Spotlighting the Environmental Science and Chemistry Department

This summer in the Queens lab, students are joining Dr. Aaron Socha, a natural product chemist teaching in the Environmental Science and Chemistry Department, in pursuit of sustainable energy. Queens students Gabbi Montgomery, Albratha McClain, Hannah Phykitt, Michael Gonzalez, alumni Victoria Diaz, high schoolers Andrew DeWeese, Sam Quarles and Charlie Veronee, and postdoctoral researcher Shihong Liu are facing a complex problem.

With industry puffing on a finite supply of petroleum and coughing up carbon dioxide emissions, it is time to look for an alternative. “We [use] oil to drive our cars, rubber to make tires . . . even fine chemicals and pharmaceuticals are often derived from petroleum,” said Socha. “Solvents, plastics, paints: small things add up.” Where everything seems to trace back to fossil fuels, scientists like Socha see plants as one future source of renewable materials.

Since they are “reproducible, sustainable, and produce oxygen,” Socha believes that plants are a suitable replacement for some of our chemical dependencies. Unfortunately, this switch will take a lot more than a green thumb. Socha explained that a “chemical conversion process” is required. “Plants are largely made of carbon-based polymers. . . We have to figure out how to convert plant carbon into a usable form.”

Backed by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation, and collaborating with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Natural Fiber Welding, Queens is in good company. In Rogers Hall, a state of the art science building on campus, the Domtar pulp and paper corporation also leases space to work on biomaterials projects with Queens student interns and graduates.

A number of scientists across the world are working to replace petroleum in industrial products, and Queens has its own strategy. “We have very specific materials that we are making at Queens” explained Socha. “These materials are largely known as ionic liquids.”

Ionic liquids are a “unique group of chemicals – they are composed of pure ions, yet are often liquids at room temperature” says Socha. Due to their “tunable” solvent properties, ionic liquids can dissolve a wide range of substrates, and because they are ionic, they remain in liquid form at temperatures that would boil other liquids. These properties can be attractive to industries using large volumes of chemical solvents for materials processing – on the one hand, you can optimize solubilities of target molecules, and on the other hand your evaporative loss and environmental impact is minimized.

To start, Socha’s team had to find the ideal plant material to work with. “In the early stages of this work we looked to a very abundant and inexpensive feedstock,” said Socha. They

selected lignin “essentially, a waste product from the pulp and paper industry that is also known as ‘black liquor’. In a pulp mill, lignin is typically burned for heat, “but it’s pretty well-oxidized already, so it has a low value as a fuel” said Socha.

Essentially, lignin is what Socha calls a “large volume waste product” and it is also very local. “At least sixty tons of lignin per day are generated here in North Carolina,” said Socha. The team at Queens is working to convert lignin excess into “benzylammonium ionic liquids that can perform comparably to petroleum-based ionic liquids in certain applications.”

This conversion process involves breaking down the lignin into smaller fragments using elevated pressures and temperatures. “This is of particular interest to the students in the lab at Queens because they learn to use powerful reactors, and cutting-edge analytical instruments to measure their product yields.” One end-goal for the lignin-derived ionic liquids are their use as solvents for biopolymers . Known as biomass pretreatment, this application spans biotech industries (think fuels and pharmaceuticals) as well as emerging industries focused on sustainable textile manufacturing.

As this process evolves, there are other elements to take into consideration. “If these ionic liquids are considered for use at a large scale we will need to evaluate their environmental toxicity,” said Socha. Plugged into the rich scientific network at Queens, interdisciplinary experiments are being developed. Socha’s team is “working with the department of Biology . . . to have students test the toxicity their ionic liquids – specifically those made from different types of plants’ lignin,” said Socha. Dr. Scott Weir, a professor in the department of Biology, is leading students in research design to determine if grass-derived liquids are less toxic than wood-derived liquids, for example.

Socha, and bright new minds in diverse fields of science, are tackling a challenging project in the labs at Queens. They are determined to create new biomaterials from plants in a cost-effective way. Socha cites “54 existing commercial applications of ionic liquids” and a desperate need for petroleum alternatives. The College of Arts and Sciences is excited to be sprouting green solutions at Queens.

Gabrielle Girard

Spotlighting the Political Science and Sociology Department

This summer, questions planted in the Queens classroom blossom into full-fledged research. On top of mapping resources, students and faculty in the Political Science and Sociology Department are delving into the complex climate surrounding immigration. Enabled by summer research grants, students are conducting undergraduate research with their professors. Student Becca Carlo is working with Dr. Margaret Commins, and Danielle Trujillo Sandoval is teamed up with Dr. Jeremiah Wills.

According to Wills “studying immigrant policy attitudes” is “relevant and timely.” Queens’ location makes it all the more immediate. “As a prominent city of the New South, Charlotte has experienced significant economic and population growth over the past several decades, including increases in foreign-born populations” said Wills. Wills cites “immigrant labor” as “integral to Charlotte and the surrounding areas’ development,” while acknowledging that the surrounding policies are “salient—and sometimes controversial.”

Headlines running on every news channel reflect issues that play out locally in real time. “With national attention to matters related to family separation following border crossings, border security approaches (e.g., building a wall), and criticisms of ICE and its purposes, the current local sociopolitical issues in Charlotte have clear connections to national politics” said Wills.

In this sociopolitical moment, Commins defines this new research as asking important questions like “What are the people of Charlotte’s views on immigrants and immigration policy? What variables affect these views (age, education, race, etc.)?”

These questions stem from an “Advanced Research Participation” course Wills and Commins taught in the Spring. They “are continuing . . . with summer research grants employing . . . Danielle Trujillo and Rebecca Carlo, both of whom were part of the Spring course” said Commins.

In light of Charlotte’s recent pledge to be a “Welcoming City,” “[t]here is a lot of work to do to be sure that immigrants feel welcome here,” said Commins. Queens students are shouldering some of that load.

Carlo and Sandoval “went into the community, collecting over 300 surveys” and are “working on analyzing this data now” said Commins.

This research will be deeply beneficial to both the students and the city. Carlo and Sandoval “will gain valuable insight into how social science research works” said Wills. He compiled a list of new skills, including “learning theoretical explanations . . . and test[ing] these theoretical ideas,” “collecting and coding survey data,” “creating variables and cleaning survey data in a usable data set,” “inferential statistical analyses,” and “communicating research findings in understandable, relevant ways.”

As students develop priceless knowledge, their research is yielding significant results.

Wills articulated that their “findings can be compared to national estimates produced by the Pew Research Center, giving valuable information about how Charlotte, as a unique Southern city, compares to the rest of the US.”

These statistics are extremely practical for Charlotte’s future. “The city is thrilled to have us help them . . . to better understand attitudes toward [immigration policy] amongst city residents” said Commins. She explains that they can use this research to “design programs that are more likely to be effective in promoting a welcoming city.”

At Queens, students’ voices are heard. From classroom conversations to community-focused research, their learning is facilitating new findings. “[The College of Arts and Sciences] has been incredibly generous and supportive of our efforts, including the initial grant money . . . for both summer research grants” said Commins. Backed by the necessary resources and faculty support, students are making important discoveries in the science of society.

Gabrielle Girard

Spotlighting the History Department 

As the summer kicks off, while many Queens students recharge for next semester, soaking up sunshine and catching up on sleep, Dr. Sarah Griffith, a professor in the History Department, is packing her bags for something bigger than vacation. As a 2019 recipient of the Fulbright Scholarship, a prestigious award from this United States cultural exchange program, she will be flying to Japan for a 5-month cultural immersion program next year.

Fulbright Scholars teach college classes and give public lectures in their field. Along with Fulbright’s vision, Griffith will pursue her own research agenda. “The Fulbright Scholarship was founded in 1956 with a mission to foster intercultural exchange and understanding,” but also provides her with “ample time  . . . for scholarly research as well,” said Griffith.

Applying for the scholarship was no small task. “The application process is quite lengthy and highly competitive” said Griffith. She submitted “a letter of interest that describes [her] teaching and research expertise, views on intercultural exchange,” as well as “sample syllabi, published research, and numerous letters of recommendation.”

During her time at Queens, she has taught “many different courses in both the Department of History and the General Education program.” She has also worked with Queens excellent study abroad opportunities, leading the John Belk International Program trip to Japan. Countless students have highlighted Queens’ small class size and deeply involved professors as a highlight of their learning experience. From a faculty perspective, Griffith says “building of relationships [with students] is one of my favorite parts about being an educator.”

Even though she is constantly sharing knowledge, Griffith is always learning. Her personal “research focuses on the transpacific migration in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries” said Griffith. Most recently, her work directly bridges the two continents, “explor[ing] the lives of Japanese and American Christian women who migrated back and forth from Japan to the United States in the pre-World War II era.”

Griffith’s research delves into the climate in which these individuals were immersed. She says she is “especially interested in the forces that inspired these women to migrate, the limitations they faced and how they challenged these limits, and the sorts of social and organizational networks they built across massive geographic spaces.”

Her own journey will provide her with additional insight and sources. “While some of the archives I’m using for this project are located in US repositories, many others are only accessible by travelling to Japanese archives” said Griffith. These new sources will “detail the organizational alliances they built and how they leveraged these networks to advocate for immigrant assimilation, women’s rights, and internationalism in the pre-WWII era,” said Griffith.

As a scholar and an educator, she is also conscious of the international differences in teaching and learning. “The Japanese educational system tends to emphasize lecture and rote learning, [whereas] liberal arts colleges like Queens encourage discussion and the development of skills in critical thinking” said Griffith.

Those skills were put to the test in the strenuous application submission, and then Griffith faced 4-5 months of suspense. She said her credentials were “reviewed  . . . by the US Fulbright Commission, the State Department, and the foreign commission,” and she was finally awarded the Fulbright Scholarship.

As “an avid cyclist and foodie” as well as a scholar and historian, she is excited to learn “more about the Japanese educational system, and culture at large.” Griffith, an illuminating force in the Department of History, will be returning to the College of Arts and Sciences with even more knowledge. In the meantime, “It’ll be fun to see how my experiences at Queens translate to” a new “learning environment [in Japan]” said Griffith.

Gabrielle Girard

Queens University of Charlotte is so proud of the class of 2019! Students and faculty united to celebrate this year’s stellar graduates.

Spotlighting the Center for Student Success

Here at Queens, students within the College of Arts and Sciences bring their expertise in their respective majors to the broader Queens community – and one way these students do so is by working as subject and writing tutors within the Center for Student Success.

The tutoring program run by the Center for Student Success sees students working together in a relaxed, low-stress environment – and also sees peers helping peers through challenging classes and assignments. Professor Jennifer Smith Daniel, Director of Writing and Learning Services within the Center for Student Success, strongly feels that tutoring benefits not only the tutees being served, but the tutors as well. “When students work together to make meaning for themselves, the collaborative process they use helps them both – student and peer tutor – to deeply learn the ideas or material,” she says.

Writing tutor Megan Rosenthal agrees with this idea, saying that “tutoring has definitely helped my own learning. I am a strong believer in the idea that if you can successfully teach someone else something, then you fully understand the topic.” Megan is able to bring her skill set as a Creative Writing major and Professional Writing and Rhetoric minor over into her tutoring sessions. She says being immersed in language and structure through her classes has proven to be extremely helpful when it comes to being a writing tutor, and that helping others with their papers has given her confidence in her own writing abilities.

Joi Pride, a Spanish subject tutor, feels similarly when it comes to her education within her major guiding her tutoring abilities. Her time spent abroad as a Queens student has “opened [her] eyes a bit more to even more variations of speech as far as accents go, and … how people structure sentences and what words they choose to explain certain things,” and has helped her tutees become more interested in studying abroad. The benefits of her tutoring sessions go both ways as well, as Joi feels tutoring has helped her to form better questions to ask in her own Spanish classes, and has enabled her to solidify her foundation when it comes to basic grammar rules.

The Center for Student Success provides tutors with the training to succeed in numerous ways. Professor Daniel stresses that “training is vital because tutoring is not about just giving answers,” and says that training is focused on subject areas such as brain-based learning, cultural humility, critical thinking, and goal setting. Writing tutors specifically take a course through Queens called “English Practicum in Composition Theory,” or what is better known as ENG 207. This course gives the students that take it a solid foundation in writing center and composition pedagogies. Both subject and writing tutors are prepared in every way possible to help the greater student body that comes to the center for help.

These tutoring services are important to the general student body in that they allow the peer tutors within the Center for Student Success to be present with other students, and Professor Daniel says that “whether it’s just to acknowledge that this work we call learning is tough,” or “to remind us that we can when we feel like giving up,” tutors have been there – and fully understand what their peers need and are going through. Students within the College of Arts and Sciences like Joi and Megan are contributing their experiences within their majors to greater university programs such as the tutoring services within the Center for Student Success – not only helping others to thrive academically, but learning to thrive themselves!

Alex Carver

[Faculty advisor’s note:  Congratulations to Alex Carver, Class of 2019! Many thanks for your contributions to this blog and elsewhere on campus — and best wishes for a fabulous future!]

Spotlighting the Cato School of Education

Here at Queens, students within the Cato School of Education are able to expand upon their learning in the classroom in many ways – one way being the opportunity to learn more about education in a different setting by taking trips around the country!

This past March, the Cato Teaching Fellows took a trip to the “Big Apple,” exploring New York City and attending a conference at the Teacher’s College at Columbia University. These fellows – Ashlyn Main, Dyanna San, and Lauren Wolfgang – presented the trip idea to Dr. Amy Wooten Thornburg, Associate Dean of the Cato School of Education, for approval. Dr. Ginger Black, a professor within the Cato School, accompanied the Fellows with Dr. Thornburg on this trip, and says that Fellows within Cato are “offered an opportunity to experience culture and learn more about education during their junior year in the School of Education,” through this trip. Students choose where they go and present an overview of their goals for the trip before it is approved.

While in New York, the fun and learning never stopped! The teaching fellows got to choose the workshops and seminars they wanted to attend, such as seminars focusing on learning specific strategies for teaching reading and writing in elementary classrooms. By being able to participate in these various workshops based on their own interests and needs when it comes to learning, the Fellows were able to take home an abundance of new knowledge and methods for literacy instruction that can be put to good use in their future classrooms. In addition to these workshops and seminars, the fellows and their faculty mentors had the opportunity to explore New York City in depth, visiting important cultural and historical sites such as the Empire State Building, the American Museum of Natural History, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

While faculty helped these fellows facilitate the trip, the students determined their goals, objectives, and schedules for the day, and mapped out their routes and transportation through the city – allowing the Fellows to build upon their leadership skills. The Cato School of Education also provided flights, a hotel, meals, and transportations fees throughout the trip for the students.

Ashlyn Main, one of the Cato Teaching Fellows on this trip, strongly feels that this trip will have a positive impact on her future teaching. She says that during her time at the Teacher’s college, she “learned wonderful techniques, but also experienced amazing educators,” noting that “they employed different strategies to engage their audience.” Ashlyn says that during her time with the Cato School, she has been provided many opportunities to learn in the field of education. While she has been in many elementary classrooms throughout Charlotte, and has traveled to Seattle and Atlanta on previous trips with the Cato Teaching Fellows, she felt that “this trip to New York City supplied me with new encounters in the education world,” and was “so grateful” for the opportunity to take this trip.

As for post-trip plans for the Fellows? Dr. Black says that they will be creating a presentation to share with the other Cato Teaching Fellows, showcasing their experience on the trip and how it is valuable to them now and in the future. With the opportunity to travel and learn new and exciting techniques through these sponsored trips, the Cato School Fellows are preparing themselves to serve, not be served, as future educators.

Alex Carver

Spotlighting the Environmental Science Department

At Queens University, students and faculty are sounding the depths of climate change and proposing global solutions in the waves of expanding oceans. Joy Ward, a Junior majoring in Environmental Science with a concentration in Sustainability, and Dr. Reed Perkins, Professor in the Department of Environmental Science and Chemistry, recently published their peer-reviewed essay, “Should We Stay or Should We go Now?: Why Small Island States Should Stay in Place and Adapt to Climate Change.”

Their work, featured in the edited volume, World Geography: Understanding a Changing World, ABC CLIO/Greenwood Press, addresses the impact of rising tides on Small Island Nations. “Sea level is rising about one-eighth of an inch per year,” said Ward. “Here in the U.S., it might not seem like a big problem, but imagine for a Small Island State: it affects everything from how crops are grown to where [people] get their water.” For these land masses, flooding is a looming emergency.

NASA’s satellite sea level observation dates back to 1993, but Ward launched into the project last semester. “Dr. Perkins noted that I was really active and engaged [in class] and asked if I would want to work on a paper,” she said. For her, Queens’ small class size provided a unique mentorship opportunity. “I don’t think that would have happened at [most] other universities,” she said.

As Ward waded into research, she felt fully equipped. “I used my Queens resources,” she said. “The first thing I did [was] go to the Everett Library and look at the [information] that they provide for us: ProQuest, all the science databases, and all the interlibrary loans.”

Swimming in plentiful digital archives, Ward was thrilled to be working closely with an expert. “This is Dr. Perkins’ specialty. He is really interested in Small Island Nations, their geography, and how they interact and structure themselves in a growing world,” said Ward.

Presently, with limited space and advancing tides, Small Island communities are faced with difficult decisions. “As global climate change becomes more of a pressing reality [Small Island Nations] need to figure what they’re going to do. They can only move inward so much,” said Ward. One option is relocation. To Ward, the pressure to evacuate is “quite frankly a little offensive.”

Swelling currents could sweep away more than topography. Although it might initially seem like the “easier solution,” Ward argued that removal would result in “erasing heritage and governments . . .that have been around for longer than we know.” Ultimately, she feels that “[Small Island Nations] should not have to leave home, identity, and culture for a problem other people have created.”

Perkins and Ward outlined tactics for politically and economically favorable changes on local scales, while demanding global responsibility. With Perkins’ “first-hand experience” and leagues of knowledge on the topic, they framed their argument in what Ward described as a “co-written process.”

Perkins and Ward’s work is a ripple in the pool of scientific knowledge and an exciting accomplishment within the College of Arts and Sciences; it is also a call to action. “The people producing the most greenhouse gasses [are] the U.S., China, and India” said Ward.

While recognizing international culprits, Ward notes that the responsibility trickles down to individual and local levels. “We can recognize the influence and impact we’re having [on Small Island Nations], and change our lives in the smallest ways, by using less plastic, walking rather than driving, or consuming a vegetarian or vegan diet” she said.

Whether Small Island Nations choose to relocate or remain, the tides are rising. “Global climate change is a problem. We can’t think about it tomorrow, we have to think about it yesterday,” said Ward. In the College of Arts and Sciences at Queens University, students are active and engaged in increasing sustainability, embarking on solutions in the tides of a quickly submerging future. According to Ward, “every drop in the bucket counts.”

Gabrielle Girard

Spotlighting the World Languages Department

At Queens University, students studying foreign languages are given unique opportunities to further broaden their language learning skills – and the students in SPN 310, an advanced Spanish grammar class, are an exemplary example of this.

Professor DeBell, a Spanish instructor in the World Languages department at Queens, has been working with students in her SPN 310 class on a translation project – taking chapters of a book in Spanish and translating them into English to be published. Professor DeBell started her own translation career – with the very author Queens students are translating for – when she was a college student herself. She met the author, Cristina Ávila Zesatti, during her travels in South America, and has translated articles for her website over the years. Professor DeBell strongly believes in Zesatti’s mission of Peace Journalism, and feels the stories the Zesatti tells in her book need to be told. She is proud of her class’s part in making these stories available to an English speaking audience.

The book students are translating in SPN 310 –Peace that Exists (that the Press Ignores): 20 Stories to Read in Times of War – image used with author’s permission.

Students started this translation project and process by closely reading the text and having an online conference with the author, who is located in Mexico. After conferencing with the author, students chose the chapters they wish to translate – choosing ones that correlate with their majors. Professor DeBell gives the example of a finance major translating a chapter related to economics and poverty and a sports management major translating a chapter related to the World Cup. DeBell says that “not only does this increase student interest and enthusiasm, but it is also beneficial from a professional standpoint, as it allows them to gain experience in a specialized field” when it comes to translation work.

Students met with Professor DeBell during the early translation process to go over their work, allowing DeBell to determine where a student’s strengths and weaknesses lie within their translation skills. Along with this support from faculty, students have been able to pair up in peer-editing groups to work on their translations, a process that reinforces valuable collaborative skills. DeBell says that students “left the peer editing session with ideas on how to move forward and where to focus in order to turn in the best final product possible.” Final steps to complete this project lie beyond the end of this semester-long class, and include editing each chapter for accuracy as well as ensuring consistency throughout the entire book before the translation is published. Once published, students involved will have the satisfaction of seeing their names in print and credited as translators.

Queens has supported the work in this class by providing use of a conference room – located in the Knight-Crane building – that has a large screen used for virtual conferences. IT support is also provided, and these resources were greatly appreciated when the students met for their conference with the author before beginning their translation work. Professor Debell may also be able to utilize professional development funding from the College of Arts and Sciences to attend a translation conference and workshop this summer. Availability of these funds, DeBell says, “enables faculty members to advance projects and research, and in this case, it will help bring this project closer to finalization and publication after it is workshopped by peers and professionals in the field” during this workshop.

The value in all of this, Professor DeBell mentions, is the experience. She says that “not only will students be able to say that they have experience translating, but their finished product will be published, which stands out.” Through Queens and the College of Arts and Sciences, Spanish majors and students learning foreign languages are provided tools, including resources and experiences, needed to help their language learning skills thrive – thus opening the doors to potential employment opportunities in their near future!

Love languages but prefer to major in French at Queens?  Click here.

Alex Carver