Everything Nac

Two Stephen F. Austin State University seniors, Abigail Cloudy and Jasmine Thompson, recently presented research during the Texas Undergraduate Research Day at the Capitol in Austin.

This event provided a forum for undergraduate students who are engaged in research to showcase their experiences to Texas legislators and the public through high-quality poster displays. The program and event’s theme, “Transforming Texas Through Undergraduate Research,” highlighted how research conducted by undergraduate students positively impacts Texas and Texans.

Both psychology majors, Cloudy of Sugar Land and Thompson of San Antonio, presented their research on gender identity, which explores body image and the pressure girls between the ages of 6 and 11 often feel to conform to gender norms and body image.

“I was honored to represent SFA at the Texas Capitol. There were schools from all over Texas represented at the conference, so I was excited to show others how supportive SFA is of undergraduate research,” Cloudy said.

Cloudy and Thompson have been working on their research since fall 2017, along with their research mentors Dr. Flora Farago, assistant professor of human development and family studies, and Dr. Sarah Savoy, associate professor of psychology. Farago and Savoy provided resources for the students and exposed them to current development theories, best practices for interviewing children and new statistical tests.

“It’s key for students to work closely with faculty so they can learn by example by practicing problem-solving skills and presenting one’s ideas in low-stakes settings with support from peers and words of encouragement,” Savoy said. “Communication skills and the ability to formulate a solution to a problem are skills that can be translated from a research context to other personal and professional contexts.”

Approximately 75 research projects reflecting a variety of topics were displayed and presented at the Capitol. While attending the event, SFA students had the opportunity to attend panel discussions and network.

“This experience taught me how important it is to not only share your research findings within your field, but also to share it with the public and researchers in different fields,” Thompson said. “Sharing and discussing your findings with others is an important part in taking the next steps with your research, whether that be conducting future studies on the topic or finding practical ways to apply the information in our communities.”

By Kasi Dickerson, senior marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.

The Percussion Ensemble at Stephen F. Austin State University will present “An Evening of Soloists” with guest artist Dr. Eric Willie at 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 15, in Cole Concert Hall on the SFA campus.

Dr. Brad Meyer, director of percussion studies in the School of Music, directs the ensemble. Willie is director of percussion studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

The program includes “Duende” by Francisco Perez; “Xylophonia” by Joe Green, arranged by Bob Becker, with Ethan Ainsworth, soloist; “Marimba Spiritual” by Minoru Miki with Willie as soloist; “Dark Sky” by Dustin Schulze with Briley Patterson and D’Angelo Brackeen as featured performers; and “Bend” by Peter Martin.

“Marimba Spiritual” was a commissioned piece for three percussionists. As a person who had experience suffering before and after the end of World War II, Miki used “Marimba Spiritual” to express his condolences and anger about the many people in Africa who died of starvation in the early 1980s.

Green’s “Xylophonia” is a xylophone solo with piano accompaniment written in the 1920s and is described as a “ragtime march.” In 1973, Becker and his group Nexus arranged the piece for xylophone solo and marimba accompaniment.

Schulze conceived “Dark Sky” to portray a “unique and foreboding landscape,” the composer writes. Divided into three connecting sections, the piece is “bound by a recurrent foundation that incessantly drives its energy and mood with intensity and dreamlike imagery.”

Perez states that “Duende” was inspired by a “fond musical experience in Spain,” and it is the fusion of many musical idioms that characterizes a “beautiful performance of flamenco” he saw in Madrid.

Martin’s “Bend” draws inspiration from the player-piano compositions and piano rolls of amateur composer Bruce Goff. The work evokes an unconventional sound palette created with alternative techniques on two marimbas.

The concert is a presentation of the SFA College of Fine Arts and School of Music. Cole Concert Hall is located in the Tom and Peggy Wright Music Building, 2210 Alumni Drive.

Concert tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and $3 for students and youth. For tickets or more information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407 or visit www.finearts.sfasu.edu.

The Stephen F. Austin State University School of Art and Art Galleries will host “Image & Text Collaborations: A 20-year Celebration of SFA Book Arts” April 13 through June 8 in The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House.

The exhibition was organized to recognize the history of the former Lanana Creek Press, which for 20 years served as a center for collaborative projects between artists, writers and designers and achieved regional and national attention, according to Dr. David Lewis, professor of art history at SFA and curator of the exhibition.

“The exhibition surveys the production of the LCP’s long engagement with the book as a fine art and brings attention to its core mission of creative collaboration,” Lewis writes in his description of the show. “Its impact has been extensive and enduring.”

The idea for collaborative printmaking at SFA began in 1997 in a conversation between printmaker Charles D. Jones and Lewis. At the time, Jones had been professor (now emeritus) of printmaking for many years, and Lewis had joined the SFA faculty in 1995.

“We discovered a shared conviction that the book was a viable medium of contemporary expression, and perhaps, since the advent of the digital age, one that might be appreciated anew,” Lewis writes.

The two founded the printmaking initiative with Jones as director and master printer and Lewis as editor. During the life of the program, the book arts experienced a renaissance among contemporary artists, critics, collectors and historians, with many workshops, conferences and exhibitions held across the country, according to Lewis.

Books from SFA have entered major rare book collections across the globe, including among others, the Bodleian Library at Oxford University, Yale University Library, the Harry Ransom Center and the Boston Public Library. A number of these publications feature works by internationally recognized artists. SFA faculty artists, writers and professors contributed to text and editing the books, and many SFA students participated in printmaking projects as interns or volunteers.

A soft opening of “Image & Text Collaborations,” which will show in Reavley Gallery of The Cole Art Center, coincides with the opening of the 2019 Texas National Competition and Exhibition on April 13 in Ledbetter Gallery. An art talk for “Image & Text Collaborations” will be at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, May 2, and will feature a panel discussion with Lewis serving as moderator. In addition to Jones, panelists will include SFA art faculty members Candace Hicks, Neal Cox and Aloma Marquis. The audience will be invited to participate in the discussion. A reception will follow at 6 p.m.

The Cole Art Center is located at 329 E. Main St. For more information, call (936) 468-1131. Exhibitions and receptions are sponsored in part by the SFA Friends of the Visual Arts, The Flower Shop and William Arscott.

Photography students from the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Art recently put their skills to work for a good cause by taking part in a national service event called Help-Portrait.

Students set up a mobile lighting studio at Nacogdoches HOPE, a local food pantry, and made portraits for clients who might not otherwise have been able to afford professional quality photographs. Students also edited and printed the portraits on site,so that people were able to take home several finished prints from each session.

“I love doing this project,” said Amanda Breitbach, assistant professor of art at SFA. “The students learn from working with new people and making portraits in a new setting, and they also learn that they can use their skills in photography to give back to their community.”

Breitbach’s students in the photographic lighting class have spent this semester learning the technical and creative aspects of lighting using studio strobes, flash and ambient light. The Help-Portrait project gave them the opportunity to practice those skills in a real-world setting, Breitbach said.

“I’m so glad we did this,” said student Cameron Sweet as he and colleagues packed up their gear at the end of the day.

“Our clients and volunteers were absolutely delighted with their pictures,” said Nacogdoches HOPE director Denise Lee. “It was a joyful day for me to observe individuals and families getting such beautiful portraits when I am certain they could not afford such a luxury. Everyone left with smiles on their faces.”

Breitbach said she hopes to make the project an annual event for SFA photography students.

Photographer Jeremy Cowart founded Help-Portrait in 2008 with the mission of empowering photographers and others to use their skills, tools and expertise to give back to their communities. Help-Portrait events take place each year in communities across the country.

Wesley Turner, lecturer in Stephen F. Austin State University’s Department of Geology, is teaching his students to play in the sand.

With the help of an augmented reality sandbox, Turner brings geological concepts to life. The simplicity of the field and the way it helped explain the world around him was what originally attracted Turner to geology and gave him the desire to teach it to others.

“It involved stuff I already knew because it’s about the world we live in, but I’d never really thought about it before,” he said. “Questions I had about the Earth, the planets and space — they were all kind of answered by geology. I hadn’t previously realized that geology was so all-encompassing.”

After receiving his bachelor’s degree from SFA, Turner began teaching in the department in 2015 while obtaining his master’s degree. He currently teaches introductory geology courses, as well as online classes, and serves as the lab coordinator.

“I get to teach something that I love and I’m excited about, which I don’t think everybody gets to do,” Turner said. “It’s nice to see when people start to understand things about their world that they had an idea about already.”

The AR sandbox is one way Turner makes learning about geology a hands-on experience for his students. He and another faculty member built the box and hooked a 3D camera up to an Xbox Kinect and a projector. By manipulating the sand, students can change the way contours representing the topography are projected onto it.

“Being able to visualize it and make your own surface and see how the contours will reflect that surface helps students get the concepts a little better,” Turner said.

In recognition of his work, he was awarded a Bright Spot award by the SFA Faculty Senate, the Center for Teaching and Learning and the SFA vice presidents.

“Mr. Turner is a proficient lecturer and is highly regarded among his students and colleagues,” said Dr. Wesley Brown, chair of the Department of Geology. “He is known for his creativity outside of the AR sandbox and is a creative thinker behind several innovative activities in the Department of Geology.”

For more information about SFA’s Department of Geology, visit sfasu.edu/academics/colleges/sciences-math/geology.

By Joanna Armstrong, marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.

Stephen F. Austin State University’s Landscape Competition Team won multiple awards at the 2019 National Collegiate Landscaping Competition held in Fort Collins, Colorado, during spring break.

Anna Clair Cunningham, a junior horticulture major, was named Top Student and overall winner of the event’s school social media competition.

“I posted 153 photos to Instagram in three days,” Cunningham said. “The point was to promote the event, support other teams and raise awareness of the competition.”

For her efforts, Cunningham received $1,000, and the SFA Landscape Competition Team received $1,000 worth of landscaping equipment.

Dr. Jared Barnes, assistant professor of horticulture and faculty advisor for the team, won the faculty social media competition for his coverage of the event and also received $1,000.

“When you have a student and faculty member who win a social media competition, I think it shows that we also are teaching the concept that you have to share what you do and what you love,” Barnes said. “I think that is something we as an industry haven’t done enough.”

Junior horticulture major Jevon Richeson placed in the top 25 among 90 competitors in the interior plant identification competition and said that his work growing plants with the SFA horticulture program provided him with valuable experience.

“Every student competed with the best intentions,” Barnes said. “They were enthusiastic and really put their best foot forward in competing at a national level.”

More than 800 students from 60 universities across the U.S. and Canada attended the three-day event that hosts nearly 30 different competitions, as well as a career fair and student workshops.

While the event focuses on the horticulture, landscaping and tree care industries, Barnes said there are numerous other opportunities for students who have other skills related to business, sales and heavy equipment operation.

For more information on this event, as well as the SFA Landscape Competition Team, contact Dr. Jared Bares at barnesj@sfasu.edu.

Story by Sarah Fuller, outreach coordinator for Stephen F. Austin State University’s Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture. Contact information: (936) 468-1185 or fullersa@sfasu.edu.