Sonoma State Star

Issue date: 3/11/08 Section: News

Various members of the SSU faculty met on March 5 in the University Commons for the 2008 Faculty Exposition. This marked the 15th year of the event. "It's very important for [the community] to come together and see what's going on," said James Wiebrs, a Senior Business Major. "[Professors] have a lot of other stuff to do so it's good that they can find the time to do something that they feel is important, that's important to the community, and that's important to the world." For a span of two hours, what is normally a dining area for the University Commons was transformed into an intellectually stimulating arena. Two long tables, and a portion of the alcove, were covered with displays demonstrating ongoing and completed research that faculty members were involved in. The event was put on by the Faculty Subcommittee on Sponsored Programs (FSSP), the Professional Development Subcommittee (PDS) and the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs(ORSP). "Faculty that are actively engaged in making significant contributions to their fields of inquiry are better able to model active learning, and engage their students with the frontiers of knowledge," said Assistant Professor and Chair of FSSP Karina Nielsen, in her greeting speech. This echoed Associate Professor Nick Geist sentiment prior to the start of Nielsen's greeting. "I think you'll realize, when you walk around here, that everybody is passionate," said Geist. "[The professors] are excited about what they do, and you can tell as a student, if a teacher cares about we what they're doing it makes a lot of difference. Students get that we like what we're doing." Chair of the Academic Senate Tim Wandling, who spoke after Nielsen, used the toughness of a weed as a metaphor for the perseverance of the researchers in attendance. "These people struggle to do this in their own time with there own energy, and with limited support from grants," said Wandling, in a later interview. "That's part of the importance of recognizing the work that's been done here, and how courageous it is." Throughout the event it became clear that research could be of valuable use in all elements of the teaching process. "To be effective teachers, to be really good teachers, it takes more than just what you do in the classroom," said Geist. "Students get it too. They realize we're not just talking about something out of a book, that we're actually speaking from our personal experience." Nielsen shared that sentiment. "Faculty that are actively engaged in making significant contributions to their fields of inquiry are better able to model active learning, and engage their students with the frontiers of knowledge," said Nielsen. The process of obtaining grant money begins with writing a proposal. Often times, this describes the topic of research, usually a topic, which has not been greatly studied. If the grant is given, then the money will be allocated to both the researcher and University. "In the sciences and some other fields you need a lot of equipment," said Nielsen, explaining how in part the funds are spent. "You need people to help with the research projects. We want to hire students to work on the projects, to get hands on research experience so that when they apply to graduate school… they can put on a resume: 'I have worked on a research project, I have experience.'" Not all the research on display had received grants or scholarships. Yet, no matter their funds, the topics of the event were unique and diverse. Nick Geist, Rebecca Gordon, Zannie Dallara and Matt Bettelheim had a poster highlighting their research on the reproductive biology of the western pond turtle, in order to solve why the species is declining. Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the room, Barbara Lesch McCaffry displayed her project, which drew knowledge from critically analyzing memoirs that highlight the change in children during the holocaust of World War II. The departments in participation were just as diverse as the chosen topics. American Multicultural Studies, Art, Anthropological Studies, Biology, Business Administration, Chemistry, Computer Science, Counseling, Criminology and Criminal Justice, Education, Engineering Science, Environmental Studies and Planning, Geography, History, Hutchins School of Liberal Studies, the Library, Linguistics and Anthropology, Modern Languages and Literatures, North Bay International Studies Project, Nursing, Philosophy, Physics and Astronomy, Psychology, Sociology and University Support Services were all in participation. The event could not have been possible without the coordination of Interim Director of the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP), Barbara Crandell, and Administrative Coordinator for ORSP, Carol Hall. Together they helped increase the amount of displays from last year's 28, to this year's 41. The reason for the increase was not only due to department interest but also due to more efficient utilization of the University Commons space with posters on walls and additional tables. Overall, the event was very successful. Throughout the two hours there was a steady flow of onlookers examining the displays and writing down notes. An even more intriguing sight was the steady flow of students in attendance. "Faculty that are actively engaged in making significant contributions to their fields of inquiry are better able to model active learning, and engage their students with the frontiers of knowledge," said Nielsen.

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