����vlog���� will present a moon observation event on the campus mall on Saturday, Oct. 1, in conjunction with the annual International Observe the Moon Night.

The event will be held from 7-9 p.m. in the area in front of Robson Library. The public is invited to attend and there is no cost to participate.

The U of O event is being presented by Dr. Radwan Al Faouri, assistant professor of physics, as well as students from his astronomy class (pictured above). Al Faouri said he expects to have several telescopes on hand and he and his students will be available to answer questions and to guide the observers.

“This is a great opportunity for kids as well as families to observe and learn more about the moon,” he said. “This is a chance for us to come together with fellow moon enthusiasts and curious people worldwide and to learn about lunar science and exploration and take part in celestial observations.”

International Observe the Moon Night is sponsored by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission and the Solar System Exploration Division at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, with many contributors. It occurs annually in September or October, when the moon is around first quarter ― a great phase for evening observing. A first-quarter moon offers excellent viewing opportunities along the terminator (the line between night and day), where shadows enhance the moon’s cratered landscape.

The goals of International Observe the Moon Night, include uniting people across the globe in a celebration of lunar observation, science, and exploration; and providing information, a platform, and resources in order to raise awareness of NASA’s lunar science and exploration program and empower people to learn more about the moon and space science and exploration, using Earth’s moon as an accessible entry point.

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Heath Spillers, who has taught science at Subiaco Academy since 2015, has been named the new science laboratory coordinator for the Wilson Science Center, effective June 1, 2022.

The science lab coordinator position manages the operations of the teaching and research laboratories and also teaches laboratory sections of science courses. Responsibilities also include, developing laboratory procedures, categorizing and storage of instruments, directing the maintenance of equipment, and ensuring compliance with federal regulations for hazardous waste disposal.

Spillers’ wife, Mary Jane, is the director of operations, data and research, and their two children, Emily and Ethan, are current students at U of O.

Spillers, who graduated with a BS in chemistry and a BSE in physical science from Arkansas Tech University, has also taught at Clarksville High School and in a previous stint at Subiaco Academy. In addition, he served as the chemistry department trainer at Arkansas Nuclear One in Russellville, Ark., from 2012 to 2015.

“My experiences have prepared me for this position at ����vlog����,” Spillers said. “While earning my BSE at Tech, I was hired as a biology lab instructor.  As an AP chemistry teacher for most of my 21 years of teaching, I have taken several weeklong courses sponsored by College Board.  I look forward to being involved in undergraduate research and other applied student experiences.  I understand the importance of being able to convey correct, standard laboratory procedures, and I require that all labs be conducted with utmost safety. Being the only chemistry teacher at Subiaco Academy means I have been totally responsible for the categorization and storage of materials and the maintenance of the equipment. My experiences and training at ANO have greatly enhanced my knowledge of hazardous materials and of hazardous waste disposal. I am prepared to teach laboratory sections of science courses and manage the operations of the laboratories.”

Spillers serves as a volunteer fireman and his interests include, craft brewing, ornithology, gardening, canoeing, fishing and hiking.

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Several ����vlog���� science programs will benefit from the addition of two new pieces of equipment this semester, thanks to a pair of shared instrumentation grants.

The grants, which totaled more than $52,000, are from the Arkansas IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS). The grants will be used to purchase a metabolic cart as well as a microviscometer.

The grant for the Quark CPET metabolic cart was spearheaded by Assistant Professor of Health Science Dr. Piroska Boros (pictured above) in collaboration with Drs. Steven Machek and Derek Warren.  The metabolic cart is a research-grade equipment that measures cardiorespiratory function, and indirectly the energy requirements, during exercise on a treadmill or on an exercise bike.

“This equipment will enhance several biomedical research projects at the University in the health science, biology, and physical education departments,” said Boros. “The main research component is studying cardiorespiratory fitness as a predictor of endurance performance as well as a clinical marker of chronic diseases. A metabolic cart is a basic tool for many research areas in health science, being fairly ubiquitous in exercise science and physiology laboratory settings.”

Boros said that the metabolic cart will aid in instruction in both laboratory and classroom settings in a variety of classes and areas.

“The metabolic cart can be used to demonstrate exercise response in introductory anatomy and physiology classes,” she said. “Our more advanced health science and biology classes will be able to use the metabolic cart to measure cardiorespiratory fitness from a wide variety of test protocols. Due to the variety of potential applications, we see the use of the metabolic cart expanding to additional programs. We foresee the physical education and athletic coaching programs using it for upper-level classes, such as physical activity and public health, and measurement and evaluation as well.”

Boros added that the metabolic cart will fit in nicely with the additional laboratory spaces in the new Wilson Science Center, scheduled to open early this semester.

“We plan to use the new health science laboratory as a community outreach laboratory where we can offer various exercise testing and individual-based recommendations to University athletics, students, faculty, and staff, and eventually for the larger Clarksville community,” Boros said. “The addition of the metabolic cart will allow us to add an important cardiorespiratory function measure to our list of services that has the potential to open room for undergraduate research opportunities as well as for our students to gain more practical skills in the field of health science. Gaining practical skills in administering tests with the metabolic cart will aid students to become more well-rounded scientists, as well as exceedingly more competitive amidst job and graduate school applications via the acquisition of critical evaluation skillsets.”

Dr. Radwan Al Faouri, assistant professor of physics, was the lead professor on the grant for the Lovis 2000 M Microviscometer. He said the instrument can measure the dynamic and relative viscosity of different solutions with a high degree of accuracy, versatility, and time-saving features. He added that the microviscometer can be used in biology, chemistry, health science and physics classes.

“It is used in many pharmaceutical, biological and chemical applications,” Al Faouri said. “It is used to measure the viscosity of pharmaceutical and medical products such as nasal sprays, ear drops, blood plasma and biological liquids, infusion liquids and contrast media, microcrystalline cellulose, protein solutions and DNA. It is also used to measure the viscosity of chemical products such as polymer solutions, printer inks, solvents, acids, and bases. After getting the essential training on using the microviscometer, Ozarks students will be ready to apply this knowledge in a wider range of research.”

The primary goal of the Arkansas INBRE is to expand biomedical research capacity in the state.

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����vlog���� will hold a dedication ceremony for the new Thomas and Frances Wilson Science Center on Saturday, April 9.

The event will begin at 4 p.m. in front of the new $18.4 million facility on campus. The ceremony is open to alumni and friends of the University and will include refreshments and tours of the building.

Those interested in attending should RSVP to pcogan@ozarks.edu. For those who cannot attend, the dedication ceremony will be livestreamed on the University’s Facebook Page.

The Wilson Science Center is the single largest capital construction project in University history. Construction began on the facility in January of 2021 and the building will open this month for Spring 2022 Semester classes.

The science center project includes a complete renovation of the previous 29,000-square-foot facility, which was built in 1969, as well as an 18,000-square-foot addition on the west side.

The Wilson Science Center will house the University’s natural and health science programs, including biology, environmental sciences, chemistry, health sciences, physics and psychology. It includes state-of-the-art classrooms and laboratories as well as dedicated research areas.

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Construction began this week on the ����vlog����’ new $18.1 million science center, the largest single capital construction project in University history.

The Thomas and Frances Wilson Science Center is expected to be completed by next January, in time for the Spring 2022 Semester.

The project includes a complete renovation of the current 29,000-square-foot facility, which was built in 1969, as well as an 18,000-square-foot addition on the west side of the current building.

����vlog���� President Richard Dunsworth helped kick off the construction phase of the project on Monday during a brief building demo ceremony. Dunsworth operated a trackhoe and began the demolition of the guest cottages on the west side of the science center.

“It’s exciting to know that in about 12 months ����vlog���� students will be utilizing the new state-of-art classrooms, laboratories and dedicated research areas,” Dunsworth said. “This science center will be instrumental in developing the careers of students, of any major, by connecting and learning through top-quality science programs and facilities. This facility will enable Ozarks to play a role in meeting the environmental and health demands of our society while advancing the career opportunities of our graduates.”

The Wilson Science Center will house the University’s natural and health science programs, including biology, environmental sciences, chemistry, health sciences, physics and psychology.

Kinco Constructors of Springdale, Ark., is handling the construction of the project. While construction is ongoing, science classes will be held in other classrooms throughout the campus over the next two semesters.

The renovation and addition to the science facility is part of the University’s current Climb Higher Campaign that recently surpassed the $70 million mark, significantly exceeding the campaign’s initial goal of $55 million. The campaign will conclude on April 14, 2021.

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Dr. Radwan Al Faouri, visiting assistant professor of physics at ����vlog����, has had a paper accepted for publication in the prestigious academic journal, Scientific Reports.

Scientific Reports is an online, open access journal from the publishers of Nature.  Nearly 1.5 million people visit Scientific Reports each month and the journal has an impact factor of between 4.0-4.5 , making it higher than 87% of all other journals awarded an impact factor.

Al Faouri joined the Ozarks faculty in 2018. The title of his paper is, “An Effective Electric Dipole Model for Voltage-Induced Gating Mechanism of Lysenin.”

“The paper is considered a part of a project where we are trying to design a controlled pore or channel to be used in drug delivery applications,” he said. “For such purpose liposomes, a spherical lipid holders, are used to be loaded by the drug and then released through the surface of these liposomes. In this paper, we revealed the mechanism of voltage gating of a channel, made by a protein named lysenin, where we proposed that alterations of charge distribution could influence the function of the channel. Based on the surface charge distribution of the protein, we proposed the existence of an electric dipole which interacts with external electric signals, such as action potentials in the nerve cell leading to close or open the channel. In this paper, we modified the charge on the protein by amino acid substitution and therefore the effective electric dipole strength of the protein. We have employed a novel combination of experimental and computational techniques in examining this model, where we got interesting match results.”

The paper will be published in the journal in August.

“Scientific Reports as part of Nature publications is a peer reviewed journal that publishes very good researches in natural and clinical sciences,” Al Faouri said. “To have my work published in Scientific Reports means personal appreciation of my novel science which might be cited and used by other scholars all over the world. On the other hand, it also means appreciation to ����vlog���� as my affiliation.”

A native of Jordan, Al Faouri earned his Ph.D. and master’s degree in biophysics from the University of Arkansas. He also has a master’s degree in nuclear physics from Al-Balqa Applied University and a bachelor’s degree from Yarmouk University in Jordan. His research on graphene won first place at the Arkansas INBRE Conference in 2016 and his research on lysenin pores took third place at the conference.

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Emilie “Weave” Williams, a senior religion and philosophy major from Keller, Texas, was presented the Hurie Award as the outstanding member of the Class of 2019 by University President Richard Dunsworth. Named for former Ozarks President Wiley Lin Hurie, the award is selected by the faculty and given to the outstanding member of the senior class.

Williams has been named to the Dean’s or President’s List in each of her eight semesters and will graduate with Magna Cum Laude honors on May 18. She was a two-time selection as the outstanding student in philosophy and was a finalist in the Project Poet competition for two years. She served a semester abroad studying philosophy and Greek language at The American College of Greece and was an intern/student coach for Interfaith Youth Core in Chicago in 2018. Williams will enroll in Harvard Divinity School in the fall and pursue a master of theological studies degree. and she has one brother, Nicholas.

Other Honors Day recipients for 2019 included, Mary Hoiland (Outstanding Student in Accounting), Falon Hanson (Outstanding Student in Business Administration), Roland Rodrigo (Outstanding Student in Economics), Brenda Sandoval (Outstanding Student in Management), Maria Corea (Outstanding Student in Marketing), Kaitlyn Ventress (Outstanding Service Award in Business), Brooklyn Keeling (Outstanding Student in Secondary Education), Carlton Shelby (Outstanding Student in Elementary Education), Aubree Sisson (Outstanding Student in Art Education), Makara Frazier (Outstanding Student in Physical Education), Stephanie Payton (Outstanding Student in Art), Aubree Sisson (Outstanding Student in Art), Angie Castro (Outstanding Student in Communication Studies) and Jacob Holland (Robert Berry Fulton Award in Communication).

Also receiving awards were, Jake Sawyer (Outstanding Student in English), Haley Hanks (Outstanding Student in History), Cheyanna Miller (Outstanding Student in Music), Melle Van Duijn (Outstanding Student in Philosophy), Emily Autry (Outstanding Student in Religion), Melle Van Duijn (Outstanding Student in Spanish), Tiffany Quinton (Outstanding Student in Theatre), Julio Molina-Pineda (Outstanding Senior in Chemistry), Cristin Connor (Outstanding Student in Biology), Lamara Bazashvili (Outstanding Student in Health Science), Alec Mertin (Outstanding Student in Mathematics), Emily Autry (Outstanding Student in Political Science), Corey Wilhelm (Outstanding Student in Physics), Shanice Guzman (C. Wright Mills Award in Sociology), Bahar Yapal (Outstanding Student in Psychology) and Emily Dice (Outstanding Environmental Student Award).

In addition, awards were presented from the recent A.R.C.H. Symposium. First place in oral presentation went to Alma Arredondo, Regan Puryear and Cristin Connor.  First place in poster presentation went to Gracie Miller and first place in visual arts went to Aubree Sisson.

Also at the ceremony, Maria Corea was announced as the winner of the annual Earth Day Essay Contest.

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