Neuroscience and Biology Major Interns at NASA

Rising senior Christin Godale is spending her summer doing an "out of this world" internship. The neuroscience and biology double major is interning at the NASA Glenn Research Center as a Human Research Project intern doing research on a project called the "Digital Astronaut."

According to Godale, a day in the life of a Human Research Project intern consists mainly of working on visual impairment and intracranial pressure models. These models deal with the effects that long-term exposure to microgravity has on the structure of the eye. The research seeks to explain why many astronauts experience poorer vision after returning from space, as astronaut Mike Kelly discussed with CBS News this week from the International Space Station.



Interning at Glenn has benefited Godale in a variety of ways from developing her critical thinking skills to networking with NASA employees. She also has the unique benefit of using the research that she is doing this summer for her BW neuroscience thesis which she will present in Spring 2016.

Godale hopes to eventually pursue her Ph.D. in neuroscience or cell biology, although her experience at NASA has sparked her interest as a possible career path as well.

Life Changing International Travel Marks May Term

Close to 60 students and five faculty members packed their bags and spent May term abroad on three very exciting and very different international experiences in China, London and Costa Rica.

Twenty-one students and two faculty members, Professor John Fuehrer and Dr. Liya Wang, traveled to China for a three week business and sociology-based exploration for students who took the Modern China course during the Spring 2015 semester.  Students focused on what it's like to do business in China's major cities and how understanding cultures can help when doing business globally. Students also visited cultural sites including the Great Wall, Forbidden City and different temples and monasteries. Other highlights of the trip included experiencing a new culture and trying different kinds of food.

The theatre Seminar in London was a nine day theatre tour that exposed students to a variety of theatrical performances as well as the history of the London theatre and the city in general. Twenty-three students traveled with two faculty members, Professors Jeff Herrman and Bob Taylor. The students attended eight shows in a variety of London locations, including The Globe Theatre, where Shakespeare's plays were performed in the 1600's. They also toured the city and visited different museums.  For many, visiting Stratford, where Shakespeare was born and laid to rest was a unique and favorite part of the trip.

BMC Photography

For 12 days, 14 students and biology professor Dr. Chris Stanton, explored the biology and sustainability of Costa Rica and the country-wide sustainability progress that has been made in 2015. The group traveled the country by bus and did a variety of activities such as hiking, boating and community service projects all while interacting with the locals, learning about the culture and seeing the various habitats and wildlife. One day was spent zip lining through the Tropical Dry Forest.

For more stunning photos from the trip, you can visit this Costa Rica Facebook gallery posted by recent BW studio art grad and owner of BMC Photography, Brittney Callahan '15.

Studying abroad at Baldwin Wallace allows students to enhance their personal growth, educational experience and career development. BW is part of the national "Generation Study Abroad" initiative and working toward doubling the percentage of students who gain this life-changing experience by 2019.

BW Senior Earns National Scholarship and Leadership Award

Recognition times two for Tianna Cobb ’15! The BW senior recently earned a UPS Foundation, Inc. Scholarship through the Foundation for Independent Higher Education (FIHE) and also received the Bobby Gunn Leadership Award from the National Athletic Training Association this summer.

The 2009 graduate of Jefferson County Christian School is double-majoring in pre-physical therapy and athletic training with a minor in biology.

Cobb is involved in many organizations on BW’s campus, including membership in the Pre-Physical Therapy and Exercise Science Student Organization and service on the student advisory board for BW's School of Health, Physical Education and Sports Sciences. She also serves as the secretary for the Collegiate Organization for Athletic Student Trainers (COAST) and is a Student Ambassador for the university.

After graduation, Cobb plans to pursue a doctorate in physical therapy with an ultimate career goal of becoming an athletic trainer for an NFL team.

Neuroscience Major Conducts "Drop-Dead" Research

Jordan Smith '16, a BW neuroscience-biology major,  spent 10 weeks of her summer break participating in a National Science Foundation-sponsored Summer Research Program in the Biological Sciences Department at Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wis. Jordan's main research focus was to determine whether fruit flies with a gene mutation called "drop-dead" experienced hypoxia or the absence of oxygen.

The rich research program experience for Jordan and 18 other young scientists included weekly journal clubs and social activities, and culminated in a symposium for the students to present their research.  ​

Jordan was mentored in her summer work by Marquette biology professor, Dr. Edward Blumenthal.

Rising Senior Making a Difference in Costa Rica

Maddy Simboli '15 is spending part of her summer interning with a nonprofit in Costa Rica. The BW International Business and Spanish double major is volunteering for the San José-based Rahab Foundation, which helps rehabilitate men, women, and children that have been affected by or involved in the sex trade.
 
Maddy is also "Crowdrise" fundraising for a Rahab Foundation youth camp that focuses on preventing the commercial sexual exploitation of minors. "My work here has been very fulfilling, and my Spanish has improved a lot," she tells us via email. "I am very excited to return this fall and share my experiences with everyone at BW."

As part of her International Study Abroad (ISA) experience, Maddy, who hails from Grafton, Ohio, has also enjoyed some time exploring Costa Rica and interacting with the wildlife. "I am enchanted by the wildlife here," she writes.

Maddy even went for a hair-raising bungee-jump while sporting her best Baldwin Wallace gear. You'll need to read the BW inscription on her sweatshirt upside down in the YouTube video linked below!

Current BW students intrigued by Costa Rica as a study abroad destination should note that BW Explorations/Study Abroad is currently accepting application for the Spring 2015 Discover Costa Rica program that will be led by BW Biology professor Dr. Chris Stanton in conjunction with ISA.

Student Researcher Wins National Neuroscience Grant

The research of one BW Summer Scholar has received additional recognition and funding from Nu Rho Psi, the national neuroscience honor society. Biagio Niro '16 is one of just two student researchers nationwide to receive a 2014 Nu Rho Psi Summer Research Grant.

With the support of neuroscience chair and faculty mentor, Dr. Jackie Morris, Niro's work is aimed at helping scientists to better understand the role of the PAD-2 gene in the normal development of the nervous system. The PAD enzyme has been the focus of research in cancer and autoimmune diseases, in particular multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis.

The BW neuroscience-biology major is using a new gene editing system to delete a portion of the PAD-2 gene in zebrafish. After editing the genes, he analyzes the mutated fish to determine if nervous system development has been altered.  According to Niro and Morris, "If we understand the normal role of the PAD gene, then we might understand why it reappears during disease states."

Growing Ovation Day Highlights Student Success

In an expanded format and new location BW's 2014 Ovation celebration set records for the number of projects, number of participants, number of volunteers, number of reviewers and number of attendees. When the reviews were tallied, this year's Ovation Presentation Awards went to: 

• "We All Want to Change the World: A Deconstruction of the 'White Album'" by Patrick Hyzy with support from faculty sponsor Beth Hiser, Conservatory
• "Exposure to NMDA Receptor Antagonists at P7 Alters Prepulse Inhibition at P21 in Rats" presented by students Janace Gifford and Rachel Zacharias; faculty sponsor Brian Thomas, Psychology
• "SPROUT: Long-Term Impacts of Residential Programs for Single-Parent Students in Higher Education," presented by student(s) Rebecca Shisler, Brook Hradisky, faculty sponsor Jill Stephens Fleisher, Sociology

The Greek Life Award was presented to Katie Nadson from Alpha Gama Delta for her project, "Seasonal Patterns of Anthocyanin Production in NE Ohio Plants," and the People’s Choice Awards went to "YJ4L."

BW Provost Steve Stahl said the Ovation performances and presentations embodied BW's mission. "We demonstrated our commitment as an academic community to the liberal arts and sciences; we conducted rigorous scholarship and illustrated the excellence in teaching and learning within a challenging and supportive environment."

One 2014 Ovation presenter, Jenn Lenart, had her work with biology professor Chris Stanton and other students featured in the Plain Dealer.  Follow this link to see full list of awards and scholarships presented at Ovation's Honors Ceremony.

BW Professor Featured at Elite City Club Forum on Biomimicry

BW Business Division professor Dr. Ven Ochaya was a featured panelist on a City Club of Cleveland discussion on biomimicry, which looks to nature to inspire innovation and solve problems. The presitgious City Club Friday Forum, the longest uninterrupted independent forum series in the country, is  broadcast to radio listeners in more than 40 states from Maine to Alaska.

Ochaya who directs BW's MBAs in Entrepreneurship and Sustainability, also serves as a member of the Great Lakes Biomimicry leadership team with the responsbility for with responsibility for education  services  and  networking. Great Lakes Biomimicry has been working with BW to introduce biomimicry into course offerings for students.

The City Club panel discussed the growth of biomimicry both as a science and as an industry in Northeast Ohio. "If we want to truly emulate nature, we have to be collaborative," Ochaya urged.

You can listen to the entire April 18 discussion in the City Club's podcast archives. 

Second Round of Contest Produces Winning Ideas

The second and final round of BW’s Blackstone LaunchPad's 2014 Year of the Idea Contest produced a number of winning ideas, but Kara Gawelek '14 claimed the biggest prize. The neuroscience and biology major and chemistry minor drew on her experience in the lab as inspiration for a "Semi-Automatic Pipet Tip Cartridge," which not only won the $200 first place prize in the for-profit category, but claimed the $300 overall grand prize as well.

Kara's idea would speed up the research process for small labs and scientists who are frustrated by the slow pace of manually reloading sterile, plastic tips onto their micropipets (which are used to dispense small samples), but who can't afford expensive, fully automated equipment.

In this second round, students submitted more than 50 ideas in three categories. The first place non-profit idea was a Serving for Soldiers program suggested by Alexis Charara '14 and Christine Austin ‘15. In the Baldwin Wallace category, Nnaji Iwunze ’17 won with a BW Workout Buddy concept. Second place winning ideas came from Tim Gruskiewicz '15, Rachel Hoffpauir ’15,  Tom Jackson ’16 and Ashley King '16.

Judging was based on the originality and problem-solving power of each idea. The goal of the contest was to spark campus creativity and increase awareness about BW's Blackstone LaunchPad, which is sponsored by the Blackstone Charitable Foundation and the Burton D. Morgan Foundation.

Reading the Tea Leaves: Biology Students Conduct Field Research

    Biology Professor William Eddy, and some of the BW biology students who are conducting a  semester long biology/ecology related field study at a farm in Oberlin.

A group of students led by one of the BW Biology Department's newest faculty members, William Eddy, are undertaking a semester-long field study examining how tea leaves behave in the environment. One experiment is looking at decomposition on the forest floor, while another group is studying the rate of decomposition of tea leaves on a moisture gradient, taking observations near a pond and up on a well-drained plateau.

Each group of students developed their own research project and will return to the farm site in Oberlin throughout the semester to collect data, record and analyze their results.

BW Biology Students Build Tree Frog Habitat in Costa Rica

A group of BW students were able to lend help to the University of Costa Rica by embarking on a service project to support endangered tree frogs in Costa Rica. Due to climate change in Costa Rica, tree frogs in the country have decreased in population.

Dr. Chris Stanton in BW's biology department accompanied 18 students for a service abroad project to help the University of Costa Rica address this issue.

 “These frogs only lay their eggs on leaves hanging over ponds,” Stanton said. The students and Stanton dug an artificial pond designed to help tree frogs lay more eggs.

Although they were unable to complete this project due to time constraints, the students received an invaluable service experience. Stanton noted that he will offer an expanded project for this trip in 2015.

Learning from Real World Experiences in Sustainbility

Teachers, students and anyone else interested in sustainability have a new resource to explore the real-world experience of groundbreaking green companies and organizations based in Northeast Ohio.

Thanks to generous support from the McGregor Fund, Baldwin Wallace University, a leader in sustainability education and practice, has produced a series of case studies on 11 of the region's sustainability pioneers, including Fairmount Minerals, Great Lakes Brewing Company, Sustainable Cleveland 2019 and West Creek Conservancy.

BW sociology professor Jill Stephens Fleisher edited the collection, which was authored by BW faculty from a variety of disciplines including sociology, political science, biology, philosophy, health and physical education, and business.

You can access all of the case studies through an open-source webpage at http://www.bw.edu/academics/sustainability/neo-case-studies

Deying Gravity on NASA's "Vomit Comet"

Five Baldwin Wallace University students conducted summer research during a wild ride on NASA’s “Weightless Wonder” airplane, aka "the Vomit Comet." The BW experiment was one of just fourteen selected for NASA’s 2013 Reduced Gravity Student Flight Program.  Read more about our fearless flyers' amazing adventure on the BW website, in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, on space.com, in The Strongsville Post and in the Strongsville Patch.

Left to right, Astronaut Mike Fossum, Sarah Rospert '13 (biology), Astronaut Cady Coleman, Carissa Bonus '13 (biology), Logan Sirline '14 (neuroscience/chemistry) and Frank Prochaska, NASA Reduced Gravity Education Program Manager

Biology/Neuroscience Major Wins Prestigious Scholarship

Kara Gawelek ’14 was one of three scholarship winners at the prestigious, 2013 YWCA Women of Achievement Awards in Cleveland. Gawelek, a Brunswick native, was selected to receive the $1,500 Dr. Jennie S. Hwang Award, which recognizes an outstanding female sophomore or junior student who is majoring in a science, engineering or technology-related discipline. She was chosen from more than 40 student nominees from 12 universities!

Gawelek, an aspiring pathologist who credits her late father with inspiring her to “live up to her potential,” has earned a 3.96 GPA while studying Neuroscience/Biology and Chemistry at BW.

The first-generation college student is head ambassador for BW’s Undergraduate Research and Creative Studies Program, vice president of the Pre-Medical Society and a Choose Ohio First STEM Scholar, as well as a STEM Scholars Leadership Council member. Read more on the Strongsville Patch.

Gawelek (center) at a meeting of BW's STEM Scholars, an innovative BW scholarship program preparing students for careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

Squirrel Research

Undergraduate students are gaining valuable, hands-on research experience working on squirrel research with Dr. Karen Munroe, professor in the BW  Biology & Geology Department.

Their work, which involves humane trapping, tagging and data collection, has attracted the attention of the news media, including the Cleveland Plain Dealer and television station WOIO-19. The aim is to contribute to the knowledge of squirrel mating habits.