Grad Story #39]]>  

Travis Nelson
Space Studies, MS

 

 

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What is your hometown and background?

I'm originally from and grew up in Devils Lake, North Dakota.  I received my Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology here at the University of North Dakota and took as many space-orientated classes as possible during that time.  After I graduated, I decided to bring the fields of space and psychology together by pursing the Master of Science in Space Studies with a human factors emphasis.

What brought you to the University of North Dakota?

I have always enjoyed the Grand Forks area, the School of Aerospace Sciences, UND athletics and knew the university was a top choice in the state for many disciplines. All of those reasons made my decision to enroll here relatively easy. Once I arrived, I became involved in the psychology department and found my place in the field of experimental psychology and science in general.

What first sparked your interest in space? 

I guess you could say that I have been a space enthusiast most of my life. When I was probably four years old my parents bought me my first NASA Lego set, which definitely sparked my interest in space and building models. A planetarium visit in elementary school solidified my interest in the wonders of space and I have enjoyed learning about it ever since.  

You recently presented a poster at the School of Graduate Studies Scholarly Forum, can you elaborate on your research?

My research is concerned with measurement of stress and anxiety of humans during space flight and ground based studies of varying durations. My plan is to develop new countermeasures for mitigating stress and anxiety in extreme space flight conditions.  Whether it will be new types of in-flight psychological counseling, pre-flight counter measures or training protocols, I plan to help make space more habitable for extended periods of time. When I formally began studying human space-flight in the master’s program, it became quickly evident that humans are best suited to live on the Earth. My long term goal is to assist in changing that, hopefully enabling humans to safely go further into the space environment.

My hypothesis for the poster presentation displayed at the Scholarly Forum focused on the latter half of human spaceflight missions and how that timeframe is increasingly critical as to how stress and anxiety affects the performance of the astronauts and also how well countermeasures combat that stress and anxiety. My advisor, Dr. Vadim Rygalov from the Space Studies department has proven to be a vital role in my interests during my graduate study and has challenged me to keep moving forward with this research area and several other poster presentations and papers.

I understand you're doing a simulation with the human space flight lab in the fall, can you talk about what data you're looking to collect?

For the last four years, a lot of work from many other students and professionals has resulted in the construction of a lunar habitat, an electric rover and numerous space suits to be used in one sealed system. Last fall, students got the opportunity to do a ten day closed simulation utilizing those components.  I was fortunate enough to be mission commander of that simulation and it was an excellent experience for my own research interests as well as testing the systems for the department. For ten consecutive days we lived inside the habitat and were only able to leave for a few hours per day for extravehicular activity (EVA) and remained in the rover or inside a space suit. It was during that mission that I became interested in researching how humans behave and reacted during spaceflight situations where they are isolated and confined in an extreme environment.  That experience lead into my idea to collect data in a few areas for the 30-day mission this coming fall. At this time I plan to expand my research on stress and anxiety data collection and develop countermeasures for this unique mission.

This degree is quite broad and attracts students who are doing diverse research.  I imagine you learn as much from your peers as your professors.

I do learn quite a lot from fellow students in the program. Since we all have different educational backgrounds, it is a very interesting and diverse learning environment.

Most students spend a significant time working together so it is a great opportunity to learn from each other's influence and knowledge.  The professors all have a lot of knowledge to transfer to the students and this is evident from the success and recognition of the department as a whole. The encouragement that I receive from both my academic advisor and mentor, Dr. Rygalov, and my graduate research assistantship supervisor, Dr. de Leon, has been critical to my success in the human factors emphasis and has enriched the entire experience.

What is your best advice for a graduate student who is looking to Space Studies?

My advice to potential students is that no matter what your educational background is, there is likely a place for you in the department if you have a vested interest in space.  The Space Studies department has a numerous range of specializations ranging from engineering, observational astronomy, law, policy, planetary science and human factors. This makes the department a good choice for students with a variety of backgrounds where they can complete research and study an area of space that they are personally interested in. 

What would you like to do with your degree in space studies?

After graduation next spring, I plan to move on to employment within NASA or complete a doctoral program.  I hope to be involved with a future mission that brings humans back to the moon or other areas of space beyond low earth orbit, such as an asteroid or Mars. Either way, I would like to be affiliated with the further advancement of humans in the space environment.  

 

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Grad Story #38]]>  

Enaz Mahmoud
Teaching & Learning, PhD
Specializing in Instructional Design & Technology

 

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What is your hometown and what brought you to the University of North Dakota?

My hometown is Amman, the capital of Jordan, a city of 2.5 million and growing. My decision to come to the University of North Dakota was based on many factors. The first was that I wanted to concentrate on a university in the United States.  The University of North Dakota has a very high rank in many majors, including aviation and engineering.  To me, that meant that UND is a very respectable university and their education program would also be very good.  

Secondly, they offered my major, Instructional Design and Technology.  Then I compared tuition rates to other schools in the United States and found that the rate here is very fair and inexpensive. 

Once I found out that Grand Forks is a very safe place to live, I told myself “Okay, this is the right place that I should apply and focus my attention on.” Once I arrived here, I realized that the people are very nice.  Everybody is smiling and happy to say hello and talk and help. 

What is the biggest adjustment that you have had to make in moving from Amman, Jordan to Grand Forks, North Dakota?

There are two main adjustments that I have had to make. First of all, improving my English language skills.  I need to be able to deliver my ideas, my emotions and what I want to say effectively.  Since I am a doctoral student the main thing that I have had to focus on is to develop my writing skills.

The second adjustment was the weather.  In the summer, Jordan is around 100-120 degrees and the minimum in the winter is 35-40 Fahrenheit.  It is possible to receive two or three inches of snow during the year in Amman.  It was very nice when I arrived in Grand Forks in August, but the weather can change very rapidly, from 80 degrees to minus two or minus five in a short amount of time.

You are a Graduate Research Assistant with the College of Education and Human Development, what research projects are you currently involved in?

I’m working on a collaboration called The STEM Project which is federally funded.   This project calls for the comprehension of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. We are currently helping the students of the Grand Forks schools to develop their way of learning those subjects.  The main project helps students design and construct a house that is completely sustainable.  The house generates its own electricity and grows its own food.  Students have to observe and measure the sunlight and convert it to electricity.  Once they have the electricity, they calculate how much energy they will need to use.  Essentially, they need to use all of the content that they will learn in science, technology, mathematics, to be able to construct the house.

What can you do with a degree in IDT?

There are two possible career opportunities. The first opportunity is to be a university professor, teaching courses in Instructional Design.

The other possibility, what I'm looking at right now, is to be a specialist in instructional design and technology. The specialist approach is much broader than the first goal because all the companies, all the universities, all the banks need an instructional designer. Amazon, Motorola, Adobe, and other companies, they need instructional designers to develop training courses for their staff as well as consumers to train them how to use their products.  

Do you feel that there is a strong international student community on campus?

Yes, strong and cohesive international community here. 

The UND Office of International Programs organizes many activities to help international students engage in their own communities and the larger UND community.  One of the events that they host is called cultural night, it takes place on Thursday nights at 6:30 at the Loading Dock at the Memorial Union.

All students from all nations are invited to come to the cultural nights. The host students from, for example, India, China, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Norway, they cook their traditional food and present in traditional clothes.                       

The Office of International Programs also helps new international students adjust to campus life and life in the United States. I thought that I was going to have to discover all of this on my own but I had a peer mentor, an international student that assists new international students adjust.  He picked me up at the airport, gave me rides to where I needed to go and helped me open a bank account.  I never imagined the help that I received.

What is your best advice for a graduate student who is looking to obtain a degree in Instructional Design and Technology? 

Research and conducting studies are very important. I plan to conduct one study every year, to be updated with new updates or a new information. The information and the knowledge grow day after day, so this is one of the reasons that I encourage students, after they finish their degree, not to stop doing research, continue. Even one study per year, this is the minimum.

 

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Grad Story #37]]>  

Hardy DeLong
Sustainable Energy Engineering, MS 



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What is your hometown and background?

I am from originally from Mayville, North Dakota. I have undergraduate degrees in biology and chemistry from Mayville State University. I currently live in Mayville with my wife and our baby girl who was born in March.

 

What brought you to the University of North Dakota?

I wanted to obtain a master’s degree and wasn’t sure that a specific degree in biology or chemistry was right for me. I knew that I liked sustainable energy and the University of North Dakota was just starting a graduate program in Sustainable Energy Engineering. I had previously taken a class in wind energy and although it was interesting, it was more of a technical degree. When I looked at other colleges in the area, they too, were technical degrees. I really wasn’t interested in becoming a technician because of the travel associated with the work and I also had the desire to stay close to home. With the UND’s distance engineering courses, I was able to start working on my background courses before I graduated from Mayville State. Now I drive from Mayville to Grand Forks which isn’t too far.

 

What sparked your interest in Sustainable Energy Engineering?

My interest in sustainability came from my parents. My dad has worked with wind energy for a long time, and has traveled all over the country to work on wind farms. My family has always been into recycling and sustainable ideas, in turn I am also passionate about it. While I was at Mayville State, I was part of a “green team” that focused on making campus a greener place. I guess that I have always been intrigued by sustainability and green areas. When I found this program, I decided to try it out even though I wasn’t too familiar with chemical engineering or the Sustainable Energy Engineering Program. I wondered if the program would be more on the social side of sustainability or if it would be on the energy side. After getting to know the department, I learned that most of the projects in the Chemical Engineering Department involve sustainable/clean energy ideas and projects.

 

What makes this program different from Environmental Engineering or Earth System Science & Policy?

Sustainable Energy Engineering focuses more on the production of energy and ensures that our current energy needs are met without compromising the needs of those who will come after us. We do this by discovering ways to save energy, making current energy production cleaner and conducting research that will assist us in finding and improving alternative energy sources.

Environmental Engineering looks more into emission and pollution issues, such as water and air pollution control or quality. Earth System Science and Policy focuses on sustainability from the views of environment, society and economy; the Earth system as a whole. ESSP is also a driving force behind policy efforts that deal with the environment and the sciences. All three of these fields work towards environmental solutions, however, Sustainable Energy Engineering works specifically with the energy production aspect.

 

Are you currently conducting any research?

Yes, I am currently researching microalgae growth and how to improve growth in photobioreactors. Microalgae are able to transform carbon dioxide and water with the help of light energy into lipids and oils. These lipids and oils can be processed into liquid biofuels that are able to be used in place of traditional petroleum fuels. Closed system reactors (as opposed to open ponds) are able to produce high amounts of biomass with small land area requirements. However, improvements are desirable and specific microalgae strain production can be improved through either genetic manipulation or optimization of the reactor. My research is focusing on optimizing reactor conditions, and more specifically investigating light transfer throughout the reactor. We can use computational fluid dynamics software such as FLUENT by ANSYS to model our reactor conditions. We can analyze our model and gain insights as to where there are limitations, and where improvements can be made. Using a computer, experiments can be run much faster than the time scales of the laboratory, this helps speed up development. Ultimately this research can be used in not only reactors dealing with multiphase light transfer (growth medium such as water, bubble interactions, and growing particles), but in any case where light transfer or radiation is deemed important.

 

Can you discuss the importance of mentorship and faculty advisors?

My advisors, Dr. Yun Ji, and Dr. Gautham Krishnamoorthy have helped guide me down the microalgae research path. Dr. Krishnamoorthy is very skilled in computer modeling and simulation, and has really guided me as far as what I should focus on for the modeling aspect of my research. Dr. Ji has many helpful insights regarding laboratory experiments and what we can do with microalgae samples. Both are able to break roadblocks or problems down into tasks easier to solve, and with their experience and positive attitudes, they really make the difficult look easy.

 

What is your best advice for a graduate student who is looking at the Sustainable Energy Engineering program?

My advice for any higher-level degree is to keep your end goal in mind throughout your studies. Sometimes you might get bogged down between classes, literature, and research, so perspective can help keep you on track. As far as sustainable energy goes, there are a multitude of avenues that fit into the overall area. Our future energy portfolio will not consist of only one option, but it will consist of a wide variety of technologies. Research is always needed to help advance us to the next stage. Regardless of what your research and classes entail, they are all meant to help you grow as a researcher and a scholar.

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Grad Story #36]]>  

Tim Logan
Atmospheric Sciences, PhD 



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Where is your hometown?

I was born in New York City and raised back and forth between the Bronx and northern Virginia. I consider my hometown the two hundred and forty mile I-95 corridor between the Bronx and Virginia because I have family along that whole stretch.  So home, for me, is basically any city between the District of Columbia and the Bronx.

Why did you choose Atmospheric Sciences at the University of North Dakota?

I have been interested in the atmosphere since I was a little kid.  My undergraduate degree was in Geochemistry, where I studied the chemistry of rocks and minerals.  One of my professors was the state climatologist at that time, and that’s when climate change was really starting to generate some steam. After graduation, I taught high school earth science and climate change was one of the big topics that we studied. I figured I would like to get into the whole climate change debate to offer my two cents, do some research, and someday be a college professor. Atmospheric Sciences seemed like a logical progression from Geochemistry and the professors here at UND took a chance on me.

Congratulations in receiving the East Asia and Pacific Summer Institute Grant, can you share a little bit about that?

It started in 2010 with a visiting professor, Wei Gong, who gave a seminar on using LIDAR (light and radar) on clouds, aerosols, and vegetation.  Dr. Gong heads one of the many State Key Laboratories in China and is the head of the lab at Wuhan University.  He liked the research I did on the 2006 Intercontinental Chemical Transport Experiment-Phase B (INTEX-B) that involved Asian aerosol transport to North America.  He mentioned that if I ever got a chance to come to China, he would gladly host me so I could study aerosols in Wuhan. It turns out that Wuhan is dubbed as one of the seven ovens of China.  The temperature in the summer is at or around 100 degrees from June to August with insane humidity.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) East Asian and Pacific Summer Institute (EAPSI) is a program that sends roughly two hundred graduate students on a two month research excursion to seven participating host regions in Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.  In 2011, when the NSF put out a call for grant proposals, I applied and was accepted.  I was in a group of sixty students that went to China.  It was nothing short of adventurous from the first day until the very last day.   While I was there I continued my research with INTEX-B data and assisted Dr. Gong's students in testing rice shoots for environmental stress by using LIDAR.  His group works on applications of LIDAR and creating mathematical algorithms to study both aerosol optical properties and vegetation health that can be applied to ground-based and space-based instruments (like satellites).

In addition to working with his whole group, I collaborated with one of the doctoral students on an aerosol LIDAR detection algorithm that can give precise estimates of the boundaries (top and bottom) of aerosol and cloud layers. The name of the paper is "Linear segmentation algorithm for detecting layer boundary with LIDAR".  I was also able to publish another paper, “Classification and investigation of Asian aerosol absorptive properties”, based the results from the INTEX-B data.

You also received the best student poster presentation award from the Organization Committee of the Sixth Symposium on Aerosol-Cloud-Climate Interactions at the 94th American Meteorological Society annual meeting. Can you talk a little bit about that?

My topic presentation was titled "Aerosol Physical and Chemical Properties and Their Relationship with CCN at the AMF-Azores Site".  In this poster, I merged my previous NASA funded aerosol study and a recent Department of Energy (DOE) field campaign using the DOE’s mobile facility in The Azores to measure aerosols and marine cloud properties.  In addition to funding from NASA, my advisor secured funds from the DOE which made this current study possible.

I had a very short amount of time to complete the research.  My advisors gave me the task during the summer semester and I had to present results in late November.  The results were very interesting in that continental aerosols like mineral dust, pollution, and volcanic ash were found to have diverse influences on marine cloud formation processes and it was decided that we could write a paper off of these results.  I initially presented our findings at a Department of Energy Conference and then decided to present everything at the American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting. Several DOE people stopped by the poster and gave constructive criticism but also added that they liked the way that the research was done.  The awards committee saw the poster, and I guess they liked it too. I made changes to my paper after the meeting based on their suggestions.  The paper is now fully accepted for publication in the next issue of the Journal of Geophysical Research.

Can you discuss the importance of mentorship and faculty advisors?

With having a graduate advisor, it’s a more personable relationship than with your undergraduate advisor.  At the graduate level, advisors are really beneficial because they can see potential in their students.  My advisors have kept me focused, leaned on me a lot, and have been very result-driven, which I am very thankful for.  As a result of the goals and challenges they have set I have gone to Asia twice, presented at numerous conferences, and have written five science journal papers.  My graduate career is one of the best experiences that I have ever had.

What is your best advice for a graduate student who is looking to Atmospheric Sciences?

Find out where you lie in the spectrum between the two schools of thought in Atmospheric Sciences: the modeling or observation communities.  You can have a preference but definitely acknowledge that both sides are needed.

Never be afraid to come up with some zany idea that you know you can support using different types of research methods and data platforms.  You may stumble across something that no one has ever thought of and you could be writing papers off of that idea. You are also going to get knocked around a lot. The more darts that people throw at you the more you know that you’re onto something great.

 

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Grad Story #35]]>  

Heidi Connahs
Biology, PhD

 

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What is your hometown?
Originally, I’m from Chester, which is in northwest England near Liverpool. When I was about 19, I moved to the south coast to attend the University of Brighton where I did my undergraduate degree. It was a new degree in Forestry and Biological Sciences. It was a split degree meaning you could successfully graduate after 3 years with a Higher National Diploma, which gives students a vocational qualification, or stay on as I did with one other girl for another 18 months to complete a bachelors’ degree.

 

Then you came to the United States for a Masters degree at Tulane University in New Orleans. How did that come about?
While I was doing my undergrad, I became extremely passionate about tropical forests, and I worked at a tree nursery during the summer, and saved enough to go on an Earthwatch project in Costa Rica working with caterpillars and their parasitoids. It was a dream come true for me because I’d been reading about explorers and the tropics, and then I had a chance to go there and experience it. It blew me away – the diversity of the insects, the vegetation. While I was there I met a professor who was involved with the Earthwatch project and was also connected to a project I found myself working on the following year in Ecuador. He brought an Earthwatch group to that project and through talking with him, he invited me to get a graduate degree at Tulane University and in 2009 I obtained my Masters degree.

 

It’s quite a journey to UND for your PhD - this is by no means the Tropics!
I’d spent a lot of time doing fieldwork in the tropics, and had taken time out to work there –a year in Ecuador and a year in Panama and traveling back and forth to the UK. I’d spent quite a lot of time doing this type of work - studying insects and their natural enemies and I really wanted to delve in and get to the root of these interactions by looking at what was going on at the level of the DNA. I also recognized that, increasingly, Biology jobs were moving very much towards these specializations like molecular biology or chemical ecology. UND had both funding and training in molecular biology. Our department has three main groups – wildlife biology, ecology and molecular biology – so it makes for interesting research across the department.

 

Congratulations to you for successfully earned an Adele Lewis Grant Fellowship for Graduate Women in Science earlier this year.
I put the application together over the Christmas break last year and thought, “We’ll just see what happens…maybe I’ll get a little something…” I knew that the decisions were to be announced in July, and in late June I was working on dissecting some butterfly wings and got a call from a representative of the Graduate Women in Science and she congratulated me and told me I was the highest scoring applicant! I couldn’t believe it! I later learned the award is open to all female scientists – graduate, postdocs, faculty etc. There were over 200 applications, so I just couldn’t believe it! And they funded me 100% of my application. It opened so many doors to me in terms of my research, and also participating in committee meetings for the Graduate Women in Science – I was really honored and extremely grateful.

I’ve been lucky this year with funding, getting this award, an APSAC and Wheeler award from the Biology Department, an EPSCoR Doctoral Dissertation Award and I’m preparing another for the Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant for NSF (National Science Foundation). I’m always thinking ahead – the thing about molecular biology is that it’s expensive. You need equipment, reagents… so I’m constantly thinking about how to fund my research. I’ve written lots of grants - it takes a long time to learn how to write a good grant.

 

I imagine that the further you get into your research project, the clearer you are able to determine and articulate your funding needs?
Yes, and when I’m writing a grant I always try to imagine the reviewer and ask myself whether, “Is it clear? Is the story logical? “And hopefully make their decision to fund an easy one!

 

So you have a couple of pools of funding for your dissertation research?
Yes, and this has allowed me to present my research at the Entomological Society of America conference in Austin, Texas and the EPSCoR funding really helped along with travel funding from the Graduate School and an intercollegiate academic award.

 

Tell me about your dissertation research.
Broadly speaking, my research seeks to understand how animals develop – what are the genes involved, and how do the genes function to produce all of the diversity of animals that we see in nature. My study organisms are butterflies as they exhibit a lot of morphological variation in their wing color patterns, and plus they are stunningly beautiful animals to work with. So my goal is to identify some of the genes that are involved in wing color pattern development but also to examine how the environment can alter gene expression leading to differences in wing color patterns.

Specifically what I am interested in is the question whether epigenetic mechanisms are involved in regulating wing color patterns. Epigenetics literally means “above the genes” and it refers to the molecular mechanisms that alter gene expression without actually changing the underlying DNA sequence. During development there are molecular tags that get added on either to the DNA or the proteins that DNA wraps around. And when these tags get added on, they can result in genes being switched on or switched off. It’s a dynamic process, and these tags can be influenced by development cues – and what we’re learning more about now is that they can also be influenced by environmental cues. These tags are heritable, and can be transmitted from parent to offspring.

Even though epigenetics has been around for a while, recently there’s been a surge of interest in this area. For a long time, biologists thought that an organism’s genotype was determined strictly by the genes it inherits. But we now know it is a lot more complicated than that – for example twins can have different susceptibilities to disease even though they inherited an identical genome due to environmental influences on epigenetic mechanisms. So epigenetics has profound implications for our health and determining an organisms’ phenotype. We’re really only just scratching the surface in understanding how these interactions work.

 

You mentioned earlier that you’re always thinking ahead. What is down the road for you in 5 – 10 years?
My passion is in research – I live and breathe my work. Ideally, I’d like to do some postdoc work, which could be 2-5 years. I’d really like to use my research in molecular and developmental biology to understand why there is so much diversity in the tropics. Although my research is with butterflies, the great thing about molecular biology is that once you learn how to study what’s happening at the level of the DNA, you can study any organism.

Ideally I’d be based in the UK so I could be closer to my family, but have a fieldwork project somewhere in the tropics. My dream job would be as a staff scientist at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama where I worked previously. It is an amazing facility, and you’re surrounded by tropical biologists who are all equally passionate about their work. You never take it for granted because you are always learning and discovering something new - a new insect or new bird. I love being around that intellectual excitement. There are always seminars going on, and mentorship opportunities.

 

We highlight the role that mentorship plays in graduate education, but you play a part in both mentoring undergraduate students and being mentored by your own faculty.
Yes, it is critical. In our department there is a lot of opportunity to work with undergraduates and they have all been fantastic. I couldn’t get through my current research without help from my undergraduate student. It is important to me that they feel like they are collaborators and are not just there to do grunt work. I love taking on a new student who knows nothing about my project and watching them grow and develop to the point where they can work independently. It’s so rewarding to see.

But I also learn so much from the faculty whom I assist. I’m working with Dr Carmichael as a teaching assistant in the new SCALE-up room. I love working with him, he’s really organized and has been doing it a long time. I’ve learned so much and will be able to adopt some of that style in my future teaching.

 

What advice do you have for a student who is considering a graduate degree in Biology?
Finding someone that you feel comfortable working with, because you need to work closely with that person for 5 years. My advisor, Dr Rebecca Simmons, is so wonderful, and fun and positive. She gives me freedom to do what I want with my research but is always right behind me encouraging me and many times has gone out of her way to help me.

I have a wonderful committee, actually. I have learned a tremendous amount from Dr Turk Rhen. He has spent many hours teaching me how to do micro dissections and transcriptomics, and we’ve had many interesting conversations about epigenetics – he’s one of the most patient people I’ve ever met! Dr Diane Darland is a fountain of wisdom. She’s helped me prepare my cv as well as grant writing. Dr Brian Darby paid for me to attend the Ecological Genomics conference last year and is very generous letting me borrow things from his lab! I’m lucky to have a really great committee. I get to work and learn from faculty with a variety of strengths and expertise.

Secondly, you have to be passionate. Doing a PhD, you need to be very self motivated, which is easy if you are passionate about what you do. It is very stressful and there are immensely long hours, so you have to be doing something you love. I feel like a PhD is what you make it. I’m also very ambitious so I set the bar high for myself, which also puts me under a lot of stress! I know where I want my research to go and I recognize that there is a lot of work to do to get there. I think I’ll always be very driven to do my work, but who knows? Maybe when I get to do post doctoral work I can find more of that work-life balance. I might take up playing the violin again!

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Grad Story #34]]>  

Atif Mohammad

Scientific Computing, PhD

 

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Where you are from?

I was born and raised in Pakistan where I did my undergraduate degree and my first Masters degree in Computer Sciences at the University of Karachi. That was focused on software engineering . I then moved to Canada in 2001 to explore what the world has to offer, and after a number of years I realized I had become legacy  - everything was changed in the computer world.

 

In 2006, I decided to go back to school and I did a Masters degree focused on Database Management Systems. That was at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. I also had a chance to do a full semester load course at MIT at Cambridge, MA in Systems Architecture Design, to be a certified Systems Architect from MIT, by itself is a great deal for me as well.

 

Can you describe the research you undertook for that degree?

I was working with Pervasive computing which is embedded in our daily environment: everything from our phones, computers, to even our cars and stoves, which we can program. I created a personal information environment for an individual who is dealing with multiple devices. This was before the idea of Dropbox was even conceived by a student at MIT. I designed in 2007 an environment where an individual could access their information by logging into one of the services I designed, over the Internet.

 

So a single sign-on for all my devices?

Yes, whether it is your phone, your iPad, desktop, laptop etc. Google, iCloud, Dropbox can all do this and there are other variations – my version was much more controlled. Due to privacy and security, some environments cannot allow you to access others, for example – a school or library computer with my work computer. It meant that on my personal computer I was able to have all the data syncing back. My office work was agnostic with my school work and vice versa.

 

How does this differ from the other cloud environments where I can access any of the information I put there from anywhere?

The difference is that my environment belongs only to me and is done purely in my own domain. Whatever you put in the cloud, whether it be Dropbox, Google Drive or something similar, it is no longer owned by you, the user, and it can even be used against you as we see in some current lawsuits.

 

Is this what you are working on for your PhD?

This is one part and I have converted that to a larger version I have called DOMBA (Distributed Objects Management Based Articulation). It’s an enhancement of my Personal Information Environment work however it has now gone beyond the individual, it now a NOSQL word – a Not Only Structure Query Language.

 

I’ve been invited to talk on this at several places including Washington State University at Tacoma, Colorado State University, and Washington Industrial Technology Forum in Seattle. However, since I’m also working towards my own patent, I had to be careful about how much I could discuss. That’s where the secure session (NOSQL) takes place which is platform agnostic. ETL (Extraction Transport Load) is already built in and the size of the file, which is the DOMBA operating system, is only 16MB.

 

Cloud secured gateway – when you are working in a cloud, how can you be sure that it is secure enough to bind with your device and no one else can access it.

So, it has a bit of threat intelligence involved so that someone can’t be sneaking in another door.

I have created a three level security protocol– initially you are given a handwritten password – a human is involved in that step. It’s not given to you on a machine. You sign in with that password which is coded back. Because this has never been extracted and sent over the Internet, it is not vulnerable. This will create the third key, which is tied to your device’s physical address, and this device is provided to you for your official use.

 

When you are developing this, how are you seeing it applied? Is this for Government offices, educational institutions?

It is not necessarily for everyday use but rather for any restricted domain. For example, if you wanted me to edit a document using your device rather than uploading it to the cloud, you would give me permission to use it within a UND domain, but if I tried to edit it from outside that domain, whatever the domain is that’s approved, I’d be blocked.

 

So it is for anyone, any organization or any industry that wants to use it because it is self-administered in-house. It is purchased and therefore owned rather than sharing it with a third party.

 

As I mentioned earlier, I went for certification of Systems Architecture at MIT in 2007 and while I was there I created my own methodology, which I named SOA3.0 (Service Oriented Architecture) and that’s a combination of UML, RUP, object process methodology. I brought all the good aspects to one methodology and this is what I have used.

 

The Scientific Computing PhD program is designed to be collaborative across disciplines or other departments. How are you using your research to collaborate?

 Yes, Information Management Systems in the department of Information Systems and Business Education. They are my second department on my doctoral committee and that’s why it is Distributed Objects Management Based Articulation. So the scientific aspect is working with computer science and algorithms and software engineering, and the collaborative side is finding ways to make it accessible so anyone can use it.

 

Why did you choose UND?

Dr. Emanuel Grant suggested I join UND. I started my PhD at Florida Tech, but I could never go there because of my job and my Masters’ degree was lingering on.  I met Dr Emanuel Grant at a conference in 2007 where we were co-chairing a panel in a conference.  We started collaborating on research and papers, and he invited me to apply to UND since they were starting a new PhD program.  It’s been a fantastic experience. We have good faculty.

 

Where do you want to be in 5 years?

I’d like to be either running my own technology business, or at level 5 in the executive leadership most likely somewhere on the West Coast as CTO or Vice President Technology. I definitely want to be in the industry, but I might also like to teach a class at a nearby university.

 

 

 

 

 

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Grad Story #33]]>  

Yuliya Kartoshkina

Educational Foundations & Research, PhD

 

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What is your hometown and background?

I’m from Lviv, Ukraine. It’s a big city next to the border with Poland and is where I did my undergraduate degree in Education before coming to the United States.

 

What brought you to the University of North Dakota?

I came to UND on a year-long scholarship in 2002 and enjoyed my experience so much that I decided to return and earn a degree in the States.  Part of the reason I came back was because I felt very connected to this place where people really care and want to help you with your education. The university environment was very different to what I was used to in Ukraine– I could be a lot more independent and take classes that interested me rather than having a set program. I also got to know my professors and found that they were interested and willing to give their time to help students learn and succeed.

 

So when I came back to UND, I ended up earning two more undergraduate degrees in International Studies and German. I wanted to learn about other cultures and degree in International studies gave me a good interdisciplinary background on international politics, world history and geography, major world religions, and introduced me to the field of anthropology. As for degree in German, I was just taking classes in German, went on a short summer trip to Germany during one summer with my UND peers, and was encouraged by my professor to take more classes to do the full major. I loved all my undergraduate classes because they inspired me to keep on learning more about world cultures and languages.

 

You stayed at UND to do your Masters in Communication. What did you bring from your undergraduate experience to your Communication degree?

 

I wanted to explore the international field but from the perspective of communication. Like my International Studies, I really like the interdisciplinary approach of Communication program and each time I took a class I tried to gear it towards my interest in intercultural communication and how culture shapes an individual.

 

In my own personal experience as an international student, I was very transformed by my intercultural experiences.  While working on my undergraduate degrees, I learned so much about myself and about other cultures, so I decided to dive into it and explore such experience from multiple perspectives.

 

For my Master’s thesis, I wanted to marry the theory with practice so I approached the International Center here on campus and asked them what were some of the questions they had that they would like to explore. They were interested in how to recruit students to study abroad and also how to best help them when they are coming back after their study abroad experience. I loved the second idea because I could relate to it personally since I found my own re-entry to the Ukraine after my first year to be quite challenging. I couldn’t really adjust well and I couldn’t understand why since I was ‘coming home’ to the people I loved and to the whole culture that was so familiar. I did not know how to adjust my new self to the old world. I also knew that I was not alone in my re-adaptation home struggle- my friends also had problems coming back home after studying abroad. Thus, I thought it would be an intriguing and important topic to explore.

 

The more I read about this topic, the more I realized that even though many people admit having reentry challenging, not much is being done to understand this problem.  For my study, I interviewed and surveyed students who studied abroad for a semester or longer because I wanted to explore how longer immersion in a new culture affects reentry experiences.  In my study I found that almost all of them had communication problems coming back and had a hard time reconnecting with their family and friends.  I also found that students experienced changes in their cultural identity due to their cultural experiences and developed both critical and appreciative lenses on American culture and started to perceive themselves in a new light.

 

Did your Masters degree prepare you for your PhD in Educational Foundations & Research?

It definitely did. After conducting research for my Master’s and learning about the perspectives of students, I got very interested in the design of study abroad programs and how to enhance students’ learning before, during, and after their intercultural experience. I became very curious in how we, educators, can shape their experiences so they can learn even more. In my dissertation research I will be examining very specific programs: Faculty-lead Study Abroad programs. These tend to be very short but very intensive and how they are designed can really impact students’ learning.

 

Much of my interest in this is a direct continuation of my Masters, but at the same time, the classes I was taking in my EFR department really added to my research skills and expanded my knowledge on the foundations of education. One class in particular inspired me to look at all education from a different perspective. It looked at the brain and memory and how we learn – the chemistry of learning. In my dissertation research, I will be using this lens to apply to understand the design of faculty-lead programs. I’ll be interviewing faculty from a variety of institutions who develop these programs, and will explain best practices from the perspective of brain-based pedagogy.

 

Another important piece that has been shaping my research and experience as doctoral students has been my involvement with NAFSA-national organization of international educators that holds an annual conference for about 8, 000 people. I’m now on the organizing board for this year’s conference and had the pleasure of reviewing over a hundred session proposals. It has been a wonderful learning and networking experience. I had several presentations of my research at this conference and received very insightful feedback from professionals in the field.

 

Being part of this organization also provides me with opportunities to learn from international educators from around the world. This conference invites many internationally renowned keynote speakers like the Nobel Peace Prize recipient, Muhammad Yunus (recognized for his efforts to empower women in some of the poorest countries by giving them access to small loans to start their own businesses). It is so inspirational to go to this conference!

 

You have been involved in a number of activities and organizations around campus, and are now heading up the Graduate Student Association (GSA). What do you feel graduate students most need in terms of support?

A couple of ideas come to mind. First, students need support in developing skills necessary to succeed in graduate school and in getting a job they want. The Association is now working on professional development opportunities for graduate students with topics like time management, writing, publishing and health needs. I think professional development is really important.

 

The second area is social. Graduate school is intensive and there’s a lot of pressure to study, research, write etc. But at the same time, we are all human beings and need to have social interactions. One of the goals of our organization is to have monthly social events. It’s a good way to meet people from different department, share your ideas, develop new friendships, and distract yourself from studying for a while.

 

Finally, I think that balance is really important – being able to balance the work with the social is key to a healthy experience. I’m working with the Health & Wellness Hub and we are beginning to look more closely at the health of the graduate student population. Graduate school experience can be very stressful and it is important to learn how to balance school, personal life, and health. Learning how to have a healthy mind and body is really important.

 

What is your best advice for a graduate student who is looking to EFR?

Get to know what is expected of you from your advisor. Find out the process of moving through your graduate school experience and develop a timeline. Make sure you have clear expectations.

 

Then start thinking about balance – carve out time to study, go to classes, and make sure you have time for fun. It can be very hard to keep motivated if you don’t.  Finally, talk to your professors and ask them how they find balance – they’ve been there!

 

Where do you want to be in 5 years?

I’d love to change roles and become a professor. I’d love to be the faculty member who takes students abroad and gives them that experience. Also, I want to work with the international office, help design intercultural programs, and do research on students’ experiences. I would love to teach classes on experiential learning, brain-based pedagogy, and anything connected to cross-cultural learning. I think it is very important to teach students about intercultural skills, make them aware of who they are as cultural beings, and prepare them to be global citizens. 

 

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School of Graduate Studies, University of North Dakota]]>
Grad Story #32]]> Changyeon Yoo


Physics, PhD

 

 

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What is your hometown?

I’m from JinJu City in South Korea. It’s a small city about the same size as Grand Forks. I lived there until I went to university for my undergraduate degree. I did my bachelor’s degree in Physics at Seoul National University  - Seoul is a city of about 10 million, so it was quite a change. I like Grand Forks because it is a similar kind of place to where I’m from – a small town environment – I’m close to everything.

 

When did you realize you wanted to pursue Physics as a career?

During high school I took some physics courses and thought I might be good at it, so I chose it for my bachelor’s. I really liked it and wanted to get better and build my career so I came to the US and did my Masters’ degree at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell.

At that time my main field was doing experiments with Femtosecond Lasers. Others in my group were mainly dealing with interactions in silicone but I was mostly interested in glass materials and polymer materials. Once I finished that degree I was looking for a university for my doctoral degree and I learned that Dr. (Kanishka) Marasinghe at UND was working on atomic structure of novel rare earth phosphate glasses using X-ray, which I thought was related to my Masters. So I applied with the hope of joining that research group and was accepted.

 

Can you talk about your summer research experience? You attended a rather prestigious program for graduate students.

Yes, it was NXS 2013 (15th National School on Neutron and X-Ray Scattering). The first week was at the Argonne National Laboratory near Chicago, and the second week was at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee.

At the time I was submitting my application I didn’t realize it was that good, because others from our group had been there before. But when I went there, it was a really, really great experience. Everything was provided and there was a tight scheduled from 8.30 – 6PM each day for the two weeks. The mornings were lectures and in the afternoons we’d work on small experiments related to the morning lectures.

There were only 60 students representing 47 US states – all graduate students from Physics, Chemistry and Engineering department. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I think it is really difficult to get accepted so I feel we were all so lucky to be there.

The Argonne National Laboratory does mostly X-ray related experiments and we talked with researchers and professors there, learned about the equipment and conducted three different experiments. The Oak Ridge National Laboratory does research using neutrons and we did four different experiments. We got to choose three main experiments we want and usually we got to do two of them and five chosen from the school due to scheduling issues.  Before I went, I didn’t have much knowledge of or background related with neutrons but I learned that X-ray is good for some experiments, neutrons are better for others, and by comparing the two, we get a much better picture.

It was such a privilege to be able to go to these labs – the researchers gave their time to us and allowed us to take over their laboratories for a week while helping us with lectures and experiments. I feel so lucky.

 

What was it that you learned at the NXS 2013 School that you brought back to UND and applied to your own research?

My main research is EXAFS (Extended X-Ray Absorption Fine Structure) technique. Our group did a couple of experiments at Argonne for X-Ray diffraction and X-Ray absorption. But we only had a week to conduct and we do most of our analysis at UND afterward. I would love to have had more time to get a deeper knowledge on that subject. There is so much to learn, and it’s not possible to get all of that from the books or the lectures. Seeing and doing the experiments related to it helps to understand the knowledge. There are several techniques that are not learned from books or lectures. I am still going through all the lecture notes, videos and files so I am still learning! I hope to go back to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and take some of the new knowledge with me to do some new experiments.

 

Can you describe your research?

It’s related to x-ray absorption – we are trying to find the complex atomic structure of zirconium-doped silicate glass-ceramics. In this glass, the main component is zirconium since zirconium distribution within the glass plays a major role in determining the properties of the glass ceramics. This is a very expensive glass ceramics that is used in high-precision opto-electronic devices, next-generation of mega telescopes, and instrumentation for satellites and spacecraft.- it doesn’t expand much, because the temperature doesn’t effect the glass so it is very good for mirrors designed to work in space telescopes to name only one of the uses. We’re interested in finding the main role of the zirconium in the glass ceramics. You could add a different amount of zirconium and then examine to understand the different roles in designing glass for different purposes.

Samples were prepared by Dr. (Richard) Brow’s group at the Missouri University of Science and Technology and sent here so we could do the X-ray absorption studies. This technique (EXAFS) sends X-ray with certain energy to interact with the zirconium atoms. After the absorption, the left over energy will be turned into an electron wave outward from the zirconium. Then atoms surrounding the zirconium will reflect it back to the source, the zirconium, in a pattern. By analyzing that pattern we can determine the interference and measure the amount of oxygen atoms, or silicones etc are around the zirconium. From that we can learn what will affect the glass in different ways. We could try to find which temperature or environment is good for certain purposes.

Other research we are interested in is the Rare Earth doped Phosphate Glasses which Dr. Marasinghe and some of the other graduate students have done a lot of experiments. We’re also using the EXAFS technique for certain rare earth materials – the main interest here is to find whether certain environments have very high efficiency lasing properties.

 

Where would you like to be in 5 years?

I would like to teach. I like working in the lab, but I also enjoy interacting with students. My plan after getting my PhD will be to work as a researcher or a postdoc for a couple of years and then after that, become a professor. Currently, I’m teaching Physics labs for undergraduates which I really like. It’s a really good experience and I get joy from helping students understand the application side and the theoretical side of Physics.

 

What advice would you give to a student considering a graduate degree in Physics?

It’s a broad subject so you have many paths. If you are interested more in the application and experiments, you can go down the path related to the chemistry or engineering side, or you could go more into the theory or explanation of the phenomena related to the mathematics and computer programming.

Our department’s main focus in the experimental side is general areas of condensed matter Physics and Astrophysics so if you are interested in space, dark energy, galaxy clusters and Supernovae Explosions there’s also that path.

Also we have very good faculty members (professors). All very kind, friendly, and listen to what you want to do and they will advise, guide and provide if you need help. So if you are interested in fields mentioned I strongly recommend our department.

 

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School of Graduate Studies, University of North Dakota]]>
Grad Story #31]]> Lucy Nevanen
Master of Public Health ]]>

Lucy, what is your hometown?

My hometown is International Falls, MN. Int’l Falls is located about 4 hours northwest of Grand Forks, right on the Minnesota-Ontario border. We’re also known as “The Ice Box of the Nation”. You did your undergraduate degree at the University of Minnesota in the Twin Cities. U of M has quite a large Public Health School.

 

How did you come choose UND for your graduate degree?

I chose UND because I wanted a more personal experience from my graduate education. I knew that UND was a great school, as my Dad graduated from college here, and so when I heard about the MPH program, I applied right away. UND’s program attracted me because of the small class sizes in our program, the experience and knowledge of the MPH directors and professors, and the University’s positive reputation.

 

You are in the Public Health graduate program, which is relatively new. Did you have any reservations about undertaking an advanced degree in a new program?

Not really, I actually thought it seemed exciting! It’s really fun to be a part of something new, and to help create this program that is a lot bigger than just myself-it is exciting to be part of the founding class. The Goldsteens allow us so much input with the program and really make me feel that my feedback is appreciated and listened to, which is something that I may not have gotten other places.

I guess the only thing I worried about was if such a new program would have high-quality professors that I would be able to connect with and learn a lot from. I have to say that all of the professors this program has brought together from across UND have been amazing. I feel that I have been able to learn from them not only the subject matter, but also really valuable information about working in public health and all the options that are available to me. I feel very lucky to have been in their classes and have learned so much.

 

Why should we, as a society, be concerned with public health and how could such a program impact our communities?

A quote that has really stuck with me is “Health care is vital to all of us some of the time, but public health is vital to all of us all of the time” -C. Everett Koop. For me, this really helps to summarize the importance of public health that we all take for granted. Some of the most basic public health interventions-sanitation, clean water, vaccinations-have greatly contributed to our country’s increased life expectancy. Public health impacts us every day-the fact that we have safe and clean food, safe roads, and overall healthier lives. In our community, for example, the health department does a great job controlling the mosquitoes. Without all the work they do, there would be so many more mosquitoes, and possibly more outbreaks of West Nile Virus. That is just one of many examples of a prevention effort that public health does.

 

Can you talk about some of the research you have been involved with?

Last year I assisted Dr Goldsteen with some of his research projects. These have included looking at the public health effects of the oil boom in western North Dakota. For example, what are the public health effects of so many people living in temporary housing as far as hygiene, physical health, etc.? Also, what are the effects on physician shortages in these rural communities with huge influxes of new residents?

We also looked at why North Dakota had such a drop in the national health rankings this past year, as well as the drop in life-expectancy for un-educated white women. I’ve really enjoyed assisting Dr. Goldsteen with his research, because we are looking at real-life issues.

 

Do you have an area of specialization?

I am specializing in Population Health Research and Evaluation, which focuses a lot on qualitative and quantitative research methods. But knowing that I want to move back to a rural area one day, I’m planning on taking electives in health management so that I can become a well-rounded public health professional capable of leading a rural health organization.

 

You are also the president of the student public health organization. What types of activities does the organization get involved with?

We are a really new organization, so it is a small group of us working hard to raise money and get the word out about who we are. So far, we have attended a lot of health fairs, as well as held a “healthy bake sale”. The UND MPH program has adopted a portion of Highway 2 as well, which factors in to the “environmental health” aspect of public health. We hope to attend national public health conferences this upcoming year.

 

In addition to Public Health Departments, what types of careers can this degree lead to?

The more involved in public health I get, the more I realize that an MPH can lead to so many different careers. It really depends on what you are interested in. You can go the route of research, or health management as a public health department employee. There are also a lot of emerging jobs in the environmental health industry, as well as the occupational or “worksite wellness” industry that I think is going to grow. For those interested in physical health, there are so many health prevention programs for people of all ages. I could go on forever, the options really are endless.

 

Where do you hope your master’s degree in Public Health will take you?

Well right now I am hoping to continue on to dental school after getting my MPH, and I would love to become a public health dentist. However, I am hoping that no matter what I end up doing, I can move back to a small, rural area, as that is where I feel most at home. I feel that earning my MPH has opened a lot of doors for me, and I can only imagine where it will take me. Public health is such an important topic that isn’t going away, and so I know I will end up doing something helping others and improving the lives of many people.

 

What should a prospective student of Public Health know about UND’s program?

I think a prospective UND MPH program student should think about what they want to get out of a graduate degree program. If they are looking for somewhere they can make a big impact, have program leaders appreciate their ideas, and really get to know high-quality professors, I think this program would be a great choice!

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Grad Story #30]]> Patrick Awotwe

MFA, Visual Art

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Let me get this question out of the way first! You’re from Ghana in West Africa. Tell me your experience with winter here in Grand Forks.

Yes, Ghana is close to the equator – It’s a tropical country with long dry season and a short rainy season, so it is very different! But I had spent some time in the UK, in the northern region of Lancashire, so I had experienced winter there. I visited several times before I decided to stay in Ghana after I got married.

 

Tell me how you came to be at the University of North Dakota.

After being back in Ghana for a while I decided to pursue my Masters program. I had done my bachelors degree at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, in Kumasi, Ghana, and my preferred discipline was metal.

After I finished my BA, I had an opportunity with work with a jewelry company in Ghana. That was how I started traveling – I first came to the US when I attended Stewart’s International School for Jewelers in Jupiter, Florida to do a refresher program for a couple of months. I’d hoped to be able to work in the UK and earn enough money to open my own shop, but the money wasn’t quite enough. I did it for a few years but it wasn’t profitable. That was when I decided to do my Masters program. The only problem was that I didn’t have a strong portfolio after my undergraduate since we didn’t put an emphasis on creating a portfolio. The advantage I had, though, was working in the jewelry business, I could take photos of the works I did for clients even though it was commercial, rather than artistic.

I happened to be do some research and was on (UND professor) Donovan Widmer’s web page so I called him and talked to him! I told him my background and he encouraged me to apply. He even collected me from the airport when I arrived.

I quickly realized I wasn’t really comfortable with the accommodation I had organized since I wanted to have a kitchen where I could cook for myself. I ended up meeting a friend who asked me to stay with him while I waited for an apartment to open up on campus. That’s how my academic career started here! I used to leave early to go to the studio, and I’d stay late. I didn’t want to be a bother to anyone, so I spent a lot of time at the studio! Even when I got my own apartment, I’d developed the habit of working in the studio for long hours. Some of my colleagues would tease me about sleeping there.

 

Can you talk about some of the differences between working in commercial jewelry and what you are doing with the Fine Arts pieces?

Commercial jewelry can be a little monotonous – clients will often bring a design or pick a design from the catalog, so you tend to do similar things over and over.

But the University of North Dakota is a research institution, so you need to develop a concept for your work. There was that flexibility as I was encouraged and allowed to explore more based on the concept.

 

In your artist statement for Adinkra the Messenger, your final exhibition, you talk about the social, political, religious and historical concepts that forged your ideas. Can you expand on that?

Yes, it’s all about having a concept. Some of the pieces I started without having titles, and some did. Those that did might have come about after a conversation with family or friends back home. I remember one of the pieces came from a conversation with someone back in Ghana about the water not flowing from the tap. I’ve been here for three years, and never had to think about the water not flowing from the tap, but in Ghana this happens. Before taps were placed in homes, one had to go to the stream to fetch water with a pot or bowl, and if the stream was dry, you had to look elsewhere for water. So with that particular piece I tried to blend the modern way of living with the tap, with the problem of finding water back home.

Another was like a question mark entitled “Why?”. This idea came to me around the time of a revolt in northern Africa. A lot of people were revolting the political leadership. We don’t really have any government system working for us. If there’s a coup d'état we complain, if it’s democracy we complain, if it’s a dictatorship we complain, so what kind of government are we looking for? And when something happens most of the time it is women and children who are disadvantaged.

Looking at the piece” Your Way or My Way of Governance” is another example of that. It shows a map of Africa with holes in it that represent the imperfections of the continent’s leadership, like bullet holes of destruction. And on one side of it is a small pot that represents wisdom. Why are we not using the wisdom we have? Africa has a lot of wealth and resources – it’s just mismanaged, so this is how I came to create this piece.

There are also some textiles in the exhibition. Ghana has a strong weaving tradition so I talked to my committee after my second review. They were a little skeptical since jewelry was my primary discipline. But I sent all the pieces on my second review and they agreed to let me use them in the exhibition, and I had to decide which ones to use. I ended up with about 14 metal pieces and about 12 fiber pieces. One of my jewelry pieces is now in the UND Art Collections on display in the new Gorecki Alumni Center. They have two of my fiber pieces too.

The challenge came when deciding how to display these pieces for the exhibit. I didn’t want them to be displayed in a typical jewelry style where pieces lie flat. So I decided on the Plexiglas frames to display them upright and you can see them from both sides. I also designed and built the frames for this exhibit so I had to learn that too!

All the pieces are tri color – copper, nickel and brass. At home, I was working in gold. I didn’t even work in silver – the apprentice would do the silver. I was just comfortable working in gold - it feels different. But when I came here, I couldn’t afford to use gold. My first piece was brass, and I just didn’t really like it. So I made the decision to use three metals combined for all of the pieces. The idea was to introduce color. Africans can’t do without color. I like the combination.

 

You graduated with your MFA last year, and this year you are being awarded with the Distinguished Creative Exhibition Award. I was so surprised!

 

How did you learn you were awarded?

I received a letter – I didn’t even know I had been nominated! I knew something was going on since I was asked to provide all of my pieces – photos, artist statement et c. – again. But everyone was very tight lipped. So when I got the letter, I had to ask whether it was true! I couldn’t believe it.

 

What does this mean to you?

For me, it is my major breakthrough. Apart from some department awards, this is a major award for me. I felt one day it might happen but I didn’t know when or where or even how.

 

What are you doing now?

I am doing a Master of Technology degree so I can combine the art with the technology in an industrial sense. I am also working with UND Art Collections as a Graduate Research Assistant. My goal would be to do a PhD in Education, but I am considering if I would finish this first. I have to discuss this with the family first. I’d like to have a teaching position but I don’t have a formal background in Education. There is a shift towards needing to have PhD to teach in a university in Ghana. So even if you have an MFA, you would probably need to do a PhD in Arts Education. So I may be at UND for a while if I pursue my PhD.

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