SIUE School of Engineering alumnus Todd Berghoff has been named Director of Business Development at Avion Solutions, Inc.
Berghoff earned a bachelor’s in mechanical engineering in 1997.
WFMZ-TV in Huntsville, Ala. detailed Berghoff’s professional advancements in an announcement posted Monday, Jan. 11.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Business student Eleanor Kohlberg is the scholarship recipient for the St. Louis Chapter of the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA).
The Academic Relations Committee for the St. Louis IIA Chapter was impressed by Kohlberg’s enthusiasm for internal audit, making her a deserving recipient for the scholarship. Kohlberg is both honored to be selected and is looking forward to utilizing the awarded resources to continue her education in the internal audit field.
The scholarship provides Kohlberg with a $1,000 award, an invitation to the March 2021 Multi-Track Event, which covers a variety of relevant topics to the internal auditing field. Also included is an all-expenses paid invitation to the 2021 IIA Education Partnership Exchange, a leadership and networking conference for internal audit students, educators and corporations.
A junior accountancy major from Moro, Kohlberg is working toward graduation in May 2022. “I found my passion for internal auditing, because the work is like a puzzle,” she said. “I enjoy sifting through and piecing together information and evidence to work toward the end goal, which is always rewarding.”
Kohlberg has enjoyed her experience in the School of Business. “My professors and the various seminars offered continually push me to new heights,” she said.
Photo: SIUE School of Business student Eleanor Kohlberg is the St. Louis Chapter of the Institute of Internal Auditors scholarship recipient.
A local startup owned and operated by Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Engineering (SOE) alumnus Andrew Martinussen and business partner Andrew Mayhall is experiencing accelerated growth thanks to receipt of a competitive $50,000 Arch Grant.
Their company, 3D Gloop!, produces 3D printing adhesives designed to adhere the most common plastics in the industry. Arch Grants are provided annually to assist growth of early-stage startups in the St. Louis region. With this added financial boost, the duo aims to expand the company’s reach, and execute on an expansive product vision and roadmap.
“3D Gloop! derived from a personal project and quickly transitioned into a fully functioning company,” said Martinussen, of Edwardsville, who first ran into issues with bed, and part adhesion while creating a 3D wheelchair for his dog. That challenge transformed into opportunity.
Martinussen earned a bachelor’s of mechanical engineering from the SOE in 2016. He and lifelong friend Mayhall launched 3D Gloop! in June 2018. Since then, the bootstrapped startup has experienced explosive growth, delivering more than 14,000 products to 47 countries worldwide.
Their product is “ludicrously strong glue for 3D prints.” The 3D printing pioneers note their unique adhesive formula results in the “strongest and most reliable bond compared to any other adhesive on the market.”
“We were ecstatic and humbled to have received an Arch Grant,” Martinussen said. “It will help legitimize our company and accelerate its growth.”
“3D Gloop! was founded out of a personal need that we later found to be widespread,” Mayhall explained. “The receipt of this grant has brought inspiration and determination to build 3D Gloop! into a household name and become synonymous with the word ‘sticky.’ The team at Arch Grants is doing everything they can to support us and help us achieve that vision. We cannot thank them enough for their support and the work they are doing for the startup ecosystem.”
The co-founders note their complementary skillsets with “solid overlaps,” which have contributed to their business success. According to a 3D Gloop! press release, Martinussen is a first generation American following the American dream, and Mayhall is a serial entrepreneur with expansive experience with startups. Mayhall also boasts nearly 10 years of experience with mechanical, electrical and chemical engineering.
“We are constantly innovating and continuing to grow our products and our networks of resellers,” Martinussen said. “As an entrepreneur, it’s critical to gain consumer feedback. New products are evolutionary.”
“Entrepreneurship is hard and, in many cases, brutal,” Mayhall adds. “But most importantly, it’s about individual growth. If you stick with it and aspire to overcome the challenges you face along the way, whether it’s with writing your software, synthesizing your compound, or building the prototype product, you will be successful because you’re learning. Go out there and do something you’re proud to call your own, move, embrace failure and strive to constantly teach yourself something new. Success is found within your own individual growth.”
Martinussen is inspiring the next generation of problem-solvers as he remains an active supporter of the SOE’s Solar Car Racing Team. Once a team member, he understands the value add of applied experiences. Now, 3D Gloops! helps by donating its products and experience to the team.
“Extracurricular activities like Solar Car allow you to solve real problems, work as part of a team, learn how to prepare technical documents, summarize and validate your designs, and gives great opportunities to talk to outside companies and work on limited budgets,” Martinussen explained.
For more information on 3D Gloop!, visit 3DGloop.com or follow @3DGloop on Twitter.
Photo: (L-R) 3D Gloop! co-founders Andrew Mayhall and SIUE alumnus Andrew Martinussen.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Professor of Composition Dr. Kim Archer, was selected by the President’s Own United States Marine Band to compose a new fanfare to underscore the program for Joe Biden’s Presidential Inauguration ceremony tomorrow.
The Mendota native and professor in the SIUE College of Arts and Sciences Department of Music, entitled her work Fanfare Politeia. Translated from Plato’s Greek term for “Republic,” the work celebrates the United States’ traditions of a free and fair election, and of a peaceful transfer of power.
Archer joins the ranks of iconic composers Leonard Bernstein and John Williams who have previously penned works for the executive branch.
“This is an incredible honor,” Archer said. “If you had told my 20-year-old self that someday the Marine Band would play my music, much less for a presidential inauguration, I would never have believed it.”
The President’s Own Marine Band has performed at Presidential Inaugurations since 1801, when Thomas Jefferson was sworn into office in Washington, D.C., the first inauguration at the nation’s capital.
Under the direction of Colonel Jason K. Fettig, the President’s Own will perform Archer’s composition at the event to be broadcast on Wednesday, Jan. 20
Archer’s composition will be distributed by Murphy Music Press, a Cleveland based music publishing company, which will make the composition available to purchase following the Inauguration. Murphy Music Press has worked closely with Archer in the representation of her new works for concert band since she joined the catalog in 2016.
For more information, contact Archer at kim2173@aol.com, Murphy Music Press at orders@murphymusicpress.com or the U.S. Marine Band at marineband.communication@usmc.mil.
Central to SIUE’s exceptional and comprehensive education, the College of Arts and Sciences offers degree programs in the natural sciences, humanities, arts, social sciences, and communications. The College touches the lives of all SIUE students helping them explore diverse ideas and experiences, while learning to think and live as fulfilled, productive members of the global community. Study abroad, service-learning, internships, and other experiential learning opportunities better prepare SIUE students not only to succeed in our region's workplaces, but also to become valuable leaders who make important contributions to our communities.
Photo: SIUE’s Kim Archer, professor of composition in the SIUE College of Arts and Sciences Department of Music.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is kicking off the spring 2021 semester with creative and safe activities.
Volunteer faculty, staff and students stood outside on Tuesday, Jan. 19 holding Ask Me! signs. The volunteers greeted students on their first day of classes and helped them navigate campus.
In the Goshen Lounge, free ‘e’ masks were distributed. Additionally, the Campus Activities Board (CAB) launched its Back 2 School programs with a Back 2 School Box Pick-up offering. Students picked up a bag of goodies to help get their semester started.
Upcoming CAB events include:
For a complete list of activities, students should visit CAB’s Get Involved page and follow CAB on social media @SIUECAB.
Importantly, as classes begin and University Housing residents return to campus, SIUE is maintaining the Our Cougar Commitment, which focuses on preserving the health and safety of the campus community while serving students with excellence.
Effective Saturday, Jan. 16, the University began operating in Expanded Operations Mode PLUS Tier 3 Mitigations. SIUE’s mandatory re-entry testing continues through Thursday, Jan. 21.
For details regarding COVID-19 updates, plans, testing, guidelines and the University dashboard, visit siue.edu/coronavirus.
Photo: Marissa Steimel with the SIUE Office of Student Affairs points as she helps a student navigate classes on the first day of the spring 2021 semester.
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s sentiments and words of “struggle” to affect positive, moral change are truer today than ever before agreed several speakers at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s 38th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration, held virtually on Tuesday, Jan. 19 and hosted by SIUE’s Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion (CSDI).
Approximately 100 people participated in the celebration via Zoom and Facebook Live. It featured Timothy E. Lewis, PhD, assistant professor in the SIUE College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Political Science, as the guest speaker, with Southern Illinois University (SIU) System President Dan Mahony, PhD, providing the welcome.
“When I grew up, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of my heroes,” said Mahony. “My dad was a history teacher and taught political science. He often talked about great leaders, and Dr. King was someone he admired and taught us to admire. The poster that was on my wall the longest was of Dr. King. He was a leader I wanted to emulate.
“His life was more than service. He was a fighter, first and foremost. He fought for change. He fought against discrimination. He fought to make this country more equitable for all.”
“Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle,” said SIUE Student Government President Maddie Walters, a junior majoring in business economics, quoting the words of King and the Celebration’s theme. “Dr. King’s words remind us that we must recognize that struggles come first. It is this idea that we will reflect upon today.”
While King and his name are used to illustrate peace and unity today, the civil rights leader faced much opposition and struggle during his era, according to Lewis.
“A 1966 Gallup poll found that almost two-thirds of Americans had an unfavorable opinion of Dr. King,” he noted. “They did not like him, because he used his words; mixing poetry, theology and political philosophy to expose the truth of America. What is the truth of America? It is a paradox, because the truth is that America is a nation built on lies.”
“The Founding Fathers were not moral people seeking to build an equal and just society,” Lewis continued. “They were racist, sexist men with fragile egos who replicated the same oppression they experienced in Britain. America’s traditions are lies. Our grade school curriculum teaches that the holiday of Thanksgiving is to commemorate the welcoming of Pilgrims by Native Americans, when in fact Native Americans were murdered, raped and infected with so many diseases they would have agreed to any treaty to get rid of the Pilgrims. America’s laundry list of falsehoods manifested most recently with the lies of President Trump concerning election fraud. That untruth led to a white supremacist insurrection at the Capitol, which in turn exposed the lie of equal treatment in policing.”
It was the truth of the American lie that King meticulously orated throughout his life, according to the political science professor.
“So today, in this reflective celebration honoring the titan of terminology, we need to ask are we lying to ourselves,” cautioned Lewis. “I will leave you with this call to action from Dr. King written over 50 years ago as he penned the Letter from the Birmingham Jail, ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. [for] We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality … You deplore the demonstrations taking place … but … fail to express similar concern for the condition that brought about the demonstrations ... It is unfortunate that demonstrations are taking place … but it is even more unfortunate that the… White power structure left the Negro community with no alternative. For years now, I have heard the word ‘Wait!’ It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This ‘Wait’ has almost always meant ‘Never!’ We must come to see … that justice too long delayed is justice denied.’”
A time of critical reflection was held after the keynote address for participants to reflect on Lewis’ address, refocus on the life and work of King and re-examine what their legacies will be in these current times.
“I think we need the call to action that Dr. Lewis offers,” said CSDI Director Lindy Wagner. “I am hopeful that there are enough people on the SIUE campus who want to see change that it is possible here. I also think our national climate has been extraordinarily polarizing for years, and it is imperative that we look at one another and choose to humanize the ‘other’ instead of dehumanizing them.”
The CSDI will hold part two of its Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration when it presents its awards ceremony at 4 p.m. Friday, Jan. 29. To register, visit http://tiny.cc/MLKAwards. For more information, contact the CSDI at 618-650-3180 or email inclusion@siue.edu.
To view the January 19th Celebration, view the CSDI Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/siueinclusion/ or at https://siue.zoom.us/rec/play/zMKPm-cKrEQ4SxWF-MVh-x5KmP35GYA7YIn6h28XI-gM5wQJ9qKY6lXqu-FbDrUGcg4a021Pwi_ebfs.jt9NeF6Oo1Pr9cPb.
Photos:
Timothy E. Lewis, PhD, assistant professor in the SIUE College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Political Science.
CSDI Director Lindy Wagner (left) and Assistant CSDI Director Tarsha Moore.
SIUE’s Erik Alexander, PhD, associate professor and graduate program co-director in the Department of Historical Studies, co-authored an op-ed that’s been published in The Washington Post.
The article entitled, Ted Cruz thinks 2020 is like 1876. He’s right, but not for the reason he thinks., offers historical expertise on the “deeply ironic” and “faulty comparison” of the 1876 and 2020 elections.
SIUE School of Engineering alumnus Jared Peno has been named to the board of the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) Missouri chapter.
Peno is a founding partner of Alliance Technologies LLC and board president for Riverbend Family Ministries. He earned a bachelor’s in electrical engineering from SIUE in 2006.
Details on Peno’s role on the AGC Board were posted Thursday, Jan. 14 in The Telegraph.
Strengthening and expanding the work, influence and partnerships of the Center for Spirituality and Sustainability (CSS) on the campus of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is the vision of its board of directors’ new president Connie Frey Spurlock, PhD.
Frey Spurlock, associate professor in the Department of Sociology, SIUE Successful Communities Collaborative (SSCC) director and former CSS board member, is excited about working closer with the board in her new position.
Frey Spurlock’s term, which began Jan. 1, will conclude Dec. 31, 2022. She replaces outgoing president Betsy Slosar, who served for more than four years. As board president, some of Frey Spurlock’s duties will include:
The board also voted to change its leadership by adding two vice presidents, according to Frey Spurlock. Katja Kopp, of Edwardsville, is serving as vice president of sustainability and Jeanne Aguirre, of Fairview Heights, is serving as vice president of spirituality. CSS also has a vice president of building and grounds, Tom Kinsella, of Edwardsville.
“The new structure alleviates the burden of serving for all involved, making it more efficient to address and expand the work as it relates to both sustainability and spirituality,” said Frey Spurlock. “It also allows us to draw from the collective wisdom and community connections of Jeanne and Katja.”
“The positions were designed to promote Buckminster Fuller’s original concept that spirituality and sustainability are linked,” added Kopp. “Our spirituality will lead us to make ethical decisions about sustainability, and how we treat each other and the planet in general. Helping to create awareness about sustainability issues and practices is crucial, and educating people about new concepts, technologies, legislation and resources is more necessary than ever.”
“My vision for CSS centers on building connections within SIUE and the community that it hasn’t fully reached yet,” offered Frey Spurlock. “For example, SIUE students, staff and faculty walk by the Dome on a regular basis but have no idea as to what the CSS has to offer in terms of personal, professional and academic development.”
One action step that Frey Spurlock has embarked upon is working with a student team mentored by Debbie Sellnow-Richmond, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Applied Communication Studies. Students in Sellnow-Richmond’s ACS 414/15 class are developing a public relations campaign that will target SIUE students and will highlight CSS’ 50th anniversary celebration this year. In keeping with the spirit of Buckminster Fuller’s legacy, Frey Spurlock is also looking forward to helping the CSS move closer to its goal of being a “Net Zero” carbon footprint building.
The Center for Spirituality and Sustainability is a non-profit, multi-faith home for spirituality and sustainability efforts housed in the Buckminster Fuller Dome on the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville campus.
Photo:
L-R: Katja Kopp, CSS vice president of sustainability; Connie Frey Spurlock, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Sociology and CSS board president; and Jeanne Aguirre, CSS vice president of spirituality.
The SIUE men’s basketball team resumed Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) action Thursday, Jan. 21 after an extensive lay-off while following OVC coronavirus protocols. The team was on the road at Tennessee State without guard Jackson Best, whose father, John, died of COVID earlier in the week.
A senior from Edwardsville, Best paid tribute to his father with an Instagram post. KTVI-TV posted this story last Thursday.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Biological Sciences Professors Rick Essner, PhD, and Peter Minchin, PhD, utilized a Meridian Society grant to install informational signs in Bohm Woods Nature Preserve, an old growth forest across from campus, on Saturday morning, Jan. 23.
Local Boy Scout Adrian Hall, of Troop 216, installed a new entrance sign and several interpretive signs for his Eagle Scout project. Fellow scout Connor Coolbaugh previously built and installed an informational kiosk at the site.
“We are grateful to the Meridian Society for supporting this project,” Essner said. “Old growth forests are exceedingly rare in the eastern United States and to have one so close to campus is remarkable. Bohm Woods offers a window into Illinois’ past, and we appreciate the opportunity to educate the public and our students about this special place.”
Joining Essner and Boy Scout Troop 216 as partners on the project were the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Illinois Nature Preserves Commission, SIUE Department of Biological Sciences, HeartLands Conservancy and Girl Scout Troop 110.
Additionally, Bohm Woods now has a Friends of Bohm Woods group led by Noah Dell from the Missouri Botanical Garden. On Saturday, group members removed invasive plant species from the Nature Preserve.
Bohm Woods is a 90-acre nature preserve managed by the Illinois Nature Preserves Commission, and includes high-quality forest habitats and grassland areas. It is located across from the SIUE Environmental Resources Training Center and allows passive recreation and limited hunting with a permit.
Photo (L-R): Noah Dell, of Friends of Bohm Woods, and SIUE Biological Sciences professor Rick Essner showing signage for Bohm Woods funded by the Meridian Society.
In a world where pain and suffering are an integral part of life, internationally known author, scholar and speaker Paul Coutinho, PhD, offers spiritual insights and remedies. Coutinho, of St. Louis, is continuing the series, “Searching for the Sacred: An Eastern Approach to Hope and Healing,” at the Center for Spirituality and Sustainability (CSS) on the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville campus.
The series is being held at 7 p.m. on the second Sunday during the months of February-April, June-August and October-December at CSS. Registration is required at fullerdome.org/.
Coutinho blends spirituality and psychology and brings an eastern influence on western spirituality. He leads workshops and retreats that respond to the quest for the divine and a desire to live life to the fullest. His books include: “Sacred Darkness: Encountering Divine Love in Life’s Darkest Places,” “How Big is Your God?: The Freedom to Experience the Divine” and “An Ignatian Pathway: Experiencing the Mystical Dimension of the Spiritual Exercises.”
“We need to accept the fact of pain and suffering, and then look for the gift of purification and enlightenment that life’s pains offer,” explained Coutinho. “People need the courage to question their fundamental and dogmatic beliefs, in order to live an authentic and meaningful life. As Socrates once proclaimed, ‘The unexamined life is not worth living.’”
“I share my spiritual gifts to help people discover their own gifts on the individual and common path of realizing our identity in the Divine Essence,” said Coutinho, recipient of CSS’ 2009 Spiritual Leadership Award. “I believe that a true spiritual experience is universal. The experience is not bound by time, culture, religion and nationality.”
Facing and embracing the sacred have always been commonplace for Coutinho. “Growing up in India, experiencing the sacred in everything is part of my DNA,” he said. “The spiritual permeates every aspect of life. I have always felt grounded in the divine. I experience a real sense of belonging to the divine that gives me the peace and freedom to live through the ups and downs of life.”
For more information and to register, visit Searching for the Sacred.
The Center for Spirituality and Sustainability is a non-profit, multi-faith home for spirituality and sustainability efforts housed in the Buckminster Fuller Dome at SIUE.
Photo:
Internationally known author, scholar and speaker Paul Coutinho, PhD.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Pietro Sasso, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Educational Leadership’s College Student Personnel Administration program, has been named the inaugural faculty research fellow for the Timothy J. Piazza Center for Fraternity and Sorority Research and Reform at Penn State University.
Sasso’s research exploring the fraternity/sorority experience spans more than a decade, and especially considers the experience as a cocurricular student development and leadership opportunity for undergraduate students. He focuses on the college experience (student involvement, identity, masculinity), student success (academic advising, student retention) and educational equity across cocurricular spaces.
“Interrogating these areas of inquiry helps to consider a fundamental existential question, ‘What should postsecondary institutions do with and for its students?’” Sasso explained. “I am particularly interested in the fraternity/sorority experience, because it is one of the largest student involvement opportunities in higher education, and demonstrates outcomes which promote student persistence, learning and development.”
Sasso also critiques and interrogates issues of equity, including race and class, and describes efforts to reduce harm such as hazing and substance abuse, as these issues negatively impact the associated positive outcomes of the fraternity/sorority experience.
“My initial research has suggested there is gender performativity related to alcohol misuse and hazing, and that the fraternity/sorority experience contributes to identity development for multiracial and other students across culturally-based fraternities and sororities,” said Sasso. “This helps us reframe the fraternity/sorority experience as a space of learning and development which contributes to individual student persistence and university retention.”
As a research fellow, Sasso will focus on three projects over a two-year period:
“This opportunity will advance my knowledge to master specific, different research methods,” Sasso said. “I will be supervising an SIUE Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (URCA) student who will assist with some of this research.”
The fellowship will support dissemination of Sasso’s research at professional and academic conferences through 2023. Sasso will work remotely, in collaboration with the Center through regular scholarly meetings.
The Timothy J. Piazza Center for Fraternity and Sorority Research and Reform was formed at Penn State in January 2019. The Center empowers higher education to make the fraternity and sorority experience safer and more meaningful. The Center produces actionable data to give practitioners the evidence needed to enact meaningful change on their campuses.
The work being done in the areas of equity, diversity and inclusion, and the many student opportunities to connect, participate and develop were presented on Monday, Jan. 25 during a Virtual Open House and New Student Welcome Reception hosted by the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion (CSDI).
“What I’m excited about is the search for the first SIU System Vice President for Anti-Racism, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and Chief Diversity Officer,” said SIU System President Dan Mahony, PhD. “We still have a lot of work to do. If you have suggestions for change, please tell us what we could do better.”
“I hope you have a fantastic experience here. SIUE changed my life, and I know it will change yours, as well,” said SIUE Chancellor Randy Pembrook. “I’m pumped up for 2021 for several reasons. We have a vice chancellor search going on now relating to equity, diversity and inclusion. We also have a group called the Anti-Racism Task Force that is working on creating a wonderful environment at SIUE, and helping us think of new opportunities to support students, faculty and staff.”
“When we started this semester, we asked everyone coming to campus to complete a COVID test,” Pembrook offered. “More than 7,000 tests were completed, and fewer than 50 people were positive. That is less than 1%. SIUE is a good, safe environment, and I want to thank all of those who are wearing their masks, washing their hands and keeping socially distanced from others.”
These are uncommon times, said Mahony. “Still, my advice is not vastly different than at any other time, which is for you to take advantage of every opportunity to get involved in University life.”
CSDI Director Lindy Wagner emphasized the Center’s mission and vision and gave an overview of its signature events, which include:
After the presentation, students were assigned to breakout rooms where they connected with one another and with faculty and staff.
“Connecting students to one another is crucial,” said Wagner. “We also wanted to ensure that students understood CSDI programs, met its staff and knew its physical location.”
“I went to the CSDI Student Welcome Reception and learned a lot,” said R’Eyanna Moore, a freshman majoring in psychology. “When it comes to their mission, they mean it! CSDI strives for the inclusion of marginalized groups and to create a place and community where they are celebrated and loved.
“They want to create not only a safe place, but an authentic place. They are making a place of support, courage and transformation.”
“This institution has some great and welcoming faculty and staff,” Mahony told the students. “Our goal is not only to make you feel welcome, but to make you feel like you belong at SIUE.”
Photo:
CSDI Director Lindy Wagner
SIUE’s Jocelyn DeGroot, PhD, professor in the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Applied Communication Studies, was a featured guest on Illinois Public Media’s The 21st show.
DeGroot shared her scholarly expertise during a segment entitled “Mourning in a Pandemic” that aired Tuesday, Jan. 26. Listen here.
The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville community is mourning the loss of junior nursing student Moneer Damra, of Chicago, who passed away Wednesday morning, Jan. 27 at Barnes Jewish Medical Center in St. Louis. The 27-year-old suffered injuries in a random act of gun violence off-campus on Jan. 14.
A member of the SIUE ROTC program, Damra’s goal was to become an Army nurse.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Moneer Damra’s family and friends as they attempt to deal with this inexplicable tragedy,” said SIUE Chancellor Randy Pembrook. “From all that I know, Moneer was filled with so much potential, had such a big heart and made a positive impact on everyone around him. It is absolutely heartbreaking.”
Friends and fellow students have described Damra as a “beautiful soul, compassionate, a good motivator,” and a friend they could “count on for encouragement and positivity.” At the time of the incident, KMOV-TV posted a story describing Damra’s life journey at kmov.com.
“Moneer was intelligent and curious about nursing—and took advantage of every opportunity to ask questions and learn how to be a nurse,” said Amy Kief, instructor in the School of Nursing, who taught his first professional nursing course. “He was a very outgoing young man, who always asked about how I was doing. I will always remember him as kind and compassionate toward everyone he interacted with.”
Lieutenant Col. Timothy Clark, SIUE ROTC professor of military science, said Damra possessed the uncommon balance of compassion and drive. “He would fiercely compete against his previous best effort, and against you, but he would also encourage you,” Clark said. “He was absolutely committed to his friends and would do anything for them or with them. Moneer didn’t just make you want to be better; somehow he actually made you better. When a person brings that culture to a group, it’s a beautiful thing to see.
“Those of us a little older and jaded sometimes embrace the falsehood that one person can’t make a difference, but Moneer disproved that daily. All that matters to us is you are dependable, show up and do your best. He did his best day-in, day-out and eventually was recognized as one of our best.”
More details about funeral arrangements and an SIUE memorial service will be communicated as they become available.
The following is a list of resources available to members of the campus community:
On-Campus
Digital
Local Community Resources
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Laurie Giddens, PhD, has combined with Baylor University’s Stacie Petter, PhD, to earn a $249,998 National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to fight human trafficking.
An assistant professor of computer management and information systems in SIUE’s School of Business, Giddens will join with Petter, Ben H. Williams Professor of Information Systems and Business Analytics in Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business, to form an interdisciplinary team to propose solutions and training to empower law enforcement and other organizations to more effectively combat human trafficking in their respective communities.
Giddens and Petter first crossed paths as Giddens was working toward a doctorate in Baylor’s Department of Information Systems and Business Analytics. They discovered a shared passion for human trafficking victims and survivors.
Giddens had a desire to contribute to the fight against human trafficking. “I learned that technology is used in the trafficking and exploitation of human beings through the recruitment and grooming of victims, and by facilitating the sale and advertising of victims online. We want to use what we know about technology to understand how these trafficking networks work.
“My dissertation research is on ethical consumption. It was a realization that I could apply my expertise to help improve the world.”
On a trip from Louisiana to Illinois in 2019, Giddens heard a podcast featuring DeliverFund founder Nic McKinley, a CIA and U.S. Special Operations veteran. His mission is to end human trafficking.
“He spoke about technology, artificial intelligence and providing tools for law enforcement to utilize in their investigation,” Giddens said. “What really captured my attention were the ways they use advanced technologies to conduct human trafficking investigations. I called Stacie, and she was also excited about them. We reached out to DeliverFund and asked to collaborate on a research project. We have been working with them since.”
Petter indicated their charge is to focus on understanding three important questions, “First, how do criminals use information technology in the course of criminal activity? Second, how is law enforcement using technology to find criminals? And finally, how can we create interventions and resources to help law enforcement be proactive in identifying criminal activity and addressing these problems?”
In their work with DeliverFund, Giddens and Petter learned the challenges faced by law enforcement, which range from shortage of time due to the prevalence of other criminal investigations, to lack of technology including not understanding how to maximize high tech capabilities.
Cases are complex and can be difficult to prosecute. “Victims get moved from place to place, so you have to work across jurisdictions,” Petter said. “We can use existing technologies to help discover signs of human trafficking and create an evidence chain that requires less reliance on a victim’s testimony.”
Giddens and Petter will form a team of individuals from law enforcement, the legal system, information systems, engineering, social sciences, economics and the non-profit sector that will analyze existing technology and training methods to help departments use resources that are currently available and effective when used properly. DeliverFund has provided free training to departments and will combine that insight with Giddens’ and Petter’s information systems expertise.
Within the NSF process, Giddens and Petter have 18 months of initial collaboration and analysis. After providing their results, they will apply for a larger grant to fund the installation of their recommendations.
Photo: SIUE’s Laurie Giddens, assistant professor of computer management and information systems in the School of Business.
U.S. News & World Report ranked Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s School of Nursing (SON) among the top 50 in its 2021 Best Online Graduate Nursing Programs list released Tuesday, Jan. 26. The School is ranked 49th among 194 schools nationally and among the top four in Illinois.
The School of Nursing’s online graduate degree programs include a family nurse practitioner doctor of nursing practice (DNP), post-master’s DNP, and master’s degrees in health care nursing administration (HCNA) and nurse educator (NE).
SON Dean Laura Bernaix, PhD, said the U.S. News rankings reflect the School’s continued commitment to providing excellent academic experiences that prepare a nursing workforce for today’s ever-evolving healthcare field.
“It is an honor to be nationally recognized and truly rewarding to see our programs continue to move up in the rankings each year,” Bernaix said. “Our faculty and administrators work hard to provide students with a high-quality education through small class sizes, strong faculty mentoring and support, and program content that is both contemporary and robust.”
The SON saw record enrollment for the second consecutive year in fall 2020 with a 5% increase (1,877 students) from fall 2019. With the new Health Sciences Building on the horizon for the SIUE campus, the foundation is in place for continued growth.
According to U.S. News, highly ranked programs have strong traditional academic foundations based on student-instructor access, graduation rates and instructor credentials. They also excel at educating distance learners, while offering robust career and financial support.
The full rankings are available at usnews.com.
Photo: Laura Bernaix, dean of the SIUE School of Nursing.
Figuratively speaking, there appeared to be a global “timeout” during the year of 2020, and in America there seemed to be constant angst because of political and social unrest, according to St. Louis native actress, writer and director Sophia Stephens, who has starred in such television shows as “Fuller House,” “Dear White People,” “Luke Cage” and “Blackish.”
Stephens, who starred in the film “What Happened to Girl’s Night?” and has performed on Broadway in “The Lion King,” was the featured speaker at the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville East St. Louis Center’s (ESLC) inaugural Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. virtual lecture on Wednesday, Jan. 27.
“The pandemic forced us to face ourselves and look within. Many people experienced depression, isolation, confusion and personal loss. But, believe it or not, that was and this is the time for dreamers,” encouraged Stephens, a one-time SIUE theater student, to an audience made up of mostly young people from ESLC programs. Stephens is also an instructor at The Bronx Charter School for Excellence in New York.
“Dr. King was one of the greatest dreamers and orators of all time,” she intoned. “He was looking at a mountain of problems and not those just within the Black community. Dr. King spoke about wars, sanitation workers and union rights. He had an immense gift to see a vision that others could not see, and he did it so well that the world caught fire from his words.”
King dreamed in the “face of despair,” and Stephens encouraged her audience to do the same. “When I say dream, what do you imagine?” she asked. “Imagination is the act or power of forming a mental image of something not present to the senses or never before wholly perceived in reality.
“Dreams are also like visions. A vision is a picture of the future that produces passion. What pictures do you have right now about your future?”
Answers that popped up in the chat included: “going to college,” “moving to another state,” “being independent,” “differences accepted rather than discouraged,” “broadcast journalist or screenwriter.”
Stephens also shared with her audience, an episode from her web series, Quarantine Quarrels in 2020, that she wrote and produced. She began her production company, Philosophia Productions, in 2017. Stephens attended SIUE from 2000-02, where she initially was a political science major who had an interest in theater dance performance. She changed direction after being impacted by her mentor, the late Lisa Colbert, assistant professor in the SIUE Department of Theater and Dance.
“The presentation was amazing, as well as inspiring,” said John Easley, a freshman in the ESLC’s Collinsville Upward Bound (UB) Math and Science program. “I really liked how interactive the presenter was with the audience.”
“It was fantastic learning more about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,” said Joseph Rauk, UB Math and Science sophomore. “She gave valuable advice and hearing her first-hand experiences about dreaming was great.”
“Even in the face of some people who wanted him dead, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke, inspired, demanded and marched,” recounted Donald Thomas, UB Math and Science senior. “He did not raise his fist in violence. He kept on demanding justice, and he knew that it couldn’t be brought by violence.”
“I was so excited for our students to be able to hear this extremely gifted and inspirational young actress, Ms. Sophia Stephens,” said ESLC Executive Director Timothy Staples, EdD. “She was the perfect person to kick off what will be an annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. lecture series.”
With a focus on empowering people and strengthening communities, the SIUE East St. Louis Center is dedicated to improving the lives of families and individuals—from pre-school through adult—in the Metro East region. The Center offers programs that give the community renewed hope and an opportunity to reach educational, career and life goals. It does so by providing comprehensive programs, services and training in the areas of education, health, social services and the arts.
Photo:
St. Louis native actress, writer and director, and one-time SIUE student Sophia Stephens.
SIUE’s Alicia Plemmons, PhD, assistant professor in the School of Business’ Department of Economics and Finance, shared her expertise on credit card usage, value and currency conversion rates in a WalletHub article on Best Visa Credit Cards.