Vol. 25 No. 30 - April 26, 2021

During her time at Truman, Rechav has done research under Timothy Wiser, assistant professor of physics, which includes identifying particle tracks in cloud chambers using video analysis techniques.

Rechav has also participated in two projects at Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York. In one, she studied the decay of an unstable heavy nuclei, europium, into another, gadolinium, to better understand quantum phase transitions. The goal was to connect the pieces together to understand how the quantum phase transition from europium to gadolinium happens. Rechav also worked on a project pertaining to radiation safety in particle physics at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), where scientists perform experiments that require high-velocity particle collisions. She investigated the highest dose of radiation an individual could receive during a particle collision to determine if the entrance to the RHIC was safe to enter.

After graduation, Rechav will pursue a Ph.D. in physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She will conduct research at the Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center (WIPAC), focusing on the study of cosmic rays and ultra-high energy neutrinos. Cosmic rays are showers of particles that are generated from sources outside of the Milky Way galaxy. These cosmic rays generate cosmic neutrinos, which are neutral particles that do not interact well with other particles.

 “Since neutrinos don’t interact well with other particles, they are perfect messengers to learn and understand information about where they came from and how they traveled here,” Rechav said. “By using methods to detect and analyze the characteristics of ultra-high energy neutrinos, we can make discoveries that impact our understanding of the fundamental nature of particles.”

The fellowship provides three years of support, including a $34,000 stipend along with a $12,000 cost-of-education allowance for tuition and fees (paid to the institution), as well as access to opportunities for professional development available to NSF-supported graduate students.

As the oldest graduate fellowship of its kind, the Graduate Research Fellowship Program has a long history of selecting recipients who achieve high levels of success in their future academic and professional careers. The reputation of the program follows recipients and often helps them become life-long leaders that contribute significantly to both scientific innovation and teaching. Currently, 42 Fellows have gone on to become Nobel laureates, and more than 450 have become members of the National Academy of Sciences.

Truman is one of the nation’s top colleges for students seeking to earn their degree at an affordable price, according to The Princeton Review.

The education services company included Truman in its annual college guide, “best value colleges.” Of 650 institutions, 209 were selected to be on the list for this year’s project.

The “Best Value Colleges” list names the colleges that receive the company’s highest ROI (return on investment) ratings. The Princeton Review chose its best value colleges based on data collected by the company in 2019-20. The ratings are from analyses that review more than 40 data points. They cover academic offerings, cost/financial aid, career preparation, graduation rates and student debt. The company also factored in data from PayScale.com surveys of alumni of the schools about their starting and mid-career salaries and job satisfaction figures.

The Princeton Review’s school profiles and ranking lists in “Best Value Colleges 2021” are posted at princetonreview.com/college-rankings.

For more information on how to get involved, visit forensics.truman.edu or contact Craig Hennigan at chennigan@truman.edu.

In celebration of Arbor Day, Truman is hosting a tree planting ceremony at 12:30 p.m. April 30 at the Student Recreation Center.

One redbud tree will be planted in recognition of Sue Limestall and her years of service to the University. Other activities for Arbor Day include a virtual tree planting ceremony by the City of Kirksville.

Following the Truman tree planting, Elizabeth Hooper, associate professor of biology, will be offering a guided tree walk on the quad. The planting of trees to beautify campus started with President Baldwin in 1873. There are about 1,750 trees on campus, and around 18 different species, not including cultivars.

Truman is a Tree Campus Higher Education designation and the City of Kirksville is a Tree City USA, which makes Arbor Day special for both.

Truman was the host for the virtual 93rd Annual Convention of Eta Sigma Phi, the national classics honor society for the study of classics, April 16-18.

Students worked with current chapter advisor Amy Norgard and past chapter advisor Bridget Thomas to plan and create engaging content for the event. This included a video tour of campus, murder mystery game, virtual gift bag of classics Zoom backgrounds, memes and a Latin yoga routine with help from Janes Dreamweaver, director of fitness-wellness. They also invited their peers from across the country to join them for an informal evening event dedicated to sharing classics-inspired compositions such as prose and poetry.

The event included a welcome from President Sue Thomas, a reading by David Elliot, author of “Bull” and former Clayton B. Ofstad Visiting Professor at Truman, as well as workshops organized by Truman faculty and administrators. Among the workshops were:

“Early Printed Editions of the Classics: Sebastian Brant’s 1502 Vergil Leaves”
Amanda Langendoerfer, associate dean of libraries for special collections and museums

“A Woman Scorned: Hera in Film, Television, and Video Games”
Amy Norgard, assistant professor of classics

“The Perfect Loaf: An Exploration of Food in Ancient Greece”
Joshua Nudell, soon to be joining the history department in fall 2021

“Write Like a King! Egyptian Hieroglyphics”
Sara Orel, professor of art, art history

“The Best of Hercules on Screen”
Alex Tetlak, instructor in classics

“Greek Sacrifice: An Animal-Centered Look at Consent v. Vitality Argument”
Bridget Thomas, professor of classics
(with thanks to the University Farm).

An Eta Sigma Phi Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Rebecca Harrison, Truman professor emerita of classics.
 
Truman classics students competed in elections for national offices as well as other competitions. Debeaux Bowman was installed as national president; Sophia Picard was installed as national treasurer; Elana Sanders-Braxton won honorable mention in the Latin declamation contest; Azeeza Eagal was on the winning team for Certamen; and John Harrop won best paper for “The Sensations of Chariot Racing.”

Dr. David Pate, a social justice professor for the University of Wisconsin, will speak at the Social Work Club meeting at 7 p.m. April 29 via Zoom. Pate specializes in studying the interactions between African American men, specifically single parents, and the social welfare system. His presentation will focus on his past experiences in social justice and how to work within the career of social work. All interested students are encouraged to attend.

Directed by Michael Bump, professor of music, this performance will include festive sounds of calypsos, socas, songos, jazz and more from the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. Admission is free and the concert will also be available via livesteam. For more information, contact Bump at mbump@truman.edu.

Faith Branson, women’s soccer, was selected to the All-Great Lakes Valley Conference team for the first time, April 22. Branson led the team this spring with 13 points on six goals and one assist. She was tied for eighth in the GLVC in points and was tied for third in the conference in goals scored.

Since the vaccine has become readily available in the area, Truman’s numbers have remained consistently low. The active number has remained in the single digits for the entirety of March and April, and twice the University has reported zero cases for the week. In a survey of Truman students, approximately 60 percent have already received the vaccine.

Students who have been vaccinated should have an easier time returning home for the summer. Daley-Moore and Alberts recommend any students who have yet to be vaccinated make a plan for returning home. They should consider getting tested as well as quarantining before and after they return.

A recording of their conversation can be found here.

The Missouri Scholarship and Loan Foundation will offer the Purdy Emerging Leaders Scholarship, named in honor of Allan Walker Purdy.

Purdy was born in 1914 on a farm near Macon and was the first in his family to attend a four-year college. He worked in the University of Missouri’s College of Agriculture before becoming the campus’s first director of scholarships and student financial aid.

The scholarship is designed to provide merit-based scholarships to emerging leaders who are outstanding students and have a need for additional resources for higher education. The scholarship amount can vary based on an applicant’s circumstances. The general range will be $1,000-$5,000 based on expected family contribution (EFC), unmet need and other factors.

Applicants must be a Missouri resident, typically a 2.5 or higher cumulative GPA, a U.S. Citizen, and a sophomore, junior or senior attending a Missouri public four-year university or the State Technical College of Missouri. Deadline to apply is June 30, 2021. Applications should be submitted online through Scholarship Central at moslf.org. To access more information about this scholarship, click here, or contact the Financial Aid Office at 660.785.4130.

 
Listed below are several of the major national fellowships and their websites. More information about these fellowships is available at www.truman.edu/majors-programs/more-learning-opportunities/fellowships.

For Graduate Studies
Fulbright Grants
Research grants and teaching assistantships for a year abroad

Rhodes Scholarships
Grants for two years of study at Oxford University

Marshall Scholarships
Awards for two years of study in any British university

Mitchell Scholarships
One year of graduate study or research in Ireland or Northern Ireland

Gates Cambridge Scholarships
Awards for an advanced degree or second bachelor’s degree at the University of Cambridge
 
For Undergraduate Studies
Goldwater Scholarships
Up to $7,500 annually for tuition, fees, books, room and board for science and mathematics majors

Harry S. Truman Scholarships
For senior year and post-graduate study leading to a career in public service

Udall Scholarships
For students interested in careers related to environmental issues or for Native Americans and Alaskans interested in careers related to health care and tribal public policy

Carnegie Endowment Junior Fellowships
For students interested in international affairs to work as research assistants to the Endowment’s senior associates in Washington, D.C. for a full year

Boren Scholarships
To study abroad in areas of the world that are critical to U.S. interests