The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Engineering (SOE) has donated 50 protective face shields to the SIUE Police Department and has plans to provide the critical personal protection equipment (PPE) to Anderson Hospital next week.

SOE Lab Manager Jagath Gunasekara, PhD, and Brent Vaughn, lab specialist and lecturer in the Department of Civil Engineering, delivered the face shields.

“The SIUE Police Department thanks SIUE Engineering and Dean Karacal for making and outfitting the SIUE police officers with the much needed face shields” said Police Chief Kevin Schmoll. “The face shields will allow our officers to do their jobs knowing they have all the PPE needed to keep them safe during this pandemic.” 

 “The School has quite bit of technical know-how and fabrication equipment, including a set of 3D printers to make protective face shields,” said SOE Dean Cem Karacal, PhD. “Through the dedicated work of Lab Managers Brent Vaughn and Jagatah Gunasekera, we were able to try alternative designs, select one and quickly make test production runs. This was an excellent example of University/community collaboration when circumstances required us to pull our expertise and resources together to help each other.”

Vaughn said conversations began in late March among SOE and Biological Sciences faculty regarding their 3D printers to produce PPE for nearby hospitals and first responders. “Through those collective ideas, we chose to focus on a face shield design (attribution to IC3D, Inc. and Budmen Industries) that had been reviewed by National Institutes of Health to meet FDA requirements for production of protective face shields,” he said.

The School’s next effort will be in assisting Anderson Hospital. “After having several communications with Madison County Emergency Management Director Tony Falconio, I contacted Anderson Hospital Risk Management,” Karacal said. “They were looking for protective face shields, as well. We are going to donate 60 units on Monday (April 27).”

Karacal noted that finding the plastic sheet is the major challenge. “As soon as we secure more plastic sheets, we plan to make additional batches for the hospital and for the police department, if they need more.” 

A significant donation from Narayan Bodapati, PhD, former chair of the SIUE Department of Construction, is greatly assisting the effort. “Dr. Bodapati is a well-known name in this area’s construction circles,” Karacal said. “When he heard about our attempt to help with the crisis, he donated $10,000 to the School, so we could buy three additional 3D printers to increase production. His donation was quite meaningful and timely.”

Vaughn said that when the additional printers are put into service, production capability will be 200 face shields per week. The two original 3D printers could produce four face shield frames at once. In addressing the shortage of plastic sheet, they have learned that certain report cover material, that is more readily available, will also meet the requirements.

Once the crisis is over, the additional 3D printers will be put in service in the Nidec 3D and Electronics lab of the SOE’s Fowler Student Design Center. 

Photo (L-R): SIUE Police Officer Katie Kircher tries on a face shield, as Sergeant Dan Murphy watches. School of Engineering’s Jagath Gunasekera and Brent Vaughn delivered the personal protective equipment.

Lower (L-R): Gunasekara and Vaughn in their lab.

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Director of Athletics Tim Hall is dealing with an unprecedented situation as he leads the department through the COVID-19 pandemic. Unique conditions are requiring creative adjustments to be implemented across the board from training, recruitment, academic support and more.

As the Cougars deal with the challenges of caring for their student-athletes on a variety of levels, Sports Information Director Joe Pott is producing “Isolation Conversations” with Hall and his staff to share behind the scenes perspectives. The video features are available at siuecougars.com, on Twitter at @SIUECougars and on the SIUE Cougars Facebook page.

“If you could put on a clinic demonstrating how to manage a situation or national disaster, the way our institution has managed this has been a how-to clinic,” Hall said during his Isolation Conversations segment. “The University’s administrative team has acted in the best interests of students, and made adjustments for the safety and well-being of faculty and staff. Things are progressing in as normal a fashion as possible, considering what we’re going through.”

Hall emphasizes the need for care, compassion and concern for the student-athletes. “Everyone is someone’s son or daughter,” he said. “So, the question you ask is what would I want for my child? Treating those individuals with respect, honor, dignity and stability is essential. We are an institutional family. We also want all of our staff to be in the best possible position amid this pandemic.”

Hall underscored two primary thoughts with regard to the Cougars’ coaching staff. “We have to be comfortable with ambiguity. An example is the adjustment of the recruiting calendar from none in April, being extended to none until the end of May.

“We are also adjusting to abide by the NCAA countable hours rule. We’re not going to have any physical type of interaction, because it’s hard to do physical training through virtual or distance learning. In our countable hours, we can conduct zoom sessions, offer video breakdown, share leadership videos, but no actual activity, because it’s in the best interest of the student-athletes, keeping them safe and healthy.”

Spring Sport/Tennis

Second-year Cougar Tennis Head Coach Adam Albertson was one of many spring sport leaders who saw their season abruptly end before it truly got started.

“We were already into the start of a good season, having just finished a match in Alabama and preparing to open the OVC season,” said Albertson, who explained an emotional conversation with his team. “It was tough for myself and tough for our team. We had nine student-athletes that completely bought in this year. Our best tennis was still to come. Things were starting to click, and we were looking sharp.”

Albertson has an intriguing challenge with more international student-athletes than most Cougar squads. “We are a unique team with international students from Colombia, Australia, Belgium and Germany,” he said. “All of our group decided it was best to be home with family and be safe, so we lined up flights as soon as we got back to campus. The way our whole University has rallied and helped students has been great to see and makes me proud to be a Cougar.”

Albertson said the first few days following the Stay-at-Home order were spent checking on individuals to make sure they made it home and were getting adjusted. “We have a couple engineering majors, biology and science majors, nutrition – suddenly your chemistry course is online when it wasn’t before. We had a Zoom last week, and we only missed one person, because it was 3 a.m. in her country. Everyone’s doing well for the most part.”

While normally preparing for travel at this time of the year or for a home weekend or OVC play, this is a completely different time for Albertson and his team. “A coach this time of year is used to being in the office seven days a week, weekend practices, matches, training, having it taken away makes you appreciate it,” he said. “I’ll never take for granted a practice or a morning workout with my team again. It shows you how much your team and season means to you. You build for that, the meetings, practice, off-season stuff, academic work and recruiting. To have the rug pulled out from under you shows you how important it is to you.”

“For student-athletes, just about every place, it’s been taken away – courts are locked up, nets are taken down,” Albertson said. “The stay-at-home order is so strict, kids get a little cardio workout, go for a jog, but their normal practice/training mode is gone. It’s tough on everyone, but we realize it’s bigger than us.”

Winter Sport/Wrestling

The Cougars wrestling team is a winter sport and was close to the NCAA Championships when the shutdown occurred. Sixth-year Head Coach Jeremy Spates had to adjust to the pinnacle event of the year not happening. Tyshawn Williams (senior, Baltimore, MD) and Justin Ruffin (sophomore, McDonough, GA) were anticipating bids.

“This year, U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, home of the Minnesota Vikings, had sold 44,000 tickets to the NCAA Tournament. It would’ve been an opportunity to wrestle in front of twice as many fans as usual. To miss out on that chance at history is disappointing.”

Spates communicated through group text early. Eventually, he sent his student-athletes a more formalized practice plan. “Before that, our strength and conditioning staff did a great job of sending them things that they could do at home,” he said. “Last week, we did our first Zoom meeting, asking them how are they doing, how is their family doing, what do they have access to weight-wise?”

Spates appreciates his young, hungry group. “They were looking forward to this training phase,” he said. “In the spring, we usually go to freestyle and Greco. They’re trying to do as much as they can work-out-wise. They’re running, lifting on their own, studying video.

Spates’ focus is turning to preparing for next year. “Normally, we’re wrestling and weightlifting three times per week at this point,” he said. “Every NCAA athlete is going through this. Let’s control the things that we can control. Let’s use this time to work on mentality and creating an attacking style. There’s lots of resources like podcasts, articles and great wrestlers are putting out a lot of good content.”

Spates believes this experience could work as motivation for a lot of athletes. “When it’s time to get back on the mat, they realize they miss it, they love it, they realize they’ve been training like crazy for years and do they still want to do this?” he said. “I think our guys will use it in a positive way, because they’re ready to go, they’re excited about their futures, and we’ve got a tight knit group. When they’re on the Zoom calls, everyone is smiling, laughing, and you can tell they want to be together.”

Sport Psychology

Lindsay Ross-Stewart, PhD, associate professor of Exercise and Sport Psychology in the SIUE School of Education, Health and Human Behavior, serves as the Department of Athletics’ sports psychologist. She has spent countless hours counseling student-athletes on the mental aspect of dealing with the pandemic and staying at home.

“The first question is how do we help each other as humans?” Ross-Stewart said. “Each individual is unique, and they’re in different situations. The first couple weeks were spent checking in, making sure that they’re feeling OK. Our focus was on about having to move, leaving their roommates, or staying here and being away from their families.”

Ross-Stewart acknowledged that we’re all experiencing something truly unique. “Athletes, coaches, everyone is going through it,” she said. “Working at it from that place first is important. Now, as an individual gets somewhat used to this, how do they start to ramp up their training and use this time to their best advantage athletically.”

Ross-Stewart acknowledges the sense of loss that student-athletes are experiencing. “Athletes go through stages of loss when careers end through injury or graduation,” she said. “Certainly, this is the same thing, and it happened so suddenly. They had put in all this work, had a successful season, had this idea about what was to come, excitement about what they’d been working for. To have that all disappear is difficult.

“As people are dying around the world, there’s sometimes feelings of guilt or selfishness about feeling sad about sports. The truth is these are two completely different things, and you can be sad about your experience, while recognizing other people are going through something difficult, as well.”

Ross-Stewart admits it’s also been difficult for her. “In any kind of role in athletics, we’re all in this for our student-athletes,” she said. “It is difficult to be pulled away from them. For the student-athletes, they are used to having their support network – their academic advisors, their coaches – it’s important to connect. Just seeing someone’s face and their reactions is impactful.”

With SIUE’s cancelation of study abroad activities until at least Aug. 15 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, faculty like Sorin Nastasia, PhD, director of the College of Arts and Sciences’ International Studies program, have had to get especially creative for their students.

Nastasia has developed a virtual study abroad option for his students who cannot delay their travel plans without also delaying degree completion.

Edwardsville Intelligencer reporter Scott Marion shared Nastasia’s plans for the summer program and how participating student Gabby Wimes is­­­­ remaining optimistic about the opportunity. Read the story here.

SIUE’s Musonda Kapatamoyo, PhD, associate professor and chair of the Department of Mass Communications, has partnered to create Madison Curbside, an online app that connects users with businesses offering curbside pick-up services during Illinois’ Stay-at-Home order.

Now available for use, the app features multiple Edwardsville locations and a few in Alton. Its creators are working to add locations in other localities throughout Madison County. 

Details on Madison Curbside are available in an article written by Colin Feeney on RiverBender.com. Read the story here.

Among the major challenges educators across the country are facing are the inability to connect with students face-to-face and transitioning hands-on learning assignments to fit the virtual classroom.

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville alumni Marie Gipson and Benjamin Scamihorn are among the numerous educators creatively adjusting their communication and teaching to maintain relationships with their students and ensure positive learning experiences.

“I spend so much time with my students and genuinely care about every one of them. Having all of that ripped away so suddenly is a feeling that is hard to describe,” said Benjamin Scamihorn, a biology and environmental science teacher at Sedona Red Rock High School in Sedona, Ariz. “I naturally refer to them as my kids, and now that I’m not with my kids, I worry about and miss them every day.”

Scamihorn earned a bachelor’s in biology in 2018, with secondary education licensure, and a master’s in biology in 2019, both from SIUE. He is aiming for balance and equity as he facilitates learning online.

“The majority of learning in my class is through hands-on work, analyzing and discussing data, and problem-solving in groups,” he explained. “It has been challenging trying to find the balance of what my students are able to accomplish without my and each other’s help. As teachers, we must also be aware of the challenges that our students could be experiencing at home and make sure we have equity at the forefront of our minds when planning our lessons. I try to plan work that challenges my students, but is also manageable and doesn’t greatly increase their stress during this already stressful time.”

Reaching students through various digital platforms is increasingly common among educators. Scamihorn and fellow alum Marie Gipson, a high school teacher in Guthrie Center, Iowa, have amplified their presence on Instagram as a way to maintain connections with their students.

“Before the shift to online learning, I used my ‘teachergram’ to document what students were doing in my classroom and to share ideas with colleagues,” said Gipson, who earned a bachelor’s in chemistry, with secondary education licensure, from SIUE in 2018. “Now, I am using it as a way to stay connected with students by posting simple questions and sharing STEM challenges to keep them thinking about science. Overall, students have been interacting with it and love being able to connect in a way that is relevant to them.”

“Instagram is a great opportunity, if handled appropriately,” Scamihorn added. “I use it to respond to questions my students may have, and to let them know that I am here and still thinking of them. I also provide some optional educational challenges for my students. At the beginning of every class, I do a “Good Things” session where students can share something positive that is happening in their life. I’ve been doing this virtually every day and sharing my students “Good Things” on my Instagram story.”

Both Scamihorn and Gipson participated in the Noyce Scholar Community at SIUE, an opportunity they say built their confidence and inspired their career path. The Noyce Scholarship program at SIUE provides up to two years of funding for qualified math and science majors to seek secondary education licensure in their junior and senior years. Details are available at SIUENoyce.org.

“The Noyce program helped build my confidence in teaching by putting me in the classroom early and allowing opportunities for me to interact with teachers in the community on a regular basis,” Gipson recalled. “We had monthly seminars with teachers who taught in high needs schools, and there was something each month I could take away to use in my own classroom.”

“When I say the Noyce program changed my life, I am not being dramatic,” Scamihorn added. “The Noyce summer internship was one of the best experiences of my life and made me realize that I wanted to pursue teaching as a career. The teaching program at SIUE provided a broad set of tools to be successful in different educational settings, while also providing the specific experiences to prepare me for teaching science at the high school level.”

Despite difficulties in the educational environment stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, Gipson calls this time an opportunity to remember what is important.

“For me, that has been keeping student relationships and continuing to make learning a positive experience, even if that means totally changing the way I teach,” she said. “What a great time to channel your creativity and network with other educators. I have learned so much from other educators during this time.”

Photo: (L-R) SIUE Alumni Ben Scamihorn and Marie Gipson.

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville will present an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters to Larry Heitz at the fall 2020 commencement exercises in December. Heitz will be acknowledged during the spring 2020 virtual commencement on Saturday, May 9.

Heitz is SIUE’s first student to graduate with a master’s in business administration from the School of Business. He has served as an executive in residence at SIUE for more than 10 years and is currently serving on the SIUE Foundation Campaign Planning Committee. He annually visits with faculty, mentors students and serves as a guest lecturer. He established an annual MBA scholarship in 2010 and endowed the Heitz Faculty Research Award in 2017. He also was a financial contributor to the Cougar Business Resource Center, which opened in 2012. He was inducted into the SIUE Alumni Association Hall of Fame in 2011.

“While we are disappointed that Larry will not be honored in person this May, we are pleased that he will be back on campus in December to celebrate this achievement,” said School of Business Dean Tim Schoenecker, PhD. “Larry has been a dedicated alumnus, traveling to campus from his home in Arizona annually to meet with current students and provide guest lectures in various classes. Furthermore, he has endowed an annual award to honor excellence in faculty scholarship. Larry represents the epitome of an engaged alumnus.”

Heitz has held influential positions throughout his career, including engineer at Owens Illinois and program manager with Emerson Electric Aerospace. Starting as a product manager in 1970 at Tubular Steel, Inc., he rose through the ranks during his 18-year tenure to become president and chief executive officer. 

In 1988, Heitz began a mergers and acquisitions business, Triac Partners and later Riverside Partners. He acquired more than 10 businesses in the medical and high-tech manufacturing areas, and started companies in five different countries to expand existing companies. He also introduced Eagle Investments in 2002.

Heitz has served on the boards of a number of companies and not-for-profit organizations, such as York Industries, Research Biochemicals, EntraCare Medical Devices, Life 365 Medical software, Tumbleweed Center for Youth Development and others.  

Heitz’s humanitarian and community service efforts are numerous. He has worked with homeless youth in St. Louis and Arizona to create scholarships and housing opportunities, as well as directing programs designed to help clients find housing, earn an education and gain employment.

Organizations such as Golf Fore Africa, which focuses on bringing clean drinking water to rural Africa, have benefitted from Heitz’s consulting. He was able to help the organization quadruple its fundraising efforts.

Heitz established The Lawrence Institute in 2016. The organization’s mission is to help individuals permanently improve their lives. The Institute works primarily with not-for-profit organizations to provide programs offering life skills education, healthcare, and job skill development leading to sustainable long-term, measurable improvement in people’s lives. The Institute typically focuses on building a leadership team, developing effective strategic plans and creating systems that focus on growth and sustainable results.

Heitz and his wife, Sharon, have provided resources and developed programs for children and adolescents living with AIDS, who are being cared for at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. The program helps patients learn how to socialize/normalize living with AIDS in today’s society providing a dedicated psychologist and therapist for the patients and their families.

Heitz earned a bachelor’s in industrial management, mechanical engineering in 1966 from Purdue University’s Krannert School of Management before achieving his MBA at SIUE in 1969.

Photo: Larry Heitz, recipient of SIUE Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters.

From what he wears, precautions he takes before entering the hospital, and how he interacts with medical teams and patients to his educational responsibilities and safety measures upon returning home, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Pharmacy’s (SOP) Jared Sheley, PharmD, has changed his daily practices in every way.

A Clinical Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice in the SOP, Sheley holds a joint appointment as a clinical pharmacy specialist at HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in O’Fallon, Ill. He earned his doctorate from the SIUE SOP in 2012.

“I work with attending physicians and medical resident physicians with the Saint Louis University Family Medicine Residency program to provide the most appropriate, effective and safe evidenced-based care for patients being treated by my particular service, which can include patients admitted to any unit of the hospital for nearly any reason,” Sheley explained. “We serve as the primary treatment team for all of the patients’ needs throughout their hospital stay.”

“We typically meet as a multidisciplinary team every morning to discuss assessments and decide on plans for all of the patients’ medical needs, and follow up throughout the day as needed,” he added. “In addition to this, I am responsible for implementing and documenting treatment plans for pharmacy-driven protocols to manage things such as antibiotic dosing and monitoring, dosing of blood thinning medications and more.”

While still seeing patients with a variety of health challenges, individuals battling COVID-19 are among those he’s currently serving. The magnitude of the pandemic, and corresponding health and safety directives have dramatically altered Sheley’s work.

“I regularly educate our physicians and other medical staff on treatments and evidence for treatments, both in an informal way during our daily interactions, now done by phone whenever possible, as well as through formal lectures which I typically lead each week,” he added. “This has been important with COVID-19, as it is such a new disease for everyone, and we continue to learn more about it every day. There is a lot of new information coming out quickly, as well as a lot of misinformation circulating among both the public and healthcare settings.”

Sheley’s colleague, SIUE alumna Dawn Dankenbring, PharmD ’11, Pharmacy Residency Program Director at HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, is also providing direct patient care to COVID-19 patients. She is one of the pharmacists working in the Intensive Care Unit. She credits the hospital’s proactive development of a multidisciplinary COVID-19 Task Force with clearly defining processes of how best to manage the surge of positive patients.

“This task force continues to meet daily, and my role as a representative of the Pharmacy Department, is to keep our hospital staff informed of our current drug inventory, as unfortunately, national drug shortages present a real challenge in effectively caring for these patients,” Dankenbring said.

“The biggest challenge in these circumstances is trying to pharmacologically manage the relative unknown, and with limited drug availability,” she explained. “There are days when you feel that maybe what you are doing is having an impact, and others that are nothing short of disheartening.”

Despite the personal and professional challenges surrounding the novel Coronavirus, Sheley and Dankenbring remain committed to the oath they took as pharmacists, vowing to consider the welfare of humanity and relief of suffering as primary concerns, and applying knowledge, experience and skills to assure optimal patient outcomes.

“Pharmacists play a vital role in ensuring patients receive the most effective and safest treatment possible, and that is as important now as ever,” Sheley emphasized. “I am limiting direct interaction with patients, wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) when appropriate, and avoiding interactions with people outside my immediate family to avoid being a vector of disease spread.”

Dankenbring notes a positive emerging in this unprecedented time is the collaboration among healthcare workers across the country, even between those who work for “competitor” hospitals and health systems.

“Pharmacists continue to work diligently, on and off the clock, to review the rapidly emerging scientific evidence for treatment from around the globe,” she said.

To the public she urged, “Please understand that at this point in time, our best course of action continues to be prevention. As social distancing measures begin to lessen, it is important not to become complacent, and to continue to practice proper infection control precautions.”

Photo: (L-R) SIUE School of Pharmacy Clinical Assistant Professor Jared Sheley, PharmD, and alumna Dawn Dankenbring, Pharmacy Residency Program Director at HSHS St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in O’Fallon, Ill.

“We’re all in this together.” The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Nursing’s (SON) Student Nurses Association (SNA) is proving that to be true, as they host a flash store to help raise funds for their fellow students undergoing hardship due to COVID-19 through the SIUE Student Emergency Assistance Fund.

The saying is featured on four shirt options available in multiple colors on their two-week flash store site. Also for sale is a pack of five face masks. One hundred percent of the proceeds will be donated to the SIUE Student Emergency Assistance Fund, which helps students needing financial assistance for a variety of reasons during the COVID-19 pandemic.

To shop, visit siue/give and click on the “#SIUETogether Apparel” tab at the top of the page. Purchases can be made through Thursday, May 7.

“SNA knows that numerous students are struggling financially as many have lost their jobs or have parents out of work,” said SNA President Sydney Kesner, a senior nursing major from Highland. “A major aspect of SNA is service to the University. We raise money annually for SIUE nursing scholarships. We hope that this fundraiser can assist some of our fellow students in need during the current crisis.”

The idea for the flash store was first presented by Scott Jackson with Casual Tees in Edwardsville to SNA Faculty Advisor Jean LaFolette, RN. SNA leaders quickly decided to support the SIUE Student Emergency Assistance Fund to assist their fellow students in need.

“For several years, I have had the privilege of a business relationship with SIUE. I live and work in Edwardsville, so I know how valuable the students are to the community. It seemed natural to support them,” said Jackson. “This is a small way for me to give back to those who have supported me for these years.” 

“SNA is a large organization, with over 400 members, so we thought we could get a good sale going and raise money for students in need through this fund,” LaFolette, an instructor in the SON’s Department of Family Health and Community Health Nursing.

SON leaders expressed their appreciation for and pride in the SNA members’ kindhearted efforts.

“The pandemic has created unprecedented challenges that are directly impacting the lives, education and future careers of our nursing students,” said SON Dean Laura Bernaix, PhD, RN. “Having SNA step forward with the creation of the “We are all in this together – SIUE” project demonstrates how compassionate our students are toward their peers. They are innovative leaders whose dedication and commitment toward ensuring a strong nursing workforce is exemplified by this wonderful deed.”

“This effort underscores the remarkable leadership, altruistic values and dedication of our nursing students, and their ingenuity, too,” added SON Senior Director of Development Patti McDonald. “We are incredibly proud of SNA’s encouraging and engaging response to the challenges facing the SIUE community during this crisis.”

The SIUE Student Emergency Assistance Fund is made possible through a partnership between the Office of Student Affairs and the SIUE Foundation. Financial issues students are confronting due to the loss of wages or otherwise include overdue rent or utility bills, challenges with wireless hotspot or internet service to complete coursework for the term, groceries, and travel related to the illness or death of an immediate family member.

“Supporting the Student Emergency Assistance Fund is important because the number of students who can be served is subject to the availability of funds,” explained SIUE Foundation Director of Annual Giving Julie Babington. “The fund is sustained by contributions from alumni, parents, faculty, students, staff and friends of SIUE. The fund is currently at just over $20,000 and our campaign goal is to reach $40,000.”

“The SNA’s effort is especially timely as the SIUE Foundation is currently joining the global generosity movement #SIUEGivingTuesdayNow running through Tuesday, May 5,” Babington added.

Decisions on funding recipients are made by Student Affairs staff in coordination with the Student Financial Aid Office. Details on the process for students to apply for assistance are available at siue.edu/student-affairs/student-conduct/student-emergency-assistance.

Photo: The SIUE School of Nursing Student Nurses Association flash store includes both short- and long-sleeve shirts in a variety of colors and a pack of five masks.

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Engineering industrial engineering seniors Brittany Booten, Stephen Holdenried and Jacob Muenchau have been selected to participate in the virtual global finals of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE)/Rockwell Undergraduate Student Simulation Competition. 

Booten, of St. Louis, Holdenried, of Edwardsville, and Muenchau, of Freeburg, will attend the IISE Annual Conference and Expo Oct. 31-Nov. 3 at the Hyatt Regency in New Orleans. The first, second and third place winners will be announced at the Honors and Awards Banquet on Monday, Nov. 2.

 “We feel quite fortunate to be a part of this experience and to be able to create something that Rockwell enjoyed,” Booten said. “Our team collaborated so well, because we recognized each other’s strengths and used that to our advantage. We each bring a unique skillset and background to the table. By letting each other lead in the parts we were excited to work on, we were able to let those skills shine.” 

“Our solution was a combined visual and logical approach to representing the process of a transportation company’s material and barge movement,” Holdenreid said. “The key to designing the simulation was a twin-resource utilization used for representing resource needs for space and materials, and non-terminating entities to represent the barges on their trips. We pushed for greater usability of the model by outside disciplines with VBA (visual basic for applications) integration for easier manipulation of simulation states and a 3D graphic interface for more natural visualization.”

Hoo Sang Ko, PhD, associate professor of Industrial Engineering, served as the team’s advisor. “This is a highly competitive international contest where students from top research universities have participated with a good track record,” he said. “But, we know SIUE has many talented and dedicated students. I was able to easily pick a team of self-motivated and confident students for the competition. Their genuine curiosity and dedication to teamwork certainly paid off. I am glad to prove that our students are never underdogs, and I believe this experience will help them excel in their careers.”

“The 2020 IISE/Rockwell simulation competition is one of the biggest student competitions in the national and international IE community,” said Sohyung Cho, PhD, professor and Industrial Engineering program director. “I appreciate Dr. Ko’s time and effort to advise this team. It is a remarkable achievement.”

Research findings of SIUE’s Chaya Gopalan, PhD, indicate that excess weight may cause mental fatigue. Gopalan is an associate professor in the Departments of Applied Health and Primary Care and Health Systems.

Her research endeavor was highlighting in an article posted Thursday, April 30 on Hindustantimes.com.

SIUE School of Nursing alumnae and former SIUE Women’s Soccer teammates Lindsey Fencel and Caroline Hoefert are registered nurses practicing amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Both completed a bachelor’s in nursing in 2018. The Alton Telegraph detailed their current experiences and future plans in an article posted Wednesday, April 29. View the article here.

For many aspiring educators, student teaching offers an important test of their abilities and is an exciting step that further solidifies their passion. It’s their opportunity to apply knowledge and skills in a classroom filled with eager learners, with the safe oversight of experienced cooperating teachers.

But, with schools across the country moving to an online learning environment amid the COVID-19 pandemic, those student teaching experiences have been disrupted, much to the disappointment of numerous teacher candidates. In response, the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Education, Health and Human Behavior’s Early Childhood Education program, quickly found ways to help teacher candidates continue to grow as early childhood professionals.

The program determined a valuable way to maintain growth and development was to offer the Pyramid Model for Social and Emotional Learning training program for all early childhood teacher candidates.

“Illinois has adopted the Pyramid Model for all preschool programs across the state, including Head Start, state-funded Preschool for All programs, early childhood special education and childcare,” said Elizabeth Sherwood, EdD, professor and graduate program director in the Department of Teaching and Learning. “Anyone who is hired to teach in one of these programs must complete the training. The fact that all of our students will graduate with the training completed will be an asset as they enter the workforce, whether in Illinois or in the 30 other states that use it.”

According to Sherwood, the Pyramid Model helps teachers develop a deeper understanding of children’s social and emotional development, and gives them useful strategies for preventing and managing challenging behavior.

“Students were saddened and frustrated at having to leave their student teaching placements,” she explained. “The Pyramid Model training gave them a valuable and meaningful way to continue to grow as early childhood professionals.”

Sherwood surveyed approximately 30 early childhood administrators across the region about the program’s value and its ease of use for students. “They loved the idea of being able to hire new teachers who understood this approach,” she said of survey respondents. “I thank Department of Teaching and Learning Chair Jessica Krim and all of the people along the purchasing chain that made this happen quickly, so our students would have ample time to complete the training.”

Early childhood major Megan Gugliotta, of Galesburg, appreciated the opportunity to add the Pyramid Model to her resume.

“The training is about social emotional learning, which is important to understand and teach as an educator,” Gugliotta said. “In your classroom, your students need to feel safe before any academic learning can happen. For students to be able to express how they feel helps them individually, and to interact with peers and adults. Actively doing this training will help me and my fellow educators leave a longer lasting impact in the classroom environment and on students.”

“I have seen students, like Megan, take this and run with it,” noted Tammy Walls, instructor and field supervisor for the early childhood education program. “Our students have been motivated and self-sufficient. Each individual has shown a high level of professionalism through this.”

“This training will help students be successful in their own classrooms this fall,” added Rebecca Armentrout, instructor and field supervisor for the early childhood education program. “The students have stayed positive and continued to work diligently through this unique time, while shifting from being in the classroom to remote learning.”

The Department of Teaching and Learning celebrated its graduates with a special virtual gathering on Tuesday, April 28. Early childhood education graduates will be among those honored during SIUE’s virtual commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 9.

Photo: SIUE early childhood education major Megan Gugliotta is among the students that completed the Pyramid Model for Social and Emotional Learning training program.

KMOX Reporter Megan Lynch spoke with SIUE’s Miriam Roccia, associate vice chancellor for student affairs, and Jessica Harris, PhD, interim assistant provost, about adjustments the University has made for the benefit of students amid the pandemic. While the future is unknown, the two shared that planning is underway for the fall semester. 

The full segment aired Wednesday, April 29. Listen here.

During its regularly scheduled meeting on the Carbondale campus, the Southern Illinois University Board of Trustees today approved contracts to provide trash and recycling removal services for the Edwardsville, Alton and East St. Louis campuses along with the SIUE Head Start/Early Head Start Centers. The board also revised a contract for the School of Dental Medicine’s (SDM) Advanced Care Clinic (ACC).

Allied Waste Transportation, Inc., of Edwardsville, will service the Morris University Center and University Housing Facilities Management at an annual cost of $170,000. Waste Management, of St. Louis, will service SIUE Facilities Management, the NCERC at SIUE and SIUE Head Start/Early Head Start Centers at an annual cost of $130,000. The University may renew the one-year contracts with four one-year optional renewals, ending in June 2025. The actual cost will depend upon the University’s usage and any increases to the buildings serviced on the campuses. Funding will be provided by departmental operating funds.

As the result of a plumbing contractor withdrawing its bid in the ACC’s overall $11.5-million project, the board selected Kane Mechanical Group LLC, of East Alton, to perform the plumbing services at a cost of $660,370. This was an increase of $63,214 from the previous bid. ACC funding is provided by grants, SDM reserves, University Plant funds and internal/external financing.

The board authorized the Office of Student Affairs, the Kimmel Leadership Center and the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics to purchase printed apparel and promotional items from four different approved vendors: The Andrew Patrick Co. dba Casual Tees, of Ellisville, Mo.; Winning Streak, of Dupo; SJB Promotions, of Mason City; and World of Promotions, of Grove Village. The initial one-year contract is valued at approximately $400,000 with five one-year optional renewals. The respective departments will fund the purchases. 

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is ranked 9th nationally among YourLocalSecurity’s 2020 Safest College Campuses in America among institutions with more than 5,000 students. SIUE was No. 2 in Illinois and ranked ahead of all institutions in Missouri.

“We are proud of SIUE’s commitment to safety, and the collaboration of the SIUE Police Department with local and regional law enforcement agencies to provide a safe environment,” said SIUE Chancellor Randy Pembrook. “We understand that campus safety is a primary consideration when parents and students select a university.”

In its methodology, YourLocalSecurity reviewed more than 1,000 institutions utilizing data from the U.S. Department of Education’s Campus Safety and Security and the FBI’s 2018 Uniform Crime Report. The study included public, private, and non-profit institutions with a minimum of 5,000 students offering two-or four-year degrees. 

College campus safety was based on a combination of factors per 10,000 people: violent crimes, property crimes, hate crimes and number of Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) offenses.

 “The safety and security of SIUE’s students, faculty, staff and guests is first and foremost in everything that we do,” said SIUE Police Chief Kevin Schmoll. “It is our responsibility to the SIUE community to maintain a safe campus environment.”

SIUE has consistently ranked among the nation’s safest campuses in various surveys for the past decade. Its commitment is demonstrated by investment in safety technology, such as the Rave Guardian app, to maintain a secure campus. SIUE police officers are academy trained and engaged in a Community Policing program. Under the SIUE Campus Violence Prevention Plan, there are more than 80 emergency phones on campus.

The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Graduate School has presented the 2020-21 Paul Simon Outstanding Teacher-Scholar Award to Therese (Terri) Poirier, PharmD, MPH, FASHP, FCCP, Professor of Pharmacy Practice and Senior Scholar in the School of Pharmacy (SOP).

The award annually recognizes an SIUE faculty member who has shown significant contributions to original research or creative activities, and has successfully integrated those contributions into their teaching practices.

“I am humbled to receive this recognition for my achievements in what I am passionate about and love,” Poirier said. “I am thankful for all the students and colleagues who have worked with me to contribute to advance teaching and learning.”

Poirier came to SIUE in 2004 as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor of Pharmacy Practice. Since 2014, Poirier has held the esteemed titles of Professor and Senior Scholar. Her research focuses on advancing interprofessional education, the development of students as educators via the SOP’s education specialization, the development of health humanities pre-professional coursework, and other innovative teaching and learning.

“My scholarship work in advancing innovative teaching strategies to enhance student learning has increased knowledge and understanding in the area of Pharmacy Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SOTL),” noted Poirier. “All of my SOTL research is integrated into my teaching and used to enhance student learning.”

Among Poirier’s national recognitions are the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy’s 2019 Distinguished Teaching Scholar Award and its 2017 Assessment Award for “A Programmatic Model for Student and Faculty Assessment of Interprofessional Education Simulation Training.” Additionally, she’s been honored with the Association of Interprofessional Health Care Collaborative’s 2017 Scholars Award.

Poirier was recognized as a Fellow both by the American College of Clinical Pharmacy for demonstrating exceptional performance in clinical pharmacy practice, education and research, and by the American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists for excelling in pharmacy practice and service.

“As the inaugural Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the SIUE School of Pharmacy for over a decade, Dr. Poirier spearheaded the development of a progressive curriculum and assessment plan to meet pharmacy’s accreditation standards,” said SOP Dean Mark Luer, PharmD. “With these in place, the School was recognized with the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) Award for Outstanding Institutional Practices in Student Learning Outcomes in 2011. The SIUE School of Pharmacy was the first and to date remains the only pharmacy program in the world to receive this award. This recognition resulted in large part from the plan conceptualized by Dr. Poirier.”

“Her efforts are not just that of a forward-thinking educator but her contributions continue to address contemporary issues consistent with the changing profession,” he added.

During the nomination process, colleagues and students underscored their respect for Poirier.

“Dr. Poirier is a respected thought leader and maintains a stellar national reputation in pharmacy education, research and scholarship, specifically in the assessment of learning outcomes with creative instructional strategies, and has been a prolific contributor to the pharmacy education literature during her career,” noted a colleague.

“Dr. Poirier’s enthusiasm and focus on innovative ways to approach education fueled my own desire to teach,” wrote a former student in a letter of support. “I am just one example among the many students that Dr. Poirier mentored during pharmacy school who are now teaching or advising future healthcare professionals.”

“I directly benefitted from Dr. Poirier’s research by not only being taught by her as a student, but also being capable of successfully employing active learning techniques and undertaking high-level academic projects during my young career as a clinical faculty member at a college of pharmacy,” added another former student. “Interactions I’ve had with Dr. Poirier in all settings have continually focused on enhancing others’ learning through her constant utilization of techniques she has research, critically analyzed and disseminated.”

Photo: SIUE School of Pharmacy Professor and Senior Scholar Terri Poirier, PharmD, is the Graduate School’s 2020-21 Paul Simon Outstanding Teacher-Scholar.

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville early childhood education major Megan Gugliotta knows the field of education is not typical right now as the COVID-19 pandemic has caused a dramatic, rapid shift to online learning. But, as she prepares to celebrate the completion of her bachelor’s during the May 2020 virtual commencement ceremony, she remains firm in her desire to be involved and make a positive impact in current circumstances and the field’s bright future.

Gugliotta, of Galesburg, demonstrated her motivation as the shift to online learning took place during her student teaching experience. While the lost opportunity to connect face-to-face with her young students and teach in a classroom was disappointing, Gugliotta found ways to remain involved by assisting her current and former cooperating teachers in their move to e-learning.

“I want to get as much experience as I can before entering the profession officially,” Gugliotta said. “It’s important to be involved, because this pandemic is going to change the future. Look at the technological impact on education alone. Teachers did not give up. In just hours, they changed their physical classroom to virtual learning environments at every level, from early childhood centers to universities.”

Gugliotta has participated in Zoom meetings, recorded book read aloud videos, posted activities like scavenger hunts, sing-along games and more for her cooperating teachers’ students.

“Parents and families are stressed just as we all are in this time,” she said. “They’re now needing to teach, on top of doing their job or experiencing the stress of losing their job. As a future educator, I want to do anything I can to help families keep their children actively learning and on track. It’s my job.

“Even as we practice social distancing, I am able to connect with and impact children and their families. It’s inspiring that my cooperating teachers are being inclusive with me in their experience with online learning.”

Gugliotta says her dream job is working as a kindergarten teacher. Despite the challenging end to her academic journey, she feels fully prepared to achieve that goal.

“A big challenge in changing to online learning is being able to make those personal connections with children and building a bond,” she added. “When the schools first closed, it was surreal. Many questions came to me of what was going to happen to the students’ education, and then I started to think about what was going to happen to my education and experiences, as well.”

The School of Education, Health and Human Behavior’s Department of Teaching and Learning remained in constant contact with its students as classroom opportunities on campus and at field sites changed.

“The early childhood education program’s amazing director Stacie Kirk is a caring woman who is super involved in education,” Gugliotta said. “She and the other education faculty did a great job of sharing the most relevant teaching strategies and theories through the program courses. They were always willing to help us in any way they could whether it be a personal reason or related to school.”

In order to continue professional development outside of student teaching, early childhood teacher candidates completed the Pyramid Model for Social and Emotional Learning training program. The Pyramid Model is an evidence-based framework that is implemented nationally to support the social emotional development of children ages birth through five. Implementation of this model across early childhood programs in Illinois is a key initiative supported by the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood Development.

“Teaching social emotional skills is important,” Gugliotta explained. “The Pyramid Model discussed all related ideas and theories, and offered handouts to help us break down and think through how we will set up our future classroom. Actively doing this training will help me leave a longer lasting impact in the classroom environment and on my students.”

“So much of what is done in our courses involves hands-on learning and engagement with materials that would be found in early childhood settings,” said Stacie Kirk, PhD, professor and early childhood education program director. “One thing the current circumstances has done is pushed us as faculty out of our comfort zones a bit regarding familiarity with and building knowledge about teaching in an online format.”

“For our student teachers, some, like Megan, have been able to be involved in the e-learning process that public schools have needed to implement,” she added. “Though not ideal, many students have been able to support their cooperating teachers in the use of technology to connect with students and their families in order to cultivate learning through virtual means instead of face-to-face interactions.”

This semester, Gugliotta passed the edTPA, the national Teacher Portfolio Assessment. She also took two additional courses to receive a letter of approval for preschool. This approval will allow her to teach in an inclusive classroom in the preschool setting.

Photo: SIUE May 2020 graduate Megan Gugliotta, of Galesburg, aspires to be a kindergarten teacher.

The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Black Faculty and Staff Association (BFSA) has been named a recipient of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine’s 2020 Inspiring Affinity Group Award. SIUE is among 38 institutions nationally that will be profiled in INSIGHT Into Diversity’s July/August issue.

The award is presented to programs that inspire and encourage higher education professionals to join a campus that features employee resource groups offering mentoring, collaboration, social networking opportunities and more. “This one-of-a kind recognition is a testament to the impact and significance of our organization even in its early stage of existence,” states BFSA President Lakesha Butler, PharmD, BCPS, clinical professor in the SIUE School of Pharmacy (SOP) Department of Pharmacy Practice.

 “I offer congratulations to the BFSA on receiving the INSIGHT Into Diversity’s Inspiring Affinity Group Award, and heartfelt thanks for their role in supporting our campus community, and promoting SIUE’s mission, vision and values,” said Chancellor Randy Pembrook. “The BFSA is relatively new, and its succession of leaders Dr. Prince Wells, Dr. Anthony Cheeseboro and Dr. Lakesha Butler have done an excellent job of initiating and developing the group’s mission and activities.”

Butler emphasized recent events and activities established by the BFSA in its three years of existence:

• Inaugural Scholarship Gala – provided scholarships to students who embody BFSA’s mission
• Inaugural State of the Black Union event
• SIUE Student Welcome Reception – in collaboration with the Black Studies Program
• Monthly social events to connect with one another (on and off campus) and other social events such as Selfies with Santa and Kwanzaa Celebration
• Mentorship program with the SIUE East St. Louis Charter High School students
• General monthly meetings with campus guest speakers
• Inaugural Book Club discussing the book, “My Grandmother’s Hands”

Butler also highlighted BFSA’s advocacy efforts that include ensuring representation of black faculty and staff on search committees and other key committees on campus. 

Butler stated that having BFSA is critical for retention of black faculty and staff. “If a potential employee is weighing options of coming to an institution that has an established and active affinity group, they will most likely select that institution over one that does not offer this type of support,” she said. “Specifically, in under-represented minority groups, community is essential for individual success and mental well-being.”

J.T. Snipes, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Educational Leadership within the SIUE School of Education Health and Human Behavior, acknowledged the BFSA provides several important functions. “When I came to SIUE in fall 2018, one of my biggest concerns was finding community,” he said. “I remember the first event I attended as a faculty member was the Black Student Welcome Reception. While the event was for our black students, it was also an event that welcomed me to the community.

“I knew there was space for me to be a part of thriving black communities on campus. BFSA was a welcoming organization that helped me find a greater sense of belonging. Without the support and friendships formed through the organization, I know my transition would have been much more challenging.”

The BFSA was organized to create better opportunities, ensure equity and inclusion, provide an engaging network, and create a welcoming environment for black faculty and staff. The SIU Board of Trustees ratified constituency status for the BFSA in April 2017.

INSIGHT Into Diversity is the oldest and largest diversity and inclusion publication and job board in higher education today. It is the premiere resource for diversity and inclusion news and information, creator of the annual Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award, and developer of Viewfinder Campus Climate Surveys. It is also the only remaining print magazine today focused exclusively on diversity and inclusion in higher education and beyond.

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Nursing (SON) May 2020 graduate Kathleen Antos is making history as she completes her degree, while putting her compassionate care and technical skills to critical use amid a global pandemic.

Antos, of Crest Hill, will earn a bachelor’s in nursing from the SON during SIUE’s May 2020 commencement ceremonies, being held virtually on Saturday, May 9.

“This has definitely not been the end of college that I expected,” Antos explained. “COVID-19 has created a scary and uncertain time for many.”

 Her passion for taking care of others formed at an early age thanks to an “extremely accident prone” older brother. Her first “patient” is the one who suggested Antos study nursing.

“I started to research nursing schools, and found SIUE by looking up top nursing programs in the Midwest,” Antos recalled. “SIUE was ranked extremely high. I received a valuable scholarship and was offered direct admission into the program. Things just fell into place.”

Now, Antos is a nurse assistant at Ranken Jordan Pediatric Hospital in St. Louis, where she cares for patients with a variety of complex diseases who require high-quality care.

“I love caring for these children and working alongside the most inspiring nurses a student could ever wish to have as mentors,” Antos said. She and her colleagues are exhibiting their compassionate care as much as ever as they deal with issues surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.

“At Ranken Jordan, we have implemented more intense protocols for personal protective equipment (PPE) and limited the number of visitors our children can see,” she explained. “The biggest impact on our day-to-day work involves caring even more for our kiddos. They miss their families and are only allowed a certain number of visitors. The staff at Ranken Jordan are wonderful. We attempt to show our love for these kids when their loved ones must remain physically distant. The kids have been able to call and video chat with their families during this time to stay connected and optimistic.”

In addition to the changes she has experienced at work, Antos has also had to make major adjustments to her academic studies as courses were moved online to meet health and safety directives.

“The greatest challenge I have faced while transitioning to an online education has been self-discipline,” Antos said. “I typically spend most of my waking hours at the library or in class/clinical. I do not study or focus well in the comfort of my own home and am missing my quiet Lovejoy Library.”

Despite the challenges she’s faced at the end of her academic journey, Antos remains excited for her future nursing career and above all, grateful for the support she has received at home and SIUE.

“SIUE is truly blessed to have such amazing and caring staff members in the nursing program,” she said. “I have always felt supported and encouraged to be my best and keep moving forward even when this program gets difficult.”

“Of course, I also have the best support system at home cheering me on through every exam, project and now the biggest milestone in my college career – graduation,” she added. “My parents have had to answer endless phone calls where I cried and claimed I couldn’t do this anymore. But, they never allowed me to quit. My fiancé Ryan has also been incredibly encouraging and helpful during this change to online learning. I am thankful for his love and support, too!”

Photos: SIUE School of Nursing senior Kathleen Antos will graduate in May 2020.

Their commonalities are undeniably abundant. And, while they don’t have everything in common, the Stewart triplets from Edwardsville will share another major life milestone as they earn their undergraduate degrees from the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Business during the May 2020 commencement ceremonies being held virtually on Saturday, May 9.

The trio comprising Emily, Hailey and Olivia will join their older brother Jordan, a 2012 alumnus, in the SIUE Alumni Association, with their younger brother Stephen slated to follow suit in 2022. All five siblings will hold degrees from the School of Business.

After each sister began their collegiate journeys pursuing other majors, including pre-pharm (Hailey), biology (Olivia) and nursing (Emily), it wasn’t long before they realized a shared passion for business analytics, and declared majors in computer management and information systems (CMIS).

“It has been convenient always having two study partners around,” Hailey said. “Our classes and schedules haven’t always lined up, but we still have had the opportunity to work together on projects and offer each other advice. It has been interesting to see how different our journeys have been, while ultimately all ending up in the same place. I am proud to have attended my local university.”

“Our dad works in IT (information technology), and he pushed us all to try a few CMIS courses,” Emily recalled. “I felt like it was a perfect fit and had amazing job prospects for women. We definitely hold each other accountable for completing assignments. It helps that we are all a little competitive when it comes to grades.”

The triplets were all involved in the Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP), with Emily and Olivia holding leadership roles as vice president and secretary, respectively. Additionally, all three studied abroad in Italy through the School of Business, calling the experience a “highlight of our lives.”

“SIUE has an amazing study abroad program,” said Olivia, who also studied at Richmond the American International University in London. “This was one of the greatest experiences during my college career. I learned so much about international business while getting to travel the world.”

The sisters all plan to travel more in the future, and eventually move out of the area, noting the endless career possibilities that exist for business professionals. Among the potential career paths for the CMIS graduates are roles in data analytics, database design and/or project management at a technology company.

Photo: (L-R) Triplets Olivia, Hailey and Emily Stewart, of Edwardsville, will earn undergraduate degrees from the SIUE School of Business in May 2020.