“The Center for Gifted Studies, the Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky and the Honors College at WKU are collaborating on this project,” said Amanda Lich, the Director of Development for the three related areas.  “The i⁴ Initiative seeks to promote a culture of innovation through a series of outreach and programming opportunities that instill a sense of the importance of STEM exploration, inspire Kentuckians to foster excellence and growth in STEM, and increase the capacity of high-ability students from middle, secondary and postsecondary populations to engage in these fields.”

The i⁴ Initiative comprises three main components.  First, the i⁴ Initiative will launch a statewide public relations campaign showing the power of STEM, the possible career options within STEM disciplines and the course to achievement.  An interactive website with STEM content, social media, a billboard campaign, and other vehicles of community outreach will be utilized throughout the Commonwealth.

Pathways to Innovation, the second element of the project, offers a three-part strategy to engage high-ability middle grades, high school and college students through existing and new WKU programs.  The Summer Program for Verbally and Mathematically Precocious Youth (VAMPY) will add three new Seminars in Innovation that focus on mobile applications development, invention and sustainability.  A Winter Colloquium in Innovation will be added to the WKU class schedule to take advantage of the three-week open period on campus where students from the Gatton Academy, the Honors College and other disciplines can focus on the start-up phase of innovative projects.  A lecture series featuring state and national STEM leaders and entrepreneurial thinkers will be held on campus.

The third facet of the i⁴ Initiative is the WKU Innovation Incubator that will serve the same role as a business startup accelerator, but will instead focus on students.  Access to the Incubator will be by competition, with students receiving a grant toward materials needed to produce a proof-of-concept.  The Incubator also will serve as a conversion point and outreach tool for younger students, with visits by elementary, middle and high school students for demonstrations and engagement.  The Center for Research and Development, home to the WKU Small Business Accelerator, will be hosting the WKU Innovation Incubator.

“The i⁴ Initiative is designed around the concept that students should be mentored to take charge of their future,” said Dr. Gordon Baylis, Vice President for Research and President of the WKU Research Foundation.  “As the late Steve Jobs pointed out, the only way to predict the future is to invent it yourself. The i⁴ Initiative prepares our students for a life of inquiry, inspiration, innovation and invention: it is a path to a bright future for us all. I am delighted that the Student Business Accelerator is an integral part of this initiative.”

WKU is in the process of hiring an individual to oversee the implementation of the i⁴ Initiative.  This individual will coordinate the public relations campaign and outreach activities of the program and will work to ensure that all facets of the i⁴ Initiative are effectively implemented.

Dr. Julia Roberts, Executive Director of The Center for Gifted Studies and the Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky, said she is thrilled with the opportunities this grant offers.

“A culture that fosters and values innovation drives the economy forward and improves so many aspects of our lives,” Dr. Roberts said.  “We are eager to embark on the i⁴ Initiative and to explore ways to make innovation important in Kentucky schools and communities as well as at The Center for Gifted Studies, the Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky, the Honors College at WKU and Western Kentucky University.”

The James Graham Brown Foundation was established in 1943.  The Foundation, based in Louisville, was created by Brown to “promote the well-being of the citizens of Louisville and Kentucky.”  Since its incorporation in 1954, the Foundation has awarded more than 2,700 grants totaling nearly $463 million.  In early 2011, the Foundation announced it had allocated $2 million for its first-ever Higher Education Competitive Grant Program.  WKU was one of four higher education entities in Kentucky to receive funding.

The James Graham Brown Foundation will match $1 for every $1 raised up to $500,000 until Dec.1, 2013.

“We are so pleased to partner with WKU and the Brown Foundation to invest in the next generation of innovators in Kentucky,” lead donor Brown Badgett said.  “Sue and I feel strongly that nurturing and supporting the creativity of university scholars will reap benefits for the entire Commonwealth.  We look forward to what the future holds.”

Lich said WKU is excited for the opportunity to leverage the remarkable human and intellectual resources of The Center for Gifted Studies, the Gatton Academy and the Honors College in implementing the i⁴ Initiative through the support of the James Graham Brown Foundation, Sue and Brown Badgett and others.  In addition to the Badgetts’ lead gift, an additional $34,000 has been raised for the project.

The National Center for Educational Statistics (2009) reports that only 12 percent of bachelor’s degrees conferred in Kentucky are in STEM fields.  The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation and The Kauffman Foundation found in The 2010 State New Economy Index: Benchmarking Economic Transformation in the States that Kentucky ranks 46th in the number of inventor patents issues, 43rd in the number of scientists and engineers, 43rd in the number of high tech jobs, 42nd in alternative energy and 42nd in venture capital.  In order for the Commonwealth to be competitive in this century, more engagement in the STEM fields must take place.

Contact: Rick DuBose, (270) 745-5404.

Ohio University hosted two tournaments, at which all 13 competing WKU students advanced to final rounds. WKU was crowned sweepstakes champion at the OU tournament and finished second at the OU Alumni tournament. Other competing schools included Ball State University, Bowling Green State University, Marshall University, Ohio State University, Seton Hall, George Mason University, Miami University, Ohio University and Marion University.

At the OU tournament, WKU sophomore Gabriella Devia-Allen was awarded third place in individual sweepstakes, a measure of overall individual success. At the OU Alumni portion, she was awarded fourth in individual sweepstakes.

WKU took 10 members of the debate squad to the Webster University “Gorlok Gala” in Saint Louis and placed third in overall sweepstakes behind McKendree University and Hillsdale College. WKU sophomore Spencer Orlowski was crowned the debate champion of the tournament, winning the final round of one of the most competitive invitational tournaments of the spring semester.

Next weekend, the team will compete at Murray State University.

Results from the University of Ohio “Appalachian Swing” tournaments are as follows:

• Sarah Brazier, a junior from Wadsworth, Ohio, tournament champion in dramatic interpretation and tournament champion in informative speaking in the OU portion; tournament champion in informative speaking in the OU Alumni portion.
• Gabriella Devia-Allen, a sophomore from Davie, Fla., tournament champion in communication analysis, second in poetry interpretation, fifth in prose interpretation and fifth in duo interpretation (with Ian Dowty) in the OU portion; tournament champion in poetry interpretation, fourth in duo interpretation (with Ian Dowty) and fifth in communication analysis in the OU Alumni portion.
• Amanda Waid, a junior from Symsonia, tournament champion in persuasive speaking, fourth in dramatic interpretation and fourth in poetry interpretation in the OU Alumni portion; tournament champion in persuasive speaking and fourth in poetry interpretation in the OU portion.
• Jamaque Newberry, a freshman from Tamarac, Fla., tournament champion in dramatic interpretation and second in poetry interpretation in the OU Alumni portion; second in dramatic interpretation and third in poetry interpretation in the OU portion.
• Celena Allen, a senior from Hayward, Calif., tournament champion in duo interpretation (with Mario Nguyen) and fourth in after-dinner speaking in the OU Alumni portion; second in duo interpretation (with Mario Nguyen) in the OU portion.
• Mario Nguyen, a senior from Plano, Texas, tournament champion in duo interpretation (with Celena Allen) in the OU Alumni portion; second in impromptu speaking and second in duo interpretation (with Celena Allen) in the OU portion.
• Ian Dowty, a freshman from Valley Center, Kan., second in informative speaking and fifth in duo interpretation (with Gabriella Devia-Allen) in the OU portion; fourth in duo interpretation (with Gabriella Devia-Allen) in the OU Alumni portion.
• Tiffany McLarty, a freshman from Bronx, N.Y., second in prose interpretation and third in informative speaking in the OU Alumni portion; fourth in prose interpretation and fifth in informative speaking in the OU portion.
• Justin Rodriguez, a sophomore from Coos Bay, Ore., second in persuasive speaking and third in prose interpretation in the OU Alumni portion; fourth in persuasive speaking in the OU portion.
• Marshall Covert, a sophomore from St. Paul, Minn., third in dramatic interpretation and third in duo interpretation (with Ray Roberts) in the OU portion; third in duo interpretation (with Ray Roberts) in the OU Alumni portion.
• Ray Roberts, a freshman from Houston, Texas, third in duo interpretation (with Marshall Covert) and fourth in after-dinner speaking in the OU portion; third in duo interpretation (with Marshall Covert) in the OU Alumni portion.
• Ellis Fraser, a freshman from Hodgenville, sixth in impromptu speaking in the OU portion.
• Kristina Medero, a freshman from Davie, Fla., sixth in poetry interpretation in the OU portion.

Results from the Webster “Gorlok Gala” are as follows:

• Spencer Orlowski, a sophomore from Davie, Fla., tournament champion in Lincoln-Douglas debate and seventh debate speaker.
• Frank Murdock, a senior from Kingston, Wash., top debate speaker and octofinalist in Lincoln-Douglas debate.
• Matt Whitman, a senior from Austin, Texas, second debate speaker.
• Susan Taylor, a junior from Kansas City, Mo., semifinalist in Lincoln-Douglas debate, sixth debate speaker and semifinalist in impromptu speaking.
• Alexis Elliott, a sophomore from Kansas City, Mo., fourth debate speaker and octofinalist in Lincoln-Douglas debate.
• Tyler Prochazka, a freshman from Newton, Kan., semifinalist in extemporaneous speaking and quarterfinalist in Lincoln-Douglas debate.
• Mitchell Grogg, a junior from Evansville, Ind., semifinalist in impromptu speaking.
• Nefertiti Dukes, a freshman from Miami Gardens, Fla., octofinalist in Lincoln-Douglas debate.
• Liz Owens-Courtney, a senior from San Antonio, Texas, double-octofinalist in Lincoln-Douglas debate.

Contact: Jace Lux, (270) 745-6340.

Students from WKU, seven other public universities and KCTCS participated in the 2012 Posters-at-the-Capitol event Jan. 26 in Frankfort.

More than 20 WKU students presented research during the 2012 Posters-at-the-Capitol event Jan. 26 in Frankfort.

• Aaron Bell, a Scottsville senior, presented “Dust Infrared Emission in an H2-forming, Perseus-Arm Cloud” with faculty mentor Steve Gibson.
• Jade Boyle, a Glasgow senior, and Ashton Korfhage, a Bowling Green senior, presented “Cultural Design for African Children in Need” with faculty mentors Sheila S. Flener and Travis K. Wilson.
• Andrea Eastes, a Gatton Academy student from Mayfield, and Lydia Brothers, a Gatton Academy student from Madisonville, presented “ZBLAN Glass: Improving Medical Imaging with Europium Doped HoF3 and SrCl2 Based Storage Phosphors” with faculty mentor Jackie Johnson.
• Chris Carmichael, a Bowling Green senior, presented “A Novel Layered Metalloporphyrin Material” with faculty mentor Bangbo Yan.
• Andrea Esterle, a Bowling Green senior, presented “Biosynthesis of Gold and Silver Nanoparticles Using Yucca filamentosa Plant Extract” with faculty mentor Shivendra Sahi.
• Deanna Gipson, an Auburn senior, and Traci Walker, a Campbellsville senior, presented “The Culturally Competent Dental Team” with faculty mentor Barbara Bush.
• Ryan D. Gourley, a senior from Evansville, Ind., and graduate students Kamal Humagain of Bowling Green and Sean T. Hutchison of Nashville, Tenn., presented “Using Satellite Remote Sensing Data to Describe Spatiotemporal Characteristics of Fire in Nepal” with faculty mentor John All.
• Sherry R. Helm, an Eastview senior, presented “Analysis of RNA Mediated Antitermination in Erwinia Tasmaniensis Bacteriophage” with faculty mentor Rodney A. King.
• Kayla Jenkins, a Bowling Green junior, and Chad Jones, a Brandenburg senior, presented “Decoding the Body” with faculty mentor Joseph Evans.
• Alyssa Nantz, a senior from LaVergne, Tenn., and Mikell Nelson, a Louisville senior, presented “Dental Health Literacy: A Plea for Simplicity” with faculty mentor Rebecca G. Tabor.
• Dillon Pender, an Elizabethtown senior, and graduate student Lakshmisri M. Vangala of Bowling Green presented “Environmental Friendly Synthesis, Characterization and Bactericidal Activity of Starch-Encapsulated Gold Nanoparticles” with faculty mentor Rajalingam Dakshinamurphy.
• Michael Powers, a Bowling Green senior, presented “Enhanced Nanoporous Minerals for Energy Processes” with faculty mentor Aaron Celestian.
• Mary Spraggs, a Gatton Academy student from Danville, and Cheyenne Ullrey, a Gatton Academy student from Walton, presented “An Examination of Atmospheric Composition Data from Mammoth Cave National Park” with faculty mentor Matthew J. Nee.
• Leslie Wilson, a Gatton Academy student from Munfordville, presented “Reactive Group Functionalized Silsequioxane Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery Applications: Synthesis, Characterization and Particle Morphology” with faculty mentor Hemali Rathnayake.

Posters-at-the-Capitol is intended to help members of Kentucky’s legislature and the Governor better understand the importance of involving undergraduates in research, scholarly and creative work.

Contact: Blaine Ferrell, (270) 745-8842.

• Gatton Academy in Costa Rica: Students at WKU’s Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky participated in a global learning experience in Costa Rican biodiversity studies.
• Belize Program: Students and faculty from four departments in WKU’s College of Health and Human Services participated in the annual International Health and Human Services Learning Program, also known as the Belize Program.
• Geology of the Bahamas: Sixteen WKU geology majors traveled to San Salvador Island, Bahamas, for a study abroad field course on the geology and natural history of the Bahamas islands.
• Winter program in Peru: WKU faculty and students participated in an Amazon Winterim in Peru to get information to design a collaborative course for doctoral students in the Educational Leadership program and master’s students in Social Responsibility and Sustainable Communities.
• Study Away courses: The WKU Study Away Office completed two courses, taking students to the western floodplains or through the art world of New York City.
• Mission trip to Haiti: Two WKU students and five alumni were among 21 Kentuckians who spent a week in Haiti.

More: Photos from some of the trips are posted on the WKU Facebook page; if you have news or photos from Winter Term 2012 courses, contact the Media Relations office.

WKU students Luke Gilliam and Jacob Merriman examine a document about coastal erosion in Encinitas, Calif., during a Study Away course on floodplain management.

“Total Immersion Floodplain Management,” a civil engineering field experience course, offered a unique opportunity to explore massive flood control works and interact with professionals from many of the largest U.S. flood control districts. The goal was for students to develop an understanding of past, current and future floodplain issues by visiting sites of both spectacular success and abysmal failure in floodplain management.

Nine civil engineering students researched unique flood-control systems in three states, studying floodplain areas in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Death Valley, the Salton Sea and San Diego. Students also researched the Hoover Dam. Dr. Warren Campbell, associate professor of civil engineering and coordinator of the floodplain management minor, led the course and stressed that that the key element of the course is “immersion.”

“It’s like learning a new language,” said Campbell. “One must be immersed in the subject to begin to master it.”

Luke Gilliam, a civil engineering senior from Russellville, said learning in the field was key: “We learned about flood control systems in the classroom, but [through this course] we could actually climb on them to see how they really work,” Gilliam said.

These are the first WKU engineering students to experience a course designed specifically for them, and this model can be used in future Study Away courses.

"Art and Audience in New York City" allowed WKU students to experience the city's art world.

Another course, “Art and Audience in New York City,” allowed students to fully experience the art world of The Big Apple. Dr. Ingrid Cartwright, WKU art professor, led the course. Students spent five intensive days studying the city’s art scene, attending gallery talks and listening to lectures by prominent art historians. Students toured numerous museums, including the Guggenheim, Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art, where they viewed the major retrospective exhibition of Willem de Kooning. Students also visited the 9/11 Memorial, Times Square and Rockefeller Center and took in Broadway shows. Three individuals joined the group through a WKU Study Away non-credit enrichment-travel option called “American Traveler.”

Dr. Cartwright said her goal was for students to “critically examine the role of the viewer in art throughout history and from around the world.”

Cartwright said the course allowed students to see great works of art they had known only in textbooks. “Even more importantly,” she added, “it exposed them to the incredible scope and vibrancy of the art world in a cultural capital.”

Study Away is designed to challenge students to think about their coursework in a different way, setting them apart from their peers. Courses during Summer Sessions 2012 are in development and will be posted to the Study Away website as they are added.

WKU Study Away is a unit of  Extended Learning and Outreach.

Contact: Jerry Barnaby, (270) 745-2231

Students from the Gatton Academy participated in a Winter Term course in Costa Rica. More photos from the trip are available on the WKU Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/WKUNews

The two-week program was led by Dr. Keith Phillips, an associate professor in WKU’s Department of Biology. Sixteen Gatton Academy students, along with Academy Director Tim Gott, spent six days conducting research at Cloudbridge Nature Reserve in the cloud forest of southern Costa Rica’s mountains.

Other locations visited over the course of the program included Hacienda Barú on the Pacific jungle coast, a night in a jungle camp, Manuel Antonio National Park, Isla del Caño for snorkeling, the artisan town of Sarchí, and Arenal, one of the world’s most active volcanos.

Participation in the program went beyond coursework in a global classroom. Students obtained valuable experiences in critical thinking, research planning, data collection, and observation techniques through individual studies. Research projects focused on biomonitoring in a Costa Rican rainforest; a dung beetle study; elevation gradient of leaf litter invertebrates; hydrology; large mammal photo capture; comparing insect diversities in Heliconia bracts; the symbiosis of Gunnera and Nostoc; forest successions biodiversity; and the importance of rainforests.

Serving in the role of research mentor at Cloudbridge was Clarice Esch, a Gatton Academy alumna and junior in WKU’s Department of Agriculture from Somerset. Esch is an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Greater Research Opportunities Fellow. She was part of the inaugural Academy program in Costa Rica in 2011 and returned with the group as part of her research on the effects of nitrogen fertilizers in agricultural systems.

The goal of her study was to seek improvement in methods of fertilization of crops, and that this possible discovery will advance better environmental management for agriculture programs.

Lori Lovell, a second-year student from Florence, noted that the experience at Cloudbridge was about more than just her academic pursuits.  “Time spent at Cloudbridge gave me the opportunity to learn not only about the environment, but about myself. I learned about self-motivation, goal-setting and even personal limitations. This experience was both physically and mentally challenging,” she said.

Experiences in the cloud forest taught Erin Walch, a second-year student from Alexandria, about the complexity of nature and the unique connections among species.

“The feeling of walking under a canopy that has grown for decades before I was born, and the knowledge that there will always be a part of the forest I have yet to see, is extremely fascinating,” Walch said. “I have come to respect these great, green mountains for the challenge their elevations have provided me, both physically and mentally, and am most sad to return to a world so tamed and flat—a world far less wild than I have become endeared to.”

Gatton Academy students participating in the 2012 Winter Term Course included: Jon-Kyle Bailey a first-year student from Campbellsville; Garrett Barnes, a first-year student from Frankfort; Will Bickett, a second-year student from Owensboro; Gabby Canant, a second-year student from Owensboro; Leah Cannady, a first-year student from Brandenburg; Paul Flesichmann, a second-year student from Crestwood; Eva Gray-Jennings, a first-year student from Bowling Green; Melanie Hurst, a second-year student from Bronston; Alison Jones, a first-year student from Henderson; Chiraag Kapadia, a first-year student from Madisonville; Lori Lovell; Holly Morris, a second-year student from Bowling Green; Wayne Schmitt, a first-year student from Jeffersonville; Nathaniel Serpico, a first-year student from Elizabethtown; Henry Uradu, a first-year student from Russell; and Erin Walch.

In addition to the program in Costa Rica, 16 Gatton Academy students visited locations throughout Italy during Winter Term. Later this summer, 32 Gatton Academy students will study literature at Harlaxton College in Grantham, England. Other students will study in Taiwan, Russia and China through WKU programs.

In all, three-out-of-four Gatton Academy students participate in a study abroad or global learning experience by the time they finish the two-year program.

More: Photos from the trip are available on the WKU Facebook page.

Contact: Corey Alderdice, (270) 745-2971.

In the KNPA competition, Brynn Anderson received the 2011 Ed Reinke Memorial Best of Show for her feature picture story while David Kasnic received the Judges Award for his portfolio. In the student division, Armando Sanchez won Student Photographer of the Year while Anderson was runner-up.

In the KPA competition’s University division, the College Heights Herald finished second in the General Excellence competition.

Attending the KPA/KIPA conventions from the Herald staff were Cole Claybourn, editor; Tessa Duvall, managing editor; Brad Stephens, sports editor; Emily Patton, features editor; fall editor Jonathan Lintner; and reporters Spencer Jenkins, Michael McKay and Natalie Hayden. Bob Adams, Student Publications director, Herald adviser and member of the KPA Board for 2012, also attended.

Awards were presented Jan. 20-21 in Lexington.

Kentucky Press Association awards

• College Heights Herald staff: Honorable mention, best editorial; second and third, special section; honorable mention, best spot news picture; second, best lifestyle page; second, best editorial page; first, best front page
• Cole Claybourn, Evansville, Ind., senior: first place, best general news story; honorable mention, best on-going/extended coverage
• Jonathan Lintner, Louisville senior: second place, best general news story; third, best headline
• Emily Patton, Nebo senior: first place, best sports story; third, best sports feature
• Brad Stephens, Winchester junior: third place, best sports story
• Zach Greenwell, May graduate from Ekron: honorable mention, best sports feature story
• Tessa Duvall, Bowling Green junior: first place, best investigative story or series; honorable mention, best on-going/extended coverage
• Katherine Wade, Paducah senior: honorable mention, best investigative story or series; honorable mention, best on-going/extended coverage
• Chris Rutledge, Hendersonville, Tenn., senior: honorable mention, best investigative story or series
• Alyssa Orr, Albany, N.Y., senior: first place, best spot news picture.
• Jabin Botsford, Knoxville, Tenn., senior: second, best spot news picture
• Leslye Davis, Greensburg senior: first, best general news picture
• Danny Guy, Bowling Green senior, third, best general news picture
• Luke Sharrett, Forest, Va., senior: first, best feature picture
• Chris Wilson, Louisville senior: third, best picture essay
• Tanner Curtis, May graduate from Louisville: honorable mention, best picture essay
• Christian Randolph, Oxnard, Calif., senior: third, best sports picture.
• Jerry Englehart Jr., Ormand Beach, Fla., senior: first, best graphic
• Josh Moore, May graduate from Beechmont: honorable mention, best graphic

Kentucky Intercollegiate Press Association awards

• College Heights Herald: second, overall website; second, editorial
• Herald spring 2011 staff: first, feature page layout; second, front page layout; first, informational graphic; first, special section; first, sports page layout; honorable mention, opinion pages;
• Herald fall 2011 staff: honorable mention, front page layout; first, overall layout;
• Alex Weires, LaGrange senior: second, advertising art; second and honorable mention, advertising design; second, best house ad
• Melissa Pinguely, May graduate from Fort Thomas: honorable mention, advertising art
• Steven Charny, Louisville sophomore: third, best house ad
• Annie Erskine, Bowling Green senior: first, student created art
• Jonathan Lintner, Louisville senior: second, best news headline; third and honorable mention, sports column; third, sports feature; third, sports game story
• Zach Greenwell, May graduate from Ekron: first, best sports headline
• Emily Patton, Nebo senior: second, feature story; honorable mention, personality profile;
• Tessa Duvall, Bowling Green junior: third, general interest column; third, continuing news; third, news story
• Natalie West, Bowling Green senior: first, personality profile
• Brad Stephens, Winchester junior: second, continuing news
• Cole Claybourn, Evansville, Ind., senior: second, continuing news; third continuing news; third, investigative reporting; fist, sports column; second, sports feature; honorable mention, sports news story
• Katherine Wade, Paducah senior: third, continuing news
• Rialda Zukic, Bowling Green senior: second, news story.
• Josh Moore, May graduate from Beechmont: first, investigative reporting;
• Jerry Englehart Jr., Ormand Beach, Fla., senior: third, multimedia; honorable mention, news photo
• Darren Vogt, Louisville sophomore: honorable mention, editorial cartoon
• Ryan Stone, May graduate from Roanoke, Va.: second, feature photo
• Cooper Burton, Louisville freshman: third, feature photo
• Leslye Davis, Greensburg senior: honorable mention, feature photo; second, news photo
• Jabin Botsford, Knoxville, Tenn., senior: second, photo story; first, sports photo
• Michael Rivera, Dallas, Texas, senior: third, photo story
• Christian Randolph, Oxnard, Calif., senior: third, sports photo
• Brad Stephens, Winchester junior: honorable mention, sports feature; first, sports news story.

Kentucky News Photographer Association award recipients

WKU students won 55 of the 59 awards presented in the student division.

• Armando Sanchez, Clovis, Calif., senior: first, Student Photographer of the Year
• Brynn Anderson, Bowling Green senior: runner-up, Student Photographer of the Year; first, feature picture story; first and honorable mention, feature; first, portrait; honorable mention, general news
• Kelly Lafferty, Shelbyville senior: first, general news; honorable mention, picture package
• Austin Anthony, Herndon, Va., junior: first, sports feature; second, general news; second, spot news; honorable mention, feature picture story
• Christian Randolph, Oxnard, Calif., senior: first, spot news; first and second, news picture story; third, sports action; honorable mention, sports feature; honorable mention, pictorial
• Chris Wilson, Louisville senior: first, picture package; second, sports feature; third, spot news; honorable mention, spot news; third, news picture story
• Justin Philalack, Chapmansboro, Tenn., junior: first, multimedia
• Megan Tan, Columbus, Ohio, senior: first, pictorial; second and third, feature picture story; honorable mention, feature; honorable mention, portrait
• Sam Oldenburg, Owatanna, Minn., senior: first, sports picture story; honorable mention, feature picture story
• Jabin Botsford, Knoxville, Tenn., senior: first and honorable mention, sports action
• Eric Shea, Bowling Green junior: second and honorable mention, sports picture story
• Sammy Jo Hester, London junior: second, picture package; second, pictorial
• Brittany Sowacke, McKinney, Texas, senior: second, feature; third, picture package
• Adam Wolffbrandt, Lexington senior: second, portrait
• Josh Mauser, Louisville senior: second, multimedia; honorable mention, portrait; honorable mention, pictorial
• Ian Maule, Johnsburg, Ill., junior: third, sports feature
• Ariana McLaughlin, Solon, Iowa, senior: third, sports picture story; third, feature; third, pictorial; honorable mention, sports feature; honorable mention, multimedia
• Shelby Mack, Crestwood senior: third, multimedia
• Morgan Walker, Bowling Green sophomore: honorable mention, general news
• Danny Guy, Bowling Green senior: honorable mention, spot news
• Alix Mattingly, Waverly junior: honorable mention, sports action; honorable mention, multimedia
• WKU photojournalism faculty also were honored: Jeanie Adams-Smith, second place in multimedia; Tim Broekema, two honorable mentions in multimedia; and James Kenney, second place in pictorial and honorable mention in feature.

Contact: School of Journalism & Broadcasting, (270) 745-4144.

Faculty and students from four departments in WKU's College of Health and Human Services participated in the Belize Program during Winter Term 2012. More photos from the trip are available on the WKU Facebook page at www.facebook.com/WKUNews

The program was led by Dental Director Daniel Carter and Supervising Dental Hygienist Bonny Petty of WKU’s Institute for Rural Health Development and Research. This year’s participants included students and faculty from WKU’s Social Work, Communication Disorders, Dental Hygiene and Nursing departments.

The Belize Program extends the mission of WKU and the College of Health and Human Services by providing services that promote wellness of body, mind and environment to the underserved community of Gales Point, Belize. Participants engage in hands-on and reflective projects teaching them to be socially responsible citizen leaders of a global society.

The WKU International Health and Human Service Learning Program started during the summer of 2007. Since then, WKU students, faculty and staff have visited the remote and underserved village of Gales Point each year.

While the program consists mostly of College of Health and Human Services faculty, staff and students, the program has spread in the recent years to include other WKU colleges and majors that have gone on to start new programs in Belize.

Students participating in this year’s program received hands on clinical experience ranging from dental restorations and cleanings, to extensive women’s health screenings and exams, to classroom health education in Belizean schools. In addition, the students worked collaboratively with the Belizean Ministry of Health to provide many services to the citizens of Belize City and Gales Point.

Students participating in the 2012 Winter Term course included: Alicia Azimipour, a senior Dental Hygiene major from Bowling Green; Katie Bittel, a Social Work graduate student from Madisonville; Sarah Crabtree, a Social Work graduate student from Owensboro; Lucas Hall, a Social Work graduate student from Bowling Green; Jill Howe, a Social Work graduate student from Owensboro; Brenda Lewis, a Social Work graduate student from Leitchfield; Jessica May, a junior Nursing major from Madisonville; Jennifer McDivitt, a Nursing graduate student from Evansville, Ind.; Jerri McMillan, a junior Social Work student from Vine Grove; Erin Miller, a senior Nursing student from Evansville, Ind.; Alyssa Nantz, a senior Dental Hygiene student from Nashville; Devan Russell, a senior Dental Hygiene student from Franklin, Tenn.; and Kasey Sears, a senior Social Work major from Russellville.

Faculty and staff involved in the Belize Service Learning program were Daniel Carter and Bonny Petty of the Institute for Rural Health Development and Research; Eve Main of Nursing; Trish Desrosiers of Social Work; Jan Sandidge of Communication Disorders; and Joseph Evans of Allied Health.

The College of Health and Human Services Belize Program is offered every year during the Winter Term through the Institute for Rural Health Development and Research.

More: Photos from the trip are available on the WKU Facebook page.

Contact: Stacey Forsythe, (270) 745-6948.

• The Center has been awarded membership in the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics’ Global Ageing Research Network. The IAGG, based in Toulouse, France, is building a large network to foster scientific development of gerontology and geriatrics worldwide. The aim is to develop an international research capacity and to involve Centers of Excellence dedicated to social gerontology, basic sciences and clinical gerontology. Experts will be invited to exchange information about all types of topics related to ageing; set up contacts between professionals; and build a collaborative research program.
• Dr. Kathleen Abrahamson, assistant professor of Public Health, had a study Does Cognitive Impairment Influence Quality of Life Among Nursing Home Residents? published in the latest issue of The Gerontologist.
• Dr. Kelly Fitzgerald, instructor in the Center for Gerontology, recently was elected as a Member-At-Large to the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE). Dr. Fitzgerald is a co-principal investigator on the Bowling Green “Age Friendly Cities” project. AGHE is the only international organization devoted to supporting gerontology and geriatrics education and is an affiliate of the Gerontological Society of America.

The Center for Gerontology, directed by Dr. Dana Bradley, is part of WKU’s University College.

Contact: Center for Gerontology, (270) 745-2356.