cougar newsletter

6
More than 2,500 pictures, 300 video clips and numerous animations help illustrate the outcome of each chemical combination or experiment even if it proves disastrous. Melissa Moore, a BYU graduate student in instructional psychology and technology, helped design the program and oversaw undergraduate BYU chemistry students as they tested Professor’s Virtual Chem Lab Makes A Bang Continued on page 3 Kristin Prina BYU chemistry professor Brian Woodfield has combined chemistry and computers so students can mix potent chemical cocktails on their computers without worrying about burning down the laboratory. Currently, students in more than 20 colleges and universities in the United States and Canada use his software, Virtual ChemLab, as part of their course work. “Because of cost and time restraints, most students are forced to spend lab time simply following detailed instructions to obtain the desired results,” said Woodfield. “They don’t often have the time to experiment freely.” Virtual ChemLab includes all the amenities of a real laboratory setting, from Bunsen burners and C-clamps to limitless supplies of calcium, magnesium and expensive or hazardous substances to which students usually have infrequent access. With the click of a mouse students can set up, conduct experiments and view results. Brigham Young University - October 2012 BYU professor Brian Woodfield designed his soft- ware program, Virtual ChemLab, so students can experiment freely with chemistry without worrying about blowing up real laboratories. Contents 1 2 3 4 5 6 Happenings on Campus Virtual Chem-Lab Digital Collection Empire of the Sultans 4 Cougars vs. Hawaii BYU Accounting Faculty and Staff 5 Furniture Courses

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Page 1: cougar newsletter

More than 2,500 pictures, 300 video clips and numerous animations help illustrate the outcome of each chemical combination or experiment even if it proves disastrous.Melissa Moore, a BYU graduate

student in instructional psychology and technology, helped design the program and oversaw undergraduate BYU chemistry students as they tested

Professor’s Virtual Chem Lab Makes A Bang

Continued on page 3

Kristin Prina

BYU chemistry professor Brian Woodfield has combined chemistry and computers so students can mix potent chemical cocktails on their computers without worrying about burning down the laboratory.Currently, students in more than 20

colleges and universities in the United States and Canada use his software, Virtual ChemLab, as part of their course work.“Because of cost and time restraints,

most students are forced to spend lab time simply following detailed instructions to obtain the desired results,” said Woodfield. “They don’t often have the t ime to experiment freely.”Virtual ChemLab includes all the

amenities of a real laboratory setting, from Bunsen burners and C-clamps to limitless supplies of calcium, magnesium and expensive or hazardous substances to which students usually have infrequent access. With the click of a mouse students can set up, conduct experiments and view results.

Brigham Young University - October 2012

BYU professor Brian Woodfield designed his soft-ware program, Virtual ChemLab, so students can

experiment freely with chemistry without worrying about blowing up real laboratories.

Contents

1

2

3

4

5

6

Happenings on Campus

Virtual Chem-Lab

Digital Collection

Empire of the Sultans

4Cougars vs.

Hawaii

BYU Accounting

Faculty and Staff 5Furniture Courses

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Cougar Corner

““ ”

to place with their cattle and their goods,” wrote Wells when she joined the pioneer camp.As time passed, punctuation

vanished from her diary but vivid description remained. “Just across the creek someone had set the prairie on fire how we were to cross this was a question it ran like lightning through the grass making a crackling among the bushes resembling the noise of burning crackers....”“The fact that both the original

manuscript and a typed manuscript are provided makes the collection a very reliable source,” said Professor Richard Rieck of Western Illinois University, who used the Web site to research geography and death on the overland trails. “One day when using Google to look for any trail diaries I could find, up popped one from the collection and that day I dropped everything else

and began to ‘mine’ it for everything I could use.” The Web site -- located at http://overlandtrails.byu.edu -- also features biographies of each of the

diarists and search options to locate journal entries about specific places and events.Construction of

the collection began in 1998 when the Lee Library won a $65,000 grant from the Library of Congress/Ameritech Digital Library Competition. Library staff then combined materials from their Special Collections department with resources from other institutions. The finished product consists of 9,350 scanned images of the writings along with the searchable, text-based transcripts of each diary. The information is also hosted on the Library of Congress Web site.Producing digital versions of the

diaries not only protects the original diaries from overuse but also makes the writing and history accessible to a broader audience, Fales said. “One of the key components is that we developed this for everybody,” she said. “We want to reach out to people who would never walk through our doors.”In addition to “Trails of Hope,” the

Lee Library hosts 12 other digital collections, such as the BYU Museum of Art Collection and the journal Marriage and Families (see www.lib.byu.edu/hbll/). ■

“Trails of Hope” Digital Collection Available

Wells writes detailed entries about daily chores, children, difficult traveling conditions, and her relationships with other women on the journey to Iowa.

We want to reach out to people who would never walk through our doors...

I can see teachers downloading sections and pieces to be viewed in the classroom...

Joseph Hadfield

History teachers and students can now access an on-line library to take a more personal look at the lives of their ancestors and other trailblazers who trekked westward during the Gold Rush and Mormon migration.The “Trails of Hope” digital

collection, developed at BYU, contains 59 diaries penned on the Mormon, California, Oregon and Montana trails between 1846 and 1869. Interactive maps, photos and essays supplement the diaries, most of which were previously unpublished.“I can see teachers downloading

sections and pieces to be viewed in the classroom,” said Susan Fales, curator of digital historical collections

at the Harold B. Lee Library. “We hope schoolchildren can read and see the actual handwriting as well as the transcripts.”The youngest of

the diarists is Emmeline

B. Wells, who at 18 years of age was part of the Mormon exodus from Nauvoo, Illinois. After settling in Utah, Wells became known for her work as an advocate of women’s suffrage and as the fifth general president of the Relief Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But she first experienced the hardships of trail life. “It looked like pictures I have seen of the ancients pitching their tents and journeying from place

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October 2012

the simulations. “It was neat to seewthem experiment on different

things that I never had exposure to and equipment I wasn’t allowed access to when I was an undergraduate student,” said Moore.The simulations, which Woodfield says

have increased student performance in BYU organic chemistry labs by 30 percent, have also been implemented in h igh school s .Steven Haderlie, a chemistry teacher

of 25 years, introduced the program at Springville High School and has been impressed with the results. “It can help illustrate concepts that are difficult for students to visualize on the board or on an overhead -- it really helps with understanding,” said Haderlie.He said the simulations accelerate the

learning process, causing students to take ownership of their own learning and take more initiative. “Their attitudes change, and in a difficult course like chemistry, confidence plays an important role,” said Haderlie. “Students work harder and feel more confident about trying new things when we provide an environment where making discoveries is possible. They may not all become chemistry majors, but we have succeeded in moving them to a higher level of learning.”BYU’s Woodfield came up with the

concept for Virtual ChemLab as a graduate student at the University of California, Berkeley. He used a $50,000 grant from BYU and a $280,000 grant from the Department of Education to fund the project.Four out of an eventual six simulations

are complete and work has begun on the fifth. The finished collection will include simulations for inorganic qualitative analysis, fundamental experiments and quantum chemistry, gas properties, t i trat ions, calorimetr y and organic chemistr y. ■

Continued from page 1HAPPENINGS ON CAMPUS

DEVOTIONALElder Charles Didier of the First Quorum of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will speak at a devotional Tuesday, October 2, at 11:05 am in the Marriott Center.

The devotional will be broadcast live on KBYU-TV (Channel 11), the BYU-Television and BYU-Radio satellite networks and at broadcasting.byu.edu. It will be rebroadcast Sunday (October 7) at 6 am on KBYU-TV, on BYU-Television at 8 am and 4 pm, and on KBYU-FM at 8 pm.Born in Belgium, Elder Didier is currently a member of the presidency of the First Quorum of the Seventy.

SPERRY SYMPOSIUMThe BYU Sperry Symposium on the Scriptures Friday and Saturday, October 27-28, will feature Elder L. Aldin Porter of the First Quorum of the Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Andrew Skinner, dean of Religious Education. The symposium will begin at 6:30 pm in the JSB auditorium. Lectures will continue until 9:30 pm in the auditorium and the nearby Martin Building. Lectures will resume Saturday morning at 9 am in the JSB auditorium and will continue through 11 am. No admission fee or registration are required.

BREAST CANCER SCREENINGSHuman Resource Services is sponsoring the 10th annual Early Breast Cancer Detection Campaign. BYU has arranged with DMBA and Utah Valley Regional Medical Center to provide high-quality care in a comfortable and professional atmosphere. Female personnel and spouses of male personnel with DMBA health care plans are invited to make appointments during the BYU screening period November 3-19. Appointments for the mammograms may be made online at http://www.byu.edu/hr/wellness. For additional information, call Danielle Palmer at ext. 2-5723.

LINGUISTICS MEETINGThe annual Deseret Language and Linguistics Society Symposium will be Thursday and Friday, December 6-7, from 9 am to 4 pm in 3241 WSC. The symposium will include 40 presentations on current research in language and linguistics. For more information, contact David Bowie at ext. 2-9168.

Additional information about these and other campus events is available at: www.byu.edu/news/ynews

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Cougar Corner

”“

Jeff Reynoldwwws

The Marriott Center attendance at Friday night’s men’s volleyball game against Hawaii marked the second largest crowd in BYU volleyball history. The 11,513 fans also marked the largest crowd to watch a men’s volleyball match in the country this season.“The crowd was great,” BYU head coach Tom Peterson said. “They were absolutely fabulous. The Marriott Center is different than playing in the Smith Fieldhouse. It brings a different emotion, a different atmosphere. We went from the Fieldhouse to an arena that is like the arena Hawaii plays in. We’re not used to such a huge, cavernous place. But the fans were absolutely fabulous.”

Cougar Spikers, Hawaii Collide at Marriott Center

“Empire of the Sultans: Ottoman Art from the Khalili Collection,” a spectacular exhibition highlighting the rich artistic heritage of one of the

most extraordinary world powers in the history of Europe and the Middle East, will end its run January 20 at the Museum of Art.This exhibition embraces every

aspect of Ottoman art and a dynasty that spanned more than six centuries with more than 200 objects ranging from Holy Qur’ans, arms and armor to rich textiles, treasury objects, gilt manuscripts, ceramics, scientific instruments and more. The exhibition is organized and circulated by Art Services International, Alexandria, Virginia.Admission for Museum Members is

free. Regular tickets cost $8 for BYU faculty, staff or students with ID. Ticket price also includes an audio guide.

Group and family pricing for the exhibit is also available. To purchase tickets or for more information, call the Marriott Ticket Office at 1-800-422-

BYU1 or ext. 2-BYU1.The works are drawn

from the Nasser D. Khalili Collection of Islamic Art, one of the largest collections of its kind.

“Empire of the Sultans” marks the first time this collection has been seen in the United States.Among the treasures are calligraphic

“Empire of the Sultans” Will close January 20

Continued on Page 6

This exhibition embraces every aspect of Ottoman art and a dynasty that spanned more than six centuries...

BYU’s winning streak continues with their win against Hawaii.

Exquisite Ottomon rug on display at the MOA.

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October 2012

A team of four accounting graduate students from the Marriott School won first place in the national Deloitte & Touche Tax Challenge competition. The school’s undergraduate team placed second in a separate division.“We’re extremely proud of our

students’ performance,” says Ned C. Hill, dean of the Marriott School. “BYU is the only university to ever have both teams place in the top three in the same year. We have achieved this for five consecutive years and six times since the competition began 11 years ago.”Deloitte & Touche officials selected

six graduate and six undergraduate teams as finalists to compete in two divisions from 60 teams representing 40 colleges and universities in regional competition.Finalists were presented with a

complex case study that required them to analyze data, identify issues and consider tax solutions for a fictitious

client. Students were given only five hours to solve the client’s problem and write a solution.“This competition requires students

to think creatively,” says Ron Worsham, associate professor of accounting and graduate team advisor. “Some parts of the problem have basically one right answer, but other parts are open-ended. Being able to apply creative solutions distinguishes the winners.”Graduate team members Alicia

Carlson, Aurora, Colorado; Laura Hancock, Bothell, Washington; Mats Dobberfuhl, Barron, Wisconsin; and Jennifer Borneman, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, will each receive a $1,000 scholarship, and the Marriott School’s School of Accounting and Information Systems will receive a $10,000 grant. Undergraduate team members Terry Jackson, Henderson, Nevada; Marianne Hafen, Las Vegas, Nevada; Matt Walton, Campbell, California; and Linda Andrews, Taylorsville, Utah, will

each receive $500 scholarships and a $5,000 grant for the school. Campus Community is published

monthly during the academic year by University Communications. Editor: Cecelia Fielding, C-347 ASB, BYU, Provo, UT 84602; 801-422-4377. Photo Editor: Mark A. Philbrick.News items are welcome. Send copy

to the above address; fax to 801-422-6005; or email to [email protected].■

BYU AccountingTeams Dominate Tax Competition

CHUCK STIGGINS of the Department of Physical Education in the College of Health and Human Performance has been appointed to the Huntsman World Senior Games Board of Trustees.Stiggins will be responsible for overseeing the health screening of the Senior Games’ participants. He and several other faculty members will also be conducting a study regarding balance, coordination and equilibrium.He is considered to be a leading authority in the fields of athletic

strength and conditioning, health,

LEE T. PERRY, MARK H. HANSEN, C. SHANE REESE and GILBERT W. FELLINGHAM received the best paper prize from The Strategic Management Society at the organization’s 22nd annual international conference in Paris, France.Their paper, “A Bayesian Application of the Resource-Based View: Narrowing the Gap between Theory and Practice,” proposes an

advanced statistical model that can be used to predict the consequences of an organization’s decisions on its financial performance.

JOHN LAMB A special session was held to honor retired BYU professor Reed M. Izatt, who started the program.

A new day begins on campus for BYU faculty and staff.

Faculty/Staff Notes

fitness and wellness.

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Cougar Corner

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BYU Resurrects Furniture Design Courses

medallions in gilded wood that decorated mosques, brilliantly decorated armor and jewel-encrusted weapons used in battle by Suleyman the Magnificent, exquisite Persian carpets and painstakingly illustrated albums and books. The spectacular exhibition reveals the originality and resilience of Ottoman artistic expression in religious, military, administrative and daily life a n d t h e c e n t r a l r o l e o f i m p e r i a l p a t r o n a g e .The exhibition is arranged in

four sections which are titled “In the Service of God,” “Sultans, Soldiers, and Clerks,” “Arts and Crafts” and “Books, Paintings and Scripts.” ■

Craig Kartchner

Recent BYU graduate Ben Rabner doesn’t plan to pursue the English degree he earned in April in a traditional fashion. His passion, he has discovered, is much more hands-on.Rabner is an aspiring furniture designer with

national awards and international contracts to justify his career switch.Despite the fact that BYU didn’t have a

furniture design program until this semester, Ben slated every woodworking class the university offered and worked closely with faculty members like Kip Christensen to satisfy his desire to learn the art and business of furniture design.“Initially, it was a matter of

utility -- I needed a chair so I built one,” says Rabner. “Then I started noticing furniture form and design in magazines and decided functionality wasn’t enough.”Ben’s extra-mile approach not only satiated

his thirst for design know-how but also earned him second place in creative chair design last year at the Student Design Show in Anaheim.Aside from being a giant pat on the back, the

award has boosted his already budding career and convinced him that starting his own design business would be more fulfilling than pursuing graduate studies.Ben’s brother, Peter, proved sawdust runs

in the Rabner blood when he won first prize in the occasional category (tables and accent pieces) at the International Woodworking Fair in Atlanta August 22. With a formidably demanding application process, few candidates are even asked to attend the fair, which makes the award all the sweeter for Peter.“I’m convinced many students come and go

from BYU and have no idea we have a very nicely equipped studio where they could learn to design and build furniture,” says industrial

design professor Kip Christensen. Recent restructuring within the BYU School of Technology has included the resurrection of two furniture design classes -- Industrial Design 33R (Introduction to Furniture Design) and 435R (Advanced Furniture Design).Although these classes have been on

the books for years, they’ve not actually been taught for at least a decade.The industrial design classes will replace

the previous woodworking classes taught through Technology Teacher Education,

and will increase emphasis on creative design and traditional production techniques.“Both of these young men

are really talented and have a passion for the art,”

says Christensen. “All their work is of their own initiative. None of it fills a requirement for graduation.”The Rabners’ studio looks more like a

museum than a workshop. But a visitor is likely to see as much stone, resins and glass as cherry wood and walnut.“I mix a lot of media to get the

contemporary, high-end studio effect,” says Ben. “I don’t see myself as just a cabinetmaker.”Having already contracted to custom-

build several pieces for houses in the Parade of Homes, and with a mass-market international deal on the horizon, the future looks promising for Ethan Allen’s newest competitor.“There’s a huge need in the 18- to

30-year-old market because it’s hard for them to find unique, clean designs that are also affordable,” says Ben. “I want to fill that void.” ■

Continued from page 4All their work is of their own initiative...

Campus Community is published monthly during the academic year by University Communications. Editor: Cecelia Fielding, C-347 ASB, BYU, Provo, UT 84602; 801-422-4377. Photo Editor: Mark A. Philbrick.

News items are welcome. Send copy to the above address; fax to 801-422-6005; or email to [email protected].