College of Science, Engineering and Technology

College of Science, Engineering and Technology Assistant Dean Dr. Jon Valla and Sciences Program Director Dr. Bina Vanmali knew their college needed a course that honed students’ critical thinking and analysis skills. So they tasked the faculty with doing just that. More than a dozen faculty from across disciplines, led by Andrea Strock and Dr. Brian Sillanpaa, went into think-tank mode and redesigned Science 150. About 1,000 prehealth and forensic science students took the hands-on, project-based course in the fall. The neat thing about SCI-150? It teaches science concepts through music-based projects, including students building their own musical instruments and Rube Goldberg machines.

GCU News Bureau A special edition of the Journal of Instructional Research features several articles from Grand Canyon University faculty. JIR features theoretical and empirically-based research articles, critical reflection pieces, case studies and classroom innovations relevant to best practices in post-secondary instruction (including teaching, learning and assessment). The articles listed below are available here: “Defining Effective Online Pedagogy,” John Steele, Rick Holbeck, Jean Mendernach Ten Strategic Points: A Framework for Doctoral Dissertations Students to Conceptualize their Research Design in a Doctoral Residency Program,” Cynthia Bainbridge, Christie McClendon, June Maul “The Goldilocks Paradox: The Need for Instructor Presence but Not Too Much in an Online Discussion Forum,” Elizabeth Larson, Jacob Aroz, Eric Nordin “Virtual Professional Communities: Integrative Faculty Support to Foster Effective Teaching,” Katie Sprute, Crystal McCabe, Lynn Basko, Paul Danuser “Exploring Quiz-Style PowerPoint Games as an Innovative e-Learning and Teaching Pedagogy,” Nikki Squire “Reflective Practice through Mentorship: A Program Reflection,” Emily Pottinger, Rebekah Dyer and Jena Akard “Using OBS to Create Video Lectures for Online Counseling Students,” Daniel A. Kauffman “Active Classrooms: Great for Academic Performance, but can They Improve Student Health? A Critical Literature Review,” Mike Swoboda The Intersection of Theory and Practice in Teacher Preparation Courses,” Brandon Juarez “Alternative Mentoring for Psychology Students,” […]

Photos by Ralph Freso and Elizabeth Tinajero GCU News Bureau The 2 p.m. ceremony Friday in Winter Commencement at Grand Canyon University featured graduates of the College of Education, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, College of Science, Engineering and Technology and the College of Theology.  

GCU’s HOSA (Health Occupation Students of America) chapter likes to keep busy and capped off the fall semester by speaking at the Arizona HOSA Fall Leadership Conference and then, two days later, volunteering for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s annual Light the Night Walk.

Virtual museums, virtual tours of the White House, a virtual skeletal cadaver lab — they all became reality in Dr. Isac Artzi’s CS 320 Human-Computer Interaction Class. Computer science students created a slew of imaginative VR and mixed reality projects, which they presented during a mini VR showcase on Monday. The class has come a long way since the College of Science, Engineering and Technology invested in one virtual reality headset not too long ago. Now students have access to 14 such devices. It’s one more tool to help make them even more industry-ready.

Five student groups presented their research at the Undergraduate Learning Community and Research Symposium Friday. “It’s very clear to me that what used to be done at the graduate level is now being done at the undergraduate level and with significant excellence,” said GCU President Brian Mueller. Those interesting findings cover everything from heart rates to something called Ugly Gerry.

The National Science Foundation’s Science & Engineering Indicators (2018) relayed that women in 2015 received fewer bachelor’s degrees than men in the computer sciences (18%), engineering (20%), physical sciences (39%) and mathematics (43%). Those are statistics female STEM leaders at GCU are determined to change. The College of Science, Engineering and Technology touts an astounding number of women in STEM, including two female associate deans — Dr. Heather Monthie in technology and Dr. Janet Brelin-Fornari in Engineering — along with faculty leads such as Deborah Haralson in IT and Samantha Russell in electrical engineering, to name just a few. “We’re doing a good job here. … We’re doing something different here,” Monthie said of the number of women CSET faculty who are helming STEM disciplines still under-represented by women.

GCU News Bureau The GCU Robotics team, the Thunderbots, competed earlier this month in the VEX U Fall Tournament, a preliminary/practice competition, at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott. The team earned the Judges Award, given to a team the judges felt should be recognized for its efforts and outstanding character. “I am extremely pleased with their performance as a team. We have a large number of freshmen on the team this year that haven’t experienced a collegiate-level competition. I think that everyone learned from this experience, and we are well prepared to redesign our robots for the spring competition,” said Ed Koeneman, team advisor and an electrical engineering technology instructor in the College of Science, Engineering and Technology. GCU Robotics has had a busy semester, not only in preparing for the practice competition, but in hosting the Girl Powered STEM workshop for fourth through eighth grade girls. The next competition for the 19-member Thunderbots is Feb. 22 at Embry-Riddle.

University development manager Sarah Wade is a GCU graduate and is working on her doctorate. Her daughter went to GCU and now teaches at a Southern California high school that has several other GCU connections. “I feel like I can’t go anywhere without somebody knowing somebody who is on campus at GCU,” Wade said.

National Cybersecurity Career Awareness Week is designed to introduce students to careers in the field. One event GCU students could attend this week was a Provost Speaker Series talk on Wednesday by GCE’s Chief Information Security Officer Mike Manrod. He spoke about what students could really expect from a career in cybersecurity. “He is what students want to be. They want to be Mike,” said Technology Project Manager Katherine Urrutia. “We thought it would be great for him to come in and talk to our students.”