College Relations and Marketing |
Released: 8/31/2009 - PDF Version - Printer Friendly
WAHPETON, N.D. – (August 31, 2009) – Kevin Gyolai, Ph.D., professor, and William Shay, Ph.D., assistant professor, both of the math and science department at the North Dakota State College of Science, have received the NASA-North Dakota Space Grant Consortium – Summer Faculty Fellowship Awards.
Gyolai’s project, Writing a Comprehensive Manual for the Culture of Animal Cells in BIOL 105L at NDSCS, was designed to enhance the animal cell culturing unit of the Biology 150 lab by expanding the introductory section to better prepare entry-level students for the cell culturing experiments and to write a student manual for the unit. It was also designed to organize the student manuals for each unit into a comprehensive student manual for the entire course. Having a comprehensive course manual will help the students prepare for the experiments and better understand the interconnectedness of the course units.
Shay’s project, Redesigning the Organic Chemistry Laboratories to Incorporate Active Learning and Experimental Design, was made to redesign the organic chemistry laboratories to exclusively involve guided-inquiry and critical thinking techniques. Instead of a step-by-step recipe where every experimental detail and the desired results are provided, a procedural overview for each experiment will be provided to the students. Students will design significant portions of each experiment. The revised experiments are designed for students to take an active role in the learning process, and to increase student engagement. Thus, students will be exposed to a laboratory environment that facilitates curiosity and critical thinking by learning how science is actually done.
NDSCS is a two-year, comprehensive, residential college with its main campus located in Wahpeton, N.D., and a second site, referred to as the Skills and Technology Training Center, located in Fargo, N.D. NDSCS offers degrees, certificates, and diplomas in over 80 academic options in traditional career and technical studies as well as the liberal arts. The college also offers a variety of Distance Education courses. Approximately 95% of graduates from its technical programs find jobs in their chosen fields.
Unlike most two-year colleges, NDSCS boasts a university atmosphere for its students, complete with residence halls, 35 affiliated clubs and organizations, music groups, theater productions, intercollegiate athletics, intramural athletics, and numerous social activities. For more information, visit www.ndscs.edu.
