DISCOVER Live a life of discovery.
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Extraordinary People, Programs & Projects from the College of Science
The height of technology at work at the Nevada Terawatt Facility
DISCOVER
2009-2010 UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO HEALTH, SAFETY & WELLNESS GUIDE
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Dear Friend of Science,
I Dean Jeff Thompson College of Science
hope you enjoy learning about the fantastic students and faculty in our second edition of the College of Science magazine, DISCOVER. I am very proud of our students and constantly amazed by their drive and engagement. In the 2014/15 academic year 469 students earned degrees in majors in the College, including 76 graduate degrees. Our students graduate from the University and use their knowledge and skills to start careers in companies and government, or further their education in graduate and professional schools. They serve as ambassadors for Nevada and the College of Science throughout the nation and across the globe. The faculty and staff in the College could not be more proud of our students.
There are many articles in this edition telling the stories of the students and faculty in the College. Their work has impact at the local, regional and global levels. In addition to these stories, I want to bring your attention to the accomplishments of a few of our students and faculty members. In April we recognized the top-graduating students in the College, our Westfall Scholars. The most outstanding Westfall Scholar is recognized with the Durham Prize. This year Brianna Roll, a chemistry major, received the Durham Prize. Brianna was accepted at the University of Nevada School of Medicine and will begin her studies this fall. I recently learned that Josh Regalado, majoring in
neuroscience, was selected to receive a Barry Goldwater Scholarship. This is a very selective, prestigious national recognition for undergraduate students majoring in science, mathematics or engineering. Josh is the fourth College of Science student to be awarded a Goldwater Scholarship in the last four years. A number of faculty members in the College also received distinguished awards this year. Geoff Blewitt of the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology was named the 2015 recipient of the European Geosciences Union's acclaimed Vening Meinesz Medal for distinguished research in Geodesy. John Anderson of the Nevada Seismology Laboratory was awarded the esteemed international Bruce A. Bolt Medal for his work in strong-motion earthquake research from the Seismological Society of America. Roberto Mancini from Physics was elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society and Jim Faulds, Director of the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology was elected a Fellow of the Geological Society of America. Andrei Derevianko received the University’s Outstanding Researcher Award and Pat Arnott received the University’s Established Innovator Award. Andrei and Pat are faculty members in the Physics Department. And finally, Chemistry faculty member Vince Catalano received the Alan Bible Teaching Excellence Award. I look forward to another fantastic year of accomplishments for the students, faculty and staff in the College of Science. Jeff Thompson Dean, College of Science Live a life of discovery.sm
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Autonomous cars, robotics and intelligent systems professor Raul Rojas joins University of Nevada, Reno Sets his sights on cross-discipline and industry collaborations
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elf-driving cars, robotic bees, and soccer playing robots are just a few things on which new University of Nevada, Reno mathematics and statistics professor Raul Rojas Gonzalez spends his time.
The world-renowned autonomous car builder comes to Nevada by way of a Visiting Fellowship at the Center for Information Technology Policy at Princeton and Freie University Berlin, Germany where he has been a professor of artificial intelligence and robotics. “He is truly a world-class scholar and he is known internationally for his innovative research on autonomous guidance systems for automobiles,” Executive Vice President and Provost Kevin Carman said. Rojas and his team began instrumenting autonomous cars in 2006 at Stanford and Rice University. His vehicles have been licensed for city traffic since 2011, and they have been cruising the streets of Berlin ever since. He has three autonomous vehicles developed for a project in Germany – two standard vehicles and one electric car. “My intention is to bring the cars to Nevada this summer to continue our research,” Rojas said. “My first project here will be to have one of them drive autonomously a few thousand miles in a single trip,” he said.
Rojas studies and teaches about intelligent systems and robotics and collaborates across a number of disciplines, and with industry, on a variety of topics. He works with biologists, mechanical engineers, seismologists, educators and computer scientists. His specialty is building intelligent machines, writing programs for robots, and human-machine interface – he and his team even developed a mindcontrolled car. He will also be looking at collaborative projects centered in the University’s Nevada Advanced Autonomous Systems Innovation Center. Rojas has offered courses about economics, mathematics and computer science spanning from functional programming, artificial intelligence, architecture of symbolic machines, and pattern recognition as well as seminars on quantum computing, simulation of biological neurons and fractal geometry. “Raul brings a wealth of knowledge, experience and energy to the College of Science,” Jeff Thompson, dean of the College of Science, said. “We are delighted to have him here and look forward to some exciting and fruitful projects and collaborations.”
Celebrated scholar Raul Rojas Gonzalez, Ph.D. brings a world of discovery to the College of Science.
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2009-2010 UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO HEALTH, SAFETY & WELLNESS GUIDE
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Leonard creates a buzz around bees, flora and venom Acclaimed professor studying floral signals and rewards and bumblebee venom at the University She’s also collaborating with College of Science colleagues Ian Wallace, a biochemist, and Matthew Turner, in chemistry, to study bumble bee venom proteins and the mechanism by which the venom kills certain cells. Her contribution, among other things, is collecting the venom. “I don’t get stung too much, I’m not handling bees that often, like a beekeeper, it’s mostly in the lab or the greenhouse, but I usually get stung at least once a year,” she said.
Anne Leonard, Ph.D. is learning how bees find food and protect themselves in the wild.
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nne Leonard has been as busy as a bee the past two years as an Assistant Professor in Biology working on several grants and projects about, well, bees.
Her research on how bumblebees perceive and remember floral signals and rewards has received coverage in The New York Times, NPR’s “Morning Edition,” IFL Science, a National Geographic blog and Science News. The project was funded with a $465,000 National Science Foundation grant. Her work has also been featured in the Scientific American magazine, The Times in the United Kingdom and in the L.A. Weekly.
But Leonard is working outside the lab too, on a project with Beth Leger, in the College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources who studies flowers, to build a pollinator corridor on the University campus. The two have already collaborated with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, which has sponsored the "Pollinator Corridor" project, and – with a lot of volunteer support – already built a Pollinator Garden at the Fleischmann Agriculture building. “The plants are looking good, and flowering,” she said. “The project kind of snowballed. We’re seeing lots of support from around campus, and it is now a part of the museum and arboretum tour. The garden still needs some time to really get established, and then the pollinators, bees, bats and butterflies, need to find it.” “My work is very rewarding, with teaching, research and outreach – we’re hitting on all three notes.”
2009-2010 UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO HEALTH, SAFETY & WELLNESS GUIDE
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Charles Kocsis proves a valuable resource for Mackay School Professor begins fourth year of teaching mining engineering and conducting mine ventilation research
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fter a long career in the mining industry, Charles Kocsis began a teaching career in 2012 under the Goldcorp Term Professorship, a $750,000 5-year term professorship to the University of Nevada, Reno's mining engineering program. Goldcorp, a Canadian flagship mining company, has sponsored the Mackay School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, a division of the College of Science at the University of Nevada, Reno, since 2004 with more than $1.3 million in support for other faculty positions. In 2012, Goldcorp extended its donations to include the appointment of a professor, leading the University to seek out and hire Kocsis.
Kocsis earned his doctorate in mining engineering at the University of British Columbia and his license in professional engineering in Ontario, Canada. Following his education, he worked for 23 years in the mining industry, most recently at Canmet, a mining and mineral sciences laboratory. During his 13 years with Canmet, Kocsis began to specialize in mine ventilation. "If you look at a human body, blood carries oxygen to the brain," Kocsis said. "A mine is like a body. It requires oxygen. Mine ventilation creates conditions for a clean and adequate work environment in the mines. It is of paramount importance."
"We heavily recruited Charles. His expertise is what first attracted us and made him the top choice for Goldcorp's professorship," Jeff Thompson, dean of the College of Science, said. Since coming to campus, Kocsis has taught a variety of mining engineering undergraduate and graduate level classes, conducted research and became a club adviser.
Along with classes, Kocsis has been researching methods of moving air through the mines, particularly Ventilation-On-Demand. It uses sensors to see where workers and vehicles are moving throughout a mine and directing the necessary air to those areas while limiting airflow in unused areas. His design has the potential to cut electricity costs, decrease emissions, and increase worker productivity in underground mines. A working model is set up in the mine ventilation laboratory at the University.
"Dr. Kocsis has brought to the Mackay School a strong work ethic, great energy and an outstanding knowledge of mining, especially mining methods and underground mine ventilation," Russ Fields, director of the Mackay School, said. "
"Working here has had immediate rewards," Kocsis said. "I want to generate professionals with lots of responsibility for what they do, and it's wonderful to see students become passionate and professional about their work."
Charles Kocsis, Ph.D. brings real-world mining expertise to the Mackay School of Earth Sciences & Engineering.
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Alert Tahoe fire camera network expanding to Great Basin College of Science tackles climate change challenges by developing new tools to protect natural resources in the West helping to protect Nevada’s forests and rangeland from devasting fires with the first four cameras overlooking several locations in northern Nevada, and several more in the works. BLM has funded mountaintop cameras to keep watch over sagebrush and forests in sensitive habitats from 10,000-foothigh Jacks Peak between Elko and Owyhee; Midas Peak between and north of Elko and Winnemucca; 7,500-foot Callahan Peak north of Carson City, and Fairview Peak south of Highway 50 and about 30 miles southeast of Fallon.
Researchers from the College of Science have developed "machine vision" technology to spot forest fires faster than human observers.
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ollowing a successful pilot program of mountaintop fire cameras at Lake Tahoe, the Nevada Seismological Laboratory is collaborating with the Bureau of Land Management to expand the network into Nevada’s Great Basin.
The fire-camera system is built on the backbone of the Seismological Lab’s earthquake monitoring network, which features private high-speed internet connectivity capable of transmitting seismic, environmental and climate data in addition to the live-streaming high-definition cameras. The four HD infrared-capable cameras at the four corners of Lake Tahoe help fire agencies monitor and respond quickly to wildland fires, with the goal of saving the Tahoe Basin from catastrophic fires. The expanded system is now
“Fire agencies have been monitoring the region with our cameras for more than a year now, for both fire spotting and monitoring controlled burns,” Graham Kent, director of the University’s Nevada Seismological Laboratory, said. Live views from the cameras are open to viewing by the public, and fire agencies have access to the camera system to manipulate the cameras through the 360 degree view and the pan, tilt and zoom to look for smoke from forest fires or controlled burns. Live camera views, maps and information about the system are on the ALERT Tahoe and ALERT Nevada website, alerttahoe.seismo.unr.edu/firecams.html. The Nevada Seismological Laboratory is a public service department in the University’s College of Science.
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Hiding in plain sight: Detecting elusive dark matter with satellites College of Science researchers use GPS to discover the nature of one of science's enduring mysteries — dark matter
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t’s invisible, no one has ever detected it, and two College of Science professors have embarked on a mission to find it. “It,” is dark matter – five times more abundant throughout the universe than ordinary matter, such as the stars we can see.
And while the rest of the world may use GPS to navigate the streets of their hometowns, quantum physicist and McMinn Professor of Physics Andrei Derevianko and Professor Geoff Blewitt, also a physicist and geodetics expert, will be using GPS, Global Positioning Satellites, to “navigate” our corner of the universe to detect dark matter. But the pair won’t be going to outer space or on an expedition to look for the elusive but ubiquitous form of matter. With funding from the National Science Foundation, they will be mining – data-mining – more than 15 years of information stored on the College of Science’s GPS dataprocessing center. It’s the largest in the world, built and maintained by the
college’s Nevada Geodetic Laboratory, with processing power to reprocess 15 million files as new data streams come in every 30 seconds. “The GPS data is like a gold mine, we keep digging for new discoveries,” Blewitt, director of the Geodetic Lab in the Bureau of Mines and Geology, said. “People around the world use the lab extensively for research such as modeling earthquakes and volcanoes. So now, we are using it on a quest to see if we can detect dark matter.”
around the earth as the largest human-built dark-matter detector.”
“Our research pursues the idea that dark matter may be organized as a large gas-like collection of topological defects, or energy cracks,” Derevianko said. “We propose to detect the defects, the dark matter, with a network of sensitive atomic clocks as the defects sweep through us. The idea is, where the clocks go out of synchronization, we would know that dark matter, the topological defect, has passed by. In fact, we are using the global GPS constellation in orbit
“This work can be transformative in science and could completely change how we think about our universe,” Jeff Thompson, a physicist and dean of the University’s College of Science, said. “Andrei is a world class physicist and he has already made seminal contributions to physics. Geoff is a world-leader in the field of geodesy, tectonics and GPS geodesy. It’s a wonder to watch the amazing work that comes from them, and their colleagues.”
Andrei Derevianko, Ph.D. Professor Physics (right) Geoff Blewitt, Ph.D. Professor Nevada Bureau of Mines & Geology (left)
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College of Science professor Zeb Hogan's work subject of Nat Geo national exhibit Monster Fish: In Search of the Last River Giants traveling exhibit premiers in Washington, D.C. and opens in Reno in November 2015
Hogan has been traveling the globe for the past decade to find the biggest freshwater fish on the planet. His adventures and work to find, study and protect behemoth fish – fish that are more than 6 feet long or weigh more than 200 pounds – have been chronicled, in part, on the Nat Geo WILD “Monster Fish” show he hosts. The results of the decade-long scientific adventure by Hogan show an amazing array of super-sized megafish, ecologically important and dwindling in numbers, and many at risk of extinction. Hogan’s 10-year study takes him to some of the most remote and wild rivers on earth. It is the most comprehensive investigation ever conducted on this diverse group of aquatic giants, ranging over six continents, and tapping into the expertise of hundreds of local scientists and fishermen. Giant fish like this one are bellwethers for the health of rivers and streams around the world.
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eb Hogan, an aquatic ecologist in the biology department, travels to remote villages and jungles around the world, boating up the headwaters of the Amazon or diving in the frigid waters of Mongolian rivers and lakes.
As a testament to the significance of his research and the popularity of big freshwater fish, his work is now featured in the new museum exhibition, Monster Fish: In Search of the Last River Giants, on display at the National Geographic Museum in Washington, D.C. through Oct. 12, 2015. The museum exhibition is slated to come to Reno’s Discovery Museum in November 2015.
DISCOVER The Monster Fish exhibition, for which the University of Nevada, Reno is the Educational Partner, takes visitors on a journey to several river basins worldwide to learn about the awe-inspiring fish and the cultures and places that depend on them. The exhibition profiles the extraordinary biology and behaviors of giant freshwater fish. It also offers the opportunity to investigate how scientists learn about these fish and develop solutions to save them. “Giant freshwater fish are every bit as important to the health of their ecosystems as the top predators of land and sea. These freshwater species deserve the same attention we give to tigers and whales,” he said. “These are all incredibly rare animals, that most people would never have a chance to see or appreciate,” Hogan said. “This exhibit is a window into an underwater world that few of us have ever experienced. The exhibition is the culmination of years of work by many people to find, study, and protect the world's largest freshwater fish.” Monster fish represent only one quarter of one percent of all species
of freshwater fish, but include some of the strangest creatures on Earth, including monkey-eating catfish and an eel capable of delivering shocks of more than 600 volts. A few of these fish live longer than humans, attaining ages of 90, 100 or even 150 years of age. Evolutionarily speaking, giant fish families such as sturgeon, stingrays, and gar pre-date dinosaurs, existing in much the same form for 200 million years. The National Geographic Society has supported Hogan’s work since 2002, including the Monster Fish project, for the past 10 years. “His work with National Geographic enabled the University to partner with them for the exhibition in Washington, D.C. and to promote Zeb’s work around the country as the exhibition travels to other museums over the next five years,” College of Science Dean Jeff Thompson said. “He truly is the leading scientist in this field.” Hogan also serves as Councilor for Fish for the United Nations Convention of Migratory Species. As a Scientific Councilor for Fish, Hogan is part of a working group of scientists and
9 interested parties from around the world who provide scientific guidance on decisions to list species as endangered. In November, at the United Nations Convention on Migratory Species Conference of Parties in Brazil, 22 new species of fish were added to the endangered list, including one freshwater megafish, the sawfish. Hogan holds an undergraduate degree in ecology and evolutionary biology and a doctorate in ecology. He spent two years as a post-doctoral researcher focusing on the ecology and conservation of the world’s largest trout. He was a Fulbright scholar at the Environmental Risk Assessment Program at Thailand’s Chiang Mai University and served as a World Wildlife Fund freshwater fellow. He was selected as a National Geographic Explorer in 2004 and named a National Geographic Society Fellow in 2011, joining the ranks of one of the world’s most respected and exclusive programs.
Wearing his trademark "Nevada" baseball cap, Zeb Hogan thrills audiences on the Nat Geo TV show, Monster Fish.
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2009-2010 UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO HEALTH, SAFETY & WELLNESS GUIDE
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Student Profile: Jaime Hernandez Humble beginnings lead to great success for this young miner
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By Sarah Shoen
any college students complete internships in college, but most don't have to wake up at 3:45 a.m. to do so.
“The first day I was really excited and I couldn’t even sleep on the bus,” said Jaime Hernandez, reminiscing on his first day at a mine. “That wore off pretty quickly.”
Jaime Hernandez is a recent graduate of the Mackay School of Earth Sciences & Engineering working at Newmont Mining Corp. as a Mining Engineer.
The 22-year-old mining engineering student graduated in May from the University of Nevada, Reno and had a unique college experience due to his singular major. Nevada, a state rich in mining and minerals, was a perfect place for someone like Jaime to grow up. Originally from Battle Mountain, Nevada, Hernandez was very familiar with his field long before college started. “I’ve been around mining my entire life,” Hernandez said. “My dad’s first job in the states was in mining.” Both of Hernandez’s parents are from Mexico, making Hernandez a first-generation college graduate. Hernandez’s family is a crucial part of his life and was a main reason he chose to attend the University of Nevada, Reno. “I love being close to home and to my family,” Hernandez said. “My goal is to get a job close to home after I graduate. That would be my dream.”
Hernandez has two sisters, one of which also attends the University. The support from his family has been one of the driving factors behind his success. He received two scholarships last year. “I can’t thank the donors enough,” Hernandez said. “This wouldn’t be possible for me without their support.” Although it is a form of engineering, the Mining Engineering department is smaller in size than other engineering disciplines and is a part of the Mackay School of Earth Sciences & Engineering within the College of Science. “I really like how small my department is,” Hernandez said. “The professors all treat us so great.” Hernandez has worked very hard during his time at the University, taking numerous classes that challenged him as a student. “Statics was a wake-up call for sure,” Hernandez said. “I spent a lot of late nights in the library because of that class.” Although Hernandez appreciates all parts of the world, home is where his heart will always be. “I love Reno and I love this school, but home is what really matters to me,” Hernandez said. “That’s the best part about my major is that it’s possible for me to work close to home one day.” “All my life it’s just been about school, but now that part of my life is over,” Hernandez said. “I’m just really happy that I’ve been able to make my mom proud.”
2009-2010 UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO HEALTH, SAFETY & WELLNESS GUIDE
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Student Profile: William Wulftange Finding success through research and giving back
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By Sarah Shoen
alking into the Benjamin T. King laboratory, pungent smells fill the air. Acetone and other solvents blend together in wafts of sweet and tangy smells. This lab is where great minds make strides toward changing the world of science as we know it. It’s also where William Wulftange spent the majority of his school week. “I’ve kind of grown to like the smell of the lab,” Wulftange said. “It’s really familiar.” Wulftange, 22, spent five years at the University of Nevada, Reno. At the end of his college career, the research enthusiast walked away with a major in Chemistry and minor in Biology. As the recipient of two scholarships last year, Wulftange focused on his academics, thanks to the generosity of donors. “It’s such a selfless act and I feel really lucky,” Wulftange said. Wulftange, a Reno native, graduated from Bishop Manogue Catholic High School in 2010 and began his college career as a Biology major. “I actually entered college thinking that I wanted to be an English major,” Wulftange said. “But I knew my heart was with science.” After a short period as a Biology major, Wulftange had a change of heart once he took Organic Chemistry with Dr. Sarah Cummings.
“I realized during that class how much I liked the mental processes and patterns you go through while doing chemistry,” Wulftange said. Another incident that influenced this change was when Wulftange broke his back while body surfing in Hawaii in 2012. “I didn’t have a choice but to take that semester off,” Wulftange said. “When you’re in bed all day with a broken back, it really gives you time to reflect on your life.” Taking on a major like chemistry is as challenging as it is rewarding. Wulftange smiles as he rattles off names of inspiring professors and mentors, all of whom helped him succeed. Wulftange was the third author on a research project that was published last September in Nature Chemistry, one of science's most respected journals. He is currently attending Chemistry graduate school in Germany at the Institute of Organic Chemistry at the University of Erlangen, where he will work for Professor Rik Tykwinski. “I’m not too sure what kind of doctor I want to be ... something with research, for sure.” Whether he becomes a doctor or accomplished researcher, his future is bright and he's set himself up for success. “Research is a series of disappointments and failure, but it’s the smallest accomplishment that reminds me why I love what I do,” Wulftange said.
In his freshman year, William Wulftange switched from English to science — and has never looked back.
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2009-2010 UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO HEALTH, SAFETY & WELLNESS GUIDE
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College of Science spearheads NevadaTeach program Students can earn two degrees in four years to teach secondary STEM education
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2 career choices in 4 years for STEM majors
With NevadaTeach, entering freshmen can soon graduate with a science degree and credentials to teach at the high school level.
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hanks to a brand-new partnership with the College of Education, the College of Science is introducing NevadaTeach, a program that helps motivated students earn two degrees in four years so they can graduate from college prepared to teach high school students science, technology, engineering, and math courses to better prepare them for the global knowledge-based economy. According to the U.S. Department of Education, few American students pursue expertise in STEM fields and there is an "inadequate pipeline of teachers skilled in those subjects." The National Math + Science Initiative says experts estimate the country will need 100,000 more math and science teachers by 2020, just five years from now.
“With the NevadaTeach program, College of Science students who are majoring in biology, chemistry, math, or physics can earn a teaching certificate at the same time that they are earning a degree in their STEM major. Starting in the fall of 2015, incoming freshman students in the NevadaTeach program can earn two degrees in four years,” said Gina Tempel, associate dean for the College and co-director of the NevadaTeach program. “NevadaTeach students will have more career options after they graduate. You can be a secondary science or math teacher or you can still apply to graduate or professional schools with applications that will set you apart from traditional STEM degree candidates.” Tempel added. NevadaTeach students majoring in biology, chemistry, math, or physics will experience a fully integrated set of intensive teaching opportunities beginning in their first semester. Field experiences are a key part of the program and will serve to develop confidence and accelerate professional development. NevadaTeach is based on the UTeach Institute at The University of Texas at Austin, which was created to address the pressing need for a greater number of highly qualified STEM teachers in America. In 2007, the UTeach Expansion Program was created to encourage other universities to participate in the UTeach program through a competitive Request for Proposal process. Eligibility was limited to schools classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as having "high" or "very high" research activity. The University of Nevada, Reno has “high” research activity, and has a stretch goal of achieving “very high” status.
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Discover SCIENCE — LECTURE SERIES —
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tudents, community members, and faculty packed the auditoriums once again this year with our impressive lineup of speakers.
October 5th 2014 David Kung David Kung fell in love with both mathematics and music at a very early age. Mathematics and music seem to come from different spheres, yet they share an amazing array of commonalities. In his talk, Dr. Kung presented these connections
by examining the musical experience from a mathematical perspective. Kung, a professor of mathematics at St Mary’s College in Maryland, has authored a variety of articles on topics in harmonic analysis and mathematics education.
February 12th 2015 Paul Wender Stanford University professor Paul Wender has made many highly significant contributions to the field of medicine, including successful use of compounds found in nature for development of medications to fight
AIDS, Alzheimer’s and cancer. In his talk he presented examples of how inspiration taken from nature is being translated into revolutionary approaches to unsolved medical problems.
April 2nd 2015 David Pogue David Pogue, founder of Yahoo Tech, topselling author, former columnist for the New York Times and accomplished musician presented “Should Science be Allowed to be Interesting? One Man’s Insane Journey through a TV Career on PBS.” David is also a monthly
columnist for Scientific American and host of science shows on PBS’s “NOVA.”
DISCOVER SCIENCE LECTURE SERIES Past Speakers Include:
May 7th 2015 Zeb Hogan Zeb Hogan, aquatic ecologist in the University’s biology department, a National Geographic Fellow and host of the Nat Geo WILD series Monster Fish, presented about his adventures searching for, studying and protecting rare, large freshwater fish species. Zeb also has a traveling National Geographic museum exhibit coming to Reno this fall.
Michael Waterman Charles Goldman Neil deGrasse Tyson Anna Roosevelt Mary Roach David Dawe Harry Gray Jeff Lieberman Naomi Oreskes Bill Nye The Science Guy Robert Trivers Douglas Smith Michio Kaku Steven Strogatz Brian Greene Alan Krause Robert Ballard David Kung Paul Wender David Pogue Zeb Hogan
Visit www.unr.edu/dsls for upcoming speakers and dates.
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A Gift For The Ages:Christina Satterwhite Alumna Profile:
Clemons Family, With Deep Nevada Roots, Grows Next Generation Of Scientists With Two Endowed Professorships Shepherding research and fellow scientists to develop revolutionary new treatments for disease
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ina Satterwhite, Ph.D. ’97 (biology) gets complimented all the time from her clients and colleagues around the world on the talent and professionalism of her staff at Charles River Laboratories, where she serves as a Director responsible for the successful interactions with governmental regulatory authorities and leaders of large biotech and pharmaceutical companies.
Christina Satterwhite, Ph.D. is the director of laboratory sciences
“I hire the majority of our scientists from the University of Nevada, Reno; they’re just the best qualified.” Tina says proudly referencing the excellent candidates who come from her alma mater. As a 2002 graduate from the University of Nevada, Reno, School of Medicine with a Ph.D. in Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology, she says “our scientists who come from Nevada stand out from the crowd even against national and international recruits.”
for Charles River Laboratories.
Tina, who has over twelve years of experience in biologic drug development, helps to foster this type of globally recognized professionalism and preparedness of University of Nevada graduates by holding a seat on the College of Science’s Advisory Council. Due to her influence, she’s helped launch many new careers in science while her own career has steadily and swiftly
progressed. Her experience in toxicology and preclinical and clinical assay support has given rise to a comprehensive understanding of biologic drug development. Tina has direct experience in leading toxicology and immunotoxicology studies. She speaks with great knowledge of, and enthusiasm for, emerging pharmaceutical products that could be the future of immune system stimulation for the purpose of fighting one’s own diseases such as cancer. “Five years from now, the landscape for oncology will change dramatically due to the advancements in targeted immunotherapy.” Tina feels that she chose the right professional field during the right period in time to experience rapid advancements and acceptance of new drug technology. “I didn’t start out in college knowing what I wanted to do,” she says, “however, each class that I took at UNR built upon my interest and paved the way to the career I currently have.” The opportunities Tina seized while on campus have helped prepare her for a successful and rewarding career in science and she intends to continue to help open those same doors of opportunity for her fellow University of Nevada, Reno scientists.
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A gift for the ages from a family with deep Nevada roots Clemons family grows next generation of scientists with two endowed professorships
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hen Mackay School of Mines graduate Gary Clemons ’81 (earth science) and his wife, Susan Magee Clemons, established two endowed professorships at the University of Nevada, Reno College of Science in physics and chemistry, it was more than a gift. It was part of a life-long strategic investment in the University, in education, and in the power of inspired professors to infuse students with the joy of learning and living a life of discovery. “We chose to support endowed professorships because our goal is to positively influence the greatest number of students through professors who possess the ability to truly inspire their students, not just teach them,” Gary says. “During our many years of education, we have experienced both types of professors. Our goal is to support those unforgettable professors who
kindle students’ imagination and desire to learn.” The University of Nevada has played an important role in the history of Gary and Susan’s family over the past 100 years. “My sister, Catherine, received her Ph.D. in geography in May 2015 from the University of Nevada, Reno, and she is the family’s first Ph.D.” Susan said. “Our son, Charlie, will be part of the fourth generation of Cox/Magee/Clemons to attend the University this fall, and he plans to major in geography. All nine of my Magee cousins went to the University, and most of their kids did too!” Gary Clemons is a 1981 graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno Mackay School of Mines, and his wife, Susan Magee Clemons, graduated from the Colorado College in 1983. Gary and Susan went on to earn MBAs at the
University of Wisconsin-Madison. While their careers have been in the fields of finance and investing, they both feel strongly that careers in science are vital to the future of our nation. Gary and Susan split their time between Florida and northern Nevada, and they plan to retire in the Reno-Tahoe area in the future.
Gary and Susan Clemons support the most gifted professors as a way to promote student success.
College of Science Dean’s Office University of Nevada, Reno/0424 Reno, NV 89557-0424 College of SCIENCE
Advisory Council Ron Bath John Burrows April Carman Ann Carpenter Scott Chadwick Ralph Courtnay Robert Daugherty Chris Deeney Ryan Dotson Stephen Durham Edward Epperson Steve Frank John Gibson Char Hagemann Stephanie Hansen Mick Hitchcock Bill Honjas Keith Lee Hawley MacLean Gene McClelland Ardythe McCracken Jim Megquier Tina Satterwhite Robert Stachlewitz Jeff Thompson David Westfall David White
Jeffrey Thompson College of Science, University of Nevada, Reno Reno, NV 89557