Associate Faculty Recognized for Service and Promotion

This afternoon three of our instructors were honored at the annual Associate Faculty Reception. Both David Alonso (not pictured) and Michael Nolt (third from the left) were recognized for ten years of teaching at IU South Bend. Alonso is a regular instructor for our sophomore organic chemistry laboratories and Nolt enjoys teaching our freshman "Natural World" chemistry course which fulfills a campus-wide general education requirement. Merilee Britt (second from the left) was recently awarded Merit Status for her outstanding service.  Britt has been teaching the introductory freshman course for science and health science majors who have not had chemistry in high school. We are very proud of and grateful to all of our associate faculty. They provide excellent instruction and have a sincere desire to engage with and help our students.

Graduate School Panel

You may be working part-time to pay your way through school right now at IU South Bend, but did you know that most students GET PAID to attend graduate school? The IU South Bend Biology-Chemistry Club is sponsoring a panel discussion Tuesday night that will include professors Shahir Rizk (biochemistry) and Henry Scott (physics) along with a couple of graduate students. Come to learn about what graduate school can do for you, what it is like, and how you can prepare yourself to be an attractive candidate. All students are welcome, but if you are a sophomore or junior, then this even is definitely for you!

The Biology-Chemistry Club Welcomes Spring!

On March 23, the IU South Bend Biology-Chemistry Club returned to River Park Public Library (just east of the campus) to celebrate the "Spring Solstice" with local children. True to the theme of spring, our students helped children plant seeds, look at the fine structure of flowers under the microscope, and learn how plants use light to make carbohydrates. The club has had a strong community presence for several years. If you are interested in participating in any of their outreach programs - or just want to get involved in science-type activities - please let any of your professors know so they can put you in contact with the right people.

Medical School Seminars

Next week the Biology-Chemistry Club is sponsoring two talks.  The first will be given by Dr. Kevin Schmidt, an optometrist and Associate Director of Recruitment at the IU School of Optometry.  The second will be given by Dr. Peter Paximadis, a radiation oncologist from the Lakeland Care Network. He will discuss what it takes to enter the medical field and be successful there - and may even discuss a few example medical cases. The seminars are scheduled for Tuesday, March 19, in Northside Hall 125 (4:00 for optometry / 6:00 for oncology). Everyone is welcome. Click HERE for a link to Dr. Paximadis's video introduction.

Academic Centers for Excellence STEM Fair

This Friday the Academic Centers for Excellence hosted a STEM fair from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm at the fourth floor of the Schurz Library. An assortment of pizza, brownies, cookies, and drinks created a relaxed atmosphere that allowed faculty and tutors to easily talk to students about their classes, study strategies, majors, research, internships, graduate school preparation, and career options. STEM is an acronym for "Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics" which is well represented with the biology, biochemistry, chemistry, computer science, informatics, physics, and mathematics majors offered within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Three students won backpacks full of school supplies from a random drawing and both students and professors participated in an origami training session toward the end of the event. The fourth floor of the library usually isn't this "fun", but it is very resourceful throughout the week with tutors for many classes. In addition to tutoring, ACE offers other services to students. Please visit their website for more information. Thanks to Savannah McCaslin for the pictures!

Medical School Open House

Next Friday (March 8) the South Bend Campus of the IU School of Medicine is sponsoring an open house in conjunction with the IU South Bend Pre-Health Professions and Biology-Chemistry Clubs. You'll hear from the Director of Medical Education, meet current medical students, take a tour of the facility, and more!  The event will be held at the Raclin-Carmichael Hall Auditorium (1234 N Notre Dame Ave.).  Please RSVP through THIS LINK or the QR code below.

 

Professor Shahir Rizk is named a 2019 Cottrell Scholar

Congratulations are in order to Professor Shahir Rizk! It was recently announced that he received the Cottrell Scholar Award from the Research Corporation for Science Advancement. The award is given to outstanding, early career scientists who are “recognized by their scientific communities for the quality and innovation of their research programs and their academic leadership skills”. This award recognizes pre-tenure chemistry, physics or astronomy professors who support an innovative research program while addressing educational needs in their institutes. Rizk’s proposal included both a research and teaching component. For his research, he proposed the development of nanostructures that can assemble in response to a biological signal, while the teaching component featured his approaches to promote science communication and introduce science majors to careers in science. 

Rizk is one of two dozen researchers from across the country who received this year’s award. He is the first faculty member from IU South Bend to be selected as a Cottrell Scholar and is one of eight IU faculty to have received the award since its inception in 1994. The award will support Rizk’s research in engineering protein-based nanostructures and will help him further develop his teaching approaches to introduce students to current issues in science policy and to build connections within the community by communicating science to a diverse audience.