Design, Housing and Merchandising student creates first kilt from OSU tartan

Oklahoma State University President Burns Hargis has some fashionable new attire to add to his wardrobe this week. Thanks to faculty and students in the Design, Housing and Merchandising Department in the College of Human Environmental Sciences, Hargis now has is very own Scottish kilt created from the official OSU tartan plaid.

“When the tartan became the official OSU tartan President Hargis had made several comments to us that he would like a kilt made since he is from Scottish decent,” said Diane Morton, a clinical instructor in DHM where the official tartan originated.

The kilt was created by Kelsie Mitchell, a senior in DHM with an option in apparel design and production from Oologah, Okla. Following a traditional Scottish kilt pattern, Mitchell constructed the orange and black garment with wool fabric specially woven by Pendleton Woolen Mills in Oregon. The company has been supplying stadium blankets and scarves in the tartan fabric since the official tartan was launched in the fall of 2009.

Mitchell said the most difficult part of creating the kilt was constructing the pleats in the back.

“It was really hard to get the plaid to line up in the pleats and with the waistband,” Mitchell said. “Then ironing the pleats was even harder.”

Mitchell said the fabric and the colors of the plaid helped inspire her design.

“I did not deviate from the traditional pattern, but I did experiment with different pleating placement to bring out the different colors of OSU's tartan plaid,” Mitchell said. “The end result was a surface with a flattering gray-hued tone. I tried another pleating placement that created a completely orange surface that would not have been as complimentary to the design of the garment or the fabric.”

While Morton said the kilt was not created for a special occasion, she said she thinks Hargis will wear his new Scottish garb to some OSU events.

“This opportunity is definitely an honor,” Mitchell said. “It was an amazing feeling to hand the garment over to President Hargis and see the look of pure excitement on his face. I will always be able to say that I had this experience, and that in itself is extremely satisfying.”

The official OSU tartan plaid was designed by DHM student Stephanie Michalko during a competition held during the fall of 2008. College of Human Environmental Sciences professors Paulette Hebert and Lynne Richards directed the contest among students who had completed a course in textiles. The winning design was chosen by the votes of students, alumni, faculty and staff.

The OSU tartan is officially registered with the Scottish Tartans Authority. As in Scotland where tartans are used to identify families, the OSU tartan signifies membership in the OSU family. OSU tartan stadium blankets and mufflers are available at the OSU Student Union Bookstore and the OSU Authentic Store on campus and at Stillwater merchants Elizabeth’s and Chris’s University Spirit.

First Lady Kim Henry to receive award from Oklahoma Teachers of the Year organization

The Oklahoma State University College of Education is hosting its 20th annual Celebration of Teaching today, Friday, April 23, in Stillwater. Educators and future educators from around the state will hear National Teacher of the Year Anthony Mullen and Oklahoma Teacher of the Year Brian M. Grimm speak and participate in breakout sessions covering a variety of relevant and exciting professional development topics. In addition, the Oklahoma Teacher of the Year (OKTOY) organization will present Oklahoma First Lady Kim Henry with its Vision Award.

Mullen, a retired New York City police captain turned special educator in Greenwich, Conn., will present the keynote address and Grimm, an English teacher at Will Rogers High School in Tulsa, is scheduled to give the luncheon address.

Mrs. Henry and her husband Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry are expected to attend the luncheon where the OKTOY Vision Award will be presented. Since 2007, the OKTOY organization annually honors an individual whose foresight and wisdom have resulted in action to enhance the teaching profession.

Mullen was selected the 2009 National Teacher of the Year because of his innovative approach, community focus, and teamwork with other teachers. Mullen teaches ninth through 12th grade students at the ARCH School, an alternative school for secondary students with significant emotional or behavioral disabilities and a wide range of academic skills.

Providing passion, professionalism and perseverance are the keys to his drive as an educator. As Mullen explains, of all three: “passion is the noblest of the trio because it ignites a flame too bright to be ignored by students. A teacher must project passion in the classroom because this powerful emotion sparks the learning process in children and motivates them to remember key concepts and ideas.”  Mullen will be featured during the 9:00 a.m. morning session in the Student Union Theater. His keynote topic is “Recovering Lost Students.”

Grimm teaches English and chairs the English department at Will Rogers High School in Tulsa. He taught in several Texas school districts before coming to Will Rogers in 2004. Grimm believes strongly in a teacher’s ability to reach students: “Students must know that they are not a product of their environment but rather through education and empowerment, their environment becomes a product of their resolve to change.” Grimm is scheduled to speak during the luncheon. Grimm’s address is entitled “The Challenge of Change.”

In addition to the featured speakers, a variety of breakout sessions that cover relevant and interesting topics in education are offered. Senior elementary education candidates’ poster session will also be available for viewing.

The Celebration of Teaching is a unique opportunity for many of the state's outstanding classroom teachers and their students to meet the National and State Teachers of the Year, former Oklahoma Teachers of the Year, and others who are uniquely dedicated to education. The OSU College of Education has been the official chartered home of the Oklahoma Teacher of the Year organization since 1989.  

The Celebration is sponsored by the OSU College of Education and the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education Minority Teacher Recruitment Center. The College of Education Associates also support the event.

For more information about the Celebration of Teaching, please visit the event website, www.okstate.edu/education/celebration.

The Oklahoma State University/A&M Board of Regents approved the appointment of Dr. Robert J. Sternberg of Tufts University as OSU’s new Provost and Senior Vice President at its meeting today at the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation in Ardmore.

Sternberg, who has served as dean of the Tufts School of Arts and Sciences since 2005, will assume his new position on Aug. 1.  OSU announced it had selected Sternberg on Wednesday.

In other personnel action, Dr. H. Robert Terry Jr., professor and chair of Agricultural Education at the University of Missouri, was named head of the Department of Agricultural Education, Communications and Leadership, professor and Howell Professor, with his appointment granting tenure.

He received his B.S. and master’s degrees from OSU, and his Ph.D. from Texas A&M University, all in agricultural education.

Terry joined the University of Missouri faculty as a professor in 2001, and in 2008 was one of five faculty members recognized with a Kemper Fellowship for Teaching Excellence. Prior to this, he served as an associate professor in Agricultural Education, Communications and 4-H Youth Development at OSU from 1996-2001, and served on the faculty of Texas A&M University, Texas Tech University and California Polytechnic State University.

APPOINTMENTS: Andrew M. Wadoski, assistant professor, English; Masato Kumauchi, research assistant professor, microbiology and molecular genetics.

CHANGES: Don R. Hansen, professor of accounting, was named Regents Service Professor effective July 1, and will drop the title of Kerr-McGee Chair on July 1; Sara M. Freedman, dean, professor and Myers Chair of Management, was named Regents Service Professor effective May 17, and will drop the Myers Chair title effective Sept. 1.

RETIREMENTS: Glenn E. Selk, animal science, June 30; Ronald L. Elliott, biosystems and agricultural engineering, June 30; Michael A. Kizer, biosystems and agricultural engineering, June 30; Michael D. Smolen, biosystems and agricultural engineering, June 30; John B. Solie, biosystems and agricultural engineering, June 10; Robert E. Darcy, political science, June 4; Joseph M. Jadlow Jr., economics and legal studies, June 7; Janice W. Jadlow, finance, June 7; Sue E. Williams, human development and family science, June 30.

For OSU-Oklahoma City, Jackie E. Weston was named director of Academic Affairs and Ronda L. Reece was named vice president for Finance and Operations. A title change was approved for Michael D. Eckart from assistant professor and department head of science, to assistant professor and head, Division of Engineering Technologies.

For the OSU Center for Health Sciences, the retirement of Thomas R. Pickard, family medicine, June 30, was accepted.

(STILLWATER, OK – April 22, 2010) – State Senator Charlie Laster and Oklahoma State Representative Lee Denney were recognized Wednesday for their service to higher education during the 2009 legislative session.  The two state legislators were presented the 2009 Distinguished Service Award by Oklahoma Chancellor of Higher Education Glen Johnson and Oklahoma State University President Burns Hargis.  

“Sen. Charlie Laster has been a strong advocate for the needs of our colleges and universities throughout his tenure. His efforts on a broad range of issues have had a positive impact on students across Oklahoma. He clearly understands that public higher education is the medium that has enabled him and many other Oklahomans to realize their dreams,” said Johnson.

The Chancellor added, “Rep. Lee Denney is very deserving of the Distinguished Service Award. With three higher education institutions in her district, she has been a consistent supporter of increased funding, endowed chairs and other issues critically important to our state system of higher education. We are very grateful to her for her leadership.”

Laster and Denney received their awards during a presentation on the campus of OSU in Stillwater, the site of Thursday’s regularly scheduled meeting of the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.  

“We are appreciative of the work all our lawmakers do to improve the higher education system in Oklahoma,” said Hargis.  “We applaud Rep. Denney and Sen. Laster on their work for the students and citizens of Oklahoma.  We are especially proud they are OSU alumni.”

Laster and Denney are among 16 elected officials being honored with the award this year.  This year’s list of recipients consists of two from the state’s executive branch, seven State Senators and seven members of the State House of Representatives. Honorees are presented the awards at the higher education institution in or closest to their district or an institution of the recipient’s choosing.    

Laster graduated from OSU in 1972.  The Democratic Leader of the State Senate has served in the senate for seven years.  Laster represents Senate District 17 which includes most of Pottawatomie County, the Harrah-Newalla part of Oklahoma County and far northeastern Cleveland County.

Denny earned her Bachelor of Science degree from OSU in 1976 and receive her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from OSU in 1978.  The republican represents House District 33 which encompasses both Payne and Logan counties.

By Celeste Cash

(Stillwater, OK  April 22, 2010) -- The Goodyear plant in Lawton is expanding despite the economic downturn, and several Oklahoma State University students are contributing to the plant’s success while gaining valuable industrial experience.

For instance, mechanical engineering seniors Andy Vo and Dayton Likins from Tulsa have developed a machine in their senior design class that will help reduce the waste on the current assembly line at the plant. The machine could potentially save the plant $150,000 a year.

“My favorite part of the class is that it’s hands-on and that we are doing it by ourselves,” Likins said. “We get to design and come up with a solution to a problem on our own.”

The problem for Vo and Likins’ team was clear, make corrections to a machine that had been causing waste by producing tires that were unusable. The students were asked to develop a prototype to modify the machine, and also to install it.

“The idea for the prototype belongs to me and Dayton alone, and we’re currently manufacturing an actual working version for the plant to use, which will be completed before we graduate in May,” said Vo.

In the design class, students were given a choice of projects to choose from and each team was allowed to pick their top three.

“It's cool to get to help out a local company,” Likins said. “Some of the other student’s projects are for small companies that may not even have another engineer working for them.”

The pair say they also appreciate the interaction they get with plant officials and workers who have offered important feedback and expressed appreciation for the design of the prototype because of its simplicity and cost.

Goodyear has had teams of OSU students working on various problems throughout the plant. Another student project, by Olutoyin Ogunyomi, Ross Myles and Ebitimi Etebu, recycles scrap into usable product and is expected to save about $350,000 annually, according to plant officials.     

Like the rest of the students, Vo and Likins are doing the work for school credit only, which also saves the company money. While Goodyear receives engineering assistance at basically no cost, the company pays for all the parts for the machine the students will produce.

Although both Vo and Likins have had internships in the past, they say they are gaining even more valuable real-world experience with this project, because they are faced with many unknowns, a lot of research, and no textbook to guide them.

“The class has been very helpful in preparing me to deal with different situations in design and communication,” Vo said. “This class gives us the chance to experience real world problems and allows us to solve them.”

Oklahoma State University has selected Dr. Robert J. Sternberg of Tufts University as its new Provost and Senior Vice President. The action was approved by the OSU/A&M Board of Regents at its regular meeting on April 23.

Sternberg, who has served as dean of the Tufts School of Arts and Sciences since 2005, will officially assume the position on Aug. 1.

Sternberg discusses new position in Inside Higher Ed

“Bob Sternberg brings an outstanding record of creativity, scholarship and research to this position, and Oklahoma State University is extremely pleased to have him join our team to guide our academic programs,” said OSU President Burns Hargis.  “After visiting with deans and faculty, we knew his management style and leadership ability made him the right choice.”

Sternberg said, “I am thrilled about this wonderful opportunity.  OSU is on course to be among the top tier of state universities and land-grant systems in the country and it is an honor to join the OSU team.  I look forward to working with OSU’s outstanding faculty and helping OSU’s talented students succeed at the highest level.”

According to Hargis, OSU was fortunate to have four strong finalists with a unique array of experiences for the position, and all four visited the campus and met in forums with faculty and staff.

Dr. Marlene Strathe, who has held the OSU position since July 2003, announced last September that she planned to step down and return to the faculty. “We want to thank Marlene for her leadership and dedication to OSU as provost and as interim president,” said Hargis.

Sternberg will serve as the chief academic officer of the institution.  His responsibilities will include oversight of the colleges, including the Honors College and Library, as well as scholar development, academic services to students and assessment.

Prior to accepting his position at Tufts, he served in a variety of positions on the psychology faculty at Yale University from 1975, including acting chair and director of graduate studies.  He was the IBM Professor of Psychology and Education from 1986-2005, and director of the Center for the Psychology of Abilities, Competencies, and Expertise from 2000-2005.

He has served as an honorary psychology professor at the University of Heidelberg since 2007.

Sternberg received his B.A. degree summa cum laude from Yale University and his Ph.D. from Stanford University, both in psychology, and has been awarded 11 honorary doctorates from around the world.

He is serving as president of the International Association for Cognitive Education and Psychology, and is president-elect of the Federation of Associations of Behavioral and Brain Sciences.  In 2003 he was president of the American Psychological Association.  He currently serves on the board of directors of the International Association of Cognitive Education and Psychology, the Association of American Colleges and Universities, and is an honorary trustee of the American Psychological Foundation.

He has been awarded numerous scholarly prizes and awards.  He has been on the ISI Highly Cited List in Psychology/Psychiatry since 2003, was listed as one of the “Top100 Psychologists of the 20th Century” by APA Monitor, and in 1984 Science Digest named him one of the 100 “Top Young Scientists in the U.S.”

Among the Fellowships he has received are a Fulbright Senior Specialist Fellow to Slovakia in 2005 and an IREX Visiting Scholar Fellow to Russia in 2000.

He also has been selected as a Fellow by 22 professional societies, including the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Educational Research Association, and the American Psychological Association.

More photos can be found on: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ostatenews/sets/72157623767181505/

Two teams of aerospace engineering students from Oklahoma State University earned first and second place honors over the weekend at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Design/Build/Fly International competition held April 16-18 in Wichita, Kan. The teams build their own unmanned planes and proved their performance by flying them in three different and challenging missions.             
“Once again OSU students are the masters of the skies,” said OSU President Burns Hargis. “We are proud to congratulate our students and faculty as they continue to put Oklahoma State’s aerospace engineering program at the forefront of teaching, research and development in the area of unmanned air vehicles and systems.”

“OSU Orange” took first place team honors and “OSU Black” finished second overall in competition against 67 other  teams from universities in the U.S. and abroad. A team from Purdue University placed third, and the University of Texas at Austin placed fourth.

In the past 11 years, OSU teams, led by Dr. Andrew Arena Jr., L. Maciula Professor in Engineering, have won seven first place awards and eight second place awards, and in five of these competitions, his teams have taken both first and second place. OSU won first and second last year.

Eric Provo served as chief engineer for the first place OSU Orange team, which also included, Donald Koeniguer, Grant Packard, Dylan Sirbaugh, Cody Combs, Adam Strawmyer, Marshall Tarrant, Eric Wolf, Johnny Chandler, Justin Roberts, James Baugh, Cindy Choa, Bradley Duvall, Michael Elliott, Austin Huling, Jessica Koeniguer, James Leonard, Zak Longacre, Anna Martin, Joe Searle, Tyler Stein, and Brian Taber.   

Ryan Paul served as chief engineer for the second place OSU Black team, which also included Adam Still, Tyler McElroy, Ryan Rupe, Michael Carver, Ryan Darrow, Andrew Flusche, Lucas Spinazzola, Brian Walters, Michael Bevers, Fred Keating, Ben Bettinger, Blake Carlisle, Jonathan Covington, Andrew Eckhart, Trent Maness, Aries Mauck, Abe McClellan, Dustin McDaniel, Clint Reitz, David Roy, Jacob Ryan, Kevin Sloan, and David Walker.

“Considering  the difficulty of the missions and the systems engineering in these planes, we are all inspired by the dedication of the students and Dr. Arena to continually attain this level of excellence against formidable competition,” said Dr. Larry Hoberock, professor and head of the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. “No other university has come close to matching the record of OSU teams since the competition began in 1999.”

The teams were assisted by the pilot Dan Bierly of Zivko Aeronautics in Guthrie, and by Dr. Joe Conner, adjunct assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at OSU.

6th Annual National Sustainable Design Expo

By Lindy Wiggins, College of Human Environmental Sciences Intern

(Stillwater, OK  April 20, 2010) -- Students and faculty in the Design, Housing and Merchandising  Department of the College of Human Environmental Sciences  at Oklahoma State University will have the opportunity to share their ideas and solutions for lighting, energy and sustainability before a national audience this month.

Two teams of students and their faculty advisors submitted applications for Phase I of the Environmental Protection Agency’s P3 (People, Prosperity, and the Planet) competition last fall.  The P3 competition was designed to benefit people, promote prosperity and protect the planet by encouraging the creation of innovative designs that offer solutions for sustainability.

After receiving an initial grant of $10,000 to develop their projects in Phase I, the two OSU teams will attend the National Sustainable Design Expo on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. April 24-25 to compete for Phase II funding:  an additional $75,000 to bring their ideas to the marketplace.

Oklahoma State University was one of only a few schools to receive two grants to participate in the competition.  

“Over 85 undergraduate and six graduate students enrolled at OSU, representing five different courses participated in some aspect of the study,” DHM professor Paulette Hebert said. “They participated in the pre-tests and post-test surveys, participated in field study of 3 lighting treatments, and helped to set-up the lighting treatment installations at the Pawnee Bill Mansion and the OSU president’s house.”

DHM professors Hebert, Ted Drab and Celia Stall-Meadows, Human Development and Family Science professor Jan Johnston, and graduate students Sylvia Chaney and Mallorie Mussared Dye have been guiding the students through the project.

“Each student has designed a fixture employing LEDs that an individual can use for reading,” Drab said.  “The students have constructed full-scale prototypes that will be exhibited in the DHM Gallery during HES Week and at the National Sustainability Expo on the Mall in Washington.”

Along with the faculty advisors and graduate students, undergraduate student Anna Eckhoff will also travel to Washington, D.C. to represent her teammates and fellow class members.

The first team’s project is titled “Lighting for Reading: Designing an LED Luminaire for Homes and Offices.”  The goal of the project is to design light emitting diodes (LEDs) to be used for reading in the home and office setting.  LED lights have superior energy efficiency, longer life, low costs and are toxin-free.  However, LEDs have not been created that can replace the use of incandescent or fluorescent lights for the purpose of illuminating printed materials.

The second project is titled “Overcoming Consumers’ Barriers to the Adoption of Sustainable Lighting: Considering CFLs and LEDs Across the Life Course.”  The group’s objective is to promote the use of sustainable residential lighting products by consumers.  The group plans to provide educational field demonstrations and hands-on experiences for consumers, followed by the collection and analysis of consumer response sheets.  

“Incorporating the federal grant requirements into our sustainability curriculum has been an important learning experience,” Stall-Meadows said.  “The graduate and undergraduate students enjoyed participating in the research process and they are learning the value of adopting sustainable lighting options, which was one of the goals of the grant.”

The OSU teams will compete against 40 other groups at the National Sustainable Design Expo.  All teams submit a project report and set up their designs and prototypes on the Mall to be evaluated and scored by a set of judges convened by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).  Scores from the project report and the presentations are combined to determine which teams have the best overall score and will receive the opportunity for Phase II funding.

Teams can submit applications for the P3 competition in numerous categories including agriculture, built environment, materials and chemicals, energy, information resources, and water. The National Sustainable Design Expo was created as a means of bringing together scientists, engineers, business leaders and students to create innovative solutions for advancing economic growth while reducing environmental impact.

Drs. Heidi Hoffer, Allen Scott and Jeffrey White at Oklahoma State University recently were chosen as Fulbright Scholars to receive grants that will allow them to spend a full academic year teaching and researching at a university abroad. Hoffer will go to South Africa, while both Scott and White will travel to different locations in Poland.

“I want to congratulate each of these faculty members on their work to apply and receive this award,” said Regents Professor Peter M.A. Sherwood, dean of the College of Arts & Sciences at OSU. “I know they view their work abroad as a way to express gratitude for the collaborative help they have received from the faculty at the universities they will visit while contributing to the education of students there.”

Hoffer, professor of theater, will serve as a designer and adviser for the drama departments at the University of Pretoria and University of Witwatersrand in South Africa. She also will lecture on scenographic and theater technology topics to undergraduate and graduate students at both universities. Hoffer will observe the diverse influences of 11 different languages in the South African theater, where improvisation and the power of the story are so important that acting and costumes minimize set design.

Scott, associate professor of music history and coordinator of music graduate studies, will teach courses on musicology, early music notation, American music, and Polish music of the Renaissance and baroque eras in the University of Wroclaw’s Musicology Institute in Wroclaw, Poland. He also will continue research to develop a monograph on the musical culture and confessional identity of sacred music in Wroclaw from 1520 to 1648, and collaborate to compile a modern catalog of 16th and 17th century music collections from three principal Protestant churches there.

White, professor of chemistry, will conduct collaborative research in Poland this fall on work that centers on complex macromolecules – really large molecules – and how their organization controls their behavior, especially after they are mixed and form composite materials. Multi-component polymeric materials and composites can include a wide range of products from automobile and aerospace structural panels to artificial bone and joints. White’s research will subject certain composite materials to a variety of experiments to determine potential applications for the materials that are both biocompatible and biodegradable.

Recipients of the Fulbright awards are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields. The Fulbright program, which began in 1946 under the direction of Senator J. William Fulbright, focuses on fostering leadership, learning, and empathy between cultures around the world.

Three Oklahoma State University scholars have been awarded Fulbright Grants under the U.S. Student Program for the coming year to teach or study outside the United States.

This competitive program is designed to give recent university graduates, graduate students and young professionals and artists opportunities for personal and career development and international experience.

Jennifer Lawmaster of Norman has been awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Germany; Brandon McVey of Tulsa received a University Student and Research in Economics Award to study at Goethe University of Frankfurt; and Jared Crain of Woodward received a Fulbright Award for agriculture research in Mexico. All three students will graduate in May.

“Oklahoma State University is proud to have three outstanding students selected for these prestigious Fulbright grants,” said OSU President Burns Hargis. “OSU has made it a priority to provide all our graduates with some type of international experience, which is vital for the world in which we live.”

Jennifer Lawmaster
Lawmaster, a Spanish and German major, will be an English teaching assistant in a German school where she may conduct all or part of a class, typically for conversation practice. This assistantship places students in overseas schools to improve foreign students’ English language abilities and knowledge of the U.S.
She will travel to Vienna, Austria at the beginning of May where she will spend the summer as an intern in the U.S. Embassy, and then transfer to Germany to teach from September through June 2011.

She has extensive travel experience in Germany and Mexico, and spent a semester in Austria where she attended the University of Salzburg. Upon returning from Germany, she plans to complete a master's degree and pursue a career in teaching German or Spanish.

“I’m not only appreciative of the Fulbright Program, but also of OSU—specifically Dr. Stephen Hallgren, Dr. John te Velde and Dr. Bob Graalman, as I received constant support and encouragement from these faculty members throughout the nine month application process. Fulbright is providing me with an opportunity to deepen my understanding of global politics, economy and culture in general, from which my future career as an educator will benefit immensely.”

According to Hallgren, OSU Fulbright Program adviser and associate professor of natural resource ecology and management, Germany has the largest Fulbright program in the world. In addition to the teaching assistantships, the nation supports 80 research awards and continues to provide very high support for international exchange at all levels.

Lawmaster, a 2006 graduate of Norman High School, is the daughter of Jack and Jan Lawmaster of Norman.

Brandon McVey
McVey received a University Student and Research in Economics Award that he will use to conduct research in monetary policy to learn why there was a long delay in Europe’s monetary policy responses to the current economic crisis and whether the long delay contributed to the severity of the crisis. He will receive a 10-month grant beginning in August or September 2010.

He has considerable international experience having spent a semester at the University of Basel in Switzerland and traveled in German and Austria. The year-long program in Germany will contribute to McVey’s career plans to research and develop monetary policy.

“My research goals fit well within the Fulbright mission to increase international understanding and cooperation, and I look forward to representing the United States while in Germany,” McVey said. “I know that the opportunities and experiences I’ve had at OSU will bring me continued success into the future.”

He will receive his Honors College Degree in finance, plus a B.A. degree in German and a B.S. degree in accounting. The 2005 graduate of Tulsa Memorial High School is the son of Eugene and Cindy McVey of Tulsa.

Jared Crain
Crain will conduct research with the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center in Ciudad Obregon, Sonora, Mexico, during the next year on a project to develop and adapt an inexpensive nitrogen sensor for field application to improve nitrogen management and environmental stewardship. The goal is to provide farmers with the technology to reduce nitrogen runoff while sustaining maximum crop yields.

He will travel to Mexico in August or September to begin a nine-month program.

“The Fulbright award is a tremendous opportunity to work in international research and be able to learn more about other cultures,” Crain said. “This award will allow me to pursue research in plant and soil science with one of the premier institutions for wheat and corn research, and develop a network of international contacts in my discipline.”

The research center where he will work is where the Green Revolution began under the direction of Norman Borlaug, and several OSU faculty members have spent considerable time there.

Crain, a 2006 graduate of Fargo High School, is the son of Wesley and Marilyn Crain of Woodward. He will receive his bachelor’s degree in plant and soil science with a minor in biochemistry. His career goal is teaching and international research in soil science.

The Fulbright Program is an international educational exchange program that is sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to “increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.” The program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, currently operates in more than 155 countries worldwide. The term “Fulbright Program” actually encompasses numerous exchange programs for individuals and institutions.

For the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, students must be U.S. citizens with a bachelor’s degree or possess equivalent training or professional experience by the start of the grant, in good health, and have sufficient language ability as required by the host country and in keeping with the Fulbright mission.