Category Archives: Students

National Science Foundation Grant to Expand Psychology Studies

BLOOMINGTON, Ill.- The National Science Foundation has awarded a $100,000 grant to Joseph Williams, associate professor of psychology at Illinois Wesleyan University, which will go toward purchasing an EEG acquisition machine, or electroencephalography machine, to expand research within the Psychology Department.

“EEG technology can help us understand how the brain processes information, and why problems might arise in memory or critical thinking,” said Williams, who teaches courses in behavioral neuroscience. “For instance, we can map out how changes in brain activity allow us to better encode and recall visual information or how changes in brain activity relate to mistakes in remembering information. The new EEG recording system will allow IWU students more in-depth exploration of the complex interaction between brain and behavior.”

EEG readings record cellular activity in the brain, which allows us to see how the brain actually processes information. “We know what can affect behavior before the tests begin – influences such as self-esteem, age, even physical fitness. We can also observe decisions. Using the EEG machine fills in the blanks in the middle, allowing us to watch subjects’ brain activity as they make decisions,” said Jason Themanson, assistant professor of psychology at IWU.

Currently, the University has an EEG acquisition machine, but Williams said its capacity is limited. “The EEG acquisition machine we have can analyze three regions of the brain at once. The new machine will be able to look at 64 regions at once,” said Williams. “This is a giant leap in our ability to answer important research questions that our students are interested in studying.”

New Fellows Program Supports Peace Studies

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – A new fellows program at Illinois Wesleyan University is helping students discover new avenues for peace. “Peace is not the absence of war. It is something much greater, that takes much more work,” said Erma Stutzman, who, with husband John Stutzman, is sponsoring the new Peace Fellows Program at Illinois Wesleyan, which will offer student fellows mentoring and financial support for studies that forward the idea of peace and justice.

“We all live in a fractured and violent world, not just internationally, but at all levels of society – in business, homes, marriages, personal contacts and the community,” said John Stutzman, a retired urologist who has volunteered in violence-torn nations such as Haiti. “The idea of the program is to promote peace, justice and reconciliation.”

A former member of the University Board of Trustees, Stutzman said he and his wife thought Illinois Wesleyan would be a strong place to start the Peace Fellows Program. “The number of colleges and universities instituting peace studies programs is increasing,” he said. “We knew Illinois Wesleyan would be a good platform for a program here.”

Formulated this spring, two students were selected to be the inaugural Peace Fellows. One of the students, junior Holly Aldrich of Elmhurst, began her studies this fall. “One of the reasons I chose Illinois Wesleyan is that it affords personal growth and the pursuit of that which I am passionate in a very challenging academic setting,” said Aldrich, a Women’s Studies major, who plans to expand her studies of involuntary female circumcision, and may use her fellowship to work in Africa. “What we have at Illinois Wesleyan are the tools for social change,” said Aldrich. “We have a student population here that is responsive.”

From Dante to Hogwarts: IWU to host MUSE Undergraduate Literature Conference

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Illinois Wesleyan University will offer 35 students from 19 academic institutions the opportunity to present undergraduate work in literature during the third annual MUSE Undergraduate Literature Conference on Saturday, Oct. 6, with registration beginning at 8 a.m. and the first of three sessions to begin at 9:00 a.m. in the Center for Natural Science (CNS) (201 Beecher St., Bloomington).Wendy Wall, chair of Northwestern University’s Department of English, will deliver the keynote address titled “At Home with Shakespeare” at 12:30 p.m. in CNS E101.

The conference, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by IWU’s Alpha Eta Pi chapter of the international English honor society Sigma Tau Delta (STD) with the assistance of Illinois State University’s Lambda Delta chapter of STD and IWU’s Department of English.

Expanding significantly after its first two years, MUSE features students from IWU and ISU in addition to students from as near as Knox College and St. Francis University to as far away as the University of Pittsburg and the University of Montenegro.

Students will present works of literary analysis and criticism at MUSE that range from classic (“‘Stolen Rolls’ and Different Souls: An Examination of Plato’s Theory of Forms in the Lives of Levin and Oblonsky”) to contemporary (“What’s Wrong With Hogwarts?”) to seemingly bizarre (“‘A Backward Glance’ at The House of Mirth: How Future-consciousness is Necessary for the Creation of Fictional Memory”).

The conference will also feature a panel devoted to post-graduation options for literature students, including information on professional and graduate school opportunities, as well as careers in education.

I-Society and International Office to Launch “World Piece”

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – In a joint effort, the Illinois Wesleyan University International Society Student Organization (I-Society), and the International Office will launch “World Piece,” a series of hour-long student-led discussions focusing on current global issues.

The first discussion, on Monday, Oct. 1 at 7 p.m., will be led by junior international studies major Anna File, who studied in China last year. It will take place at the International House (Kemp Hall, 1207 N. Main St., Bloomington). IWU students, faculty and staff, as well as members of the community are invited to attend.

I-Society is a student organization that promotes cultural awareness on the IWU campus, brings together students of various ethnicities, and encourages IWU students to study abroad. I-Society also sponsors the I-Carnivale, an annual festival that celebrates the multiple cultures on campus.

President of the organization, Hoang Nguyen said, “With an increase in international students [at IWU], the time is right to expand the scope of I-Society. In recent years, we have focused our energy on the I-Carnivale in the spring, but we’re taking time this year to do other activities and ‘World Piece’ is one of them.”

Wasabi Ice Cream and Other Lessons in Culture

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The purpose of international travel is to become immersed in different languages and cultures, to expand horizons and discover commonalities. It also provides a way to discover new possibilities, from customs to cuisines.

“I tried a lot. Tofu ice cream? Wasabi ice cream? It was all new to me,” said Preston Prior, an Illinois Wesleyan University junior, who traveled to Tokyo this summer as part of the Technos Program. Sponsored by the Tanaka Ikueikai Educational Trust, the program encourages students from across the world to learn about Japanese culture and study at the Technos International College of Tokyo.

“I fell in love with Japan,” said Prior, whose grandfather was stationed in Japan after World War II, and grew up hearing stories about the country. “I also learned to be more accepting. We may do different things, but we are all human beings.”

Fellow junior Kari Irwin was also chosen for the program, which sends students who have never been to Japan to Tokyo and the surrounding area for two weeks. “The trip was the highlight of my existence – so far,” said the 20-year-old Irwin. “It taught me to look at my studies in a whole new way.”

The two students traveled with Nancy Sultan, Illinois Wesleyan professor of Greek and Roman Studies, and soaked up culture by visiting everything from ancient temples to modern malls and classrooms. “You can study a foreign language all you want in a textbook, but you are not going to understand the culture until you have lived the culture,” said Sultan.

Illinois Wesleyan Is All About Being ‘Green’

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – As late summer rains turn the Illinois Wesleyan campus literally green with thriving foliage, a contingent of students, faculty and staff are hatching plans to turn the campus still more green in the environmentally friendly sense.

Sixteen representatives of the University attended the biennial Greening of the Campus conference at Ball State University in early September, quite possibly the largest delegation of any of the 173 participating institutions. IWU representatives included members of the Sierra Student Coalition, students and staff from the Office of Residential Life (ORL), and a group of faculty and staff who delivered a presentation, “Integrating Sustainability Into Higher Education at Illinois Wesleyan University,” based on a 2006 campus workshop and its outgrowth in curriculum development and sustainability efforts among participants. “Sustainability,” which reaches beyond environmentalism to social justice and economic concerns, is the concept of meeting the needs of today without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

While at the conference, IWU representatives agreed to join the Focus the Nation project that will culminate on Jan. 31 with symposia held at universities and other venues throughout the country, centered on collaborative discussion about “Global Warming Solutions for America.”

State Farm Joins Illinois Wesleyan to Provide Unique Internship

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – State Farm Insurance Companies and Illinois Wesleyan University have joined together to create an internship that puts students in the community.

This summer, ten Illinois Wesleyan students are working as interns at State Farm Insurance Companies in Bloomington, which sponsors the program. The internship pays for students to split their time, working three days a week at a State Farm office, and two days a week at a local not-for-profit organization.

“It’s an amazing chance when not-for-profits and for-profits work together to serve the community,” said Deborah Halperin, coordinator for Illinois Wesleyan’s Action Research Center, which pairs the students with local organizations after judging their skill level and eagerness to learn.

The decision to start the program, now in its first year, stemmed from State Farm’s conviction that students are the future of communities, according to Kathy Havens-Payne, director of education leadership at State Farm. “At State Farm, we have long believed that for communities to thrive, young people must be empowered as leaders and decision-makers who are challenged to address real issues and problems,” said Havens-Payne, who added that students “aren’t just tomorrows leaders. They are helping lead us now by impacting today’s issues.”

Biology Students Join Professor Studying Deep-Sea Creatures in the Bahamas

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – In a snapshot from the Bahamas, Will Jaeckle stands in the traditional proud fisherman’s pose, arm held high to display his prized catch.

However, hanging from his raised hand is not a magnificent adult sport fish, but a tiny pipette containing three swordfish in their larval stage. For the associate professor of biology from Illinois Wesleyan University, the swordfish weren’t a fisherman’s triumph, but a byproduct of the nets and collection bottles that were cast deep into the ocean from the deck of the R/V F.G. Walton Smith during a recent research voyage. The intended targets included larvae of bottom-dwelling invertebrates, which spend their lives in the water column, and cyanobacteria (microscopic photosynthetic bacteria) upon which the larvae may feed.

Jaeckle, along with Illinois Wesleyan biology majors Oluwakemi Onajin ’09 and newly graduated Sarah Lewis ’07, were joined by counterparts from the University of Oregon on the first leg of a four-year project funded by the National Science Foundation. The opportunity proved illuminating for both students.

Jaeckle’s group is studying the invertebrate larvae from deep-sea species to learn how these developmental stages get the necessary sustenance to complete their developmental cycle. The cyanobacteria that are hypothesized as a potential food source are the research interest of grant collaborator Michelle Wood, a biologist from the University of Oregon. Specimens were captured at controlled depths starting 1,000 meters below the surface and then sorted and identified while being viewed through microscopes during 16-hour work days.

Knowledge about the development of deep-sea creatures is limited, Jaeckle said. “We’re just trying to understand how these developmental stages of deep-water organisms make their living. We are somewhat ignorant of what processes occur at depths that we can only see by towing cameras or using submarines. Even then we’re only getting a narrow snapshot.”

Model Created to Help Envision Fourth Dimension

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The concept of the fourth dimension can be a difficult one to comprehend. Although experimental physicists are now looking for ways to prove the existence of 4-D, often instructors do not approach the subject in class because they are not sure how to teach it.

Narendra Jaggi, Illinois Wesleyan University professor and chair of the physics department, and his student Andy Nelson are looking for ways to help bring the fourth spatial dimension into the classroom.

Jaggi draws two squares on a dry erase board in a classroom at the University’s Center for Natural Science. “You can’t really build a cube on a blackboard because the board is two dimensional and the cube is three dimensional,” said Jaggi, connecting the corners of the squares with lines. “But, you can draw a representation of a cube, so you have the perception of three dimensions.” Drawing on that idea, Jaggi and Nelson, an Illinois Wesleyan senior physics and religion double major from Mahomet, Ill., began to conquer the questions: Could there be a fourth spatial dimension and how can you display that in a three-dimensional world?

Jaggi and Nelson took the idea of creating a cube, and built upon it. “We wanted to create a model to replicate the fourth dimension in a spatial way. The goal was to create a teaching tool to help visualize 4D,” said Nelson.

2007 Alumna Offered Fulbright Grant

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – Rachel Slough, a 2007 graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University, has been offered a Fulbright grant to travel to Chile to teach English.

Operating in 150 countries worldwide, the Fulbright Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Envisioned by U.S. Sen. J. William Fulbright in 1945, the program promotes a mutual understanding between people of the United States and other countries of the world. Since its inception, nearly 103,000 Americans have studied, taught or researched abroad with the program.

Slough received a grant through the Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship Program to help improve English language abilities and knowledge of the United States abroad. “I’m very excited to work with students and have the chance to continue my research,” said Slough, who will leave in March 2008 and remain in Chile for 10 months.

An English and Hispanic studies double major from Charleston, Ill., Slough will be assigned as a language-learning assistant at one of eight host universities in Chile. Depending upon her destination, her duties could include teaching, tutoring and encouraging students to communicate in English. As part of her assistantship, Slough also will continue her research.

“I’ve been studying how detective novels evolve in Hispanic countries after the end of dictatorships,” said Slough, who wrote her Illinois Wesleyan senior honors research project on the subject. “Detective novels are typically a way for authors to voice their protests. The genre is particularly insightful because it employs popular culture and is read by a wide variety of citizens. Through the novels we can conceptualize the magnitude of change from dictatorship to democracy and the effects of this on daily life.”

Slough became interested in the subject while taking an IWU Spanish course that included a discussion of detective novels and films. While spending five months in 2006 studying and teaching English in Salamanca, Spain, she explored detective novels written after the reign of Francisco Franco. “I’m interested to see the similarities and differences between the novels in Chile and Spain,” she said of her plans to delve into novels of Chile written post-Augusto Pinochet.

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