LSAMP Students Participate in Summer Research Bridge Camp

November 8, 2023 / Stephanie Hughes

Submitted by Dr. Linda De La Garza, Professor of Chemistry

The Southwestern Georgia STEM Pathways Alliance (SWGA-SPA) sponsored a Summer Research Bridge Camp for scholars and associate scholars of participating institutions. Students from Georgia Southwestern, ABAC, Columbus Tech and Columbus State University, attended the camp along Valdosta State University students during May 30 to June 3, 2023.

The SWGA-SPA is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program, created to provide support to underrepresented minority (URM) students (African Americans, Hispanic Americans, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Native Pacific Islanders).

The Summer Bridge Camp was hosted by Columbus State University and Columbus Tech, and included sessions on robotics, electrofishing, cybersecurity, chemistry, and environmental science. The program also included activities related to career and professional development, students participated in a session on bioethics, and workshops on possible selves and establishing confidence to be successful in STEM fields.

The student participants David Vasquez (CHEM), Caidyn Carr (CHEM), Alma Diaz (GEOS), Vanessa Brignolle (BIOL), Opeyemi Oladejo (ENGR), and Hector Prieto (PHYS), were accompanied by Dr. Jason Allard (GEOS), LSAMP mentor coordinator, and Dr. Sandra Trowell (MATH), LSAMP assistant coordinator.

The interdisciplinary aspect of the camp helped students to experience applications of their majors and collaborate with students on other STEM fields in support of their objective of seeking advanced degrees after graduation from VSU. LSAMP at VSU hosted a similar camp on June 2021.

“We are very proud of the work of the LSAMP Scholars at VSU” – said Dr. Linda de la Garza (CHEM), co-PI and VSU LSAMP activities coordinator. “We invite interested students from the College of Science and Mathematics to join our activities, we will have sessions with speakers and workshops during the fall and spring semesters.”

The goal of this LSAMP program is to transform the STEM learning environment by significantly increasing the number of URM majors graduating with baccalaureate degrees and applying to graduate programs in the STEM disciplines.

To learn more about the LSAMP program: https://www.valdosta.edu/csm/lsamp.php

To follow LSAMP at VSU on social media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LSAMPatVSU/

Instagram: lsamp_at_vsu

“The More Rocks You See, The Better You Are.”

November 6, 2023 / Stephanie Hughes

Since 2003, Dr. Mark Groszos, Associate Professor of Geosciences, has coordinated the logistics for GEOL 3120, spending over 100 hours planning each year for the trip. From the driving route to overnight accommodations, there are many details that have to be finalized prior to embarking on the trip. Groszos believes the hands-on experience students gain in the field makes it worth the effort because when the students “see things firsthand, up close, things click into place.”.

Geosciences Faculty and Staff posing for a group photograph before hiking in to a slot canyon. — *Faculty and Students before hiking into a slot canyon.*

Previous years have taken them to locations as far as North Dakota and Yellowstone National Park, and overall, they are able to avoid most of the crowds since the trip is held in May before the summer tourist season.

They also avoid the more popular areas and instead select lesser-visited locations. Over 150 students have participated in this course since it was first offered, experiencing geologic areas that aren’t found in southern Georgia, such as volcanics and caves. This year’s destinations included some of the most well-known national and state parks in New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and Arizona including Zion National Park and the Grand Canyon, among many others.

Students standing on an overlook at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.

Prior to leaving their classroom in Nevins Hall and heading west, students research the areas they will be visiting and then once on-site at their destination, students give oral presentations on-site about that particular location. And as for living in the field? Dr. Groszos said some students have never set up a tent before, much less slept in one. After a long day of travel across Texas and arriving at the campsite after dark, one of his favorite things to see is the look of wonder the students have that first morning waking up in Van Horn, Texas surrounded by mountains, a favorite memory shared by 2021 VState graduate Ben Singletary. Ben works as a GIS specialist at the South Georgia Regional Commission and says his favorite memory of the 2019 trip was “driving through the western portion of Texas, reason being that it is the first time I had ever seen mountains before.”.

Michael Williams, an environmental geosciences major, participated in this year’s field trip and decided to take the course because he had never traveled to the western United States and was interested to see the geology of the area. He was able to apply what he learned in the classroom at VState by identifying minerals, volcanoes, and landforms in the field. Regarding the program, Williams says “I like the Environmental Geosciences program because it is interesting to learn about the earth and its processes, then we get to see them in real life.”.

A student is presenting a lesson on the rim of the Grand Canyon with the scenic landscape in the background. — *The Grand Canyon served as an outside classroom, photo courtesy Dr. Mark Groszos*.

The value of classroom knowledge and being able to apply it in the field is echoed by Dr. Groszos who says the bottom line is that “the more rocks you see, the better you are.”

For more information regarding the Geosciences program, check out https://www.valdosta.edu/chemistry-geosciences/geosciences/.

Tents set up at the Wahweap Campground on Lake Powell in Page, Utah — *Wahweap Campground on Lake Powell in Page, Utah – photo courtesy Mark Groszos*.

A student delivers a presentation to other students within a slot canyon at Zion National Park — *Student gives a presentation in the field to the class at Zion National Park, photo courtesy Dr. Mark Groszos*.

Students standing in front of El Capitan in Texas. — *Students standing in front of El Capitan in Texas, photo courtesy Dr. Mark Groszos*

Students and Dr. Mark Groszos stand in front of a van outside of Nevins Hall on the campus of VState after returning from their trip. — *Geosciences students and Dr. Mark Groszos after the 6400 mile trip.*

LSAMP Scholar Airionna Fordham Wins Best Poster in STEM Overall Award at VSU Symposium

June 21, 2023 / Stephanie Hughes

Airionna Fordham’s “Effect of the Mobile Phase in the Analysis of Anti-Arrhythmic Drugs Using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography” won the Best Poster in STEM Overall Award at the 2023 Undergraduate Research Symposium, hosted by Valdosta State University in April.

Fordham said “My research is about finding ways to optimize the HPLC. I chose this topic because I want to work in the chemical industry and find ways improve the field. I found that for the samples we studied in reverse phase chromatography, the more acidic the mobile phase the quicker the samples will elute.”

Fordham’s research was guided by Dr. Linda de la Garza, Associate Professor of Chemistry and VSU Campus Coordinator for the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program.

All undergraduate students at VSU were invited to submit proposals for the annual Symposium on Undergraduate Research. Individual academic departments and colleges then selected the University’s best paper, posters, and video research presentations and prize winners. This year’s poster session included more than 100 posters from all areas.

Fordham, 20, is a regular on the Dean’s List and an LSAMP Scholar at VSU. She attended the LSAMP Summit in February and presented her initial results at their poster session. She is also a member of the American Chemical Society (ACS) and is an ACS Scholar.

The LSAMP program was created to provide support to underrepresented minority (URM) students (African Americans, Hispanic Americans, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Native Pacific Islanders). The goal of this program is to transform the STEM learning environment by significantly increasing the number of URM majors graduating with baccalaureate degrees and applying to graduate programs in the STEM disciplines.

“Since joining the LSAMP Program I have been able to do research that has prepared me for my career in the chemical industry. I have been able to connect with other people in the field of science, and gain research and public speaking experience”. – Airionna Fordham

This summer, Airionna is participating as a Society of Chemical Industry (SCI) Scholar in an internship at Trinseo, a sustainable materials industry in Dalton, GA. Airionna anticipates graduating from VSU in May 2025 with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry degree. Her future plans include attending graduate school to pursue a Ph.D. in Chemistry and to work in the chemical industry.

To learn more about the Undergraduate Research Council at VSU, click here.

To learn more about VSU’s Chemistry Department, click here.

To learn more about the LSAMP program, click here.

To follow LSAMP at VSU on social media, click here.

City of Valdosta Receives Grant from Georgia Tech’s Georgia Smart Communities Challenge – VSU Professor Serves as Research Partner

October 12, 2021 / Stephanie Hughes

In 2020, the City of Valdosta was awarded a Georgia Smart Communities Challenge 2020 grant for their proposal “Developing, Implementing, and Evaluating a Traffic Monitoring and Communication System for the City of Valdosta and Its Communities to Improve Safety, Connectivity, and Efficiency”. Dr. Hojjatie, Professor of Engineering Studies and Coordinator of the VSU Engineering Studies program, has been serving as Research Partner as part of the collaborative team led by the city. With the City of Valdosta and Project Manager Patrick Collins (City Engineer and Director) leading the efforts, other project partners include Valdosta State University, Lowndes County, Temple, Inc., Applied Information, Inc., and Research Partner Dr. Baabak Ashuri with Georgia Tech.

According to the proposal, the focus of the project is to “create new capabilities for the City of Valdosta’s Traffic Management Center”. Through this project, the City of Valdosta is working toward the vision of a smart traffic management system in which the 128 major traffic signals found within the city communicate with one another, resulting in improvements in traffic flow, increased road safety, and a reduction in the number of traffic accidents.

At left: student David Yoo presents at the Connected Vehicles Roundtable Discussion held at Valdosta State University on June 23, 2021.

Dr. Hojjatie summarized the importance of the work by highlighting the impact it has had on the community as well as the collaborative efforts that went in to the project. “I think that the project was very special because it resulted in improvement of traffic signals and safety in Valdosta, was a collaborative work with GA Tech, city of Valdosta and two High-Tech industries, and more importantly, a total of 8 of Valdosta State University engineering students including females and underrepresented as well as international engineering students were actively involved in the project. Furthermore, based on external feedback received from many including GA Tech, the work of VSU Engineering was a success.”

At right: Dr. Barry Hojjatie presents at the Connected Vehicles Roundtable Discussion held at Valdosta State University on June 23, 2021.

Click here to read the project’s proposal in its entirety.

To view a webinar about the project which took place on September 23^rd, 2021, please visit https://youtu.be/c9nI29cpeDE.

To read more about the Georgia Smart program, click here.

The College of Science and Mathematics congratulates Dr. Hojjatie and other participating VSU faculty members and students on their contributions to this project. We are excited to see the continuing impact the effort by students and faculty of the engineering program will have on the Valdosta community through this collaborative effort.

Meet Dr. Hojjatie:

Dr. Hojjatie received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Florida and also holds a PE licensure (Professional Engineer). He is the coordinator of the VSU Engineering Studies program, highlighting the Regents’ Engineering Pathway Program (REPP) connection to Georgia Tech. His research interests include computer aided design/engineering (CAD/CAE), computational/experimental mechanics and heat transfer analyses related to dental materials and other biomaterials, pulp and paper manufacturing, and paper physics.

Dr. Adam Safer’s Herpetology Class Assists with Turtle Survey

August 30, 2021 / Stephanie Hughes

Dr. Adam Safer’s summer herpetology class is featured in the most recent bulletin published by Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Back in June, they had the opportunity to help biologists check turtle traps located on the Alapaha River and the results are in – they logged four different types of turtles, with the Suwannee alligator snapping turtle as the targeted species, the largest of which weighed nearly 40 pounds!

Students were able to assist in obtaining data on these snappers including sex determination, weighing, measuring upper and lower shell lengths, and marking them with a transponder. This information will be integral in helping assess the species’ status.

Check out the bulletin in its entirety here: https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/GADNR/bulletins/2ee21e9.