casnewsfall17

Dr. Erin Brownlee, instructor of mathematics, grew up in Moorhead, Minn., where she also completed a B.S. in elementary education and a B.A. in mathematics at Minnesota State University, Moorhead. Brownlee went on to earn a Ph.D. in mathematics at North Dakota State University. She is currently teaching intermediate algebra, calculus I and math concepts for teachers. Her research interests include graph algebras (or, more broadly, C*-algebras) and elementary and undergraduate mathematics education. Over the years, she has enjoyed learning French and Italian and traveling in Europe, including studying abroad in Florence, a whirlwind tour through Europe, and most recently traveling with her husband on their honeymoon to Prague. They now have two children, Emilia and Dashel, and enjoy spending time playing and learning with them. Brownlee also enjoys reading memoirs and attending the opera. Mr. Gus Foote, instructor of communication studies and director of forensics, is originally from Elk River, Minn. He earned a bachelor’s degree at Saint Cloud State University and master’s degree at Miami University, both in communication studies. Foote is nearly finished with his Ph.D. from Ohio University. His research seeks to rhetorically ground social media activism in order to further understand the persuasive capacities of these movements and explore the changing nature of political advocacy. In addition to his teaching public speaking, persuasion and rhetorical criticism, Foote also coaches the speech and debate team at Northern. When not at work, Foote enjoys spending movie nights with his wife, Rachel, and their two cats. He also looks forward to exploring the area and as much of the country as possible. Dr. Travis Trentham, assistant professor of mathematics, grew up in Tennessee close to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. He attended the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and graduated with a bachelor’s in philosophy. Trentham also took many math courses and could have earned a math degree had he taken one more course. He went on to earn a Ph.D. in mathematics from North Dakota State University. Trentham has taught a wide range of courses, including most classes one would expect to find in the curriculum of any math major. His research interests are in the field of commutative algebra, and he enjoys hiking, reading and following the stock market in this free time. Trentham and his wife, who is also an assistant professor of mathematics at Northern, have two children, Braedon and Rebekah. New Faculty and staff Faculty Spotlight Dr. Courtney Waid- Lindberg, associate professor of sociology and criminal justice, won Northern State University’s 2016-2017 Outstanding Faculty Award based on her achievements in teaching, research and service. Before coming to Northern, Waid-Lindberg earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology at the University of Kentucky, a master’s degree in criminal justice at the University of Alabama and a Ph.D. in criminology and criminal justice at Florida State University. Since joining Northern in 2013, Waid- Lindberg has taught a range of engaging classes and established a strong rapport with students, a record recognized by colleagues around the region who selected her to receive the Great Plains Sociological Teaching Award. Waid-Lindberg has published numerous peer-reviewed articles and book chapters in academic venues and is a regular presenter at professional conferences. Most recently, she won Northern’s 2017 Nora Staael Evert Research Award for her project titled “Understanding the Needs of Victim Advocate Service Providers in South Dakota.” Waid-Lindberg’s service contributions also have an impact across campus, including serving as a member of Undergraduate Student Research Committee, University Athletic Committee, Institutional Review Board Committee, and Academic Affairs Committee at Northern. Beyond Northern, Waid-Linberg’s peers elected her president of the Great Plains Sociological Association with her term beginning in 2018. Her achievements are just one example of many of the dedication demonstrated by faculty throughout the College of Arts and Sciences to help our students succeed and contribute to our community and region. the recipient of the prestigious Fulbright U.S. Student Program Award from the U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. Bice is the third NSU student in recent years to receive a grant from the Fulbright program, a U.S. government-sponsored scholarship program that promotes international educational exchange. He is one of over 1,900 U.S. citizens who will conduct research, teach English, and provide expertise abroad for the 2017-18 academic year through the Fulbright program. Bice’s program of study at Northern was aimed at a career in teaching English overseas: in addition to completing his dual-major degree, he earned a Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, and spent a semester as an exchange student at Anyang University in South Korea in 2014. After his Fulbright year overseas, Bice plans to pursue a master’s degree in teaching, and then to teach in another country or stay in the U.S. to work with refugee students. Kevin Heilman, a chemistry major, and Zach Mohs, a biology major, participated in the Project 8: Crystal Structure Identification in Natural Organic Matter as part of the National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program. With NSU’s Associate Professor of Chemistry Dr. Guangwei Ding as their mentor, they began their work with an orientation session in Pierre in May, and in the next 10 weeks engaged in review of the literature, sample collection, sample analysis at South Dakota State University (Dr. Rice’s lab) and Northern State University (Dr. Ding’s lab), data processing and analysis, poster preparation and presentation. The results of the experiment were presented in August at the statewide REU Undergraduate Research Symposium in Pierre in two posters titled “Divergent molecular structures of natural organic matter” and “Suitability of different spectroscopic techniques in the characterization of natural organic matter.” The symposium was sponsored by the South Dakota EPSCoR Program. Student Success continued… Donate Now Visit northern.edu , click on “Give Now” | Select “College of Arts and Sciences” to support the College of Arts and Sciences.