A Message from the Dean - April 2020
Let me begin by welcoming Dr. Kevin Leonard as the incoming Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences! I have already reached out to him so we can work together to make the transition this summer as seamless as possible. Neither of us, I’m sure, imagined this transition occurring in the midst of a global pandemic. However, I look forward to collaborating with him as he moves into the dean’s office and begins to lead this outstanding College. I hope I will be able to find the time to get back into the dean’s office and organize it for him!
The nature of time is, in many ways, the ultimate scientific mystery. Why is there an “arrow of time” that seemingly is imposed on the physical universe? Why does time have a direction at all? Other than the second law of thermodynamics and inevitable increase in entropy, there is no clear physical law that imposes such an arrow. The perception of time is so odd. What role does human consciousness play in the perception, or even creation, of time?
And why does it seem that we’ve been stuck at home for years?! Has it really only been a month? Details of my former life are fading from memory. Why do I have all of these dress shirts and ties hanging in my closet? Do I even remember how to tie a tie?
While some mysteries remain unsolved, there is no mystery concerning the great work being done during this difficult time by our students, faculty and staff. Thank you so much for everything that you are doing to keep the College of Arts and Sciences working as smoothly as possible. The transition has not been entirely seamless, to be sure. Yet, given the enormity of the effort required, I have been truly inspired by our collective dedication to our instructional, creative and scholarly missions.
As a wonderful example, our faculty spotlight this month falls on Jessica DeSpain, PhD, co-director of the IRIS Center and professor in the Department of English Language and Literature. With the support of a $50,000 National Endowment for the Humanities grant, DeSpain is leading a team of 20 collaborators from across the country in the project: Society for the Study of American Women Writers (SSAWW) Recovery Hub, a national effort to recover forgotten and little-known literature by women authors in digital environments.
The creativity of our students is not confined to our planet’s surface! Biological sciences graduate student Sophie Bandurski was a finalist in the Growing Beyond Earth Maker Contest, earning acclaim for her team’s creation of an Aeroponic Microgravity Planting System. According to Bandurski, and her contest partner, Daniel Sarafconn, a mechanical design and robotics engineer, their system prototypes future growth chambers that could successfully cultivate lettuce and other produce in space.
It’s always rewarding to see our graduates receive national recognition. Alumnus Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times has been chosen as the top 2019 national large-publication sports columnist by the Associated Press sports editors. No stranger to accolades, it is the eighth time he has received the award. Plaschke earned a bachelor’s in mass communications in 1980 from the SIUE College of Arts and Sciences. He has multiple other columnist awards and community service awards and was inducted to the CAS Alumni Hall of Fame in 2009.
One hopeful consequence of this pandemic is a renewed and expanded sense of community service. Department of Environmental Sciences Assistant Professor Ben Greenfield, PhD, learned that Centreville’s sewer system infrastructure was in disrepair, causing raw sewage and flood water to seep into residents’ yards and homes. He joined a multidisciplinary coalition of researchers, scholars and attorneys working to support the Centreville residents. As a living example of community impact, Greenfield provides guidance on environmental study and design, public health and data interpretation.
Finally, we have a great story from our Department of Social Work about how our students are dealing with this time of academic challenge for SIUE and the nation. Ariel Jones, PhD, assistant professor in the SIUE Department of Social Work discusses how her students have stepped up to simulate clients with real-life problems in an online environment exposing her students to the dynamics of providing telehealth services.
Finally, since I started this column with a discussion of time, let me finish with a time-lapse video of spring emerging. Follow this link to see our cherry tree’s blossoms emerge over a three-day period. May the beauty of nature provide us peaceful consolation during our continued time at home.
Best wishes until next month,
Greg Budzban, PhD
Dean, College of Arts and Sciences
