“It had a tremendous impact on the way that I viewed things, like differences in educational opportunities and outcomes,” said Stout. “It taught me a lot how just by virtue of the family I was born into and the community and neighborhood that I lived in, how I had certain advantages and opportunities growing up that a large number of people didn't have.” "In terms of my … [Read more...] about Hands-on guy wants to re-democratize society
The opportunity to examine such questions drew his attention to the Middle East and ultimately to Kurdish communities in the region. Romano, who holds the Thomas G. Strong Chair for Middle Eastern Studies in the political science department, has written two books tackling life-and-death questions that affect Kurds in Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey. He also dissects everything … [Read more...] about The big questions: Life and death in the Middle East
But a shared interest in the science behind movement ultimately led to a research collaboration between a former collegiate wrestler, Dr. Jim Hackney, and a former professional dancer, Sara Brummel. “The demands of dance and the demands of sports are similar,” Hackney said. “However, many sports are a matter of what you’re doing with something else, rather than how you … [Read more...] about Analyzing the science behind dancers’ artful movements
Dr. Jamaine Abidogun, professor of history at Missouri State University, has been interested in Nigeria and indigenous knowledge for a number of years. She won her first Fulbright award to conduct research in Nigeria in 2004-05 and completed her second research trip in 2014. She learned that many Nigerian girls and women have a great deal of indigenous knowledge related to … [Read more...] about Nigerian women can treat malaria, but few study hard sciences
Missouri State professor Dr. Charlene Berquist hopes to offer victims, offenders and other at-risk youths the opportunity to build the skills needed to pull themselves out of a justice system that may swallow them up. “We’re loud and we’re boisterous. When there’s a conflict, we yell and deal with it, and then we hug and make up.” — Dr. Charlene Berquist Her passion for this … [Read more...] about Communication professor turns childhood curiosity into passion for conflict resolution
Dr. Joanna Cemore Brigden, associate professor of childhood education at Missouri State University, is committed to emphasizing the importance of play for children. As a woman of many appellations, Brigden is most proud of her title as play researcher. She teaches outdoor play classes at MSU along with the graduate course, Life as Play, which teaches students the importance … [Read more...] about What’s so serious about child’s play?
Rebaza, professor of mathematics, teaches numerical analysis and applied mathematics at Missouri State. His recent research interests range from showing how your brain processes language to exploring a way to predict the spread of waterborne diseases. “The work we’re doing is important” Math professionals usually specialize in one of two areas. One is pure mathematics, which … [Read more...] about Solving real-world problems with high-level math
“Most people think of franchising as an industry, but the fact is that franchising is actually not an industry; it is a business model,” said Garg. “Franchising is everywhere. It’s in education, hospitals, aviation training and even interior decoration.” Over the years, Garg conducted most of his research in franchising, particularly multi-unit franchising, by surveying more … [Read more...] about Logos, layouts and logistics: Franchising in today’s market
Rost discovered that late-stage ovarian cancer patients achieved a better quality of life when they participated in a modern therapy called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) rather than traditional therapy. By learning to accept difficult thoughts and emotions, the women were better able to cope with their situation and less likely to suffer from anxiety and depression. … [Read more...] about ACT now to avoid depression and anxiety
Science fiction writers from Issac Asimov to Roger Zelanzny have written about the coming age of robots and artificial intelligence for many years. Generations of viewers raised on “Star Trek,” “Star Wars” and even “The Jetsons” grew up expecting our world to be eventually populated by intelligent machines doing many of the mundane tasks for us. Believe it or not, two … [Read more...] about Fiction to fact: Researchers advancing artificial intelligence
During his third grade year, Masterson noticed her son was still having a hard time making his marks on his spelling tests despite extra study time. Again, she spoke with his teacher and received the same response as the teacher from the year before: “Oh that’s normal. He’ll learn.” Masterson refused to accept the idea that individuals could not improve a skill. She dropped … [Read more...] about Why the weekly spelling test doesn’t stick
“In our household was a jar of water at the table. In it was an old Czar Russian silver ruble at the bottom — a pure silver coin. That silver leeching slowly out in the solution provided pretty good sterilization of water.” The antimicrobial property of silver is one key to a current research project Gerasimchuk is conducting 30 years after receiving his first doctorate … [Read more...] about Metals move front and center to target cancer
“My training has got me scared to do any of that,” chuckled Anderson, professor in the department of finance and general business. Anderson, who jokes that he’s been on campus forever, was practicing law in the state of California when he became interested in the issues of software development and started writing articles on the topic from the legal perspective. After … [Read more...] about Learning laws and loopholes in the information age
“If you're an artist, you're either a hedgehog or a fox. … I'm totally a hedgehog.” — Sarah Williams Occasionally, she gets taken down to the police station on her quest to capture images of her subjects, but usually in her small hometown of Brookfield, Missouri, where she photographs most often, they recognize that she’s on a mission. “I'm working from these terrible … [Read more...] about Adding significance to the seemingly mundane