Dear Colleagues,

Let me begin by welcoming Dr. Kevin Leonard as the incoming Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences! I have already reached out to him so we can work together to make the transition this summer as seamless as possible. Neither of us, I’m sure, imagined this transition occurring in the midst of a global pandemic. However, I look forward to collaborating with him as he moves into the dean’s office and begins to lead this outstanding College. I hope I will be able to find the time to get back into the dean’s office and organize it for him!

Read Dean Budzban's full letter.

Biological sciences graduate student Sophie Bandurski was a finalist in the Growing Beyond Earth Maker Contest, earning acclaim for her team’s creation of an Aeroponic Microgravity Planting System. “We designed an aeroponic growth chamber that considers how plants respond on a physiological and molecular level to microgravity, compared to Earth, to successfully grow plentiful, robust crops aboard the ISS,” Bandurski explained.

According to Bandurski, and her contest partner, Daniel Sarafconn, a mechanical design and robotics engineer, their system prototypes the necessary modifications that future growth chambers could include to successfully cultivate lettuce and other produce in space.

Read the article. 

SIUE is leading a national effort to recover forgotten and little-known literature by women authors in digital environments. With the support of a $50,000 National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grant, SIUE’s Jessica DeSpain, PhD, is leading a team of 20 collaborators from across the country in the project: Society for the Study of American Women Writers (SSAWW) Recovery Hub.

“This collaboration involves a series of planning activities that will create a network of scholars to surface works by women writers through digital methods, and also provide support, mentorship and peer-review services for women in the digital humanities,” said DeSpain.

Read the article.

SIUE Alumnus Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times has been chosen as the 2019 top national large-publication sports columnist by the Associated Press sports editors. It is the eighth time he has received the award.

Plaschke earned a bachelor’s in mass communications in 1980 from the SIUE College of Arts and Sciences. He was inducted to the SIUE Alumni Hall of Fame in 2009. He has multiple other columnist awards and community service awards.

Read the article. 

SIUE Department of Environmental Sciences Assistant Professor Ben Greenfield, PhD, learned that Centreville’s sewer system infrastructure was in disrepair, causing raw sewage and flood water to seep into residents’ yards and homes. In January 2019, Greenfield joined a multidisciplinary coalition of researchers, scholars and attorneys working to support the Centreville residents. He provides guidance on environmental study and design, public health and data interpretation.

“I plan to help as a member of the Centreville project indefinitely,” added Greenfield. “Based on the recent media attention, I am hoping there will be some government or other funds allocated to help fix the damaged infrastructure in the region and provide relief for the Centreville residents.”

Read the article. 

Ariel Jones, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Social Work, shared how her students are coping, and even expanding their educational experience, during this time of academic challenge for SIUE and the nation.

Normally other students are hired as actors to simulate clients with real-life problems for the students to gain experience interviewing and developing social work groups. However, due to the online nature of their work, Jones’ students have stepped up and taken on the role themselves exposing students to the dynamics of providing telehealth services.

Read the article.