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Valparaiso University Professor Wins American Meteorological Association Award

Sept. 6, 2023 – Teresa Bals-Elsholz, Ph.D., professor of meteorology and chair of the Valparaiso University meteorology department, has been recognized by the American Meteorological Association (AMS) with the 2024 Edward N. Lorenz Teaching Excellence Award. This annual award goes to a professor who demonstrates "innovative and engaging teaching, making challenging curricula accessible and enjoyable, enthusiastic career-long mentoring, and inspiring the next generation of atmospheric scientists, especially empowering women” (award citation). “I really love getting to that ‘a-ha!’ moment with students,” Professor Bals-Elsholz says. “I am very proud and happy that I have been able to teach so many Valpo meteorology students, and especially to so many women meteorologists.” Professor Bals-Elsholz has been at Valpo for 23 years. As an instructor, she covers a wide range of students, from freshman coming in to Introduction to Meteorology to upper-classmen learning atmospheric dynamics and the ins and outs of meteorological computer systems.…

Exciting First Steps Towards More Efficient Solar Power

Serving as Beacons of stewardship for the environment and moving the campus toward more environmentally-friendly operations are both features of Valparaiso University’s Uplift Valpo: Our Beacon for the Journey Forward strategic plan, as are the values of leadership and service. One project embodying all of these values is a series of tests being undertaken at the James S. Markiewicz Solar Energy Research Facility (SERF) aimed at improving our ability to effectively store solar energy. The project is under the Pennsylvania-based company Advanced Cooling Technologies and is being funded by a Small Business Innovation Research Grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.  “The goal for this project is to make concentrated solar with the end goal of producing electricity better,” says Luke Venstrom, ’07, Ph.D., associate professor of mechanical engineering at Valpo. “This one is all about power production.”  The project revolves around concentrated solar power, a process by which massive…

Valparaiso University Mathematics Professor Wins MAA Award

Aug. 8, 2023 – Valparaiso, Indiana – Valparaiso University professors continue to show excellence and leadership in their fields as Lara Pudwell, Ph.D., professor of mathematics and statistics receives the Trevor Evans Award from the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) for her paper, “The Hidden and Surprising Structure of Ordered Lists,” appearing in the February 2022 edition of Math Horizons. The award includes a $1,000 prize. “It's a joy to share beautiful mathematics with others and an honor to be named this year's Trevor Evans award recipient,” Professor Pudwell said. Professor Pudwell’s project was originally a presentation at the National Museum of Mathematics, but with encouragement from former MAA president Jennifer Quinn and Math Horizons editor Tom Edgar, the work was later turned into the award-winning paper. “I find this back story to be a wonderful illustration of the good that comes from having encouraging leaders throughout the MAA who…

Valparaiso University and Ivy Tech Students Work Together to Solve Fungus Problem

06/31/2023– Valparaiso, Indiana – Valparaiso University has received a $19,573 grant from the NASA-funded Indiana Space Grant Consortium to continue studying the fungus Candida albicans. The funding will allow for student researchers at Valpo — along with select Ivy Tech Community College students — to investigate environmental conditions that cause the fungus to become potentially harmful to humans. This is the sixth consecutive year that the University has received the funding.  According to Patrice Bouyer, Ph.D., associate professor of biology at Valparaiso University, this particular species of fungus is most often found inside the human body: on the skin, the gut biome, and various other places. While normally harmless, undefined factors can cause the fungus to change its morphology from round to filament, leading to infections. Treating those infections in the US alone has an estimate direct medical costs of ~$7 billion annually, and the research project will help define…

Valparaiso University Joins International Space Research Effort

12/19/2022 – Valparaiso, Indiana – Todd Hillwig, Ph.D., professor of physics and astronomy at Valparaiso University has received a $72,743 grant from the Space Telescope Science Institute for the project “A Treasury FUV Survey of the Hottest White Dwarfs.” The funds will support the hiring of student researchers for three summers (2023-2025) to assist with collecting and analyzing data, as well as covering travel and conference expenses. Professor Hillwig is a member of an international team of co-investigators on the project, which is being headed by Nicole Reindl, Ph.D. at the University of Potsdam, Germany. The project is an effort to get a more accurate model of white dwarf stars, or stars at the end of their life cycle whose outer layers have largely dissipated into space. To do so, the team will examine the ultraviolet radiation (UV) of white dwarf stars and binary star systems of white dwarfs utilizing the…

Understanding the Holocaust: Forgery, Survival, and the Fight to Remember

Kevin Ostoyich, Ph.D., professor of history and recipient of the Dixon W. and Herta E. Benz Fund for Faculty Support, has become well-known in Holocaust remembrance circles for his experience and proficiency with interviewing survivors and their descendants. When the Florence and Laurence Spungen Family Foundation set out to write the book “Forging Secrets: Faces and Facts Inside the Nazi Operation Bernhard Scheme,” they turned to Professor Ostoyich to conduct a very special interview for the project. Despite years of experience in the field, he admits it was a proposition that came with uncertainties. The problem was not finding the right questions. It wasn’t even a scheduling issue, despite the fact that he was in Valparaiso and his two interview subjects were in Florida and Germany. What made Professor Ostoyich uncertain was that one interviewee was the granddaughter of Hans Walter — a Holocaust survivor forced to produce counterfeit British…

A Big Grant to Tackle a Microscopic Problem

Microplastics — tiny fragments of plastic materials that have shattered into microscopic size pieces over time — have been making headlines in recent years for the sheer amount of it being found in all parts of the world. A brief glance at the headlines shows growing concerns about the concentration of this pervasive form of pollution in our oceans, our crops, and even our bodies. However, while concern about the implications of microplastics has only cropped up in the last two decades, the pollutant itself is anything but new.  “We knew about microplastics quite a long while ago,” says Julie Peller, Ph.D., professor of chemistry at Valparaiso University. “For whatever reason, it just didn’t draw the attention it warranted.” Professor Peller has been interested in how potentially hazardous materials break down in nature since her time as a student studying organic compounds like pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and other contaminants with a…

2022 Valparaiso University Awards For Excellence in Research and Creative Work

April 11, 2022 – Valparaiso, Indiana – Gretchen Buggeln, Ph.D., professor of humanities and art history, and Nola Schmidt ’83, Ph.D., RN, CNE, professor of nursing, have been selected as co-recipients of the 2022 Valparaiso University Award for Excellence in Research and Creative Work by the Creative Work and Research Committee (CWRC).  Buggeln has been a member of Christ College — The Honors College since 2004 and the Phyllis and Richard Duesenberg Professor of Christianity and the Arts since 2009. Buggeln’s work has focused on the intersection of Christian belief and the material world. She has authored two university press monographs, two edited academic books, eight chapters in academic edited volumes, and numerous refereed journal articles, encyclopedia entries, general essays, and exhibition and book reviews.  “Professor Buggeln's work speaks to both scholarly and public audiences and has shaped the fields of American religious architecture, religion in museum studies and the…

New research from dean of Valparaiso University’s College of Business highlights challenge of Maine craft breweries growing authentically

Craft beer is a fast-growing industry, particularly in Maine and New England. New research led by Valparaiso University’s Niclas Erhardt, Ph.D., dean of the College of Business and former UMaine faculty member in the Maine Business School, shows that as the industry continues to grow, owners need to make decisions about scale and growth, which can be tough for brands whose success is built on local values. Researchers looked at six Maine craft breweries, conducting field observations in the facilities, as well as formal and informal interviews with brewmasters, brewery owners, customers, home brewers and local bar owners that offer beer from the six locales. Depending on the subject, the interviews asked questions about the role of local patrons and their preference for local craft beer; how the breweries build relationships with the local community; the role of innovation at the breweries; and challenges to the breweries’ growth. The researchers…

Valparaiso University Appoints Dean to College of Engineering

February 14, 2022 – Valparaiso, Indiana – Valparaiso University announces Doug Tougaw, Ph.D., ’05 MBA, P.E., will be the next dean of the College of Engineering, effective immediately. Tougaw has served in the role in an interim capacity since Feb. 15, 2021. In his role, Dean Tougaw is responsible for the strategic leadership, coordination and guidance of the College of Engineering. Tougaw joined the Valparaiso University faculty in 1996 as an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering and served as the chair of that department from 2001 to 2010 and from 2016 to 2020. “I am grateful for the continued leadership Dean Tougaw brings to the College of Engineering as he seeks to build upon an established tradition of excellence,” said Eric W. Johnson ’87, Ph.D. “Dean Tougaw brings an enthusiasm to his vocation as an educator and embodies the University’s mission to prepare women and men who serve…

Valparaiso University Announces Kapfer Research Award Recipient

Dec. 7, 2021 – Valparaiso, Indiana – Valparaiso University Associate Professor of English Sara R. Danger, Ph.D., has received the Philip and Miriam Kapfer Endowed Faculty Research Award to continue her work in researching and completing a monograph highlighting child authorship in the wake of the United States Civil War. The biennial award is funded by an endowment established by the Kapfer family and named in honor of Philip K. Kapfer, Ph.D., and Miriam B. Kapfer, Ph.D., both of whom, during long careers, developed and published innovative curriculum designs and strategies for elementary and secondary schools, higher education settings and corporate training programs. The Kapfers are parents to alumni Paul Kapfer ’89, J.D., and Stephanie Kapfer ’91, M.D. The Award provides one semester of full-time leave with pay or two consecutive semesters with a half-time schedule, plus a $4,000 stipend.   Danger believes that by uncovering stories written by minors she…

Two Valpo Professors Receive University Research Professorships

Nov. 11, 2021 – Valparaiso, Indiana – Matthew Becker, Ph.D., and Stephanie Wong, Ph.D., will serve as University Research Professors at Valparaiso University for the 2022–2023 academic year. The grants recognize and encourage scholarly accomplishments and will afford Becker and Wong the opportunity to continue creative and original work through one semester of full-time leave with pay or two consecutive semesters with a half-time schedule, plus a $4,000 stipend.   Becker, a professor of theology, will work to translate, annotate, and edit the third of five volumes of Edmund Schlink's writings. Becker has already edited the first two volumes in the series. (The first contains Schlink's ecumenical essays, and the second is his dogmatics.) The third volume is his study of baptism. This five-volume project will be the first critical edition of Schlink’s work in any language. Becker, who joined the Valparaiso University faculty in 2004, has taught 27 courses,…

Innovation Hub at Valparaiso University Launches Micro-Workshop Series

Oct. 19, 2021 – Valparaiso, Indiana – The Innovation Hub at McMillan Hall on Valpo’s campus is sponsoring a series of free micro-workshops for campus and community on a variety of business topics. Events include: Blockchain and Cryptocurrency in Business: Current Trends, Friday, Oct. 22, 4:30 p.m. Central, Urschel Hall Room 120. Led by Elizabeth Gingerich, J.D., Morgal-Vaughan Endowed Chair in Christian Business Ethics and professor of business law, this workshop will explore the growing need for a way to ensure privacy for transactions, particularly as they impact international trade. RSVP at forms.gle/isufDiLmheRiGTGd9. COVID-Resistant Global Supply Chains, Friday, Nov. 12, 4:30 p.m. Central, Urschel Hall Room 202. In this workshop, Sanjay Kumar, Ph.D., professor of information and decision science, will discuss how the global pandemic has given rise to many puzzling scenarios across the business world and seek to answer questions about rising vehicle prices, consumer hoarding and more. RSVP…

Valpo Endowed Chair to Discuss New Book on Interreligious Dialogues

Sept. 15, 2021 – Valparaiso, Indiana – Thomas Albert (Tal) Howard, Ph.D., professor of humanities and Phyllis and Richard Duesenberg Chair in Christian Ethics, will discuss his recently published book on Sept. 30 at 6:30 p.m. in the Mueller Hall Refectory on Valparaiso University’s campus. Howard’s book, “The Faiths of Others: A History of Interreligious Dialogues” (Yale University Press, 2021), analyzes several key turning points in the history of interfaith dialogue before examining the contemporary landscape. During the discussion, he will be joined by Stephanie Wong, Ph.D., assistant professor of theology, and Mahan Mirza, Ph.D., executive director of the Ansari Institute for Global Engagement with Religion at the University of Notre Dame, who will each respond to the book. Through endowed chairs and professorships, faculty members at Valparaiso University like Howard receive support to research their own academic interests and publish the findings. Howard’s research as Duesenberg Chair focuses on…

Valpo Awarded National Science Foundation Grant to Conduct Astronomical Research

Sept. 14, 2021 – Valparaiso, Indiana – Valparaiso University has received a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to conduct research related to exploding white dwarf stars, known as type 1a supernovae. The award, totaling $217,400, will fund a three-year project led by Todd Hillwig, Ph.D., professor of physics and astronomy. The grant will provide opportunities for undergraduate students to complete research during the summer and academic year. Students will also be able to attend national conferences to interact with researchers and faculty from other institutions and learn about other projects in their field of interest. “As astronomy researchers, our primary goal is to simply understand the universe better,” Hillwig said. “Cultures have always looked to the stars and planets for answers, and our research allows us to understand the universe better and fuel the human drive of knowing what’s around us.” Hillwig’s research will focus on how star…