NEW FACULTY DR. JESSICA WARNS, assistant professor of biology, joined the department of science and math this spring. She will teach course in the pre-health disciplines with scholarship in developmental biology and genetics. Dr. Warns grew up in Ohio and studied at Muskingum University for her undergraduate degree. She then moved to Grand Forks, North Dakota for graduate work in molecular biology, studying colon cancer progression and obtaining her doctorate in 2018. Upon graduation, Dr. Warns moved to Colorado, working as a post-doctoral fellow for four years at the University of Colorado, near Denver. DR. KRISTEN BROWN, assistant professor of English, joined the department of English, communication, and global languages this fall. Dr. Brown originally hails from Erie, PA. She will teach English courses as well as courses in Indigenous literature. She obtained her Ph.D. in 2020 in English and American Literature at the University of South Carolina, during which she taught composition, literature, and ethics courses. Dr. Brown’s research and teaching turn attention to Indigenous author-activists who leveraged their awareness of colonizing discourse to critique those ideologies and mobilize support against dispossessive frameworks of settler governance. Seeking to center and amplify Indigenous voices, Dr. Brown situates them within an expanding genealogy of Indigenous resilience. Northern South Dakota Science and Math Fair Northern hosts the annual Northern South Dakota Science and Mathematics Fais, showcasing over 200 projects each year from young scientists in grades 6 to 12 from northeastern South Dakota. The event is affiliated with International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Washington, D.C. Between 400 and 500 students are expected to exhibit projects involving biology, botany, chemistry, physics, health and medicine, and more. Top winners will have an opportunity to exhibit at ISEF. Judges are approximately 70 professionals from the Aberdeen area; Northern faculty; and upper-level Northern students. This year marks the 40th annual fair, which will be held on March 30, 2023 in the Northern Barnett Center. Math Contest Northern math professors Scout Mewaldt and Edwin Williamson created the mathematics contest in 1953. Starting with approximately 40 students from eight area schools in attendance, today, more than 600 students from dozens of schools participate. The contest was developed to give area high school teachers an opportunity to compare the mathematical skills of their students with the skills of students from other schools and promote interest in math. Northern State University will host the 68th Annual Mathematics Contest on Wednesday, April 19, 2023. High school students from around the area are invited to participate in one of four divisions: elementary algebra, geometry, advanced algebra, and senior math. PARTNERSHIPS AND ACTIVITIES Rising Scholars Program The Rising Scholars program under the guidance of Ms. Terry Piatz, director of Rising Scholars program, was designed for high school students to earn college credits on-site at their high school. Much like many dual enrollment programs, high school students can earn credit toward high school graduate and a college degree at the same time; however, classes are taught on-site (at the respective partnering high school) by qualified high school instructors who also are adjunct faculty members at Northern. To qualify, instructors must have a master’s degree in the course discipline or a master’s degree plus 18 graduate credits in the course discipline. This academic year, we had 16 different course offerings (in general education) at nine different schools. Schools included Brandon Valley, Canton, Dell Rapids, Mitchell, O’Gorman, Sioux Falls Jefferson, Tea Area, TF Riggs, and Webster high schools. New, this year, we hired an academic advisor, Ms. Rhonda Carda, to assist with admission and advising as it relates to Rising Scholars. Of interest, the NSU Rising Scholars Program is the only dual enrollment program in South Dakota that is accredited by the National Alliance for Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP). The Rising Scholars Program has met NACEP standards designed to ensure quality in the areas of curriculum, faculty, student services, assessment and evaluation. Ms. Terry Piatz Dr. Jessica Warns Dr. Kirsten Brown Ms. Rhonda Carda
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