"Extermination of the wretches should follow" with Dr. Lindell

Wartburg Philosophical and Literary Society — The next WPLS meeting will be Friday, April 5 at 4 p.m., in McCoy West. The speaker will be Professor Terry Lindell. Title: "'Extermination of the wretches should follow' Iowa Newspaper Coverage of the Dakota War of 1862."

Cengage Awarding a $2500 Scholarship for a Slice of Life

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	We're Awarding a $2500 Scholarship for a Slice of Life There's more than one way to peel an orange, and there's more than one way to learn. As someone who works daily to engage students, you know that they come to your classroom with unique traits and identities. We want to hear about them! We're asking students to get creative and put together a short video that illustrates their identity as a unique learner. We're awarding a $2500 scholarship for the best video. Learn More! Please share this opportunity with your students. Encourage them to visit www.cengage.com/mindtap/slice to learn more and enter. Deadline: April 19, 2013

Travel Tips from the Scholars Program Director

Many Scholars are getting ready to travel for May Term, some for the very first time.  The following are some suggestions and lessons learned from my years of traveling with the Wartburg Scholars.  If you are traveling for May Term, you can earn two Culture points for reporting your experiences after you return.  You can earn more by doing a presentation in the Fall and/or by turning your course into an Honors course.

First:  A story about Mary.  This story is a compilation of events that happened to several students, but have all been lumped together. When Mary arrived at the airport she had packed all her luggage in a huge suitcase on wheels and just barely missed paying a $50 overweight penalty.  The second day in the new country, Mary complained that her hair straightener did not work.  She did mention that the day before it had worked, but was warmer than usual and smelled funny.  On the fourth day, as we were taking the subway to the train station, the handle on Mary's suitcase broke from the weight and she had nothing to drag her bag with.  That day she also left her purse on the train when we got off and by the time we got back to look for it, no purse.  Inside her purse was all her cash, credit cards, new camera, and her passport.  We were able to get her an emergency passport and loan her money to finish the trip.  When returning to the U.S., she left her cell phone at security.  Then, because the flight was oversold and she wanted to go back to pick up the phone, she was at the back of the boarding line and was involuntarily bumped from the flight.  Mary did not have a good time.

Train Travel

A Great Tuesday

On Tuesday, I learned of two exciting events in the lives of Wartburg Scholars Alumni:

1.  Samantha Irvin successfully defended her Masters Thesis in Engineering at Iowa State University.

2.  Andrew Reisner will be attending graduate school at the University of Illinois in Computer Science.

Senior Wartburg Haiku

Last night at the Senior Dinner, two Wartburg Scholars were invited to give their impressions of the last four years.  The first student spoke of her memories and lessons learned during May Term, including don't turn your back on a herd of cattle coming down the street to take a picture of your friends.  The second student was Gordon Roedel who is defending his Scholars Project on Preliminary Analysis of Saccharomyces and Brettanomyces in Farmhouse Ales on April 11 during RICE Day.  You are missing the delivery, but here is four years of Wartburg College in Haiku:

I have been careful

And counted each syllable:

My Wartburg Haikus

A new adventure

To a school of orange and black

I knew no one here

Randomly assigned

And my roommate ever since

I met my best friend

First convocation

Arete means Excellence

A theme to live by

Corn and Socrates?

What a strange combination…

Scholars 101

Bio my first year:

The Citric Acid Cycle?

When will I use this?

Bio my fourth year:

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.

Good one, first-year self

Late night studying

I wish I had more O-Chem

Said no one, ever

Problem based Learning

Trying to cure my patient

Paging Dr. House

Some education

Must go beyond the classroom

And across oceans

Love crosses cultures

My Senegalese family

Calls me Gorgui Ba

Muslims and Christians

Coexist peacefully in

Senegal’s canoe.

Snorkeling for class

It’s okay to be jealous

Bahamas this May

Rumors and theories,

When could it possibly be?

Outfly, I’ll miss thee

Service, Leadership,

Faith, and Learning all combined

I love Service Trips

My heart skips a beat

Every time the snow falls

Any new sculptures?

Arete achieved

Our time here draws to an end

And soon we will part

Perhaps most vital

Are the people I have met

My peers at Wartburg

The struggles and joys

I have shared with each of you

Defined these 4 years

I wish to thank you;

My Wartburg Experience

Has been wonderful.

Being a good mother

Alumnus Speaker

Lunch and Learn

With alumnus Scott Davis who owns QONQR (“conquer”) (http://www.qonqr.com/), a massive multi-player online video game company out of Minneapolis.

Tuesday, April 2, 11:45 to 12:45

Grab lunch in the MENSA and come to the Heritage Ballroom to learn about how Scott launched his company and made it profitable.

Hi all-

I mentioned this event to you in person last week, but here’s the official announcement as we finally nailed down which ballroom we are to use. Scott was a ’96 math/computer science major at Wartburg and now has an MBA in entrepreneurial management. Please let your students know we would love to have them attend. It sounds like Scott is a seasoned speaker and he’ll have a few ppt slides and plenty of time for Q&A.

Let me know if you have any further questions. Please feel free to forward this on to anyone else you may be interested.

Kacee

Scholars Council Election Results

Congratulations to the winners of the Scholars Council Elections.

The Council members for AY 2013-2014 are

Graduating in 2014

Andra Peeler

Graduating in 2015

Aditi Patel

Robert King

Graduating in 2014

Alexia Brewster

Benjamin Bogard

Levi Endelman

May Term Questions

You can earn Scholars Culture Points when you travel for May Term. If you report your travel using the Culture Point Form, you earn 2 points. You get another 2 if you present to campus on your experience next Fall. Or, you can sign up for the course as an Honors course and get 5 points (plus 2 additional for presenting).

Culture Point Reports

Congratulations to Bradley Waller, Merry Gillaspie, and Aditi Patel for reporting the most Culture Points since January.

General Monday Announcements

Today is the last day to vote in the 2013 Scholars Council elections.  If you have not yet participated, Vote Here.

We need you to RSVP for the Scholars Spring Dinner where we celebrate the hard work you have done over the last year.  If you have not yet responded, Please Do So Here.

If you are a Junior and have not yet responded to the request for information about your Senior Project, Please Do So Here.

TEDx Invitation for Wednesday

In the spirit of TED and under their license the Southern Utah University Honors Program will be hosting its 3rd annual TEDx conference this Wednesday, March 27. This will be the first time that our event will be broadcast over the Internet and we are inviting honors students and faculty everywhere to join us for the live webcast.

TEDxSUU

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Session 1: 5:00-6:30pm (MDT)

Session 2: 7:30-9:00pm (MDT)

Connect to the live stream at:  http://suu.edu/tedx/

After participating in the event give us your feedback by completing an official TED.com survey at: http://on.ted.com/8meV

If you have questions or would like further information contact us at:  honors@suu.edu

MCSP Seminar - Adam Kucera

The next MCSP Seminar will be on Tuesday, March 26 at 11:30 in SC 134.
The featured speaker will be Adam Kucera, a 3Y Mathematics and Computer Science major and member of the Scholars Program.  He will speak about his research experience at South Dakota State University last summer, which involved work on communication models for a supercomputer, specifically the development and implementation of various communication schemes related to Fast Fourier Transforms on a distributed processing system.  His presentation is entitled, "Parallel Fast Fourier Transform."  (See below for an
abstract.)  As always, refreshments (cookies and beverages) will be provided.  We hope to see you there!


March 26 Speaker: Adam Kucera, 3Y Mathematics and Computer Science major

"Parallel Fast Fourier Transform"

The Black-Scholes formula, one of the major breakthroughs in modern economics, allows for fast and easy computation of options pricing.
However, the basis of the formula, the Fast Fourier Transform, suffers from becoming too computationally heavy for serial computing models.
Developing models to compute the FFT portion of the Black-Scholes formula on a parallel architecture is very important to being able to calculate multiple option prices.  To approach this we started with a generalized communication model for the FFT as well as attempting to implement this in a more standard computation library.

Scholars Spring Dinner RSVP

Partners in the Parks

Partners in the Parks: Outdoor Experiential Education for Students

Partners in the Parks is an NCHC outdoor experiential learning program co-sponsored by Southern Utah University and Cedar Breaks National Monument. In 2013 we will be hosting a variety of academic adventures at national parks across the country. These week-long projects include seminars led by university faculty and park rangers as well as exciting recreational opportunities to broaden participants’ understanding of the overall value of national parks to our country and its citizens. PITP programs are open to honors faculty and students from all majors and disciplines. If you are interested, send inquiries to honors@suu.edu.

Proposed projects for 2013

• Buffalo National River, AR (May 13-19)
• Virgin Islands National Park, VI (May 18-25)
• Grand Canyon-Parashant, AZ (May 27-Jun 1)
• Great Basin National Park, NV (July 27-Aug 2)
• Black Canyon of the Gunnison, CO (Aug 4-10)
• Sequoia National Park, CA (Aug 5-10)
• Olympic National Park, WA (Aug 5-11)
• Everglades National Park, FL (Dec 26-Jan 1)

More information and online registration can be found on our web site: http://www.partnersintheparks.org

What students have said…

• “I loved being in the backcountry and seeing snow in the desert.” Zion National Park
• “I loved meeting new people and sharing our thoughts and ideas. “ Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument
• “The seminars by rangers and faculty were all well done. The parks are a wonderful and difficult responsibility.“ Black Canyon of the Gunnison National park

Financial Assistance is available for Partners in the Parks. The NCHC Student Stipend award provides $300 towards participation in a 2013 Partners in the Parks project. This funding is provided to help financially challenged students participate in the academic adventures hosted through Partners in the Parks. We encourage honors administrators to promote the stipend awards and encourage qualified candidates to apply. Two stipends will be provided for each of the remaining projects in the 2013 schedule. The online application and more information are available at the PITP website: http://www.partnersintheparks.org.

Wartburg Philosophical and Literary Society

— The next WPLS meeting will be Friday, March 22nd, 4 p.m., in McCoy West. The speakers will be Professors Cliff Brockman and Pam Ohrt with Travis Bockenstedt, Jacqueline Schutte, Brandon Hosch, and Torie Jochims. Topic: The Tribal Fire: Student Media Leaders ‘Converge’ Around Multimedia Story-Telling.

Pearson Prize

The Pearson Prize is an award distributed by the Pearson Foundation that recognizes students who distinguish themselves by leading public service efforts and give back to their local community while completing their undergraduate studies.

We've made a few exciting changes to the program this year in order to provide even more students with the financial support and additional assistance they'll need to grow their programs and community outreach efforts. In 2013, 100 students will receive a cash prize of $1,000 to meet their goals, empowering more students than ever before to enrich their communities!

Please share this exciting opportunity with your students. The Pearson Prize application is available online and applications must be completed by April 19, 2013.

Registration Advice for 1Y Scholars

This is the point of the term when you are all wondering what you will be taking next year and there are always rumors (some true) flying about, so I am going to try to answer some questions.

1. SCH 255 does not count for IS 201  This course counts as your fourth Interconnected course.  All students earning a BA from Wartburg are required to take a Natural Science IC course, a Social Science IC course, and a Humanities/Fine Arts IC course.  Finally, you are required to take a fourth IC course, either Social Science or Humanities/Fine Arts.  It is this last course that SCH 255 fulfills.
2. SCH 255 is offered Fall term and is taken either your second or third year at Wartburg, so plan carefully.
3. Scholars Senior Projects do not have to be done during your senior year.  If you are planning on studying abroad, it may make more sense for you to do this during your junior year.  Or, we had one student who studied abroad her Junior year and used that as an opportunity to do her research for her Senior Project.
4. Plan Ahead.  As a Scholar, you can do amazing things, but it can involve some planning.  When do you want to do your undergraduate research?  When do you want to study abroad?  When do you want to go to Wartburg West?  Do you want to apply for an amazing post-graduate fellowship and study at Oxford or Cambridge Universities?  What is getting in your way of doing all of these things?  Talk with your academic adviser about your ideas in addition to which courses you hope to get into next year.

Now, we are thinking about submitting a change to the program to create a Scholars version of IS 201, but we haven't submitted it yet and it has not been approved, so it wouldn't count for you.

Call for Scholars Council Nominations

Faculty Mentors

This is just an idea I am working through for Scholars.  What would you think of being assigned (or choosing) a faculty mentor starting your second year at Wartburg?  This would be a person to help you navigate academia, Scholars, going to conferences, post-graduate fellowships, honors organizations, etc.

I am looking for ways to keep students in Scholars by making it more relevant to them personally.  I would need to find a way of rewarding the faculty and make sure that the ratio of Scholars to Mentor would be small (no more than 3).  The faculty may or may not be someone from your major depending on the number of students in your program.

Anyway - feedback is welcome.

Wartburg Philosophical and Literary Society

Wartburg Philosophical and Literary Society — The next WPLS meeting will be Friday, March 15th, 4 p.m., in McCoy West. The speaker will be Professor Zak Montgomery along with Justin Liddle, Lindsey Boyke, and Brittany Swanson: "Interrogating an American Dream through a Spanish Service-Learning Course"

DC Internship Information

Institute on Philanthropy and Voluntary Service

June 5 – August 3 * Washington, DC

www.DCinternships.org/IPVS  

**EXTENDED APPLICATION DEADLINE - MARCH 26**

SCHOLARSHIP FUNDING STILL AVAILABLE

Are you passionate about service and making a lasting impact in your community?  Are you looking for a summer experience that will give you the tools to standout in today’s competitive job market? 

Apply NOW for the 2013 Institute on Philanthropy and Voluntary Service and dive head first into Washington, DC’s unique and growing nonprofit sector. As one of the top cities in America for young nonprofit professionals,our nation’s capital is the perfect place to launch your career!

LIVE in furnished apartments in the heart of the city.

LEARN the foundations of the nonprofit sector and earn up to 9 transferable credits from George Mason University.

INTERN in some of Washington, DC’s most exciting nonprofit organizations.

SERVE in hands on projects and affect change in the community.

APPLY NOW!

This summer’s deadline has been extended to March 26 with generous scholarship funding still available. To take advantage of the extended application and scholarship deadline, please contact admissions staff atadmissions@tfas.org  or 202-986-0384. We will work with you to help you complete your application and ensure that it qualifies for the extended deadline.

For more information and to begin an online application please visit www.DCinternships.org/IPVS.

UMHC Conference Details

The Regional Conference is in Duluth, MN April 18-20.  Wartburg final exams end April 18, so what we do is leave after everyone's final exams are over.  The 8:30-10:30 final is for MWF 1:15 classes and the 12-2 final is for TH 9:35 classes.  Since we probably have someone with a MWF 1:15 class, we wouldn't leave for Duluth until 11 AM at the earliest, but that could be later if we have someone with a TH class.

There is not an official schedule up yet, but generally on Thursday there are some ice breakers, a nice dinner, and a big talk after that.  The conference hotel is the Sheraton Duluth Hotel in which we will house you.  There are generally talks all day Friday with something fun Friday night.  More talks Saturday morning followed by a business meeting and a gentle drive back to Waverly by Saturday evening.

We expect you to pay for any food that is not included with the conference registration.  The final deadline for registration is March 15, so please let Dr. Birgen know ASAP if you would like to be included.

The Ultimate Brownie Pan

The Mathematics, Computer Science, and Physics Department Seminar will feature a presentation Tuesday, March 12, at 11:30 a.m. from three students who competed in the national Mathematical Contest in Modeling earlier this month. Jonathan Juett ’13 (mathematics and computer science, Wartburg Scholar), Alyssa Hanson ’14 (mathematics), and Paul Masterson ’14 (mathematics and physics) considered geometry, calculus, thermodynamics and other approaches to model and create a design for a brownie pan that would produce the most uniform cooking and most efficient use of space within the oven. All are invited to hear their presentation entitled, "The Ultimate Brownie Pan," in room 134 of the Science Center. Refreshments will be provided.

Career, Internship, Graduate School and Post-Grad Fair

The Spring Career, Internship, Graduate School and Post-Grad Fair will be Tuesday, March 12, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. More than 50 representatives from corporations, nonprofits and graduate schools will be in the Hall of Champions of the Wartburg-Waverly Sports and Wellness Center. All Wartburg students are urged to attend, dressed for success, with résumé in hand. For more information, contact Jo Dorrance, internship coordinator, at jo.dorrance@wartburg.edu. The list of employers and colleges can be found be clicking here. 

Welcome Back Service Trips

Did you go on a service trip this Winter Break?  Did you travel with the Scholars SCH 110 course?  Did you know you can earn Scholars Culture Points for this activity?  All you need to do is report your activity using the form.

Checking on the SCH 110 Students

The scholars are currently traversing the Rocky Mountains in Colorado.  Checking the Amtrak web site, the SCH 110 train is scheduled to arrive on time into Denver, CO today at 6:38 PM.  We have been getting text updates from Dr. Earl who comments that the train cleared out pretty significantly this morning and the car is very quiet.

Tracking the SCH 110 Train

Anyone who wants to keep track of the SCH 110 train, the easiest web site is here.  They are on train #6 and are expected into Mount Pleasant, Iowa on Sunday morning.

Partners in the Parks

Partners in the Parks is an outdoor experiential learning program for collegiate honors students co-sponsored by Southern Utah University and the National Collegiate Honors Council.  In 2013 we will be hosting a variety of academic adventures at national parks across the country. These week-long projects include seminars led by university faculty and park rangers as well as exciting recreational opportunities to broaden participant's understanding of the overall value of national parks to our country and its citizens. PITP programs are open to honors students and faculty from all majors and disciplines.
Proposed projects for 2013 include:

1. Buffalo National River, AR (May 13-19)
2. Virgin Islands National Park, VI (May 18-25)
3. Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument, AZ (May 27-Jun 1)
4. Great Basin National Park, NV (July 27-Aug 2)
5. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, CO (Aug 4-10)
6. Olympic National Park, WA (Aug 5-11)
7. Sequoia National Park, CA (Aug 5-10)
8. Everglades National Park, FL (Dec 26-Jan 1)

Participation is limited and projects are filling.

SCHOLARSHIPS: There are a limited number of scholarships available to assist financially challenged students to attend.  For information about scholarships, registration and individual projects see our website: 

http://www.partnersintheparks.org

How do you get around outside the bubble?

Not everyone lives in a town you can walk across in an hour.  Sometimes you get to learn how to take public transportation.

Students in SCH 110 rode the bus in Los Angeles.

Can someone explain ...

I am offering a trip after final exams are over to an amazing location (okay, in Minnesota), to an amazing conference where the only expense to the student would be food and have only had one taker out of 85 students.  Especially when going on this trip puts you first in line for an all but food expenses paid trip to New Orleans in November to the national conference. I know that returning to campus Saturday evening may mean the students on tour may not be able to come.  Why is no one interested?

SCH 110 - Exploring LA, Monday

Off to the Getty Villa in Malibu this morning (ancient art in a reproduction of a Pompeiian villa) then perhaps some beach side adventures in Santa Monica and Venice or else visiting downtown LA.

California Zephyr

The SCH 110 students will be boarding the California Zephyr on Friday, March 8 in Emeryville, CA for the trip back to Iowa.  Here are some links with information about their trip:

Amtrak Route Guide  This file has information about everything to be seen on the ride from California to Iowa.

NY Times Article on how to survive a 47 hour train ride  This is along magazine piece on the Sunset Limited which travels from New Orleans to Los Angeles.  A good thing to read when you are traveling along in the California delta before you get to the Sierra Nevada.

Hints:

• Bring spare batteries for your camera
• Bring snacks (Trader Joe's)
• Bring books
• Relax and enjoy the trip

Leave the Wartburg Bubble

This is why we go to college and, when we go to college, we leave.  Good luck to all the Service Trips this week.

Social Justice Planning

The SCH 101 course in Fall 2013 will focus on Social Justice, so it is on my mind.  I was impressed this morning when I woke up and listened to a radio show on KUNI called Voices of Our World that was talking about the benefits to us in learning about others.  They have a whole collection of radio casts on different Social Justice issues.  There is a Scholars Culture point opportunity in listening to one of these shows and writing a reflection on the show as well as a recommendation on whether or not this would work well in SCH 101.

Wartburg Scholars Alumni

When students graduate, you know they are going to do great things, but it is wonderful to see your beliefs fulfilled.  Jessica graduated from the program in 2008 with a Scholars Project titled Knoxville Summer 1915 by Samuel Barber.

MCSP Seminar Tuesday, March 12

The next MCSP Seminar will be on Tuesday, March 12 at 11:30 in SC 134.
The featured speakers will be a team of three Wartburg students who competed in the national Mathematical Contest in Modeling (MCM) last month.  Jonathan Juett (4Y in Mathematics and Computer Science), Alyssa Hansen (3Y in Mathematics), and Paul Masterson (3Y in Mathematics and
Physics) considered geometry, calculus, thermodynamics and other approaches in order to model and create a design for a brownie pan that would produce the most uniform cooking and most efficient use of space within the oven.  They will discuss their model in their presentation entitled, "The Ultimate Brownie Pan."  (See below for the abstract.)  As always, refreshments (cookies and beverages) will be provided.  We hope to see you there!


MAR 12 SPEAKERS:
-Jonathan Juett (4Y in Mathematics and Computer Science, Wartburg Scholar) -Alyssa Hansen (3Y in Mathematics) -Paul Masterson (3Y in Mathematics and Physics)

"The Ultimate Brownie Pan"

We participated in the national Mathematical Contest in Modeling (MCM) from January 31st through February 4th.  Our mission was to create a model and design for a pan that will produce the best results in uniform cooking and space efficiency. Our process consisted of comparing regular-polygon-shaped pans by how efficiently they take up space and distribute heat. To find the area the pans took up, we created formulas to examine how much area was lost for each shape. Additionally, we wrote a program to graphically analyze the heat distributions of the different shapes. Our efforts allowed us to reveal the pan that would yield high-quality brownies in high quantities.