Center for Integrative Natural Science and Mathematics

Annual Report 2004-2005

The Center for Integrative Natural Science and Mathematics is designated by the Council on Post Secondary Education
as the Regional University Excellence Trust Fund Program of Distinction at Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, Kentucky.

This Center is funded through the Regional University Excellence Trust Fund that was established by the
Kentucky Post Secondary Education Improvement Act of 1997.

This Center is able to supplement these Commonwealth funds with University funds and outside resources such as donations from private and cooperate trust funds as well as successful authorship of research grants and service proposals to agencies and foundations.

INTRODUCTION

The Center for Integrative Natural Science and Mathematics (CINSAM) is not a degree-granting program, but rather a program that coordinates activities in outreach, teaching, and research across the Departments of Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Mathematics and Computer Science, Physics and Geology, in the Northern Kentucky University College of Arts and Sciences and the institution's College of Education and Human Services.

Established by Kentucky's Council on Post-Secondary Education as the Program of Distinction at Northern Kentucky University, CINSAM is dedicated to enhancing teaching, learning, and application of science and mathematics at all educational levels throughout the region.

It prepares outstanding future teachers by promoting integrative science courses and by providing opportunities for collaboration among education, science, and mathematics faculty and their students at all grade levels from pre-school to college graduate.

CINSAM is involved with area science and mathematics alliances between and among teachers, pre-service teachers, college faculty members and industry scientists and engineers. It provides workshops and courses led by NKU faculty for elementary, middle, and secondary school teachers as well as on-campus and off-campus learning experiences and programs for them and their students.

CINSAM scholarships, a broad range of integrative science courses, externships in business and industry, and research opportunities help develop students who are capable of handling complex interdisciplinary problems in school, in the workforce, and in their own lives.

The public gains an improved understanding of science and mathematics through CINSAM-sponsored symposia, guest speakers, faculty lectures, tours, and other presentations.
CINSAM's unique mission is advanced across disciplines; among students, teachers, and the private and public sectors; and around teaching, learning, and creative thinking.

Chapter I.
Outreach to Teachers

During the CINSAM reporting year, 01 August 2004 to 31 July 2005, CINSAM offered area teachers numerous opportunities for professional development and improved teaching. Teachers from Pre-school through grade 12 worked with many faculty members at NKU and Thomas More College as well as professionals in the community. A total of 1500 teachers from the P - 12 grade levels participated in one or more of these events and activities during the year. Whereas most of these teachers had, as their primary responsibility, the teaching of topics in the various fields of science and mathematics, the participation was not restricted to these subject matter areas. All events and activities were planned with the needs for improved learning in the class room relative to the Kentucky Core Content dictates.

Professional development opportunities for teachers:

  • CINSAM Night: September 15, 2004
    • Two hundred twenty-six teachers, administrators and others participated in activities and workshops designed and delivered by the nine alliances sponsored by CINSAM.
  • South Counties Science Project: August 2004 through July 2005
    • This project was designed specifically for the six counties (Bracken, Carroll, Gallatin, Grant, Owen and Pendleton) south of Northern Kentucky University. The project is a three year effort with the first year concentrating on fourth grade teachers and students, the second year adding P-3 and fifth-grade teachers and students. The third year the middle schools have been added. Along with providing professional development workshops for teachers in the project, Reeda Hart has been working directly in the classrooms to work with the students. Reeda models best practices in science teaching (hands-on, inquiry based instruction) while the classroom teachers observe and take notes. CINSAM has also made a CD that contains these lessons and their connections to KY Core Content, PowerPoint presentations, illustrated slide shows, and teaching methods to teach the subject matter, and games to motivate and help with review. In addition to the south counties, this project was extended to include the three elementary schools in Newport; A.D. Owens, Mildred Dean and Fourth Street; Goodridge Elementary in Boone County and Grant's Lick Elementary in Campbell County. This project has involved 50 teachers and 4500 students.
  • Alliances: August 2004 through July 2005
    • CINSAM sponsors nine alliances that deal with mathematics and science. Individual alliance activities are listed below:
      • Biology:
        • Initial Planning Meeting-CINSAM Night
      • Chemistry:
        • Initial Planning Meeting-CINSAM Night
        • Chemistry Share-a-Thon - Chemistry teachers at the high school and college level shared their favorite chemistry activities with other alliance members. The activities included lab experiments, demonstrations, and hands-on activities that could be carried out in the classroom. Handouts were provided for all participants. Attendance was 18.
        • Lab Pro Workshop - This was a 2.5 hour Saturday morning workshop that involved “hands-on” activities using the Vernier LabPro interface and both calculators and computers. The workshop served both as a review for teachers currently using the LabPro system and as an introduction to the system for those considering using the system. Opportunity was provided for participants to share some of their LabPro activities. Activities appropriate for both high school and middle school were demonstrated. Participants were informed that CINSAM has a set of LabPro interfaces and probes that can be borrowed for a short period for classroom activities. A LabPro starter kit was offered as a door prize. Attendance was 14.
        • Software Programs - The software programs ETC, EduChem and Spartan were demonstrated. EduChem has a periodic table mode and a mode for displaying atomic orbitals up to f orbitals. The workshop included using Spartan for visualization of molecules (including those of biochemical interest) and orbitals, geometry calculations and applications to VSEPR rules, molecular vibrations and applications to greenhouse gases, and molecular orbital diagrams. The session was open to all chemistry alliance members and science teachers. A few copies of Spartan were available for purchase at half-price ($75 instead of $150), with CINSAM providing the other half. One copy was given away as a door prize. Attendance was 10.
      • Computer Science:
        • Initial Planning Meeting - CINSAM Night
        • ALICE Program - This tool is used as an introduction to computer programming for students in the Middle School to High School age range. Many meeting attendees had heard about this tool, but had not used it formally in a classroom setting. Mel Hoffert, of Sycaore High School, uses the tool as part of a semester course taughtat Sycamore High School. He discussed the benefits, features, and use of the tool. He also provided an interactive demonstration of the tool. Meeting participants were able to follow along with the interactive demonstration using PCs set up in the meeting room at Northern Kentucky University. Fifteen teachers were in attendance.
      • Earth/Space:
        • Initial Planning Meeting - CINSAM Night
        • Star Gaze-Ten teachers were in attendance.
        • Rock and Mineral Identification - Fifteen teachers brought in their personal or school collection for sample identification.
      • Elementary Math/Science:
        • Initial Planning Meeting - CINSAM Night
        • Integrating Technology in the Elementary Classroom - presented by Carol Muzny. The workshop was attended by 20 teachers.
        • Elementary Workshop on Geometry - Presented by Mary Shearer and Kathy Bulmer. There were 20 elementary teachers in attendance.
      • Environmental Education:
        • Initial Planning Meeting - CINSAM Night
        • Campbell County School Resource-a-Rama-Information given to 12 people.
        • Sanitation District Meeting - Ten teachers were in attendance.
        • Fall Workshop at the Sanitation District - Sessions centered on a the tour of the Sanitation District and programs offered there. Other sessions were given to encourage "hands-on" lessons for elementary grades and display of trunks available for check out by teachers. Forty-two teachers were in attendance.
        • Sanitation District Meeting - Thirteen members were in attendance.
        • Environmental Education Meeting at Dayton High School - Seven members were there.
        • Sanitation District - Six members were in attendance.
        • Annual Resource Fair - Resource Fair of many local groups with information or services related to conservation and environmental education. Breakout sessions included Water, Solid Waste, Energy, Air Quality, Plants, Soil and Trees, and Native Plants and Animals. Forty-five were in attendance with fifteen exhibitors.
        • Environmental Education Meeting at Dayton High School - Six members in attendance.
        • Sanitation District Meeting - Six members in attendance.
        • Summer Get Together - Seven members in attendance.
      • Mathematics (Northern Kentucky Council of Teachers of Mathematics):
        • Initial Planning Meeting - CINSAM Night
        • Writing Open Response Questions - Presented by Tom Stull from Dixie Heights High School. Tom is on the state writing team for Open Response Questions in Math. Forty Middle and High School teachers attended.
        • Writing Multiple Choice Questions - Presented by Tom Stull with 20 teachers in attendance.
        • Elementary Workshop on Geometry - Presented by Mary Shearer and Kathy Bulmer. There were 20 elementary teachers in attendance.
      • Middle School Science:
        • Initial Meeting - CINSAM Night
        • Physics Workshop for Middle School Teachers - Sponsored with the Physics Alliance. Sessions with five alliance members presenting workshops. Twenty middle school teachers participated.
        • Tabletop Science - Twenty middle school teachers shared ideas with each other on science activities.
      • Physics:
        • Initial Meeting - CINSAM Night
        • Physics Workshop for Middle School Teachers - Sponsored with the Physics Alliance. Sessions with five alliance members presenting workshops. Twenty middle school teachers participated.
        • Midwinter Breakthrough KSTA Conference - Six workshop sessions conducted by Physics Alliance members on "Hands-On Activities in Physics for Middle School Teachers"; "Discovering Physics for Middle/High School Teachers" and" "The Physics of Sports". Thirty teachers participated.
        • Laws of Thermodynamics - Business meeting plus discussion/demo on the topic of thermodynamics. Twelve teachers attended.
        • Telescope Night - Planning meeting plus using a telescope to view a partial eclipse. Five teachers attended.
      • Earth/Space Workshop:
        Eighteen P- 4 teachers participated in this workshop which stressed content and activities to teach Earth Science to primary through fourth grade teachers. The first day, the teachers were given content and developed activities in four areas, minerals and rocks, basic weather, basic soil science and plate tectonics. The second day, the teachers worked with 12 students, grades P-12, using the activities developed the day before. The workshop was conducted by Dr. Dale Elifrits and Betty Stephens.

      • Forensic Science Workshop:
        In the workshop, eighteen middle school and high school teachers worked with NKU faculty from the departments of Criminal Justice, Biological Sciences, Chemistry, and Physics in a fast-paced workshop. Interaction with faculty and hands-on laboratory experiments show how these disciplines use knowledge and technology to examine evidence and develop solutions in investigative work. The workshop was conducted by Dr. Dale Elifrits and Betty Stephens with help from NKU faculty.

      • Midwinter Breakthrough:
        A mini-conference for P-12 science teachers jointly sponsored by KSTA, the Newport Aquarium and CINSAM. On Friday night, the teachers toured the Newport Aquarium. On Saturday, they attended sessions presented by university, high, middle and elementary school teachers in the Natural Science Caanter on the NKU campus.. There were approximately seventy teachers in attendance. Dr. Vern Hicks was planning chairman for this conference.

      • Digital Classroom (Planetarium):
        Thirty P-12 teachers met with members of the Physics Department faculty to discuss use of the new planetarium that is scheduled to go on line in the fall of 2006. Teachers were asked to make suggestions regarding topics of interest to P-12 teachers and students. This workshop was run by Dr. Chuck Hawkins and Dan Spence.

      • Robotics Workshop for P-2 Teachers:
        This workshop included an introduction to Robotics and Roamer Robots, and interdisciplinary lesson plans. Roamer robots can be used to engage younger students (i. e., K through 5) in integrated lessons linking popular childrenʼs literature with music, science, mathematics and more. Teachers were informed about exciting student competitions and coaching opportunities with an introduction to the FIRST LEGO League and Junior FIRST LEGO League. Thirteen teachers participated in this workshop co-sponsored by CINSAM and iSpace of Ohio. This workshop was run by Linda Neenan and Bev Ketron of iSpace Ohio.

      • Science Fair Workshop:
        Sixty-five teachers attended this workshop which dealt with how to develop a successful science fair at their school. The workshop was conducted by NKU faculty as well as P-12 teachers. Examples of good science fair projects were displayed. This workshop was co-sponsored by CINSAM and NACKES. This workshop was run by Dr. Dale Elifrits, Betty Stephens, and Karen Ware.

      • Environmental Education Outreach:
        The goals of this project were to: 1) provide K-12 teachers with training and curriculum materials that will increase their capacity to address national and state science and mathematics standards through the use of effective pedagogy, interdisciplinary curriculum, and curriculum that is relevant to current societal issues; and 2) build the capacity of the NKU Center for Environmental Education by providing continued leadership training for teachers and faculty. Two seven-hour professional development workshops were offered concurrently. Teachers received training in national curriculum programs called Food, Land and People (FLP) and Project Learning Tree (PLT). This project also severed as a capacity-building training for the Center for Environmental Education. The workshop facilitators were teachers and NKU faculty members who are being trained as part of a statewide project to help the state university Centers for Environmental Education develop regional leadership to conduct teacher training activities. The project was directed by Dr. Yvonne Meichtry of the College of Education with thirty-four teachers participating.

Chapter II.
Outreach to Students

From 01 August 2004 to 31 July 2005, CINSAM offered area students from preschool through grade 12 a variety of events and activities. Many faculty members at NKU and Thomas More College along with professionals from the community participated. A total of 9,700 students from the P - 12 grade levels participated in one or more of these events and activities during the year. All of these events and activities were planned with the needs for improved learning in the class room relative to the Kentucky Core Content dictates.

Outreach activities to students and schools:
CINSAM sponsored numerous programs throughout the year to provide outreach to area schools and students. Notable among these efforts were:

  • Middle School Math Day: Two hundred eighth-grade students from Boone County public and private schools participated. Faculty from the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Education and pre-service teachers conducted "hands-on" activities in mathematics. These activities were centered around the Kentucky Core Content in mathematics.

  • Elementary Science Day: Three hundred fourth-grade students from Boone County public and private schools participated. Faculty from the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Education and pre-service teachers conducted "hands-on" activities in science. These activities were centered around the Kentucky Core Content in science.

  • Campbell County Environmental Camp: CINSAM, the Center for Environmental Education, and the Campbell County Extension Office co-sponsored an Environmental Camp for area fourth grade students. Reeda Hart of CINSAM presented sessions during the camp along with presenters from other agencies. She worked with some 800 fourth grade students and their 64 teachers.

  • Pendleton County Science Day: "Hands on" science activities dealing with the Kentucky Core Content for the fourth grade were presented at Northern Elementary in Pendleton County by fourth grade students from both Northern and Southern Elementary Schools. This project was the culminating event for these two schools as part of the CINSAM South Counties Science Project. The 200 fourth graders were directed in their efforts by their nine teachers. The activities were presented to each other and guests. The schools were aided in their effort by Reeda Hart, Dr. Dale Elifrits, and Betty Stephens of CINSAM as well as area retired teachers working for CINSAM.

  • Bracken County Spirit Day: CINSAM participated in this project which was sponsored by NKU Community Connections. Reeda Hart presented sessions in math and science with assistance from Betty Stephens. Approximately 200 students and 30 teachers from Taylor Elementary and Bracken County Middle School participated.
    Geology Outreach Program - Dr. Janet Bertog of the Physics/Geology Department and her students took programs in Earth/Space Science to northern Kentucky P-12 schools. They interacted with approximately 1,600 students and 60 teachers.

  • DNA Outreach Program: Dr. Nicole Minor of the Biology Department and one of her students took this program to three Northern Kentucky middle schools. The program reviewed DNA with the students and helped them make necklaces using their own DNA. About 200 middle school students and their teachers participated.

  • "Seeing Science: A Physics Demonstration for Elementary School Students and Teachers": The goal of the project is to develop a 45-minute physics demonstration show to increase student interest in physics and science in general and to reinforce physical concepts taught in fourth through the sixth grades. During the spring of 2005, 266 students and their teachers were reached in five shows. The project is being directed by Dr. Matthew Zacate of Physics/Geology Department and Dr. Lenore Kinney of the College of Education. It continues this year with funding from the American Physical Society under the title "Norse Physics Tour de Force."
    Cincinnati Hills Christian School Visit: Twenty high school students participated in "hands-on" activities conducted by members of the NKU Biology, Chemistry and Physics/Geology Departments in NKU laboratories.

  • Cincinnati Christian School Visit: Sixty eighth-graders participated in a mini-CSI camp. A "crime" scene was created by Jill Shelley of the Criminal Justice Department. Members of the NKU Biology, Chemistry, and Physics/Geology Departments helped the students investigate and solve the "crime."
    WEB DuBois School Visit: In a joint project with Dr. Prince Brown of the NKU Sociology, Anthropology, and Philosophy Department and funding from the Underground Railroad Project, 40 fourth- through eighth-graders learned about the Underground Railroad, how stars were used to for navigation, etc. In addition, they were able to participate in "hands-on" science activities presented by faculty from the NKU Biology, Chemistry, and Physics/Geology Departments.

CINSAM also was an active sponsor of activities offering opportunities for students to participate and compete in national scientific programs. These included:

  • NACKES Regional Science Fair: This regional science fair, for approximately 30 Kentucky counties, had approximately 200 student exhibitors. This fair offers the students the opportunity to pursue scientific interests and to learn proper procedures and methods in the process. CINSAM also helped involve many NKU faculty and science professionals in the community in the leadership and operation of this event. Four overall winners in the senior division of the fair were eligible to attend the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, held in Phoenix, Arizona, in May.

  • Judging Area Science Fair: CINSAM helped provide judges for area science fairs which involved approximately 100 student exhibitors.

  • First Lego League Tournament: CINSAM and Northern Kentucky University hosted the regional First Lego League state tournament which involved approximately two dozen teams and 200 students. Toyota Manufacturing was the major sponsor of this robotics tournament and the theme of this year's competition was robotics to assist the handicapped. Teams of five to eight students were challenged to develop robots that could perform tasks to assist physically challenged individuals in real-life situations.

Special activities and summer offerings: In response to demand by the community, CINSAM prepared and expanded programs for area students and teachers during 2004-2005. These activities were aimed at outreach for area students and teachers.

  • GEAR UP 2005 and GEAR UP Colorado: CINSAM provided some funding towards two projects that allowed at-risk secondary school students to learn about and participate in scientific research projects done on a college level. The GEAR-UP 2005 camp was a week-long residential camp sponsored by CINSAM and GEAR UP Kentucky and was conducted by Dr. Tom Sproat (Bio.) from NKU and Nancy Woolum from GEAR UP Kentucky. Twelve high school students from at-risk schools were given experience in doing scientific field work at Big Bone Lick State Park, analyzing data, preparing reports, and giving presentations. In addition, the GEAR UP Colorado camp, also conducted by Dr. Sproat, allowed seven students from the previous summer's GEAR UP program to conduct research during the summer of 2005 during a 10-day field experience in Colorado.

  • Amazing Caves: The Science of Exploration (ACSE Camp): This was a three day camp for 12 "at risk" middle school students (all were girls, 10 being African American students) that introduced them to topics related to caves through the excitement and practice of cave exploration. The central theme throughout the camp was that scientists need to be able to fully understand how caves form in order to be able to protect and explore them effectively. The students assumed the role of an "exploration scientist" and were introduced to a variety of topics in order for them to explore a cave. The topics covered included: cave ecosystems, including bats and invertebrate communities; the chemical mechanisms of carbonate rock dissolution; the physics of cave formation and stability; the formation of carbonate rocks, caves and cave decorations; and the principles of surveying. This camp was conducted by Dr. Hazel Barton of the Department of Biological Sciences at Northern Kentucky University in conjunctionwith the Cincinnati Museum Center. In a follow-up communication concerning the camp, Talia Frye, Youth Leadership Development Supervisor at the Brighton Center in Newport, Kentucky, commented to Dr. Barton, "...You made quite a positive impression on two of our young women who had the opportunity to attend Cave Camp this summer. They constantly speak of the experience, share what they learned with other peers and talk about being a geologist as a career choice. Both of them are extremely bright young women who do well in school. If there is any kind of future learning that they could do or any resources for youth who are interested in the field that I could connect them with, please let me know. Thank you for making such a positive impression on these young women!"

  • Science Camp for Latino High School Students: This camp was a week long and was conducted by Dr. Miriam Kanaan and Leo Calderon with help from colleagues in the Biology, Chemistry and Physics Departments. Twelve Latino high school students were given the opportunity to explore science with members of the NKU Science Departments.
    NKU Sports Plus Camp-This endeavor consisted of three one-week-long camps conducted by CINSAM and NKU Intercollegiate Athletics. The mission of these camps was to give youth a week of fun-filled activities to encourage their academic, physical, and mental growth and to encourage economically disadvantaged youth to go to college. Scholarships were given to children in grades four through eight to attend NKU Sports Camp and Enrichment Camp. CINSAM was responsible for the Enrichment Camp. Each week, approximately 25 to 40 students had the opportunity to participate in activities in math, science, writing, money management, and lifetime sports. These students either had already participated in one NKU sports camp or were going to participate at a later date. There were a total of 120 students involved. The students had to meet guidelines outlined by the Free/Reduced Lunch Program and be recommended by their schools or community agencies. Students came from both northern Kentucky and southern Ohio.

  • Computer Science Camp: This camp was four weeks long and was conducted by Drs. Richard Fox and Jeff Ward. Fourteen high school students were instructed in "Computer Programming in Java." The primary goal was to introduce students to computer programming in Java. Faculty concentrated first on the basics of Java programming (input, output, built-in Java classes, control logic, writing methods) and then explored developing classes through object-oriented programming. The camp finished by examining, in detail, a variety of Java graphical classes. Students applied these concepts by writing their own programs that included interactive and multimedia-based applications. Most students chose to implement various types of games. A secondary goal was to introduce students to concepts in Computer Science and to familiarize the students with NKU.

  • Roamer Robot Camp: Fifteen first and second-graders participated in this week-long camp sponsored by CINSAM and iSpace Ohio. From "Infinity and Beyond" to "Down on the Farm," the students enjoyed a different theme each day as they worked with Roamer robots. They participated in "hands-on" robotic programming activities linked to childrenʼs literature, music, art, and science. This camp was led by Bev Ketron of iSpace Ohio.
    RoboBlast Camp - Sixty third- through eighth-graders participated in this week-long camp sponsored by CINSAM and iSpace Ohio. RoboBlast was a space themed camp where students explored problems on "Planet RCX." They worked in teams to build and program LEGO Mindstorm robots to solve the challenges presented to them. The culminating event included a robotic enabled launch of a model rocket. Bev Ketron of iSpace Ohio was camp leader.

  • CSI I Forensic Science Camp: This camp was a week-long camp conducted by Dr. Dale Elifrits and Betty Stephens of CINSAM with help from Dr. Nicole Minor and Karl Haggelund of the NKU Biology Department, Dr. Vern Hicks and Dr. Vinay Kumar of the NKU Chemistry Department, Dr. John Filaseta of the NKU Physics Department, and Jill Shelley of the NKU Criminal Justice Department, Lt. Gregg Shelley of the Hamilton County Sheriffʼs Department as well as eight area middle school teachers. Sixty-two middle school students were exposed to various "crime scenes" and were then asked to apply forensic science methods to solve them. Students were introduced to the many ways science and mathematics are used in police investigations. The students gathered evidence and then used scientific equipment to analyze DNA, gunpowder residue, blood evidence, take fingerprints, and analyze of a fall.

  • CSI II Forensic Science Camp: This camp was a week long camp conducted by Dr. Dale Elifrtis and Betty Stephens from CINSAM with help Dr. Greg Dahlem of the NKU Biology Department, Dr. John Filasetta from the NKU Physics Department, Jill Shelley of the NKU Criminal Justice Department, Lt. Gregg Shelley of the Hamilton County Sheriff's Department, as well as four area middle school teachers. Forty-one seventh, eighth, and ninth graders were exposed to various "crime scenes" and were asked to apply forensic science methods to solve them. Students excavated a “grave” site and gathered evidence to determine how long the “body” had been there. They used forensic anthropology to determine age, sex, and race of the “victim.” In addition, they used physics to analyze evidence from a fall as well as taking fingerprints. They attended a field trip to the Boone County Crime lab.

  • CSI III Forensic Science Camp: This camp was a week long camp conducted by Dr. Dale Elifrits and Betty Stephens from CINSAM with the help of Jill Shelley from the NKU Criminal Justice Department. Fifteen students in grades 9 through 12 used mathematics and physics to analyze blood spatter and accident construction. In addition, they attended a full-day field trip to the Hamilton County Sheriff's Department Crime Lab.

Chapter III.
Other Outreach Programs for
Teachers and Students Together

  • CINSAM Summer Workshops for Teachers:
    This workshop was conducted over a three-day period to train middle school teachers who were going to work in the two Forensic Science Camps. Ideas were presented that could be taken back to their classrooms. The CINSAM staff and the NKU faculty involved in the camps described above were involved in the training of the twelve middle school teachers.
  • Internships:
    CINSAM continued in its mission to place undergraduates in career-building opportunities in with faculty, local organizations, businesses, and industries.

    In many, if not most, of the CINSAM-sponsored faculty grants, a prime consideration in awarding funds was the possibility of participation by NKU students. Their work would enable them to be exposed to research methods as well as lab and field experience. In some cases, such as the "NKU Geology Students in K-12 Classrooms" project from Dr. Janet Bertog in Geology and the "Fun with Science" Camp for Hispanic/Multicultural High School Students" with Dr. Miriam Kannan, the participation of students was not just an opportunity to participate, but was a key component of the project.

Many other examples of NKU students assisting with CINSAM-funded projects and other faculty research in the sciences and mathematics exist. Examples of student participation and presentations in these projects include, but are not limited to:

  • Shelley A. Stamper; Ashley Mynar; Senai Negassi (Mentor: K.C. Russell) "Progress in the Synthesis and Characterization of Novel Donor-Acceptor [14]-Annulenes". Kentucky Academy of Science Meeting, Murray KY, November 2004.

  • David Roach; (Mentor: K.C. Russell) "Synthesis and Characterization of Flavin Annulenes: Differentially Protected Bisalkynlyl Flavin DHA Precursors". Kentucky Academy of Science Meeting, Murray KY, November 2004.

  • Senai Negassi; (Mentor: K.C. Russell) "Progress in the Synthesis of Donor-Acceptor [14]-Dehydroheteroarylannulenes" Northern Kentucky University Celebration of Student Research and Creativity, Highland Heights, KY; April 2005.

  • David Roach, Pete Suer, Areej Saqr; (Mentor: K.C. Russell) "Synthesis and Characterization of Flavin Annulenes". Northern Kentucky University Celebration of Student Research and Creativity, Highland Heights, KY; April 2005.

  • Crystal Campbell, Derek Downing, Matthew Evans, Eric Ferraris, Heather Gulley, Kris Giles, David Hahn, Noah Meeks, David Roach, Chris Yungbluth (Mentor: K.C. Russell) "Tomorrowʼs World Today: Outreach from the Classroom to the Airwaves". Northern Kentucky University Celebration of Student Research and Creativity, Highland Heights, KY; April 2005.

  • Shelley Stamper, Senai Negassi, and Aaron Munzy (Mentor: K.C. Russell) "Towards the Synthesis of o-dehydroheteroarylannulenes” Northern Kentucky University Celebration of Student Research and Creativity, Highland Heights, KY; April 2005.

  • Senai Negassi (Mentor: K.C. Russell) "Progress in the Synthesis of Donor-Acceptor [14]-Dehydroheteroarylannulenes"Northern Kentucky University Celebration of Student Research and Creativity, Highland Heights, KY; April 2005.

  • James Leslie, Matthew Lauer, and Sara Schultz (Mentor: K.C. Russell),"Synthesis of Aromatic Nitrogen Heterocycles Using a New Tellurium Catalyzed Cyclization Technique". Northern Kentucky University Celebration of Student Research and Creativity, Highland Heights, KY; April 2005.

  • Scott Bessler, Brad Lubbers, and Richard D. Durtsche, Mentor. "Development of a Microprobe for Testing the pH of Microenvironments." Merck/AAAS Celebration of Undergraduate Science Research, Northern Kentucky University. 2005.
    Ryan Baldridge, S. Gullett, and Richard D. Durtsche, Mentor. "The Thermal Biology of Two Tropical Rainforest Lizard Species." Annual Meetings of the Kentucky Academy of Sciences, Richmond, Ky. 2005.

  • Scott Bessler, Angela Cleves, Brad Lubbers, and Richard D. Durtsche, Mentor. "Determination of Larval Anuran Gut pH Levels with a Newly Developed Solid State Micro-Electrode." Annual Meetings of the Kentucky Academy of Sciences, Richmond, Ky. 2005.

  • Ryan D. Baldridge, and Sarah Gullett and Richard D. Durtsche, Mentor. "Patterns of Thermoregulation in Two Sympatric Tropical Lizards: Are They Chaotic?" Annual Meetings of the Kentucky Academy of Sciences, Richmond, Ky. 2005.

Student participation in grant projects:

NKU student researchers Jason Koenig, geology major, and Stephanie Bessom, biological sciences major, with NKU faculty Dr. Samuel Boateng (Phy & Geo)
Title: "Monitoring water quality in a disturbed section of Woolper Creek in Boone County"
Student Researchers Jason Kretzer and Juberi Rajib, graduate students in Computer Science with NKU faculty John Filaseta

(Phy & Geo), Charles Frank (Math & C/S)
Title: "Developing an Effective Software Teaching Tool for First Year Physics"

Student assistants Telisha Chisuta, Ben Lye, Lindsay Whitehead with NKU faculty Rebecca Evans (Bio)
Title: "River Run": Analyzing the utility of aqueous conductivity as a surrogate measure of land use impacts on surface water quality parameters”

"Identification of Forensically Important Flies with Three-Dimensional Imaging" headed by Drs. Don Krug and Andy Long, Department of Mathematics, assisted by student Tim Meyers, who is working on creating a three-dimensional model of the flies. This will use pictures taken from several angles to create the three-dimensional computer model. Tim has presented preliminary results at the spring 2005 NKU Celebration of Creativity (poster session), and at the Miami Conference on Mathematics and Statistics (student talk.) Student Rusty Meyers adapted some free software to allow a clear, two-dimensional image of the flies. Regina Cutter, also a student, used this software to create a website to illustrate the usefulness of the software in identifying flies (http://www.nku.edu/~biosci/CoursesNDegree/ForensicFlyKey/Homepage.htm).

Students Heather Gulley, Andrew Buhrlage, Patrick Hogan, Joanna Minch, Micah Murray, Kelly Chastain, and Justin have participated in research projects related to CINSAM. Six (Heather Gulley, Andrew Buhrlage, Patrick Hogan, Micha Murray, Kelly Chastain, and Justin Bench) are going to the Kentucky Academy of Sciences Meeting in November 2005; Heather Gulley went to the National American Chemical Society Meeting March 2005.

CINSAM also continued to fund NKU Geology and Environmental Science students Tiffany Browning and Katy Beth Coode to work as interns with the Cincinnati Museum Center during 2004-2005 academic year. Their responsibilities as interns were to assist the museum professional staff on paleontological research studies that the museum is sponsoring. Student involvement on these projects included preparation and restoration of dinosaur (Diplodocus) bones from the Mother's Day Site in Montana, sediment sorting and cataloging of micro-vertebrate fossils for a paleoclimatological study at the Sheridan Cave Site in northern Ohio and classification of Carboniferous age fossils from a site in Hancock County, Kentucky Dr. John Rockaway, Department of Physics and Geology, served as the liaison.

Chapter IV.
Scholarly Activities
Research Projects Funded and Publications

Outreach Grant Awards of CINSAM From Externally Reviewed Proposals:

Faculty: Lenore Kinne (Department of Elementary and Middle School Science Education), Matthew Zacate (Department of Physics and Geology), Scott Nutter (Department of Physics and Geology), Anjana Arora (Department of Elementary and Middle
School Science Education)
Title: "Seeing Science: A Physics Demonstration for Elementary School Students & Teachers"
Amount: $5,825.00

Faculty: Yvonne Meichtry (Department of Elementary and Middle School Science Education)
Title: "Teacher Professional Development & Center for Environmental Education Leadership Capacity-Building"
Amount: $5,950.00

Faculty: Janet Bertog (Department of Physics and Geology)
Title: "NKU Geology Students in K-12 Classrooms"
Amount: $4,864.50

Faculty: Hazel Barton (Department of Biological Sciences)
Title: "Amazing Caves: The Science of Exploration" (ACSE) Camp
Amount: $5,947.00

Faculty: Miriam Kannan (Department of Biological Sciences), Leo Calderon (Latino Student
Affairs)
Title: "Fun with Science" Camp for Hispanic/Multicultural High School Students
Amount: $7,996.00 (50% to be reimbursed from Latino Program Grant)

Research Grant Awards of CINSAM From Externally Reviewed Proposals:

Faculty: Sarah Johnson (Department of Physics and Geology), John Rockaway (Department of Physics and Geology)
Title: "The Geologic History of Big Bone Lick"
Amount: $8,355.00

Faculty: Kristi Martines (Department of Biological Sciences), KC Russell (Department of Chemistry), Heather Bullen (Department of Chemistry), Stefan Paula (Department of Chemistry)
Title: "Drug Delivery to the Brain: Delivery of De Novo Dendrimers Across the Blood Brain Barrier"
Amount: $18,165.00

Faculty: John Filaseta ((Department of Physics and Geology)), Charles Frank (Department of Mathematics and Computer Science); Student Researchers: Mr. Jason Kretzer, graduate student in Computer Science at NKU. Mr. Juberi Rajib, graduate student in Computer Science at NKU
Title: "Developing an Effective Software Teaching Tool for First Year Physics"
Amount: $3,875.40

Faculty: Scott Nutter (Department of Physics and Geology), Jeff Ward (Department of Mathematics and Computer Science), Matthew Zacate (Department of Physics and Geology)
Title: "Monte Carlo simulation of atmospheric x-ray background radiation due to cosmic ray atmospheric showers"
Amount: $11,929.00

Faculty: Heather Bullen (Department of Chemistry)
Title: "Impact of Aqueous-Metal Oxide Interfaces on Biofilm Formation"
Amount: $15,282.04

Faculty: Hazel Barton (Department of Biological Sciences), Janet Bertog (Department of Physics and Geology), KC Russell (Department of Chemistry), Stuart Oehrle (Department of Chemistry)
Title: "The Chemical & Geological Basis of Microbial Community Subsistence in Extremely Starved Cave Environments"
Amount: $21,264.00

Faculty: Stefan Paula (Department of Chemistry)
Title: "Computer-assisted Discovery of Novel Inhibitors of the Sarco-endoplasmic Reticulum Calcium-ATPase"
Amount: $19,899.29

Faculty: Janet Bertog ((Department of Physics and Geology))
Title: "Preliminary Investigations of the Marine Geology and Paleontology in New Mexico"
Amount: $5,455.00 (Shared with Marietta College at their field station)

Faculty: Samuel Boateng (Department of Physics and Geology)
Title: "Monitoring water quality in a disturbed section of Woolper Creek in Boone County"
Amount: $11,234.13

Faculty: Richard Durtsche (Department of Biological Sciences)
Title: "Development and Implementation of a Microprobe for Testing the pH of Micro Environments"
Amount: $12,805.50

Faculty: Rebecca Evans (Department of Biological Sciences)
Title: "River Run": Analyzing the utility of aqueous conductivity as a surrogate measure of land use impacts on surface water quality parameters”
Amount: $11,316.00 (Joint project with Marshall University, Thomas More College, and the University of Cincinnati)

Other:

Faculty: Dr. Wayne J. Bresser (as P.I.) (Department of Physics and Geology) and Dr. Kisa S. Ranasinghe
Title: "Search for the Rigidity Transition and Intermediate Phase in the Lithium Oxide and Aluminum Oxide Silicate Glass Systems Prepared by the Containerless and Container Method Using MDSC."
Amount: $22,819.00 (June 1, 2005-June 1, 2006). (NOTE: CINSAM supplied matching funds ($3000) for the fabrication of oxide glass samples at the Electrostatic Levitator at the Marshall Space and Flight Center, NASA. The Physics and Geology Department supplied matching funds ($1800) for the purchase of a platinum crucible.

Faculty: Dr. Thomas McK. Sproat, NKU Department of Biological Sciences
Title: "GEAR UP-NKU Field Science Camps"
Amount: $19,500.00 (2005) from GEAR UP Kentucky, Frankfort, KY

Faculty: Dr. Thomas McK. Sproat, NKU Department of Biological Sciences
Title: "GEAR UP-NKU Colorado Field Science Camp"
Amount: $1,777.00 (2005) from Associate Provost for Outreach and Graduate Studies, Northern Kentucky University; $1000.00 (2005) from Dept. of Biological Sciences, Northern Kentucky University; $1000.00 (2005) from CINSAM,
Northern Kentucky University; and $1000.00 (2005) from Office of Grants and Contracts, Northern Kentucky University.

Faculty: Drs. Don Krug, Andy Long, Department of Mathematics (P.I.); Tim Meyers, Student, Department of Mathematics/ Computer Science Major; Dr. Greg Dahlem, Department of Biological Sciences; Regina Cutter, Student, Biology;
Rusty Meyers, Student, Mathematics and Computer Science
Title: "Identification of Forensically Important Flies with Three-Dimensional Imaging"
Amount: $14,694.23 (2003-06)

Faculty: Dr. Rebecca Evans, Department of Biological Sciences
Title: "Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrophotometer (ICP-MS) Analysis of Metals
in Ohio River Water and Zebra Mussel Samples"
From: Faculty Center for Teaching Learning and Technology (FCTLT) scholarly/creative
project grant. Funds awarded November 2004.

Faculty: Dr. Rebecca Evans Department of Biological Sciences
Title: "Analyzing the utility of aqueous conductivity as a surrogate measure of land use impacts on surface water quality"
From: CINSAM Grant Proposal submitted November 2004. Funds awarded May 2005.

Faculty: Hazel A. Barton, Department of Biological Sciences; Janet Bertog, Department of Physics and Geology; K.C. Russell, Department of Chemistry; Stuart Oehrle, Department of Physics and Geology
Title: "Biology and chemistry Interdisciplinary Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (iSURE) at Northern Kentucky University"
Amount: $60,000 (2005-07). Merck/AAAS Undergraduate Science Research Program.

Faculty: Hazel A. Barton, Biological Sciences; Janet Bertog, Physics and Geology; K.C. Russell, Chemistry; Stuart Oehrle, Physics and Geology
Title: "Acquisition of the Rigaku Ultima III X-ray Diffractrometer for Undergraduate Research and Education at Northern Kentucky University."
Amount: $140,000 (2005-06). National Science Foundation: Major Research Instrumentati.

Conference papers and articles accepted for publication by CINSAM-Related Faculty:

Conference Presentations-

  • Boateng, Samuel, NKU Department of Physics and Geology. "Monitoring of water quality in a disturbed section of Woolper Creek, Boone County, KY." American Water Works Association, Kentucky-Tennessee Section, Water Professionals Conference--September 11, 2005.

  • Boateng, Samuel, NKU Department of Physics and Geology. "Analysis of water quality in a channelized creek in Boone County, Kentucky." Kentucky Academy of Sciences (KAS) Conference--Abstract accepted for a poster presentation.

  • Evans, Rebecca L. and Miriam Steinitz-Kannan. "River Run 2005: Including Undergraduate Students in Field Research Projects: Dispelling Myths." Ohio River Basin Consortium for Research and Education Meeting, Huntington, WV, 2005.

  • Evans, Rebecca L. and Ben Lye. "River Run 2005: What is Killing Large Paddlefish in the Ohio River?" Ohio River Basin Consortium for Research and Education Meeting Huntington, WV, 2005.

  • Lye, Ben, Rebecca L. Evans, Miriam Kannan, Mike Miller, and John Hageman. "Zebra mussel control of algal species composition in the Ohio River." Ohio River Basin Consortium for Research and Education Meeting, Huntington, WV, 2005.

  • Chisuta, Telisha Q. and Rebecca L. Evans. "Ohio River Run 2005: A Sociology Perspective." Chisuta, Ohio River Basin Consortium for Research and Education Meeting, Huntington, WV, 2005.

  • Taylor, N., Kreate, M., Janet Bertog, and Hazel A. Barton, . "Geomicrobial Formation of Clays on Dolomitic Surfaces," Association of Professional Geologists Hydrothermal Dolomite Symposium, Denver, CO, , 2004.

  • Taylor, N., Kreate, M., Janet Bertog and Hazel A.Barton. "The Impact of Organic Load on Geomicrobial Mineral Transformation in Cave Environments." American Society of Microbiology, 105th Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA, June 2005.

  • Pemberton, A., Millette, J. and Hazel A. Barton. "Comparative Studies of Oligotrophic Bacteria Cultivated from Jack Bradley Cave, Kentucky." American Society of Microbiology, 105th Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA, June 2005.

  • Taylor, N., Kreate, M., Janet Bertog, and Hazel A. Barton, . "The Impact of Organic Load on Geomicrobial Mineral Transformation in Cave Environments." Union Internationale de Spéléologie, 14th Annual International Congress of Speleology, Athens, Greece, August 2005.

  • Pemberton, A., Millette, J. and Hazel A. Barton. "Comparative Studies of Oligotrophic Bacteria Cultivated from Jack Bradley Cave, Kentucky." Union Internationale de Speleologie, 14th Annual International Congress of Speleology, Athens, Greece. August 2005.

  • Durtsche, Richard D., NKU Department of Biological Sciences. "Chaotic patterns in lizard thermoregulation: Does it exist, and can it explain coexistence?" at the "Biomathematics in the Commonwealth Workshop" Murray State University, Murray, KY, 2005.

  • Bessler, Scott M., Brad Lubbers, and Richard D. Durtsche, NKU Department of Biological Sciences. "Development of a Microprobe for Testing the pH of Microenvironments." Merck/AAAS Celebration of Undergraduate Science Research, Northern Kentucky University, 2005.

  • Baldridge, Ryan D. , S. Gullett, and Richard D. Durtsche, NKU Department of Biological Sciences. "The Thermal Biology of Two Tropical Rainforest Lizard Species." Annual Meetings of the Kentucky Academy of Sciences, Richmond, KY, 2005.

  • Bessler, Scott M., Angela Cleves, Brad Lubbers, and Richard D. Durtsche, NKU Department of Biological Sciences. Determination of Larval Anuran Gut pH Levels with a Newly Developed Solid State Micro-Electrode. Annual Meetings of the Kentucky Academy of Sciences, Richmond, KY, 2005.

  • Durtsche, Richard. D., NKU Department of Biological Sciences, Ryan D. Baldridge, and Sarah Gullett. "Patterns of Thermoregulation in Two Sympatric Tropical Lizards: Are They Chaotic?" Annual Meetings of the Kentucky Academy of Sciences, Richmond, KY, 2005

Papers:

  • Barton, Hazel A., NKU Department of Biological Sciences, and N. R. Pace, . "Persistent Coliform Contamination in Lechuguilla Cave Pools: Discussion. Journal of Cave and Karst Studies. 67(1):55-57, 2005.

  • Barton, Hazel A., NKU Department of Biological Sciences. "Career Series II. Combining Microbiology with Other Interests: Hobbies, Holes, and Hollywood." Focus on Microbiology Education. 11(3): 7-12. 2005.

  • Nutter, Scott, NKU Department of Physics and Geology, Cosmic Ray Energetics And Mass: First Flight and Beyond E. S. Seo, et al., Proc. Rencontres de Moriond, Very High Energy Phenomena in the Universe. La Thulie, Italy, in press, 2005.

  • Nutter, Scott, NKU Department of Physics and Geology, S. Coutu et al. (CREAM Collaboration), "Performance of the transition radiation detector and the timing charge detector in the first flight of the CREAM instrument," Proceedings of the 29th International Cosmic Ray Conference. Pune, India. 200).

  • Nutter, Scott, NKU Department of Physics and Geology, With N.H. Park et al. (CREAM Collaboration), "The first flight measurement with the CREAM Silicon Charge Detector," Proceedings of the 29th International Cosmic Ray Conference. Pune, India. 2005.

  • Nutter, Scott, NKU Department of Physics and Geology, With M.H. Lee et al. (CREAM Collaboration), "Performance of the CREAM calorimeter module during its first flight of 42 days," Proceedings of the 29th International Cosmic Ray Conference. Pune, India . 2005.

  • Nutter, Scott, NKU Department of Physics and Geology, With S.Y. Zinn et al. (CREAM Collaboration), "The data acquisition software system of the 2004/2005 CREAM experiment," Proceedings of the 29th International Cosmic Ray Conference. Pune, India. 2005.

  • Nutter, Scott, NKU Department of Physics and Geology, With J. Yang et al. (CREAM Collaboration), "Performance of the CREAM silicon charge detector during its first flight," Proceedings of the 29th International Cosmic Ray Conference. Pune, India. 2005.

  • Nutter, Scott, NKU Department of Physics and Geology, With Y.S. Yoon et al. (CREAM Collaboration), "Flight operations during the first CREAM balloon flight," Proceedings of the 29th International Cosmic Ray Conference. Pune, India. 2005.

  • Nutter, Scott, NKU Department of Physics and Geology, With H.S. Ahn et al. (CREAM Collaboration), "CREAM flight data processing," Proceedings of the 29th International Cosmic Ray Conference. Pune, India. 2005.

  • Nutter, Scott, NKU Department of Physics and Geology, With P.S. Marrocchesi et al. (CREAM Collaboration), "Reconstruction of showers in the calorimeter during the first flight of the CREAM balloon experiment," Proceedings of the 29th International Cosmic Ray Conference. Pune, India. 2005.

  • Nutter, Scott, NKU Department of Physics and Geology, With E.S. Seo et al. (CREAM Collaboration), "The record breaking 42-day balloon flight of CREAM," Proceedings of the 29th International Cosmic Ray Conference. Pune, India. 2005.

  • Nutter, Scott, NKU Department of Physics and Geology, With A. Yagi et al. (CREST Collaboration), "CREST: a cosmic-ray electron synchrotron telescope to measure TeV electrons," Proceedings of the 29th International Cosmic Ray Conference. Pune, India. 2005.

  • Lauer, Andrew M., Ken Mousseau; K.C. Russell , NKU Department of Chemistry, "Towards Synthesis of Novel Enediyne Anti-Cancer Drugs". Norse Scientist, 2, 67 - 74. 2004.

  • Stamper, Shelley A., ; Anthony Martinez; K.C. Russell, NKU Department of Chemistry "Synthesis and Characteristics of Dehydroheteroarylannulene (DHA) Precursors". Norse Scientist, 2, 75 - 80. 2004.

  • Bray, Adrian J.; Shawn McAvoy; K.C. Russell, NKU Department of Chemistry, "Towards the Synthesis of Dehydrobenzoannulenes". Norse Scientist , 2, 81 - 85. 2004
  • Vollmar, Anne M. ; Amanda Trout; K.C. Russell, NKU Department of Chemistry, "Towards the Synthesis of a DNA Cleaving Enediyne". Norse Scientist, , 2, 87 - 91. 2004.

  • Gulley, H. J.; Heather A. Bullen. NKU Department of Chemistry. "Impact of Aqueous-Metal Oxide Interfaces on Biofilm Formation: ATR-FTIR as an In-Situ Approach to Probe Bacterial Adhesion" ACS National Meeting, San Diego, CA, March 2005.

Chapter V
CINSAM Operations
Office Staff, Faculty, Academic Programs

Staff:

The work of CINSAM is carried out by its staff along with many faculty members from the departments noted in the Introduction. The FY 2004-05 staff of CINSAM consisted of the following:

Full-time:
Dr. C. Dale Elifrits-Interim Director; Pre-Engineering Program Director in Physics and Geology and Outreach Director for CINSAM
Ms. Betty Stephens - Outreach Coordinator
Ms. Reeda Hart, Assistant Outreach Coordinator
Mr. Charles Bowen - Computer Technical Specialist for Sciences
Ms. Karen M. Ware - Program Manager
Ms. Tina Peebles - Administrative Secretary
Mr. Lee Weiner - Computer Technical Specialist for Computer Science
Ms. Megan Carr- Biology Lab Technician
Dr. Denice Robertson, Science 110 Coordinator

Part-time:
Amanda True, Secretary, Department of Biological Sciences; various students who assist in the preparation for and delivery of events and programs.

Faculty:
The CINSAM-related departments had the following numbers of full-time faculty during FY 2004-05 (Those mentioned by name have positions funded by CINSAM):

Biological Sciences-Twenty-three full-time, including:
Charles Acosta
Hildegard Baldridge
Richard Durtsche
Rebecca Evans
Denice Robertson
Thomas Sproat
Physics and Geology
Twelve, full-time including:
Wayne Bresser
Samuel Boateng
Dale Eliftris
John Rockaway
Chemistry
Thirteen full-time including:
Roger Blanchard
James Gawenis
David Ledden
K. C. Russell
Keith Walters

Mathematics and Computer Science-Thirty-four full-time faculty including:
James Hauser
Andrew Long

College of Education (Elementary, Middle, and Secondary Education Departments)-Fifteen full-time faculty including:
One open position, search currently ongoing

CINSAM- Three full-time faculty, including:
C. Dale Elifrits (Interim Director)
Betty Stephens
Reeda Hart

Enrolled Students- The programs in the CINSAM related departments had the following numbers of majors as of fall 2004:
Biological Sciences 210
Chemistry 82
Mathematics
Computer Science 198
Mathematics 45
Math Education 5
Math Pre-education 45
Physics & Geology
Geology 36
Physics 35
Pre-engineering 40
Technology 110
Education*
Elementary Education 179
Pre-Elementary 405
Middle School 82
Pre-Middle School 129
Graduate Students (Education)*
General 99
Elementary 193
Middle 25
Secondary 58
* Numbers are not available for majors specializing in science and/or mathematics education

Scholarships-CINSAM scholarships cover full in-state tuition, on-campus housing, and a book allowance. As such, they are among the most generous on campus:
Jennifer Clark
Kayla Evans
Nicholas Georgescu
Brian Hoffman
Jared Weatherford
Denise Carter
Thomas Fabre
Lucas Hammons
Nicole King
Andre Maitre
Jared Patton
Paula Smith
Megan Starrett
Mathew Zinser

Professional activity and effort to establish a national reputation:
CINSAM has coordinated and supported the activity of faculty members and their students on many diverse projects. Each of these projects involved faculty members and undergraduate students from among the disciplines of biology, mathematics, computer science, physics, geology, and/or chemistry.

At this stage in CINSAM's history, it is difficult to assess any long-range impact the program will have. The first of CINSAM scholarship recipients have only just graduated and their influence in the work force and in scientific fields has yet to achieve a measurable force. As the program progresses however, in the near future, the means exist to track students who have participated in the CINSAM-sponsored camps, science fairs, and other events. We may then determine as they become college-age if they select Northern Kentucky University as their school of choice.

In the short term, CINSAM has provided faculty, students, and teachers in the community with funding, which, in many cases, finds its way into the local economy. CINSAM programs also have helped teachers enhance their skills and thus make them more valuable to their own school systems.

The success of this work with K-12 teachers is well indexed by the 10 to 15% improvement in fourth grade level student test scores in science in the elementary schools of one county where school administrators have shared these data with CINSAM.
CINSAM will continue to pursue data to support the effectiveness of its outreach programs to teachers as data are released to CINSAM by school administrators. Further, with the advancement of the middle school aged students who were served at that age level by CINSAM student camps, CINSAM is developing strategies to assess these students' progress toward educations and/or careers that were are influenced by participation in CINSAM camps.

Clearly, the progress of CINSAM-funded research is well indexed by the number of presentations and publications that undergraduate students and their faculty mentors produce and have accepted for presentation and/or publication each year. This level of achievement compares quite favorable with that of graduate students and faculty members at Ph.D. granting research institutions.