Geared toward young students in hopes of fostering greater interest in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields in the state of Arkansas, the GREEN Mobile Solar Energy Laboratory has been funded by a sizeable grant from the Arkansas Energy Office, a division of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission. The project has been a collaborative effort, garnering input from undergraduate students like Justin Westbrook and faculty from each of the University of Arkansas campuses, as well as Philander Smith College in Little Rock over the past year.

Honors engineering student Justin Westbrook, a freshman this year, has been hard at work designing experiments for the University’s new GREEN Mobile Solar Energy Laboratory, an impressively green 33-foot-long Winnebago that has been converted for educational use. Justin has been involved with the GREEN Lab since last December, working alongside honors engineering student Jakeb Hughes to prepare for the project’s first round of critiques next month. A group of middle school teachers from around the state will serve as a “beta-testers” for the collection of hands-on experiments designed to teach their students more about optics, circuits, and solar panels used to harness and produce solar energy. A curriculum is being developed to educate the K-12 teachers before the GREEN Lab visits so that the solar energy experiments can be fully integrated into each teacher’s normal lesson plans.

Chancellor Gearhart was honored to cut the ceremonial ribbon during the launch party for the mobile outreach vehicle and mentioned that the University of Arkansas was “thrilled and excited” to be a part of the state’s latest renewable energy initiative. Westbrook and several other engineering students were on hand for the GREEN Lab’s big reveal to demonstrate a few of the numerous experiments they have designed for use in the lab. Of his time spent working on the GREEN Lab, Justin remarks, “I would say that my favorite part of the project has been the final construction of the lab, having to overcome all of the minor design flaws. Over the project I’ve really learned about the difficulties of designing experiments and demonstrations that are easily repeatable by others, especially young children.” Justin revealed that the ultraviolet or “black light” experiments, used to demonstrate light absorption and the reaction of phosphors, were some of his favorites, sure to be a hit with middle school students. If the experiments aren’t impressive enough, the six 230-watt solar panels mounted on the driver’s side of the vehicle are sure to make quite a statement, designed to provide enough energy to power the lab’s equipment, computers, and television for a two-hour period during school demonstrations.

Want to know more?

Link: http://www.kuaf.com/content/ua-unveils-green-solar-powered-mobile-laboratory

Senior biology student Julia Lyon and postdoctoral student Lin Liu hard at work in the research lab.

In the United States alone 114,000 people will come down with the flu each year!  The influenza virus affects 1 in 5 people worldwide each year, and in epidemic years that number can skyrocket.  In 1918, the Spanish flu epidemic claimed more victims than both world wars combined.

The influenza virus is able to change itself in two ways; by combining with other strains of the virus or by changing its surface proteins so that it becomes unrecognizable to the host.  Because the virus changes each year it is difficult to vaccinate against. The Center for Disease Control tries to predict which strain of the flu will be most rampant this year by analyzing patterns of infection from years past.  The problem is even if you get a flu shot for the dominant strain, you can still contract any of the other strains of the flu.

A recent study found that human lung macrophage cells infected with influenza A virus show substantial changes in protein expression.  Because macrophages and epithelial cells are both located at the alveoli (tiny air sacs deep within the lungs), these results raise the question: How does the influenza A virus affect protein expression in human lung epithelial cells?

An answer to questions like these may eventually form the knowledge basis for a vaccine that counters all strains of the flu, better protecting people from this potentially deadly virus.

Through Western blotting techniques (a method used to measure the amount of different proteins made by cells), I compared protein expression in epithelial cells infected with influenza A virus to my controls.  My results show that lung cells of different types can be affected differently by infection with the flu.  This is important information to understand when creating a vaccine.

The next step was to look more closely at when protein expression was altered.  Again using Western blotting techniques, protein expression was measured at different time intervals following initial infection.  Cells were harvested at 0, 6, 12, 24, and 48 hours after they were infected with the flu.   These results provided more in-depth information about how the flu can change the protein production in human lung epithelial cells.

The project required a lot of trial and error with Western blotting and a lot of patience.  To detect a particular protein you use specific antibodies.  These antibodies bind to the protein and when mixed with other reagents the protein band can be made to fluoresce (to “light up,” so that you can see where the proteins are).  The concentrations of the antibodies are altered to get the best visualization possible, a process that requires repetition of the same experiment over and over for ideal results.

I certainly learned a lot from this project, particularly perseverance, determination, and patience. I am currently a biology student with math and Spanish minors.  I will graduate in May and start medical school at UAMS in the fall.  Hopefully one day, I will be able to offer my patients a flu vaccine that will be effective against more strains of the virus and for more than a single flu season.­­

Provost Sharon Gaber (center) with the team of students who invited her to speak (l-r) Alex Clark, Briana Leniear, Alice McMillan and Klassic Hopson. 

It’s not everyday that the PROVOST agrees to help you with a class project, but that’s exactly what happened to honors marketing major Alice McMillan and her team. Tasked by her Selling and Sales Management professor John Cole to seek out a “real world perspective” on time management applicable to their class, McMillan knew just who to ask. Provost Sharon Gaber, the chief academic officer for the University of Arkansas, is one of the busiest persons on campus and a role model McMillan felt her classmates “needed to know.”

So what exactly does a provost do? After a brief introduction from McMillan, the provost began to explain, making use of a complicated organizational chart. The diagram lists every department on campus, from the Army ROTC to World Languages. Each group that reports directly to the provost is highlighted in yellow – student affairs, academics, admissions, enrollment, diversity… the page is almost entirely yellow. According to Gaber, student affairs and academic affairs go hand in hand, and all of the offices she oversees have a responsibility to “complement the classroom.” How on earth does she manage to coordinate so many different programs, faculty and deadlines?

May 1^st of this year will mark her third anniversary at the University, and Provost Gaber’s responsibilities have grown since she arrived. As enrollment skyrockets, Gaber said, “Everyone here is working harder.” She typically puts in 10 to 12 hours a day, five to six days a week, to meet the demands of her job. Most mornings begin at 5:45 a.m. to continue the never-ending war against her email inbox: “I get maybe… 250 emails during normal work hours,” she said, adding that typically 40-50 come in overnight. And these aren’t spam messages! The rest of the day is spent juggling meetings with vice provosts, deans and various department heads to discuss new initiatives on campus, as well as pressing issues with personnel and the public. Her office has long-term goals to improve graduation rates, expand distance education opportunities, and increase sustainability measures on campus, among many others. When asked what she likes about the job, Gaber replied that she “likes doing things that make your degree a more valuable commodity.”

Early on Provost Gaber learned to rely on her very capable assistant, Linda Dizney. One of the most important things you learn in a position like hers is how to delegate: “You get to a place where you start to think you can do it all… but you quickly realize you HAVE to delegate to get things done” Gaber said. This point wouldn’t truly hit home for the provost until last year, when a battle with cancer presented new challenges to her life and work. “If I wasn’t organized, with a great team that stayed in constant communication, things probably would have gone awry,” she said.

As the lecture drew to a close, Provost Gaber offered a few final tips:

1) Know your limits.

“Last year was a humbling experience for me. It’s okay to involve other people in your work, to ask for help.”

2) Don’t make excuses. Pull your own weight.

“Bosses quickly learn who is going to meet a deadline, and who isn’t. Be the person they know they can count on, that’s how you move forward.”

4) Set deadlines, ask questions, and follow up.

“You have to allow the system to work collectively…it’s important to trust people with their jobs, but don’t leave them in limbo. If it looks like a major deadline is going to fall through, make the call!”

5) Communication is key, but be concise and thoughtful.

“Eight-paragraph emails are an energy zap. No one is going to read them! Bullet points are much easier to swallow and they force you to present information clearly.”

6) Don’t get sidetracked.

“If you’re given a job, follow through. Often accomplishing the major task will take care of smaller ones along the way.”

7) Be realistic.

“Every person in the office is a human being, even the boss! Keep in mind that not everything can be accomplished in a day.”

In addition to the pressing demands of her job at the university, Gabor parents three teenagers at home. “It’s important to take 10 minutes to breathe,” she said in response to a student’s question about how she manages stress. “There are some days when I don’t get that! The trick is to figure out what needs to be done immediately.” When things get overwhelming, she makes lists and tries to cross things off one by one. She also emphasized that it’s important to take care of yourself. Provost Gaber said that she often walks the dog to reward herself at the end of the day: “It’s a stress reliever. She doesn’t talk back to me!”

Funny and relatable, Provost Gaber is a role model for women of any age. According to Professor John Cole, “there are lessons in business and lessons in life. She gave us both of those.”

The Studio and Mexican Modernism class absolutely helped me move toward my goals! I am particularly interested in “sites of memory” and the layering of histories and how that affects contemporary space, especially in Mexico City. All of our work—from studio to the travel drawings—were based on this concept. My honors thesis is heavily informed by my experiences in Mexico, and I intend to pursue an independent study there in the summer of 2012. Mexico City was founded by Cortes atop the razed Aztec capital of Tenochtitlán and much of the valley lay beneath the waters of Lake Texcoco, a system of interconnected saline and freshwater lakes. As a result, many of the oldest structures are warped and unstable, which adds to the perceptual surreality in which Baroque curvalinearity, indigenous craftsmanship, and multiple spiritualties collide and paradoxically coexist. This metaphorical and literal layering of histories, from pre-Hispanic to colonial to the Revolution and to modern, creates a sense of halting continuity in which the desire for progress and the recognition of the significance of history are inextricably linked.

I would recommend this program to other students for various reasons. Foremost, the intensity and close focus of the program allow for an in-depth immersion in the culture, architecture, and, significantly, my own interests. The manner in which we drew was at times highly subjective and emotive, which required an introspection that is normally not allowed. Our drawings were a reflection of our own immersion in and contemplation of a brave new world. We travel through almost half the country, and the variety of landscapes is absolutely amazing. The architecture that is born from and grown out of a close relationship to the landscape is even more astounding.

I think I have grown immensely from my experiences outside of the States. I’ve learned to trust my intuition, to pursue what makes me happy, and to make the most of every day. A quote from T.S. Eliot that I thought of often was: We shall not cease from exploration/ And the end of all our exploring/ Will be to arrive where we started/ And know the place for the first time. I stayed an additional week so that I could visit little towns outside Mexico City, and I learned to make my own priorities and to explore continually. If I wasn’t in studio, I was wandering around the city and finding architecture where I least expected it. I really appreciated that my experiences helped me become self-reflective because otherwise it’s easy to just take it day by day and not be critical of myself.

Without a doubt, the most exhilarating aspect of this summer was the relentless travel and intense drawing. I have never felt as alive as when I was scaling a pyramid at Uxmal or riding a horse through the mountains of San Cristobal. Generally we would spend at least two days in a city; one day for a walking tour which covered the large urban landmarks like plazas and cathedrals and one day for focused and layered on-site drawing of urban lacunas (small scale urban interventions for pedestrian traffic and small community gathering). After our first few days in the city, we departed for the Yucatan Peninsula in the south of Mexico, near the Guatemala border. The first stop was Tlacotalpan, a tiny port town with brightly-painted, porticoed houses as far as the eye could see.  Organized around two squares which touched at a corner, the town’s main Baroque cathedral was intended for the upper-class Spanish, while the simplified cathedral of the other square was for the indigenous citizens. Our first pre-Hispanic site, Uxmal, is probably my favorite. Built of a little tan-pink stone, the Mayan site is amazingly well-preserved with grand plazas and open corner conditions in which the forest and mountains leak into the space, directing views and creating axial alignments. Mérida, a much larger coastal town, has varied and intimate urban plazas and some of the most emotionally charged cathedrals I’ve ever experienced; the elderly women crumpled by the entrance to the door with cups for change and the infinitely benevolent light in the space brought me to tears. This is something which I only noticed for the first time in Mexico: the contradiction and coexistence of the most painful sadness and the most exhilarating beauty.

Palenque, another Mayan site, was deeper in the rain forest with an impressive palace complex atop a mountain and the suburbs far below among the winding pathways and the deepest roots. To reach Yaxchilan, next to the border of Guatemala, we had to ride boats down a wide river where we saw crocodiles. Yaxchilan, again built into the side of a mountain, had one of the most surreal structures in which one had to pick one out of three entrances and hope that it eventually led to the exit. Completely dark and full of bats, it was more like wandering through a subterranean cave than a building. Next, San Cristobal was a gorgeous colonial city next to a river. My first well-documented lacuna was here, and I loved spending the day entirely immersed in the observation and recording of human activity in the space. This is also the site of our first horse-back ride through the mountains to a small town in which the indigenous pagan religion and Spanish Catholicism are blended seamlessly. A quiet church full of statues of saints in gilded cages surrounded by the smoke of incense and a million tiny candles was the most surreal space we visited. Finally, as we made our way back to Mexico City, we stopped at Oaxaca, which is a gorgeous colonial city of light green sandstone. There was a parade out of nowhere where groups from farmers’ co-ops would dress in amazing costumes and offer baked sweets and mescal to pedestrians watching and cheering the workers. Here, we recorded another urban lacuna. From there we visited several open chapels, which is one of the architectural typologies specific to Mexico.

The northern trip, our last traveling excursion outside Mexico City, had fewer pre-Colonial sites, but had many more examples of lacuna spaces, which really helped inform our own projects in studio. Our first stop, Guanajuato, was absolutely gorgeous with winding narrow streets and houses climbing the mountains. A complex system of subterranean tunnels snaked below the city, allowing access where the narrow streets would not allow it. They were really scary. One of my favorite lacunas was tucked behind the university. Zacatecas, a city of pink and red stone, had two particularly nice plazas that flanked the market and cathedrals; they were always being used and were interesting ways to negotiate a steep grade change. Our next stop was Real de Catorce — what a place!! After driving on the flattest landscape along a road made of tiny stones laid by hand, we reached the mountains and the entrance to the city: a two kilometer tunnel through which we couldn’t drive. So we grabbed our bags, tried to avoid breathing in gas fumes, and plunged forward. What space could be more analogous to the subconscious? When we finally reached the city after much stumbling and running into things, I was amazed by the simple precision of the architecture. As we took horses to abandoned mines and the mountains surrounding the city, one could see the vast expanse of the landscape. We were so high above the city that the clouds surrounded us.

Note: Because Mexico is at present included on the US State Department’s travel advisory list, the Honors College cannot currently fund any student travel to this country.

Julia Lyon, a senior biology major from Fulbright College and Honors College member, serves as student president of the University of Arkansas’ Full Circle Food Pantry. The food pantry, designed specifically to meet the needs of the U of A community, has grown exponentially over the past year to provide food and personal items for university students, staff members and their families. Student volunteers, who each put in at least two hours a week, have been able to meet 887 requests since the pantry’s grand opening in February of 2011. More than 150 requests were filled in the last month alone. Julia  sees the food pantry as a collaborative effort. She puts in at least 10 hours of service a week and her hard work has not gone unnoticed. Julia was recently featured in USA Today’s Campus Food Banks article and has been nominated for the Campus Champions of Change award from the White House! Follow this link to cast your vote! 

Question: Why did you choose to get involved with Full Circle?

Answer: Really, it kind of just fell on my shoulders. We talked about the project at the VAC  [Volunteer Action Committee] meetings early in the year. I think I was probably more vocal or more gung-ho than some of the other members, and so I was asked to head it up! I’d worked in food pantries before, but nothing like this, maybe two or three hours a week in the summer. I just enjoy volunteering. I like to work hard. I like to be busy. I like this program because it’s completely student-run. I like that my committee makes the majority of the decisions. We get to decide how things are going to work and then implement them.

Question: What does your job as a student volunteer entail?

Answer: I basically run the pantry. I’m in charge of making sure the shelves are stocked, that things are running smoothly. I have a wonderful committee with a donations coordinator who handles things when someone gives us money, and a volunteer coordinator to make sure that everyone who volunteers shows up, so really I don’t have to worry about those things. We’re working with the same people every week. Students put in two hours each week at the same time and I think that helps. People generally come in at the same time to pick up donations and they see the same faces. They are comfortable here.

Question: What has been your most rewarding experience with the food pantry?

Answer: I think the best thing that I’ve seen since I’ve been here is this one student, who I don’t know personally, who once a month, maybe twice a month, comes in with a sack full of groceries and sets it down on the counter. I love that. I think that’s awesome. We used to write him a thank you note, because we keep track of our donors, but he doesn’t want a thank you note. He doesn’t do it for that and I think that’s really stunning. It’s exactly what we’re here for. I like that it’s a student giving to other students.

Question: Are there any long-term goals for the food pantry?

Answer: We’re hoping to set an endowment for the food pantry. That would be great. Other than that, someone has mentioned having clothing in this space. I don’t know that we have the space for it really, but I think it’d be fantastic. We could probably do a small program like that. But I feel like we’re in a good place. It’s a well-established program that’s here to stay.

Question: You’re a senior this year. What’s the next step for you?

Answer: I’ll graduate in May, and I’m starting at UAMS [University of Arkansas School for Medical Sciences in Little Rock] in August. I don’t plan on being affiliated with Full Circle at all, we’ve done our elections for new officers and everything and those students will step up and run this. Really, during my first year of medical school I hope that I’ll be able to volunteer, but who knows how that will go. There’s a program at Children’s Hospital that I would love to get involved with, maybe an hour or two a week, but even that sort of scares me. What if I have tests? I think it will be the same as when I moved from high school to college. You stop all your extracurricular activities, but you find new ones. It all works out.

It seems that some congratulations may be in order… if you’re reading this post, then you have more than likely received an invitation to interview for an Honors College Fellowship. Congratulations! The years of late night study sessions, oboe lessons, state tournaments, and weekends spent harvesting food from community gardens, writing letters to government officials, and teaching orphaned children to read have finally been acknowledged. Your academic prowess is evident and now the University just wants to know a little more about you… but what could possibly be left to know that you didn’t include in your application?As a veteran of the 2009 Fellowship Weekend, and an Honors College Fellowship recipient, I can promise you there is so much left to share, and even more to learn. The Fellowship Weekend is designed to bring the “paper version” of you, the applicant, to life in the minds of the Fellowship Committee, but also to give you a chance to get to know the University of Arkansas, the “YOU of A.” Yes, you will write essays. You will sweat bullets in the hallway outside your interview room. You WILL panic the first time Chancellor Gearhart addresses you by name.

But you will also meet hundreds of other students with the same butterflies in their stomach, the same desire to impress and be impressed. You will meet professors that are more interested in robots/swing dancing/comic books/YouTube than you are. Crazy, I know! You will eat chocolate in Nina Simmons’ office, you will walk uphill no matter where you are on campus, and you WILL call the Hogs.

Now, a note about fear: Walking onto a college campus for the first time (or second, or third…) is nerve-wracking, even without a major scholarship at stake. But if you keep a few things in mind, the 24 hours you spend here for Fellowship Weekend can be some of the best of your life. Let’s talk about three major obstacles, shall we?

1) The Hill

The concept of “The Hill” was a foggy one for me, I must admit. I’d seen those words printed on University t-shirts, remembered them from an e-mail with my student mentor, but I really had no idea what “The Hill” would come to mean for me during Fellowship Weekend… THE ENTIRE UNIVERSITY CAMPUS IS A HILL. From the steady grade between Old Main Lawn and the Union, to the affectionately termed “Eliminator” just east of Pomfret Honors Quarters (a grated sidewalk with a near 90-degree incline that takes MONTHS to get used to!), no matter what direction you go on campus, you’re battling “The Hill.” When we tell you to wear comfortable shoes and carry only what you need to survive? We mean it. You’ll grow to love the built-in workout you get walking to class everyday, but your first few rounds with the constant incline can be tough!

2) The “Other” Prospective Fellows

The notion that you’re competing with hundreds of other amazing high school students, some of whom speak five different languages and can do one-handed aerials around you (think Shawn Johnson in the 2008 Olympics,  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9OYS4Th0zk), can be difficult to overcome. I get that. But if you spend the entire weekend sizing up the competition, you’ll miss the opportunity to make friends with some of the most interesting and passionate people on the planet: people who are fascinated by things like stereoscopic 3D fusion cameras, endangered languages, and self-sustaining cities. One of the first things you learn in college is that you don’t know everything there is to know about the world (a common misconception for high school seniors, don’t worry) and that your greatest tool is the ability to ask questions. It’s NOT a sign of weakness. Don’t be afraid to talk to the other applicants about their interests, share your own story, and be inspired! One conversation can change your perception of the world, for the better.

 3) The Dreaded Interview

The Fellowship interview may sound like a reprise of the Spanish Inquisition on paper, but in reality? It’s a conversation. A conversation about you: your hopes, dreams, curiosity and commitment. It’s a chance to take those bulleted lists of high school activities from your application and make them sing! The interviewers are your future professors and mentors, and should you choose to accept their generous offer of a University of Arkansas education, they will become friends. They want to know you, they want to see your passion and give you the chance to pursue it. From one nerd to another –those butterflies in your stomach, the ones you can’t seem to get rid of? Relish them. They come just before something BIG happens, and a chance to earn $50,000 Fellowship in a single weekend is definitely something BIG.

Now that I’ve sufficiently assuaged your fears with my abundant wisdom, I just have one final thought: Bring your A-game. Don’t waste your time at the University poring over notecards and checking your cell phone every ten minutes… Fellowship Weekend is your chance to shine. So talk with other students, try something new, ask a thousand questions, and share your spark! I hope to see all of you on campus in the fall, good luck!

Katherine Branscum, an international business senior, hopes to land her first job; junior finance major Remington Rice is looking for a summer internship. Both students are Honors College Fellows.

The clothing du jour?  Suits, crisp shirts, nicely cut jackets and day dresses, and of course – backpacks. Welcome to the Spring 2012 Career Fair, organized by the Walton College of Business and open to students across campus.

In today’s economy, with college graduates having to hustle a bit harder to avoid bunking at home with their parents, post-graduation, it makes sense that more than 600 students updated their resumes, polished their dress shoes and showed up for the Spring 2012 Career Fair. What is surprising is the record number of potential employers – 98 companies and organizations – who sent a representative to the fair.

Companies are always on the lookout for talent, according to Sarah Head, a recruiter for Walmart, which handled some of the longest lines of hopeful students.

“I would say I’ve interviewed, hmm, probably at least 50,” Head said as she thumbed through a thick stack of resumes. “We always look at GPA, extracurricular activities, work experience and other internships, student organization and project involvement. Study abroad we like – any kind of international experience, and different languages.” When asked whether being an honors student helped, she affirmed: “It does, because we know there’s a strong GPA involved with that, and usually extracurricular activities, special classes, and study abroad, as well.”

Remington Rice, a junior Honors College fellow majoring in finance, who wants to go into investment banking, was there looking for a summer internship.

“An internship is very essential for students who want to market themselves to the business world after graduation,” he said. “And this is a way to get my foot in the door with companies like Tyson, Walmart, and Northwestern Mutual. For them to know your name, that’s an advantage,” he added.

Katherine Branscum, a senior international business major with a concentration in supply chain management, was intent on landing her first job. “I’ve literally been here all day,” she said, reeling off a long list of companies with whom she’d visited. “It’s tough, because I’m locationally challenged. My fiance’s in medical school in Little Rock, so I can’t be mobile.”

Senior Alice McMillan, left, an honors marketing major/Spanish minor, chats with Rebel Smith, a graduate recruiter for Walton College.

Alice McMillan, a senior marketing major/Spanish minor, hopes to land a job that will send her abroad, but emphasized that most companies tend to offer those opportunities to more senior employees.

“I’m here because of the stress of not having a job secured – you have to explore all of your options, see what’s out there,” she said. “The ‘you never know’ mentality is what brought me here today.”

The Walton College of Business holds these career fairs once each semester, and students say they do get results.

“I came to the career fair last fall, and they actually do call afterwards,” said Jennifer Roberts, an honors economics major who hopes to land a summer internship. “With summer coming up fast, I plan to make some follow up calls this time,” she added.

Hats off to Walton College for creating an opportunity for students to network, right here on campus.

Here I am riding a camel in Wadi Rum. The design on my hands is henna, and my "hat" is the Jordanian kufiyeh.

International relations major Rachel Calandro has studied Arabic five days a week for two years in preparation for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity she is experiencing now: a year of study in Amman, Jordan. She describes the shock of finding words for the most basic requests, the hair-raising art of crossing the street, and some major cultural shifts on clothing and gender relations, below:

How has it been like to live here in Amman, Jordan? Well … Different. Just so different.

The first couple weeks were just complete puzzlement and amazement—and not in a bad way. Coming here after having two years of Intensive Arabic (aka five days a week…), I assumed that I would be able to communicate at least at a decent level with the other students I met who were in the same situation. However, there were two massive flaws in this plan. One, the Arabic we learn in America is the Modern Standard Arabic, and differs from the local Jordanian dialect in several important aspects such as common words and even conjugation. We found that we could not understand anyone who talked to us, which was confusing to say the least. The second big flaw was that our curriculum in America taught us all sorts of useful words like “The UN,” “Office of Admissions,” “chess,” and “army,” but we quickly realized that we did not know how to say the very necessary phrases and words such as “Can I take a shower?,” “The food is delicious,” ”Can I wash my clothes today?,” “sink,” and even “excuse me.” There were SO many phrases we hadn’t been taught. To be fair, the reason they did not teach us those phrases was because they differ from country to country …. Still, it made the first few weeks frustrating. “First few weeks”? Ha. I am still figuring out the different words they use.

However, communicating became much easier as we learned the most commonly used vocabulary here. Spending lots of time with my peer tutor and all of her friends helped a lot. : ) Now I can communicate pretty well. As far as understanding conversations, though, maybe I’ve just gotten used to having people talk around me without understanding it. That used to bother me a lot, but now it doesn’t. I’m going to have sensory overload when I return to the States and can actually understand every snippet of conversation I overhear.

I have gotten used to the rhythm of life here for the most part. I have a long commute to school due to my decision to use public transportation instead of taxis, but it is a nice period of time that I use to think. During breaks between classes, I usually hang out on campus with my Jordanian friends. Sometimes I understand the conversations, and sometimes I don’t. : ) Evenings are usually family and homework time. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t learn something entirely new about how life works here. It would be enough to wear out my brain entirely if I weren’t enjoying it so much.

The Dead Sea at sunset. Beautiful!

As for other thoughts, I have just recently been realizing the depth to which I’m becoming accustomed to the culture here. Now, I know that of course I am not completely “embedded” in the culture, but after three-ish months here, it’s amazing how much the thinking of the culture is impressed on me. I knew this in my head, but one instance in particular this past week made me start thinking about it more.

In my Jordanian dialect class, our teacher sometimes shows us videos and we pick out the words that we know from it. Well, this particular lesson was on clothing. The class sat in horror, shock, and awe as she played a song for us. The words must have been about clothing, but none of us wrote down a single word, because we weren’t paying attention to the words. The premise of the music video was some guy interviewing girls who wanted to be models, and we watched with jaws dropped as girls with bare arms and short skirts pranced in and out of the interview room. At the end, we reacted in outrage.

“What was that?!?!” we asked. “What does that have to do with clothing!?!

Our teacher asked us, “Do you want to watch it again?” (We normally watch the video two or three times.)

“NO!!!!!” we responded emphatically.

She was clearly slightly taken aback. “Why?”

One of the girls in class spoke the words that were in everyone’s minds: “Mish moonaasib!!!” (= “inappropriate!”)

“What??” the teacher asked.

We all responded in agreement with the girl: “Because of the short skirts! The immodest clothing! What was that? Inappropriate! We don’t want to see it again.”

I was so surprised, because this response was coming from a group of students who I knew would have no problem wearing the same type of clothing back in the U.S. But we were all so genuinely upset about the film.

Our teacher tried to redeem the video: “But the song mentions clothing! Listen again.”

So we went through the video again, with the teacher pausing it at every line to point out that the words were talking about skirts and dresses and such.

Class ended before we could get all the way through the video again, and everyone was glad. Everyone’s discussions as we scattered from class focused on #1, shock and amazement that we had to watch it, and #2, amazement at the realization that we found it shocking.

By the way, this would not really have been a bad music video in the U.S. I mean, it had short skirts, but that was the worst thing in it ….

It’s going to be odd going back … I’ve gotten used to so many things that are normal to me now.

A quick pose in Petra near the monastery, in an enclave for a god.

I’ve gotten used to eating pita bread with every meal. So much so that when I made myself eggs the other night (we eat scrambled eggs for supper, not breakfast), they tasted incomplete until I realized I was missing pita bread. So I went to the freezer, got out the pita bread, and heated it over the stove, using a lighter to light the stove, because most stoves here don’t light automatically.

Crossing the busiest roads is an art. All major intersections are roundabouts, and when crossing them on foot, the point is not to cross one leg, then another, then another. No, I cross until halfway into the middle of the roundabout, then wait (standing in the middle of traffic) until a line of cars gives me enough cover to cross. Or I just cross anyways, playing Frogger with the cars. And this is how everyone does it…I’ve learned that a little beep by a car means he’s not going to stop; flashing his lights means he’s going to give way to me.

Thursday evenings are times to sit with extended family in the grandma’s apartment. I enjoy that time.

I’ve gotten used to the kinds of sweets they make here—so different than the sweets in America, but so good.

I’ve grown to love the taste of zait wa-zatar  (oil and thyme) on flatbread (called manna-eesh), and its delicious smell too.

My standard of “chivalry” has changed. Instead of chivalry being something like a guy opening the door for me, it is now things like a guy giving up the front seat of the shared taxi to sit in the back so I won’t have to sit in the back next to guys. Or if I do sit in the back with guys, a chivalrous guy is the one who scoots way over so as to allow a good six inches of space between us (which is quite a sacrifice, since there are three adults sitting in the back of a small car). Or, the chivalrous guy is one who stops and scoots over to a narrower part of the sidewalk, or even onto the street, so we don’t have to walk too close to each other.

I instantly change into pajamas as soon as I get into the house, because no one wears anything but pajamas in the house unless company is over. The thought of not wearing dress clothing to leave the house does not occur to me.

In all my conversations, I unconsciously talk with my hands and use gestures and non-word noises to get my point across. This will be hard to get rid of when I go back.

I know that I shouldn’t be smiling when walking around the city by myself—only if I’m with other girls (although I still often break this rule…). So as soon as I leave the house, I put my serious face on and look down. And I know that that will only discourage the majority of the male population; the others will still honk, yell, catcall, try to talk to me, bump into me, or may even try to touch me.

I realize that part of this is that I had no frame of reference in which to put Jordan before I came, so I knew that I’d have to learn to get used to all these things. But now I’m realizing that I’m going to have to get used to life back home.

And things like seeing legs and arms is going to surprise me.

As will the price of food (You can buy a HUGE meal here for under $6, and most of my meals are under $1.50).

I’m going to miss going to the salon and getting a haircut, blow dry straight, and eyebrow threading all for about $7.50.

I’m going to be surprised to see guys and girls hanging out together.

I’m going to be offended when a guy does not give me wide berth on the sidewalk, or does not squoosh himself into a corner so as not to sit close to me.

I’m going to be disappointed that all the guys don’t stare at me as I walk by (even though it just annoys or tires me now).

I’m going to also be disappointed that all the girls don’t want to instantly be my friend just because I can speak English.

On top of Kerak Castle, looking down. The wind was crazy, and was blowing my hair straight up at times.

But overall, life here is good. So good.

I’ve made so many Jordanian friends with whom I spend all my free time on campus.

I was placed in the most fun host family possible, and they’ve taught me so much about the language and culture. They’ve really been my family away from home—they involve me in the family kung fu fights, they give me chores to do, they laugh with me about my Arabic, they are patient with my sometimes painful progress, they comfort me when my day has been rough, and just in general they have adopted me.

I learn so much every day, and am amazed every day. Not to say life isn’t sometimes hard, but life is hard anywhere. And the adventure of living here is a learning experience I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world.

The first time I saw the Milky Way I was just about seven years old. I had no idea what that cloud of light and sparks was and my father had to explain it to me. Here I was, standing on a small bit of Planet Earth, floating in a darkness so expansive that we could only see the massiveness of our galaxy as a band of milky dust blending into so many other galaxies … and we are on the very edge of it all.

From that moment, I’ve pursued a career and lifestyle that brings me closer to the sky. An important step in this process has been studying physics and astronomy here, at the University of Arkansas. Counting my three months living at the McDonald Observatory as one event, I can count the number of times I have seen the Milky Way on one hand. This is not how it used to be, and this is why today we call the artificial brightening of the night sky light pollution. However, this does not just block out the beauty of the night sky it also causes a number of other problems. It is about baby sea turtles losing their way, birds circling lights to exhaustion, and even cancer cells multiplying in our own bodies.

To bring attention to this issue the University of Arkansas Honors College will present a series of events that focus on what light pollution means for us culturally and even biologically, and you’re invited:

• Star Party and Dark Sky Discussion, Sunday, March 11, 7:30-10:30 p.m.
  Hog Haus restaurant, 430 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville

Connie Walker, creator of the GLOBE at Night light pollution awareness campaign, and Ian Cheney, producer and director of The City Dark feature documentary, will lead an informal discussion on light pollution and why it matters at Hog Haus restaurant. Complimentary light snacks will be served. At nightfall we’ll view the night sky with telescopes set up in front of the Walton Art Center. Connie Walker will demonstrate how to take observations for GLOBE at Night and use a sky quality meter to measure the level of light pollution in downtown Fayetteville.

• Arkansas Premiere of The City Dark, Monday, March 12, 5:30 p.m.
  Verizon Ballroom, Arkansas Union

Filmmaker Ian Cheney will introduce his latest feature documentary, The City Dark, which explores the myriad implications of a globe glittering with lights—including increased breast cancer rates from exposure to light at night, and a generation of kids without a glimpse of the universe above. Both Cheney and Walker will answer questions after the screening.

Ian Cheney has produced a number of notable documentary films, including King Corn and Truck Farm. His new film, The City Dark, has been awarded the Jury Prize for Best Score/Music at the SXSW Film Festival and the Grand Jury Prize, Environmental Film Fest at Yale and was recently selected as a New York Times Critics’ Pick. He will be here to talk to us about the creation of this film and answer your questions about light pollution and documentary filmmaking.

Connie Walker is a senior science education specialist at the National Optical Astronomy Observatory and creator of the GLOBE at Night project. This project focuses on raising awareness of light pollution worldwide and also collects data on it from people like you and me multiple times every year. In fact, there will be a GLOBE at Night campaign just a few days after we see this film and Connie Walker will be here to give us expert advice on how to easily make these observations.

This is not one to miss.
I hope to see you there!

~AJ Salois

Want to hear more from A.J.? Check out her Ozarks at Large interview on the importance of darkness!

Lasers have been a source of wonder for many people since their invention only about half a century ago and William Lewis, an honors physics and mathematics major, is making it the focus of his honors thesis. What many people do not realize is that lasers are not all created equal. Under the direction of physics professor Reeta Vyas, William studies the polarization properties of cylindrically polarized beams.

When William found out the mathematical descriptions of this beam did not work in every situation he went back to the drawing board and Maxwell’s equations to uncover a description (read: equation) of the beam which could be used by researchers whose work depends on polarization properties of the beam. Scientists will use this equation to investigate particle trapping (see article on particle trapping as applied to medicine), to sort and manipulate molecules (optical tweezers), and to create nanoscale imaging that could contribute to a treatment for multiple sclerosis. 

Question: What is your favorite thing about lasers?

Answer: Probably my favorite thing is just how widely used they are in all different disciplines, you know, medicine, fundamental physics, chemistry, biology all sorts of things. It’s incredible to me that after just over 50 years lasers have found so many applications. And it seems like there are so many more to come. An example is optical trapping. You literally can hold a particle in place, suspended there. You can suspend a particle in midair with a beam of light. They’ve also done some interesting things with attaching DNA to little nanospheres and stretching it. That’s one of the experiments scientists have done to test the Young’s modulus of DNA, which is a measure of how much something stretches for how hard you pull it.

Question: What is the final goal of your research?

Answer: The primary fact that we discovered was that you have an extra component of the electric field along the direction of propagation of the beam called the longitudinal component, and so I derived an analytical expression, an equation, that describes that component. There were “in certain special cases” descriptions of the longitudinal component using different methods. But the theory that Dr. Vyas and I worked up can be used for any cylindrically polarized beam. It’s easier to apply in more cases.

I’ve already presented at four conferences, using money from the SURF grant, and I think I’m done presenting on this. I hope to be published.

Question: As your thesis defense approaches what type of advice would you give to students just now starting their own research?

Answer: Oh man, a lot. Better time management. That’s the number one thing. Dr. Vyas has been very patient and supportive and I have a lot of pieces of things I’ve written; six pages here, eight pages there, so on and so forth, but I haven’t actually gotten a draft of my thesis done and that is sort of an overbearing cloud; it’s there. It’s the elephant in the room. My plan is just to work.

Also, don’t be overly confident in your work. I messed one up and wrote something wrong down and had to go back when I found it and change all the stuff I had written and all the programs I had written in Mathematica. It took like two weeks to go through and fix everything. So, triple-, no, quadruple-check everything that you do.

Question: Where do you see yourself in 15 years?

Answer: Assuming that I’ve gotten all of my graduate and post-doc work done I feel like I would be happy ending up as a faculty member at a university similar to the U of A. I really feel like getting involved in research has changed my appreciation for the differences between the knowledge that you can get doing coursework and the knowledge that you can get actually working out things yourself in the lab. As a result, I would like to work somewhere that would allow me to mentor undergraduate students. I think a lot of universities do that, but I feel like the U of A has a really really strong background in that. If I could I would come back to the U of A and teach here. I love the faculty in the physics department. I would consider it an honor to be able to work in the same setting with them. I really like Fayetteville, I just feel like it’s a great place and it has great people.

William Lewis working with mentor Reeta Vyas.

Question: Does any one classroom experience stick out in your mind?

Answer: Dr. Oliver’s UPIII (University Physics III) class. It was really fun the day he asked us a question having to do with Faraday’s law. I came up with an answer that I guess he hadn’t heard before and he told me that I had “added a brick to his wall of intuition.” That actually really meant something to me coming from Dr. Oliver.