{"id":43391,"date":"2019-10-06T19:38:01","date_gmt":"2019-10-06T23:38:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=43391"},"modified":"2019-10-11T09:08:46","modified_gmt":"2019-10-11T13:08:46","slug":"eight-new-nsf-scholars-begin-stem-studies-on-local-problems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2019\/eight-new-nsf-scholars-begin-stem-studies-on-local-problems\/","title":{"rendered":"Eight new NSF scholars begin STEM studies on local problems"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Eight new student-scientists have joined 草莓社区\u2019s National Science Foundation-funded <a href=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2017\/12\/stem-difference-emus-new-stem-scholarships-funded-national-science-foundation-encourage-issues-based-local-exploration-inter-disciplinary-skill-building\/\">STEM Scholars Engaging in Local Problems (SSELP) program<\/a>. They come from six different states and plan careers in engineering, robotics, spaceflight, astrophysics and environmental sustainability.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<aside class=\"highlight highlight-right\"> Meet the <a href=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2018\/first-class-of-national-science-foundation-funded-stem-scholars-begins-studies\/\">first cohort<\/a> and learn about their <a href=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2019\/alumni-stem-professionals-help-nsf-funded-scholars-explore-career-paths-and-dig-into-local-issues\/\">spring 2019 career exploration projects<\/a>. <\/aside>\n\n\n\n<p>The program, which began last year with $600,000 in funding, totals 14 students. The first cohort are now sophomores and beginning a specialized local research project together under the supervision of engineering director, Esther Tian. The grant includes scholarship monies, as well as funds for support services, and special activities for students and peer mentors.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Program participants are paired with mentoring juniors and seniors majoring in the same areas, said Dean <a href=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/faculty-staff\/?show=tlk326\">Tara Kishbaugh<\/a>, a chemistry professor who co-wrote the grant and teaches in the program. \u201cThe combination of intentional community and informally shared insights, such as into the policies and culture of the STEM departments, often helps students engage more fully in the first year of college,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>2019 recipients<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Rebekah Amstutz<\/strong> (Dalton, Ohio) also wants to do her part to help preserve \u201cthe immense beauty in Creation,\u201d which she has experienced from childhood. She is thinking about outdoor or environmental education, at summer camps or as a park ranger.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Micah Buckwalter<\/strong> (Fulks Run, Virginia) says he\u2019s always been excited about environmental sustainability, but a summer road trip with friends to five National Parks \u201cdeepened my love for nature and enjoying God&#8217;s creation.\u201d At Glacier, he says, \u201cwe learned that if nothing is done to stop climate change, the glaciers inside the park could all be melted by 2030\u201d \u2014 knowledge which has galvanized him towards action. At EMU, he has appreciated the \u201cdeep Mennonite background here at EMU that still shows itself today, especially in the emphasis of community with those around you, as well as being stewards of the earth.\u201d<br \/><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Ethan Ball<\/strong> (Poland, Ohio)&nbsp; is an engineering major, \u201csomething to do with the fact that I like how there are usually step-by-step process in math science.\u201d He\u2019s ready for the experience of \u201cfinding out who I am while at EMU.\u201d<br \/><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Ben Bontrager-Singer<\/strong> (Goshen, Indiana) is a mechanical engineering major. His interest in rockets was sparked by a visit to the SpaceX factory in California; since then he\u2019d followed every launch and the progress of SpaceX and other rocket companies, and hopes to work in that particular industry. The flexibility of the engineering major at EMU attracted him: \u201cIf there is something you want to do and you think it would be cool the faculty will support you,\u201d he says. \u201cI have already started working towards creating a new project to create an ultra efficient car and participate in the Shell Eco-Marathon competition.\u201d And beyond that, he also has an interest in other objects in flight: \u201cAlso,\u201d he says, \u201cUltimate frisbee has been really fun!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Jaden Jones (<\/strong>Lancaster, Pennsylvania) is \u201ceager for the chance to help shape the world as I grow up.\u201d An early interest in space flight has led to her mechanical engineering major; she plans to earn a PhD in astrophysics or aerospace engineering, and is not sure whether she\u2019s more interested in research or teaching. Jones spent a year in Switzerland with AFS and is fluent in German. She\u2019s considering returning to Europe after graduation.<br \/><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOne thing that I find extremely exciting about EMU is the knowledge that I\u2019ll be able to grow as a person here, not only academically and mentally, but also professionally,\u201d she said. \u201cI already love my professors and I\u2019m eager to see where I\u2019ll end up at the end of these four short years.\u201d<br \/><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Morgan Pletch<\/strong> (Warrenton, Virginia) is a biology major who hopes to conduct neuroscience research after graduation. A memorable experience was visiting Andros Island in the Bahamas to work with marine researchers. In her first few weeks of college, she is grateful for EMU\u2019s \u201cclose-knit community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Zavion Taylor<\/strong> (Hampton, Virginia) is a double major in computer science and mechanical engineering \u2014 fields he has been involved in since age 9 with \u201cdifferent courses, competitions and programs.\u201d At Phoebus High School, he was a member of competitive robotics Team 2028 The Phantoms Mentalist (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thebluealliance.com\/team\/2028\/2018\">check out their competitions here.<\/a>). Robotics is definitely in his future; he\u2019d like to pursue a career and live in Japan \u201cfor a while.\u201d At EMU, he\u2019s enjoying the novelty of the nearby mountains and the \u201cchange of pace\u201d from urban life.<br \/><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Luke Wheeler<\/strong> (Hudson, Michigan) is interested in developing alternative energies. An engineering major, he traces his interest back to playing with Legoes and watching space-oriented movies, including <em>Interstellar<\/em>, as well as the knowledge that the field is \u201cvital to our society.\u201d So far at EMU, he\u2019s enjoyed meeting and spending time with new friends.&nbsp;<br \/><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Eight new student-scientists have joined 草莓社区\u2019s National Science Foundation-funded STEM Scholars Engaging in Local Problems (SSELP) program. They come from six different states and plan careers in engineering, <a href=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2019\/eight-new-nsf-scholars-begin-stem-studies-on-local-problems\/\" target=\"_self\" class=\"more-link\">... read more <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">about Eight new NSF scholars begin STEM studies on local problems<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":43392,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5590,5592,17562,5598,14139,7682],"tags":[15420,10294],"feature":[17427,17423,17241,17422],"class_list":["post-43391","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-biology","category-chemistry","category-digest","category-mathematical-sciences","category-student-profiles","category-suter-science-seminar","tag-esther-tian","tag-tara-kishbaugh","feature-emu-home-page-feature","feature-featured-undergrad","feature-news-feature","feature-news-landing-page-main-feature"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Eight new NSF scholars begin STEM studies on local problems - EMU News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2019\/eight-new-nsf-scholars-begin-stem-studies-on-local-problems\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Eight new NSF scholars begin STEM studies on local problems - EMU News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Eight new student-scientists have joined 草莓社区\u2019s National Science Foundation-funded STEM Scholars Engaging in Local Problems (SSELP) program. They come from six different states and plan careers in engineering,\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2019\/eight-new-nsf-scholars-begin-stem-studies-on-local-problems\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"EMU News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/EasternMennonite\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-10-06T23:38:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-10-11T13:08:46+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2019\/10\/5D_9946-1000px.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"667\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@EMU_News\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@EMU_News\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2019\/eight-new-nsf-scholars-begin-stem-studies-on-local-problems\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2019\/eight-new-nsf-scholars-begin-stem-studies-on-local-problems\/\",\"name\":\"Eight new NSF scholars begin STEM studies on local problems - EMU News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2019\/eight-new-nsf-scholars-begin-stem-studies-on-local-problems\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2019\/eight-new-nsf-scholars-begin-stem-studies-on-local-problems\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2019\/10\/5D_9946-1000px.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-10-06T23:38:01+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-10-11T13:08:46+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/d6737034219398924e6bd5dedcfa1245\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2019\/eight-new-nsf-scholars-begin-stem-studies-on-local-problems\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2019\/eight-new-nsf-scholars-begin-stem-studies-on-local-problems\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2019\/eight-new-nsf-scholars-begin-stem-studies-on-local-problems\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2019\/10\/5D_9946-1000px.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2019\/10\/5D_9946-1000px.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":667,\"caption\":\"Left to right: Ben Bontrager-Singer, Morgan Pletch, Ethan Ball, Dr. Lehman, Luke Wheeler, Professor Tara Kishbaugh, Jaden Jones, and Micah Buckwalter. Not pictured: Zavion Taylor and Rebekah Amstutz. The recipients of a National Science Foundation-funded scholarship at EMU participate in EMU's STEM Scholars Engaging in Local Problems (SSELP) program, which fosters real-world impact through socially engaged learning. Also in the photo is alumna Dr. Stephanie Miller Lehman and professor Tara Kishbaugh. This photo was taken shortly after Dr. Lehman gave a Suter Science Seminar. This is the second SSELP cohort. Images by Macson McGuigan\/EMU.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2019\/eight-new-nsf-scholars-begin-stem-studies-on-local-problems\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Eight new NSF scholars begin STEM studies on local problems\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/\",\"name\":\"EMU News\",\"description\":\"News from the 草莓社区 community.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/d6737034219398924e6bd5dedcfa1245\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Eight new NSF scholars begin STEM studies on local problems - EMU News","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2019\/eight-new-nsf-scholars-begin-stem-studies-on-local-problems\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Eight new NSF scholars begin STEM studies on local problems - EMU News","og_description":"Eight new student-scientists have joined 草莓社区\u2019s National Science Foundation-funded STEM Scholars Engaging in Local Problems (SSELP) program. They come from six different states and plan careers in engineering,","og_url":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2019\/eight-new-nsf-scholars-begin-stem-studies-on-local-problems\/","og_site_name":"EMU News","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/EasternMennonite","article_published_time":"2019-10-06T23:38:01+00:00","article_modified_time":"2019-10-11T13:08:46+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1000,"height":667,"url":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2019\/10\/5D_9946-1000px.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@EMU_News","twitter_site":"@EMU_News","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2019\/eight-new-nsf-scholars-begin-stem-studies-on-local-problems\/","url":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2019\/eight-new-nsf-scholars-begin-stem-studies-on-local-problems\/","name":"Eight new NSF scholars begin STEM studies on local problems - EMU News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2019\/eight-new-nsf-scholars-begin-stem-studies-on-local-problems\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2019\/eight-new-nsf-scholars-begin-stem-studies-on-local-problems\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2019\/10\/5D_9946-1000px.jpg","datePublished":"2019-10-06T23:38:01+00:00","dateModified":"2019-10-11T13:08:46+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/d6737034219398924e6bd5dedcfa1245"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2019\/eight-new-nsf-scholars-begin-stem-studies-on-local-problems\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2019\/eight-new-nsf-scholars-begin-stem-studies-on-local-problems\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2019\/eight-new-nsf-scholars-begin-stem-studies-on-local-problems\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2019\/10\/5D_9946-1000px.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2019\/10\/5D_9946-1000px.jpg","width":1000,"height":667,"caption":"Left to right: Ben Bontrager-Singer, Morgan Pletch, Ethan Ball, Dr. Lehman, Luke Wheeler, Professor Tara Kishbaugh, Jaden Jones, and Micah Buckwalter. Not pictured: Zavion Taylor and Rebekah Amstutz. The recipients of a National Science Foundation-funded scholarship at EMU participate in EMU's STEM Scholars Engaging in Local Problems (SSELP) program, which fosters real-world impact through socially engaged learning. Also in the photo is alumna Dr. Stephanie Miller Lehman and professor Tara Kishbaugh. This photo was taken shortly after Dr. Lehman gave a Suter Science Seminar. This is the second SSELP cohort. Images by Macson McGuigan\/EMU."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2019\/eight-new-nsf-scholars-begin-stem-studies-on-local-problems\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Eight new NSF scholars begin STEM studies on local problems"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/","name":"EMU News","description":"News from the 草莓社区 community.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/d6737034219398924e6bd5dedcfa1245","name":"admin","sameAs":["http:\/\/"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43391","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43391"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43391\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43410,"href":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43391\/revisions\/43410"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43392"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43391"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43391"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43391"},{"taxonomy":"feature","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/feature?post=43391"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}