College of Arts, Sciences and Education |
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This month, we celebrate a series of remarkable achievements by members of our faculty – accomplishments that reflect both individual excellence and the growing national prominence of our college.
Two of our distinguished colleagues have recently been named Fellows of leading professional associations, among the highest honors in their respective fields. Dr. Melanie Mormile, professor of biological sciences, has been elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), becoming only the sixth faculty member from our college to receive this distinction. She joins an exceptional group of prior honorees – Professors Jay Switzer, Shelley D. Minteer, Gregory Tschumper, V. Prakash Reddy, and Gary Long – whose contributions have helped define our strong tradition of scholarly impact in the sciences.
At the same time, Dr. Amy Belfi, associate professor of psychological science, has been named a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science – an extraordinary recognition that comes less than two years after her election as a Fellow of the Psychonomic Society and the American Psychological Association. Her rapid ascent underscores both the significance and influence of her work.
These honors build on other recent distinctions for our faculty, including Dr. Vadym Mochalin’s election as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and Dr. Shelley Minteer’s recent recognition as a Fellow of the American Chemical Society and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Together, these achievements speak to the depth of talent, innovation, and leadership across our college. We take great pride in our colleagues’ accomplishments and extend our warmest congratulations to each of them.
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Mehrzad Boroujerdi, Ph.D.
Vice Provost and Dean
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Rebecca Benjamin, a senior in biological sciences, has been elected Student Body President for the coming year and will lead the Student Council.
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Adrianna Sasser and Karley Butts, (above right side of the image) both biological sciences majors, developed a product in their BioDesign course that uses algae and cyanobacteria to create vibrant, natural pigments as a sustainable alternative to acrylic paints. Their innovation tied for first place at the S&T StartUp Challenge. They also received a VentureWell E-Team Program grant, which includes $5,000 in non-dilutive funding and participation in an entrepreneurship training workshop in Boston this April.
Grace Sheahan, a first-year student in environmental science, presented an in-depth account of her experiences in the Ecuadorian Amazon at the Troy Buchanan High School Language Festival in February 2026. Watch the full video here.
Max Tucker, a chemistry Ph.D. student in Dr. Greg Tschumper’s research group, published his first peer-reviewed article as first-author in the Feb. 4, 2026, issue of Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, where it was also featured on the journal’s back cover. The study investigates concerted proton transfer in heterocyclic hydrogen-bonded clusters and identifies promising candidates for detecting many-body tunneling in the gas phase - advancing understanding of many-body quantum effects in molecular systems.
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The Foundation for Undergraduate Mathematicians hosted an early Pi Day celebration on March 11 in the Havener Center. As part of the event, a Pi recitation contest was held. The top three winners (pictured above) were:
1st place (middle in photo): Braden Stillmaker, applied mathematics major – recited 175 digits
2nd place (left in photo): Thomas Kahler, computer engineering major – recited 32 digits
3rd place (right in photo): Isaac Cantrell, applied mathematics major – recited 31 digits.
Four environmental science students – junior Zach Beers, first-year students Grace Sheahan and Anistyn Stennett, and sophomore Kya Merriman – won the “Most Innovative Solution” award at the Tenaska Business Challenge, held Feb. 25–27 at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. The multi-university competition tasks teams with solving real-world industry problems, with the winning team earning $500. Participants developed strategies for a fictional “Commonwealth City,” which faced a severe winter storm that disrupted natural gas supplies and drove energy bills from about $145 to nearly $1,000. Twenty-one teams were challenged to create integrated fuel, finance, and marketing plans.
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Program and department news |
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Since its founding, S&T’s environmental science program has emphasized interdisciplinary scholarship, experiential learning, and environmental stewardship. Recognizing that environmental challenges rarely fall within a single field, the program integrates biological, geological, engineering, economic, ethical, and policy perspectives. Students develop both breadth and specialization through elective pathways in areas such as conservation management, biodiversity, water science, environmental policy, and environmental geosciences. Read more.
Chemistry, environmental science, and history and political science have all been busy with publications, pilot expeditions and conference presentations. Read more online.
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Chad Berner grew up in Iowa and earned his Ph.D. in mathematics from Iowa State University. In 2025, he joined Missouri S&T as an assistant teaching professor of mathematics. His research is rooted in functional analysis, with particular emphasis on Fourier series exhibiting “frame-like” properties. More recently, his work has expanded to broader questions in frame theory.
In addition to his research, Berner is deeply committed to teaching. At S&T, he enjoys teaching a range of calculus courses and working with students across all stages of their mathematical development. He is especially interested in teaching analysis courses, both undergraduate and graduate, where students can engage more deeply with the theoretical foundations of mathematics.
Outside of mathematics, he enjoys skiing and playing video games.
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Dr. Amy Belfi, associate professor of psychological science, was named a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science.
Dr. Mehrzad Boroujerdi, CASE Dean and professor of history and political science, published two articles in The Conversation (here and here) and one in New Lines Magazine. His expertise has been widely sought by international media: he has been interviewed or quoted by outlets including Alex Witt Reports, American Prospects, Associated Press, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Bloomberg News, Bloomberg Originals, Deutsche Welle (Germany), El Independiente (Spain), Expresso (Portugal), France 24, Haaretz (Israel), Le Devoir (Canada), Le Monde (France), Los Angeles Times, National Public Radio, Network-18 TV (India), Radio Free Europe, South Korean Radio, Swiss Public Radio, and Die Zeit (Germany). In addition, he delivered virtual talks on the war with Iran for the Bruno Kreisky Forum for International Dialogue in Vienna, Austria (March 24) and Syracuse University’s Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs (March 25).
Dr. Michael Bruening, professor of history and political science, recently gave an invited talk on "Pierre Viret's Reuse of His Own Texts" at a conference in Switzerland at the University of Geneva. The theme of the conference was "Reuse as a Method of Religious Communication" and was sponsored by the Institute of the History of the Reformation.
Dr. Joshua Coonrod, assistant teaching professor of English and technical communication, conducted a Q&A with actor/director Michael Shannon on March 27 at Indiana University Cinema, as part of their Jorgensen Guest Filmmaker Series.
On March 2, Dr. Dave Duvernell, professor of biological sciences and director of the Ozark Research Field Station, joined a Missouri Department of Conservation crew to collect walleye from the Current River. A portion of the catch will be used as broodstock for an ongoing stocking program in the Black River drainage. Duvernell also assisted in collecting fin clips for a population genetics study to be conducted at Missouri S&T.
Dr. Shane Epting, associate professor of philosophy, published his sixth book, Creating Future Cities: Technology, Ethics, and the Fight for the Good Life (2026) as well as an article titled "The Case against Toxic Mobility" in Culture and Dialogue: A Journal for Cross-Cultural Philosophy. He also launched Missouri S&T's first peer-reviewed journal, Philosophy and Urban Affairs.
Dr. Shannon Fogg, chair and professor of history and political science, presented a paper titled "Liberty without Equality: Reparations for Jewish-Owned Moveable Property" at the Society for French Historical Studies Annual Conference held in Philadelphia.
Dr. Sarah Hercula, associate professor of English and technical communication, presented her paper, “The Judgmental Nerd and the Bumbling Fool: Multilingual Character Portrayals in Modern Television,” at the Northeast Modern Language Association (NeMLA) conference in Pittsburgh on March 5, 2026.
Dr. Yue-Wern Huang, professor of biological sciences and director of the Center for Biomedical Research, published and co-authored nine papers in 2025-2026. Since joining Missouri S&T in 2000, he has built an impressive record of scholarship; as of March 2026, his remarkable output includes 87 peer-reviewed journal articles and 13 book chapters, totaling 100 publications. His work has appeared in high-impact journals such as Biomaterials and ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces. Notably, two of his papers received “Best Paper of the Year” awards from the International Journal of Toxicology and Cardiovascular Toxicology.
Dr. Irina Ivliyeva, chair of arts, languages, and philosophy and Curators’ Distinguished Teaching Professor of Russian, organized and moderated the closing panel, “Effective Teaching Strategies to Support Student Learning: Award-Winning Faculty Perspectives,” at the 5th Innovation in Teaching and Learning Conference held on campus March 12. Drawing on National Survey of Student Engagement Indicators, award-winning faculty from Missouri S&T and across the UM System shared strategies for addressing academic challenges and implementing high-impact teaching practices across disciplines and classroom formats.
Dr. Melanie Mormile, professor of biological sciences, was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Dr. Kathy Northcut, professor of English and technical communication, published an article in the International Journal of Semiotics and Visual Rhetoric examining how Epic Systems Corporation’s campus in Verona, Wisconsin, communicates visual messages to employees, clients, and visitors. Known for its imaginative architecture – including buildings inspired by literary and cultural icons such as the Grimm’s fairy tale gingerbread house – the campus reflects the company’s industry-leading identity. Northcut concludes that while the design is visually striking, further research is needed to assess its impact on employees.
Dr. Vahe Permzadian, assistant professor of psychological science, presented a talk titled “Beyond Student Evaluations: Applying Kirkpatrick’s Four-Level Model to Assess Teaching Effectiveness” at S&T’s Innovation in Teaching and Learning Conference on March 12.
Dr. Ross C. Reed, lecturer in philosophy, presented a paper titled "Existential Anxiety, Structural Anxiety, and Pathological Anxiety ("Anxiety Disorders"): A Clinical and Philosophical Analysis" at the 8th International Conference on Philosophical Counseling and Practice, held February 20-22 on Zoom.
Dr. Alexey Yamilov, professor of physics, has been appointed co-editor of EPL (Europhysics Letters), a leading journal of the European Physical Society. His three-year term runs from April 1, 2026, through March 31, 2029. In this role, he will oversee peer review in his areas of expertise, including referee selection and publication decisions. Yamilov’s research on wave propagation in complex media spans condensed matter, wave physics, and biomedical optics, with nearly 100 peer-reviewed publications in top journals such as Physical Review Letters and Nature Physics.
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CASE gratefully acknowledges the generosity of Dr. Robert L. Montgomery, professor emeritus of psychology, and Dr. Dee (Montgomery) Haemmerlie, Curators’ Distinguished Teaching Professor emerita, for their $50,000 gift to psychological science. Through decades of vision, leadership, and sustained commitment, the Montgomerys have helped shape the department’s foundation – from establishing the master’s program in industrial/organizational psychology, to developing certificate offerings, to envisioning a doctoral program long before it became a reality.
We also thank Charles and Martha Schroeder for their $5,000 contribution to the scholarship fund established in their name, supporting students in chemistry.
The support of our donors is instrumental in advancing our college. Your contributions play a vital role in meeting our diverse needs. Whether it's assisting students facing challenges or investing in faculty development initiatives, your generosity significantly enriches the educational experience we provide. If you are interested in supporting CASE, contact Michelle Shults, senior development officer for CASE, at shultsm@mst.edu or call 573-341-4380.
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Disclaimer: CASE does not endorse the arguments presented in any of the essays listed in this section of the newsletter. We share them solely as "food for thought" and encourage our enlightened audience to form their own opinions on the subjects discussed.
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College of Arts, Sciences and Education
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Missouri University of Science and Technology
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