Higher Education Incentives Award Recipients

Each year, the Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium awards a number of Higher Education Incentives grants to faculty and staff from WSGC Affiliate Member colleges and universities to support value-added, higher education teaching/training projects related to any space or aerospace discipline. This is a seed-grant program for undergraduate education projects which support the most innovative ideas on how to increase the space and aerospace content of undergraduate university and college offerings. WSGC is pleased to announce and congratulate the following recipients of this year's Higher Education Incentives Awards:

2008-2009

Douglas Arion
Carthage College, Kenosha
Project Title: Observational Astronomy for Undergraduates
Synopsis: It is the goal of this project o systematize astronomy research into the curriculum by creating a cadre of students and faculty trained in observations using large telescopes, developing a formal working relationship with the University of Arizona to utilize telescopes at dark-sky sites and to complete construction and implementation of their spectrograph on the Kuiper telescope, and to utilize hands-on astronomy as a recruiting tool to attract students to astronomy, physics, and STEM in general.

William Farrow
Milwaukee School of Engineering
Project Title: Freshmen Engineering Rocket Video Design Project
Synopsis: Collaborative projects that give the student the opportunity to work on problems that they can see as related to their engineering discipline have been shown to supply students with the incentive to work through the heavier workloads than they had experienced in high school.  This proposal would use an aerospace related problem to enhance a freshmen mechanical engineering design course, not only giving the students the opportunity to solve a design problem, but also to construct and demonstrate it.

Harald Schenk
University of Wisconsin-Sheboygan
Project Title: Physics 291 "Astronautics" Course
Synopsis: To organize a new interdisciplinary course in Astronautics for first and second year students in the Sheboygan area.  It will be the first such course offered on any University of Wisconsin-Colleges campus and may be adapted for other such campuses.

2007-2008

Jennifer Johanson
Alverno College, Milwaukee
Project Title: Expanding GIS across the Curriculum
Synopsis:  Expansion of Alverno’s curricular offerings infuses GIS technology across the disciplines to create learning environments where students develop a better understanding of environmental issues and problems, use geographic information and technology, develop more sophisticated solutions, and communicate them to stake holders more effectively.  Alverno’s efforts are aimed at enhancing STEM related learning and expanding faculty abilities through professional development activities to build capacity and support their ability to perform successfully for a competitive proposal to NSF in the Fall of 2008.

Vera Kolb
University of Wisconsin-Parkside
Project Title: Permanent Infusion of Astrobiology into the Organic Chemistry Curriculum
Synopsis: To permanently infuse astrobiology into the organic chemistry curriculum.

2006-2007

Jennifer Johanson
Alverno College
Project Title: Expanding GIS across the Curriculum
Synopsis:  Geographic Information System (GIS) training helps students develop computer literacy, analytical approaches to problem solving, and communication and presentation skills. The infusion of geospatial technology into healthcare, business, environmental geology and the rising employment trend has motivated the faculty of Alverno College to strategize methods to enrich and expand the existing curriculum in environmental and earth science, technology, and geography.

Alverno envisions a new learning environment where students from multiple disciplines will learn with GIS technology to better understand environmental issues and problems use geographic information and technology, develop more sophisticated solutions, and communicate them to stakeholders more effectively. It is our belief that this integrated approach to instruction will generate greater awareness of the infusion of science and technology in multiple professions and inspire a heightened interest in learning more about the applications of space and the environment across the institution. This format for learning will expose more students to the expanding technology of GIS and make a major impact on the way they think about globalization, the environment, and space. It will give them a better understanding of their field of study and how GIS technology is used to for critical problem solving and decision-making.

Xiubin Wang
University of Wisconsin-Superior
Project Title:  Development of a Course Module on Revenue Management in the Aerospace Industry
Synopsis:  The newly established transportation program at UW-Superior currently offers the course Air Transportation to its undergraduate students.  It covers important areas of the aerospace industry such as general aviation, air traffic control and commercial airline operations.  As the instructor of the course, the PI worked in the Operations Research Department at American Airlines, the largest airline in the world, for about one year prior to joining the T & L program at UWS.  It is noticed that no textbook provides a satisfactory coverage of the up-to-date research on important topics such as the revenue management (airline ticketing control), especially that with demand driven dispatch of air fleet.  With information technology becoming one of the focuses of classroom teaching at UW Superior, this project aims to develop a complete and detailed module on the up-to-date revenue management theory and practice in the airline industry that can be used for class teaching in Air Transportation.  The outcome of this project is a complete class module on revenue management.

2005-2006

John Borg
Marquette University
Title:  Aeroballistic and Shock Phenomenology
Synopsis: The goals of this project are two fold.  First is to expose a student to a high quality research experience in aeroballistics.  Second is to collect data for the augmentation of a course currently being developed entitled “Shock Physics”.

Jennifer Johannson & Stephen Sharkey
Alverno College
Title:  Geospatial Science & Technology Across the Curriculum
Synopsis:Geographic Information Systems (GIS) training helps students develop computer literacy, analytical approaches to problem solving, and communication and presentation skills.  The infusion of geospatial technology into healthcare, business, environmental geology and the rising employment trend has motivated the faculty of Alverno College to strategize methods to enrich and expand the existing curriculum in environmental and earth science, technology, and geography.

Alverno envisions a new learning environment where students from multiple disciplines will learn with GIS technology to better understand environmental issues and problems use geographic information and technology, develop more sophisticated solutions, and communicate them to stakeholders more effectively.  It is our belief that this integrated approach to instruction will generate grater awareness of the infusion of science and technology in multiple professions and inspire a heightened interest in learning more about the applications of space and the environment across the institution. This format for learning will expose more students to the expanding technology of GIS and make a major impact on the way they think about globalization, the environment, and space.  It will give them a better understanding of their field of study and how GIS technology is used to for critical problem solving and decision-making.

2004-2005

Lori Allen
University of Wisconsin-Parkside
Project Title:  Mars Testing Laboratory
Synopsis:  The objective of this work is to incorporate the scientific instrumentation on the Mars rovers as the theme for the theory course on chemical instrumentation and to develop a map of how students integrate the principles of chemistry, physics, and math into the theory of scientific instrumentation.

Vera Kolb
University of Wisconsin-Parkside
Project Title:  Teaching Astrobiology from a Learner Centered Perspective
Synopsis:  The PI proposes to: a) get the training in teaching astrobiology from a learner-centered perspective, by attending two National Science Foundation (NSF) Chautauqua Short Courses for College Teachers on this subject; b) deliver suitable teaching material based on this new knowledge and deliver it to her classes; c) place this new material on her website.  The UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-Parkside students whom the PI teaches (40-100 per year, depending on the teaching assignment) will benefit from the educational project, as well as any visitors to her web site, such as the WSGC community members.

Robin Mello
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Project Title:  The Language of the Stars
Synopsis:  The Language of the Stars is an interdisciplinary research-based curricular project designed to expand university students’ understanding of space-exploration and its associate files.  It seeks to (1) Provide access to information regarding new directions in the field of space exploration; (2) Create a dramatic narrative that makes space science information accessible, educative, and comprehensible to the average undergraduate; (3) Add to the body of research showing direct correlations between art processes and disciplinary learning; (4) Develop communication among faculty from disparate and varied disciplines – especially arts and sciences.

The production will be shaped (during Year 2-Phase C) within an undergraduate three-credit course (THBA 472 Performance Workshops). Here, students will be required to research and learn the science content and be responsible for rehearsing, performing, and touring the projects’ production.  Finally, in Year 2-Phase D, the project will, in addition to on campus performances, tour educational institutions in the Greater Milwaukee area.  A research study examining the project’s impact on undergraduate students’ science learning will also be conducted during Year 2-Phase C and D.

2003-2004

Kolb, Vera
University of Wisconsin-Parkside
Project:  Astrobiology at Parkside

Mello, Robin
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Project:  The Language of the Stars

Riley, Dan
Medical College of Milwaukee
Project:  Professional Dev Incentive Travel Stipend

Kolb, Vera
University of Wisconsin-Parkside
Project:  Professional Dev Incentive Travel Stipend

2002-2003

Kolb, Vera
University of Wisconsin-Parkside
Project:  Astrobiology at University of Wisconsin-Parkside

Majdalani, Joseph
Marquette University
Project:  Computational Fluid Dynamics in Applied Aerospace Engineering

2001-2002

Domblesky, Joseph
Marquette University
Project:  Incorporating Space Science in Undergraduate Engineering Courses

2000-2001

Briley, Michael/Fencl, Heidi
University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
Project:  Distance Ed Format Astronomy Course

Harris, Walter
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Project:  A Widely Disseminated Online Database of Exemplary Astronomy Teaching Resources

Kolb Gregory, Vera
University of Wisconsin-Parkside
Project:  Search for Life on Mars: An Undergraduate Laboratory Module

1999-2000