Office of Assessment

Senior projects place SIUE among the elite

09/02/2008
Belleville News-Democrat
Donald, Elizabeth

Maggie Wilson spent part of last year studying the genes of mutant mushrooms.

But Wilson isn't a biologist or a researcher. She was a senior at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, and her project was one of the Capstone senior projects that gained SIUE high praise from U.S. News & World Report.

Capstone is a "culminating senior project," a requirement for graduation at SIUE for the past 16 years, according to Victoria Scott, professor of special education and director of assessment.

The project must be part of the student's major, and a mentoring relationship with a professor is a big part of it, Scott said. A music student might hold a performance, a nursing student does an internship and portfolio.

A special-education teacher must not only provide a report on his teaching experience, but provide valid data that the techniques he used were effective with a student.

SIUE's projects gained it notice among only 17 other colleges, including Yale, Harvard, MIT and Princeton for requiring a senior project -- and SIUE has been doing that for 16 years. The university also ranked among the top 10 public masters degree universities in the Midwest and in the top one-third for public and private Midwestern universities.

Projects last year included engineering students building a solar-powered vehicle, and a nursing student who studied the use of midwives and created an informational packet to be distributed in hospitals. Scientific projects such as Wilson's allowed the students to present their research at conferences, which she said was valuable experience.

"It really prepares you for going on after undergraduate," said Wilson, now a grad student at Washington University. "I've talked with other graduate students who didn't have these projects, and they all wish they'd had something like that."

While an annual study by the National Survey of Student Engagement found that senior projects increase the likelihood students will succeed in their careers, it showed that only 29 percent of public universities and 42 percent of private colleges offer such a program.

Such projects also allow universities to evaluate their programs. "We may see our students doing a great job on critical thinking, but we need to add content in another area," Scott said.

Wilson credits her mushroom project with helping her decide to continue with genetic research in plants in hopes of one day developing disease-resistant crops.

"It was a wonderful experience," she said. "It made me love SIUE, working one-on-one with a professor like that... It made me want to be a scientist."

Contact reporter Elizabeth Donald at edonald @bnd.com or 345-7822, ext. 21.
Copyright © 2008 The Belleville News-Democrat

Senior Assignment Projects Garner Awards for SIUE Anthropology Students

For the fourth consecutive year, an SIUE Anthropology student has won the Illinois Archaeological Survey’s student paper competition.

Lori Belknap, who graduated from SIUE in May 2008, received her award at the 52nd Annual Meeting of the Illinois Archaeological Survey on Sept. 20. Her paper “Hammering Out the Facts: an Analysis of Copper at Mound 34, Cahokia,” outlined the details of her Senior Assignment research project. A fellow SIUE Anthropology student, Jamie Haines, received runner-up in the paper competition. Ms. Belknap also received the SIUE Department of Anthropology’s Best Senior Project Award in 2008.

These honors continue the track record for SIUE Anthropology students, who have also won the student paper award at the Midwest Archaeological Conference in 2005 (Kelly Arnold) and 2007 (Lacey Heflin) and national honors in 2005, when Christopher Hagan won a student paper competition hosted by the American Anthropological Association.

Mechanical Engineering Students Explore China

By Professor Keqin Gu
Chair, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
As published in SIUE News 9/28/08, www.siue.edu/news

Four Mechanical Engineering students—Nicole Cornelius, James McManus, Nick Rybak and Steven Ziebka—recently traveled to China to conduct research for their senior projects, while also exploring Chinese culture. They spent two months at the Henan University of Science and Technology (HUST). The group was led by Professor Keqin Gu, Chair of the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering.

In a globalized world, it becomes increasingly common for engineers to work closely with their colleagues of different cultures; it is therefore highly desirable for us to educate engineering graduates with good understanding and appreciation of international culture. During the two months, the four SIUE students worked closely with Chinese faculty members, as well as graduate and undergraduate students in completing the required senior design classes. They learned similarities and differences of the two educational systems.

In addition, they had a chance to visit the remarkable Great Wall and Forbidden City, and view famous Terracotta Warriors. They also toured subsidiaries of U.S. companies such as Emerson Motors–China, and major Chinese manufacturer, and the Chinese Academy of Science. Daily interactions with Chinese students on a personal basis allowed our students to gain a deep understanding of Chinese culture and history. They ate lunches and dinners daily with the Chinese students, and played basketball frequently. They were invited to the home of a Chinese student, performed Karaoke together, tried out various exotic Chinese dishes, and were even chosen to perform kungfu on stage in the Shaolin Temple.

Our students also left a deep impression in HUST. They celebrated the Fourth of July, gave a presentation about American college life, all enjoying the experience tremendously. Through this experience, they were able to see the “real China.” Steven fondly recalled how they startled a street peddler by using Chinese to decline her solicitation, and bargained with merchants in purchasing souvenirs. Nicole remarked that “I wouldn’t have minded staying a couple of weeks longer if it were possible.” According to James, “the biggest accomplishments were all the experiences and memories we’ll retain for life.”