T.

DAVID BATEMAN
Volume 4, Issue 1

December 2016

Undergraduate Research Newsletter

Biology Major Has Summer Research Experience at

Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Submissions
I would like to invite
Hannah Deputy, junior biolo- ences aimed at professional
faculty members to submit
gy major, had a biomedical development to help open
articles to Reddie Research
research experience this doors to graduate and profes-
on a variety of topics. summer in the Aspirnaut sional program admission. She
If you are looking for
Program at Vanderbilt Uni- presented her work at a sympo-
students interested in re-
versity Medical Center. She sium at the Mayo Clinic, along
search and want to get the
worked in the lab of HSU with students from similar pro-
word out about what you distinguished alumni Dr. Billy grams at Harvard and Yale. Her
do feel free to submit an
Hudson, who is a co-founder work will be presented in Little
brief article about yourof the Aspirnaut Pro- Rock at the STEM Posters at
research and expectations.
gram. Hannah used cell and the Capitol symposium in Feb-
Also, if you would like to
molecular biology techniques ruary, and has been submitted
contribute an article of gen-
to study aspects of the extra- for consideration to the
eral interest to faculty and/
cellular matrix of freshwater Council on Undergraduate
or student research I en-
sponges. This work, concen- Research Posters on the Hill
courage you to submit antrating on a collagen mole- competition, to be held in
article for the spring or fall
cule, is aiding in the under- Washington, D.C. in April
issues. standing of the evolutionary A short video about Hannahs TannerOglesby
Have a great semester! transition from single-celled experience is posted on the
organisms to multicellular HSU Facebook page. https://
animals. This paid internship www.facebook.com/ Dr.BillyHudson,HSUbiologymajorHannah
T. David Bateman, Ph.D. allowed Hannah to develop HendersonStateU/videos/
Director, Undergraduate research skills and approach- Deputy,andNobelLaureateDr.PeterAgre.
vb.143172843500/10154620903
Research es, to benefit from mentoring
by Vanderbilt scientists, and 108501/?type=2&theater.
batemat@hsu.edu
to obtain enrichment experi-
Inside this issue:

Dr. Lewis Kanyiba Presents Undergraduate

Research at State Convention. Biology News 2

On November 3, 2016, Dr. Lewis

Kanyiba from the Department of HSU, OBU Win 3
Health, Physical Education, Recre- Instrument Grant
ation, and Athletic Training pre-
sented a collaborative research
paper at Arkansas Association of Chem Student 3
Health, Physical Education, Recre- Wins SURF Grant
ation and Dance (ArkAHPERD)
state convention held at Holiday
Chem Club Wins 5
Inn Little Rock Airport Conven-
tion Center together with Physical Demo Contest
Education Majors Skylar Oswalt
and Dimitri Williams. The paper
Arkansas Academy 6
was titled Reflections on Instruc-
tional Competencies among PETE of Science
Dr.LewisKanyibaandstudentsSkylarOswaltandDimitriWilliams. Majors following an Early Teaching
Experience The abstract for Dr. Special to Reddie 9
Kanyibas presentation can be
Research
found on page 7.

The 2016 AURC 13


Biology
News
NickNahaswithbraincoralinBelize
Students Expand Survey of Cave Life.
Students working in Dr. James
Engmans lab continue to expand
their study of microbial life in
undeveloped reaches of Blanchard
Springs Caverns. This year, un-
dergraduate research students
Taylor Lee, Caitlin Gosch, Brooke
Johnson and Brooke Jones have
used new techniques to survey
bacteria from the cave. Previously,
the project collected samples,
plated bacteria on standard micro-
biological media, and sequenced
the DNA of colonies that
grew. This technique had serious
limitations, as only the small per-
centage of bacteria that grow
under laboratory conditions could
be analyzed. Shifting to meta-
genomics sequencing, which elimi-
nates the need to grow bacteria,
results have improved drastically;
Page 2
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS RECEIVE ACCOLADES FROM
RESEARCH IN HSU MARINE BIOLOGY COURSE IN BELIZE.
gy Dr. James Engman. He has area. They entered their research in
Two high school students from
offered the course to college stu- the Siemens Competition , the na-
the Arkansas School for Math,
dents since 2008, but 2016 was tions premier competition in math,
Science, and the Arts (ASMSA)
the first time that high school science and technology for high
were among 9 who studied ma-
students were involved. ASMSA school students. They were two of
rine biology
students Will Duke and Nick only three students in Arkansas se-
in Belize last
Nahas surveyed various reef sites lected as semifinalists in the competi-
sum-
using video transects in order to tion, and ultimately were named the
mer. This is
compare coral health and com- only two finalists from the state. The
a course
munity composition at sites inside marine biology course will be offered
taught by
and outside a marine protected again this coming July, with both high
HSU Profes-
school and college students participat-
sor of Biolo-
ing.
ASMSAstudentsNickNahas(le )andWillDuke
instead of obtaining fewer than ten will be graduating in Decem-
species of bacteria per sample, the ber, and will pursue a Ph.D. in
team can now identify over 200 biology. She will be replaced
different species per sample. The on the team by Quincy Gragg,
project has concentrated on the a freshman biology major.
bacterial associated with cave
crickets and with cave formations
(speleotherms), but the team is
expanding their survey to include
additional species of invertebrates,
water samples, fungus, and bat
guano, a key source of nutrients in
the cave. The work will be pre-
sented in Little Rock at the STEM
Posters at the Capitol symposi-
um in February, and has been
submitted for consideration to the
Council on Undergraduate Re-
search Posters on the Hill com-
petition, to be held in Washing- ResearchteammemberscollectsamplesinDecem
ton, D.C. in April. Taylor Lee, ber2016.Photocredit:BrookeJohnson
who has led the research team,

Volume 4, Issue 1
Carlie Clem Receives Arkansas SURF Grant.
Carlie Clem, junior biochem-
istry major, received a Student
Undergraduate Research Fellow-
ship for 2017. Her project,
Synthesis of Nucleotide Analogs
to Induce Error Catastrophe in
Human Immunodeficiency Virus,
was chosen from a highly competi-
tive pool of applicants from across
the state. The fellowship is
Dunlap and Hubbard Receive $50,000 INBRE Instrumentation Grant for
Spectrofluorometer.
Dr.VincentDunlapofHendersonand
Dr.SaraHubbardofOuachitaBap st
havereceivedanIDeAsNetworkof
BiomedicalResearchExcellence
(INBRE)instrumenta ongrantfora
spectrofluorometerintheamountof
$50,000.Thegrant, tled
FluorescenceandPhosphorescence
SpectroscopyforBiomedicalResearch
atPUIs,was
awardedin
Dr.VincentDunlap.
Chemistry
Page 3
News
$4000, most of which the student
takes as a stipend, the rest being
used for travel and laboratory
expenses.
CarlieClem
the2016compe onacrossthestate facultyandstudentsforresearch
ofArkansas.Thisawardallowsforthe purposes.Anonlineequipment me
purchaseofaspectrofluorometerca signupsheetwillbeavailableonce
pableofperformingexperimentson theinstrumentisdeliveredinMarch.
bothfluorescentandphosphorescent
materialsformanypurposes,butmost
experimentswillbefocusedinthe
biologicalandbiochemicalarenas.The
instrumentwillbehousedatOBU,but
willbefreelyavailableforusebyHSU
 HSU

Page 4

Chem Club
HSU Chemistry Club News Fall 2016.
TheFall2016semesterhasbeen demossuchasthe
verybusyfortheHSUChemClub TieDyeSharpie
intermsofoutreachandservice. Demo,GlowS ck
Ourfocusinoutreachhasbeento An oxidants,Gummi
servethebroadercommunityby BearTortureCham
providinginforma onanddemon ber,Characteriza on
stra onsu lizinggreendemos. ofCandyDies,and
TheChemClubprovidedeleven LiquidNitrogenIce
volunteersforTinkerfest,which Cream!AsFamily
washeldattheMuseumofDiscov ScienceNightcoincid
eryinLi leRockinSept.2016. edwithNa onal
Studentvolunteersmanned ChemistryWeekthis
demonstra onsandexplainthe year,theChemClub
scien ficconceptsbehindeach providedaPeriodicTableof accepttheaward.Addi onally,
onetoguests.ChemClubalso Brownies. theHSUChemClubearnedthe
workedwiththeMuseumtoim ACSGreenChemistryAwardfor
InNov.2016membersofChem
provethequalityandsafetyofthe ourworkinu lizingandpubliciz
demosoeredatTinkerfest. Cluba endedtheAmerican ingGreenChemistry.TheClub
Demoimprovementhasbeena ChemicalSocietySouthwestRe willacceptthisawardinSanFran
con nuingprojectfortheChem gionalMee ngtopresentre ciscoaswell.
Club. searchandtoshowoourwin
ningentryintheACSRegional Thespringscheduleofeventsfor
InOct.2016theChemClubpar ci Democompe on:GlowS ck ChemClubispackedwithout
patedinHSUsFamilyScience An oxidants.TheCentralArkan reachevents,socialgatherings,
Night,whichwasacollabora ve sasLocalSec onoftheACSpro speakers,andfundraising.The
eventbetweentheBiologyClub, videdfundingforthesestudents springsemesterbringstheFamily
SocietyofPhysicsStudents,and toa endtheconferenceand ScienceNightRoadshowatthe
ChemClub.The presentthedemotoaliveaudi GarlandCountyLibrary,field
ChemClubper ence. trips,EarthDay,andtheendof
formedvarious yearawardsbanquet.ChemClub
Finally,studentchapteraward islookingfornewmemberssoif
resultshavebeenannounced, youareinterestedinpar cipa ng
andHSUsChemClubhasearned pleasecontactBradRowlandor
anHonorableMen onaward DavidBateman,whoserveas
designa onfromtheACSforthe facultycoadvisorsfortheChem
20152016academicyear!The Club.
HSUChem.
ChemClubwilltraveltoSanFran
ClubatTink
cisco,CAtoa endthespringACS
erfest2016.. Na onalMee ngsothatwemay

Volume 4, Issue 1
HSU Chem Club Presents Award Winning Demo at the ACS Southwest Regional
Meeting.
InNov.2016membersofHSU
ChemCluba endedtheAmerican
ChemicalSocietySouthwestRe
gionalMee ng,heldinGalveston,
Texas,toperformourwinningen
tryintheACSRegionalDemocom
pe on:GlowS ckAn oxidants.
TheHSUChemClubeasilywonthe
localsec oncompe onandad
vancedtotheregionallevel,where
wewereselectedbythejudgesas
oneoftwowinningdemos.The
HSUChemClubreceiveda$1,500
travelgrantfromtheSouthwest
RegionalSec onandtheCentral
ArkansasLocalSec ontoprovide
fundingforthesestudentsto
a endtheconferenceandpresent
thedemotoaliveaudience.With
thesefunds,theHSUChemClub
wasabletosendVicePresident
ChelseaStephens,TreasurerPaul
Bayliss,SecretaryColtonLechak,
andmembersDavidMayandAllie
Davis,toa endtheconference.
Drs.BradRowlandandDavidBate
man,facultycoadvisorstotheHSU
ChemClub,alsoa endedthecon
ference.Thiscompe onsegued
withalongtermgoaloftheHSU
ChemClub,whichistodevelopa
seriesofvideorecordedchemical
demoswhichcanthenbeprovided
toArkansaseducatorsforusein
theclassroom.
GlowS ckAn oxidantsisavisually
s mula ngchemicaldemothatcan
beperformedbyeducatorsatall
levelsasitinvolvesonlycommon
householdchemicals.TheACShas
asteadycommitmenttosafetyand
encouragesaGreenChemistryap
Page 5
proachindemosbothof
theempiricalrela onshipbe
whicharesa sfiedbythis
tweenreactantconcentra on
demo.Aglows ckproduces
andreac onrateandhow
lightviaachemicalreac on
inhibitorsaectchemicalreac
knownaschemoluminescence.
ons.Addi onally,onecan
Thelightisproducedviathe
easilydemonstratetherela
oxida onofamoleculeinthe
onshipbetweentemperature
glows ckknownasafluoro
andreac onratesu lizing
phore.Whenamaterialthat
glows cks,ahotwaterbath,
actsasanoxidizingagentis
andanicebath.Morepictures
introducedtothefluorophore,
fromthetripareonpage14.
thechemicalreac onisaccel
eratedandthereisamarked
increaseintheintensityof
lightproduced.Thisshowsthe
chemicalreac onisproceed
ingatamuchfasterratedue
tothegreaterconcentra onof
theoxidant.Incontrastifan
an oxidantisintroducedto
thefluorophorethenthe
chemicalreac onrateisre
duced(duetotheloweringof
theoxidantconcentra onby
thean oxidant)andthelight
no ceablydims.Studentscan
determinewhetherornot
simplyhouseholdproductslike
bleach,vitaminC,limejuice,
etc.actasoxidantsoran
oxidants.
Thisdemoisvery melyas UndergraduateresearchstudentColtonLechak.
therehasbeenmuchbuzzin
themediaaboutan oxidants.
Educatorsareencouragedto
ethisdemointoadiscussion
ofan oxidantsinthehuman
bodyandwhytheyareneces
saryforop malhealth.For
moreadvancedstudents,edu
catorscandemonstratesfacets
ofchemicalkine cs,suchas

The 2016 INBRE Meeting in Fayetteville
HSUstudents
Dr.Mar nCampbellduringastudentpresenta on
Rowland Research Group Seeks New Student Researchers
Dr.BradRowland,AssistantPro
fessorofChemistry,isseekingnew
undergraduatestudentswhoare
interestedintopicsasdiverseas
chemistry,physics,computersci
ence,appliedmathema cs,and
computa onalfinancetojoinhis
researchendeavor.
Dr.Rowlandcurrentlyhasalistof
projectsthatarecurrentlybeing
examined,rangingfromcomputa
ontolabbenchchemistryto
chemicaleduca on.However,the
groupisseekingtobegindevelop
mentofnewtechniquesand
Page 6
ArkansasINBREhelditsannual
researchconferenceinOcto
berof2016onthecampusof
theUniversityofArkansasat
Faye eville.SeveralHender
sonfacultyandstudentsfrom
theDepartmentsofBiology
andChemistrya endedthis
mee ngandmanystudents
subsequentlypresentedre
searchattheundergraduate
postersessiononSaturday.
Dr.Dunlapjudgespostersat Theira endancewasfunded
byUndergraduateResearch
INBRE2016.
GrantsfundedbytheArkansas
INBREGrant.
methodsandisseekingstu
environmentalchemistry!Dr.
dentmemberstopar cipate
Rowlandisseekingnewstu
inthishighlyrewardingand
dentstojointhegroupinthe
poten allygroundbreaking
upcomingyeartoworkon
work.
theseexci ngprojectsand
Studentswhoworkinthe othersprojectsifyouhavea
RowlandResearchGroupgain specificresearchinterest!If Dr.BradleyA.Rowland
avarietyofskillswhichare youwouldliketolearnmore,
veryusefulintheireduca on pleasecontacthimatrow
alandcareerpursuits.The lanb@hsu.eduorcomeby
grouphasprojectsranging Reynolds315.
frommathema calmodelling
ofchemicalreac onstotopics
inchemicaleduca onand


Volume 4, Issue 1
Page 7

Reflections on Instructional Competencies among PETE

Majors following an Early Teaching Experience.
SkylarJ.Oswalt,DimitriD.Williams,andLewisKinyaba,Ph.D.*DepartmentofHealth,Physical
Educa on,Recrea on,andAthle cTraining,HendersonStateUniversity,Arkadelphia,AR.

The presentation focused on re- son. While the instructor worked
flections by PETE majors on their with individual students in model-
perceived instructional competen- ing the content and lesson plan-
cies after instructing an actual ning, it was the students responsi-
physical edu- bility to set up and teach the class,
cation class and deal with all management
of 56 stu- issues arising during the lesson.
dents at a The presenters incorporated vid-
local public eo clips to highlight students per-
school. It was ceived concerns while preparing
the first time to teach, successes and challenges,
the students and how the experience had pre-
had devel- pared them to pursue a physical
oped a lesson education teaching degree, begin
plan and internships, and pursue careers as
taught a 50- physical education teachers. This
minute les- presentation targeted to benefit
university instructors considering
incorporating early teaching expe-
rience in their elementary meth-
ods courses. K-12 cooperating
teachers working with interns
would benefit by having an in-
depth understanding of preservice
teachers concerns and ways of
helping them assimilate into the
profession. Finally, school adminis-
trators learned about the benefits
of collaborating with local univer-
sities to improve curriculum and
instruction in their schools.

Arkansas Space Grant Consortium to Hold Annual Symposium in Hot Springs.

Everyyear,awardeesofanASGCgrantmustpresenttheir
researchattheendoftheyearSymposium.Normally,itis
heldinApril.TimeandplacewillbeannouncedinJanuary.
Itisanopportunityforresearchersandstudentstoshow
theprogresstheyhavemadeontheirproposals.Thereare
oralandposterpresenta onop onsavailable.

Date&Time:April7,2015April8,2017

Loca on:TheAus nHotel,HotSprings,AR

Website:h p://asgc.ualr.edu/events.html

Page 8

The 101st Annual Meeting of the Arkansas Academy of Science

April 07-08, 2017

University of Central Arkansas,
Conway, AR.


Page 9

Thoughts on Undergraduate STEM Research in a Liberal Arts Setting.

A Special Contribution to Reddie Research
Brad A. Rowland, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Chemistry

President Obama has made Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math-

ematics (STEM) education a focused priority during his two terms in
office. STEM education has been elevated to a national priority as it is
projected that our country will need one million STEM graduates to
take positions in the workforce by 2022, which is only five short year
away. Of particular focus is increasing the number of women, minori-
ties, and LGBTQ individuals in what has traditionally been a male-
dominated field. It is noted that since Obama launched this initiative
the number of STEM majors at the undergraduate level has increased,
but due to issues with retention and attrition there has not been a cor-
responding increase in the number of students who matriculate in the
STEM fields. As STEM is critical to national security and the welfare of
the population, federal and state governments are encouraging new and
innovative programs to enhance the retention and matriculation of
undergraduates in STEM. In fact, Henderson State University is intro-
ducing a new residential summer program, the HSU STEM Bridge,
which seeks to recruit students with an interest in STEM from un-
derrepresented populations and mentor them to ensure their matricu-
lation.
Dr. David Bateman, Director of Undergraduate Research, and I are the
creators of the new HSU STEM Bridge. Bridge programs are ubiquitous
throughout undergraduate institutions across the nation and the litera-
ture shows that they all increase the matriculation of STEM students.
Additionally, it is known without a doubt is that engagement in research
at the undergraduate level significantly increases the chances of a stu-
dent completing a degree in a STEM field. This has led several R1
Highest Research Activity Universities to pursue a program of early
engagement in research for undergraduate STEM majors. The Universi-
ty of Texas at Austin, for example, hosts the award winning Freshman
Research Initiative (FRI), which engages freshmen STEM majors in un-
dergraduate research. The University of Michigan has kept statistics on
students who have engaged in the Undergraduate Research Opportuni-
ty Program (UROP) during their careers and the results are startling:
African American male participants in UROP saw a 19% increase in the
likelihood of degree attainment. It is also well known that undergradu-
ate research is the best preparation for success in graduate school, as
the one-on-one mentorship model closely follows that of graduate
training in STEM. Again, the University of Michigan reports that stu-
dents who engaged in undergraduate research were 26% more likely to
matriculate with a graduate degree in STEM! Clearly undergraduate
research can serve the needs of a variety of constituencies on cam-
pusfrom faculty who wish to keep on the cutting edge of their fields,
to administrators who are concerned with retention, to students who
will see a marked increase in the quality of their STEM education and
their preparedness for graduate school.
Why does engagement in undergraduate research seem like a panacea
for flagging retention rates in the STEM fields? One answer may be
found in the work of Dr. Uri Treisman, Professor of Mathematics and
Director of the Charles A. Dana Center at the University of Texas at
Austin. Treisman has been an advocate for equal access for education
and wanted to know why it was that certain student demographics
encountered difficulty in college-level calculus. His research led him
to some startling conclusionsnamely that it wasnt the students
backgrounds or attitudes towards success that was causing this
attrition. Rather, Treisman found that academic isolation and fail-
ure to identify within a group were the largest contributors to this
attrition. To this end, Treisman proposed the Treisman Model,
initially implemented at the University of California Berkeley, which
has since been replicated at colleges and universities nationwide.
There are three components to the Treisman Model: 1) students
most at risk for attrition do not need remediation but rather they
need a program at which they can excel at an advanced level; 2)
students most at risk need collaborative based learning in small
peer groups; 3) students most at risk need faculty sponsorship/
mentoring. Lets examine each of these points and see how under-
graduate research fits the bill. Firstly, if students are expected to
do poorly and are placed in remedial programs often times they will
meet this expectation. As Dr. Bateman has noted, No matter how
low you set the bar students will find a way to slither under it. If
students believe they are unprepared or unworthy of a college
education then they will be disengaged from the academic enter-
prise. Rather, Treisman promotes the use of a prestigious program
(or an honors-type program) so that these students can envision
themselves as successful. If you set the expectations high most
students, with appropriate faculty mentorship, will meet that expec-
tation. This almost seems obvious. Undergraduate research cer-
tainly represents a program of prestige as students are engaged in
activities that go well beyond normal curricular requirements. The
ability to conduct hands-on work in the laboratory allows students
to see that what they are learning in their courses arent just ab-
stract notions that they will never useto use a bit of common
parlance they are able to see the forest and not the individual
trees. Undergraduate research acts synergistically with curricula
and serves to reinforce the critical thinking skills students are devel-
oping. The largest attrition rate is often seen early on in under-
graduate careers thus it is critical to engage these students in re-
search early. This is the motivation behind FRI, UROP, and Hen-
dersons own Office of Undergraduate Research.
Secondly, students need collaborative based learning experiences in
small peer groups. Treisman found that student groups who strug-
gled in the calculus course demonstrated a divorce between aca-
demic and social life whereas the student groups who performed
well demonstrated an integration of their academic and social life.
Additionally, academic isolation was an excellent predictor for stu-
dent attritionjust as faculty who are academically isolated from
colleagues in their fields will suffer so do students. Students need
to be working in small groups (Treisman found 4 students per
group as optimal) so that they can share their knowledge and per-
spective with one another. To this end, the Dana Center intro-
duced a program at UT-Austin known as the Emerging Scholars
Program (ESP), with which I worked with during my graduate ca-

Volume 4, Issue 1
reer at UT. ESP selected a small cohort of students
(~30) as participants and focused on underrepresent-
ed populations in STEM. These students would
spend 2 hours each week in an intense, focused
problem solving workshop that served to both rein-
force the material taught in the lectures but also
allowed the students to form a cohesive academic
social group, giving these students a sense of identi-
ty as well. Courses such as University Chemistry,
University Physics, and Calculus participated in ESP. I
served as a facilitator for ESP University Chemistry at
UT for two years and I can attest that the results
were astoundingmy second cohort set the record
for the most number of As received by any ESP co-
hort in University Chemistry.
I believe that undergraduate research can just as
effectively fulfill the second point in Treismans Meth-
od. In the STEM areas, research is conducted in
small groups of students with a lead faculty mentor.
There will be other students working in the mentors
research group, some of who may be assigned to the
same project and some who will be working on a
different area of investigation. Students who work
together in a research group often form strong aca-
demic and social bonds with one another. These
students can be seen interacting in the lab, offering
suggestions and advice, willing to help one another
when asked. They can also be observed holding a
study group together, eating lunch together, or par-
ticipating in a campus sanctioned organization togeth-
er. Namely, these students form a cohort much like
Treismans with an identity as a researcher. Older
students often get to serve as teachers themselves as
they work with new members of the group to impart
research skills. The older students also relate their
experiences with the curriculum and broader campus
lifeadvice which is priceless and which can make a
world of difference for those who are struggling.
This is not to suggest that these students should
surrender any prior identities. Rather these identi-
ties can be reinforced by taking a students back-
ground and interests into account when designing a
problem. For example, a student may live in an area
where pollution discharges have turned their favorite
fishing hole into a toxic pond which can no longer
support aquatic life. The student could examine this
issue from a variety of perspectives depending on
their field, from characterization and remediation of
the pollutants to determining who is ultimately re-
sponsible. Or perhaps a students close relative is
suffering from some (as of now) incurable ailment
the student can work to investigate the causes and
potential treatments for the disease. A students
work on projects of this nature serves to reinforce
the connections to their community while building
the new identity of researcher. This is where liberal
Page 10
arts institutions like Henderson State have the
advantage over the R1 schools in STEM: faculty
members are not constrained by funding consider-
ations to only work on the in topics. Rather,
we are free to research whatever we (and our
students) wish and thus can serve as positive
agents for our communities while strengthening
those bonds.
Participation in undergraduate research allows
these students to learn effective communication,
team-work skills, critical thinking skills, and within
the liberal arts framework, a well-rounded educa-
tion that allows them to think outside the box. As
we all know these skills are in high demand by
todays employers and will no doubt be even more
important to the workforce of tomorrow. This is
why research fits so beautifully within the liberal
arts modelour curricula specifically targets the
development of the aforementioned skill sets and
research reinforces these skills and demonstrates
how they can be utilized to solve real-world prob-
lems.
The last component to Treismans model is faculty
mentorship. The role played by faculty in ensuring
student success is often critical to the ultimate
success of a STEM student. Each and every one of
us can look back and identify those teachers or
professors who served as mentors and shaped us
into the scholars we are today. A mentor is not
only a teacher but is also there to give sage advice
when necessary and serve as an example of schol-
arship for their mentees. This close student-
faculty working relationship is familiar to anyone
who has completed a graduate degree.
Research with a faculty mentor in the STEM fields
may differ from the way research is conducted in
other academic areas. In STEM each student
brings their own interests to the group and they
will work closely with their faculty mentor to
formulate a research topic, propose a hypothesis,
design an experiment, perform data analysis, dou-
ble (and triple and so on) check the results, and
disseminate the results to the broader community.
The faculty mentor by necessity must play a large
role in the research as undergraduate students
often do not possess the necessary technical skills
for advanced lab work. Thus the mentor will
share the credit for the work upon presentation
or publication (this is traditional in STEM and eve-
ry graduate and postdoctoral program in the
world follows this model).
A feature of scientific research is that students
often uncover new questions in the course of data
Dr.Rowland
collection and analysis which pushes
the research forward. Occasionally,
however, questions can arise which
can fundamentally alter the focus and
direction of the research project.
Many people mistakenly believe that
scientific research has a defined and
hard end by date, but this is not true,
as research is a truly an organic pro-
cess which may have no clear end
point. Thus there will be overlap
between students on research pro-
jects as older students graduate and
new students join the group. Some-
times the pace of scientific research
is painfully slowthis is necessary to
ensure that all variables are properly
controlled for and also to ensure that
the data/response collected from the
system is truly explainable by the
current hypothesis. Additionally, it
takes time to properly train student
researchers in proper protocols and
in proper safety/hygienic practices.
Finally, as Lee Sawyer related to us at
last years AURC, one should never
ask what is this research good for?
as sometimes that is not obvious at
this juncture. For example, would
Michael Faraday have predicted the
smartphone on the basis of his work
in electricity and magnetism? No.
But without Faradays work the
smartphone wouldnt be possible. In
a similar vein, it doesnt make much
sense to ask of students will this
effort complete the scientific re-
search on this project? as what we
gather in the course of research may
push it in a completely different di-
rection than where our initial hy-
pothesis had intended for us to go.
The critical role of the faculty mentor
through this process ensures that

Treismans third part is satisfied.
There we have ita proven way to improve retention and educational
quality in a field that is notorious for its attrition rates. As my experience
in these matters is in the STEM fields I do not know what the literature says
about undergraduate research and retention/matriculation in non-STEM
fields, but if I had to hazard an educated guess I would say that undergradu-
ate research can have this transformative power no matter the field in
which it is employed. For example, Dr. Bateman, who has been investigat-
ing the effects of mercury mining in Graysonia, Arkansas, is working with an
undergraduate history major in trying to determine some of the history of
the town and where the old mines and tailing ponds were located. This is
the ultimate win-win scenario: the historical data will help to advance the
scientific work, the student will hone relevant skills while applying them to a
real-world problem (and make retention far more likely), and it strengthens
our relationship to the citizens and communities of southwest Arkansas
which have been impacted. Again, this is why liberal arts schools like Hen-
derson hold the edge over the R1s: collaborations between faculty and
students in other departments is much more easily achieved due to the
collegiality of our campus and the investigational freedom we enjoy. Our
campus is rife with opportunities for collaboration just like this and truly
the sky is the limit.
What can we do to promote undergraduate research at Henderson? Here
are some way we can support undergraduate research here at Henderson:
Get involved in researchit will make you a better teacher! Teaching
drives innovation in research and vice versa. David Bohm was motivated to
rethink the quantum theory he was taught as a student when he himself had
to teach those ideas to the next generation of students and found them
wanting. Bohms desire to be a better teacher spurred a fantastic develop-
ment in science! Teaching and research are integrally tied together
effective teachers should engage in research and effective researchers
should engage in teaching. As our primary focus here at Henderson is
teaching we are in a very unique position to engage in some groundbreaking
research that will be overlooked by the R1 schools. We may pursue inves-
tigation into whatever topics pique our students interests or those which
may enhance our own teaching ability. We must be involved and ideally we
should bring some students along for the ride.
Work to build research intensive curricula with a focus on early engage-
ment in those fields where this has been shown to improve student reten-
tion and matriculation. This is the whole motivation behind the HSU STEM
Bridge. The STEM Bridge is a customized program designed for Henderson
which will be replicable to other departments as it moves forward. We at
Henderson have a variety of ways of incorporating research experiences
into our curricula as we have the Office of Undergraduate Research, the
McNair Scholars Program, the Honors Program, and many academic de-
partments which are actively engaging in research as we speak. Henderson
also hosts the only all undergraduate research conference in the statethe
Arkansas Undergraduate Research Conferencewhich is a unique oppor-
tunity for students who engage in research to disseminate their results and
solidify their identity as a researcher. Note that the AURC is not a STEM-
only conferencefantastic talks and poster have been given by students
from a variety of academic areas.
Page 11
Finally, undergraduate research programs are in dire need of addition-
al budgetary support. The Director of Undergraduate Research re-
ports that the appropriation for undergraduate research has remained
flat over a number of years and the fact is that things cost more than
they once did. It is understandable that in a time of budgetary
crunches and changing appropriations formulae that undergraduate
research is but one of many constituencies whose needs must be met.
However, in light of the information presented above, it is easy to see
that undergraduate research can help Henderson with retention and
matriculation which in turn demonstrates the effectiveness of Hen-
derson education. While faculty may not have a direct impact on the
appropriations process, there are things that we can do such as par-
ticipation in Posters at the Capitol. This allows our legislators to see
the great research done at Henderson and hopefully can give them an
incentive for support. Additionally, when our students present re-
search at regional and national conferences students and faculty from
across the nation take note of the School with a Heart in Arkadel-
phia, Arkansas and form a positive perception of our institutionthis
is publicity that money cannot buy. As external funding from state
and federal agencies will likely be needed for future implementation of
the Bridge Program, a Director of Sponsored Programs will be need-
ed.
Undergraduate research presents a host of benefits to the students,
faculty, and administration of Henderson State University and is an
investment that will yield dividends for years to come. Given changes
to state university appropriations and the focus of Governor
Hutchinson on retention and outcomes based performance, it is our
duty to utilize the strategies we have in hand and for which there is a
strong tradition and foundation at Henderson State University. It is
imperative as faculty that we do what we can to improve our teach-
ing, academically prepare students for the real-world, give back to the
communities which support and sustain us, and assist in broadcasting
the transformative experience that is Henderson State. As Hender-
son State serves a diverse student population, cohesive identities
must be forged which strengthen the students academic and social
bonds. Undergraduate research brilliantly satisfies all these require-
ments and as Henderson is uniquely poised as a liberal arts institution,
we have the investigational freedom and propensity to collaborate on
projects which speak to students at a personal level while serving the
needs of all Arkansans.


Page 12

More Pictures From Chemistry Club Events Fall 2016

Henderson
Halloween

Tinkerfest
2016

More Pictures are on the HSU

Chemistry Club Facebook Page.



Page 13

Save The Date!



T. David Bateman
Director of Undergraduate Research Phone: 870-230-5306
HSU Box 7651 E-mail: batemat@hsu.edu
Reynolds 307

More Pictures From the 2016 American Chemical Society SWRM in Galveston.

PaulBayliss ChelseaStephens

HSU Research
Suggestions

Any suggestions for un-

dergraduate research,
this newsletter, etc. are
welcome. Please send
me an email with sug-
gestions,\questions, and
I will be happy to get AllieDavis
back to you. I hope I
have not left anyone out
of this newsletter, and I
am sure there are mis-
takes. Rest assured, I
hope to improve Reddie
Research with every is-
sue.

DavidMay