08 March 2012
Faculty and students pose while in Guatemala in 2011.
From March 9 to March 17, eight students will travel to Guatemala to learn about the Spanish culture, enjoy some sights, and participate in a service project.
"It's been a goal of mine to explore different Hispanic countries, so this is a great opportunity for me," IU Kokomo student Lisa Ortega said.
During the first few days in Guatemala, the group will tour a university, do an activity with the nursing students there, and hike up a volcano. They will then visit and spend an entire day at Escuelita Rayitos de Luz, a school for special needs students. This is the group's main service project.
The school in Guatemala hosts students aged five to 50, who all have different developmental levels. The school provides an appropriate education for each level. The IU Kokomo students will spend a day cooking and making arts and crafts with the Guatemalan students, and also will paint the school's kitchen.
"I'm really looking forward to volunteering and experiencing the culture," student Christal Overman said.
Throughout the rest of the trip, they will explore and visit the beach at Livingston, visit Mayan ruins in Copan, and tour the city of Antigua.
The group can look forward to a busy week in Guatemala, but they've also been busy planning and preparing for this trip. Each student has been responsible for a fundraiser. They've held bake sales, handmade craft sales, had an international dinner featuring food from all of Latin America, salsa dancing, a silent auction and a rummage sale, among others.
"This class is really supposed to teach the students about fundraising and helping the community," said Lynda Narwold, clinical professor for the School of Nursing. "We have to take almost all of our supplies because the people in Guatemala simply don't have the resources."
The group is collecting donations of art supplies to use with the kids in Guatemala, and to also leave the school with extra resources, Christine Taff, lecturer in Spanish, said. "We like to leave knowing that we gave something back."
When the group returns, they plan to have a Guatemala Night, showing what they experienced and learned on their trip.
"Going to Guatemala will show us an appreciation for how other people live," student Alisha Referda said. "You never truly know what it's like for others until you experience it."
Students traveling to Guatemala include Jarrett Adams, Alisha Referda, Brooklynn Payne, Amanda Taff and Narwold will accompany them.
Story by Mary Olk. Mary is a student writer for the Office of Media & Marketing
Indiana University Kokomo serves north central Indiana.
03 February 2012
KOKOMO, Ind. – Rachel Marschand slept in a truck one night in the Jordan desert, fearing a scorpion would crawl into her sleeping bag. By day, she fearlessly captured lizards to study how they’ve adapted to climate change. She even grabbed a juvenile Egyptian spiny-tailed lizard, nicknaming him “Dumbo” for allowing himself to be caught.
Rachel and the Egyptian spiny-tailed lizard they nicknamed "Dumbo".
Marschand, a senior at Indiana University Kokomo, spent three weeks in the Middle East researching lizards with Lina Rifai, assistant professor of biology. When she chose IU Kokomo, she had no idea travel and research would be part of her experience, but said it has enriched her life and prepared her for graduate school.
“I didn’t know I could do research outside the labs we have on campus. I was thrilled when Dr. Rifai decided I was the right type of student to go with her,” Marschand said. “I knew the experience would not only be a blast, but also it would help me get experience I need to succeed and to see if this is what I want to do as a career.”
They spent long days in the scorching desert heat searching for lizards, as an indicator of climate change. Lizards adapt well to environmental change, “so they’re a good indicator of the health of an environment. You can tell how healthy it is by how many species are there,” Marschand said.
Their research required hours of walking and digging in the desert sand, at all times of day, because different species are active at different times of the day. Some nights they stayed in a research station, with beds and showers, while others, they slept outside. Rifai said daytime temperatures were close to 100 degrees, and the nights were unusually cold for Jordan during the summer, in the mid-50s.
She warned Marschand to expect rough conditions, and commended her for her work.
“It was very hard field work we did. We really never got any rest. We worked at all hours of the day,” Rifai said. “Rachel did an excellent job out there with the conditions.”
Rifai and Marschand published their research, and Marschand will present their abstract at the National Conference for Undergraduate Research this March in Ogden, Utah. She was chosen from more than 3,000 applicants.
Marschand said her research experience and opportunities to present it and publish it are good preparation for graduate school.
“To be an undergraduate student having published and had my name on something is really unusual. IU Kokomo offered me a unique opportunity that will help my research career.”
Marschand is applying for grant funding to attend the conference.
In addition to gaining professional research experience, Marschand had a valuable cultural experience, traveling in the Middle East and meeting people who live there. They traveled with a Bedouin driver and guide, and while their languages were different, she felt she got to know them.
“The cultural experience was one of the most rewarding parts of the trip. It opened my eyes to how that part of the world is. I liked getting to know some of the people. You realize they’re not really much different from us.”
She also climbed to the ancient rock city of Petra and swam in the Red Sea. She joked that while she was never bitten by one of the lizards she studied, “Nemo bit me,” because a clownfish nibbled one of her fingers while she was diving.
She hopes that experience will set her apart from other graduate school candidates.
“The trip to Jordan gave me an opportunity to explore a different culture while studying in my field. Graduate schools want their applicants to have research experience, and having that experience outside the United States is a huge plus,” she said. “It is a big of a statement about a student if she is willing to open herself up to a new culture.”
Marschand said the hard work and the expense of traveling overseas was worth it for the experience she’s gained. She lives at home and paid for her airline ticket from savings.
“I’m not going to turn down an opportunity to travel and do research,” she said. “I was excited to go to the Middle East. There’s been so much unrest in some of those countries; they can be hard to access. This was a safer Middle East country.”
Christian Chauret, associate dean of science, mathematics, and informatics, is proud of the research and publishing opportunities his department offers its students, but said Marschand’s was unusual because it was in Jordan, not in a campus lab. He wants more students to have overseas research options.
Rifai plans to offer the Jordan research opportunity as a class in summer 2013, giving more IU Kokomo students the chance to study in the Middle East.
Indiana University Kokomo serves north central Indiana.
24 June 2011
KOKOMO, Ind. – The Indiana University Board of Trustees today (June 24) approved the Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) degree for the Kokomo campus. This degree will enhance opportunities for students to be recognized in the fine arts.
With the B.F.A., students can focus specifically on fine arts as a career and will be on track to pursue professional opportunities and a master’s in the field. This degree path concentrates on a variety of art, including digital media, painting, sculpting, new media, jewelry, and photography. Career possibilities can range from gallery work, to museum studies, to independent fine artists.
“IU Kokomo continues to expand its degree offerings to meet the needs of north central Indiana,” said Chancellor Michael Harris. “Through academic excellence, we will contribute to the economic well-being of the region. We at IU Kokomo are very intentional in being current and relevant in our academic offerings.”
The unique focus of this program is the interdisciplinary nature and multiple media choices. Students will have a real opportunity to learn multiple skills, with time to experiment with the mixing of these skills into cutting-edge, multi-disciplinary works.
The campus will continue to offer the Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts, which is a program aimed at students interested in becoming art teachers in K-12, or who prefer a more broad-based liberal arts degree.
This degree will require a final stamp of approval from the Indiana Commission for Higher Education.
“This is a unique opportunity for faculty from different departments to work with students to prepare them for a variety of career opportunities,” said Executive Vice Chancellor Susan Sciame-Giesecke.
Indiana University Kokomo serves north central Indiana.
15 September 2010
KOKOMO, Ind. – Indiana University Kokomo art students are busy displaying their work around the state.
Now through the end of September, the Rhum Academy of Music and Performing Arts Center in Kokomo is featuring "Art Inspired by Music" by several IU Kokomo students. They are Stephanie Britton, Theresa Stewart, Ashley DeWitt, Tarja Harney, and Abby Workman. Elizabeth Jorgenson, who graduated in May, also has her work on display.
This display consists of a variety of artworks inspired by specific songs, the emotional impact of music, or personal human connection to music. The Academy is located at 110 N. Washington Street. For more information, call (765) 236-0567.
In addition, Abby Workman and Theresa Stewart will also be in Oranje in Indianapolis on September 18, from 8 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. Oranje is a contemporary art & music event showcasing progressive artists and musicians. The goal of Oranje is to create an interactive experience of art and music presented in a stimulating, urban environment. Workman and Stewart will share a booth with Minda Douglas, assistant professor of fine arts, and two former IU Kokomo students, Tim Davis and Christina Hollering. For more information, visit www.oranjeindy.com.
Audrey Diaz, and IU Kokomo general studies major and art minor, recently received some awards for her art displayed this summer at the Honeywell Center in Wabash. Of her three entries, Diaz received an award for her piece titled, "Potted Tree," and an honorable mention for, "We Are Next."
IU Kokomo offers a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts. This degree provides students with the opportunity to study the fine arts in depth, including a strong background in art history, contemporary arts theory, professional practices, and studio arts. Students will be prepared for a wide variety of career possibilities after they graduate, such as working in the areas of communication arts, graphic arts, art administration, art education, or an individual fine arts career. In addition, the program prepares students to enter graduate degree programs in the fine arts. With its strong foundation in studio art, the program provides students experiences in a variety of media, including painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, graphic design, digital media, and animation. For more information on this program, contact Douglas at (765) 455-9556, or by e-mail at mimdougl@iuk.edu, or Gregory Steel, assistant professor of fine arts, at (765) 455-9585, or by e-mail at gsteel@iuk.edu.
Indiana University Kokomo serves north central Indiana.
Media Contact: Marie Radel
Phone: (765) 455-9468
E-mail: meradel@iuk.edu
15 September 2010
KOKOMO, Ind. – For the next five years, an English major at Indiana University Kokomo will receive $20,000 each academic year through a scholarship fund established by an anonymous donor.
Cameron Huffman, a senior majoring in English and New Media Communication, is the first to receive this scholarship, which was awarded to a student with outstanding future potential.
