Academic Insights: July 2017 by pvamuAcademicInsights

JULY2017

ACADEMICINSIGHTS By now, you have probably heard the news: Dr. George Wright, Prairie View A&M University’s longtime president for the past 14 years, stepped down to return to teaching and research full time, and Dr. Ruth Simmons, who retired as president of Brown University in 2012, assumed her duties as PVAMU’s Interim President on July 1. It is with great sadness to see Dr. Wright go, but he has been instrumental in changing the landscape of PVAMU and expanding our great institution’s global reach. Under his direction, Prairie View grew both academically and physically, and enrollment exploded! In fact, this coming fall, PVAMU is on tap to welcome the largest freshmen class in the university’s 141-year history. (We have more than 1,900 incoming freshmen, of which about 800 we will welcome through our Summer Bridge Programs.) I am positive, everyone who attends, works, teaches and volunteers at PVAMU, both presently and in the past, will miss Dr. Wright and his phenomenal leadership as president of Prairie View A&M University. Personally, I will miss his continuous inspiration, steadfast support and seeing the passion he has for “The Hill” every day. That being said, PVAMU has so much to gain from Dr. Simmons, a renowned higher education leader with national prestige. I am confident her legendary leadership will be more than enough to continue to build upon the legacy that Dr. Wright built. Prairie View A&M University welcomes Dr. Simmons with open arms. I want to thank everyone who has been participating in PVAMU’s New Student Orientations, Summer Camps and Programs, and other university summer activities over the past few months. I commend our faculty and staff members who are getting these young minds ready to take on the next phase in their lives. In addition, we are excited to host the summer 2017 commencement ceremony in the William “Billy” J. Nicks Building (Baby Dome) after all, despite previous plans to move it off campus due to renovation projects. We are looking forward to a successful graduation season next month, and we congratulate the next set of Panthers who will set out to conquer the world!

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To conclude, times are changing here on “The Hill” with new leadership, new students, departing students, and plenty more. But, we welcome change, as change is quintessential for growth.

IGNITE your passion OFFICE FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS academicinsights@PVAMU.EDU | 936-261-2175 | Felecia M. Nave, Ph.D., Provost & Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs

TEACHING

Faculty, Staff and Student

STANDOUTS

PVAMU Instructor Finds New Ways to Spice Up Learning in the Classroom By Marchita Shilo

Shayla Wiggins, lead instructor of Principles of

Effective

View

A&M

Learning

Courses

University’s

Office

within of

draw up diagrams. You can ultimately upload

Prairie

everything directly from the app into PVAMU’s

Academic

eCourses, or onto YouTube, so that students can

Engagement and Student Success, is switching things up in the classroom. “My classes are all about strategic learning, and creating connections between ideas, concepts, and themes,” said Wiggins. “With that being said, I love using role play and carrying out skits with my students. I am also a huge technology nerd. I am constantly finding new applications to use in the classroom. It just makes for an engaging and interactive learning experience.” In the beginning of each semester, Wiggins uses Kahoot!, a game-based platform which helps her students loosen up, work together, and build a community. “They also get to be competitive with this game, which is always fun,” said Wiggins. In addition, Wiggins uses Doceri, an interactive whiteboard application. “With this app, I get to create and record lessons for my students,” said Wiggins. “It is especially helpful for math professors who can use the app to illustrate complicated math problems and

view the materials at their convenience.” Nearpod falls under the same category as Doceri—it’s also an interactive classroom app. “Nearpod is especially helpful if you are teaching inside a classroom that does not have a projector, or, in those rare cases, when a whiteboard is not enough to teach a lesson,” said Wiggins. “It lets you share videos, pictures and other information with students. All they have to do is download the app beforehand, and then they can basically see what you see.” TodaysMeet is advertised as a backchannel chat platform that gives “everyone a voice.” “This one is especially useful for conferences,

“Be to

sure

download

set all

aside

time

for

the

apps

beforehand.

students

or for teachers who have larger class sizes,”

Sometimes, they have to delete pictures on their

said Wiggins. “During lectures or presentations,

phones to make room, etcetera,” said Wiggins.

people can log on, using their first name or an

“Once this happens, and once students become

anonymous name, and ask the presenter any

comfortable with using these types of apps,

question they may have. It is like an ongoing

they become more adaptable and marketable,

discussion board.”

and they are apt to be better consumers of

Wiggins has one disclaimer if you are planning to use apps in the classroom.

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technology. These things are crucial in the world we live in.”

RESEARCH

Faculty, Staff and Student

STANDOUTS

PVAMU’s Department of Mathematics Releases Latest International Journal By Marchita Shilo

The latest issue of Applications and Applied Mathematics:

International

Journal

available online.

So, what goes into composing AAM? “Well, for each of the 40 papers published in this latest issue of AAM, at least two peers from

“AAM Volume 12, Issue 1, June 2017 includes a

across the world helped to review them,” said

record number, 40 papers and 632 pages of peer-

Haghighi. “Then, myself, three associate editors in

reviewed and quality papers in mathematics,

the mathematics department, Dr. Dimitar Michev,

statistics,

engineering,

Dr. Jian-Ao Lian, and Dr. James Valles, completed

economics, and sciences. Contributors include

operations

research,

the editing of the papers, with the help of an

faculty at Prairie View A&M University and authors

editorial board comprised of 102 members of top

worldwide,” said Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Aliakbar

mathematicians and scientists from around the

Montazer Haghighi, who is also a professor and

world. Ms. Wooten, our administrative assistant

head of the Department of Mathematics. “This

in the mathematics department, finished the

international journal has put PVAMU on the world

process by posting the papers online and sending

map for more than 12 years.”

an announcement of the publication out to more

According to Haghighi, AAM covers valuable

than 60,000 email addresses around the world.”

research and educational information in the field

And each year, the scope of the journal expands.

of mathematical sciences.

“Our first issue of AAM included five papers—this

“For those in research, reading papers in

latest issue includes 40 articles,” said Haghighi. “The

AAM, as in any other research journal, will help

growth of the journal indicates its importance and

them be informed of innovative ideas in the

prominence. It introduces PVAMU to the research

topics covered,” said Haghighi. “Researchers,

community as a prestigious public university of

teachers, and graduate students can all benefit

the First Class. I feel humbly honored and excited,

from reading it to help them with research work,

and I am proud of not only establishing a top-

theses, and other projects. They are also able to

rated international journal but sustaining it and

present the latest development materials in the

overseeing its continuing growth.”

area of mathematics to students everywhere.”

IGNITE your passion | View AAM Volume 12, Issue 1, June 2017, and prior issues, online at

pvamu.edu/aam.

SERVICE

Faculty, Staff and Student

STANDOUTS

PVAMU Faculty Member Making Strides to Prevent Crime Among Youth By Marchita Shilo

Parent and Child Engagement training program,”

Court, and the Texas Juvenile Crime Prevention

said Paris.

Center in Prairie View A&M’s College of Juvenile

The four

training

program

consecutive,

two-hour

conducted training

sessions

and is comprised of four training modules: Communication - Talking at or Talking With; Effective Parenting; Effective Advocacy; and Parental Involvement: Parents Being Present. “In designing the training program, I drew on my past experiences as a former associate municipal courts judge for the City of Houston, and more than 30 years of practicing law in both the juvenile and family law courts throughout the state of Texas,” said Paris. “In addition, I developed modules from my personal life of being a single mother and grandmother. Ultimately, my desire

Attorney Grady Paris, a training specialist in the Texas Juvenile Crime Prevention Center spends a lot of her time on the highway these days.

Justice & Psychology. But, because of its success, the Austin Independent School District awarded a contract to provide training not only for AISD families, but also for the district’s parent support specialist, teachers, administrators, and staff to improve the district’s dropout rate and to empower

parents

become

meaningfully

engaged in the lives of their children." In the last few years, Paris’ program expanded to include Del Valle Independent School District, Manor Independent School District, Royal Junior High School in Waller Independent School District, and the Academy of Accelerated Learning, Inc., a charter school in Houston, Texas.

was to address some of the needs of families to

“I believe the success of this program rests in

reduce and prevent school truancy, drug abuse,

the fact that I meet with families to strengthen

and other habits that oftentimes lead to youth

them in a meaningful process of interaction and

delinquency or incarceration.”

learning,” said Paris. “The program has proven to

Since 2010, Paris’ program has impacted more than 1,000 families in the Austin area and beyond.

“Every Wednesday, for the past six years, I have

"The program was initially piloted through the

traveled to Austin, Texas to carry out my Effective

Travis County Justice of the Peace, Precinct One

be a viable intervention tool, and many schools are relying on it as a preventative resource. The transformative and empowering testimonies from families speak loudly to its value.”

IGNITE your passion | For more information about the Effective Parent and Child Engagement training program, email gmparis@pvamu.edu.

School of Architecture Students Win Sandcastle Design Competition

Faculty, Staff and Student

STANDOUTS

By Marchita Shilo

A group of students from Prairie View A&M

PVAMU’s bunch came out on top in the college

architecture,” said Sabouni. “We will continue

University’s School of Architecture (SOA) won the

competition against students from University of

to prepare our students well to achieve success

2017 AIA Sandcastle College Challenge Design

Houston and Rice University. And, believe it or

in future competitions on the beach and in all

Competition on June 3, 2017, in Galveston, Texas.

not, this is the SOA’s eleventh time winning the

other design competitions they participate in.”

“The AIA Sandcastle Competition, which is a

competition since 2002.

fundraising event for the Houston Chapter of

“Our students are always competitive and

the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and

they enjoy the challenge and work hard to

Architecture Center Houston, is one of the top

be the best among all the other schools of

five revenue-generating events for the City of Galveston,” said Dr. Ikhlas Sabouni, dean of PVAMU’s School of Architecture. “It is a great marketing and advertising tool for our school. It is also a great opportunity for our students because about 60 architectural and construction firms from the Houston area are represented at the event.” The PVAMU students who won, under the supervision of professors Barry Norwood and Stephan

Yunsik

Song,

were:

Karen

Nunez,

Guillermo Diaz, Isabel Calderon, Eric Mata, Renee Justin C. Sampilo, Erick Villanueva, Tieona Batise, Fredrick A. Lyons II, and Erick Garcia. “The theme the students choose for this year’s challenge was the Museum of Contemporary Art in Barcelona, Spain, designed by American Architect Richard Meier. The students had to come up with a free design representing creativity

and

good

craftsmanship,”

said

Sabouni.

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AIA has been hosting the competition since 1986. This year, more than 3,000 participants raised well over $60,000.

Faculty, Staff and Student STANDOUTS PVAMU Finance Instructor Wins $25,000 TD Ameritrade Emerging Program Grant Danny J. Harvey, an instructor of finance at Prairie View A&M Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s College of Business, won a $25,000 TD Ameritrade Emerging Program Grant. The funds will be used during the 2017-2018 academic year to promote financial literacy among students and to strengthen his emerging financial planning program. As part of the celebration, Harvey and Dr. Munir Quddus, dean of the College of Business and associate provost for the PVAMU Northwest Houston Center, have been invited to travel to New York City on July 18. Their trip will include a walking tour of Wall Street and VIP access to Nasdaq where they will participate in the closing bell ceremony.

IGNITE your passion | You can watch the ceremony live, at livestream.com/nasdaq/live, beginning at 2:30 p.m. on July 18.

Faculty, Staff and Student STANDOUTS

Kelli Kenter

Bryce Peterson

Wesley Slater

Eight PVAMU Students Accepted into Veterinary Medicine Programs This year, three students in the College of Agriculture and Human Sciences, Kelli Kenter, Bryce Peterson, and Wesley Slater, were accepted into Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences. Additionally, Zhane Brown and Ashley Minor (Biology) were accepted into Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine, Corwin Spears and Krystal Norris were accepted into Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine in St. Kitts, and Conlee Fry was accepted into Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine.

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