The Evolution of the Scholarly Journal: Digital Convergence and Broader Impacts

Dr Timothy Pasch will discuss the evolution of the scholarly journal for the Dean’s Lecture Series.

Dr. Timothy Pasch of the Communication Program will share some exciting insights into the future of scholarly publishing. Dr. Pasch is one of our two Dean’s Lecture Series presenters during the annual Scholarly Forum. I sat down with Dr. Pasch to learn more about his research in this area.

This presentation will be at the Lecture Bowl on the University of North Dakota campus, at noon on March 6th. It is free and open to the public.

Can you talk a little about your Dean’s Lecture Series presentation, The Evolution of the Scholarly Journal: Digital Convergence and Broader Impacts?

Granting agencies such as the NSF and others require, as part of their proposal process, explanation of how the grant recipient will disseminate the knowledge they will glean from their research. It’s no longer enough to simply gather research and create the knowledge, for after you have accomplished this, you are required to “share the wealth”, or disseminate that knowledge. This (in part), is what is referred to as Broader Impacts. Grants and journals serve a purpose closely related to (but not exactly) this.

Modern research is still embedded in the paradigm of the printed word on paper (journals). Digital journals, for their part, offer us convenience as they can be read on computers, tablets, and other mobile devices. Even still, the trend is still static – there’s printed text and there is some rudimentary video, but it’s primarily still simply text and image. We’re entering an era where this is no longer sufficient for granting agencies – they are looking for innovative New Media approaches for the dissemination of that knowledge. So artists and other digitally creative individuals have a very important role in creatively disseminating the knowledge of STEM and other researchers – there are exciting collaborative possibilities there.

There’s also a burgeoning opportunity for creative, immersive, convergent journals; so you are simultaneously engaging audio, video, interactivity. For example, you can “visit” a new discovery and engage with it in three dimensions, manipulate it, delve right into it. If you are a musician, for example you can do so much more than simply describe the music – you can have a waveform available for immediate interaction. These are living journals.

Part of your research is looking at communication in marginalized communities. How might the digitization of scholarly journals impact communities that might not have ready access to new technologies?

When you try to use technologies to assist individuals without technology, or those who don’t know how to use it, I’m sometimes asked, “How can it be accessible if you need to buy into the hardware in order to access it?”

One of the arguments we can make is the decreasing cost of getting into a computer or a tablet. When tablets first emerged their cost was close to $2000, however they are available for much less now. And there are a number of initiatives that aim to deliver technology to underprivileged individuals.  It’s also becoming easier to say that it is less expensive to purchase a tablet than to subscribe to a scholarly journal. And with an increasing move toward open source publishing, all of these factors may help to make knowledge much more accessible; although I will discuss models that strive to keep knowledge very closed as well.

What do you think is driving agencies to expect such Broader Impacts?

Funding is becoming more difficult to acquire based on the economy and other factors. When a grant is being evaluated, agencies are less likely to fund projects that don’t demonstrate a direct impact on the communities that this kind of work is designed to empower, or those projects that do not disseminate the knowledge as widely as possible to the target audience.

It is no longer sufficient to solely publish findings in a journal or “just make a website” as the primary vehicle for outreach. There is a greater expectation to have a detailed plan to market and distribute knowledge in a very compelling way. It needs to be engaging and inspiring.

With a greater emphasis on Broader Impacts by granting agencies, do you think this could influence the way in which academics will design their research?

The best proposals will be built around Broader Impacts and will incorporate these aspects from the beginning, rather than having them added as an afterthought, or attachment to the proposal itself.

Dr Mark Askelson, Atmospheric Sciences is also presenting for the Dean’s Lecture Series. His talk, Unmanned Aircraft: From Potential to Reality is scheduled for noon in the Lecture Bowl on Wednesday, March 6th. You can read his interview here.

Both presentations will be streamed live to the web so watch for details closer to the dates!!

Unmanned Aircraft: From Potential to Reality

I had the privilege of speaking with Dr Mark Askelson, Atmospheric Sciences, ahead of his Dean’s Lecture for the Scholarly Forum. Each year, the School of Graduate Studies highlights the outstanding research of two faculty members during our annual research showcase. I spoke with Dr Askelson about his research and the Unmanned Aircraft project he’s involved with.

The Dean’s Lecture Series presentation is Tuesday, March 5 at 12 noon in the Lecture Bowl on the UND campus. Read more about the presentation here.

You grew up not too far from here?

Yes, I’m from Detroit Lakes, MN and did my undergraduate here at UND earning two degrees, one in Mathematics and one in Atmospheric Sciences. Then I went to graduate school at the University of Oklahoma and returned to UND as faculty.

When you came to UND as an undergraduate did you know what you wanted to do?

I did. In high school I realized I had an interest in the weather and I also had strengths in physics and mathematics, both of which are important tools for working on problems associated with the weather. And I think I also realized that we didn’t have it all figured out – that meteorology is a very live science.  This is where my interests and skills intersected, so I decided to pursue atmospheric sciences.

I also really enjoyed mathematics and entertained the idea of becoming an actuary at one time, so my math degree had a statistical concentration.

I suppose growing up in this region exposed you to a lot of weather activity?

Right, and I remember as a kid hearing these forecasts of large snowfalls and then they wouldn’t pan out, so I would wonder what was going on there and why it was so far off. It turns out that the storm path could be slightly different but that could be the difference between 12 inches of snow versus none. And that got my curiosity going

You also research mesoscale meteorology?

Yes, what that refers to is phenomena of a particular size. So what you see on your nightly news’ weather forecast, these tend to be large scale, ie: thousand kilometer-wide events. Mesoscale tends to be smaller than that, such as thunderstorms. These can range from a small tornado to multi-thunderstorm complexes. These phenomena can be really complex because of all the things that interact and the physics involved but that’s what makes it fun – it’s the tough problem that needs solving.

Your research interests include surface transportation weather.

Yes! Leon Osborne, who I took classes from years ago when I was a student here, has in many ways helped to put that field on the map.  But there remain all of these research problems that we struggle with like precipitation – for instance exactly where it snowed. So, for example, if you look at local radars it never snows in International Falls – apparently it is a tropical paradise (that gets can get bitterly cold). What’s happening is that the radars are overshooting the snow because precipitation systems that produce snow tend to be not as deep as summertime rain producers. Radar beams tend to climb away from the ground – what’s happening is the beams fall away but the ground is falling away faster the further you get from the radar itself. So you might think that the solution is available because we have lots of radars, but the truth is that our radars are too far apart leaving these big holes, making the estimates of where and how hard it is snowing more difficult.

There are a couple of ways you might use this advances in this area, for instance: traveler information systems. UND is the birthplace of the 511 system that has become a really popular conduit of information for travelers. One way to use that information is to find out what the weather and travel conditions are like.

Another way is to use that information for maintenance engineers who work for the Department of Transportation who have to take care of the roads. There’s a big difference between 5 inches and 1 inch of snow, and how they might treat the roads, whether salting or plowing, and so knowing where and how much it snowed is a big deal to them. It’s a challenging problem and one that I’m working on right now for a project.

Can you talk about your involvement with Unmanned Aircraft?

About 6 or 7 years ago we had an opportunity to get involved with the Air Force on Unmanned Aircraft issues and there was interest in using ground-based radars to identify aircraft in the area and to provide that information to someone who is flying an unmanned aircraft. The big challenge with unmanned aircraft is that by definition, by design, they are fundamentally different from manned aircraft. So one of the huge challenges is, if you are flying an aircraft, at all times, regardless of weather conditions, you are required to look out the window to see any other aircraft and avoid them. But without a human on board an unmanned aircraft, you physically can’t do that. So we need to come up with another way to do that, and using ground-based radars is one way. And since ground based radars is one of my research areas in meteorology, that’s how I became involved.

The talk you are preparing for the Dean’s Lecture Series looks at the social benefits and other applications of Unmanned Aircraft.

Right, I’m often asked why I work in this area since it not down the center of my research from the standpoint of meteorology and I am trying to figure out what’s going on in the atmosphere. I’m trying to work this problem so we can use unmanned aircraft to collect measurements to help me answer some of the questions I have about what is going on in the atmosphere. I study things like tornado genesis – why do some storms make tornados and others don’t when in many ways they might look similar – so there are some really great things it can do for me from a research standpoint.

In addition, there are some tremendous social benefits that can be gained from a broader use of unmanned aircraft.

There are potential drawbacks, too, from the issue of privacy which has a lot of people upset, and rightfully so. One of the great things about UA is that they are so good at collecting ISR (Intelligent Surveillance and Reconnaissance) data – so if you lose someone in the woods you can put up a UA and it can fly for 24 hours in search mode. But because it is so good at that type of thing, you could enable people to use it for bad things too. So we have to be intelligent about it, and the University (of North Dakota) is playing an important role in this issue with an oversight committee and then we can reap all the benefits – all the good things it can do. There’s tremendous potential for economic development with the business opportunities, too.

It was exciting to read about the positive impacts that this technology can have and UND is really at the cutting edge of much of this development.

Yeah, it’s a really big deal, and one of the great benefits of this project has been the partnerships we’ve been able to develop.

What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced with the execution of this project? 

That’s a good question. From a technical standpoint, we’ve been able to do all the things we’ve wanted to do. We’re very lucky – we have a partnership that is very functional. One of the key elements to a successful partnership is that you have to have partners that are in it for the right reasons, the same goal, and you have to want to help one another achieve that goal together. Collectively, it’s not about any one of the partners doing something special, but it’s about all of you doing something special. And that’s what we have both with our internal and external partners. That being said, some of the biggest challenges can be political – being careful not to step on anyone’s toes.

Secondly, performing our tests and developing equipment is not cheap. It costs money to fly planes, do all of the testing and development, and it’s tough economic times, so that’s a challenge as well, for all of the partners to get enough resources to accomplish what we want to accomplish. But I think we are doing fairly well. It’s funny how you might set out to solve a technical problem but some of the biggest challenges you run into are fiscal or political.

But we’re extremely fortunate. The partnership has been incredible.

It’s fun to reflect on the various disciplines and partnerships over the past six or so years that have brought us to this point. Where do you think we’ll be in the next ten years?

You talk to people who might say UA need to be integrated into the national airspace “immediately”, and while I don’t disagree – it would be great! –the problems are challenging enough and the FAA by design is very cautious. So it will take a little bit of time, but it will happen, and when it does we’re going to be able to do some great things. I don’t think that in ten years our jetliners will be unmanned – you want that pilot up front, so I don’t know when or if we’ll ever cross that boundary.

What would say are some of the highlights of your academic research?

One of the highlights is the partnerships we have. I really do enjoy that aspect of it. I don’t know that relative to this project I’ll ever have another project that looks like that. But regardless it’s not often you get a chance to work on a problem with that much significance, with that kind of a team that has been brought together with those kinds of resources. So it is an exciting time.

But to be honest, as a researcher, a highlight could be a relatively small problem that you have solved that no one else has done before and it turns out to be a very cool thing. People have asked me why I go storm chasing and certainly it’s awesome to watch some of the things the atmosphere does, but you also learn by observing. And we want to understand why we’re getting these tornados, what processes are leading to these. And by learning about it, you hope to get to a better understanding, better forecasting, and better warnings that have a positive impact on people—that’s what it’s all about.

 

Dr Timothy Pasch is also presenting for the Dean’s Lecture Series. His presentation: The Evolution of the Scholarly Journal: Digital Convergence and Broader Impacts is in the Lecture Bowl at noon on March 6th. Read our interview here.

Examining the Conflict between Work & Family – TGS Dean’s Lecture presentation

The second of The Graduate School‘s 2011 Dean’s Lecture Series presentations is by Sociology professor, Dr Krista Lynn Minnotte. Dr Minnotte will speak on Wednesday at noon in the East Asia Room of the Chester Fritz Library – all are welcome!

We asked Dr Minnotte to share some thoughts prior to her talk:

Your Dean’s Lecture Series presentation will focus on the work-family relationship and the stresses that relationship bears. Could you describe your research in this area?

My research in this area broadly focuses on examining predictors of work-family conflicts, outcomes of such conflicts, solutions to work-family conflicts, and access to such solutions.  I use data from both large national datasets and smaller, localized datasets.  National datasets are useful because they are representative of the US as a whole, whereas localized datasets allow me to look at dyadic relationships in a much more nuanced manner. 

What impact does this imbalance have on the family unit?

Work-family conflict has numerous impacts on the people who encounter it—including decreased self-reported physical and mental health, along with decreased life, job, family, and marital satisfaction. These are just a few of the negative outcomes that have been connected to work-family conflict. 

Have you noticed more conflict among some workers than others?

Scholars often used to assume that those in upper-middle class jobs experienced the most conflict, and there is some evidence to support this idea.  At the same time, though, these individuals are more likely to have access to resources that allow for a smoother navigation of work and family.  I think that all workers experience work-family conflict, and we need more research exploring how people from different social class backgrounds might experience different types of conflicts and how the impacts of these conflicts may differ based on the resources a worker has access to. 

Are there some workforces that are leading the charge to bring that balance?

Large corporations are often more likely to offer a myriad of family-friendly benefits as a way of recruiting individuals for upper-middle class jobs.  There is some evidence to suggest that workers often don’t feel comfortable using such policies for fear of how others will evaluate them.  In other words, just because policies exist on the books doesn’t mean workers are necessarily using them.  Companies need to work at changing the workplace culture to make it one that values balance between work and non-work domains.

Recently the NSF and the White House announced policy changes that would hopefully make it easier for women scientists to start a family. Could you comment on those proposed changes?

The examination of the under-representation of women in what is referred to as the STEM fields in academia (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) is also part of my research program.  I know NSF has put substantial resources into trying to address the fact that the number of women obtaining doctorate degrees in these fields is not commensurate with their representation in tenure-track academic positions.  I was part of a research project in which we interviewed STEM faculty members (at another university) about their sources of job dissatisfaction.  Work-family conflicts were a major theme in the women’s interviews, whereas not one male faculty member mentioned this as a factor interfering with their job satisfaction.  The proposed policy changes sound like a step in the right direction. 

Dr Krista Lynn Minnotte will present her research on Wednesday at noon.

Women in Science: Nicole talks about her Microbiology & Immunology program

Nicole Haese is a graduate student and is also the Treasurer of the UNDWIS student group.

What is your field of science?

I am graduate student in the Microbiology and Immunology department, my research focuses around the subject of Immunology.

Can you describe your research?

I started out my research focusing on autoimmunity and ways to prevent the body from seeing itself as foreign. Specifically I am interested in the role immature dendritic cells play in tolerizing the immune system to antigens. It has been shown in the past that the protection conferred by immature dendritic cells is specific to the disease causing antigen. That is the antigen that the body attacks as foreign and causes diseases, if you treat immature dendritic cells with the antigen and give them to a mouse with the autoimmune disease, it has the potential to decrease the severity or delay the onset of symptoms. Previous work done in my lab suggested that the tolerance induced by immature dendritic cells may be antigen non-specific, and that protection can be induced by presentation of a tissue-associated antigen. I am working on further developing this idea by obtaining data from another autoimmune model.

Another project I am working on is developing a hybridoma to produce a monoclonal antibody using the B-cells from goose blood. The reason for using goose blood is to make a hybridoma that secretes IgY, an avian antibody. IgY is the primary avian antibody, it is similar to human IgG. The advantages of using IgY are that it does not interact with Fc receptors on host cells therefore activation of complement and rheumatoid factor are not an issue. In other words, IgY does not have to be humanized before being used in humans. Also, IgY has a higher avidity for antigens than IgG, meaning it will bind mores sites on an antigen. Right now I am working on the protocol for making such a hybridoma. It is thought that in the future antibodies will be able to be made against toxins produced by bacteria, and also viruses.

How important is mentorship in the development of young scientists?

I think that mentorship is important in the development of young scientists because science is not just about learning the information and taking a test. Science is about applying knowledge, which at times can be difficult. Looking at it from a research point of view, mentorship is important to help prevent the small bumps in the road from causing huge meltdowns. A majority of the time things do not work and it is much easier to keep going when there is someone to turn to, who has been through the same thing, that can say it will be okay and things will work out. There are also so many different aspects of life that are affected by research, personal life, social life, family life, and personal sanity. The library does not have a book to teach how to deal with those parts of life in the science field. One of the best ways to learn about how to deal with the non-science part of being a scientist is by talking with other people. When I started my graduate work I had a million questions, and I felt lost for quite a while. I think that mentorship would have helped me with the transition into becoming a graduate student and will help with future transitions. All in all, mentorship can provide a source of support, information, or just friendship to young scientists.

Do you feel there are still stereotypes surrounding women in the sciences?

Yes, I feel that there are stereotypes surrounding women in the sciences. I grew up in a very small farming town. One of the main career choices was agriculture. I grew up on a farm, but sure did not have the desire to spend the rest of my life raising cows and driving a tractor. There was not much of a focus on science in my high school years of education, but I feel that it was somewhat biased. In high school, all of the math and sciences teachers were male. Some of the teachers assumed that girls did not have much interest in science. I do not think the message was women are not as good at science and math, it was that, women belonged in a different field, maybe they could be a nurse, but that was it. I fell in love with science during my freshman year in high school. My freshman biology class was taught by a new teacher, one of his first teaching jobs. Most people did not like him as a teacher because he made us work really hard, but I thought it was all interesting. I became especially interested in genetics and how easy it was to see the connection between science and human life. This is what inspired me to get my undergraduate degree in cytogenetic technology.

Looking at the stereotypes of women in science at thing point in my career, the view is different. I do not think that the overall message is that women are unable to succeed in science. There are definitely a lot of female graduate students in the sciences, there are plenty of assistant and associated professors that are females, but there are not as many heads of departments or higher that are women. At some point in their career most women make a choice to either have a family or not, and I think that plays a big role in the lower numbers of women holding higher offices. It is no secret that being a head of a department and raising a family both take a lot of time, and sometimes sacrificing one or the other is not worth it.

What barriers have you had to overcome?

I have been fortunate in that I have not had to overcome many barriers to get to my current position. I had very supportive parents who pushed me to be successful and do whatever it is I wanted to do. During my undergraduate education I had a very very supportive research advisor who provided me with many opportunities to succeed in my research. She inspired me to pursue my PhD in Microbiology and Immunology and continues to be a person I turn to.

Interview with Annie Wargetz, Graduate Student in Space Studies is this week’s Women in Science post

What is your field of science?

I am currently in candidacy for a Masters of Space Studies.  My focus is in human factors, including life support systems, closed ecological systems, crew accommodations, human space flight, nutrition and physiology in space, and many, many more areas.

What sparked your interest in science?

I have been interested in astronomy, space, and astronauts since before I can remember.  One of the earliest memories I have is coming home from school to see the Challenger explosion.  That memory remains a very vivid memory for me.  In recent years, I have been inspired by Seth Shostak and Jill Tarter of the SETI Institute, Geoff Marcy of the University of California at Berkeley, Elon Musk of SpaceX, and astronaut Story Musgrave.  They all inspire me because they are pioneers and never give up.

Can you describe your research?

I am in my first semester here at UND, so I have not yet begun my own research.  However, I am reading a lot of research that has been done on crew nutrition, crew accommodations, and closed ecological systems for life support (such as BIOS-3 and Biosphere 2).  There are so many gaps in our knowledge and understanding of how to support a crew on a long duration space flight that my options are endless and I cannot wait to get started on my own research someday soon!

Have there been any special opportunities that you have been able to take advantage of?

Absolutely! The faculty and staff in the Space Studies department are all legends, so it is an honor to take their classes and listen to them discuss their research.  I am currently working as a GRA on an unmanned mission design team.  Our main objective is to send a space craft to an asteroid that could potentially hit the Earth and shove it out of the way.  I will be going to the SEDS conference in a few weeks in Boulder, Colorado where the keynote speaker is Bill Nye the Science Guy.  There is no shortage of special opportunities!

How important is it to have networking opportunities?

Networking in this job market is not only important, it is absolutely required.  Unfortunately, there are so many people out there trying to find work that the competition is fierce.  It truly is becoming an age where it is increasingly more important who you know as well as what you know.  Each person you meet could potentially become the link that gets you your next job.  As a grad student, going to conferences and getting your research out there and known is crucial.

 

For more on Women in Science in The Graduate School at the University of North Dakota check out these other posts:

 

Interview with Lisa Burnett – PhD student, Microbiology & Immunology, is this week’s Women in Science post
Introducing UND’s Women in Science Group
Women in Science – Challenges in being a (overly) supportive mentor

Interview with Lisa Burnett – PhD student, Microbiology & Immunology, is this week’s Women in Science post.

What is your field of science?

Short Answer: Microbiology and Immunology

Long Answer: I am studying the bacterial ribosome, or protein making apparatus in Escherichia coli. Our lab is interested in the purpose of certain ribosomal RNA modifications called pseudouridines and also how a particular ribosome associated protein (BipA) regulates the translation of stress response mRNAs.

What or who sparked your interest in science?

I have always been interested in science in general, particularly the general fields of Biology and Medicine.  I also love to “solve the puzzle” and was never satisfied with just knowing a fact; I always needed to know why.  I was first introduced to Microbiology in 10^th grade when I was allowed to substitute that for a semester of general Biology.  I dove into it with everything I had (mainly because I was younger than everyone else in the class and felt I had something to prove) and came away from that class with a very strong love for the topic and a respect for the power of the microbe.

Can you describe your research?

Aside from it being about the coolest thing in the world (but who doesn’t think their research is cool?), I am trying to understand how cells work on a very basic level.  I want to learn how a single cell “decides” what proteins to make and how it organizes itself to make rapid and often life or death changes to those expression levels.  To do this, I manipulate the genetics of E. coli (a non-pathogenic variety).  I then look at how these mutations affect how the cells grows in different environments and which proteins are expressed in those different environments.

How important is mentorship in the development of young scientists?

I think it can be extremely important at all levels of education.  Young kids need to be shown that science isn’t just for the nerdy and unpopular and that it can be fun and cool.  High School students need reassurance that all the work is worth it in the end or they will give up before they ever get to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  Undergraduate students are usually so desperate to be done with school that it takes a professor making a fairly strong impression on someone to get them to stick around for another 2-7 years.  As a graduate student I know how hard it can be on certain days and I have felt the sting of a failed experiment more than once.  The quote: “They call it RE-search for a reason” comes to mind.  Without a professor who can simultaneously push you to work harder and think deeper but also be there to catch you before you feel yourself plummeting off a cliff of disappointment, I don’t think many of us would make it.  I think that a good mentor, at any age, can be as valuable as the support you get from family and friends.  They are your “science parent” and your lab mates are your “science siblings.”  They really do become your second family.

Do you feel there are still stereotypes surrounding women in the sciences?

I feel that there are still stereotypes surrounding women in general.  There are many people that still hold on to the “a women’s place is…” belief system but, as the younger generations begin to make their way into faculty positions, my hope is that these beliefs will continue to disappear.

I think that this is not a problem that women face only in science careers, but in all areas.  It has been under 100 years since women were even given the right to vote in the United States, and while we as a nation and science as a community have made significant strides, there is still a ways to go.  My hope is that I can help to change peoples’ perspectives on scientists and women scientists in particular.

Have you had to overcome any barriers?

I have been fortunate that I have not received much in the way of resistance to my chosen career path, and what little I have received, I have always met with an “I’ll show you!”  attitude.  I did find myself worrying about things like whether or not my boyfriend (now husband) would be OK with his significant other making more money or if I should change my name when I got married. I was upfront with him about these things and he has always embraced my education and any decision I make.  I still worry about how to start a family and not to lose out on career opportunities.  Again, I am relying on the help of my husband and family to listen to me and when the time comes, provide any support that I may need.

In my career field, the disparity between the numbers of male and female students is nearly gone, even through the level of PhD completion, but when it comes to the number of women serving as faculty the disparity reappears.  I believe that the same issues that I deal with are a major reason why women tend to drop off the career path after completing their terminal degrees.  Often women feel like one side, family or career, must take a backseat to the other.  With our biological clocks ticking and our friends knee deep in offspring, we find ourselves hitting the books or working late nights in the lab wondering how we could continue this path and subject our children to it as well.  So, when forced to choose, many choose family.  There are no easy answers to this, and many other problems, that women, and scientists in general, face but I do believe that consciousness of these issues is improving and in time answers will appear.

Book co-authored by UND Graduate Faculty Members Wins Prestigious Award.

The 2011 Independent Publisher Book Awards, often referred to as “IPPY Awards,” have chosen Storytelling Time: Native North American Art from the Collections at the University of North Dakota as one of the “Outstanding Books of the Year.” A gold medal will be awarded at a gala celebration on the May 23 in New York City. The book was authored by UND graduate faculty members Arthur Jones and Lucy Ganje, along with Native-American artist and UND alum Nelda Schrupp.

In addition, Dr. Leigh Jeanotte, director of the UND American Indian Student Services and the American Indian Center, wrote the book’s Introduction. The book also includes poetry by Native American poet and UND alum Denise Lajimodiere. Several UND graduate students helped with research, photography, and other assistance for the book and with its production.The publication, released in 2010, was the culmination of several years of research.

According to Independent Publisher’s, the 13 winners of the “Outstanding Books of the Year” were chosen from among nearly 4,000 entries for “having the courage and creativity necessary to take changes, break new ground, and bring about change, not only to the world of publishing, but to our society.”

According to the book’s authors, the project involved a tremendous amount of research on the objects themselves, on the collection as a whole, and on how this art is viewed within the various departments where it is housed on campus. Of key concern in the study was an understanding of past and current viewpoints about the collecting of Native American art.

The authors were mindful of issues with this art, such as respect, appropriateness in terms of how the objects are handled, what can be photographed, and what can be put on exhibition.

On learning about the award, Arthur Jones said, “I was really surprised. In fact, I didn’t even know that the book was being considered. Our publisher [Hudson Hills Press] had apparently entered the book in the competition.”

Distinguished Research and Scholarship recognized

Each year, The Graduate School at UND recognizes the outstanding achievements of three students. These are students who have excelled in a doctoral, masters and creative field. About 60 friends, families and faculty gathered at the North Dakota Museum of Art last Friday for the awards ceremony presented by Graduate Dean, Joseph Benoit.

The process of selection takes about 9 months beginning with nominations by the faculty. Departments may send one nomination by either a Masters or Doctoral student whom they regard to be the best in their program. The students graduated in the previous academic year. The nominations are distributed to emeritus faculty who are chosen according to their ability to provide expertise and feedback to The Graduate School. The final selection is sent to our Graduate Committee.

The exceptional quality of dissertations, theses and exhibits made the final awards very difficult, but ultimately three were chosen. Our winners received a check and an etched crystal book award.

Distinguished Dissertation: “Functional Regulartion of the Transient Receptor Potential Canonical 1 by Caveolin 1 and Stromal Interaction Molecule 1“, Biswaranjan Pani Ph.D., Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
Faculty Advisory Committee: Dr Brij Singh, Dr Siegfried Detke, Dr Colin Combs, Dr James Foster and Dr John Watt.

Distinguished Thesis: “In Grain“, Lisa Linrud M.A., Department of English.
Faculty Advisory Committee: Dr Heidi Czerwiec, Dr Sherry O’Donnell, Dr Michael Beard

Distinguished Creative Exhibition: “(un)Natural“, Matthew Anderson M.F.A., Department of Art and Design.
Faculty Advisory Committee: Patrick Luber, Kim Fink, Anita Monsebroten.

"Adaptation" by Matthew Anderson

Dr Pani is continuing his research at UND with a Postdoctoral Fellowship.

Lisa Linrud collection of poems is in publication and will be available in a few short weeks. (Watch this space… we will post a link to her book very soon.)

And Matt Anderson was given an additional surprise at the awards ceremony with the presentation of his exhibition catalog that was expedited for the occasion. Here are a few photos from the day. We have also put more into our 2011 DDTCE album over on Picasa.

Dr Biswaranjan Pani shares his research in his Distinguished Dissertation

Dean Benoit presenting the Distinguished Creative Exhibition award to Matt Anderson

Lisa, Biswaranjan and Matthew with Dean Joseph Benoit

Lisa Linrud accepting her award for Distinguished Thesis

PhD student continues to earn success

Regular readers of our blog may recall that one of our Atmospheric Sciences graduate students was awarded a prestigious NASA Earth System Science Fellowship (NESSF) last year. Yingxi Shi continues to impress peers and colleagues with her research, having been awarded the Outstanding Student Paper award for the past AGU (American Geophysical Union) fall meeting. See below for her paper title and abstract:

Evaluation of the MODIS Deep Blue aerosol product over the North Africa Regions for aerosol forecasts related applications

Yingxi Shi¹, Jianglong Zhang¹, Jeffrey S. Reid², and Christina N. Hsu³

^{The MODIS Deep Blue aerosol product provides aerosol properties over bright surface regions such as the Saharan desert with a wide spatial coverage that is of a great value to applications such as aerosol data assimilation and aerosol forecasts. The reported uncertainties for the MODIS Deep Blue aerosol optical depth are on the order of 20-30% of the AERONET data.  A noise and bias reduced, quality assured aerosol product with well-categorized error statistics, however, is needed for advanced applications such as aerosol data assimilation.}

In this study, we evaluated the noise and uncertainties of the MODIS Deep Blue aerosol product using both ground based observations and space-borne observations from other sensors, such as MISR.  Uncertainties in the MODIS Deep Blue product were analyzed as functions of surface characteristics, observational conditions, and aerosol microphysics properties.  The possibility of including the MODIS Deep Blue aerosol product in aerosol modeling and aerosol forecasts were also explored.

¹Department of Atmospheric Science, University of North Dakota.
²Marine Meteorology Division, Naval Research Laboratory.
³NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

Congratulations to Yingxi on this recognition. Yingxi’s advisor is Dr Jianglong Zhang who was the 2011 Dean’s Lecture Series Speaker at the recent Graduate School Scholarly Forum.

History grad student wins national award for her novel

Danielle Mead Skjelver, a graduate student in the department of History at the University of North Dakota has won the National Research and Historic Preservation Award for her historic novel  Massacre: Daughter of War: A Novel. Her book is based upon real events and many of the characters are the author’s own ancestors. The award is given by the Daughters of Colonial Wars. To read some great testimonials about the book, click here. Congratulations, Danielle!

Danielle Mead Skjelver won the National Research and Historic Preservation Award for her novel