Each year, the arrival of the 14th day of March, or  3.14, is celebrated as Pi Day, in honor of the number Pi, which has been used by mathematicians throughout history. Pi Day is a time to honor the importance of math through events and conversations such as today’s episode. We are joined by Hillary Sessions, Director of Mathematics at UNC Pembroke, for a conversation about how UNCP is addressing the challenges brought about by the learning interruptions of the Covid-19 pandemic, the development of new math curriculum, her own research into learning strategies, and what UNCP is doing to involve the community in the Pi Day celebrations. We even found time to bust some math myths!

Hillary Sessions was raised in Richmond County, NC, attended Richmond Senior High, and earned her B.S. in Mathematics from UNC Wilmington. She taught math at Scotland High School in Laurinburg, NC, where she fell in love with teaching and coaching volleyball. After working as a mathematics teacher, instructional coach, technology integration coach, beginning teacher mentor, mathematics department head, and volleyball coach, she earned her Master of Science in Mathematics Education from UNC Pembroke. Mrs. Sessions came to UNCP as a member of the faculty in 2019, works as the Director of Mathematics, and has also served as the Graduate Program Coordinator for Mathematics Education, Mathematics Placement Test Coordinator, Chair of the Mathematics Curriculum Committee, and as an Academic Advisor. 

Mrs. Sessions is attending North Carolina State University, earning a Doctor of Philosophy in Teaching and Learning in STEM Education with a Concentration in Mathematics. Her research centers undergraduate student success in mathematics, helping students break down barriers of understanding in their math coursework. Research-based strategies focus on course sequencing and structure, integrating organizational and study skills into curriculum, focusing on conceptual understanding and alternative forms of assessment, fostering collaboration and communication, and adopting self-directed learning methods. For her dissertation, she designed a convergent parallel mixed methods study, concentrating on the impact collaboration can have in undergraduate mathematics courses on student achievement, mathematical anxiety, and motivation. She will graduate with her PhD in Spring 2024. 

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This month we welcome Professor Brandon Sanderson of UNCP's Department of Art, who shares his work as an artist and educator. Entering his 22nd year as a professor and 28th as an exhibiting artist, Professor Sanderson currently serves as the sixth Director of the Pembroke Undergraduate Research and Creativity Center and as Professor of Art teaching Printmaking and Drawing. Supporting undergraduate research across the campus including everything from scientific and humanities-based research to jazz composition, the Pembroke Undergraduate Research and Creativity Center holds a yearly Symposium showcasing student work. In our conversation, Professor Sanderson shares his own story, from growing up on the farm, to work in computer science, which led to development as a printmaker, and his work with arts organizations such as the Artnauts Collective, combining art and social justice initiatives in Ukraine, Sarajevo, South Korea, Bosnia, Columbia, and many other locations.

Since 2013, Professor Sanderson has served as Workshop Coordinator for Frogman's Print Workshops on the campus of the University of Iowa, the largest printmaking workshop in the United States. Sanderson holds two Bachelor of Science degrees from Colorado State University-Pueblo, in Printmaking/Drawing and in Computer Information Systems. He earned his Master of Fine Art degree in Art with a specialty of Printmaking from the University of South Dakota, where he studied under 20th century print and paper artist Lloyd Menard. Prior to his career as an artist, Sanderson worked as a computer programmer and systems analyst.

Since 1995, Professor Sanderson has exhibited in over 575 venues in 65 countries. Recently he has shown in Poland, Palestine, Chile, Bosnia, Uganda, Cambodia, Colombia and Ukraine. He has also held 37 university lectures in 27 states and participated in 81 collaborative studio projects. In 2018 he was the first visiting artist in the West Virginia University Master Printmaking series. He also is a long-time member of the Artnauts international art group, which uses the visual arts as a tool for addressing global change. Professor Sanderson’s work appeared in  the nationally acclaimed “Re-Riding History” exhibit, which featured works by 72 contemporary native and non-native artists who responded to the events surrounding the 1875-1878 capture, relocation and imprisonment of 72 Plains Indian warriors at Fort Marion, St. Augustine, Florida.

Professor Sanderson was recently awarded a number of grants to use his technical and artistic backgrounds to design and prototype art equipment that is cost-effective and accessible to those with disabilities. His current body of work combines laser cutters, CNC machines, 3D printers, and digital drawings with the traditional tools of the printmaking and drawing studios.

Rediscovering Flight ScreenPrint V, by Brandon Sanderson

Learn More:

Brandon Sanderson – Artist Website

www.brandon-sanderson.com

Photo Captions: Artnauts Collective solar panels with soldiers and students in the Ukraine, providing both art as inspiration and also charging stations for electronic devices as well as power for areas where this is unreliable. 

Artnauts Collective 

www.artnauts.org

Artnauts on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/artnauts/

Artnauts is an artist collective that uses the visual arts as a tool for addressing global issues while connecting with artists from around the world. The name derives from combining the words "art" and "astronaut" as a way to describe the process of exploring uncharted territory in the world at large. The name also denotes an art practice that is "not" art as usual and goes beyond the confines of the traditional or conventional art word, blurring the boundaries between art, activism, and social practice.

Frogman’s Print Workshop

www.frogmans.net

Pembroke Undergraduate Research and Creativity Center

The Pembroke Undergraduate Research and Creativity Center of The University of North Carolina at Pembroke stimulates, supports and promotes inquiry, discovery and creativity in scholarship and the arts through mentored research experiences with faculty and other regional, national and international scholars and professionals. 

The center facilitates and coordinates preparation in research skills necessary for professional fields and graduate study.

The center is designated to serve as a clearinghouse for undergraduate research and creativity opportunities on and off campus. Undergraduate students presenting their work at conferences are encouraged to apply for a travel grant. Additionally, faculty mentors are encouraged to promote their research agendas through the PURC.

For more information about PURC, please browse our website or call 910.521.6841 or email [email protected].

2024 PURC Symposium -- Wednesday, April 10th, 2024 in the Mary Livermore Library Commons Area

https://www.uncp.edu/academics/research/purc-pembroke-undergraduate-research-and-creativity-center/purc-symposium

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We start off the new year by welcoming Dr. Joseph Van Hassel, Chair of the UNCP Department of Music, and Kalem Graham, Director of the 'Spirit of the Carolinas' Marching Band, for a conversation about musical activities on campus and beyond. We discussed what brought each of them to music as a career, and what they studied along the way.

We learned more about what research and scholarship looks like in the performing arts, and the two shared how their work in the classroom informs growth as performers, and in the study of education and teaching. As educators monitor the long-lasting changes in public school programming brought by the Covid-19 pandemic, more is learned about how to respond at the university level. 

As one of the major performing ensembles in the department, the 'Spirit of the Carolinas' Marching Band not only entertains, but has been a training ground for student leadership for decades. Students work in all aspects of the ensemble's organization, including music, technology, personnel, and facilities management, in the stadium, on the road, in Moore Hall, and on the practice field. Students assist with storing and caring for uniforms and equipment, leading instrumental and color guard sectional rehearsals, group rehearsals as Captains, and for some, leading the entire band as Drum Majors.

In each spring semester members of the band re-form into the Pep Band to support men's and women's' basketball, continuing to work on these important leadership skills across the year.  The 'Spirit of the Carolinas' joins the Wind Ensemble and Concert Band, Percussion Ensemble, University Chorale, Vocal Jazz Ensemble, Orchestra, Jazz Combos and Ensembles, and many other chamber groups across the department, open to majors and non-majors alike. 

Join us as we celebrate the study, performance, and teaching of music and the great work being done by students in Moore Hall in collaboration with faculty, staff, and community.

Featured on this episode are L to R: Dr. Joanna Hersey, Dr. Joseph Van Hassel, Mr. Kalem Graham, and Dr. Richard Gay, and we are back to recording in the Radio Room in Old Main with thanks to our Department of Mass Communication for their assistance. 

'Spirit of the Carolinas' Marching Band Director Kalem Graham with the Pep Band Seniors and Music Department Staff Member Meggan Hollis.

'Spirit of the Carolinas' Marching Band on parade and on the field showing off the new uniforms!

Dr. Joseph Van Hassel traveled to Japan in summer of 2023 to perform and teach at Senzoku Gakuen College of Music and at the Takasaki City Theater.

Learn More:

Visit the 'Spirit of the Carolinas' Home Page and follow them on Instagram and Facebook 

The UNCP Department of Music Calendar is updated routinely and the best way to stay connected with event information!

Visit Dr. Joseph Van Hassel's website to hear recent performances and find information about recordings and publications

Joseph Van Hassel is a North Carolina-based percussionist specializing in orchestral and chamber music. Performance highlights include Carnegie Hall, the Cincinnati MusicNow Festival, the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, the International Tuba Euphonium Conference, and the Hindemith Center in Switzerland. He can be heard on recordings for the Innova, Mode, Equilibrium, nobrow.sounds, and Ohio Percussion record labels, and his solo CD of percussion commissions is available on Soundset Recordings. He is published in Percussive Notes, and his compositions are published by Media Press and PerMus.

An active educator, Joseph has presented master classes and given solo performances at numerous universities, including the Manhattan School of Music, Peabody Conservatory, Senzoku University in Japan, and the Center for New Music and Audio Technologies at the University of California at Berkeley. He is on the percussion faculty at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, and previously taught at Ohio University and Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp. 

Joseph earned degrees from the Hartt School, the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and Ohio University. He also spent time studying music and dance in Ghana, West Africa. For more information please visit his website: josephvanhassel.com

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This month we celebrate conservation and sustainability through this intriguing conversation with Dr. Jerry Griffith, Associate Professor in our Department of Geology and Geography. Dr. Griffith shares his experience tracking timber for the U.S. Forest Service through efforts to engage members of the community in conservation. This citizen science work educates and involves the general public with plant and forest health, and assists with efforts to prevent poaching of valuable woods such as black walnut, much prized for its decorative grain and durability.

Dr. Griffith shares how he engages students at UNCP, and how, through the use of GIS (Geographic Information Systems) and other methods, these efforts keep watch on tree health and development. The conversation showcases how any of us can partner in these activities, which come with the additional benefit of fresh air and exercise. 

Born and raised outside Reading, Pennsylvania, Dr. Griffith’s academic pedigree includes a B.S. in Earth Science from Pennsylvania State University, a M.S. in Geography from Oregon State University, a Ph.D. in Environmental Geography from the University of Kansas, and a post-doctoral appointment with the U.S. Geological Survey.  Dr. Griffith's work background includes private environmental consulting companies (performing water quality monitoring) and government agencies (such as Oak Ridge National Laboratory, NASA, the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, and USGS) as well as academia. 

Dr. Griffith specializes in the area of environmental geography and remote sensing, which is the use of satellite and aerial imagery to study the state and condition of the earth’s surface. His master’s research included a functional assessment of a large, urban wetland in Oregon and his doctoral dissertation analyzed how satellite imagery could be used to assess river and watershed condition in the U.S. Midwest. He focuses his research on land use and land cover change, and its causes as well as its environmental impacts. This includes the relationship of land cover and land cover change to declining populations of American kestrel, stream water quality, and watershed health. In his spare time, Dr. Griffith enjoys traveling (all 50 states covered!), hiking, movies and riding his all-terrain electric scooter. 

To Learn More about Citizen Science and Forestry Efforts:

Book Recommendation: “Tree Thieves”

https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/lyndsie-bourgon/tree-thieves/9781549156120/?lens=little-brown

Adventure Scientists: https://www.adventurescientists.org/index.html  

Reach the “Timber Tracking” project page by selecting “For Adventurers”-“Current Volunteer Opportunities”-“Timber Tracking”

Citizen science groups in North Carolina:

The NC Museum of Natural History:  https://naturalsciences.org/research-collections/citizen-science 

Triangle Land Conservancy: https://triangleland.org/explore/citizen-science-projects

North Carolina Wetlands: https://www.ncwetlands.org/research/citizen-science/ 

NC Wildlife Federation:  https://ncwf.org/blog/citizen-science/

US EPA Water Quality Volunteer monitors:  https://archive.epa.gov/water/archive/web/html/index-18.html

Photo Caption: Dr. Griffith taking a tree core sample from a black walnut tree in Pennsylvania

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The month of November 2023 marks the 60th anniversary of the assassination of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy in Dallas, Texas. To learn more, we welcome two UNCP faculty members for a conversation about the political climate of the time, and implications for the decades to follow. We discuss how these themes are taught in classrooms today, and what relevance and lessons the assassination and subsequent killing of Lee Harvey Oswald have for society. Drs. Marineau and Hudson, who met as students at the University of Texas at Austin, both came to UNC Pembroke and reconnected as faculty, sharing interest in twentieth century history and politics.

Dr. Josiah Marineau is an Associate Professor of Political Science at UNCP and faculty advisor and coach for the Model United Nations program. He specializes in Comparative Politics and International Relations with a focus on the South Caucasus as well as central and eastern Africa. In addition to ongoing fieldwork in Georgia, he has conducted fieldwork in Uganda, Malawi, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Tanzania. He has published in Studies in Comparative International Development, Conflict Management and Peace Science, and the Journal of Political Science Education, among others.

Dr. James Hudson has been teaching at UNCP in the Department of History since 2018, and is a specialist in modern Chinese history. His research interests focus on China’s urban modernization and the impact of western colonialism and imperialism in China during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. His publications have provided new and valuable insight into the history of American businesses, missionary organizations, and diplomats during this period. His research skills, professional training, and time spent living and working in the People’s Republic of China has allowed him to provide students with expert analysis of China’s history, culture, and rapidly changing geo-political landscape in the 21st century. 

Further Discovery

JFK Library

https://www.jfklibrary.org/learn/about-jfk/life-of-john-f-kennedy

Official government archives, including a link to the Warren Commission report

https://www.archives.gov/research/jfk

On the recent biography discussed in the podcast: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/09/us/politics/jfk-assassination-witness-paul-landis.html

The JFK Museum, located in the building of the Texas School Book Depository

https://www.jfk.org/

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In today's discussion we are joined by Dr. Laura Hakala of UNCP's Department of English, Theatre and World Languages, who discusses her research and teaching of 19th and early 20th century children's literature, especially those books which focus on southern girlhood. Dr. Hakala reads from three selections she is currently using in her Southern Literature class, the first, published in 1905, is Floyd's Flowers, by African American author Silas Floyd (1869-1923). Dr. Hakala chose an excerpt from the short story "Mary and Her Dolls," which introduces readers to a smart young female character and her father. The book Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry, was published in 1977 by African American author Mildred D. Taylor, and was the 1977 winner of the Newberry Medal, also illustrating a moment between a young daughter and her father. Dr. Hakala also shares the inspiring story Crossing Bok Chitto: A Choctaw Tale of Friendship & Freedom, published in 2006 by Tim Tingle, with beautiful illustrations by Native artist Jeanne Rorex Bridges, which showcases the importance of collaboration.

Dr. Hakala has been at UNCP for six years, teaching courses in composition, American literature, women's literature, and children's literature. Her research focuses on nineteenth and early-twentieth-century American children's literature, especially texts about girlhood, race, and the U.S. South. Her articles have appeared in The Southern Quarterly, Children’s Literature, Children’s Literature Association Quarterly, and The Lion and the Unicorn. Her recent book chapter on Southern children’s literature appeared in The Routledge Companion to the Literature of the US South. Dr. Hakala lives in Fayetteville, NC with her family, where she enjoys reading books to her daughter, taking ballet classes, and walking her dog Bilbo.

Book Recommendations and Links:

Historical Children’s Books:

Step by Step, or Tidy's Way to Freedom(1862)

Floyd's Flowers (1905)

Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry (1976)

Crossing Bok Chitto: A Choctaw Tale of Friendship & Freedom (2006)

Lumbee Children's Books:

Whoz Ya People

It’s Lumbee Homecoming Y’all!

Further Discovery:

University of Mississippi De Grummond Children's Literature Collection

Learn More about Banned Book Week

American Indians in Children's Literature Website

Visit Dr. Hakala's Google Scholar Page (Lists of her publications)

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In today's episode we are joined by Dr. Erik Tracy, of UNCP's Department of Psychology, to discuss his research into how we process information when we listen to speech. Dr. Tracy shares how we assume personality characteristics of a speaker, based on a variety of elements in the voice, such as variation of pitch, timbre, and other characteristics. These assumptions cause us to automatically attempt to categorize what we hear, based on characteristics such as gender and sexual orientation. Dr. Tracy studies how words, and even smaller divisions of sounds within the words, are perceived by research subjects. This study of speech is part of the larger field of cognitive psychology, which studies how humans perceive and process information, such as language and physical characteristics. 

Dr. Tracy supervises research students in the Psychology Department and teaches courses including Introductory Psychology, Sensation and Perception, and History and Systems of Psychology. A native of Buffalo, New York, Dr. Tracy received his B.A. in Psychology from the University of Buffalo and his PhD in Cognitive Experimental Psychology from The Ohio State University.  When he is not studying our reactions to voices, he likes to go to the gym, watch movies, collect action figures, and spend time with his husband, Jeff, and daughter, Adora.

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Join us as we welcome Ana Cecilia Lara and Milagros López-Fred from our Department of English, Theatre, and World Languages, to discuss the inspiring experiences students receive through Study Abroad. The opportunity to see and experience new countries and cultures broadens perspectives and enriches student learning. Not simply a fun vacation, Study Abroad is a class that the students take, which incorporates learning before the trip, coordinated educational outreach during the trip, and concludes with reflection upon return.

Our conversation looks at logistics such as cost, and the availability of payment plans, grants, and scholarships to ease this burden. Listeners will learn about the student and faculty teams who set out on these adventures, if they ever get lost, and what popular food of Spain became a favorite.

In addition to Study Abroad, UNCP students interact with various programs across the department, including Acto Latino, a student club which presents theatre productions. The Fall Festival is another much-loved activity of the Department, honoring Hispanic heritage across campus.

Learn more about the Study Abroad Program and our Acto Latino Program and stay tuned to their activities on Instagram@uncpactolatino

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Join us as we welcome Dr. Namyeon Lee of our UNCP Department of Mass Communication, to discuss her research into communication practices used to support healthcare initiatives. Dr. Lee studies how different approaches best engender support for clinical trials, and what variables seem effective in developing trust. Her research looks at design elements of printed flyers and TikTok videos which center the opinions of doctors or previous trial participants, and how the race of each spokesperson changes the trust of viewers. Dr. Lee discusses how she involves her public relations and mass communication theory and research students in these efforts.

Originally from Korea, Dr. Lee earned three degrees in Journalism from the University of Missouri, where her Ph.D dissertation studied the communication of messages related to substance use. Her experience as an International student drew her to communication as a career, and became the focus of her publications and research projects which center design practice and efficacy in science communication. Dr. Lee is a frequent presenter at International Communication Association conferences, and a Principal Investigator of several grant initiatives to better understand messaging and health. Now in her third year at UNCP, Dr. Lee teaches courses in the areas public relations, social media, and mass communication theory and research.  Dr. Lee's work in the classroom was recognized with the Most Valuable Professor Award from UNCP's Division of Athletics in 2022. 

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Listen as we join the UNCP Rocket Team live from the NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. This episode is a continuation of our April episode where Dr. Steven Singletary, of UNCP’s Department of Chemistry and Physics, discussed 3D printing on campus. In that episode we learned of the student work designing and printing parts for this rocket competition and the team that Dr. Singletary leads. Now, we join the team live from Huntsville and hear about the various required aspects of the competition, the students’ visit to Cummings Aerospace, and presentations given by UNCP students to NASA and other top corporate aerospace engineers. Through UNCP’s 3+2 Engineering Program with NC State University and via the experience of work such as this, alumni of the UNCP Physics program are working professionally in a variety of engineering roles. 

Spoiler alert! This episode was recorded the day before the competition in April, and the launch day arrived with clear, blue skies and perfect conditions. It turned out UNCP was the very first to launch, and produced an excellent result, hitting an altitude of 5281 feet, perfectly within the guidelines which specified 4000-6000 feet. The UNCP rocket, “Small Boi” was recovered in excellent condition. While the team did not take home a win in this first competition, they have high hopes (pun intended) for next year. Results from the 2023 Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium First Nations Launch Competition brought a 3rd Place win for the team in the Written Report category, and both the Outreach Award and a Next Step Award, which come with a combined total of $15,500 in funding. 

Video of the Huntsville launch is available, and of note is the announcer praising the UNCP team for the marketing and social media activity as he introduces the launch. View the launch livestream, which is archived on the Marshall Space Flight Center’s Youtube Channel (there is a detailed list of activities and timings in the video description) and you’ll find UNCP launching at the 52:03 mark. 

Students interested in joining the 2023-2024 UNCP Rocket Team simply need to email Dr. Singletary and free up some time on their calendars, students of any level and from any major are welcome: [email protected] 

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