Honors Program The campus now boasts brand new labs with cutting-edge technology in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, and Geography. NSU now offers a new Biotechnology Program and hired a new faculty member in Chemistry from Scripps Labs, and to lead the new Biotechnology Program, a new biologist who has had extensive experience in industry, working for over ten years at Dow Chemical. The hallmark of the new focus on Health Sciences is the Medical Laboratory Science Program, which evolved out of the Medical Technology Program.The new program is headed by Dr. Landon-Arnold, one of NSU’s outstanding cell/molecular and micro-biologists. It features affiliation with the Western College Alliance of Clinical Laboratory Sciences through the University of North Dakota and provides access to sixty internship sites in twelve states, enabling students to conduct their clinical training in a variety of settings during the summer prior to and during their senior year. New course offerings in the MLS Program include courses in Hematology, Immunology, and Medical Microbiology.The school is engaged in an aggressive recruitment program and in nurturing current students by establishing a forum and a career advising program focused on bringing speakers and practitioners in the field to campus, and creating opportunities for students to visit hospitals and research labs to learn about the discipline and the profession. With the current national debate concerning the healthcare reform, and the growing emphasis on medical technology in the profession, NSU is well positioned to contribute to shaping the future of the nation’s health services. The Program offers students a chance to challenge themselves and enhance their Northern experience by taking Honors courses and completing undergraduate research in the form of an Honors thesis or project. The NSU Honors Program held its first retreat in fall 2010.The Program teamed up with the Center of Excellence in International Business and shared a meeting space and several events over three days in Rapid City and the Black Hills.The highlights for the eleven Honors students who attended were meeting the founder of TOMS Shoes, Blake Mycoskie, hearing Mycoskie speak, and crafting the Honors Program strategic plan. Recharged by Blake Mycoskie’s impassioned talk, members of the NSU Honors Program met with Provost Tom Hawley and Dean Tino Mendez to share their strategic plan, the five main topics of which are academics, undergraduate research and networking, civic engagement, admission, and social events. Once back on campus, NSU Honors Director Dr. Erin Fouberg and NSU Honors students met with administrators and staff in residence life and admissions, working on several goals: to promote university-wide academic opportunities outside of classes, to establish an Honors floor at a residence hall, to promote studyabroad opportunities for Honors students, to hold monthly Honors socials, and to reach out to incoming NSU students to encourage participation in the Honors Program. This year, the NSU Honors Program and President James Smith hosted participatory journalist Ted Conover on campus. An Evening with Ted Conover, Pulitzer Prize finalist and Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award, was held on March 23 in the Johnson Fine Arts Center Theater.The event was open to the public. Mr. Conover spoke about his most recent book, The Routes of Man, and signed books after his interactive presentation. NSU Honors students had the opportunity to meet Mr. Conover at a reception. Health Sciences Programs received a doctorate from Purdue University where he researched the molecular and physiological mechanisms associated with programmed cell death of xylem elements in plants. When not preparing lectures, practicing labs, or researching science projects, Dr. Mitchell enjoys attending NSU sporting and artistic events, playing golf, mushroom hunting, playing the piano, backpacking, reading, watching movies, riding his Harley, listening to music, and generally being lazy. Dr. George Nora joined the faculty at NSU in August of 2010. He is originally from a small rural farming community in Illinois. After completing his master’s degree from Illinois State University, he earned his Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame working on the synthesis and testing of novel antibacterial agents. He conducted postdoctoral research at the Scripps Research Institute, Scripps Florida making potential therapeutic agents for Chagas disease. In his personal life, he and his wife, Stephanie, are busy preparing for the birth of their first child, due in April. Left to right: Kim Anderson, Ethan Brown, Erin Fouberg, Jennifer Kilber, Ben Buckingham, Tiffany Veal, Blake Mycoskie, Maggie Gould, Nick Blazer, Liz Zappa, Mike Newman, Kelsey Luckhurst, Saundra Leichti The NSU Honors Program is designed to work with academically talented and highly motivated students. Over the last two years, NSU has been focusing on developing an up-to-date portfolio of academic programs in the Health Sciences. The process involved a restructuring of program offerings and a $2.7 million investment in renovating all of the sciences labs. continued from previous page…
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