Academics

Forget the Freshman 15. A new weight-gain worry is cropping up among adults called the Quarantine 15 — the weight that people have been gaining since they’ve been sheltering at home. But Dr. Zach Zeigler, Associate Professor in the Health Science Department of the College of Science, Engineering and Technology, said the habits that are predictors for weight gain in this stressful time can be changed. His coronavirus weight-gain academic paper — he shares credits with six student researchers — was published recently by the journal Obesity Research & Clinical Practice.

The Technology Department continues to help build the nation’s cybersecurity community, thanks to a $100,000 grant awarded by the National Security Agency and National Science Foundation. The GenCyber grant will be used to support a free summer camp on the GCU campus in 2021 designed to help high school educators teach cybersecurity. “We’re in trouble if we’re not creating the next generation,” said Dr. Heather Monthie, Associate Dean of Technology in the College of Science, Engineering and Technology.

What makes Dr. Brandon O’Neil’s doctoral degree so interesting is where he conducted his dissertation defense: via Zoom while he was on Air Force deployment in Saudi Arabia — and, on top of that, under the threat of a missile attack. Fortunately, it all went well.

Lynette Collins has brought her real-world experience to her GCU online classes in social sciences and education for 10 years. The adjunct instructor was selected as the featured teacher for April in Honored, a nonprofit that promotes excellent teaching. But you’ll also see her the latest season of “Girls Incarcerated” on Netflix. Here’s why.

After Dr. Yolanda Stokes earned her doctorate, she wanted to do something for the learners following in her footsteps. So she wrote a manual, “Starting to Finish: A Doctoral Journey,” and also meets with learners to help them even further. The College of Doctoral Studies provides similar assistance with its DC Network.

John Varkey was in Dr. Melissa Trombley’s Science of Solid Materials class when he had an epiphany: He wants to help advance the field of quantum computing, in which researchers are working on building ultra computers. The recent Electrical Engineering graduate will continue on his academic path as a student and research assistant at The Graduate School at the University of Notre Dame.

When a teaching job for Dr. Steven Mohler (pictured) depended on approval of his dissertation, the College of Doctoral Studies sped up the process. Mohler praised the work of his committee, led by Dr. Kevin McClean. “He was very helpful, very supportive and went to bat for me several times at the college to make sure that the process continued on,” said Mohler, who got the job.

The postponement of Commencement wasn’t going to stop the College of Doctoral Studies from celebrating its spring 2020 graduates — it just had to get creative. Friday morning, it hosted a virtual celebration of its graduates.

Karisa Neels, who graduated last month, not only overcame a tough childhood to excel at GCU, she landed a rare full scholarship to New England Law. What she decided to do while there was borne of that tragedy. She wants to help victims of domestic violence.

Dr. Eric Peterson refused to let the postponed Commencement ceremony dampen his enthusiasm about earning a doctoral degree. But what stands out about his story is that he had virtually no time to prepare for defending his dissertation because he spent most of the day with his mother at a hospital. It still turned out fine. “God knew what I needed,” he said.