The College Board has released a report (News Release Sept 14, 2011) stating that only 11 percent of U.S. students earn science and engineering bachelor degrees. This ranks the United States as 20th out of 24 industrialized countries in the percentage of 24-year-olds who had earned a first degree in the natural sciences or engineering. The U.S. is ranked 48th in the quality of its

mathematics and science education by the World Economic Forum. The National Science Foundation gathered the data, used in the College Board report. These statistics clearly indicate that we need to dramatically increase the number of and improve the education of students choosing careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The UCA STEM Institute received a grant for $82,929 from Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) to address this issue. “UCA – Preparing for College and Career”

Program will develop and offer a College and Career Preparation course for 11th and 12th grade students to improve their college and workforce readiness and academic achievement. (continued p.68)

(UCA STEM Grant) Each day during the course there will be four one-hour modules in Math, Reading, English, and Science. Students will rotate through each module. The UCA Office of Career Services will also offer the “Jump Start” program. The program uses a series of activities to connect students with career development choices by identifying appropriate careers and tying them to an appropriate major. Students will develop a 4-year successful career plan and learn about the skills needed to succeed in the college. The UCA STEM Institute, University College and College of Education are teaming up to work with five school districts Bigelow, Conway, Greenbrier, Mayflower and Vilonia on this project. Dr. Umadevi Garimella, the project director, will oversee all aspects of the project. She will serve as a liaison between the various partners. UCA faculty will teach the course. An advisory board, consisting of highly qualified high school teachers with experience teaching ACT Prep classes, will advise UCA faculty in developing course materials, assist in administrating Pre-/post assessments, analyze the test data and help tailor the program to the specific needs of the students.

The UCA STEM Institute, because of excellent past collaborations with NASA Education, has been admitted to The NASA Professional Development Network. Only a select group of high quality professional development providers are invited to collaborate with NASA Education to design and deliver ongoing professional development activities that can improve teaching and learning. The UCA STEM Institute will work with an AESP Education Specialist to set mutually beneficial goals through the development of a strategic professional development plan. This collaboration will build a strategy customized to meet local needs. It will employ onsite and/or online activities involving NASA’s education specialists, scientists, engineers, and educational resources. This will maximize the impact of NASA’s professional development efforts, and efficiently serve targeted educator audiences most likely to benefit. The goal is to make a difference in STEM education, through collaborations that identify and serve appropriate audiences, providing them with sustained access to NASA resources and assets. (continued p.69)

(UCA STEM NASA continued) In November 2011, for the first time, The STEM Institute hosted a professional development workshop via Skype for UCA pre-service teachers. John Weiss, AESP Science Specialist, presented a 3-hour activity titled “Mass vs. Weight: A heavy-duty matter” from Alabama. Ms. Minnietta Ready, UCA STEM Institute Science Specialist, facilitated the event at the UCA site. More than 15 UCA pre-service students participated in a series of activities, which corresponded to videos of demonstrations performed on the International Space Station showing the difference between mass and weight. The students also learned about free NASA educational resources. The UCA STEM Institute will receive a certificate to display on our premises and a web decal to display on our website identifying us as a member of the NASA Professional Development Network.

Perry, D.A.; Schiefer, E.M.; Cordova, J.S.; Bonde, A.M.; Razer, T.M.; Primm, K.A.; Chen, T.; Biris, A.S. Chem. Phys. Let. 2011, 511, 348-350.

It has been demonstrated in recent years that small metal nanoparticles, such particles being typically 1/1000 the diameter of a human hair, have many applications ranging from standard commercial applications in areas such as cosmetics, medicine, and auto parts to more specialized, scientific applications in chemical catalysis or molecular sensors. Research in our laboratory is focused on trying to understand how the presence of silver or gold metal nanoparticles impact the growth of thin chemical and biological films. This work shows how silver nanoparticles induce a unique type of chemical bond between 4-fluorobenzoate ions and an alkane solvent called a C-H hydrogen bond.

�“C-H···O Hydrogen Bonding in a 4-fluorobenzoate Multilayer Induced by Silver Nanoparticles�”

For the third year in a row, the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics attended the Mayflower Science Night on February 2nd. A fantastic turnout of about 200 children/parents enjoyed all the hands-on demonstrations presented. Faculty, graduate students and undergraduates offered their time and enthusiasm and allowed the children a “look” into each of their areas. Reptiles, bones, DNA, insects, gigantic cells, conservation exercises, hand wash testing, computer games, physical and chemical phenomena entertained and educated all. For additional information: http://www.viloniaschools.org/around-vtown/post/558

Dr. Linda Griffith, Professor of Mathematics at UCA and Ms. Margaret Bambrick, a Mathematics Specialist at Volusia County Schools, Florida presented a national webinar on Pathways for Implementing TI-Nspire Technology on January 24, 2012. In the webinar, the presenters shared tips for implementing TI-Nspire technology in classrooms. Beginning with teacher usage as a presentation tool, they shared pathways to promote student discovery on the handheld TI-Nspire and implementation of the TI-Nspire Navigator system. The webinar is a part of a series to show educators in US and Canada how to effectively use TI technology to build student understanding.

Mr. Brady Sharp, who graduated from UCA with an MS degree in Applied Mathematics in December 2011, has been admitted to the Ph.D. Program in Economics in the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. Brady received a Distinguished Doctoral Fellowship (DDF) to begin in fall 2012. The DDF carries a stipend of $20,000 per year in addition to his Graduate Assistantship of $17,400 per year plus a tition wavier. Brady received his BS degree in Applied Mathematics from UCA in 2010.

Mr. Jonathan Taylor, a graduate student in the MS Applied Mathematics Program, has been offered a research assistantship with an annual stipend of $23,000 plus tuition wavier to join the doctoral program in the Marine Sciences Department at the University of Georgia this coming fall. Currently Jonathan is working on his masters’ thesis related to modeling of submarine mass flow under Dr. Long Le, Assistant Professor of Mathematics. He expects to complete his degree by the end of this spring. Jonathan received his BS degree in Applied Mathematics from UCA in 2009.

At the end of the winter holiday, Shelby Burns (Physics - Sophomore) and Ashley Hicks (Physics - Junior) attended the Southeast Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics. The four-day conference was hosted by the University of Tennessee, Department of Physics. Shelby and Ashley met over one hundred fellow undergraduate physics majors from fifty-one institutions across the southeast region. Students had the opportunity to question and learn from speakers with a variety of scientific backgrounds in the structured lectures and panel discussions. Lecture topics ranged from graduate school and research programs to balancing careers and families. Many of the panelists and lecturers were also available after hours for further discussion and networking. A tour of Oak Ridge National Laboratory was included in the conference itinerary. The women at the conference toured the Jaguar Computing Facility, the Spallation Neutron Source, and the X-10 Graphite Reactor. The conference proved to be invaluable both socially and educationally. Both women expressed excitement upon their return and hope that in the future UCA will continue to support women physics major attending these conferences.

Drs. Ben Cash, Reid Adams, Ginny Adams and Sally Entrekin, along with graduate students Jason Christian, Loren Stearman, Chris Naus, Jessie Green, and Nicki Jensen presented at the American Fisheries Society Arkansas state meeting in Conway. Over 30 students from UCA attended the meeting to listen to presentations and interact with fisheries biologists from around the state as well as many alumni of UCA that also attended the meeting. The Arkansas American Fisheries Society is a member of the parent organization: the International American Fisheries Society (AFS). The mission of the Society is to: "improve the conservation and sustainability of fishery resources and aquatic ecosystems by advancing fisheries and aquatic science and promoting the development of fisheries professionals". Dr. Ginny Adams is a past-president of the state chapter and is Chair of the Social and Entertainment Committee for the 2013 International AFS meeting that will be held in Little Rock, AR. Dr. Reid Adams is Chair of the Student Committee for the International meeting.