By Cynthia Rutz, Director of Faculty Development, CITAL<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Two proven ways to get students excited about learning are research and philanthropy. In the article below, you will learn about how the students of Kristi Bugajski (Biology) are raising money to combat malaria. You will also hear about two alumni whose introduction to research at Valpo led to a lifetime of continued exploration and learning. Scott Sanders talks about his continuing work on solar research and Anna (Wiersma) Strauss shares her journey back to public policy research. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kristi Bugajski: Fostering Student Philanthropy in a Biology Class<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Kristi Bugajski was awarded the 2022 CITAL Faculty Development Fellowship<\/a> for her project on using fundraising as a service-learning project.\u00a0 She got the idea for the project because she was teaching her students about malaria around the time of World Malaria Day (April 25).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n So in spring of 2022 she added World Malaria Day as a topic for her Arthropods and Disease course. She gave students the option of what they would like to do for it, whether a speaker, a symposium, or a fundraiser. They chose to hold a fundraiser, a 3-on-3 basketball tournament. Her students got help for this project from Ryan Cole, the Mark and Kathleen Helge Director of Student Philanthropy<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kristi only found out about Ryan\u2019s role because he happened to be teaching a Core class in the same room before her class met. Ryan served as a partner and consultant for both Kristi and her students. Unfortunately, because they started the project so late in the semester, their efforts fell short. So instead, the students did a social media blitz and still were able to raise $500, which bought 50 bed nets for families in Africa. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Kristi then decided to apply for the Fellowship so that she could improve the project the next time around. Since her class was not going to be taught this spring, she transferred the project to a senior seminar class. This fit in well with the biology department\u2019s re-envisioning of senior seminar as a way to link students to the kind of work they will be doing after graduation. So she offered the topic \u201cWorld Malaria Day\u201d as one among several senior seminar topics that students could choose from. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ryan Cole consulted on the course design, embedded in the class, did a presentation for students about fundraising strategies and techniques, and assisted with campus fundraising logistics and policies.The students chose four possible malaria charities to raise money for. Then groups of four researched one charity and did a class presentation on who runs it and where the money goes. Finally, the class voted and chose the UN Foundation group \u201cUnited to Beat Malaria.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n The students created a fundraising webpage: Beacon Biologists Against Malaria<\/a>. They are also hosting a fundraiser at Aftermath Cidery & Winery<\/a> on April 26. Here is the flyer that students created, which includes a QR code for donations: Malaria day (1).pdf<\/a> Kristi reports that this is the most engaged senior seminar she has ever had, with students bouncing ideas off each other. For their final paper, they will write about how funding has impacted one aspect of malaria treatment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Potentially,this project could become part of a sophomore year, one-credit course focussed on \u201cbiology in the community\u201d that all majors will take. The biology faculty think that seeing the direct positive impact of their research will do a lot for student retention in the major.<\/p>\n\n\n\n FINAL NOTE:\u00a0 The goal of Valpo\u2019s Student Philanthropy Programs<\/a> is to help students connect their passions to meaningful and purposeful generosity that they can cultivate and sustain throughout life.\u00a0 Supporting courses that introduce philanthropic principles is just one way this is being accomplished.\u00a0 If you would like to think about how to include experiential philanthropy components in your courses, reach out to the Director of Student Philanthropy Programs at Ryan.cole@valpo.edu.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Scott Sanders: Passing on His Love of Research<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Scott was an engineering major who was able to work on Valpo\u2019s solar furnace during his time here. As he tells it, \u201cProfessor Robert (Bob) Palumbo was generous enough to allow some of us students to work with him on solar energy research in the late 90s. I think we got both a patent and an academic journal publication out of it, and they were my first.\u201d\u00a0 Scott also did a co-op at Argonne National Laboratory where he got another patent.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n All of this work, and Professor Palumbo\u2019s encouragement, got Scott interested in graduate school. He and another student who worked on the solar research team got research assistantships at Stanford University in 1997 under the same advisor: Ronald (Ron) Hanson. At least three more Valpo students joined Ron’s group in the following years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Scott is now a professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has over 80 journal publications and over 25 patents. His research focus has been on topics that are closely related to his undergraduate research at Valpo. But during the pandemic, he also did a lot of mask research. He says that \u201cIt was great to contribute to an urgent problem and develop life-saving technology.\u201d Scott has now advised at least 50 undergraduate students. Some of them have written journal papers and some are now professors themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Anna (Wiersma) Strauss: Getting the Bug for Public Policy Research<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Anna came to Valpo excited to get a liberal arts education and broaden her horizons.\u00a0 Her interdisciplinary major (IECA) let her take classes in Economics, Spanish, and Political Science. She wrote a senior thesis on Economic Development and Human Rights in Latin America, with Dr. Gregg Johnson as her advisor. As a Christ College Honors Scholar, she wrote an additional honors senior thesis on differing perspectives about the \u201cLanguage of Human Rights\u201d. While at Valpo, she presented this work at her first ever academic research conference (NCUR 2013). She also did two off-campus study programs in Valparaiso, Chile and Washington, D.C. For the latter, she interned at the Department of State Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs while taking evening classes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Anna says that \u201cAll of the above gave me both the research and travel bugs!\u201d So she applied to Masters programs in D.C. and abroad, and ended up at The American University of Paris for two years. She completed master\u2019s thesis research in India on sustainable microfinance. Her Spanish language skills from Valpo helped her land an internship at the OECD (headquartered in Paris) Global Relations Secretariat, working in the Latin America Division, where she worked her way up to the title of Policy Analyst over the next 6 years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While she loved her time at the OECD, Anna says that she \u201cwasn\u2019t developing content expertise on the social policy issues that I was most passionate about, or doing much quantitative research.\u201d So, she decided to go back to school. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Public Administration. Her dissertation focuses on social spending through the tax code to support families. Anna has found it invigorating to tap into the research community and resources of a top R1 university in her field, so she encourages current Valpo students to pursue research so that these doors for them as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Cynthia Rutz, Director of Faculty Development, CITAL Two proven ways to get students excited about learning are research and philanthropy. In the article below, you will learn about how the students of Kristi Bugajski (Biology) are raising money to combat malaria. 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In the article below, you will learn about how the students of Kristi Bugajski (Biology) are raising money to combat malaria. 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