University of Nebraska Kearney

News & Notes

May 2013

The College of Natural and Social Sciences held its bi-annual NSS Honors Convocation on Thursday evening May 2.  This semester the college honored eighteen graduating seniors. (For a larger image of the picture please click directly on the picture below).

April 2013

Congratulations to Dr. Pradeep Barua! 

The College of Natural and Social Sciences congratulates Dr. Pradeep Barua from the Department of History on the publication of his latest monograph "The Military Effectiveness of Post-Colonial States" just published by Brill Academic Publishers from Leiden, The Netherlands.  (For a larger image of the book cover please click directly on the picture below).

UNK Students at NCUR!!! 

A total of twenty-one UNK students presented their research at the National Conference for Undergraduate Research this month.  Twelve of these students came from the College of Natural and Social Sciences.

(Please click on the link below to view the abstract of the paper or poster).

Nathan Bradley - Physics, EFFICIENT MULTIPLEXING AND DEMULTIPLEXING OF LIGHT'S ANGULAR MOMENTUM  

Kevin Carder - Political Science, FROM HERE TO TIMBUKTU: HOW TRAVELING SHAPES ONE'S VIEWS OF THE WIDER WORLD  

Wesley Edson, Criminal Justice, JAIL TIME OR WASTE OF TIME 

Kyle Gibbens, Biology, SMOKING AND PREGNANCY: IS THE DAMAGE ALREADY DONE?  

Amanda Hagstrom, Biology, STRESSED OR CHILL? RESPONSE OF NESTLING RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS TO A PERCEIVED STRESSFUL EVENT 

Kendra Harbison, Biology, BACTERIAL ISOLATES OF KOKJOHN POND IN THE WESTERN NEBRASKA SANDHILLS 

Alyx Lingenfelter, Biology,  IMPACTS OF NON-NATIVE AMERICAN BULLFROGS (LITHOBATES CATESBEIANUS) ON NATIVE AMPHIBIANS AT VALENTINE NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, NEBRASKA 

Kayla McMahon, Physics, ALIGNMENT OF GOLD NANOPARTICLES BY LIQUID CRYSTALS TO DEVELOP VISIBLE LIGHT POLARIZERS 

Josh Moravec, Physics, DATA ANALYSIS OF AN EXPANSION OF THE EPA’S RADNET RADIATION DOSIMETRY PROTOCOL  

Hayley Rudder, Biology, THE ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF THE KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE ON THE THREATENED AND ENDANGERED SPECIES OF NEBRASKA  

Adrian Sanabria-Diaz, Physics, EXPANSION OF EPA RADNET PROTOCOL FOR DOSIMETRY    

Koichi Sato, Physics, REDUCTION OF PHASE AT DIFFERENT INCIDENT ANGLES OF A SPATIAL LIGHT MODULATOR  

March 2013

Kudos to Our Students! 

Congrats to Kellie Murray, Morgan Abert and Justin Buchanan who received a Student Talent Development Award to support the presentation of their research at the 54th Annual Drosophila Research Conference in Washington, D. C. in April.
 

Congrats to Drs. Darveau & Exstrom of the Chemistry Department !!! 

The Nebraska Research Initiative (NRI) announced March 1 that they will grant $64,000 towards the purchase of a $96,000 Benchtop X-Ray Defractometer to aid in their research.  Contributing to research in chemistry, physics, and geology at UNK, the new X-Ray Diffractometer (XRD) can identify chemical composition and crystallinity in materials. With these measurements, UNK researchers will be able to tailor materials for more efficient solar cells, to investigate new materials for extremely small biologic and chemical sensors, to identify special soils through Nebraska and beyond, and to understand how to better control reactions in the production of new chemical species.(For a larger image please click directly on the picture below).
  

January 2013

LeAnn Obrecht Herded!! 

The Herd would like to welcome another member.  LeAnn Obrecht is the Director of Counseling and Health Care. She is the principal investigator on a grant for 3 year grant totaling $900,000. The funding was provided by the U. S. Department of Justice Office of Violence Against Women.  The grant title is: “Building Victim Services, Prevention and a Coordinated Community Response in Rural Central Nebraska”.  This funding will assist victims of various crimes related to sexual assault in Buffalo, Dawson, Franklin, Harlan, and Kearney counties. (For a larger image please click on the image below).
  

Twenty-one UNK Students to Present at NCUR 

Once again this year a large number of UNK students have had their papers, projects or posters accepted for presentation at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research.  This is an annual meeting that celebrates the contributions of undergraduate students around the United States.  This year the meeting will be held on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in April.  All of the student presenters have performed original research in collaboration with a faculty mentor.  Congratulations to all of our students at UNK for being accepted at NCUR!

 UNK/KSU Collaboration in Computer Science 

Congratulations to the Computer Science Department at UNK for their work in creating a collaboration between themselves and the computer science department at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas.  "The UNK Department of Computer Science and Information Systems (CSIS) and KSU Department of Computing and Information Science (CIS) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding that will speed up the admissions process for UNK students entering the KSU master of science in computer science (MS-CS) or the master of software engineering in computer science (MSE-CS) programs. UNK computer science graduates will be considered for the master’s in computer science, while information technology students will be considered for the master’s in software engineering." - Glennis Nagle, Director of Media Relations, UNK

Dr. Liubov Kreminska Named Woman Physicist of the Month! 

Hearty congratulations to Dr. Liubov Kreminska for being named Woman Physicist of the month by the American Physical Society's Committee on the Status of Women in Physics (CSWP).  This national award recognizes Dr. Kreminska's outstanding contributions to UNK through teaching, research and service.  Read the full press-release here: http://www.unknews.com/UNK/story/?a=4999
  

January Employee of the Month! 

Congratulations to Elizabeth Steele, Office Associate in Physics & Physical Sciences for being selected as the UNK Employee of the Month for January 2013. 

December 2012

CNSS Fall Honors Convocation 

The College of Natural & Social Sciences held their bi-annual Honors Convocation on Thursday evening, December 13 at 5:00 pm. 

At the end of every semester the college takes a moment to honor its best graduates.  This semester eleven students were honored by the college.

Brittany Musil HERDED!!! 

Congratulations are due to Brittany Musil, graduate student and graduate assistant in History,  for several accomplishments this semester.  First, to Brittany and her mentor, Daryl Kelley.  Brittany won 1st Prize for her paper entitled, "The Discovery of Bullying:  The Process and Effects of Creating a Deviant Label" at the 2012 Nebraska Undergraduate Sociological Symposium (NUSS) which was held on the Nebraska Wesleyan University campus on November 1-2.  Second, Brittany has been named Director of the UNK Czech Republic Study Abroad Program.  She will travel with a group of UNK students to oversee their study abroad experience in central Europe and teach one International Studies course to UNK students on the history of the holocaust.  Congrats Brittany!  (For a larger image please click directly on the picture below).

November 2012

Dr. Peter Longo HERDED!!!!! 

The College of Natural and Social Sciences would like to HERD Dr. Peter Longo for his most recent recognition as the winner of the University of Nebraska Foundation Harlan J. Noddle Distinguished Development Service Award.  Peter has been a top teacher and scholar in Political Science but was recently recognized for his contributions to the mission of the Foundation.  Congratulations Peter!!!!  (For a larger image please click directly on the picture below).

Congrats to Brittany Musil & Dr. Daryl Kelley!!!!! 

Congratulations to Brittany Musil and her mentor, Daryl Kelley.  Brittany won 1st Prize for her paper entitled, "The Discovery of Bullying:  The Process and Effects of Creating a Deviant Label" at the 2012 Nebraska Undergraduate Sociological Symposium (NUSS) which was held on the Nebraska Wesleyan University campus on November 1-2.  (For a larger image please click directly on the picture below).

September 2012

Dr. Richard Miller HERDED!!!!! 

The College of Natural and Social Sciences would like to HERD Dr. Rick Miller for winning the Charles L. Brewer Award for Distinguished Teaching of Psychology awarded each year by the American Psychological Association.  Rick always works for find what is best for our students to help ensure their success.  The Charles L. Brewer award marks another national teaching award for Dr. Miller and the College of Natural and Social Science offers our hearty congratulations. (For a larger image please click directly on the picture below).

UNK Volleyball Team HERDED!!!! 

The College of Natural and Social Sciences would like to HERD the UNK Volleyball Team and coach Rick Squiers for their successes both this weekend and last.  They not only won their tournaments, but dominated. The new NCAA Division II rankings place them at #1.  The College would also like to acknowledge the role Janet Steele (Professor of Biology) plays as scorekeeper at the home games.  Thank you Janet. (for a larger image please click directly on the picture below).

First HERDING of the Academic Year! 

Throughout this academic year as UNK joins the MIAA, the College of Natural and Social Sciences will honor that move by "HERDING" important Department, College and University events.  If you would like your event "HERDED" and publicized on our website, please speak to Dean John La Duke or Associate Dean Doug Biggs.  We decided that we should begin with the Chancellor on the Tuesday after Labor Day.  Doug was a good sport and seemed to enjoy being "HERDED."  Kudos to Lauren Brandt from Criminal Justice and Sociology for coming up with the idea!!!!  (for a larger image please click directly on the picture below).

August 2012

Department of CSIS Receives $150,000 Endowment for Students!  

Rachel Decker and Derek McNeil (pictured above) are UNK student interns at the Buckle in Kearney.  (Please click on the picture to enlarge)

Congratulations to the Department of Computer Science and Information Systems (CSIS)  who received a $150,000 gift from The Buckle, Inc.  This gift endows two $3,000 scholarships for two students who meet certain academic requirements each year.  For a full story please click on the link:  http://stories.nufoundation.org/node/1061 

NSS Gives Loper Awards for 2012 

This Fall the College of Natural and Social Sciences gave the coveted NSS Service Award (i.e. a stuffed antelope) to 53 of its faculty, many of whom are pictured below.  Congratulations and thanks to our colleagues who helped the college with a wide range of service commitments last year. (Please click on the picture to enlarge)

New Freshmen Arrive on Campus!!!! 

This Fall NSS welcomed over 260 freshmen to the college.  On First Saturday the college had lunch for the students and faculty representatives from all thirteen NSS departments and programs met with the new students.  The college also handed out bright golden yellow hats to all of the freshmen.  (Please click on the picture to enlarge).

Dr. Kim Carlson Receives Pratt-Heins Award for Service 

Congratulations from the College go to Dr. Kim Carlson from the Biology Department who won this year's Pratt-Heins Award for Service.  This is a University level award that recognizes superior contributions of faculty members and is given annually. 

July 2012

Dr. Rick Miller Receives Award 

Dr. Richard Miller of the Psychology Department has been given the Charles L. Brewer Award for Distinguished Teaching of Psychology by the American Psychological Foundation for 2012.

June 2012

Dr. Robert Rycek Elected to Office at NCUR 

Dr. Robert Rycek of the Psychology Department has been elected to the position on the Council of the Psychology Division by the Council of Undergraduate Research. 

http://www.cur.org/governance/divisions/psychology/
 

April 2012

Rikiya Ishizaki, an UNK CSIS exchange student from Sapparo Unversity in Japan, received third place in the Midwest Instruction and Computing Symposium (MICS) 2012 robotics competition, held on April 13th, 2012 at the University of Northern Iowa.

Dr. Wyatt Hoback from the Biology Department has had his research on beetles published on Science Daily, msnbc.com, the Daily Mail in the United Kingdom, and on the National Geographic website.  To view these articles please click on the appropriate link below.

Science Daily: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120411161626.htm
msnbc.com: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/47046123/ns/technology_and_science-science/
The Daily Mail: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2128836/Human-faeces-came-dung-beetles-taste-test.html    

National Geographic: http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2012/04/17/weird-wild-dung-beetles-favorite-poop-revealed/
 

Dr. Diane Duffin from the Department of Political Science, received the honor of being inducted into the Academy for Teacher Education Excellence at UNK by the UNK advisory Council on Teacher Education.

Dr. Dawn Simon from the Department of Biology, received an EPSCoR grant for her research "Evolution of rRNA Introns in Fungi."

Dr. Kim Carlson from the Department of Biology, was named the National Institutional Faculty/Staff Member of the Month for February 2012 by the National Residence Hall Honorary.

March 2012

Dr. Peter Longo and Dr. Joan Blaukamp of the Political Science Department received the 2011 Leslie Hewes Award for the best social science article published in Great Plains Research in 2011.  The title of their paper is: "Workplace Religious Accommodation for Muslims and the Promise of State Constitutionalism."  You may view an abstract of their piece here: http://www.unl.edu/plains/publications/GPR/gprabstracts.shtml
 

Eight graduate students from the History MA program (four on campus and four on-line) along with two undergraduate History majors presented papers at the Missouri Valley History Conference in Omaha, March 1-3.  Seven UNK History faculty also attended the conference and Dr. Vernon Volpe delivered the Phi Alpha Theta Plenary Address entitled: "Pro-Slavery Politics and the Coming of the Civil War."  
 

February 2012

  On March 26 Sigma Xi will present their annual Distinguished Lecture in conjunction with Women's History Month.  The featured speaker will be Candice DeLong, a Special Agent with the FBI, who will give a presentation entitled: "My Life on the Front Lines as a Woman in the FBI."  The lecture will be held in Room 142, Copeland Hall at 6:00 pm.  There will be a book signing after the lecture.  All faculty, staff, and students are encouraged to attend the presentation.

On April 11 the Biology Club will host a public lecture by Jeanine Lackey, a wildlife biologist with the Raptor Recovery Nebraska Project based in Elmwood, on Nebraska Birds of Prey.  The lecture will be held in Room 142, Copeland Hall from 6:30 to 7:15 pm.  There is no charge for admissions but, free donations will be taken at the door.  All donations will be given to help the Raptor Recovery Nebraska Project continue their work.  All faculty, staff, and students are encouraged to attend the presentation. 

Michael Sall of Holdrege and Joel Meyer of Norfolk created the app to help people find buildings, departments and student services offices on campus.  The app, called Wobini MApps, is built upon the Android Software Development Kit and utilizes the Google Maps Application Programming Interface (API) to display the map and geo-locations, according to Meyer.  The app is available at no cost for a limited time at http://wobinimapps.com. There is also a quick response code and printed material on the website, so the app can be provided to others.  

 The UNK History MA was featured on our local Channel 10/11 news this month.  Follow the link here to view the story: http://www.1011now.com/video?clipId=6763824&topVideoCatNo=91962&autoStart=true   

 Dr. Diane Kholos Wysocki was quoted on the front page of the February 14th edition of the USA Today in an article entitled "Sites that Cater to 'discreet' encounters thriving." 

January 2012 

Dr. Tim Reece has been named as a Faculty Associate of the Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience based at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

The following students from NSS received Pepsi Experiential Funds to attend the various activities listed below -

Mariana Hernandez and KyAnn Rasmussen received a Pepsi Grant for their Social Work Internship in Grand Island this Spring Semester.

Grant Carlson, Paul Tompkins, and Caitlin Frazier will attend the Alpha Phi Sigma National Conference/ACJS Annual Meeting in New York in March.

Viridiana Almanza Zavah, David Scheer, Pamela Thindwa, Zachary Shultz, Jed Dush, Taitee Nmah, Ana Maria Tejada, Brian Ellis, and Alina Vitter will attend the 2012 Harvard National Model United Nations Conference in Boston, MA in February.

December 2011 

Ms. Martha Isabel Montanez Diaz from the Department of Biology received a UNK award for her outstanding MS thesis for the 2010/2011 academic year.  Ms. Diaz's adviser is Dr. Paul Twigg

Ethan Cordes from the Department of Biology recieved a UNK award for his outstanding MS thesis for the 2010/2011 academic year.  Mr. Cordes' adviser is Dr. Kim Carlson

  
Dr. Krista Forrest, Professor of Psychology, received a 2011 UNK Creative Teaching Award.  The university uses this award to recognize those faculty for their teaching excellence and for their dedication and commitment to the education of students.  Dr. Forrest also received the Pratt-Heins Award for Excellence in Teaching this Fall.

Dr. Sandy Cook-Fong (on the right above), Associate Professor of Social Work, was named the 2011 Western Region Social Worker of the Year Award.  Dr. Cook-Fong recieved this award at the National Association of Social Workers Conference held in Omaha.  Sandy was recognized for her work with the Royal Family Kids' Camp which she started with her husband several years ago.  Each June, the one-week camp serves children in the foster care system who have been abused and/or neglected.  The camp relies soley on volunteers and is funded through donations from churches, service organizations and individuals.

Dr. Kim Carlson received the Pratt-Heins Award for Excellence in Scholarship this Fall.

Congratulations Dr. Exstrom!
	Dr. Chris Exstrom was awarded the prestigious Leland Holdt/Security Mutual Life Award at UNK. The award recognizes outstanding teacher-scholarly achievement that bring credit to the university.
The College of Natural and Social Sciences welcomes Dr. John C. La Duke as our new Dean!
Dr. La Duke brings an outstanding record as a teacher, scholar and academic leader to his new responsibilities. Read More We are very pleased to welcome Dr. John La Duke to UNK and we look forward to collaborating with him on the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for the College of Natural and Social Sciences and for our campus as a whole.
The Latest in Winter Wear for Alumni
Sheryl Trindle ('94) and Michael Trindle ('94, '01) and Sadie Bohnenkamp ('97) and Matthew Bohnenkamp ('98) receive the first 4 CNSS scarfs given to CNSS alumni at the January, 2011 Hastings Alumni gathering.
Dr. Richard Miller Named 2009 U.S. Professor of the Year
	Dr. Richard Miller, professor of psychology, helps undergraduate students critically examine and contribute to the knowledge base in psychology. Read More
Dr. Maha Younes Receives 2009 Nebraska Social Worker of the Year Award
	The award was presented during the NASW-NE fall conference in Omaha. The presenter noted, "No matter the challenges or barriers that face her, any project Dr. Younes undertakes is met with dedication, persistence, and commitment until the goal is reached." Read More