science
September 8, 2016
Igniting interest for females in computer science
The future of female computer scientists lays in the hands of Jeanette Shown, associate professor of computer science and information technology, and Meghan Gerke, junior computer science major. This fall, Shown and Gerke will use their $8,500 grant from Google’s IgniteCS program to help spark interest in computer science in young girls at Goshen Middle School. IgniteCS focuses on “[making] a difference in local communities through [computer science] leadership,” according to their mission statement. Last year, Google contacted Shown after the deadline for the grant was due and asked if she would be interested in applying. “I think one of...
February 18, 2016
Goshen College hosts Science Olympiad
Goshen College hosts 21 teams at 2016 Science Olympiad Tournament Local middle and high school students traveled to Goshen College on Saturday to take part in the 2016 Science Olympiad. Beginning in 1983, the Science Olympiad has grown to involve over 12,000 schools nationwide. The event is fashioned after the Olympic games, offering various competitive events where students exhibit their knowledge of science through projects or timed group challenges.Each team of students participate with the goal of earning enough points to progress onto state-level competition. A total of 13 high school teams and eight middle school teams participated in the...
February 18, 2016
Sensenig’s research provides opportunity for undergraduates
Dr. Ryan Sensenig, associate professor of biological & environmental sciences and environmental science program director at Goshen College, received his his doctorate from the University of California Davis in 2007 for his work in grazing-fire interactions in east African savannas. However, Sensenig did not finish his work in Kenya once he finished his dissertation. Teaming up with several other scientists out of UC Davis, University of Utah and Karatina University out of Kenya, Sensenig and his colleagues have engaged undergraduates from both Goshen and Kenya in an opportunity to aid in field ecology research. Shortly after the May Term period,...
March 26, 2015
Annual Conference on Science and Religion
This past weekend, Goshen College held its 14th Conference on Science and Religion. The conference included discussion sessions, devotionals and several lectures with retired Princeton Professor of Philosophy Wentzel van Huyssteen. Van Huyssteen was born and raised in South Africa. His interest in religion comes in part from parents, who were missionaries. He has an extensive academic background in the intersection between science and religion. Topics discussed during the conference ranged from free will to the distinction between humans and animals. Van Huyssteen addressed the human capacities for religion, morality and cognition. “No language can be spoken for which the...
September 17, 2014
Goshen Women Take On The Sciences
In the past decade, science labs and lecture halls have increasingly filled with women who are interested in the discipline. But many of these women run the risk of feeling like an outsider—like they don’t belong in the sciences because they aren’t good enough. Why would they feel this way? The answer is simple: because they are women. These particular feelings are called impostor syndrome, and here on Goshen College’s campus, we have a group of women determined to prevent it. “Having that sense of community there and knowing there are other women around can be nice to have,” Maria...
March 12, 2014
Moritz to Speak at Annual Religion and Science Conference
Goshen College’s 14th annual conference on Religion and Science will bring new light to human uniqueness and the image of God. The conference, held this Friday through Sunday at the Church-Chapel, is a weekend created to provide a space for discussion and dialogue between religion and science topics, all prompted by a special lecturer. This year’s speaker is Joshua M. Moritz, a lecturer of philosophical theology and natural sciences at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, Calif., as well as adjunct professor of philosophy at the University of San Francisco and managing editor of the journal of Theology and Science....
November 8, 2013
Smith seeks secret of pigeon coloring
“So you’re a scientist?” are a combination of words Dan Smith, professor of chemistry at Goshen College, hates to hear because what follows is a question that has no answer. This is also a question that sparked his interest in researching pigeon coloring. As a child he would catch pigeons in a barn near his home in New Holland, Pennsylvania. The farmer said that he could keep any pigeons he caught to breed. He got involved in chemistry due to his love of science and father who was his high school physics teacher. He said, “I couldn’t do physics because...
September 18, 2013
Summer Course in Kenya Connects Students and Environment
Two years ago, Ryan Sensenig, biology and environmental science professor and department chair, took a group of four students on a research trip to the Kenyan savannah that, he said, was strictly scientific. Although their research on the effects of fire on the environment led to significant developments, Sensenig realized after the trip that there was more to take note of than data. A dynamic component of the experience was missing: the human aspect, he said. So, for the group of six students who travelled to Kenya for a class with Sensenig last summer, the intention was not only to...
April 3, 2013
Science department awarded national grant
Beginning this fall, Goshen College will award a new science scholarship to students, thanks to the hard work of several planners and grant writers at the college. Last month, the college announced that a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant totaling $598,000 had been awarded to the college. This money will become available over a five-year period and will fund the Leaf Scholarship, a new, need-based award possible for incoming first-generation college students with strong abilities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). According to David Housman, professor of mathematics, the grant proposal was first written and submitted in the summer...
April 3, 2013
Finding intersections between religion and science
The Goshen College Conference on Science and Religion has covered a variety of topics over the years, including cosmology, perfection and evolution. The theme this year is "Becoming Human: Weaving Together Genetics and Personhood." Lectures will be given by Gayle E. Woloschak, a professor of radiation oncology, radiology and cell and molecular biology at Northwestern University. Carl Helrich, retired professor of physics, was the instigator of the original conference in 2001, or as he puts it, “guilty for the vision.” Helrich commented that they would love to see more than just scientists in attendance, especially those in fields pertaining to...
March 21, 2012
MRSS chapter to host Science and Religion Conference
The Midwest Religion and Science Society chapter at Goshen College will attempt to create dialogue about the relationship between religion and science this year at the twelfth annual Science and Religion Conference. MRSS hosts two conferences a year, one at Goshen College in March and the other at Andrews University in October. The March conference will be held this weekend from Friday to Sunday. Celia Deane-Drummond, the featured speaker at the conference this weekend, is a professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame. Her educational career began at Cambridge University, where she earned a degree in natural sciences,...
March 8, 2012
Biology department to welcome new professor
Next academic year will bring a new face to the biology department’s faculty. Dr. Kristopher Schmidt accepted an invitation to join the faculty as an assistant professor of biology, a tenure-track position. Possessing a master’s degree in neuropathology from the University of British Columbia and currently completing his Ph.D. at Trinity Western University, Schmidt specializes in molecular biology and biochemistry. Schmidt is specifically interested in attracting students to the pre-medical programs here. He will also bring with him an active research program that will be open for student contribution. Schmidt has had several years of undergraduate teaching experience. “Dr. Schmidt...
November 2, 2011
Students, professor study African savannah
Imagine a summer spent flying over the tops of trees in a savannah, watching elephants, zebras, giraffes and hyenas pad the grasses below. For four Goshen College students and one professor, this past June provided an opportunity to do just that. Ryan Sensenig, an associate professor of biology and field research, led a six-week trip to Africa, with Luke Zehr, a junior, David Stoesz, a senior and recent graduates Tori Yoder and Laura Schlabach. The trip was a follow-up visit for Sensenig, who had done previous research in Kenya and had been planning to take students along with him for...
February 17, 2011
Biology students anticipate summer in Kenya
Biology professor and Tanzania SST leader Ryan Sensenig’s stay in Africa will extend this summer as he continues research in Kenya. In 2004 and 2005, Sensenig traveled to Kenya for the first time to conduct research on the effects of burning grasslands on large grazing animals. His results from this research were published last year in the journal Ecology. “The goal of the project is to understand how large grazers of varying body size make use of burned areas through time,” said Sensenig. “I varied the sizes of the burns and we’ll be examining whether the spatial scale of the burns...
February 10, 2011
Indiana Science Olympiad brings area schools to campus
The Indiana Science Olympiad brought local students, science, and fun to campus. As snow coated the Goshen campus last Saturday, 180 students from local schools competed in the Science Olympiad regional tournament. Science Olympiad is modeled off the Olympics and teams of 15 people from seven middle schools and five high schools participated in 23 hands-on science events. Amidst the snow flurries on Saturday, a group of students shot off bottle rockets on the lawn by the Yoder dorms. This event required competing teams to build 2 bottle rockets aimed to stay afloat for the longest period of time. In...