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October 2016

Investing in the futures of young scientists and engineers

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I had the pleasure recently of spending time with Oklahoma State University alumnusDr. John Niblack and his wife Heidi. Over the past 13 years, the Niblack name hasbecome synonymous with undergraduate research for his funding of the NiblackResearch Scholars program. I joined Dr. Niblack and a good crowd of OSU faculty,staff, and students to listen to Niblack Scholar research presentations. It wasfascinating to hear Dr. Niblack’s questions and see his keen interest in the student’sexperiments. He didn’t avoid challenging presenters about methods and results, nodoubt a valuable experience for the young scientists-to-be.

The Niblacks return to OSU each yearto attend the student symposium. On

this trip (actually, before the game at Boone PickensStadium) they had a chance to meet and chat with twoformer Niblack Scholars, Dr. Jenny Lesley (now a physician)and Dr. Savanah Sayler (now an optometrist). It was quite atreat for all of them. Previous Niblack Scholars are alsoveterinarians, doctoral candidates, university instructors, andpharmaceutical researchers among many other career paths.Just as Dr. Niblack has said his science career was inspiredby experiences in undergraduate research at OSU, many ofthese Niblack program alums will tell you that their researchexperiences at OSU opened their eyes and minds to STEMfields as careers. The philanthropy of people like John and Heidi Niblack ensures that the pipeline of futurescientists, engineers and scholars continues to flow.

Kenneth W. Sewell, Ph.D., Vice President for Research

2016-17 Niblack Scholars continue excellence in undergraduate research

The Niblack Research Scholarsprogram at Oklahoma StateUniversity has opened the doorsof cutting-edge research forundergraduates for 13 years.This year, 14 OSU students arereceiving $8,000 scholarshipsand the opportunity to conductsupervised research as 2016-17Niblack Research Scholars. Theannual program is funded byOSU alumnus Dr. John Niblackand his wife, Heidi Niblack. The2016-17 Niblack ResearchScholars program supportersand scholars are (front row, leftto right) Dr. John Niblack, Alicia Aguilar, Madison Krehbiel, Indah Merkel, Beata Mackenroth, and HeidiNiblack. (second row) Zachary Helms, Amanda Demackiewicz, Karley Washburn, and KatyAnn Dudley.(third row) Charith DeSilva, Woong Hee Cho, Nicholas Nelsen, and Field Watts. (back row) Programsponsor Dr. Stephen McKeever, Garret Boren, OSU V.P. for Research Dr. Kenneth Sewell, and WilliamStarr. Learn More

Vanguard: The OSUresearch magazine

Big data and big computers expandresearch possibilities: Learn how Nov. 7

Learn from OSU researchers how big data and high performancecomputing are dramatically changing the research landscape. Thenext VPR Panel Series discussion includes scientists andengineers who are using resources at OSU's High PerformanceComputing Center (HPCC) and who will discuss their own use ofbig data to expand the possibilities of their work. The panel will bemoderated by Dr. Dana Brunson, OSU assistant vice president forresearch cyberinfrastructure and director of the HPCC.Learn More

Show us in a video how OSU research is coolShoot, enter and win!

Research is a vital part ofthe mission at OSU. It'samazing to examine thebreadth of researchhappening across theuniversity and the extent towhich this research impactsour world. Often peopleremark about an OSUresearch project by saying,“Wow! That’s really cool!”We want to learn aboutsome of those exciting OSUresearch stories that youthink are really cool. So theOffice of the Vice President for Research invites undergrad andgrad students to shoot and submit brief videos that respond to theprompt: “The Coolest Research at OSU is _____________!” Thevideo can be of research in any discipline on campus. The winnerreceives $750 in travel money to attend a professional conference.Learn More

Research Profile:EPSCoR's impact rewarding to Valerie Phillips

As with many Oklahoma State employees, Valerie Phillips workedpart time on campus while completing a bachelor's degree. Thatwas nearly 20 years ago and part-time jobs as a student led to full-

The OSU Spears School ofBusiness is a center for researchfrom data analyticsto entrepreneurship to economics.The 2016 Vanguard includes astory describing the research of Dr.John Winters, an assistantprofessor of economics and legalstudies, who investigates humancapital and how policies andeconomics affect educationaloutcomes. In the story, Wintersdescribes his published work onsupply-side economics and howstates benefit from an investmentin an educated workforce. Readthis and other stories in OSU'sresearch magazine.

Research Symposiumgoes virtual in 2017

The 28th annual ResearchSymposium will have a new look in2017 as it transitions into the newOSU Virtual Research PosterSymposium. The registrationperiod for the symposium beginsNov. 1, 2016 and closes Nov. 30,2016. The OSU Virtual ResearchPoster Symposium is a newopportunity that allows bothundergraduate and graduatestudents to present their researchvirtually, build their academicresumes, and compete for the

time positions followinggraduation withan accounting degree. Today,she works for the OK EPSCoRprogram. The Oklahoma ExperimentalProgram to StimulateCompetitive Research (OKEPSCoR) was established by theNational Science Foundation in1985 to strengthen Oklahoma’sexploration and growth inscience, technology, engineeringand mathematics (STEM). OKEPSCoR, based at OSU, supports key research areas atOklahoma’s public universities with the goal of stimulating lastingresearch infrastructure improvements in the state. Phillips graduated from OSU in 2001 when her career took a turninto the world of research support. She worked for a Stillwaterprivate research company and joined EPSCoR in 2003. Phillips, the assistant director of sponsored programs and a projectadministrator, said she enjoys seeing the impact OK EPSCoR hason the state. “Through research that is being conducted, outreach activities, andpartnerships that have been formed, the funding we receive fromNSF and the state regents has had tremendous impact,” she said.“EPSCoR has provided opportunities to individuals all the way fromkindergarten to industry.” An example is the annual Women in Science Conference wheremore than 800 6th- through 12th-grade girls experience hands-onSTEM activities. At the higher education level, college anduniversity students, including Oklahoma Native American students,present research projects each year at Research Day at theCapitol. The event allows students to showcase their researchprojects to state legislators. Though rewarding, the job also has it challenges, Phillips said. “Iwant to be able to provide funding for all worthwhile activities andresearch across the state. Unfortunately, there isn’t enough fundingfor everything, especially with statewide budget cuts.”

chance to be featured in asignature poster presentationevent. To register beginning Nov. 1visit the event page.

RESEARCH NEWS

A group of OSUundergraduatesdiscovered novelstrains of bacteriain an introduction tomicrobiology class.Students isolated

the strains and sequencedgenomes to determine that theorganisms had not been identifiedbefore. The project was part of theHoward Hughes Medical Instituteprogram at OSU, whichencourages undergrads toconduct authentic life sciencesresearch. The HHMI-OSU programis led by Dr. Donald French,professor of integrativebiology. Read More

An research partnership betweenthe OSU School of Mechanical andAerospace Engineering and GE Oil& Gas Technology was featuredrecently at GE's grand opening ofits research center in OklahomaCity. The OSU unmanned systemsprogram is developing an aerialvehicle to detect oil field methanegas leaks. OSU studentsdemonstrated the aircraft, calledRaven, by flying it in the GE facility.

Sociologist Dr.Riley Dunlap andcollaboratorspublished a journalarticle recentlydescribing the

stark political divide in the U.S.over scientific evidence ofhuman-caused climate changeand how that polarization hasparalyzed any effort byCongress to pass environmentallegislation. The article byDunlap, OSU Ph.D. candidateJerrod Yarosh, and Dr. Aaron

Celebrating research with artistic expressionA series of glass disks, each six-foot in diameter, were installed atthe Henry Bellmon Research Center in September and dedicatedOct. 24. Each of the installment's six disks represents a researchdiscipline underway in the HBRC. Read More

Faculty Conversations video series

Faculty Conversations is a collection of videos of OSUfaculty talking about their research. The videos represent a

wide cross section of disciplines and novel research projects.Visit the OSU Research website to see the Faculty

Conversations collection, including a video featuring Dr.Toby Nelson, assistant professor of chemistry. The Nelsonlab is working to develop new organic semiconductors and

electronic materials and their application in organicelectronics, sensors and bioelectronics.

McCright, Michigan StateUniversity, was published in thejournal Environment: Scienceand Policy for SustainableDevelopment. Read More See more news on the OSUResearch website.

FEATURED EVENT

November 3

State Poet Laureate Dr.Benjamin Myers to read aselection of his work

Oklahoma's 2015-16 State PoetLaureate, Dr. Benjamin Myers,will visit Oklahoma State UniversityNov. 3 at 7 pm to read his poetryand work collaboratively with agroup of OSU staff and students tocreate a piece together. The event,at the Student Union Theater, isfree and open to the public. Myersis a professor of literature atOklahoma Baptist University. LearnMore

Each month OSU Research InFocus features an event. Tonominate an event for possibleinclusion, email detailsto vpr@okstate.edu.

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