The Martin D. Walker School of STEM 2022-2023 Report

Martin D. Walker School of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics 2022-2023 REPORT

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INSIDE Letter from the Dean P3 “The more I study nature, the more I stand amazed at the work of the Creator, Science brings men nearer to God.” Louis Pasteur (Chemist, MicroBiologist)

By the Numbers P4 Engineering Senior Projects P5

If you study science deep enough and long enough, it will force you to believe in God.

Pence Boyce Undergraduate Summer Research P9 News Updates P10

Letter from the Dean

Travel Highlights P11 Programs at a Glance P15 In Care of God’s Good Earth P16 Math Lounge P21 STEM Faculty P22 2

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Dr. Dale Hathaway, Associate Dean of the School of STEM Greetings, Top: The Eternal Flame on Olivet’s campus, “Education With a Christian Purpose” Left page: Second floor view of Reed Hall of Science lobby Cover spread: Engineering Baja Team 2022-2023

Welcome to the inaugural issue of the STEM Magazine! If you are an alumnus I hope this brings back fond memories of learning, growth, and community. If you are not an alumnus this magazine will introduce you to just a sampling of the good things that go on every year in the Martin D. Walker School of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics).

The Walker School of STEM is uniquely situated at the intersection of science and religion, existing as a part of Olivet Nazarene

University, employing faculty who are at the top of their profession, and enrolling students that could go to any institution of higher learning.

Together this confluence produces significant results and mirrors some of the best minds of all time.

Consider the following quotes of those who loved both Christ and Science: “If you study science deep enough and long enough, it will force you to believe in God.” Lord Kelvin (mathematician, mathematical physicist, engineer)

“Science and religion are two windows that people look through, trying to understand the big universe outside, trying to understand why we are here. The two windows give different views, but they look out at the same universe. Both views are one-sided, neither is complete.

Both leave out essential features of the real world. And both are worthy of respect.” Freeman Dyson (Theoretical Physicist) “Science tells us how the heavens go.

Religion tells us how to go to heaven.”

Galileo Galilei (Astronomer) Please join in our vision to equip students to go into the world armed with both the knowledge to succeed and with the mission to make a difference. Thank you for your prayers and support.

Sincerely, Dale K. Hathaway, Ph.D.

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of all majors at Olivet of all full-time facutly are STEM majors members at Olivet are STEM faculty

of all credit hours taught at Olivet are STEM hours

45% 97% of the Universitywide outstanding student graduation awards have been from STEM

$90,000

in outside grants are awarded to Olivet STEM faculty each year.

93%

of STEM faculty have a doctorate degree

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of pre-med students are accepted into medical school Excellent Facilities, Experienced Faculty, and Real-World Experience The Walker School of STEM was established in 2015, and prepares men and women for careers in Engineering, Biological Sciences, Mathematics, Geology and Computer Sciences.

Nationally recognized as a Best Christian College for STEM studies, the Walker School stands committed to sending qualified graduates into the workforce across the globe.

SPONSOR

FACULTY MENTOR

STUDENT TEAM MEMBERS

AgInno Eric Johnson, Don Roe, Kirsten Roe

Jose Manjarres Co-Mentor: Jonathan Weber Travel Chaperones: Troy Lovell, Joe Schroeder

Hoai Do, Bella Lopez, Kendyl Clark, Megan Schroeder

DESCRIPTION Previous senior design project teams have designed an aeration system for a small-scale tilapia farm in Guatemala.

Electricity is roughly 50% of the cost to produce tilapia, so last year’s design team added solar power and battery storage capabilities to the aerator design, but were unable to field test the design. This year’s team will take a field trip to a Demotte, IN fish farm and spend September looking for opportunities to improve last year’s design, putting together a final list of materials, and preparing for an October trip to Guatemala (paid for by Aginno).

Over fall break (October 6-11), the team will travel to Guatemala to purchase, install, and field test the aeration system on one pond. For the remainder of the year, the team will work on design modifications to increase the efficiency and reduce the cost of the design. The design options will be evaluated through computer simulations or similar engineering analysis. The team

PROJECT

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will have periodic videoconferences with the Northwest Nazarene University (NNU) design team working on the waste treatment aspects of fish farming. A trip in mid-May to collect field data on the new design that corresponds to when a team from NNU will be in Guatemala will be optional (students responsible for own airfare).

The team will be laying the groundwork for a 2023-24 project involving multiple Nazarene universities looking at fish feed issues of tilapia farming in Guatemala by developing a cost-effective model for foreign mission design

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SOLAR-POWERED FISH POND AERATION SYSTEM

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PROJECT

ENGINEERING // SENIOR PROJECTS

BY THE NUMBERS

AUTOMATIC FILM CUT AND SPLICING MACHINE

SPONSOR

FACULTY MENTOR

STUDENT TEAM MEMBERS

ITW Zip-Pak Colin Sheehan

Aram Agajanian Co-Mentor: Jonathan Weber

JD Rienow, Jonathan Bodine, Dylan Miller, Kamil Siudak

DESCRIPTION The ITW Zip-Pak Manteno plant is requesting the ONU engineering seniors to design, build, and test a device that can automatically splice plastic film at our current line speeds. By removing the aspect of human error in the splicing process, we expect this device would improve the safety of the current machine, reduce scrap

generation, and reduce downtime. The device must have the capability to mount onto the current production line, provide an easy/safe operation for technicians, and reduce/eliminate the use of the current splicing tape. The design options will be evaluated through computer simulations or similar engineering analysis.

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SPONSOR

FACULTY MENTOR

STUDENT TEAM MEMBERS

SPONSOR

FACULTY MENTOR

STUDENT TEAM MEMBERS

Peddinghaus Nicholas Pickering

Joe Schroeder Co-Mentor: Aram Agajanian

Carson Caldwell, Alisha Wright, Michael Rollberg, Rebecca Witvoet

Hoan Ministries and McGraw STEM Student Engagement fund

Scott Ragan Co-Mentor: Seok Lew

Conner Dempsay, Seth Mulliniks, Joey Borelli, Cory Enfield

DESCRIPTION

DESCRIPTION

The goal of this project is to design and construct a tiny house with multiple potential applications including homeless shelter, temporary residence for refugee communities, ‘new field’ missionary housing, and disaster relief housing for governmental and non-governmental organizations in times of crisis. A menu of amenities will be researched to fit specific applications and pricepoints. The intent is to make the house modular, self-contained, durable, and low-maintenance for both favorable and harsh environments. Design will embrace a minimum life-expectancy of ten years and aims to make construction components nontoxic and recyclable. To address issues of applicability to international relief crises, Dr. Gary Morsch, founder and CEO of Heart to Heart International, will be consulted

Design and validate a device for the transport of tubes on standard roller conveyors. The design must be retrofittable to current conveyor designs. The device must position the tube correctly on the conveyor and provide means for controlling orientation and position of the tube while it is being processed. The design must be structurally sound, safe, and use sound engineering practices. A small-scale proof of concept prototype is required to show design functionality and validation. The design options will be evaluated through computer simulations or similar engineering analysis.

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SOCIETY OF AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERS SAE-BAJA

SPONSOR

FACULTY MENTOR

STUDENT TEAM MEMBERS

Walker Manufacturing

Joe Schroeder Co-Mentor: Michael Wade

Jose Villarreal, Joe Mayo, Jacob Bagley, Bryant Linhart, Matthew Blackmer

In collaboration with the Baja SAE club, this senior design team is tasked with designing and fabricating a Baja vehicle with the goal of competing with competitive success in a 2022-23 Baja SAE Collegiate Design Series competition. The project will include all aspects of the vehicle, including but not limited to: roll cage, suspension, steering/control, and drivetrain. The team will also manage the ONU Baja SAE Club which includes, but is not limited to, creating a competition checklist to ensure reliable operation during competition, coordinating the work assignments for club members not on the senior design team, preparing all required documentation/presentations to SAE, and ensuring the team’s vehicle adheres to all rules outlined in the official Baja SAE Rules.

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TINY HOUSE FOR UNIVERSAL APPLICATION TO URGENT HOUSING NEEDS

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Credit for the envisioning of this project goes to a friend of Dr. Seok Lew, a pastor (Rev. Kim) to the homeless church (House of Prayer for All Nations), who constructed

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TUBE CONVEYOR

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PROJECT

ENGINEERING // SENIOR PROJECTS

2022-2023 // ENGINEERING // SENIOR PROJECTS

PROJECT

a tiny house in his garage during the Covid-19 pandemic and delivered it to homeless people. The tiny house attracted municipal officials who are collaborating to build a tiny house village for the homeless.

PROJECT

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GOLF COURSE RENOVATIONS

SPONSOR

FACULTY MENTOR

STUDENT TEAM MEMBERS

Kankakee Elks Country Club and Golf Course Jim Weber, Mike Crews

Scott Ragan Co-Mentor: Michael Wade

JD Rienow, Jonathan Bodine, Dylan Miller, Kamil Siudak

DESCRIPTION Students will design a variety of renovations to the golf course and surrounding area. The design will include architectural and civil engineering design. Substantial completion of design documents is required.

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2022-2023 // ENGINEERING // SENIOR PROJECTS

PROJECT

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The recipients for the 2023 Pence-Boyce Undergraduate Summer Research Experience at Olivet Nazarene University have been selected:

AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERS (AICHE) STUDENT DESIGN PROBLEM

SPONSOR

FACULTY MENTOR

STUDENT TEAM MEMBERS

Omega Chi Epsilon

Keith Schimmel

Marissa Anderson, Brady Chambers, Cam Steele

STEPHEN ALVARADO with Dr. Nicholas Troendle, Biology, “Analysis of the Impact of N-(phosphonomethyl) glycine (Glyphosate) and α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) on Fertility in Gambusia affinis”

DESCRIPTION Each year, chemical engineers from a designated company devise and judge a student contest problem that typifies a real, working, chemical engineering design situation. Once assigned the problem by their faculty adviser, students have 60 days to complete the design with submissions for the national competition due by June. The fall semester would be spent working through a problem from previous years. The 2022-23 Problem is: Global Petrochemical is committed to realizing the plastics circular economy.

They have contracted to purchase large quantities of raw, untreated pyrolysis oil (Pyoil) from an increasing number of pyrolyzer units that transform sorted plastic waste to hydrocarbon liquids at high temperatures in the absence of oxygen. They will build purification units designed by your team to enable these oils to be processed as feedstock for steam crackers that produce light olefins that are subsequently polymerized to virginquality thermoplastics.

STEPHANIE CLARK with Dr. Derek Rosenberger, Biology, “Pollinator Communities at the ONU Biological Sanctuary Relative to Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie: Richness, Distinctiveness and Species of Conservation Concern”

PROJECT

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SHEAR-DIE

SPONSOR

FACULTY MENTOR

STUDENT TEAM MEMBERS

Holland, ONU Department of Engineering

Joe Schroeder Co-Mentor: Michael Wade

Jose Villarreal, Joe Mayo, Jacob Bagley, Bryant Linhart, Matthew Blackmer

ABIGAIL LYNN with Dr. Daniel Sharda, Biology, “The neuroprotective effects of phytonutrients against oxidative stress”

DESCRIPTION The shear-die is pushed along the railroad track after a weld is made (flash-butt welding). As it is pushed over the weld area, it “shears” off any excess weld material, or slag. This takes a considerable amount of force, and as such, causes wear on the shear-die. A 12-month usage analysis on replacement parts showed that the shear-die replacement cost is considerable. There have been prototype iterations made on the current design. However, they all had problems and were never remade into the “standard.”

The senior design team will analyze the current design and prototypes to determine why they failed and come up with a redesign, potentially with the ability to have prototypes made and tested in the field. This will require looking at material properties, force analysis, construction methods (welding, casting, machining, etc.), etc.

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2023 Pence-Boyce Undergraduate Summer Research Experience Students and faculty will work together over a ten-week period during the summer of 2023. The program, funded by anonymous and generous donors, has supported research in the STEM areas for over 20 years. The program is named in honor of two former Olivet faculty members, Elbert Pence, Professor of Physics, and Fanny Boyce, Professor of Mathematics, both of whom

exemplified excellence in higher education. “This has been a powerful program over the years, and I am very excited to see it continue to provide outstanding research opportunities for some of our best students” says Dr. Dale K. Hathaway, STEM Associate Dean and chair of the Pence-Boyce Research Committee.

JONATHAN PERABEAU with Dr. Douglas Armstrong, Chemistry, “The Synthesis of a Novel Cyclopropylamine as a Potentially Medicinally Active Compound”

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National Conferences

Studying the Alaskan Landscape

Four Students Share their Thoughts HALEY LLOYD

The National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT) conference in Indianapolis and the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) Conference in Atlanta were great professional development experiences that allowed me to become better prepared to run my own classroom next year. I was able to learn more about the resources available to biology classrooms, collaborate with professionals, and take home resources that I can utilize next year in my middle school classroom.

Field Biology courses each summer give Olivet students a chance to explore and study the major biomes of the world from Tropical (Costa Rica) to Arid (Namibia) to Arctic (Alaska). In Arctic Field Ecology in 2023, seventeen Zoology, Environmental Science, Biology and Science Education majors traveled to Alaska with ONU Field Biologists Drs. Derek Rosenberger and David Hoekman. Students studied the Alaskan landscape from trail, boat and bus, hiking to glaciers and searching for marine life in the temperate rainforests of Kenai Fjords, exploring the alpine ecosystems and wildlife of Denali National Park, conducting original research in the vast boreal forest of interior Alaska, and camping on the Yukon and Arctic Circle where the sun never set. The incredible experiential learning opportunities provided in Biology Field courses may be the most ideal way to learn about God’s good creation and is considered by many students to be one of the most formative experiences of their college career.

being able to introduce phenomena through mini lessons and gave a comprehensive set of examples of how to do it correctly, which will ultimately inspire better learning than that of regular unit introduction in my future classroom.

EMILY BLUCKER

Because I attended the NABT conference in November I was able to learn from experienced educators about how to better serve my future students in the field of Biology.

This experience opened my eyes to multiple different lesson ideas and different tools that I could easily implement in my future classroom.

SUNNY MORELAND

Being able to attend the NSTA conference in Atlanta significantly helped me see the importance of professional development among educators for the purpose of their students. Of all the sessions I attended the one that stood out most was taught by Bozeman Science. It informed me of the importance of

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MARTINA LOHMAR

In regard to the NABT Indy conference, I was able to participate in hands on activities as well as learn important skills regarding pedagogy. NSTA Atlanta was an amazing experience as well. One of the most informative sessions for me was learning about the psychology of learning and what the best strategies of teaching and studying material for long term retention are. I have even been implementing strategies now as I am still learning.

Students at the NSTA conference in Atlanta

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Investigating the Formation, Modification, and Destruction of Ocean Island Volcanoes

One Volcano at a Time The purpose of the field course is to investigate the formation, modification, and eventual destruction of ocean island volcanoes. These geological features form at unique tectonic environments called hot spots, where the Earth’s mantle produces a large amount of basaltic magma. The

Students and Faculty at the entrance to the Nahuku-Thurston Lava Tube

geologic processes involved include volcanism, obviously, but so much more than that, including: tectonic flexure & subsidence; atmospheric circulation; hydrology; weathering and soil formation; erosion through streams, ocean waves and currents, and catastrophic landslides; sedimentation and coral reef development, and more. Eventually, these islands submerge completely beneath the ocean water. Through these changes, these islands become unique sites where both land and marine ecosystems develop and flourish for a period of time.

We studied these processes one volcano at a time, starting with the youngest, Kilauea, on Hawai’i Island, and proceeded to see features

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associated with 9 different volcanoes on 3 of the islands: Hawai’i, Maui, and O’ahu. Starting from the youngest and most active, we then proceeded to see the effects that time has had on progressively older and older volcanoes. The main volcanoes we looked at included Kilauea, Mauna Loa, Mauna Kea, Kohala, Hualalai on Hawai’i Island, Haleakala and West Maui on Maui, and Ko’olau and Wai’anae on O’ahu.

We spent 6 nights on Hawai’i Island, starting out by touring Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, and the effects of the massive 2018 eruption from the east rift zone. On Thursday, we hiked along the Pu’u Huluhulu trail to see the differences in weathering, soil development, and ecological succession on both a’a and pahoehoe lava flows of different ages, hiked up Pu’u O’o cinder cone to view the differences in volcanic character between Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea, and then that night we got a tour of the international astronomical observatories on the top of Mauna Kea, enjoyed the sunset at 13,800’, and then got a star talk of the night sky from a local guide.

Due to our latitude (~19°N) and our altitude (~13,800’), we could see both the North Star (Polaris) and the Southern Cross in the same sky. The next day we first explored Akaka Falls state park and Kaumana lava tube cave, then drove/hiked out to one of the most remote beaches on the big island, Papakolea, which is made of olivine sand out of an old eroded tuff cone, one of the most unusual types of beach sediment in the world. The volcanic cone there is about 50,000 years old, and it is covered with ancient, deeply weathered soil that

is in some places capped by a much younger Mauna Loa lava flow. But the erosion of it began in earnest only about 12,000’ years ago, when the ice age ended and sea-level rose to its modern height. On Saturday of the first week, we looked at the very deep weathering on Kohala, a volcano that ranges from ~400-150 thousand years old, where rainforests on the windward side give way to desert pavement on the dry side. We also hiked down into Pololu Valley to see the landslide scarp face where a

massive piece of the island collapsed into the sea long ago. On Sunday, we worshiped with Kona Nazarene, then spent some time at the beach before our flight to Maui.

On Maui, we first visited Haleakala National Park on Monday, and hiked about 8 miles down and back into the crater to see the immense size of this erosional crater that is now dotted with younger, small cinder cones.

We then toured ‘Iao Valley State Park and saw a variety of coastal features

around West Maui on Tuesday. On Weds., we spent the day at the Maui Ocean Center, including a behind the scenes tour of their facilities (got to feed sharks, corals, and sea turtles) before our flight to O’ahu.

On O’ahu, we spent Thursday our time seeing the rejuvenated volcanics of the Koko rift, along with the ancient shield building lavas and deeply eroded rift dikes of Ko’olau.

On Friday we toured a number of the features of Wai’anae along the

SW side of Maui. On Saturday, we kayaked out into Kane’ohe Bay, which is protected from ocean wave action by a barrier reef. We kayaked out to the modern interior reef to swim and snorkel and see the modern processes and features up close.

Students in Hawaii Volcano National Park

On our last day, worshipped at Honolulu First Nazarene, then spent a couple of hours at the Aloha swap meet before returning to the airport for our flight home.

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P R O G R A M S AT A G L A N C E

Biological Sciences

Biology Environmental Science Science Education Zoology

Chemistry & Geosciences

Chemistry Chemistry Teaching Earth and Space Science Environmental Science Geography Geological Sciences Physical Sciences

With 21 key areas of study and numerous degree and certificate options within each area, the Walker School of STEM offers the skills and opportunities to shape your future.

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Engineering Concentrations Architectural Civil Electrical Chemical & Biochemical Computer Mechanical

Mathematics & Computer Science Actuarial Science Data Science Mathematics Teaching Cybersecurity Mathematics Computer Science

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IN CARE OF

GOD’S

GOOD

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With 3 acres of solar, 20 years of river cleanups and campus restorations, and now, the care of an 100acre sanctuary, Olivet can be proud of its commitment to care for God’s Good Earth.

Derek W. Rosenberger

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We need to claim our role as This December in Montreal, land. Corn and soybeans were pools and freshwater ecosystems. It 188 governments committed to grown there until 2008 when the hosts an enormous variety of habitats stewards conserving 30% of land, freshwater professional restoration of the native for our students to study. While many and oceans by 2030, i.e. “30x30”. habitat began. During 2022, the universities have biological preserves, of the The outcome? Our children and Swanbergs completed their donation few among Christian colleges have grandchildren will know that of this property to ONU for land sanctuaries approaching this size garden. elephants and wolves and whales and conservation studies, activities and and quality! monarch butterflies and rainforests and prairies exist on this earth, and not just in stories.

Christians should be at the forefront of this effort, making possible the words of the Psalmist: Let the fields be jubilant and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy. Let all creation rejoice before the LORD... Psalms 96:12. Nature can’t sing the glory of God (its purpose) if it has been destroyed by human greed and apathy.

We are excited to share with you that this past year, Olivet has accepted a gift from the Swanberg family of an extraordinary nature reserve just 10 miles east of campus!

In 2008, Kankakee County residents Dale and Tracy Swanberg began making one of their dreams a reality.

Now, Olivet Nazarene University students and faculty will benefit for years to come by utilizing that dream as a tool for learning.

As the owners of 100 acres in Ganeer Township — along the Kankakee River just west of Momence, Illinois — the Swanbergs dreamed of native forest, wetland and prairie oasis on their previously farmed 18

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research.

“Our hope is that ONU’s students and faculty will use this land for educational purposes as well as to benefit the community,” says Dale Swanberg. “We hope they will also continue to enhance the land and continue on the path to return it to its native condition.”

“As climate change continues to impact the world in which we live, we desperately need to claim our role as stewards of the garden,” says Dr. Daniel Sharda, chair of Biological Sciences and professor at ONU. “God has called us to make sure all of God’s creation is thriving. The Swanbergs’ donation helps us to understand more of what tending the garden looks like on a larger scale and to connect our students with what they can do in God’s Kingdom as they go out from ONU.” ONU has one of the largest zoology programs among Christian colleges plus a growing environmental science program The University is in an excellent position to take this next step in creation stewardship.

This property features mesic and sand prairie, savanna, woodland, wetland, riparian forest, ephemeral

Situated along ¾ of a mile of the Kankakee River, over the past 15-20 years, approximately half the land has been restored to tallgrass prairie and savanna, the remainder split between restored marsh and forest.

Located at the western-most edge of the now extinct Grand Kankakee Marsh, the sanctuary still hosts riverine backwaters with evidence of use by native peoples, floodplains, and possibly vernal pools (think salamander habitat!).

Full spread: Drone footage of 3/4 mile frontage on Kankakee River Left Page: Prof Carrigan with student on the Kankakee River

Initial exploration of the 3 miles of Right page: restored trails indicates significant deer and marsh beaver activity, scat indicating the presence of canids (coyotes/foxes), red-tailed hawk nesting activity, and rare freshwater mussels. But our biological surveys have barely begun!

This past semester we coordinated with Zoology Club and other interested groups to give students a chance to explore, appreciate and dream about the future of this part of Olivet’s campus.

We will need patience as details of how this space will be managed and what access will look like are worked out. But for now, we can be proud of the leadership that Olivet has taken in the care of God’s Good Earth!

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Getting Wet and Muddy The Olivet River Keepers help organize the Kankakee River Clean-Up event

Every Fall, the Olivet River Keepers collaborates with 2 local organizations, the Northern Illinois Anglers Assoc., and Reeds Canoe Trips, to help organize the Kankakee

River Clean-Up event. Last year, 64 Olivet volunteers spent about 6 hours going down the river in canoes, hauling out garbage. The collection of trash removed typically fills an

industrial-sized dumpster. Last year we pulled out over 12 car tires, garbage cans, a large section of chain link fencing, a hot water heater, just to name a few of the larger items.

We get into the river near Sun River Terrace, and work 4 miles down stream to Aroma Park. Make no mistake, this is work; students are in and out of the canoes, getting wet and muddy, fighting the wind and river current, and working in teams to remove large, bulky items from the river banks. The river is typically in a low-flow regime this time of year, exposing the most amount of garbage, making removal easier.

Olivet’s involvement in The Kankakee River Clean Up event began under the leadership of Dr. Randy Johnson. Since his retirement, Dr. Charles Carrigan leads the organization of Olivet students, faculty, and staff in the volunteer effort. The Olivet River Keepers is a student-volunteer water quality monitoring group, who’s mission is to promote healthy water systems in our local environment by collecting scientific data and conducting science outreach to the community. Drs. Charles Carrigan (Earth & Space Sciences) and Derek Rosenberger (Biology) provide faculty leadership to this student group.

3 Million Kilowatt-Hours of Electricty for Olivet Since going live in November of 2021, Olivet’s Perry Center and Hawkins Centennial Chapel solar arrays have produced approximately 3 million kilowatt-hours of electricity. This has prevented the emission of 2,300 tons of carbon dioxide, the equivalent of avoiding the burning of 239,000 gallons of gasoline, or 2.3 million pounds of coal. In addition to the environmental benefits, the 3,124 solar panels have netted Olivet over $75,000 in electricity costs! They have provided a firsthand educational opportunity for interested students who have been able to tour the arrays. We continue to be grateful for Olivet’s partnership with SunVest Solar, LLC, which made the construction of the arrays possible at no upfront cost to the university.

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Solar panels installed on the roof of Perry Center

Department of Mathematics Busy Lounging Around Olivet’s Department of Mathematics moved from Reed Hall of Science to the lower level of the Burke Administration building in 2005; with a plan for the move to be temporary. As Olivet enrolls freshman who might not have been born yet at the time of that move, the time has come to stop thinking of Burke as a temporary home to mathematics. Over the last year, we’ve been asking ourselves how we can make the lower level of Burke a more inviting place for students – a place where prospective students can imagine themselves having mathematical epiphanies.

When an old storage room opened as useable space, the plans came together to create a math student lounge. In the spring of 2022, we put out a fundraising call for this

project through Olivet’s Day of Giving, and the support from alumni, family, and friends of Olivet mathematics came pouring in! It was a thrilling experience to see so many familiar names as donors toward this idea.

Grand opening of the new student lounge was held on March 14th, Pi Day

The project began with students helping to clear out all of the shelving units in the old storage room. Then physical plant tore down a dividing wall, putting in new flooring and a fresh coat of paint. Finally, new furniture, including sofas, whiteboards, and a coffee maker were installed. Our grand opening of the new math student lounge was on Pi Day, March 14th, 2023; and students have been enjoying this space ever since. Thank you to everyone who donated to help make this project a reality!

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M E E T T H E S T E M F A C U LT Y

ARAM AGAJANIAN

NICHOLAS BOROS

JUSTIN BROWN

CHARLES CARRIGAN

SCOTT RAGAN

DARL RASSI

JEFF RICE

DEREK ROSENBERGER

STEPHEN CASE

DANIEL GREEN

WILLA HARPER

DALE HATHAWAY

KEITH SCHIMMEL

JOSEPH SCHROEDER

DAN SHARDA

MADELINE SHEPLEY

LUCAS HENDERSON

BRUCE HEYEN

RYAN HIMES

DAVID HOEKMAN

NICHOLAS TROENDLE

NICOLE VANDER SCHAAF

AGGIE VELD

MICHAEL WADE

DANIEL KENDER

SEOK LEW

GREGORY LONG

JEREMY LYLE

JONATHAN WEBER

Professor Department of Engineering

Professor, Department of Chemistry and Earth & Space Science, Director, University Honors Program

Assistant Professor Department of Chemistry and Earth & Space Science

Assistant Professor Department of Mathematics and Computer Science 22

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Professor Department of Mathematics and Computer Science

Professor Department of Mathematics and Computer Science

Chairman and Professor Department of Chemistry and Earth & Space Science

Professor Department of Engineering

Chairman and Professor Department of Mathematics and Computer Science

Professor Department of Chemistry and Earth & Space Science

Associate Professor Department of Biological Sciences

Professor Department of Biological Sciences

Professor Department of Chemistry and Earth & Space Science

Associate Dean, McGraw School of STEM, Professor, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science

Associate Professor Department of Biological Sciences

Associate Professor, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science

Chairman and Associate Professor, Department of Engineering

Professor Department of Engineering

Associate Professor Department of Biological Sciences

Associate Professor, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science

Professor Department of Engineering

Assistant Professor Department of Biological Sciences

Associate Professor and Director Cybersecurity and Computer Science, Department of Mathematics and Computer Science

Chairman and Professor Department of Biological Sciences

Professor Department of Biological Sciences

Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences

Assistant Professor and Planetarium Director Department of Chemistry and Earth & Space Science

Assistant Professor Department of Engineering

Assistant Professor Department of Engineering

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GET INVOLVED! Want to be part of the exciting things going on at Olivet’s School of STEM? If anything in this report peaked your interest, contact Associate Dean Dale Hathaway to get involved.

ENVELOPE-OPEN-TEXT hathaway@olivet.edu 📞 (815) 939-5314

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