Five students from Catawba College traveled to Anaheim, Calif., March 26-30 for the American Chemical Society National Conference. Four presented research, while all participated in workshops, many of which were career-oriented, and technical lectures. One Catawba student, Carly Sabat of Warren, Ohio, who was unable to attend, won an award for her research.
Students attending included junior Jacob Hill of Salisbury, junior Lori Fraley of Cleveland, senior Nate Griffin of Boomer, senior Joe Manser of Mooresville, and sophomore Justin Smith of Greensboro.
This summer, Hill will attend the National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates at the University of Southern Mississippi, and Smith will attend a summer internship program at Yale University to shadow physicians.
Fraley has received offers to attend the National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates. Griffin plans to attend UNC Chapel Hill this fall to work on a Ph.D. in chemistry/biochemistry. Manser plans to enroll in a Ph.D. program in chemical engineering and has been accepted to N.C. State University and Notre Dame.
Hill, who with Sabat co-authored a paper titled, ěAnalysis of sunscreen lip balm components by high performance liquid chromatography,î presented the research at the ACS conference. This paper reported on the development and validation of a method for the analysis of oxybenzone and octinoxate in sunscreen lip balm products.
The method development was done through the Catawba Analytical Research Laboratory (CARL), an industrial-academic partnership at Catawba College. Interaction with area industry, in this case Filltech USA of Rockwell, lets students experience the practice of chemistry in society.
Students will learn how to apply knowledge to the problem at hand and think independently, creatively, and critically. Dr. Mark Sabo, chair of the chemistry department at Catawba, and Elizabeth Nobel of Filltech USA also helped author this paper.
Hill also presented a paper he wrote in conjunction with Dr. Thomas C. Devore of James Madison University, ěThermal decomposition of transition metal oxalate compounds.î
Fraley presented a paper she co-authored with Yasamin Moazami and Dr. Craig A. Ogle of UNC-Charlotte, ěBiodegradable polymeric nanoparticles for the intracellular delivery of antimicrobial drugs.î
Griffin presented a paper he co-authored with Biswajit Ghosh and Marek Urban of the School of Polymers and High Performance Materials at the University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, ěSynthesis and modification of chitosan from crabshell.î
Manser presented a paper he co-authored with Jeff Alston and Jordan Poler of UNCC department of chemistry, ěPhoton Enhanced Aggregation (PEA) of Single Walled Carbon Nanotube (SWNT) Dispersions.î
Professor attends math meeting
Dr. Paul Baker, a Catawba College professor of mathematics, attended the Mathematical Association of Americaís Southeastern Regional Section meeting at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa April 1-2.
At the conference, Baker organized and co-chaired the special session on geometry. During the geometry session, Baker also made two presentations: ěSum of Point Angles in Starsî and ěFinding a Solution by Construction.î
Students attendsociologicalconference
Six Catawba College students, all majoring in sociology, attended the Southern Sociological Society conference in Jacksonville, Fla., April 6-9. Those attending include Bianca Boone of Charlotte; Terri Christy of Salisbury; Susan Fisher of Lititz, Pa.; Megan Kittel of Mooresville; Mimi Medrano of Spencer; and Roslind Wiseman of Salisbury.
Honor societyinduction
Catawba Collegeís new Chi Omega chapter of Lambda Pi Eta communication honor society held its first induction on campus on April 7. Those on hand for the induction of nine charter members included the new chapter adviser, Cyndi Wittum; chair of communication arts Dr. Tim Moreland; and dean of the Ketner School of business Dr. Jamie Slate.
Officers include Erin Kidd of Ramseur, president, and Brad Hamrick of Salisbury. Inductees, in addition to Kidd and Hamrick, include Jessica Gaskill of Salisbury, Shannon McLain of Charlotte, Stephanie Cook of Alpharetta, Ga., Cameron White of Columbia, S.C., Amanda Drake of Salisbury, Brandi Cockerham of Mocksville and Wallace Brett Underwood of Greensboro.
To be eligible for membership, students must have completed 60 semester hours in undergraduate credit courses; have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0; have completed the equivalent of 12 semester hours in courses in communication and have a grade point average of at least 3.25 in these courses; be in the upper 35 percent of their graduating class; and be enrolled as a fulltime student in good standing at Catawba.
Kappa Delta Piinduction
Catawba Collegeís Theta Phi Chapter of Kappa Delta Pi (KDP) education honor society installed new officers for the 2011-2012 year and inducted 22 new members in a ceremony held on campus April 5.
Dr. James K. Stringfield, dean of the Goodman School of Education, opened the ceremony. Dr. Tiffany Hunter, a professor of education, spoke about the expectations of a teacher from the perspective of a parent, praising the inductees for demonstrating high ideals, and charging them to be leaders in the teaching profession.
Dr. Rhonda Truitt, counselor for the chapter, presided over the ceremony, assisted by Dr. Bonita Bloodworth, Amanda Bosch, Dr. Tiffany Hunter, Dr. Lou Ann Kasias, Dr. Cyndi Osterhus and current officers Lucy Scott, president; Alexa Baird and Stephanie Hill, co-vice presidents; Laura Ritchie, secretary; Elizabeth Sloop, treasurer; Jenna Matthews, historian; and Philip Yarbrough, program coordinator.
New officers installed were Julie Gilley, president; Jessica Everett and Stephanie Riddle, co-vice presidents; Taylor Doss, secretary; Jessica Clark, treasurer; and Rachel Fries, historian.
KDP officers inducted new members including undergraduate students Jessica Clark, Salisbury; Marissa DiMarco, Voorhees, N.J.; Taylor Doss, Boonville; Jessica Everett, Winston-Salem; Rachel Fries, Rockwell; Julie Gilley, Dobson; and Stephanie Riddle, Faith. Also inducted were post-baccalaureate teacher certification student Lauren West, Salisbury; and graduate students Melissa Bishop, Lexington; Gina Frey, Concord; and Jennifer Tuzenew, Richfield.
Graduating seniors inducted and receiving honor cords were Rebecca Byerly (M.Ed.) and Sara Burkhart, both of Lexington; Sara Kull (M.Ed.), Concord; Jaclyn Chapman, Meredith Corl, Ann Howell and Zach Poole, all of Salisbury; Lainey Edwards, Asheboro; Laura Sale, Yadkinville; Blair Sanders, Mt. Pleasant; and Jamie Stirewalt, Kannapolis.
Graduating KDP members receiving honor cords were Alexa Baird, Plainfield, N.J.; Stephanie Hill, China Grove; Philip Yarbrough, Lexington; Lucy Scott, Mt. Pleasant; April Spry (M.Ed.), Rockwell; Tyler Howe, Laura Ritchie, Elizabeth Sloop, and Leigh Yelton (M.Ed.), all of Salisbury; and Jenna Matthews, Staunton, Va.