Category Archives: News & Achievements Archive

News & Achievements Archive

Drake welcomes 53 new employees

Welcome the following new employees at Drake!

Beth Diehl, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (started in July)
Valerie Thacker, School of Education (SOE)
Lindsay Woodward, SOE
Douglas Stilwell, SOE
Shannon Saunders, Athletics
Christopher McMahon, Athletics
Dalton Moberly, Athletics
Nathan Bollhorst, Athletics
Katelyn Sobotka, Athletics
Markisha Wright, Athletics
Zachary Elsbecker, Athletics
Sean Giza, Arts & Sciences
Carter Roberts, Arts & Sciences
Lauren Beal, Arts & Sciences
Tiffany Roby, Arts & Sciences
Lauren Breman, Arts & Sciences
Emily Kruse, Arts & Sciences
Kayla Jenkins, Arts & Sciences
Inbal Mazar, Arts & Sciences
Patricia Storlie, Arts & Sciences
Jill Allen, Arts & Sciences
Nate Holdren, Arts & Sciences
Paul Brizzi, Arts & Sciences
Bryan Hall, Arts & Sciences
Emily Newman, Arts & Sciences
Anne Peterson, Arts & Sciences
Deirdre Caputo-Levine, Arts & Sciences
Ann Skallerup, Public Safety
Matthew Main, Public Safety
Rick Welch, Public Safety
Kayla Choate, Law School
Christopher Gill, DTS
Cassie Paterson, College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences (CPHS)
Katie Shields, CPHS
James Kolnik, Residence Life
Luis Cordoba, Residence Life
Victoria Smith, Head Start
Lori Archer, Head Start
Stephanie Charron, Head Start
Stephanie Young, Head Start
Brenna DeGan, Alumni & Development
Grace Provenzano, School of Journalism & Mass Communication (SJMC)
Catherine Staub, SJMC
Matthew Thornton, SJMC
Petros Tesfazion, College of Business and Public Administration (CBPA)
Carl Vieregger, CBPA
Alanah Mitchell, CBPA
Heath Henderson, CBPA
Jamie Grandstaff, CBPA
Cameron Tuai, Cowles Library
Christopher Nickell, Environmental and Health Safety
William Kirby, I Have a Dream Foundation
Roberto Macedo-Davila, Facility Services
Saul Leon-Ortiz, Facility Services

—Submitted by Human Resources

News & Achievements Archive

Arts & Sciences news

Theatre for social change
Last spring, students from Art of the Interview together with Law, Politics, and Society major Clare VanEchaute interviewed Drake women on campus about their experiences with gender violence. The interviews turned into a series of theatre scenes entitled “How It Goes.” Last spring, the students performed the piece to Roosevelt High School students in Petra Lange’s Women in Literature course, sponsored by the Slay Fund for Social Justice and the Drake Sociology program. We hosted the high school students for breakfast and had a discussion afterwards. We also listened to their poetry readings as part of an exchange.

At Drake’s Welcome Week, “Sex, Drugs, & Drake” included two of the scenes from “How It Goes” into the performance. Alysa Mozak was an advocate for the scenes’ inclusion because they captured the experiences with gender violence on campuses.

The process and theatre piece generated rich learning for students and an opportunity to learn about interviewing, sociological research, an important social issue, and how to use theatre for social change.

—Submitted by Darcie Vandegrift, Associate Professor of Sociology, Department Chair

 

John Graham elected to VASTA board of directors
John Graham, associate professor of theatre, has been elected to the Board of Directors of the Voice and Speech Trainers Association (VASTA), an international organization dedicated to advancing “the art, research, and visibility of the voice and speech profession.”

—Submitted by John Graham

 

Drake granted neuroscience honor society charter
Over the summer, Drake was approved to shelter a chapter of Nu Rho Psi, the National Honor Society in Neuroscience. Drake’s is the 53rd charter issued since the society was established in 2006 and the first in Iowa. Brian Sanders, professor of psychology and neuroscience, will be the faculty adviser for the chapter.

Drake has approximately 60 neuroscience students who are active in summer research opportunities at major research institutions and the Drake University Conference on Undergraduate Research in the Sciences (DUCURS).

The decision to issue a charter for Drake was unanimous. Comments from the reviewers included:

  • “Clearly, Drake University is a very special place and I’m excited to have one of our national chapters there.”
  • “Drake University offers a well-established neuroscience major with strong, interdisciplinary course offerings.”
  • “The neuroscience faculty are relatively sizeable, include a diverse range of research interests, are productive in scholarship, and engaged with students in the classroom and in the laboratory.”
News & Achievements Archive

Drake faculty receive more than $83,000 in external funding

Principal Investigator: Matthew Zwier
Project Title: High-Performance Weighted Ensemble Software for Simulation of Complex Bio-Events
Project Summary: Matthew Zwier is a primary developer of the WESTPA software package, whose continued development this grant is intended to support. WESTPA is a tool for controlling other software tools: It orchestrates up to thousands of trajectories run natively by other software at any scale (e.g., Gromacs, Amber, BioNetGen, MCell) using a “weighted ensemble” strategy. He will be doing computer programming related to WESTPA. This programming will include implementing new features for the software, improving the performance (e.g. speed) of the software, and validating the software (ensuring that it produces the correct results). His particular focus will be ensuring that the WESTPA software package can run effectively on large supercomputers and interface smoothly with a number of chemical and biological simulation software packages.
Funding Agency: National Institutes of Health thru University of Pittsburgh
Award Amount: $28,000

 

Principal Investigator: Tom Rosburg
Project Title: Remnant Prairie Inventory in the Grand River Grassland CCS Landscape in Northwestern Harrison County, Missouri
Project Summary: The objective of this project is to intensively survey the recently expanded southern portion of The Grand River Grasslands Conservation Landscape in northwestern Harrison County for native prairie remnants. When complete, such an inventory will enable partner agencies working in this Conservation Landscape to better target grassland conservation efforts on both public and private lands.
Funding Agency: Missouri Department of Conservation
Award Amount: $20,000

 

Principal Investigator: Neil Hamilton
Project Title: Iowa Landowner’s Legal Guide
Project Summary: Drake staff will utilize project infrastructure funding to research and write educational materials relating to the Iowa Landowner’s Legal Guide, to be used to help educate Iowa land owners and their advisors and to enhance partnerships with other organizations using Sustainable Agricultural Land Tenure (SALT) resources.
Funding Agency: Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture
Award Amount: $9,736

 

Principal Investigator: Keith Summerville
Project Title: Targeted Reptile Assessment at Chichaqua Bottoms Greenbelt
Project Summary: This project will conduct an assessment of reptiles of Chichaqua Bottoms Greenbelt with an emphasis on poorly documented species such as smooth green snakes, Graham’s crayfish snake, and six-lined racerunner. The project will also assess whether hay management increases mortality in snakes that are considered declining in the state.
Funding Agency: Polk County Conservation Board
Award Amount: $1,500 (total funding for this project is $6,250)

 

Principal Investigator: Jerrid Kruse
Project Title: K-12 Energy Education Pilot Project
Project Summary: The Drake School of Education will work with AEA PD Online to develop effective e-curriculum that is uniquely tied to Iowa schools including those schools in rural locations. All students in our state will be provided access to STEM curricular materials through the development of a modular e-curriculum. This curriculum will be delivered online via a learning and management system geared specifically for personalized learning. Teachers will have the ability to create individualized units, mini-courses, or full courses for student use during or outside the normal school day.
Funding Agency: Iowa Energy Center
Award Amount: $24,000

News & Achievements Archive

Shelley Fairbairn publishes new book

Shelley Fairbairn, associate professor of education, recently co-authored Engaging English Learners Through Access to Standards: A Team-Based Approach to Schoolwide Student Achievement. She wrote the book with alumna Stephaney Jones-Vo, LA’73, who is also an adjunct professor in the School of Education.

Fairbairn’s teaching foci include preparing pre-service teachers to design effective lesson plans and assessments for K-12 students and empowering both pre- and in-service teachers to meet the needs of English language learners through linguistically and culturally responsive practice. She also directs on- and off-campus English as a Second Language (ESL) teaching endorsement programs. Prior to joining the Drake University School of Education faculty, Shelley concurrently taught ESL courses for the Drake University International Center and served as a K-12 ESL teacher in two Des Moines area school districts. She has recently conducted teacher professional development sessions and workshops in China, Canada, and across the U.S.

—Submitted by Shelley Fairbairn

News & Achievements Archive

Discounted faculty/staff football season tickets

Football season tickets are still available! All Drake University faculty and staff can take advantage of discounted pricing—$35 (regular $50)—with a valid Drake Card (ID). To purchase your season tickets, contact the Drake Athletics Ticket Office at 515-271-3647 or tickets@drake.edu.

—Submitted by Thomas Florian, Assistant Director, Ticket Operations and Donor Management

News & Achievements Archive

Rock out, show off your spelling skills, or volunteer to support the Adult Literacy Center

Three upcoming events highlight the Drake Adult Literacy Center and ways you can support adult literacy.

Benefit Concert
Friday, Sept. 18, 5–9 p.m.
Lefties, 2307 University Ave. in Dogtown

Walk to Lefty’s after work to enjoy Drake faculty and student ensembles in a benefit for the Drake Adult Literacy Center. Enjoy One Hundred Mondays, comprising School of Education faculty Tom Buckmiller, Michael Couvillon, Jerrid Kruse, and Matt Hayden, followed by a second faculty ensemble featuring Tim Knepper, Charlie Nelson, and Kirk Martin. Drake student Charlie Jaschek leads the student band.

All proceeds from the $5 cover will go to the Adult Literacy Center, which relies on community donations to support its vital services in the community. More than 70 volunteer tutors from Drake and Greater Des Moines give 1–2 hours a week to assist adults learning to read. This is also the kickoff event for National Adult Education Family Literacy Week, Sept. 20–25.


Volunteer Tutor Training
Friday, Sept. 25, 5–8 p.m., and Saturday, Sept. 26, 9 a.m.–4 p.m.

Volunteers work one-on-one for 1–2 hours a week as a tutor/mentor with an adult who needs to improve his or her reading, writing, and comprehension skills. Tutoring is an opportunity to have a direct and positive impact in another person’s life. Learn how to structure lessons that teach reading basics and beyond.


2nd Annual Adult Spelling Bee
Friday, Nov. 13
Olmsted Center

Teams of five compete in a friendly spelling competition to raise dollars and awareness about adult literacy in central Iowa.

For more information, contact anne.murr@drake.edu

—Submitted by Anne Murr, Coordinator, Adult Literacy Center

News & Achievements Archive

Love to sing?

All members of the Drake community (students, faculty, staff) are invited to sing in the Drake University/Community Chorus, a non-auditioned ensemble that rehearses weekly on Tuesday evenings from 6:30 to 8.

The first rehearsal will take place on Sept. 1 in Monroe Hall (lower level of the Harmon Fine Arts Center). The ensemble will be preparing for Nov. 21–22 performances of Morten Lauridsen’s “Lux Aeterna” and the Rutter “Gloria.” Participants should purchase the music at University Bookstore in advance of the first rehearsal and bring it and a pencil to the rehearsal.

Questions? Contact Aimee Beckmann-Collier at aimee.beckmann-collier@drake.edu or x2841.

—Submitted by Aimee Beckmann-Collier, the Ellis and Nelle Levitt Distinguished Professor of Conducting

News & Achievements Archive

Drake welcomes Chris Nickell to campus

Today we welcome to campus Chris Nickell as Drake’s director, environmental health and safety (EHS). Chris has more than 15 years’ experience in the field of emergency planning and environmental health and safety. He is certified Hazardous Material Manager, Safety Professional, and Red Cross Instructor for First Aid, CPR, AED, and Blood Borne Pathogens. Chris is well versed in all aspects of emergency planning and response, with numerous Homeland Security certifications.

Chris, along with Environmental Specialist Josh Haines, will continue the work of EHS at Drake through collaborative partnerships with faculty and staff.

Chris comes to us from the Mittera Group where he served as the environmental health and safety manager. In this position he developed and implemented EHS programs for 10 locations and 750 employees. Prior to that engagement, Chris worked as an environmental safety and health technician for Monsanto at the Ankeny and Huxley sites, which facilitated a full wet chemistry and genetics lab. Chris also has 12 years of experience with the Iowa Air National Guard, where his duties included developing and implementing installation of all hazardous emergency plans and readiness exercises for his unit.

The Environmental Health and Safety Office will be located at 1418 27th St., next to Facility Services. Please feel free to stop by in the coming weeks and welcome Chris to Drake.

—Submitted by Venessa Macro, Chief Administration Officer, Title IX Coordinator