Category: Keeping Track of Auggies

submitted by tinsleym@augsburg.edu

On 11/17/2021, ADSG passed the Solar and Carbon Neutrality Resolution proposed by EAC. The Environmental Action Committee along with the Environmental Stewardship Committee have been advocating for the implementation of solar panels on campus for years now. The goal of this resolution is to pressure administration and our institution to prioritize our carbon neutrality goals (which includes on campus solar installations) in the midst of a climate crisis, and to include student’s voices in sustainability-related initiatives around campus.

Big shout out to previous EAC officers for making such great progress. Thanks to everyone that helped write this resolution and huge thanks to all of you spreading the word about the work we do. Let’s keep demanding and advocating for these (necessary) changes!

Resolution Document

submitted by raym@augsburg.edu

Ellyn Peters, 18’ Chemistry, earning her PhD in Organic Chemistry at the University of Utah, recently co-published a research article, “Univariate classification of phosphine ligation state and reactivity in cross-coupling catalysis,” in Science. In her time at Augsburg, Ellie conducted research with Dr. Mike Wentzel over the course of two summers, one summer sponsored by donor Dr. Terry Lindstrom and one sponsored by Give to the Max. Ellie also was a lab supervisor, peer mentor, teaching assistant, and Gyberg Fellow.

Link to article

submitted by dames@augsburg.edu

We continue our religion department series with a sermon from Prof. Hans Wiersma on “The Ten-Month Retreat That Changed the World.” Join us in Hoversten chapel at 11:30 am. Chapel services are recorded and available on the Campus Ministry YouTube Channel.

Wednesday chapel with Russell Kleckley

submitted by greenj@augsburg.edu

Please see the updated announcement below.

* * *

Dear faculty and staff,

I write to share the sad news that Patricia (“Pat”) Parker, former associate academic dean and instructor in library science, passed away on October 20. Pat joined Augsburg in 1960, was appointed associate academic dean in 1978, and retired in 1991.

Pat received the bachelor of arts degree from Eastern Michigan University and the master of arts and Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. She was a strong advocate for equity and women’s rights. As associate academic dean, she helped develop Augsburg’s Weekend College. She is survived by two daughters, Sarah ’80, ’89, and Jackie Cherryhomes Tyler ’76. Her daughter Jackie is Regent Emerita of the Augsburg Board of Regents, served as President of the Minneapolis City Council, and ran for mayor of Minneapolis in 2013.

Boyd Koehler, emeritus professor and librarian, offers these words about his mentor of many years: “Pat Parker was an early, profound, and articulate advocate of diversity. She championed authors of color through her teaching of children’s literature, thereby enlightening so many future teachers in her very popular classes. She also made a point of helping so many students of color–and countless others–achieve a high comfort level in her classes, and she demonstrated a genuine concern for their academic and social success.”

More information is available in the published obituary (see below).

Please join me in holding Pat’s family, friends, and colleagues in your thoughts and prayers.

Karen

Pat Parker obituary, Star Tribune 10/25/2021

submitted by green@augsburg.edu

The Augsburg English Department congratulates alum Brad Hagen, who has been selected by the Saint Paul Almanac and the University of St. Thomas Sustainable Communities Partnership to co-curate and develop a storytelling contest, “The Power of Storytelling for Environmental Justice in Our Communities.” The Partnership notes that “this contest seeks to bring awareness and inspire creative storytelling around the theme of environmental justice. In Minnesota, along with every state in the nation, Black, Brown, Indigenous and low-wealth communities are disproportionately affected by climate change and environmental pollution. We need storytelling that speaks to our communities’ lived experiences. This contest will encourage the community to create and share challenging and joyful narratives to combat environmental injustice and work towards an environmentally just future.” The contest will be open to Minnesotans of all ages.

Brad, an exemplary Augsburg alum, is currently at the University of Minnesota pursuing his MFA in Creative Writing. Last year, he taught Intro to Creative Writing, and this year he’s teaching Multicultural Literature of the United States. His thesis is a memoir, and he has been working closely with well-known Minnesota author Kao Kalia Yang, the Edelstein-Keller Writer in Residence. Brad is also working toward an Ojibwe language certification at the U and remains deeply committed to serving his community, through his continued work with Indian Education.

submitted by kaivola@augsburg.edu

Dear faculty and staff,

I write to share the sad news that Patricia (“Pat”) Parker, former associate academic dean and instructor in library science, passed away on October 20. Pat joined Augsburg in 1960, was appointed associate academic dean in 1978, and retired in 1991.

Pat received the bachelor of arts degree from Eastern Michigan University and the master of arts and Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. She was a strong advocate for equity and women’s rights. As associate academic dean, she helped develop Augsburg’s Weekend College. She is survived by two daughters, Sarah Lee ’80, ’91, and Jackie Cherryhomes ’76. Her daughter Jackie is Regent Emerita of the Augsburg Board of Regents, served as President of the Minneapolis City Council, and ran for mayor of Minneapolis in 2013.

Boyd Koehler, emeritus professor and librarian, offers these words about his mentor of many years: “Pat Parker was an early, profound, and articulate advocate of diversity. She championed authors of color through her teaching of children’s literature, thereby enlightening so many future teachers in her very popular classes. She also made a point of helping so many students of color–and countless others–achieve a high comfort level in her classes, and she demonstrated a genuine concern for their academic and social success.”

More information is available in the published obituary (see below).

Please join me in holding Pat’s family, friends, and colleagues in your thoughts and prayers.

Karen

Pat Parker obituary, Star Tribune 10/25/2021

submitted by hansonjl@augsburg.edu

Isaiah Bruhjell (junior) and Jakobe Markworth (senior) have been named 2021 Twin Cities Film Festival Film Fellows. TCFF Film Fellows are competitively selected and receive access and mentorship during the festival, attending an industry night, exclusive events, and meeting with festival filmmakers.

The Twin Cities Film Festival kicks off next week at the West End in St. Louis Park. TCFF runs October 21-30 with both in-person and streaming events.

https://twincitiesfilmfest.org/tcff-film-fellows/

submitted by raym@augsburg.edu

Isaac Tadé, “21 Biology, started dental school at the University of Minnesota where he received the Xhonga Scholarship, $60,000 over four years, and was also awarded a National Health Service Corps Scholarship which covers tuition and fees and provides a monthly stipend. The NHSC Scholarship requires a commitment to work in an underserved community which has always been Isaac’s goal.

submitted by kipper@augsburg.edu

Isaac Tadé, “21 Biology, started dental school at the University of Minnesota where he received the Xhonga Scholarship, $60,000 over four years, and was also awarded a National Health Service Corps Scholarship which covers tuition and fees and provides a monthly stipend. The NHSC Scholarship requires a commitment to work in an underserved community which has always been Isaac’s goal.

submitted by kipper@augsburg.edu

Isaac Tadé, “21 Biology, started dental school at the University of Minnesota where he received the Xhonga Scholarship, $60,000 over four years, and was also awarded a National Health Service Corps Scholarship which covers tuition and fees and provides a monthly stipend. The NHSC Scholarship requires a commitment to work in an underserved community which has always been Isaac’s goal.

submitted by doree@augsburg.edu

McNair Scholar Mackenzie Ray is the recipient of an Outstanding Student Paper Session Presentation Award at the national MathFest 2021, which occurred earlier this month. Only 25 of the nearly 100 student presentations were distinguished with the award. Mackenzie is a mathematics and psychology double major. Her research project, “4D Hypercube Perspective Modelling Using 3D Printing for Educational Purposes” was funded by the McNair Scholars Program, and her research was conducted under the direction of Dr. Matthew Haines. Also presenting at the national conference were Drs. Dorée, Haines, and Zobitz of the MSCS Department.

https://www.maa.org/member-communities/students/undergraduate-research/mathfest-student-paper-sessions

submitted by schield@augsburg.edu

Milo Schield, professor in Business Administration, has received a total of 1,549 citations as of June 30, 2021 according to Google Scholar. He received 119 of those in the last six months. He ranks in the top 3% of scholars in mathematics education according to ResearchGate.

submitted by schield@augsburg.edu

Milo Schield, Professor Business Administration, gave an invited two-hour Statistical Literacy workshop at USCOTS: the US Conference on Teaching Statistics. Statistical literacy involves critical thinking about social statistics in the everyday media. The focus is on how everyday statistics can be influenced. Students are encouraged to look for the story behind the statistics. Schield’s workshop was well received with 125 registrations and 41 attendees. Marc Isaacson assisted. Schield is scheduled to give presentations on Statistical Literacy at the meetings of the International Statistical Institute (ISI) and the American Statistical Association (ASA).

http://www.StatLit.org

submitted by bibus@augsburg.edu

Social Work Professor Emeritus Tony Bibus has been elected for a three-year term to represent members of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) from Iowa, Illinois, and Minnesota as Region IX Director on NASW’s board beginning July 1, 2021.

submitted by froehlic@augsburg.edu

Shelley Pacheco is a Political Science and Sociology double-major at Augsburg University, She stepped up to help coach the Spanish Debate League at Southwest High School on behalf of the Minnesota Urban Debate League, a program of Augsburg University.

“One of my main takeaways from doing debate is about leadership. I was always the shy girl who didn’t really speak up, especially about social issues, but debate has really helped me to improve my public speaking skills and also to be able to stand up for myself in my community,” Shelley tells us.

Find her full debate story at the MNUDL blog below:

Learn More at Our Blog

submitted by leess8@augsburg.edu

We are pleased to announce SEVEN Auggies were selected to receive the prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship in the last round of applications to receive up to $5,000 toward a study abroad program! The applicant pool is highly competitive, but the hard work and determination of these students paved the way for their amazing accomplishment.

Winners include:

Yordanos Adenew, a Marketing and Management double major who plans to study at Augsburg’s exchange partner American College of Greece this Fall 2021

Ruti Mejia, an Interdisciplinary Studies and AIS double major who plans to complete Augsburg’s Peace, Justice, and Community Engagement program in Guatemala, Costa Rica, El Salvador in Fall 2021

Ingri Ramirez Martin a Sociology major who plans to study at Augsburg’s exchange partner at iCLA Yamanashi Gaukin University in Kofu, Japan in Spring 2022

Lexington Thibodeaux, a Communications major who plans to study at Augsburg’s exchange partner American College of Greece in Fall 2021

Since 2008, seventy-two Augsburg students have received Gilman scholarships, totaling $284,000. In addition, over the last 10 semesters, Augsburg’s Gilman win rate has averaged over 60% – of 38 completed applications in that time, we have had 23 winners!

It takes a village to support students in their application process. Many thanks to Casey Jarvala, Catherine Maun and the whole financial aid team, staff in TRIO, MSS, Academic Advising, and URGO and, of course, faculty mentors/advisors.

Congrats Yordi, Ingri, Ruti, Lexi — and all our winners this round!

Learn about the Gilman scholarship

submitted by dvorak@augsburg.edu

We are pleased to announce SEVEN Auggies were selected to receive the prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship in the last round of applications to receive up to $5,000 toward a study abroad program! The applicant pool is highly competitive, but the hard work and determination of these students paved the way for their amazing accomplishment.  

Winners include:

Yordanos Adenew, a Marketing and Management double major who plans to study at Augsburg’s exchange partner American College of Greece this Fall 2021 

Ruti Mejia, an Interdisciplinary Studies and AIS double major who plans to complete Augsburg’s Peace, Justice, and Community Engagement program in Guatemala, Costa Rica, El Salvador in Fall 2021 

Ingri Ramirez Martin a Sociology major who plans to study at Augsburg’s exchange partner at iCLA Yamanashi Gaukin University in Kofu, Japan in Spring 2022

Lexington Thibodeaux, a Communications major who plans to study at Augsburg’s exchange partner American College of Greece in Fall 2021

Since 2008, seventy-two Augsburg students have received Gilman scholarships, totaling $284,000. In addition, over the last 10 semesters, Augsburg’s Gilman win rate has averaged over 60% – of 38 completed applications in that time, we have had 23 winners! 

It takes a village to support students in their application process. Many thanks to Casey Jarvala, Catherine Maun and the whole financial aid team, staff in TRIO, MSS, Academic Advising, and URGO and, of course, faculty mentors/advisors. 

Congrats Yordi, Ingri, Ruti, Lexi — and all our winners this round!

Learn about the Gilman scholarship

submitted by kundell@augsburg.edu

Shamsa Ahmed, 2021, graduated with Political Science and International Relations majors won a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) grant to teach English in South Korea. She is a TRIO/SSS student, Act Six Scholar and Dell Scholar recipient. She also won the national Boren scholarship where she spent 8 weeks in Florida studying Swahili followed by 4 months in Tanzania learning Swahili and studying Swahili culture and history. Following her ETA she plans to earn a master’s degree in public policy. She is passionate about refugee rights as she herself spent many years in a refugee camp in Kenya until coming to the U.S. as a 6th grader. She’s passionate about peace building and can envision a career in the foreign service or the United Nations. Shamsa is familiar with 5 languages and for the past 5 years has taught young children Saturdays and Sundays at her mosque.

submitted by kundell@augsburg.edu

Citlaly Escobar, 2021, graduated with majors in Political Science and Sociology won a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship (ETA) to Taiwan. Citlaly has been involved on and off campus in a variety of ways. She was a first-team all-conference lacrosse player, vice president of the Augsburg Latinx Student Association, and a freshmen and sophomore class president for the Honors Program. She was also one of the working group members for the Department of Critical Race and Ethnicity Studies, serving as a Latinx student representative. In addition, she has spent the last two years as a student researcher for TRIO/McNair, URGO, and received a graduate research assistantship at the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (first undergraduate to receive this award). She also won the prestigious Public Policy and International Affairs Award to study for 7 weeks last summer at the Hubert Humphrey School. Following her time in Taiwan, Citlaly plans to pursue a PhD in American Studies where she hopes to continue her research about the Twin Cities Chicano Movement and Latino society in the upper Midwest.

submitted by kundell@augsburg.edu

Ciashia Shiongyaj, 2021, graduated with a major in Biology and minor in Environmental Studies won a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Taiwan. Ciashia is motivated to become an ETA because she wants to create a community inside the classroom and join communities outside the classroom. She also wants to learn more about her Asian heritage. She played on Augsburg’s volleyball team and has taught volleyball for several years to many age groups. While at Augsburg she conducted URGO research with Dr. Emily Schilling and also did a summer of research with the DNR in Bemidji. Upon returning to the U.S. she plans to earn a PhD in Ecology and Evolution. She’s passionate about finding ways that humans can coexist in this ecosystem without depleting the Earth’s biodiversity.

submitted by kundell@augsburg.edu

Taiwana Shambley, 2021, graduated with majors in English and African American Studies and was named an Alternate Fulbright English Teaching Assistant to Laos. Last summer she taught 7th-grade literature at Breakhthrough Twin Cities to many Hmong, Laotian, and Taiwanese students. Wanting to know more about these cultures is one of the reasons Taiwana chose Laos as her country. She is a TRIO/McNair Scholar, Batalden Scholar in Applied Ethics and Executive Editor of the Echo. She also served as a Writing Lab Tutor. Her future plans include earning graduate degrees in Creative Writing and American Studies.

submitted by kundell@augsburg.edu

Shamsa Ahmed, 2021, graduated with Political Science and International Relations majors won a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) grant to teach English in South Korea. She is a TRIO/SSS student, Act Six Scholar and Dell Scholar recipient. She also won the national Boren scholarship where she spent 8 weeks in Florida studying Swahili followed by 4 months in Tanzania learning Swahili and studying Swahili culture and history. Following her ETA she plans to earn a master’s degree in public policy. She is passionate about refugee rights as she herself spent many years in a refugee camp in Kenya until coming to the U.S. as a 6th grader. She’s passionate about peace building and can envision a career in the foreign service or the United Nations. Shamsa is familiar with 5 languages and for the past 5 years has taught young children Saturdays and Sundays at her mosque.

submitted by kundell@augsburg.edu

Citlaly Escobar, 2021, graduated with majors in Political Science and Sociology won a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship (ETA) to Taiwan. Citlaly has been involved on and off campus in a variety of ways. She was a first-team all-conference lacrosse player, vice president of the Augsburg Latinx Student Association, and a freshmen and sophomore class president for the Honors Program. She was also one of the working group members for the Department of Critical Race and Ethnicity Studies, serving as a Latinx student representative. In addition, she has spent the last two years as a student researcher for TRIO/McNair, URGO, and received a graduate research assistantship at the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (first undergraduate to receive this award). She also won the prestigious Public Policy and International Affairs Award to study for 7 weeks last summer at the Hubert Humphrey School. Following her time in Taiwan, Citlaly plans to pursue a PhD in American Studies where she hopes to continue her research about the Twin Cities Chicano Movement and Latino society in the upper Midwest.

submitted by kundell@augsburg.edu

Ciashia Shiongyaj, 2021, graduated with a major in Biology and minor in Environmental Studies won a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Taiwan. Ciashia is motivated to become an ETA because she wants to create a community inside the classroom and join communities outside the classroom. She also wants to learn more about her Asian heritage. She played on Augsburg’s volleyball team and has taught volleyball for several years to many age groups. While at Augsburg she conducted URGO research with Dr. Emily Schilling and also did a summer of research with the DNR in Bemidji. Upon returning to the U.S. she plans to earn a PhD in Ecology and Evolution. She’s passionate about finding ways that humans can coexist in this ecosystem without depleting the Earth’s biodiversity.

submitted by kundell@augsburg.edu

Taiwana Shambley, 2021, graduated with majors in English and African American Studies and was named an Alternate Fulbright English Teaching Assistant to Laos. Last summer she taught 7th-grade literature at Breakhthrough Twin Cities to many Hmong, Laotian, and Taiwanese students. Wanting to know more about these cultures is one of the reasons Taiwana chose Laos as her country. She is a TRIO/McNair Scholar, Batalden Scholar in Applied Ethics and Executive Editor of the Echo. She also served as a Writing Lab Tutor. Her future plans include earning graduate degrees in Creative Writing and American Studies.

submitted by madden@augsburg.edu

 

In the aftermath of the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis last year, mental health experts across the country say they have seen African-Americans, whose skepticism of therapy has been documented by research, seeking it in growing numbers.

Jamil and Sara Stamschror-Lott, the founders of Creative Kuponya, a mental health practice in Minneapolis just minutes from where Mr. Floyd, a Black man, was murdered, said the demand for therapy had “gone through the roof” over the past year. The couple said 31 percent of their practice’s clients are Black.

“We’ve seen everything that the nation has seen from afar, from folks in civil unrest and devastation, despair,” said Mr. Stamschror-Lott, who is Black. The couple said that some residents were overwhelmed and exhausted by the events of the past year, and that there remained a “great deal of pain and trauma.”

After a Traumatizing Year, Black People Turn to Therapy

submitted by shafer@augsburg.edu

Shamsa Ahmed, 2021, graduated with Political Science and International Relations majors won a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) grant to teach English in South Korea. She is a TRIO/SSS student, Act Six Scholar and Dell Scholar recipient. She also won the national Boren scholarship where she spent 8 weeks in Florida studying Swahili followed by 4 months in Tanzania learning Swahili and studying Swahili culture and history. Following her ETA she plans to earn a master’s degree in public policy. She is passionate about refugee rights as she herself spent many years in a refugee camp in Kenya until coming to the U.S. as a 6th grader. She’s passionate about peace building and can envision a career in the foreign service or the United Nations. Shamsa is familiar with 5 languages and for the past 5 years has taught young children Saturdays and Sundays at her mosque.

submitted by shafer@augsburg.edu

Citlaly Escobar, 2021, graduated with majors in Political Science and Sociology won a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship (ETA) to Taiwan. Citlaly has been involved on and off campus in a variety of ways. She was a first-team all-conference lacrosse player, vice president of the Augsburg Latinx Student Association, and a freshmen and sophomore class president for the Honors Program. She was also one of the working group members for the Department of Critical Race and Ethnicity Studies, serving as a Latinx student representative. In addition, she has spent the last two years as a student researcher for TRIO/McNair, URGO, and received a graduate research assistantship at the Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (first undergraduate to receive this award). She also won the prestigious Public Policy and International Affairs Award to study for 7 weeks last summer at the Hubert Humphrey School. Following her time in Taiwan, Citlaly plans to pursue a PhD in American Studies where she hopes to continue her research about the Twin Cities Chicano Movement and Latino society in the upper Midwest.

submitted by shafer@augsburg.edu

Ciashia,Shionghaj, 2021, graduated with a major in Biology and minor in Environmental Studies won a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship to Taiwan. Ciashia is motivated to become an ETA because she wants to create a community inside the classroom and join communities outside the classroom. She also wants to learn more about her Asian heritage. She played on Augsburg’s volleyball team and has taught volleyball for several years to many age groups. While at Augsburg she conducted URGO research with Dr. Emily Schilling and also did a summer of research with the DNR in Bemidji. Upon returning to the U.S. she plans to earn a PhD in Ecology and Evolution. She’s passionate about finding ways that humans can coexist in this ecosystem without depleting the Earth’s biodiversity.

submitted by shafer@augsburg.edu

Taiwana Shambley, 2021, graduated with majors in English and African American Studies and was named an Alternate Fulbright English Teaching Assistant to Laos. Last summer she taught 7th-grade literature at Breakhthrough Twin Cities to many Hmong, Laotian, and Taiwanese students. Wanting to know more about these cultures is one of the reasons Taiwana chose Laos as her country. She is a TRIO/McNair Scholar, Batalden Scholar in Applied Ethics and Executive Editor of the Echo. She also served as a Writing Lab Tutor. Her future plans include earning graduate degrees in Creative Writing and American Studies.

submitted by hensleym@augsburg.edu

Melissa Hensley, associate professor of social work, is leading a series of anti-stigma workshops for Wellness in the Woods, a peer support and and mental health advocacy organization. The anti-stigma events have been highlighted in the Wadena Pioneer Journal: https://www.wadenapj.com/community/events/7005019-May-sessions-highlight-the-importance-of-rejecting-mental-health-stigmas?fbclid=IwAR1Fum680_ibCy6FuLg6KlzUuOrOmo9nwOwNWyhqrDc2m4pYRe4Y61bpZyY

submitted by froehlic@augsburg.edu

Minneapolis South High School’s debate partnership, Gabe Chang-Deutsch & Clara Conry, were Semifinalists in the Policy Debate section of the Tournament of Champions.

Conry & Chang-Deutsch debated students from Bellarmine Preparatory Academy in Tacoma, WA during the semifinal round of the tournament.

In response to COVID-19, the tournament was held entirely virtually.

The Tournament of Champions is hosted by the University of Kentucky. To qualify for the TOC, students must earn bids through strong performances at highly competitive tournaments during the season. Conry & Chang-Deutsch competed against many of the most competitive policy teams in the US, through octafinals, quarterfinals, and semifinals.

In policy debate, students across the nation research and prepare cases for the affirmative (pro) and negative (con) side of the same topic. The policy debate resolution debated at this year’s tournament was: Resolved: The United States federal government should enact substantial criminal justice reform in the United States in one or more of the following: forensic science, policing, sentencing.

South High School is a member of the Minnesota Urban Debate League, a program of Augsburg University which provides academic competitive debate programming to Twin Cities middle and high school students. The mission of MNUDL is to empower students through competitive academic debate to become engaged learners, critical thinkers, and active global citizens who are effective advocates for themselves and their communities.

The following teams from the state of Minnesota also competed in Policy Debate at the Tournament of Champions:

Eagan HS – Li & Sen
Edina HS – Anderson McElligott & Atri

Learn More about the MNUDL

submitted by kundell@augsburg.edu

Maxwell Bannister, who will graduate spring 2022 with degrees in biology and chemistry, won the prestigious Goldwater Scholarship award. Out of 1256 nominees, 410 Goldwater Scholars were selected. Each school can only recommend 4 nominations, making the pool of candidates formidable.

After his first year at Augsburg Maxwell did summer research with Augsburg’s plant biologist, Dr. Leon van Eck. This past summer and currently Maxwell is doing research in the Department of Pharmacology at the U of M’s Medical School and will return to the same lab this upcoming summer.

In addition to being involved with research, Maxwell was an AugSEM leader and an Orientation leader. Post-Augsburg Maxwell will be attending a MD/PhD program.

Congratulations, Maxwell, on such an impressive accomplishment!

submitted by kundell@augsburg.edu

Maxwell Bannister, who will graduate spring 2022 with degrees in biology and chemistry, won the prestigious Goldwater Scholarship award. Out of 1256 nominees, 410 Goldwater Scholars were selected. Each school can only recommend 4 nominations, making the pool of candidates formidable.

After his first year at Augsburg Maxwell did summer research with Augsburg’s plant biologist, Dr. Leon van Eck. This past summer and currently Maxwell is doing research in the Department of Pharmacology at the U of M’s Medical School and will return to the same lab this upcoming summer.

In addition to being involved with research, Maxwell was an AugSEM leader and an Orientation leader. Post-Augsburg Maxwell will be attending a MD/PhD program.

Congratulations, Maxwell, on such an impressive accomplishment!

submitted by shafer@augsburg.edu

Maxwell Bannister, who will graduate spring 2022 with degrees in biology and chemistry, won the prestigious Goldwater Scholarship award. Out of 1256 nominees, 410 Goldwater Scholars were selected. Each school can only recommend 4 nominations, making the pool of candidates formidable.

After his first year at Augsburg Maxwell did summer research with Augsburg’s plant biologist, Dr. Leon van Eck. This past summer and currently Maxwell is doing research in the Department of Pharmacology at the U of M’s Medical School and will return to the same lab this upcoming summer.

In addition to being involved with research, Maxwell was an AugSEM leader and an Orientation leader. Post-Augsburg Maxwell will be attending a MD/PhD program.

Congratulations, Maxwell, on such an impressive accomplishment.

submitted by stottrup@augsburg.edu

Senior chemistry and physics major Kei Heltemes was awarded a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (NSF GRFP), which provides a $34,000 stipend per year for three years for graduate study. Kei was among 2,074 students named an NSF GRFP out of over 13,000 applicants. For the past two years Kei has worked with Dr. Jeff Walter, conducting research in materials science of magnetic materials, and prior to that worked with Dr. Amanda Case. While at Augsburg, Kei has been named a Rossing Scholar by the ELCA as well as an NSF S-STEM Scholar. In addition to public funding, Kei’s work has been funded by Terry Lindstrom as well as the M.A. Cargill Foundation. He is a co-author on a 2020 Science Advances paper entitled ” Voltage-induced ferromagnetism in a diamagnet.” This work drew national media attention from outlets such as Popular Mechanics. He has presented research findings at numerous regional and national conferences. Kei will be pursuing a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Minnesota starting in the fall.

Popular Mechanics write-up

submitted by devega@augsburg.edu

CGEE’s Central America Director, Mark Lester, has published an article in the Institute for International Education-IIE Networker. Click on the link below to read it!

Engaging with Marginalized International Voices in the “New Normal”

submitted by devega@augsburg.edu

CGEE’s Central America Director, Mark Lester, has published an article in the Institute for International Education-IIE Networker. Click on the link below to read it!

Engaging with Marginalized International Voices in the “New Normal”

submitted by schield@augsburg.edu

Milo Schield, Department of Business Administration, has been asked to give an invited lecture at the 63rd World Statistics Congress: July 16-20, 2021. His topic: “Statistical Literacy for Policy Makers”. The title of the session is “Statistical and Data Literacy in Policy Making”. His session is sponsored by the International Statistical Literacy Project (ISLP) and the International Association of Statistics Educators (IASE). The congress is organized by the International Statistical Institute (ISI). Milo is an elected member of the ISI, the ISLP representative for the United States, the President of the National Numeracy Network, and a Fellow of the American Statistical Association. His 70+ statistical publications have earned more than 740 citations according to Google Scholar.

submitted by bibus@augsburg.edu

Retired art professor Norm Holen’s and retired social work professor Nancy Rodenborg’s powerful letters to the editor appeared in the StarTribune on successive days this week, each exemplifying Augsburg’s commitment to advocating for safe, integrated life for all neighbors. Norm’s letter on p. A6 of the March 16th edition remarked on the justice served by Minneapolis’s settlement with the family of George Floyd: “Every person’s life is special and should not be cut short by anyone.” Nancy’s letter on p. A8 of the March 17th edition featured the headline: “This neighborhood is in pain.” From her perspective and expertise as a social worker, the letter highlighted the toll on our mental health when gunfire and bullying are unchecked.

submitted by jonesee@augsburg.edu

Hello Auggies! My name is Emma, I moved to Augsburg last semester, and ever since then this campus has been my safe haven. I quite literally was physically disabled when I arrived here on campus, having just got out of an ATV accident. Additionally, coming from an unstable and violent environment as a kid, I am putting myself through College.

I have set up a Gofundme and anything is appreciated, even if you would be able to spread the word. 🙂

Thank you so much to Augsburg, for finally giving a place I can live where I’m safe, and I get to call home. I get more and more excited for what my future holds everyday, and this University makes it possible.

https://gofund.me/2869d2a4

submitted by kundell@augsburg.edu

We are delighted to be a 2020-2021 Fulbright Top Producing Institution as advertised in the Chronicle of Higher Education. Congratulations to our 5 students who are or will be teaching English in 4 countries through Fulbright. Fulbrighters foster mutual understanding, share
knowledge across communities, and improve lives around the world. We are proud that
our students are representing Augsburg University and the United States as cultural
ambassadors during the Fulbright Program’s 75th anniversary year!

The students representing Augsburg as Fulbright English Teaching Assistants are: Winni Godi ’17 (Rwanda), Abdulkadir Sharif ’20 (Malaysia), Eh Soe Dwe ’20 (Malaysia), Natalya Arevalo ’20 (Honduras), Bethany Lor ’19 (South Korea).

For Fulbright, you can study, do research, or teach. If you are interested in learning more about Fulbright, contact Augsburg’s Fulbright Program Advisor Dixie Shafer at shafer@augsburg.edu.

submitted by kundell@augsburg.edu

We are delighted to be a 2020-2021 Fulbright Top Producing Institution as advertised in the Chronicle of Higher Education. Congratulations to our 5 students who are or will be teaching English in 4 countries through Fulbright. Fulbrighters foster mutual understanding, share
knowledge across communities, and improve lives around the world. We are proud that
our students are representing Augsburg University and the United States as cultural
ambassadors during the Fulbright Program’s 75th anniversary year!

The students representing Augsburg as Fulbright English Teaching Assistants are: Winni Godi ’17 (Rwanda), Abdulkadir Sharif ’20 (Malaysia), Eh Soe Dwe ’20 (Malaysia), Natalya Arevalo ’20 (Honduras), Bethany Lor ’19 (South Korea).

For Fulbright, you can study, do research, or teach. If you are interested in learning more about Fulbright, contact Augsburg’s Fulbright Program Advisor Dixie Shafer at shafer@augsburg.edu.

submitted by kundell@augsburg.edu

URGO is pleased to announce that Estefani Guiracocha ’22 has been selected for the competitive Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Junior Summer Institute for 2020. She will attend the institute held this summer at the University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs, where she will participate in challenging policy coursework, leadership development training and graduate school preparation over seven weeks.

Estefani is majoring in Political Science and Accounting and has been involved on campus in the Emerging Leadership Program and TRIO Summer Bridge and as a Resident Adviser. She has served the off campus community as a Phillips Community Outreach and Organizing Specialist, Marketing and Communications Intern for U.S. Bank, Capitol Pathways Intern and Bayan Staff Program Assistant.

Congratulations to Estefani.

If you are interested in learning more about PPIA (held at 5 sites around the country) contact urgo@augsburg.edu.

submitted by kundell@augsburg.edu

URGO is pleased to announce that Estefani Guiracocha ’22 has been selected for the competitive Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Junior Summer Institute for 2020. She will attend the institute held this summer at the University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs, where she will participate in challenging policy coursework, leadership development training and graduate school preparation over seven weeks.

Estefani is majoring in Political Science and Accounting and has been involved on campus in the Emerging Leadership Program and TRIO Summer Bridge and as a Resident Adviser. She has served the off campus community as a Phillips Community Outreach and Organizing Specialist, Marketing and Communications Intern for U.S. Bank, Capitol Pathways Intern and Bayan Staff Program Assistant.

Congratulations to Estefani.

If you are interested in learning more about PPIA (held at 5 sites around the country) contact urgo@augsburg.edu.

submitted by kundell@augsburg.edu

Six Augsburg students have been named Fulbright Semi-Finalists. Their applications will now be forwarded on to their host countries for further consideration. All students are competing as English Teaching Assistants to the following countries: 2 to South Korea, 2 to Taiwan, 1 to Laos and 1 to Mexico. It’s an honor to make it this far in the process of a competitive national award.

Thanks to faculty and staff who wrote letters of recommendation and served on Fulbright interview committees.

If you are interested in applying for a Fulbright to teach English, conduct research or pursue a master’s degree contact urgo@augsburg.edu for more information.

submitted by shafer@augsburg.edu

URGO is pleased to announce that Estefani Guiracocha ’22 has been selected for the competitive Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Junior Summer Institute for 2020. She will attend the institute held this summer at the University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs, where she will participate in challenging policy coursework, leadership development training and graduate school preparation over seven weeks.

Estefani is majoring in Political Science and Accounting and has been involved on campus in the Emerging Leadership Program and TRIO Summer Bridge and as a Resident Adviser. She has served the off campus community as a Phillips Community Outreach and Organizing Specialist, Marketing and Communications Intern for U.S. Bank, Capitol Pathways Intern and Bayan Staff Program Assistant.

Congratulations to Estefani.

If you are interested in learning more about PPIA (held at 5 sites around the country) contact urgo@augsburg.edu.

submitted by kundell@augsburg.edu

Six Augsburg students have been named Fulbright Semi-Finalists. Their applications will now be forwarded on to their host countries for further consideration. All students are competing as English Teaching Assistants to the following countries: 2 to South Korea, 2 to Taiwan, 1 to Laos and 1 to Mexico. It’s an honor to make it this far in the process of a competitive national award.

Thanks to faculty and staff who wrote letters of recommendation and served on Fulbright interview committees.

If you are interested in applying for a Fulbright to teach English, conduct research or pursue a master’s degree contact urgo@augsburg.edu for more information.

submitted by shafer@augsburg.edu

Six Augsburg students have been named Fulbright Semi-Finalists. Their applications will now be forwarded on to their host countries for further consideration. All students are competing as English Teaching Assistants to the following countries: 2 to South Korea, 2 to Taiwan, 1 to Laos and 1 to Mexico. It’s an honor to make it this far in the process of a competitive national award.

Thanks to faculty and staff who wrote letters of recommendation and served on Fulbright interview committees.

If you are interested in applying for a Fulbright to teach English, conduct research or pursue a master’s degree contact urgo@augsburg.edu for more information.

submitted by bibus@augsburg.edu

Retired art professor Norman Holen’s and students’ dedicated, innovative, and creative work is featured in a one-page “curator’s choice” article by Hanna Novillo Erickson on p. 175 of Minnesota History (V. 87, #4). This is an inspiring example of how Augsburg continues to make a difference.

submitted by kundell@augsburg.edu

Abdulkadir Sharif has been awarded a 2021 Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship following a highly competitive nationwide contest (45 students selected). The Pickering Fellowship supports extraordinary individuals who want to pursue a career in the U.S. Foreign Service. The Director of the Fellowship Program, Lily Lopez-Mcgee Ph.D., stated, “We are truly thrilled and excited that Abdulkadir will be joining the Pickering Fellowship Program. He demonstrated outstanding academic achievement, leadership and commitment to service during his time at Augsburg. These experiences bode well for his success through graduate school and in the Foreign Service as well. I look forward to seeing all that he will accomplish in his career.”

Abdulkadir Sharif graduated from Augsburg with a major in international relations and political science. He was a Boren Scholar in Tanzania, a Gilman Scholar in South Africa and Namibia, participated in the Public Policy and International Affairs Fellowship at Princeton University and was awarded a Fulbright ETA to Malaysia. He has interned with the Namibia Institute for Democracy as a research assistant and at the MN State Capitol for a law firm. Abdulkadir speaks Somali and Swahili.

The Fellowship will support Abdulkadir through a two-year graduate program to receive a master’s in International Affairs. It will also provide extensive professional development opportunities, including internships, mentors, and skills training. As part of the Pickering Program, Abdulkadir will have an internship based in Washington, D.C. working with the U.S. Department of State in summer 2022. In the summer of 2023, he will work overseas and to gain hands-on experience with U.S. foreign policy and the work of the Foreign Service. Upon graduation, Abdulkadir will become a U.S. Foreign Service Officer, embarking on one of the most challenging and rewarding careers of service to his country. He will work to promote peace and prosperity around the world.

submitted by kundell@augsburg.edu

Abdulkadir Sharif has been awarded a 2021 Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship following a highly competitive nationwide contest (45 students selected). The Pickering Fellowship supports extraordinary individuals who want to pursue a career in the U.S. Foreign Service. The Director of the Fellowship Program, Lily Lopez-Mcgee Ph.D., stated, “We are truly thrilled and excited that Abdulkadir will be joining the Pickering Fellowship Program. He demonstrated outstanding academic achievement, leadership and commitment to service during his time at Augsburg. These experiences bode well for his success through graduate school and in the Foreign Service as well. I look forward to seeing all that he will accomplish in his career.”

Abdulkadir Sharif graduated from Augsburg with a major in international relations and political science. He was a Boren Scholar in Tanzania, a Gilman Scholar in South Africa and Namibia, participated in the Public Policy and International Affairs Fellowship at Princeton University and was awarded a Fulbright ETA to Malaysia. He has interned with the Namibia Institute for Democracy as a research assistant and at the MN State Capitol for a law firm. Abdulkadir speaks Somali and Swahili.

The Fellowship will support Abdulkadir through a two-year graduate program to receive a master’s in International Affairs. It will also provide extensive professional development opportunities, including internships, mentors, and skills training. As part of the Pickering Program, Abdulkadir will have an internship based in Washington, D.C. working with the U.S. Department of State in summer 2022. In the summer of 2023, he will work overseas and to gain hands-on experience with U.S. foreign policy and the work of the Foreign Service. Upon graduation, Abdulkadir will become a U.S. Foreign Service Officer, embarking on one of the most challenging and rewarding careers of service to his country. He will work to promote peace and prosperity around the world.

submitted by kundell@augsburg.edu

Abdulkadir Sharif has been awarded a 2021 Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship following a highly competitive nationwide contest (45 students selected). The Pickering Fellowship supports extraordinary individuals who want to pursue a career in the U.S. Foreign Service. The Director of the Fellowship Program, Lily Lopez-Mcgee Ph.D., stated, “We are truly thrilled and excited that Abdulkadir will be joining the Pickering Fellowship Program. He demonstrated outstanding academic achievement, leadership and commitment to service during his time at Augsburg. These experiences bode well for his success through graduate school and in the Foreign Service as well. I look forward to seeing all that he will accomplish in his career.”

Abdulkadir Sharif graduated from Augsburg with a major in international relations and political science. He was a Boren Scholar in Tanzania, a Gilman Scholar in South Africa and Namibia, participated in the Public Policy and International Affairs Fellowship at Princeton University and was awarded a Fulbright ETA to Malaysia. He has interned with the Namibia Institute for Democracy as a research assistant and at the MN State Capitol for a law firm. Abdulkadir speaks Somali and Swahili.

The Fellowship will support Abdulkadir through a two-year graduate program to receive a master’s in International Affairs. It will also provide extensive professional development opportunities, including internships, mentors, and skills training. As part of the Pickering Program, Abdulkadir will have an internship based in Washington, D.C. working with the U.S. Department of State in summer 2022. In the summer of 2023, he will work overseas and to gain hands-on experience with U.S. foreign policy and the work of the Foreign Service. Upon graduation, Abdulkadir will become a U.S. Foreign Service Officer, embarking on one of the most challenging and rewarding careers of service to his country. He will work to promote peace and prosperity around the world.

submitted by shafer@augsburg.edu

Abdulkadir Sharif has been awarded a 2021 Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship following a highly competitive nationwide contest (45 students selected). The Pickering Fellowship supports extraordinary individuals who want to pursue a career in the U.S. Foreign Service. The Director of the Fellowship Program, Lily Lopez-Mcgee Ph.D., stated, “We are truly thrilled and excited that Abdulkadir will be joining the Pickering Fellowship Program. He demonstrated outstanding academic achievement, leadership and commitment to service during his time at Augsburg. These experiences bode well for his success through graduate school and in the Foreign Service as well. I look forward to seeing all that he will accomplish in his career.”

Abdulkadir Sharif graduated from Augsburg with a major in international relations and political science. He was a Boren Scholar in Tanzania, a Gilman Scholar in South Africa and Namibia, participated in the Public Policy and International Affairs Fellowship at Princeton University and was awarded a Fulbright ETA to Malaysia. He has interned with the Namibia Institute for Democracy as a research assistant and at the MN State Capitol for a law firm. Abdulkadir speaks Somali and Swahili.

The Fellowship will support Abdulkadir through a two-year graduate program to receive a master’s in International Affairs. It will also provide extensive professional development opportunities, including internships, mentors, and skills training. As part of the Pickering Program, Abdulkadir will have an internship based in Washington, D.C. working with the U.S. Department of State in summer 2022. In the summer of 2023, he will work overseas and to gain hands-on experience with U.S. foreign policy and the work of the Foreign Service. Upon graduation, Abdulkadir will become a U.S. Foreign Service Officer, embarking on one of the most challenging and rewarding careers of service to his country. He will work to promote peace and prosperity around the world.

submitted by green@augsburg.edu

This evening at 6pm CT (7pm ET), Wed, 16 Dec, Prof. Doug (D. E.) Green is reading with poets Heather Dubrow and Yuyutsu Ram Dass Sharma in the Phoenix Reading Series on Zoom, hosted by poet Michael Graves. The event includes an open mic. You can sign up to read or attend by emailing mikegraves50@hotmail.com.

submitted by green@augsburg.edu

At 6pm CT (7pm ET), Wed, 16 Dec, Prof. Doug (D. E.) Green is reading with poets Heather Dubrow and Yuyutsu Ram Dass Sharma in the Phoenix Reading Series on Zoom, hosted by poet Michael Graves. The event includes an open mic. You can sign up to read or attend by emailing mikegraves50@hotmail.com.

submitted by goodsona@augsburg.edu

Enjoy this youtube video of faculty and students dancing to blinding lights.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpY_g7Liaxg&feature=youtu.be

submitted by green@augsburg.edu

At 6pm CT (7pm ET), Wed, 16 Dec, Prof. Doug (D. E.) Green is reading with poets Heather Dubrow and Yuyutsu Ram Dass Sharma in the Phoenix Reading Series on Zoom, hosted by poet Michael Graves. The event includes an open mic. You can sign up to read or attend by emailing mikegraves50@hotmail.com.

submitted by maherk@augsburg.edu

What are students saying about their experiences at Augsburg this semester? The recent NSSE Pulse and TEL surveys captured the opinions of hundreds of students on issues such as their sense of belonging, institutional support, social and academic interactions, and course delivery format.

Faculty Senate and the Provost invite you to join the chair of the Technology Enhanced Learning Committee and Director of Online and Blended Learning Jenny Hanson, and Director of Assessment Ben Denkinger for a review of the findings, followed by a solutions-focused discussion on our institutional response. Faculty Senate has engaged with this information and believes that sharing these findings with faculty and staff now can help us all better prepare for next semester.

One Live Zoom session is still available, and you can register in advance to receive early access to the summary data and an overview of the key findings. Data summaries and a recording of the events will be made available after the events. All staff and faculty are invited to attend.

RSVP now for Tuesday, 12/15, 3-4 pm

If you need any disability-related accommodation to fully participate in this event, please contact University Events at events@augsburg.edu or 612-330-1104. Please allow for sufficient time to arrange the accommodation.

RSVP for the Institutional Data Workshop

submitted by velamcco@augsburg.edu

Diane Pike, Professor of Sociology, discussed her motivation to write the article “The Tyranny of Dead Ideas in Teaching and Learning” for the Columbia University Center for Teaching and Learning podcast series “Dead Ideas in Teaching and Learning.” In fact, her article was the inspiration for the podcast series! Pike shares “light bulb” teaching moments from her career as well as how her thinking around “dead ideas” has evolved in the past 10 years since the article’s publication.

The Tyranny of Dead Ideas in Teaching and Learning

submitted by lapakko@augsburg.edu

Congratulations to Charlotte Judkins and Kamren Neddermeyer, who won a 1st place award at yesterday’s Twin Cities Forensics League (online) tournament. Charlotte and Kam competed in duo interpretation, performing an excerpt from the play “Boy,” by Anna Ziegler.

submitted by parkso@augsburg.edu

Election Day (Tuesday, November 3, 2020) was a new holiday.

Benefits-eligible employees please make sure the holiday time is entered correctly in the timesheet for this pay period (202024, 11/1 – 11/14). If you need a holiday time correction or have any questions related to time entry and/or payroll, please email payroll@augsburg.edu.

Thank you.

submitted by green@augsburg.edu

Auggie Alum and English Major Brad Hagen has just published a feature interview article in The Circle: Native American News and Arts about “Education Advisor Mary Beth Elhardt on Indian Education.” Brad is pursuing his Master’s in creative writing at the U of M and teaching an introductory undergraduate course in his field. Please join the English Dept in congratulating him.

http://thecirclenews.org/news/education/education-advisor-mary-beth-elhardt-on-indian-education/

submitted by weirick@augsburg.edu

The newest issue of Augsburg Now is available!

Read articles from the digital-only Spring–Summer 2020 issue of Augsburg University’s magazine, including:
– How to build a women’s wrestling team from scratch
– An Augsburg professor’s eyewitness testimony research and findings
– The reintroduction of Augsburg’s historic One Day in May
– What’s happening with Auggies on campus and around the world
– Alumni class notes

Visit augsburg.edu/now to see the articles or download the whole issue.

https://www.augsburg.edu/now

submitted by green@augsburg.edu

English professor Lindsay Starck received a shout-out this week (10 Aug 2020) in the New York Times cooking section (of all places)! Food editor Sam Sifton suggested that readers check out her story “Baikal,” which was published earlier this summer in New England Review.

Baikal

submitted by doree@augsburg.edu

Dr. John Zobitz, Professor of Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science, has received a new three-year research grant from the National Science Foundation, Division of Environmental Biology, to study mathematical models of soil carbon cycling. Dr. Zobitz will collaborate with Dr. Naupaka Zimmerman in the Biology Department at the University of San Francisco.

Together they will lead undergraduates to measure and mathematically model rates of change of soil carbon dioxide in response to environmental and climatic effects (soil microbes, weather, and other physical processes). They will also validate data collected by the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON, http://www.neonscience.org) and other databases in the scientific community. Additionally, they will lead a faculty training cohort in a suite of training and professional development to address the diverse identities of undergraduate students and researchers. The title of the project is “Development and Validation of a Continuous Soil Respiration Product at Core Terrestrial NEON Sites”. Dr. Zobitz’s grant award totals $100,427. The grant number for this award is NSF 2017829.

submitted by tengwalm@augsburg.edu

Augsburg URGO students often leave our campus with large dreams of affecting change in the world around them. Two such students are Will Matchett PhD ’13 and Brittany Kimball MD ’13. These alumni pursued different career paths in STEM that are directly shaping healthcare in our current COVID world.

Read more about their important work.

submitted by tengwalm@augsburg.edu

One of URGO’s primary roles on campus is to offer academic year and summer research opportunities to students across campus. Additionally, URGO helps students find off-campus research opportunities that diversify their portfolio and build their research skills. One alum who chose to look off-campus was Laura Fricke ’19. Read about her story and how a research experience at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York City shaped her future forever.

Read about her story

submitted by tengwalm@augsburg.edu

URGO alum Mathia (Tia) Colwell ’15 was recently awarded the Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship (DDF) through the University of Minnesota. According to UMN, “The Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship (DDF) gives the University’s most accomplished Ph.D. candidates an opportunity to devote full-time effort to an outstanding research project by providing time to finalize and write a dissertation during the fellowship year.” If this award is not enough to convince you of Colwell’s academic prowess, she was also awarded the F31 Ruth L. Kirschstein Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award through the National Institute of Health (NIH), which provides two years of funding for her research.

These incredibly impressive accomplishments come after years of study and research that began during Colwell’s time at Augsburg. A graduate from Augsburg’s biology department, her research experience in 2015 under Dr. Ralph Butkowski was a catalyst for her career as a research scientist. “Participating in URGO established a basic foundation of what I could expect in graduate school with developing the logic behind research design,” she said. “I enjoyed the URGO experience so much, that I was thrilled to learn I could pursue a career in research by attending graduate school.” Colwell is currently in the third year of her Molecular Genetics Ph.D. program, designing and working on a project that investigates the multigenerational effects of arsenic exposure during pregnancy on the epigenome.

Congratulations Tia for your impressive work as a scientist!

submitted by symes@augsburg.edu

Howling Bird Press is celebrating five years at Augsburg! We checked in with the three alumni who were in the first HBP cohort, and interviewed the first winning author, Marci Vogel, about what she’s accomplished since her book of poetry was published.

Howling Bird Press first alumni and author interviews

submitted by symes@augsburg.edu

Howling Bird Press is celebrating five years at Augsburg! We checked in with the three alumni who were in the first HBP cohort, and interviewed the first winning author, Marci Vogel, about what she’s accomplished since her book of poetry was published.

Howling Bird Press first alumni and author interviews

submitted by tengwalm@augsburg.edu

URGO alum Mathia (Tia) Colwell ’15 was recently awarded the Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship (DDF) through the University of Minnesota. According to UMN, “The Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship (DDF) gives the University’s most accomplished Ph.D. candidates an opportunity to devote full-time effort to an outstanding research project by providing time to finalize and write a dissertation during the fellowship year.” If this award is not enough to convince you of Colwell’s academic prowess, she was also awarded the F31 Ruth L. Kirschstein Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award through the National Institute of Health (NIH), which provides two years of funding for her research.

These incredibly impressive accomplishments come after years of study and research that began during Colwell’s time at Augsburg. A graduate from Augsburg’s biology department, her research experience in 2015 under Dr. Ralph Butkowski was a catalyst for her career as a research scientist. “Participating in URGO established a basic foundation of what I could expect in graduate school with developing the logic behind research design,” she said. “I enjoyed the URGO experience so much, that I was thrilled to learn I could pursue a career in research by attending graduate school.” Colwell is currently in the third year of her Molecular Genetics Ph.D. program, designing and working on a project that investigates the multigenerational effects of arsenic exposure during pregnancy on the epigenome.

Congratulations Tia for your impressive work as a scientist!

submitted by tengwalm@augsburg.edu

One of URGO’s primary roles on campus is to offer academic year and summer research opportunities to students across campus. Additionally, URGO helps students find off-campus research opportunities that diversify their portfolio and build their research skills. One alum who chose to look off-campus was Laura Fricke ’19. Read about her story and how a research experience at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York City shaped her future forever.

Read about her story

submitted by symes@augsburg.edu

Howling Bird Press is celebrating five years at Augsburg! We checked in with the three alumni who were in the first HBP cohort, and interviewed the first winning author, Marci Vogel, about what she’s accomplished since her book of poetry was published.

Howling Bird Press first alumni and author interviews

submitted by tengwalm@augsburg.edu

URGO alum Mathia (Tia) Colwell ’15 was recently awarded the Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship (DDF) through the University of Minnesota. According to UMN, “The Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship (DDF) gives the University’s most accomplished Ph.D. candidates an opportunity to devote full-time effort to an outstanding research project by providing time to finalize and write a dissertation during the fellowship year.” If this award is not enough to convince you of Colwell’s academic prowess, she was also awarded the F31 Ruth L. Kirschstein Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award through the National Institute of Health (NIH), which provides two years of funding for her research.

These incredibly impressive accomplishments come after years of study and research that began during Colwell’s time at Augsburg. A graduate from Augsburg’s biology department, her research experience in 2015 under Dr. Ralph Butkowski was a catalyst for her career as a research scientist. “Participating in URGO established a basic foundation of what I could expect in graduate school with developing the logic behind research design,” she said. “I enjoyed the URGO experience so much, that I was thrilled to learn I could pursue a career in research by attending graduate school.” Colwell is currently in the third year of her Ph.D. program, designing and working on a project that investigates the multigenerational effects of arsenic exposure during pregnancy on the epigenome.

Congratulations Tia for your impressive work as a scientist!

submitted by symes@augsburg.edu

Howling Bird Press is celebrating five years at Augsburg! We checked in with the three alumni who were in the first HBP cohort, and interviewed the first winning author, Marci Vogel, about what she’s accomplished since her book of poetry was published.

Howling Bird Press first author and alumni interviews

submitted by symes@augsburg.edu

Howling Bird Press is celebrating five years at Augsburg! We interviewed the first author winner, Marci Vogel, about what she’s been able to accomplish since her book of poetry was published. We also checked in with the three alumni who were in the first HBP cohort.

Howling Bird Press first author and alumni interviews

submitted by starckl@augsburg.edu

English professor and poet D. E. (Doug) Green has just published several poems in different venues. Three of his poems, including “Quarantine Diary: The Six-foot Marriage,” appear in the Summer 2020 issue of Willows Wept Review along with works by four other Northfield poets <https://willowswept.com/2020/06/20/issue-seventeen-summer-2020/>. The digital version is free and there’s a link to all five Northfield poets, Doug’s spouse Becky Boling among them, reading their poems from the issue.

If you have a minute, you can hear MPR’s Cathy Wurzer’s reading Doug’s poem “For Sean” as the second segment in the Pandemic Poetry series from the End in Mind project <https://vimeo.com/429310701>. The poem honors poet and caregiver Sean Thomas Dougherty of Eerie, Pennsylvania, who visited Augsburg English classes a few years ago.

Finally, you can now see Doug’s latest Sidewalk Poetry Contest-winning poem on the east side of Northfield’s Central Park. Here, to cool you off, is that poem along with Doug’s Spanish translation for the bilingual public reading last summer:

Here there are no purple
jacaranda or fresh hibiscus
for tea and salad. The public
square is not sun-warmed.
We are dazzled not
by our bright star above
but by our snow-blanched
luminous Earth.

Aquí no hay ni jacaranda
morada ni jamaica fresca
para el té y la ensalada. El sol
no calienta la plaza central.
No nos encandila
nuestra brillante estrella
sino la tierra luminosa
blanqueada de nieve.

©D. E. Green, 2020

submitted by tengwalm@augsburg.edu

URGO is proud to share that we have four Fulbright winners this year!

Winni Godi ’17 has received an ETA Fulbright to Rwanda.
Abdulkadir Sharif ’20 and Eh Soe Dwe ’20 each won an ETA Fulbright to Malaysia.
Natalya Arevalo ’20 was granted an ETA Fulbright to Honduras.

URGO’s history with Fulbright is a long and successful one. In February, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs listed Augsburg University among top 5 producers of Fulbright students at master’s level institution, the sixth time Augsburg was ranked on the list.

The Fulbright program offers recent graduates and graduate students opportunities for research, study, and teaching in more than 140 countries. Since 2007, Augsburg University has had 34 Fulbright students selected for their academic merit and leadership potential.

Read about our most recent Fulbright winners and the exciting work ahead of them!

submitted by tengwalm@augsburg.edu

The global pandemic that has swept the world has put a bright spotlight on public health, an important healthcare avenue that directly affects populations across the globe. We spoke with three recent Augsburg graduates pursuing careers in this field, allowing them to shed light on their experiences and the special role public health plays in this crisis.

Read about the exciting futures of Sydney Busch ’18, Chung Lip ’18, and Hamdi Adam ’18!

submitted by tengwalm@augsburg.edu

URGO is proud to share that we have four Fulbright winners this year!

Winni Godi ’17 has received an ETA Fulbright to Rwanda.
Abdulkadir Sharif ’20 and Eh Soe Dwe ’20 each won an ETA Fulbright to Malaysia.
Natalya Arevalo ’20 was granted an ETA Fulbright to Honduras.

URGO’s history with Fulbright is a long and successful one. In February, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs listed Augsburg University among top 5 producers of Fulbright students at master’s level institution, the sixth time Augsburg was ranked on the list.

The Fulbright program offers recent graduates and graduate students opportunities for research, study, and teaching in more than 140 countries. Since 2007, Augsburg University has had 34 Fulbright students selected for their academic merit and leadership potential.

Read about our most recent Fulbright winners and the exciting work ahead of them!

submitted by tengwalm@augsburg.edu

The global pandemic that has swept the world has put a bright spotlight on public health, an important healthcare avenue that directly affects populations across the globe. We spoke with three recent Augsburg graduates pursuing careers in this field, allowing them to shed light on their experiences and the special role public health plays in this crisis.

Read about the exciting futures of Sydney Busch ’18, Chung Lip ’18, and Hamdi Adam ’18!

submitted by tengwalm@augsburg.edu

URGO is proud to share that we have four Fulbright winners this year!

Winni Godi ’17 has received an ETA Fulbright to Rwanda.
Abdulkadir Sharif ’20 and Eh Soe Dwe ’20 each won an ETA Fulbright to Malaysia.
Natalya Arevalo ’20 was granted an ETA Fulbright to Honduras.

URGO’s history with Fulbright is a long and successful one. In February, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs listed Augsburg University among top 5 producers of Fulbright students at master’s level institution, the sixth time Augsburg was ranked on the list.

The Fulbright program offers recent graduates and graduate students opportunities for research, study, and teaching in more than 140 countries. Since 2007, Augsburg University has had 34 Fulbright students selected for their academic merit and leadership potential.

Read about our most recent Fulbright winners and the exciting work ahead of them!

submitted by tengwalm@augsburg.edu

The global pandemic that has swept the world has put a bright spotlight on public health, an important healthcare avenue that directly affects populations across the globe. We spoke with three recent Augsburg graduates pursuing careers in this field, allowing them to shed light on their experiences and the special role public health plays in this crisis.

Read about the exciting futures of Sydney Busch ’18, Chung Lip ’18, and Hamdi Adam ’18!

submitted by tengwalm@augsburg.edu

URGO is proud to share that we have four Fulbright winners this year!

Winni Godi ’17 has received an ETA Fulbright to Rwanda.
Abdulkadir Sharif ’20 and Eh Soe Dwe ’20 each won an ETA Fulbright to Malaysia.
Natalya Arevalo ’20 was granted an ETA Fulbright to Honduras.

URGO’s history with Fulbright is a long and successful one. In February, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs listed Augsburg University among top 5 producers of Fulbright students at master’s level institution, the sixth time Augsburg was ranked on the list.

The Fulbright program offers recent graduates and graduate students opportunities for research, study, and teaching in more than 140 countries. Since 2007, Augsburg University has had 34 Fulbright students selected for their academic merit and leadership potential.

Read about our most recent Fulbright winners and the exciting work ahead of them!

submitted by tengwalm@augsburg.edu

The global pandemic that has swept the world has put a bright spotlight on public health, an important healthcare avenue that directly affects populations across the globe. We spoke with three recent Augsburg graduates pursuing careers in this field, allowing them to shed light on their experiences and the special role public health plays in this crisis.

Read about the exciting futures of Sydney Busch ’18, Chung Lip ’18, and Hamdi Adam ’18!

submitted by tengwalm@augsburg.edu

The global pandemic that has swept the world has put a bright spotlight on public health, an important healthcare avenue that directly affects populations across the globe. We spoke with three recent Augsburg graduates pursuing careers in this field, allowing them to shed light on their experiences and the special role public health plays in this crisis.

Read about the exciting futures of Sydney Busch ’18, Chung Lip ’18, and Hamdi Adam ’18!

submitted by tengwalm@augsburg.edu

URGO is proud to share that we have four Fulbright winners this year!

Winni Godi ’17 has received an ETA Fulbright to Rwanda.
Abdulkadir Sharif ’20 and Eh Soe Dwe ’20 each won an ETA Fulbright to Malaysia.
Natalya Arevalo ’20 was granted an ETA Fulbright to Honduras.

URGO’s history with Fulbright is a long and successful one. In February, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs listed Augsburg University among top 5 producers of Fulbright students at master’s level institution, the sixth time Augsburg was ranked on the list.

The Fulbright program offers recent graduates and graduate students opportunities for research, study, and teaching in more than 140 countries. Since 2007, Augsburg University has had 34 Fulbright students selected for their academic merit and leadership potential.

Read about our most recent Fulbright winners and the exciting work ahead of them!

submitted by tengwalm@augsburg.edu

The global pandemic that has swept the world has put a bright spotlight on public health, an important healthcare avenue that directly affects populations across the globe. We spoke with three recent Augsburg graduates pursuing careers in this field, allowing them to shed light on their experiences and the special role public health plays in this crisis.

Read about the exciting futures of Sydney Busch ’18, Chung Lip ’18, and Hamdi Adam ’18!

submitted by shafer@augsburg.edu

URGO is proud to announce that Abdul Sharif (2000 Political Science and TRIO/SSS Summer Bridge Participant) has been named a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant to Malaysia. Abdul has won many national awards, including the Gilman Scholarship (by working with Study Abroad and Study Away staff), Boren Scholarship to study Swahili in Florida and Tanzania, the Public Policy and International Affairs Scholarship to study last summer at Princeton and the Critical Language Scholarship, which he declined to take the Boren. He also spent a semester in Namibia through CGEE.

He’s been active on and off campus, including being involved in student government, the Pan-African student union, West Bank College Bound, Capitol Pathways and Politics and Law and Society.

Abdul, through words, actions, coursework and professional goals, expresses a genuine interest in learning about the world. He’s attracted to Malaysia because it’s a Muslim majority country, with a strong Hindi contingent and other interfaith communities. He wants to further explore the Muslim diaspora in Asia that he found in Bo-Kaap, Cape Town. Previous teaching and tutoring experiences in the U.S. and Tanzania demonstrate his commitment to assisting others with language learning. A refugee from Kenya, who speaks multiple languages, Abdul understands the challenges and rewards of learning a second language and is driven to provide his Malaysian students with skills to be change agents in their communities. The ETA fits with his goals of working with the Foreign Service.

Congratulations to Abdul!

submitted by shafer@augsburg.edu

URGO is pleased to announce that Eh Soe Dwe (2000 Clinical Psychology) has been named a Fulbright Teaching Assistant to Malaysia. Eh Soe is an Act Six Scholar, Christensen Scholar and Interfaith Scholar. She has been V.P. of ASA, an AugSEM leader, Karen interpreter, Personal Care Assistant, Volunteer tutor of English for immigrants at Open Door Learning, a member of Psi chi Psychology Honor Society, has studied abroad in Guatemala, the U.K. and Slovenia through CGEE. She also painted a public mural.

Eh Soe’s connection to Southeast Asia, including Malaysia, goes deeper than ancestry, extending to her sense of artistry and mission to serve adolescents across cultural boundaries. Her empathy and generosity of spirit will serve her as an ETA and in a career in youth counseling for the diasporic Karen community; she plans to return to SE Asia to work on mental health accessibility. She has taught ESL to recent immigrants to the US and told us that, because so many of her students come to the US to learn, she feels it is her turn to contribute abroad, adding to her many experiences overseas. Her experience as an Interfaith Scholar will help her navigate the diversity of faiths that she will encounter in Malaysia. She will be an excellent teacher: patient, centered and intentional.

Congratulations and we wish you the best!

submitted by shafer@augsburg.edu

URGO is proud to announce that Abdul Sharif (2000 Political Science and TRIO/SSS Summer Bridge Participant) has been named a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant to Malaysia. Abdul has won many national awards, including the Gilman Scholarship (by working with Study Abroad and Study Away staff), Boren Scholarship to study Swahili in Florida and Tanzania, the Public Policy and International Affairs Scholarship to study last summer at Princeton and the Critical Language Scholarship, which he declined to take the Boren. He also spent a semester in Namibia through CGEE.

He’s been active on and off campus, including being involved in student government, the Pan-African student union, West Bank College Bound, Capitol Pathways and Politics and Law and Society.

Abdul, through words, actions, coursework and professional goals, expresses a genuine interest in learning about the world. He’s attracted to Malaysia because it’s a Muslim majority country, with a strong Hindi contingent and other interfaith communities. He wants to further explore the Muslim diaspora in Asia that he found in Bo-Kaap, Cape Town. Previous teaching and tutoring experiences in the U.S. and Tanzania demonstrate his commitment to assisting others with language learning. A refugee from Kenya, who speaks multiple languages, Abdul understands the challenges and rewards of learning a second language and is driven to provide his Malaysian students with skills to be change agents in their communities. The ETA fits with his goals of working with the Foreign Service.

Congratulations to Abdul!

submitted by shafer@augsburg.edu

URGO is pleased to announce that Eh Soe Dwe (2000 Clinical Psychology) has been named a Fulbright Teaching Assistant to Malaysia. Eh Soe is an Act Six Scholar, Christensen Scholar and Interfaith Scholar. She has been V.P. of ASA, an AugSEM leader, Karen interpreter, Personal Care Assistant, Volunteer tutor of English for immigrants at Open Door Learning, a member of Psi Chic Psychology Honor Society, has studied abroad in Guatemala, the U.K. and Slovenia through CGEE. She also painted a public mural.

Eh Soe’s connection to Southeast Asia, including Malaysia, goes deeper than ancestry, extending to her sense of artistry and mission to serve adolescents across cultural boundaries. Her empathy and generosity of spirit will serve her as an ETA and in a career in youth counseling for the diasporic Karen community; she plans to return to SE Asia to work on mental health accessibility. She has taught ESL to recent immigrants to the US and told us that, because so many of her students come to the US to learn, she feels it is her turn to contribute abroad, adding to her many experiences overseas. Her experience as an Interfaith Scholar will help her navigate the diversity of faiths that she will encounter in Malaysia. She will be an excellent teacher: patient, centered and intentional.

Congratulations and we wish you the best!

submitted by froehlic@augsburg.edu

Several Augsburg employees & students are involved with launching SafeDistance, a new app from HealthPartners & University of Minnesota.

This app has been featured on KARE-11, WCCO-CBS Minnesota, and Pioneer Press.

SafeDistance is a free, non-profit app and website that crowdsources symptom data to help detect, predict, and prevent the spread of COVID-19, all while assuring your privacy.
By using SafeDistance, you’ll receive:

* Personalized, social distancing recommendations
* Neighborhood-level COVID-19 risk map
* Assured privacy – no account required, you remain anonymous

The more people donate their data to SafeDistance, the more detailed the risk map will be – and the better University of Minnesota & HealthPartners researchers will be able to track the spread of the virus.

https://safedistance.org/

submitted by kundell@augsburg.edu

URGO is pleased to announce that Winnie Godi (2017, International Relations and Gender, Sexuality,and Women’s Studies) was selected as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant to Rwanda where she has familiar roots. Currently, Winnie is completing a Princeton in Africa
Fellowship where she teaches middle school Geography in Botswana at one of the top schools in Africa. Princeton in Africa offers yearlong fellowship opportunities to young leaders who are committed to Africa’s advancement. Winnie is one of the 50
fellows selected from approximately 430 applicants across the U.S. This experience built on her previous position as a Kindergarten teacher in Kenya.

Congratulations to Winnie for her numerous accomplishments and for her commitment to teaching in Africa.

submitted by kundell@augsburg.edu

Ellyn Peters (2018 chemistry major, biology minor) received the distinction of Honorable Mention in the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program competition. In her second year of an organic chemistry PhD program at the University of Utah, Ellie is developing molecular descriptors for the use in statistical modeling of catalytic transformations. While at Augsburg, Ellie completed two summers of research, one as a Lindstrom Scholar and one as a Give to the Max Scholar. She also presented her findings regionally and nationally. In addition to being an Honors Program Graduate Ellie was President of Augsburg’s Chemistry Club.

Congratulations on achieving such a high honor among young scientists.

submitted by shafer@augsburg.edu

URGO is pleased to announce that Winnie Godi (2017, International Relations and Gender, Sexuality,and Women’s Studies) was selected as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant to Rwanda where she has familiar roots. Currently, Winnie is completing a Princeton in Africa
Fellowship where she teaches middle school Geography in Botswana at one of the top schools in Africa. Princeton in Africa offers yearlong fellowship opportunities to young leaders who are committed to Africa’s advancement. Winnie is one of the 50
fellows selected from approximately 430 applicants across the U.S. This experience built on her previous position as a Kindergarten teacher in Kenya.

Congratulations to Winnie for her numerous accomplishments and for her commitment to teaching in Africa.

submitted by kundell@augsburg.edu

We are so very excited to announce that Natalya Arevalo ’20 has been accepted as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant to Honduras. Natalya is a history major and has been a recipient of the Sabo Scholarship, the CGEE Student of Color Scholarship, the Honoring Outstanding Latinx Students Leadership Scholarship, and the Norma Noonan Scholarship, and is an Interfaith Scholar. Last year she was a finalist for the prestigious Harry S. Truman Graduate Fellowship. She has worked as an intern with Comunidades Latinas Unidas en Servicio (CLUES), the Minnesota Council on Latino Affairs, and the Minnesota House of Representatives. She is co-founder of Augsburg Women for Political Change and has taken on many other student leadership roles.

In Honduras, Natalya will be teaching English and American Studies to students of a variety of ages, including college students. She will also be working with the Access Microscholarship Program, which assists underprivileged students with access to English language learning.

Congratulations Natalya!

submitted by shafer@augsburg.edu

Ellyn Peters (2018 chemistry major, biology minor) received the distinction of Honorable Mention in the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program competition. In her second year of an organic chemistry PhD program at the University of Utah, Ellie is developing molecular descriptors for the use in statistical modeling of catalytic transformations. While at Augsburg, Ellie completed two summers of research, one as a Lindstrom Scholar and one as a Give to the Max Scholar. She also presented her findings regionally and nationally. In addition to being an Honors Program Graduate Ellie was President of Augsburg’s Chemistry Club.

Congratulations on achieving such a high honor among young scientists.