CAS News

The Oklahoma State University Department of Art, Graphic Design and Art History is hosting the fifth annual summer program aimed at junior high and high school students.

The Summer Art Academy is a non-credit commuter program of summer classes for students aged 12-18. Classes are taught by OSU-affiliated instructors in three- to five-day blocks. Students can learn new skills and build their portfolios. The academy offers a wide range of classes: watercolor, jewelry making, drawing, pottery and art history.

The Outstanding Senior award recognizes seniors who excel through academic achievement; campus and community activities; academic, athletic or extra-curricular honors or awards; scholarships and work ethic during their time at OSU.

The College of Arts and Sciences honorees with their hometowns and majors are:

• Danya Brewer, psychology, Emporia, Kansas
• Emily Dawn Fry, biological science, Stillwater, Oklahoma
• Caroline K. Graham, microbiology/cell and molecular biology and biochemistry, Midwest City, Oklahoma
• Savannah Martin, microbiology/cell and molecular biology, Duncan, Oklahoma
• Sarah Oliver, biochemistry, Ardmore, Oklahoma
• Amairani Perez Chamu, American studies, Tulsa, Oklahoma
• Alma Delfina Rios, biochemistry, Buffalo, Oklahoma

Maggie Chamberlain, a Ph.D. student and Oklahoma State University’s first recipient of the William Averette Anderson Fund Fellowship, plans to dedicate her career to her passion for environmental disaster relief through working at a nonprofit or governmental organization that directly benefits communities impacted by disasters.

The native of Austin, Texas, received her bachelor’s and master’s degree in sociology with a concentration on diversity and gender studies from Texas State University in San Marcos. She chose this path due to her interest in the environmental interaction between social and natural settings. 

With technology rapidly advancing, more humanities scholars are conducting research using a variety of digital tools and databases as well as sharing their research through open access and online journals to reach a wider audience.

The Edmon Low Library and the Oklahoma State University Digital Humanities Initiative are hosting two free, community-friendly digital humanities events around a visit by Dr. Roopika Risam, an assistant professor of English and English education at Salem State University in Massachusetts. Risam’s research focuses on building and sustaining humanities knowledge infrastructures in postcolonial studies, African studies and U.S. ethnic studies. She founded and directs the graduate certificate in digital studies and the digital scholars program at SSU.

Oklahoma State University’s Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders is hosting its annual conference to help speech-language pathologists better assist clients. The Cimarron Conference on Communication Disorders will be from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. April 12 at the Wes Watkins Center on the Oklahoma State University-Stillwater campus. This year’s topic is, “The Anatomy of a Dyslexia Diagnosis: How Can Informal and Formal Assessment Help.”

“The Cimarron Conference is a perfect opportunity to recharge my career batteries and allow me to focus on the latest research in our field,” said Leslie Baldwin, the conference’s coordinator and Communication Sciences and Disorders lecturer. “It always covers a timely and relevant topic.”

Savannah Martin has achieved a lot in her four years at Oklahoma State University, from receiving the Women for OSU scholarship her freshman year to being one of the 16 College of Arts and Sciences students named Seniors of Significance this year. Her passion for service and research has allowed her to experience all that OSU has to offer.

“One thing that I think is so cool about OSU is that there is always an avenue to pursue your passions,” Martin said.

Ibram X. Kendi, National Book Award winner and a leading scholar of racism and discriminatory policy in America, will speak on “How to Be an Antiracist” March 14 at 6 p.m. in Oklahoma State University’s Student Union Theatre. This talk is free and open to the public.

In his talk, Kendi will ask people to think about what an antiracist society might look like, and how we can play an active role in building it.

Bonnie Cain-Wood will enjoy a productive afternoon March 6 during the OSU Communications Networking Event at the ConocoPhillips OSU Alumni Center. And her reasons for going—her role as a communications professional and her appreciation for the value of internships—goes back to what she described as “a life-changing afternoon washing dirt.”

The Oklahoma City native is the OSU Library’s manager of communication services. She is a 1999 environmental science and 2006 master’s in mass communication alumna who planned to be a research scientist until that fateful day during her undergraduate experience. Thanks to a Wentz Research Scholarship, she was participating in a project on bioremediation of semi-arid soils.

Oklahoma State University’s Ethics Club, hosted by the Department of Philosophy, debates difficult questions. For example, is it justifiable to publish the names, addresses and employers of people who attend a public white-nationalist rally, which could lead to death threats or the loss of jobs for those listed? Or, should felons have their voting rights restored? If so, who should be eligible, and when?

The club’s members research topics such as these and engage in lively debates to hone their ability to present strong, articulate and systematic arguments. Their hard work led to qualification for the 23^rd Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl, to be held March 2-3 in Baltimore, Maryland, in conjunction with the 2019 Association for Practical and Professional Ethics Annual Conference.