drugs. I also see myself in academia. Who knows where fate will thrust me. HOW DID YOU BEGIN YOUR RESEARCH? I began researching health care practitioners’ participation and experiences in the weightinclusive health care movement for my master’s thesis at Lehigh University. At that time, I analyzed transcripts of a popular weight-inclusive podcast named Food Psych. I am currently building on my master’s work through my dissertation research by interviewing weight-inclusive health care practitioners about their participation and experiences in the movement directly. WHAT HAS BEEN THE IMPACT OF YOUR RESEARCH? With my research, I aim to raise awareness of the weight-inclusive health care movement, as well as the efforts and experiences of the individual health care practitioners who make up this movement. While health scholars stress that top-down policy changes are needed to mitigate the injustice of medical weight bias and its adverse health consequences at the population level, too little attention has been paid to the bottom-up change efforts being carried out by health care practitioners themselves. I received the 2024 Faculty Council for Gender Equity Student Research award for my dissertation work and recently published an article about the barriers that health care practitioners face as they transition toward and carry out weightinclusive care in the journal Fat Studies. This summer, I presented my research at the International Weight Stigma Conference and the annual meeting of the Society for the Study of Social Problems. WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE PLANS? My career goal is to work in an institution of higher education as a sociologist. 18 CONNECT 2024
COWBOY CONCURRENT ONLINE START JOURNEY YOUR Earn college credit from OSU while in high school! okstate.edu/concurrent COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES FLEXIBLE 24/7 course access AFFORDABLE Free & reduced rates QUALITY Expert faculty instructors
CRO COMMUNICATES HOLISTIC VISION FOR COLLEGE AS SHE BEGINS TENURE AS NEW CAS DEAN SPEAKING OUR LANGUAGE STORY ELIZABETH GOSNEY | PHOTOS JASON WALLACE 20 CONNECT 2024
For as long as she can remember, Dr. Melinda Cro has been surrounded by languages. Not only was she born to multilingual parents — her mother spoke Italian and Spanish, and her Italian-born father was a university language professor — but Cro also attended a French immersion school in Ontario, Canada. “From kindergarten through seventh grade, every subject except English and shop was done in French,” Cro said. “It was very formative for me, and it hugely impacted how I grew up looking at the world.” Cro went on to earn her Ph.D. in romance languages from the University of Georgia before gaining more than a decade of university teaching and administrative experience at Kansas State University. In July, she became the newest dean of Oklahoma State University’s College of Arts and Sciences. “There is strength in diversity of thought and perspective, and that’s what CAS has,” Cro said. “Even though an experience in chemistry is going to be different from an experience in modern languages, we come into the room with shared values. “I love President [Kayse] Shrum’s focus on ways that the university can leverage its comprehensive resources in a meaningful push toward solving grand challenges because those things are only achievable with the full breadth of the university’s resources, including the ... College of Arts and Sciences. For any challenge we face, the solution will require the collaboration of groups to understand the context and the human impact. When we’re talking about societies and cultures, you need all [CAS areas] to solve the problem.” This drive for analytic collaboration became particularly evident to Cro while deciding whether to pursue graduate studies in theatre or language, both of which were part of her undergraduate degree at King University in Bristol, Tennessee. “The thing I really loved about theatre was the directing, the designing and the problem-solving of a production,” Cro said. “But at the end of the day, my first love — of language and communicating, of culture and bringing a world together that is disparate — won out for me.” After interviewing with several graduate programs, Cro decided on UGA because it allowed her to study two languages — French and Italian — instead of just one. “It might not have been the wisest choice, but I wanted to be able to spread my wings,” Cro said. “I’ve always been interested in broader preparation rather than really narrow.” Attending UGA was Cro’s first experience with a land-grant university, where she witnessed outreach and Extension filter into various aspects of her coursework. She experienced a land-grant institution again with her positions at KSU, all of which has culminated in a vision for her new role at OSU. “When we think of Extension, a lot of times we contextualize that primarily within an ag context,” Cro said. “In truth, while that is and remains an important reality of Extension, there is opportunity to partner in a variety of ways. For me, the true superpower of a land-grant is a college of arts and sciences that’s deeply embedded in and engaging with the community, building on partnerships with Extension offices, for example, to connect communities across the state with our scholars and resources.” From teaching and program development to building enrollment and collaborating with faculty, staff and leadership, Cro’s breadth of experience stood out to OSU leadership, with Provost Jeanette Mendez supporting Cro’s appointment. “President Shrum and I are confident we succeeded in identifying the administrator best suited to lead the College of Arts and Sciences as the college aligns its strategic vision with the university’s strategic plan and ensures all faculty, staff, students, alumni and external partners have a voice in the process,” Dr. Mendez said. Cro recognizes the vast opportunities for growth and unity among CAS’s 24 departments, which include 850 faculty and staff, and nearly 7,000 students. And like puzzling out the nuances of language, she welcomes this type of challenge. “The beauty of the College of Arts and Sciences is our three pillars: arts and humanities, social sciences, and math and sciences,” said Cro, who is the first female CAS dean to serve in a fulltime, non-interim capacity. “If we stay within our pillar area, you can get depth potentially, but we’re missing out on the transdisciplinary reality of research and problem-solving. “The big challenges that we face as a society require a multi-pronged approach. If we’re not thinking about the full reality of the human experience as we’re looking at a problem, it will be very difficult to provide a holistic or effective solution. That’s what the landgrant actually is all about: leveraging our strengths and bringing together our expertise in applied, meaningful ways that will help to make a difference in this world for the better. ... We are stronger together than we are apart.” Scan to watch exclusive content about Dean Cro. OSU COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES 21
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