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Week of Dec. 8-14, 2008 Welcome to the Tower Topics E-newsletter for faculty, staff and students at Western. |
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Missouri Western State University, 4525 Downs Drive, St. Joseph, MO 64507, 816-271- 4200 |
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Click any link for these stories: Learning Community Adopts a Family Western Students Win Gold in International Competition High School Chemistry Students Visit Western for Dual Credit Lost & Found: If you have lost any items, please come to SU 228 to claim them. You may be required to describe the item. Click on
Guidelines for Tower Topics: Tower Topics submissions should state time, date, place, sponsor, title of event, name of speaker's and admission fees. Send complete information to the Public Relations and Marketing office (Leah Spratt Hall, Room 106). The deadline for all entries is 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, for the next week's issue. Tower Topics will be online weekly during the fall and spring semester. For more information call 271-5651. Student Editor:
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Learning Community Adopts a Family “Life is good,” said Dawn Terrick in the toy aisle of the north Belt WalMart. And thanks to Terrick’s Writing 100 class, life really will be good for one more family this Christmas. The class, part of the “Educational Revolution” learning community that also includes the College 101 class taught by Cathy Gann, decided to adopt a family this year, so last Friday found some of the class out shopping at WalMart. Terrick was really talking about the game of Life, which was one of the gifts they purchased, along with toys, books and shoes. Freshman Jarrel Berryman said his classmates adopted a family at Christmas last year when he was a senior in high school, and he thought it would be a good idea for the learning community. “I wanted to give back. With the bad economic times, I wanted to do something for a family.” The class, Gann said, agreed with Berryman. Freshman Lindsay O’Neal said her family adopts several families in St. Joseph every year, so she handled the logistics of getting the class a family – a single mother with three young children. O’Neal said along with several members of the class donating money and items, family members of students in the class donated as well. “It was a wonderful idea,” said Gann. Yeah, life really is good. |
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The Winter Commencement for summer and fall graduates at Missouri Western State University will be at 4 p.m. Dec. 13 in the M.O. Looney Complex arena. State Rep. Martin Rucker, District 29 Democrat, will be the commencement speaker. The Alumni Association is hosting a free reception for all graduates and their families immediately after the ceremony in the old gym. A pinning ceremony and reception for nursing graduates will begin at 1 p.m. in the Fulkerson Center. Rep. Rucker, a 1975 graduate of Central High School in St. Joseph and attendee of Central Wyoming College and Missouri Western State College, will receive an honorary degree during the commencement. First elected to the House in 2004, Rep. Rucker works for Silgan Container Corporation in St. Joseph. In addition to his legislative duties, Rep. Rucker is vice-chair of the St. Joseph School Board. He has also been a member of the Board of Directors of the United Way of St. Joseph and the Community Plan. Rep. Rucker attends Trinity Missionary Baptist Church where he is a member of the Board of Trustees. Rep. Rucker lives in St. Joseph with his wife LaVell. They have four children: Bill, Michael, Micah and Martin II. Special recognition will also be given to former State Rep. Ronald S. Reed Jr. Reed, a St. Joseph attorney, was first elected to the Missouri State House of Representatives in 1964 and was instrumental in winning approval for legislation that moved Western from a junior college to a four-year college in 1969. Earlier this year, the Western Board of Governors approved a resolution renaming the central campus entry from Mitchell Avenue to Downs Drive as “Ronald S. Reed Jr. Way.” Dr. Robert A. Vartabedian, Western’s president, will present Reed with a street sign featuring the new name. |
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Western Students Win Gold in International Competition Western undergraduate students earned a gold medal in competition recently among 84 national and international teams in a competition at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) in Boston, Mass. The competition, known as the international Genetically Engineered Machines (iGEM) Jamboree, is a showcase for undergraduate research teams working in the field of synthetic biology. Students are challenged to use engineering principles, mathematical modeling, and molecular biology techniques to design and construct novel biological devices with applications in areas such as medicine, the environment, energy, and technology. Biology and mathematics majors and faculty leaders from Western worked collaboratively with colleagues from Davidson College (North Carolina) to design and build a biological computer capable of performing a cryptographic hash function (see http://2008.igem.org/Team:Davidson-Missouri_Western ). For their project, called E. nigma, the team earned a Gold Medal, awarded to only 17 of the 84 iGEM teams. Other teams competing in the jamboree included students from Harvard, Cambridge, Slovenia, Taipei, Heidelberg, Cal-Berkeley, and Virginia Tech. The Missouri Western and Davidson College synthetic biology collaboration is funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation. This is the third consecutive year that Missouri Western has had an iGEM team. Team members include Alicia Allen, Bob Cool, Andrew Gordon, John Igo, Xiao Zhu, all of St. Joseph, Mo., and Aaron Lewis (Jamesport). Faculty team leaders were Dr. Todd Eckdahl, professor of biology, and Dr. Jeff Poet, associate professor of mathematics. More information about iGEM and the 2008 Jamboree can be found at http://2008.igem.org/Main_Page. |
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High School Chemistry Students Visit Western for Dual Credit Each year, area high school college credit students get the opportunity to perform scientific experiments at Western’s chemistry lab. The lab visit is part of the dual credit general chemistry class offered through the Western Institute. Twenty-seven students from Platte County, five students from South Harrison and one student from Wathena attended. The experiments performed centered around finding out how much caffeine is in a cup of coffee. Platte County science teacher Rob Davenport said that the day was a great opportunity for students. “They get to use equipment that in most colleges are reserved for graduate students,” he said. “They get the opportunity to do the exact same [experiment] as college students. The class gets them exposed to the rigors of a college course, but at a slower pace.” Mondae Atu, one of Davenport’s students, who plans to double major in molecular biochemistry and genetic engineering, found the dual credit chemistry course especially helpful. South Harrison science teacher Denise Wagner said that the day was a great opportunity for students. “The course gives them the study skills and the ability to have both of the teachers available while taking college courses,” she said. Wagner stressed that although the course is great for students, it is just as valuable for non-science majors. “If the student is going into science, it gives them a strong basis in Chemistry. But it also helps non-science students by giving them a general education requirement,” she said. Wathena science teacher Jim Cera said that the day was a great opportunity for students. “It gives the kids a challenge in science and exposure to college classes,” he said. “I hope the students get interested in instruments and learn what can be done with Chemistry.” Elliott Nold, Cera’s student, attended the lab visit and said the most interesting part was visiting the university. General Chemistry (CHE 111) is open to high school juniors and seniors with an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher. The student must also be recommended and have an ACT math score of 20 or higher. For more information about high school college credit or Western Institute programs, please visit www.wi.missouriwestern.edu or call 816-271-4100. |
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Football
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Women's Basketball
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Nontrad Assistance The Nontraditional Student Office is once again sponsoring underprivileged nontraditional students and their families this holiday season. A tree is located in the Nontraditional Student Center, Eder 200, with gift tags on it. On each tag, one item is listed that either a student or a child has requested. Each gift is under $20. If you purchase an item, bring it back to the center along with the tag, and the Nontraditional Student Center will wrap it. Last year the center was able to bring Christmas to 21 nontrad student families. Holiday Brunch This year's Holiday Brunch is from 10:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. Dec. 11 in the Fulkerson Center. This year we are collecting for the Second Harvest Food Bank Backpack Buddies Program. Items requested are: Single Serve Cereal, Easy Mac (or equivalent), Chef Boyardee Ready Made Meals (or equivalent), Granola Bars or Single Serving Snack Items. Call 4237 to make a reservation. Silent Auction The special events committee is once again planning the Silent Auction, which will be held from 11:30 a.m. - 1:45 p.m. Dec. 17 in the hallway between Blum 218-219. All proceeds from the auction will benefit the Big Brothers and Big Sisters of St. Joseph. In addition to the auction the committee will be taking donations for the kids, so remember to bring your wallet. If any individuals or departments are willing to donate items for the silent auction, contact Hawley Rumpf at 5800 as soon as possible. Food Hours of Operation Western Dining has adjusted their hours of operation during the week of finals. Hours include: Cafeteria - Breakfast - 7-9:30 a.m. Lunch - 10:45 a.m. - 1:15 p.m. Dinner - 4:30-7 p.m. Food Court/Quiznos - 7 a.m. - 10 p.m. C Store/Commons - 3 p.m. - 1 a.m. Western Deli - 7:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. Western Cart - Closed and Java City 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Late Study Hours The Center of Student Engagement located in Blum 207 will have late study hours during finals week beginning Dec. 8 The CSE will stay open until midnight Dec. 8-11. The Art Center will be available for any projects that students may need to complete. Refreshments will also be served. MWSU Orchestra Concert After finals on Dec. 8, spend an hour or so away from the grind! The MWSU Orchestra will be performing music by Mendelssohn, Grieg, Gates, Sibelius, Copland, and Saint-Saens. The concert begins at 7:30 pm in Potter Hall Theatre. Sign up for Multicultural Institute The Center for Multicultural Education (CME) is now taking applications for its Multicultural Institute leadership program. The Multicultural Institute focuses on teaching the importance of cultural diversity and respect for others. If you are interested in joining this great program pick up an application at the CME office, Blum 210, or contact the CME at 4150 or contact Tay Triggs - Director of the CME at ttriggs. |
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Monday, December 8
Tuesday, December 9
Wednesday, December 10
Thursday, December 11
Friday, December 12
Saturday, December 13
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Needed: One or two female roommates needed for a three bedroom house. Garage included. Call Jamie Dancer at 816-284-5193 for questions. |
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Wanted: Your want ads! You
are welcome to submit ads to the Western ADvantage each week.
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