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Excellence in Undergraduate Education Program
2007 Awards

EUE Abstracts - FY 07

07-01
Banks Ronald, Deans Office of Engineering
Student Supplemental Support for the Illinois Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation
Award Amount - $2,724

A supplemental program focused on providing resources for student registrations, overnight lodging and travel expenses, in order to attend and present their research projects at regional and national research conferences and symposiums. The Illinois Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Program (ILSAMP) has provided undergraduate underrepresented ethnic minority, international and majority students to engage in research initiatives with faculty members from the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Engineering for approximately 8 years. The ILSAMP has provided SIUE students with opportunities to present their research results before faculty and students on both state and national levels. SIUE has been a consistent representative with a large number of students participating in the Annual Argonne National Laboratory Symposium for Undergraduates in Science, Engineering and Mathematics, and the Annual LS-AMP Student Research Symposium. In addition, the ILSAMP initiative has been responsible for students continuing their academic pursuits at the graduate and professional schools level.

07-02
Barrow Jane, Dimick Brigham, Department of Art and Design
Washington, D.C. / New York Tour
Award Amount - $5000

The Art Tour to Washington D.C. and New York City (DC/NY Art Tour) offers students a dynamic opportunity to study significant collections of classical and contemporary art, decorative and utilitarian arts from numerous cultures as well as significant monuments and notable examples of architecture. The seven-day tour covers eight major museums allowing students to research works never seen before and often not possible to see anywhere else in the United States and also to review actual works that were the foundation of their freshman art education. Such unparalleled collections will bring the students’ SIUE experience into an important broader context, reanimating and offering a culminating experience to their hours of studio work and lecture. Documenting this experience through handcrafted journals will demonstrate both critical thinking and visual awareness mandated by Senior Assessment criteria in the Department.

07-03
Bell John, Archer Kimberly, Department of Music
Guest Composer: David Maslanka
Award Amount - $5,600

To bring David Maslanka, noted composer, to the SIUE campus for three days. He will work with the Wind Symphony (appx. 60 students) during rehearsals of his music and attend the concert. He will meet with undergraduate and graduate music theory courses and MUS 111 courses, thus involving not only music majors, but also any students interested in music. He will give a public lecture on his philosophy of and process for composing music. He will also give group and private lessons to undergraduate composition majors.

07-04
Bernaix Laura, Department of Family Health and Community Health
CAI for Nursing Students: Breastfeeding Promotion for Families of Premature
Award Amount - $7,234

Student nurses care for pregnant patients who have complications resulting in premature birth. Mothers of these infants are strongly encouraged to provide breast milk to their infants, however they are typically unsuccessful in their attempts. Breastfeeding a premature infant requires an entirely different set of skills and knowledge, for both the new family and the healthcare practitioner. The goal of this EUE grant application therefore is to develop CAT (a CD-ROM) that will prepare the student nurse to provide breastfeeding support to high-risk pregnant patients who will likely have, or have just delivered, a premature infant. The CD-ROM will be a required student activity for all students during their N354 course (Care of Women and Childbearing Families). It will explain essential knowledge and demonstrate key skills associated with breastfeeding the premature infant so that the student nurse can effectively assist his/her patients. Specifically, the student nurse will learn about the differences in the lactation process when the infant is premature; technical instruction related to the mechanics of pumping, storage and transportation of breast milk; and suggestions for providing support to the lactating mother. This content is only superficially addressed in the students’ maternal-newborn textbooks and does not adequately prepare the student for what they will face in the clinical setting. The CD-ROM will contain content presented in a variety of formats and will be interactive to increase student learning. Informal and formal evaluation strategies will be developed to assess student learning and clinical performance.

07-05
Bueno Kathleen, Department of Foreign Languages and Literature
Latino Film Festival
Award Amount - $1,878

The Latino Film Festival: project to support the purchase of films for classroom use and for public performance for non-paying audiences. The Latino Film Festival seeks to offer an out-of-class experience to complement a freshman seminar scheduled for fall semester 2006 on U. S. Latino Culture. The freshmen seminar serves “to orient students to the services and culture of the university and to engage students in an intellectual community of students and faculty.” (Faculty Senate documents cited in a memo sent by Carl Springer entitled “Solicitation for Interest in Offering Freshman Seminar for Fall
2006.’) If funded, the Latino Film Festival will constitute one of the required out-of-class activities for the freshmen seminar. In addition, the proposed festival will orient students to the University as a cultural center that values and provides access to artistic works and encourages learned dialog about the arts. Furthermore, the Latino Film Festival supports the University
value of diversity and, since it will be open to the University community, it will address the EUE criterion of serving under represented students.

07-06
Byrd-Blake Marie, Educational Leadership
Project PRIME (Promoting Recruiting Increasing Minority Educators) Student Organization
Award Amount - $5,000

The purpose of Project PRIME student organization is to promote, recruit, and increase minority undergraduate education majors at SIUE. There are relatively few minority undergraduate education majors in the School of Education. Currently, there isn’t a student organization in the School of Education to recruit andlor retain minorities in teacher education. Grant funding will be utilized to 1) encourage minority students’ presence in all disciplines of undergraduate teacher education programs of study; 2) create a forum for the exchange of ideas, strategies and techniques useful in teaching; and 3) to develop and graduate a cadre of minority teacher education professionals who will assume leadership positions in education.

07-07
Canfield Rita, Mulcahy Mary, Department of Family Health & Community Health Nursing
Development of Gerontological Nursing Course
Award Amount - $8,475

This grant application seeks funds to develop a gerontological nursing course. As is known, the number of persons over 65 in the United States has greatly increased and this elderly population is the primary user of health care resources. With increasing risks of disease as individuals age, the care of this population entails special challenges and requires specialized knowledge and skills. However, SIUE School of Nursing does not presently provide a course to teach students how to conceptualize the unique challenges of the elderly. A revised curriculum is being developed to address this need.
The complex nursing care needs of the elderly require analytic and problem solving competencies to identify the client’s problems and plan his/her care. This course will improve education outcomes by teaching analytic, problem solving and decision making skills through a problem based learning method. It will utilize liberal arts and science knowledge as the student learns how to develop hypotheses and pursue research to correct gaps in knowledge. It will promote scientific literacy through the use of problem based inquiry. And it will induce students to engage with the ethical issues entailed in serving the needs of the elderly person. It will provide the nursing graduate with essential knowledge and competencies for his/her future practice.

07-08
Carstens-Wickham Belinda, Department of Foreign Languages and Literature

Edmonds Radcliffe, Department of Economics and Finance
Building Bridges: Linking International Business Students with Students

Award Amount - $5,225

Foreign Languages and Literature and the Director of the Office of International Programs in the School of Business are requesting a second year of funding in order to further firmly establish and utilize an important, pre—existing international resource on campus, name the international students in the School of Business. We propose hiring International Students studying in the School of Business in the Department of Foreign Languages to conduct a variety of student centered activities directed specifically at enhancing foreign language students’ proficiency in the target language and to deepen their cultural understanding of the countries where the target language is spoken. This is a unique opportunity to exploit a pre—existing resource on campus. Other universities “import” students from foreign countries at significant expense to carry out such activities in their foreign language departments.

07-10
Essner Richard, Department of Biological Sciences
Experiential Learning in an Integrative Ornithology Course
Award Amount - $15,469

Birds have inspired our imaginations for countless generations and have been integral in the development of ecological and evolutionary theory. Currently, we stand out among neighboring peer institutions in Illinois and Missouri and major universities m St. Louisby not offering a course in ornithology. A 400 level ornithology course would help meet increasing student demand for senior courses and bridge a significant gap in our curriculum by providing an excellent opportunity for students to engage in research. The integrative nature of this course meets key departmental learning objectives by promoting synthesis and application of knowledge across the curriculum. Field-based courses such as ornithology are also ideal for involving students in experiential hands-on learning. I am proposing three experiential learning projects that share the common goal of encouraging our undergraduates to make vital connections between classroom theory and real world situations. These projects include: 1) Habitat Improvement Projects—where students work in groups to design and implement detailed management plans for avian communities at key sites on the STUE campus; 2) Research Projects—where students work individually to research and expand upon topics discussed in class; and 3) Field Excursions—where students actively learn about theory through direct observation in the field. The proposed projects will develop SIUE as an outdoor classroom and significantly enhance our curriculum by promoting critical and independent thinking among our students.

07-11
Essner Richard, Kohn Luci Ann, Department of Biological Sciences
Instructional Material for Human Anatomy and Physiology III
Award Amount - $2,649

Human Anatomy and Physiology (Biology 240a and 240b) is a course with a primary goal of teaching students the structure and function of the human body. Our current enrollment is approximately 640 students annually, including students from School of Nursing, College of Arts and Sciences (primarily pre-Pharmacy programs, Biology), School of Education (kinesiology, health education), as well as students preparing for other professional programs (including physical therapy, occupational therapy, and physician assistant). This proposal is for funds to purchase additional anatomical models in order to provide our undergraduate students with an enriched learning environment as a way of enhancing student learning.

07-12
Gaehle Kay, Department of Primary Care and Health Systems Nursing
N 352: Creating a New Course with Student Active Learning and PDA Technology

Award Amount – $5,897

A major undergraduate curriculum revision is underway in the School of Nursing. This revision not only reorganizes and reshapes content, but it also requires different pedagogical approaches to teaching, in the classroom, laboratory, and clinical settings. This curriculum requires attention to planning active student learning activities in all settings. This approach is selected to increase learning as well as improve the critical thinking skills and professional role development of students.
The proposed project will improve teaching and learning by incorporating student active learning as well as the incorporation of the use of technology, the PDA, into instruction. The goal of this project is to utilize the curricular plan developed and approved by the faculty in the school of nursing to create a~ new nursing course N 352: Nursing Care of the Young and Middle Aged Adult. This junior level course focuses on the nursing management of responses to actual and potential health problems that typically occur during the young and middle-adult years of life. The course begins in Fall 2006 and is an 8 week course that will be repeated every 8 weeks throughout the academic year. Enrollment will be approximately 40 students each eight week period. This course is a combined theory and clinical practicum course which is a new format within the school of nursing.

07-13
Scott Victoria, Fahsl Allison, Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders
Training Preservice Special Educators to use Technology
Award Amount - $3,000

Undergraduates in Special Education lack direct exposure to assistive technology used in the classroom. With increasing technological advances and more integrated use of technology in special education, it is imperative that preservice special education teachers learn to utilize assistive technology to maximize student learning opportunities. Currently, the School of Education has proposed and set aside funding for an Assistive Technology Classroom and Lab for the Special Education program. Feedback from the most recent undergraduate review indicated students wanted more opportunities to directly use assistive technology. However, there a numerous small and inexpensive devices, such as adapted pencil grips and simple communication devices, that are not included in the equipment budget. Additionally, the updated computers will not run many of the educational software designed for use with Windows 95 or
98. The department of special education plans to use the Assistive Technology Classroom and Lab with several classes including SPE 415 Microcomputers and Individuals with Disabilities. Experiences with additional devices would allow students to enter field placements with a more thorough understanding of how to effectively utilize technology, which will ultimately enhance their teaching ability and outcomes for students with disabilities.

07-14
Hanson Laura, Sol Diane, Dorethy James, Department of Theater and Dance
The Dramatic Experience: Live Professional Theatre
Award Amount - $6,946

Project to supply professional theatre tickets to the members of the three New Freshman Seminar sections of THEA 111, “The Dramatic Experience,” scheduled and approved for fall 2006. This course introduces students to the nature of live theatre, enabling them to become more astute and appreciative audience members, to increase aesthetic awareness of theatre as an art form, and appreciate the role of the arts in human history. Since theatre is a live performing art form, it is essential that those studying it experience theatre firsthand. And, of course, professional theatre is of an entirely different caliber than those these students may have seen on the high school or even college level Members of the class will discuss and write critiques of productions viewed. Since many students come from smaller communities without access to the arts, especially live professional theatre, this program offers an opportunity to enrich their college experience and introduce them to the cultural resources of the St. Louis area. These funds would finance theatre-going trips for three pilot sections of New Freshman

07-15
Hu Shunfu, Department of Geography
Development of a New GIS Laboratory Manual to improve GIS Curriculum
Award Amount - $3,233

Throughout the years since the project director (PD) started teaching Geographic Information System (GIS) class in 1998, Dr. Hu has been developing (and upgrading) a lab manual that now contains 17 lab exercises. 12 of the labs provide students with step-by-step instructions on the basic and advanced functionalities of then popular GIS software, namely ArcView GIS 3.2. However, ArcUIS 9.1, much more powerful than ArcView GIS 3.2 in spatial analysis, has recently become the most widely used GIS software in the job market. In order to provide our graduates with the up~to-date skills in geospatial technology, it is urgent to migrate from ArcView 3.2 GIS software to ArcGIS 9.1 GIS software. The proposed project aims to 1) allow the instructor to take five online training classes offered by the software vendor, and 2) develop 12 new lab exercises so the new lab manual provides the students with step-by-step instructions on the basic and advanced functionalities of new GIS software. The new lab manual will be adopted for use in Geog4l8: Introduction to GIS class in the fall of 2007. Up to 52 undergraduate students from Geography, Civil Engineering, Environmental Science Programs, Biology, Anthropology, and Public Administration will be affected annually.

07-17
Keys Tessa. Hennessey Shannon, Department of Academic Counseling and Advising
Noel Levitz College Student Inventory
Award Amount -$4,000

Academic Counseling and Advising to use the Noel Levitz College Student Inventory (CSI) as a foundation for one-on-one interventions with students who are considered to be at-risk. This assessment measures student perceptions of their academic experience including their motivation, coping skills, receptiveness towards support services on campus as well as their feelings towards faculty, understanding of academic difficulty and dropout proneness. It also assesses a student’s academic and familial background and provides specific recommendations on how to be successful on campus.

Students would be required to take the CSI assessment at the beginning of the fall semester. After completing the CSI, the students would meet with an Academic Advisor to discuss the results. This would be the first of several meetings during the semester with the assigned academic advisor. During these meetings, the advisors would not only discuss the recommendation of the College Student Inventory but also ensure that the students were connecting on campus and utilizing campus support services.

These meetings will greatly impact retention and student learning. We know from Alexander Astin that most student learning occurs outside of the classroom. We also know from Astin that student connectedness on campus directly impacts student retention (Evans, Forney & Guido-DiBnto, 1998). While meeting with the advisors, students will have the opportunity to make that connection and the advisor will be able to develop a long-term relationship with the student until they are declared into their intended major.

07-19
Essner Richard, Kohn Luci Ann, Department of Biological Sciences
Instructional Material for Human Anatomy and Physiology II
Award Amount - $5,114

Human Anatomy and Physiology (Biology 240a and 240b) is a course with a primary goal of teaching students the structure and function of the human body. Our current enrollment is approximately 640 students annually, including students from School of Nursing, College of Arts and Sciences (primarily pre-Pharmacy programs, Biology), School of Education (kinesiology, health education), as well as students preparing for other professional programs (including physical therapy, occupational therapy, and physician assistant). This proposal is for funds to purchase additional anatomical models in order to provide our undergraduate students with an enriched learning environment as a way of enhancing student learning.

07-20
Lin Chiang, Vaughn Brent, Department of Civil Engineering
Establishing an online student peer evaluation and lab experiment data archive and retrieval system
Award Amount - $7200

The scope of this project is to improve students’ laboratory experience in two ways by integrating additional functions to our existing web-based laboratory database applications. The first improvement is to add a peer-review survey input and reporting tool. This function is intended to allow the CE program to better meet one of the accrediting rules in ABET which requires students to have “Team Work” experience in their undergraduate study. The survey would ask students to evaluate the efforts of the each other in an assigned lab group for particular group reports. Following completion of the survey, the system would tally the scores and allow the students to see how their peers thought their contribution was to the group, as well as to provide information to the instructor that would be include in the students’ course grade. The second improvement would be to provide a data storage and retrieval system. Undergraduate laboratory experiments have the students conduct experiments of some sophistication and then analyze the results. However, frequently errors in the experiment process result in questionable and even missing data. Without good data to work with, the students’ analysis of the data, which is crucial for learning the intended concepts of the course, is impaired. In order to ensure that the students have access to good data to work with, it is proposed that a data retrieval system be added to the existing web-based laboratory database applications to archive known good data collected by students in previous semesters that can be easily searched and retrieved by future students. An intended byproduct of this project would be to redesign and standardize the key web pages and to utilize a “content management system” to improve maintainability and future enhancements to the web-based laboratory applications.

07-21
Lozowski Andy, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Design and Build Solar Shell for Cougar Cruiser II
Award Amount - $15,000

The project will result in the solar shell for Cougar Cruiser II, the next SIUE solar car. The car will participate in the next North American Solar Challenge in 2007. A team of engineering students is currently designing all systems to be used in the next solar car. They are in need for funding to make the car competitive during the next race. The electrical engineering students are charged with the design and fabrication of solar panels capable of delivering at least 1000 Watts of power to run the car. The funds requested in this proposal will be used in acquiring the solar cells in the amount necessary to meet the power requirement of the car. A variety of additional tests and projects will be performed prior to building the actual solar shell in order to optimize the performance. In particular, it is of great importance to make sure that all power available from the sun in any given condition is captured by the shell. This requires automatic peak power tracking circuitry as well as load balancing and monitoring systems. A sequence of projects, including senior design, will be scheduled throughout the period of time until the race to develop the systems. The department of electrical engineering is contributing faculty time and equipment to support students’ effort involved in Cougar Cruiser II.

07-22
Shabangi Masangu, Voss Eric, Department of Chemistry
Semio-Quantitative Phase Analysis by X-ray Powder Diffraction
Award Amount- $6,025

Since its discovery one hundred years ago, X-ray diffraction has matured to become an important technique for the characterization of solid-state materials, with applications to chemistry, physics, engineering, geology, materials science, nanotechnology, and forensic science. Incorporating exciting hands-on X-ray diffraction experiments into introductory and upper-level chemistry courses has the benefit of exposing many students to this versatile technique. In 2004, a state-of-the-art powder X-ray diffractometer was obtained with funding from the National Science Foundation, and has been used by over 1000 SIUE students. This proposal seeks funds to purchase semi-quantitative phase analysis software (“Easy Quant”) and reference standards (chemical samples) so that upper-level students are able to perform quantitative experiments. This project will enhance the experience of students during 2006-07, as well as many students in future years.

07-23
McLeod Dwight, Department of Applied Dental Medicine
Jamaica Dental Mission
Award Amount- $20,000

This proposal is requesting EUE funds to assist with the cost of travel/accommodations for dental students to participate in the seventh annual Jamaica Dental Mission trip which is scheduled for the third week of July, 2006. The Jamaica Dental Mission was incepted in 2000 with a small group of 19 students and clinicians. Since then, the mission has grown in popularity. This past July, over 65 dental volunteers, including 35 dental students and 5 dental faculty members, participated. The mission offers a great experience for students. For many, this is their first time traveling outside of the United States. Consequently, they get an opportunity to experience an exciting culture while providing well-needed dental care to many underserved children and adults. Simultaneously working out of four field clinics and in small groups, the students are exposed to the prevalence of caries, periodontitis, and other oral diseases that are evident in a developing country. The students work under the supervision of the dental faculty/dental volunteers and perform various treatments, such as patient education/OHI, prophylaxes, fluoride treatment, dental sealants, scaling, fillings, and extractions. In 2005, the following clinical procedures were performed on 576 children and 598 adults: 1,174 examinations, 894 prophylaxes, 343 fluoride applications, 462 quadrants of scaling and root planning, 986 extractions, and 95 restorations. Because of the repetitious clinical procedures that are done during the one week visit, the student volunteers return equipped with greater clinical skills and more confidence in interacting and treating their dental school patients, when compared to their counterparts. Overall, the mission serves as a wonderful opportunity for the students and the patients; the students get excellent clinical training and the patients receive free dental treatment that they would otherwise not receive.

07-24
Myers Paulette, Department of Art & Design
Increasing Production Capacity of Undergraduate Jewelry and Metalsmithing Students
Award Amount - $3,395

This project involves the use of a small 20 Ton Hydraulic Press which will immediately expand the opportunities and capabilities of undergraduate metaismithing students by providing them with a process that will shorten production time for one-of-a-kind or limited-edition metalwork and be a technique that offers potential for future. This hydraulic press, which is a table-top model, will offer easy access in the studio since it will be mounted on an existing table and therefore be available for use at all times during class versus the large 50 Ton Press which is a floor model that must be in storage due to the lack of space in the classroom and the required one-on-one monitoring specific to this larger unit. The majority of the metal forming needs of the undergraduate students is small scale which will be more readily accomplished with the small press. This will prepare the students with the knowledge and skills to increase productivity for their future with a press system which is more economical and useful after graduation. It has many varied applications in forming and will prove to be an excellent addition to the curriculum.

07-26
O'Brien Leah, Shabestary Nahid, Wiediger Sue, De Meo Cristina, Department of Chemistry
SIUE Presentation of "MANYA: A Living History of Marie Curie"
Award Amount - $3,500

Funds are requested to bring storysmith Susan Marie Frontczak to the SIUE campus for productions of “MANYA: A Living History of Marie Curie,” and “A Visit with Madame Curie.” The first program is a 2-hour presentation for the SIUE student audience. The second program is 1-hour with content adjusted for High School and Middle School students. These programs are 1 -woman theatrical presentations, where the audience meets Madame Marie Curie, a famous women scientist from the early 20th century. Madame Curie is known for her scientific investigations, along with her husband Pierre Curie, that led to the discovery of two new elements (polonium and radium), the understanding of radioactivity, and the use of radium therapy against cancer. Students from all Chemistry programs will attend, from Freshman through graduate students. These productions will be open to the SIUE community. The Office of Science and Mathematics Education (OSME) will assist with the High School and Middle School program. EUE funds are requested for the performance contract ($3500.). Travel expense (ca $600.) for Ms Frontczak will be paid by the Department of Chemistry.

07-27
Pelekanos George, Department of Mathematics and Statistics
Development of a lab manual for Calculus I
Award Amount - $4,692

Since technology is now readily available, the focus of introductory mathematics courses, including Calculus has shifted from mere number crunching to mathematical thinking and reasoning. This proposal requests funds to help defray the costs involved in developing a computer laboratory manual for MATH 150 (Calculus I). The manual will consist of computer simulation activities that are meant to reinforce mathematical concepts. Each activity will be accompanied by a detailed tutorial on MATHEMATICA, the mathematical software that is currently being used for this kind of courses. The manual will be made available online and hence it will not add an extra cost to the students.

07-28
Phelps Jesse, Lindell Rebecca, Department of Physics
Undergraduate Senior Project Research Fair
Award Amount - $5,780

SIUE has recently been nationally recognized for our excellent Senior Assignment program. US News & World Report has ranked SIUE among schools such as Harvard, MIT, Duke, Princeton, and the University of Chicago for having an excellent senior assignment program. All of our students participate in the program as it is required for graduation. Our Senior Assignment program should make us all very proud of this university. As such, a venue should be provided for students to showcase the hard work they have put into their projects.

This proposal seeks $5,780 to fund a program with the goals of providing such a showcase, encouraging students to take interest in the projects of other students, and fostering the amalgamation of students from different educational backgrounds into one event that celebrates them all.

07-29
Pryor Caroline, Department of Curriculum and Instruction
Sol Diane, Department of Theatre and Dance
Teaching as Performance: A New Course Proposal
Award Amount - $5,825

The purpose of the proposed project is to develop a course entitled C1433j, Independent Study: Teaching as Performance designed to enhance the ability of undergraduate secondary education students to perform a range of teaching roles. The project consists of a one semester interdisciplinary course, co-taught by two faculty trained in educational philosophy and instructional methods and theatre performance. A questionnaire, guided by the research of Fishbein and Azjen (1975), and Pryor and Pryor (2004) will be administered to students enrolled in two sections of CI 315a, Fall, 2005 and at the beginning and end of CI 3 15b, Spring, 2006. The project researchers will conduct follow-up interviews of students who had participated in the pilot presentations. These data will inform the development and evaluation of the proposed course, CI: 433j Independent Study: Teaching as Performance.

07-30
Reaka Andrea, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Using HyperChem in Pharmacy Courses to Increase Student Learning
Award Amount $7,000

The objective of this proposal is to increase student learning of medicinal chemistry concepts and increase students’ application ability in several first and second year pharmacy courses. Incorporating HyperChem software into the curriculum will increase the use of information technology and computer resources in the classroom and shift the traditional lectures to include more student-active learning. Pharmacy students will be able to use the software on their own computers during class for exercises and for projects outside of class. Familiarity with the software may also be important for students wishing to go into the pharmaceutical industry and work for companies, such as Mallinckrodt, that are currently using this software. There is the potential for other disciplines such as chemistry, biology, physics, engineering, and math to incorporate this software into their curriculum, as well. Assessments by surveys, minute paper, and muddiest point will be made before, during, and after the students’ experience with the program. Information gained from the study will be disseminated through publication or presentation at a national meeting of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP).

07-32
Santanello Cathy, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Markowitz L., Department of Sociology
Rehg J., Department of Anthropology
Wolff L., Department of Economics
Rainforest Case Studies
Award Amount - $4,500

The Rainforest Project, a multi-faceted educational relationship with the Carara National Park in Costa Rica, continues to be a unique interdisciplinary, service learning initiative at SIUE. To date, SIUE has sent twelve groups of students to study at Carara and four additional courses are planned for the summer of 2006, meaning that over 150 students and 19 faculty will have participated in this project by September, 2006. Students enrolled in this course participate in service learning projects directed by the Carara park staff, attend interactive class sessions facilitated by the project’s faculty, and create a final project that aims to educate the public about the knowledge they gained concerning the biodiversity, climate, culture, or socioeconomics of the area. Through assessment strategies used during and after the course, we have received useful feedback on student learning relative to this course. Overall, student feedback has been extraordinarily positive about the course as a whole. However, numerous suggestions to enhance the course readings to make them more applicable to this area of Central America have been made. Because this course involves so many faculty and students with divers backgrounds, the authors of this EUE will develop case studies that are not only specific to this area of rainforest, but are contemporary in nature and address issues that are broad enough for faculty from a variety of disciplines to use during future study abroad course of the Rainforest Project.

07-33
Schmidt Cynthia, Department of Family Health and Community Health Nursing
Development of Learner-Focused Case Scenarios in Pediatric Nursing
Award Amount - $6,880

Successfully passing NCLEX, the entry-level nursing competency test required by all States prior to professional licensure and practice, requires understanding of a broad scope of children’s healthcare issues. Consistent with expectations of the Nursing profession, the healthcare of children is an integral component of SIUE’s undergraduate nursing curriculum. N3 55 focuses on children’s health and has both a didactic and clinical component. The didactic portion ofN355 centers on a broad scope of issues including age-appropriate health maintenance and illness prevention, along with a wide variety of children’s health disorders associated with all body systems. The clinical portion ofN355 is designed to help students synthesize the content learned in the classroom and advance their practice abilities; it involves hospital-based and community-focused clinical experiences. Unfortunately, due to constraints imposed by clinical agencies, the clinical experiences do not provide students exposure to the broad scope of children’s health issues for which they will be responsible on standardized and licensure exams. Using designated class time, this project will enhance the current N355 curriculum by providing students a more thorough understanding of a broad scope of pediatric healthcare issues. Case scenarios will be developed to provide students the opportunity to use critical thinking skills in the practical application of essential knowledge. The planned group interaction and designated classroom time is consistent with the School of Nursing’s commitment to a learner-focused/active learning paradigm.

07-35
Speidel Roger, Department of Theatre and Dance
Fog Machine and Fluid
Award Amount - $1,266

This project is for the acquisition of a theatrical fog machine and fog fluid. Fog is used quite frequently in theatrical and dance productions and can be quite versatile in its uses. Currently the department does not own a fog machine and is forced to borrow fog machines when needed. Rosco Theatrical Company’s fog machines provide for wonderful theatrical effects that can greatly enhance a production and the creative and educational possibilities available to students. Water based fog fluid also dissipates quickly and is safer than liquids found elsewhere.

07-36
Stamps Brett, Department of Music
Jazz Artist Series
Award Amount - $10,000

Jazz has been recognized as a unique contribution by the United States to world culture. In an effort to involve SIUE students (both jazz performance majors and the general student population) as well as the university community in appreciating the aesthetic and diverse elements ofjazz culture and art, I would like to propose a guest jazz artist series for 2006-2007. This endeavor would involve SIIJE students performing with and/or attending clinics by the guest artists, organizing the artist itineraries, promoting the performances, and planning the performance and clinic venues. It is my expectation that this endeavor will help enhance the image of SIUE as a premier metropolitan university by showcasing our music students, faculty and campus.

07-37
Van Roekel Jacob, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
Design and Build Chassis and Suspension for Cougar Cruiser II
Award Amount - $7,813

The project is to build a roll-cage, chassis, and suspension for Cougar Cruiser II that will pass extensive scrutinizing at qualification trials in May 2007. Cougar Cruiser II will be the next generation SIUE solar car to compete in North American Solar Challenge 2007. To allow time for integration with the body and other systems, final assembly, and road testing before the May 2007 qualifications, the project must be completed before March 1, 2007. The project will be completed by a multidisciplinary team of students who will deal primarily with manufacturing and mechanical systems. However the project leadership for this project will have to coordinate heavily with the computer and electrical systems designers to make sure that adequate space and appropriate locations are provided for the electrical systems. This project will provide hands-on engineering design experience for approximately 50 engineering students.

07-38
Wolfel Richard, Department of Geography
Moore Michaela, Department of Historical Studies
Travel Study Berlin: Nationalism, Reconstruction and Ideologies
Award Amount - $19,200

Identity is an important issue in the understanding of any modem nation-state. One of the most visible examples of the contestation of identity.has occurred in Germany over the last century. The goal of this project is to create a class that allows students to explore the history of German identity and connect the identity formation process to the development of Berlin. Geographic theory has demonstrated that the formation of identity is strongly tied to the themes present in a city’s architecture. Like no other city, Berlin offers prominent physical relics of its complex past. The abundance of these relics moreover, allows students to study Germany’s politically varied past from Empire, fascism and communism to a thoroughly westemized. liberal democracy in an integrated Europe.
The Berlin field study class will be taught during the Spring 2007 semester with an integrated 10-day long field trip to Berlin over spring break. During the first part of the term students will prepare their on-site research by studying key topics in German history and culture. The second half of the course will focus on the development of student projects utilizing data collected in Berlin. Students will register for either HIST 415 or GEOG 450. While the classes will be separate, the students will participate in a true interdisciplinary experience through periodic common meetings and common fieldwork in Berlin. By the end of the course, the students will be able to evaluate the role of identity on the urban built environment of a dynamic, European capital, through an in-depth, first-hand understanding of the troubled history of this Central European nation as well as the success story of post-World War Two developments of Westernization and liberalization. The course will also lay the foundation for future field study classes that focus on Germany and Central

07-39
Yu Xudong, Department of Computer Science
Expanding Physical-based Compuation in CS Curriculum
Award Amount - $7,700

The objective of this project is to expand physical-based computation in the CS curriculum by adopting and adapting successful materials from Pyro, a no cost, one of a kind, general purpose, multi-platform, python-based robotic programming environment and simulator into the computer science curriculum. Specifically, this proposal requests funds for the purchase of three AIBO ERS-7M2 Robot robots, which will be used by students to demonstrate their programs after they have designed, created, and tested their program in the Pyro simulator. We are also requesting funds for a teaching assistant to help develop robotic activity materials, and to assist students in learning to use the new hardware and software. This proposal is a major step towards our long term goal of establishing a multi-purpose robotics laboratory in which students from different classes will use to improve their computational skill, further their understanding, and investigate novel research directions in a number of areas such as intelligent system design, computer vision, planning, learning, and programming language design. At relatively low cost, we hope to incorporate physical-based computation into more courses and provide that unique experience to all of our majors.