Former astronaut encourages scientific exploration and persistance

Former astronaut Leland Melvin kicked off the Randolph College Science Festival with a lecture about his journey to becoming an astronaut. He advised students in the audience to explore science by experiencing it and never giving up.

Melvin explained how he gained experience in science while growing up in Lynchburg with parents who were teachers. Science was more than just book learning, he said. He learned about problem solving, creating, and experimenting through experiences such as helping his dad convert a bread delivery truck into an RV, building his own skateboard, and playing with a chemistry set.

“Science isn’t just about reading in a book,” he said. “Science is about making things.”

Melvin explained that he first learned about persistence during a high school football game when he dropped a touchdown pass, but the coach called the same play again. On the second try, he caught the pass, winning the game for Lynchburg’s Heritage High School and helping win him a college scholarship. He said the same kind of persistence is needed in science.

“If we had quit after the first five launches that failed, we never would have gone to the moon,” he said. He asked whether any students in the audience had ever failed a test, and he encouraged them to continue learning and trying to succeed. “You have to just keep moving,” he said.

After his talk, he answered questions from the audience and signed autographs and posed for photos with fans.

For photos from Melvin’s talk, check out the Science Festival 2014 Facebook album. Also, read this article in the News & Advance for more details about his talk.

Former astronaut, Lynchburg native Leland Melvin to speak at Science Festival 2014

Drone races, poetry and photography competitions, and a former astronaut, Lynchburg’s own Leland Melvin, will highlight the 6th annual Randolph College Science Festival.

The Science Festival is an annual series of free, public events that allow the public to discover and celebrate the beauty of science and its connection to many aspects of life. The multi-day event has grown significantly since it first began in 2009.

Leland Melvin

This year, the festival gets off to an early start with a 3.14 mile Pi Run at 6:30 p.m. on March 14 at WildCat Stadium.

The main series of events begins Thursday, March 27, when Melvin will deliver the keynote address at 7:30 p.m. in Smith Hall Theatre. Melvin is an engineer, educator, and a former two-time space shuttle astronaut who serves as the associate administrator for education for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). A graduate of Heritage High School, he also played professional football before joining NASA.

“We are really excited to have Lynchburg native Leland Melvin as our keynote speaker,” said Peter Sheldon, director of the Science Festival. “We are so lucky to have this hometown hero come back to speak on our campus.”

Science Day, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary, is scheduled for March 29. The popular event features an afternoon of activities for students in grades 3-6. Registration for Science Day opens on January 18. The Randolph College Nursery School also will host Science Day for Little Scientists, for children ages 3-7, for the second year.

Science Day provides an afternoon of science-
based activities for students in grades 3-6

Other highlights of the 2014 Science Festival include:
• The return of the popular science poetry contest, and a new photography contest, for K-12 students; Entries must be submitted by February 14
• A screening of the film Gravity with commentary about its scientific accuracy
• The opportunity to race remote-control drones during the Drop-In Science Activities on Sunday, March 30
• A regional Cub Scout Pinewood Derby

Visit www.randolphscience.org for a full schedule of events and rules for the poetry and photography competitions.

The Randolph College Science Festival grew from Science Day, which was started by students in 2005. The popularity of Science Day, which routinely fills its registration early, led to the creation of an even bigger festival that would allow Randolph to share the beauty, fun, and relevance of science to all ages. The event has grown to encompass multiple days. It is organized and operated by the Randolph College Society of Physics Students and other student, staff, and faculty volunteers around campus.

High school students invited to weekend science, music, and dance classes

Two new Randolph programs are offering high school students the opportunity to participate in free college workshops in science, music, and dance this fall.

Learn more about Science Saturdays

Science Saturdays, a series of 10 weekend science programs, will take place every Saturday from October 5 through Dec. 14. Sessions will cover topics such as organic gardening, neuroscience with cockroaches, the science of dietary supplements, and the challenge of launching a rocket that can carry an egg safely to the ground.

“This is an opportunity to get a real hands-on, college laboratory experience,” said Peter Sheldon, a Randolph physics professor who helped plan Science Saturdays. “Science Saturdays provides a great opportunity for students to explore diverse and engaging science topics.”

Learn more about Randolph: First String

Randolph: First String is a full-day program with Luca Trombetta, a Randolph music instructor, on October 19. “Luca is a fabulous musician who has played in some significant venues under some very significant conductors, and we’re very fortunate to have him,” said Randall Speer, a music professor coordinating Randolph: First String.

Participants in the program will perform pieces from an audition package for Trombetta and Speer. “We will critique the strength of the audition itself and give them pointers on what they should do to strengthen that audition,” Speer said. “It will be valuable information for them.”

Trombetta also will lead a master class in which selected participants will play their instruments on stage. Trombetta will then help these students improve their skills, allowing the participants in the audience to discover ways they can address challenges in their own playing.

The Randolph College Department of Dance also will host a master class for local high school students. Invitation to Dance will be held on October 26 with two classes taught by Dominique Palmer and Pam Risenhoover, as well as a forum for local dance instructors.

Randolph created Science Saturdays and Randolph: First String to reach out to high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors, introduce them to college-level instruction, and let them meet Randolph’s nationally-acclaimed faculty. Both of these programs are free, but seats are limited. Learn more about these programs, and register to attend, at www.randolphcollege.edu/sciencesaturdays and www.randolphcollege.edu/firststring.

Local mentors meet Randolph science students

Participants in Randolph College’s summer program for first-year science, math, and engineering students recently met mentors who will provide advice and direction as the students advance through science programs and pursue careers.

Genevieve Neale '93, right, talks with Anthony Quinn '17, a student she will mentor
as part of the SUPER program for students interested in science careers.

The students and mentors held their first meeting at lunch on Monday. They will continue to meet throughout the academic year so the mentors can help the guide the students toward their goals.

Mentorship is an important part of Step Up to Physical Science and Engineering at Randolph (SUPER), a program funded by the National Science Foundation. The program aims to help students excel in science and engineering curricula and pursue crucial careers.

Kelly Hazlegrove, an environmental scientist at the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, said she enjoyed the opportunity to meet the SUPER student she will mentor. She added that she sees this as an opportunity to help students turn an interest in science into a life direction. “At that age, they might not be aware of the career paths available to them. This will open doors for them,” Hazlegrove said. “The mentoring can help guide them in their studies.”

Sienna Brown '17 talks with her mentor in the SUPER program.

Three alumnae of the College are serving as mentors for the students: Rebecca VanWitzenburg Skeen ’05, a research and development chemist at C.B. Fleet; Ruth Herbert Maragni ’80, a registered nurse and human resources official for Centra Health; and Genevieve Neale ’93, owner and veterinarian for Paw Prints Mobile Medicine for Pets.

“We have matched each SUPER student with an industry professional who works in a career in which the student is interested,” said Peter Sheldon, a Randolph physics professor who directs the SUPER program. “We expect that the mentors will become a friend, a guide, and a resource that will help our students find their way to their passion. We expect that these mentoring relationships will aid our students in finding their career path, will help to provide them with meaningful internships, and will ultimately lead to a career in science.”

School starts for Randolph first years heading for science careers

The first group of the class of 2017 has already started classes at Randolph.

Twenty-four students are participating in a first-year summer program for talented students with an interest in science, mathematics, and engineering. Designed to help students excel in difficult science and math fields, Step Up to Physical Science and Engineering at Randolph (SUPER) is supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation.

On Thursday, the SUPER students had their first class and enjoyed lunch with Bradley W. Bateman, president of Randolph College.

For the next two weeks, the SUPER students will take classes and work on laboratory assignments. Throughout their years at Randolph, they will receive academic services and mentoring to help them excel in demanding courses and prepare for graduate studies and careers as scientists and engineers.

“We are pleased to welcome the largest class of SUPER students we have ever had, and the first group who was recruited to the program with the help of the National Science Foundation grant,” said Peter Sheldon, a physics professor and director of the Center for Student Research. “These students have proven their potential to excel in science, and I look forward to seeing them meet that potential and to train as the nation’s future scientists with the help of this program and Randolph faculty.”

Randolph College launched SUPER in 2010, and in 2012 the National Science Foundation awarded a $600,000 grant to help Randolph build and expand the program. Some participants in the SUPER program receive additional scholarships to help pay for tuition. Learn more about the SUPER program at www.randolphcollege.edu/super.

Students present research at conference for women in science

A recent nationwide conference honoring college women for their accomplishments in science included two Randolph College students.

Zahra Adahman ’14 and Chiamaka Asinugo ’14 were selected to present their research in the Conference of Undergraduate Women in Physical Sciences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Chiamaka Asinugo ’14 presents earthquake research at the Conference of
Undergraduate Women in Physical Sciences at University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

“It was such a great environment to have all these women and be able to sit down and talk about physics, and about science in general,” Adahman said.

Asinugo said she applied to present at the conference at the suggestion of Tatiana Gilstrap, a physics and environmental studies professor with whom she conducted research this summer. She was honored and humbled to be chosen to attend.

“There are so many research programs being conducted, and I have come to find that every contribution—no matter how little—is vital on the broad scale,” Asinugo said.

Asinugo presented research from her summer project with Gilstrap. They analyzed seismic data from several earthquakes, including the aftershocks following the August 2011 earthquake in Virginia.

Zahra Adahman ’14 presents her research about the ultrasonic  mouse vocalizations

Adahman gave a 15-minute talk about research she has conducted with physics professor Katrin Schenk for the past two years. They are studying the ultrasonic vocalizations of mouse pups and the ways that mouse mothers respond. They hope to learn things from studying the mice that could shed light on autism and other communication disorders that affect humans.

“My long term goal is what really keeps me into science. I want to be a doctor,” Adahman said. “Research is very important in medicine, and I want to be involved in it.”