Colleges

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 Canyon Angels have a new vehicle investors can use to put their money in startups. Here’s why it’s called a sidecar fund and how it contributes to the circular relationship between Canyon Angels and Canyon Ventures.

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.

GCU graduate Branden Murphy was appointed to the Nevada Board of Nursing at age 32. But that’s hardly his most impressive credential — he and his wife, Kristine, have adopted three children who have complex medical conditions.

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.

Aaron and Jocelyn Reina are using their Colangelo College of Business degrees to help their family operate Colados Coffee and Crepes. In particular, they have applied the GCU culture to create a to bring together the staff.

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.

Tony Barrera struggled to find a balance between his Latino heritage and American culture as he tried to answer the “Who am I?” question. But then he came to GCU and was accepted so readily by other students, he found his identity — and told his story in this “My LopeLife,” reprinted from the April issue of GCU Magazine.