College of Science, Engineering and Technology

The pandemic put a damper on clinicals, internships and other real-life experiences for GCU’s pre-health students. But that didn’t stop pre-med/biology junior Alyssa Deyo from creating NERD Hours, which connects students virtually to physicians, medical students and others in the health fields.

When the bachelor of science degree programs in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering earned ABET’s prestigious accreditation this year, the timing was serendipitous for two recent GCU graduates. Edward Lon was hired as a software engineer by Raytheon Missiles & Defense, and Denisse Delos Santos was promoted to the engineer program by SRP. Reprinted from the November issue of GCU Magazine.

The Canyon Challenge will be on livestream only this semester because of the pandemic, but that isn’t the only noticeable change: For the first time, it will feature a high school competition. Also significant is the fact that two of the five GCU finalists are not business majors. It will be available for viewing at 4 p.m. Friday.

Students in grades 7-12 can learn more about science and technology and GCU’s programs in those areas by joining K12 Educational Development’s first MESA (Math Engineering Science Achievement) Virtual STEM Camp. Sessions in the free camp are scheduled for 5-8 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 10 a.m.-noon Saturday.

Several students mentored by Dr. Zachary Zeigler, associate professor in GCU’s College of Science, Engineering and Technology, presented their work at the recent virtual Southwest American College of Sports Medicine Conference. They spoke about weight-gain behaviors during the pandemic and on how college weight gain impacts central blood pressure and arterial stiffness. More than 500 professionals specializing in health, fitness, kinesiology and sports medicine, along with college and club teams, attend the chapter’s meeting annually.

Student researchers under the mentorship of GCU biology professor Dr. Galyna Kufryk presented their work recently at the Boston Bacterial Meeting. Martina Miranda, Chloe Hager and Vianna Mulholland spoke about their research, which centers around increasing the production of hydrogen in cyanobacteria. These organisms produce molecular hydrogen, a type of clean, renewable energy that Kufryk hopes might replace not-so-clean energy sources.

For Dr. Galyna Kufryk, few things are as amazing as plants, which can take sunlight, carbon dioxide, water and chlorophyll and create their own source of energy. She has been researching the photosynthetic process in unicellular organisms called cyanobacteria, which she hopes can give her a clearer picture of how photosynthesis is regulated in plants. Ultimately, she and other scientists want to mimic how plants create their own energy in hopes of creating renewable sources of energy for humans.

GCU biology instructor Rachel Pikstein was a visiting scientist at Cambridge University in the summer of 2016 when she was asked by researchers involved in the BEFTA Project if she and her students would be interested in creating a plant guidebook. The guidebook, which is in the editing process, is designed to help Indonesian oil palm farmers farm more sustainably. The fruit of the oil palm is used to make palm oil, which is in everything from lipstick to packaged bread, pizza and shampoo. The big problem: Oil palm farms are a major contributor of deforestation in Indonesia, which touts the third largest area of rainforest in the world.

Madeline Bradshaw was interested in aerospace engineering, and her time at GCU sparked her interest in computer-aided design. Then a summer internship led to a great job she secured even before graduating last spring — she’s an Associate Engineer for Aerojet Rocketdyne and has clients in NASA and the Department of Defense. She credits her GCU professors for helping her reach her potential.

Funny how being unable to attend classes in person for six months makes them that much more appealing. Whether they were returning to GCU or fresh out of high school, students were eager to resume the classroom experience this week. “It’s completely different being here as a student,” said one freshman. “It’s a big, amazing school, and there’s a completely different atmosphere than most colleges.”