Beyond 1894

Getting an education isn’t easy, but it’s an accomplishment worth all the long days and late nights. Programs such as Compete LA are meant to alleviate some of the pressures that keep returning students and adult learners from achieving their educational goals. But even with those sorts of helpful programs, sometimes it’s still hard to imagine our goals actually becoming reality.

If you need inspiration or a bit of hope, listen to Yonna Pasch tell her incredible story of how she faced and overcame challenges by becoming her own best advocate.

“If you know what you want to get done and what you want to accomplish, you are the best person to make that happen,” she said during this installment of Beyond 1894. “And I learned it through my cancer journey, my internship, and the doctoral program here at Tech.”

Pasch is the Director of Student Activities and Organizations at Northwestern State University of Louisiana. She recently graduated with a Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership from Louisiana Tech. She is the perfect example of how universities within the UL system work together to advance the education of our state.

Website: 1894.latech.edu/beyond/

Email: [email protected]

Download the transcript to this episode.

Check out the graduate programs within the the department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Leadership.

It’s human nature for us to say, “I won’t believe it until I see it.”

It worked the other way around for Louisiana Tech’s Dr. Edward Bell.

The director of the Professional Development and Research Institute on Blindness, Edward didn’t believe he had much of a future after becoming blind; he couldn’t see one.

But through education and training, he was given hope and resources — and an optimistic vision that would change his life and the lives of many others. While some aspects of his life have been altered, physical blindness hasn’t stopped him from having a fulfilling career, a beautiful family, and a rewarding life.

He shares this story and more in this episode. See what you think.

Website: 1894.latech.edu/beyond/

Email: [email protected]

Download the transcript to this episode.

Professional Development and Research Institute on Blindness website

Louisiana Center for the Blind website

To learn about Edward Bell's research, check out his Selected Works profile.

Devonia Love-Vaughn has arms long enough to reach you, encourage you, and gently push you toward positive change.

With a background in social work and in higher education, Devonia has been dedicated to giving children and young adults the space and resources they need to grow. As the newly appointed Dean of Inclusion Initiatives and Student Success, she hopes to strengthen Tech’s legacy of being a home to all students.

In this episode, Devonia talks about her background in social work, the meaning and importance of inclusion, and how the Office of Multicultural Affairs is helping diverse communities on campus feel a part of the Tech Family.

Website: 1894.latech.edu/beyond/

Email: [email protected]

Download the transcript to this episode.

Visit the Office of Multicultural Affairs website to learn more about their scholarships, workshops, and student organizations.

Each of us buys and sells, in some way, most every day.

Social distancing has changed the way we interact with each other, including the way we buy and sell products. This interview was produced before the mid-March quarantine began, but the topic – the who, what, when, where, and why of sales – is always timely.

Louis Zmich, a Louisiana Tech marketing doctoral student and president of the university's Doctor of Business Administration Association, shares with us about the relationship aspect of sales and marketing, the importance of human touch, and how technology is drastically changing one of the oldest occupations in human history.

Website: 1894.latech.edu/beyond/

Email: [email protected]

Download the transcript to this episode.

To learn more about Louis Zmich, check out his SelectedWorks profile.

To learn more about the Doctor of Business Administration program at Louisiana Tech, check out the program webpage.

How well do you sleep? In this episode, Dr. Walter Buboltz, a psychology professor, talks about sleep hygiene – ways we can increase the quality of our sleep. He explains how some of our daily habits have more of an effect than we realize. Listen to this episode, get better sleep, and stay healthy!

Website: 1894.latech.edu/beyond/

Email: [email protected]

Download the transcript to this episode.

To learn more about Walter Buboltz, check out his SelectedWorks profile.

Chief Research and Innovation Officer Dr. Davy Norris interviews Dr. Ramu Ramachandran, Associate Vice President for Research, the Dean of the Graduate School, the Director of the Institute for Micromanufacturing, and a T. L. James Eminent Scholar Chair Professor.

A series of accidents, both literal and figurative, led Ramu to computational chemistry and Louisiana Tech. He started working here in 1989 and has since been involved in several projects, two of which have been $20 million projects funded by the National Science Foundation.

Davy and Ramu venture into Ramu’s academic journey and make connections to work, computational science, and some of the projects that have been the most meaningful to Ramu.

Website: 1894.latech.edu/beyond/

Email: [email protected]

Download the transcript to this episode.

To learn more about Dr. Ramu Ramachandran, check out his SelectedWorks profile, his personal webpage, and the Institute for Micromanufacturing.

Chief Research and Innovation Officer Dr. Davy Norris interviews Dr. Ramu Ramachandran, Associate Vice President for Research, the Dean of the Graduate School, the Director of the Institute for Micromanufacturing, and a T. L. James Eminent Scholar Chair Professor.

A series of accidents, both literal and figurative, led Ramu to computational chemistry and Louisiana Tech. He started working here in 1989 and has since been involved in several projects, two of which have been $20 million projects funded by the National Science Foundation.

Davy and Ramu venture into Ramu’s academic journey and make connections to work, computational science, and some of the projects that have been the most meaningful to Ramu.

Website: 1894.latech.edu/beyond/

Email: [email protected]

Download the transcript to this episode.

To learn more about Dr. Ramu Ramachandran, check out his SelectedWorks profile, his personal webpage, and the Institute for Micromanufacturing.

With purpose and passion, architects both tie us together and give us some space.

As a professor of architecture, Karl teaches his students to design spaces that go beyond their practical purposes to also support the creation of meaningful experiences. As the director of the School of Design, he hopes to facilitate collaboration between his department and the community.

Listen to Karl share his personal journey, including the collaboration between the architecture program and MedCamps to make traditional camp experiences accessible to children with physical disabilities, the brewing company he founded with former student Cassidy Keim, and his goals for the future.

Website: 1894.latech.edu/beyond/

Email: [email protected]

Download the transcript to this episode.

The School of Design website

Utility Brewing Company website

MedCamps website

With purpose and passion, architects both tie us together and give us some space.

As a professor of architecture, Karl teaches his students to design spaces that go beyond their practical purposes to also support the creation of meaningful experiences. As the director of the School of Design, he hopes to facilitate collaboration between his department and the community.

Listen to Karl share his personal journey, including the collaboration between the architecture program and MedCamps to make traditional camp experiences accessible to children with physical disabilities, the brewing company he founded with former student Cassidy Keim, and his goals for the future.

Website: 1894.latech.edu/beyond/

Email: [email protected]

Download the transcript to this episode.

The School of Design website

Utility Brewing Company website

MedCamps website

What happens when education meets caring and collides with chemistry? A sort of mentorship magic, illustrated in today's episode.

Amy Bell interviews Dr. Marsha Cole and Sierra Napoleon. Dr. Cole is a lecturer in the chemistry department, and Sierra is a senior in her capstone class.

Dr. Cole has had quite an academic journey, from not believing she could go to college to getting a doctoral degree in chemistry and becoming a lecturer. Her life was changed by mentorship, and she is now passionate about mentoring others.

Sierra tells us how Dr. Cole has helped her become a more confident chemist. For her capstone project, Sierra recently studied homeopathic remedies to treat gynecological infections, so they explain what homeopathic remedies are and why someone would use them.

Website: 1894.latech.edu/beyond/

Email: [email protected]

Download the transcript to this episode.

Check out Dr. Cole's Selected Works profile to learn more about her research.

Sierra Napoleon recently presented at the 2020 Undergraduate Research Symposium. View the abstract to her poster presentation in our digital repository.