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As national president of the Association of Teacher Educators, Dr. Karen Embry-Jenlink, professor of doctoral studies in educational leadership at Stephen F. Austin State University, has appointed one of the first joint commissions between ATE and NASA Education titled STEM Education in the Future.

During each ATE president’s term, he or she is tasked with leading a national initiative in education. Embry-Jenlink’s commission will explore and frame issues related to STEM education. The joint commission will launch at this year’s 98th ATE annual meeting, which will take place Feb. 16-20 in Las Vegas.

“STEM education is the future, and every educator needs to be prepared and understand how these disciplines can affect our society,” Embry-Jenlink said.

The commission’s goals align with this year’s conference theme of reimagining educator preparation in a democracy.

“We have to think of the society we have in mind for our future and create education to cultivate that society,” Embry-Jenlink said.

Through this commission, members hope to advocate for STEM education and work with legislators, professional associations, state agencies and industry to develop policy.

Scholarly topics that will be explored in this effort include ways teacher education can promote equity of STEM education for all students, methods to collaborate between colleges to advance teacher preparation, ideas for how ATE can join the national conversation to advocate for STEM education funding and more.

Dr. Leslie Huling, senior advisor of the LBJ Institute for STEM Education and Research, is chairing the commission and is the project director in the NASA STEM Educator Professional Development Collaborative.

“Recognizing that the future STEM workforce is only as strong as the education pipeline, we have formed a commission of talented individuals to focus on STEM education and the future,” Huling said. “I am humbled and honored to chair this group, and I look forward to the fruits of our collaborations.”

Huling stressed the importance of the central role teacher educators play in preparing educators who produce the next generation of scientists and engineers necessary to keep the U.S. in a global leadership position.

“Commission members will identify leverage points where we can focus our energies and resources to make a positive impact on the STEM preparation and professional development of educators,” Huling said. “We want all students to develop the strong academic skills needed for success in whatever fields they choose to pursue, and we see teacher preparation and professional development as key components in bringing this vision to fruition.”

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

Senior interior design students at Stephen F. Austin State University will showcase their talents during the “Essence of Design” exhibit on display from Feb. 17 through April 5 on the second floor of the Steen Library on the university campus.

The exhibit is open to the public and will kick off with an opening reception from 11 a.m. to noon Saturday, Feb. 17. Randy Johnson with Johnson’s Furniture is sponsoring the reception along with Lufkin Printing sponsoring the invitations.

Each of the 10 students is allotted a 64-square-foot area to create a display that showcases his or her personality, skills and design philosophy. Each area is equipped with a TV monitor to display the student’s portfolio of work developed at SFA.

The exhibit achieves multiple objectives within the interior design curriculum, including readying student portfolios for the job-search process; encouraging student self-assessment; allowing students to experience the complete design process, including conceptualization, design development, fabrication, installation and evaluation; communicating the scope of interior design education to the public; and providing a recruitment tool for the program.

To schedule a guided tour for future Lumberjacks or high school students, contact Sally Ann Swearingen, SFA associate professor of interior design, at (936) 468-2048 or sswearingen@sfasu.edu.

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

Stephen F. Austin State University’s SFA Gardens and the university’s student chapter of the National Association for Interpretation are sponsoring the Great Backyard Bird Count from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Feb. 17, at the Pineywoods Native Plant Center, 2900 Raguet St.

This free, outdoor event will have activities designed to increase knowledge and appreciation of birds for youth and adults. A variety of family-friendly, hands-on learning activities will be set up, including using binoculars, learning bird identification skills, playing bird games and making bird-related crafts.

In addition, there will be opportunities to participate in the national Great Backyard Bird Count as participants count birds for science with assistance from the Pineywoods Audubon Society and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department non-game ornithologist Cliff Shackelford.

Shackelford will lead guided hikes along the trails of Tucker Woods at the PNPC.

“Birdwatching is fun for all ages, especially as a family activity, and our area hosts a lot of fascinating species,” Shackelford said.

Winter is the ideal time for bird watching and the PNPC is a haven for local birds. Participants should wear comfortable walking shoes and weather-appropriate clothing.

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, National Audubon Society, Bird Studies Canada and many international partners are leading the Great Backyard Bird Count, which is powered by eBird, and the count is made possible in part by founding sponsor Wild Birds Unlimited.

For more information, call (936) 468-1832, or email sfagardens@sfasu.edu.

Guest artists Ching-Yi Lin and Andrew Braddock will perform music for violin and viola in a recital at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 11, in Cole Concert Hall on the campus of Stephen F. Austin State University.

The concert will feature primarily duets for violin and viola, as well as a solo work for violin, according to Dr. Jennifer Dalmas, professor of violin in the SFA School of Music.

The program includes Violin and Viola Duo No. 1 in G major by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; Three Caprices by Michael Alec Rose; Violin Solo, Op. 27 Ballade by Eugène Ysaÿe; and Three Madrigals by Bohuslav Martinů.

The first, second and last pieces are duets for violin and viola, Dalmas explained.

“The Mozart duet, composed in 1783, features the two instruments quite equally and is a staple in the violin-viola repertoire,” she said.

The Ysaÿe Sonata No. 3 is from a set of six sonatas that Ysaÿe wrote, each dedicated to a different great violinist of the day. This one, the “Ballade” is dedicated to the Romanian composer and violinist Enescu, who later taught Yehudi Menuhin.

The Three Madrigals by Czech composer Martinů is one of the most well-known and frequently performed 20th century compositions for violin and viola duet.

“Inspired in part by the Mozart duets, the piece also shows the influence of the English Madrigal, for which the composition is named,” Dalmas said.

Lin is associate professor of violin and director of the Pre-College Strings Program at Western Kentucky University. Recent performances and master classes have taken her to the Barratt Due Institute of Music in Norway, Shenyang and Xi’an Conservatories in China, Northwestern University, the University of British Columbia, and Louisiana State University. During the summer months, Lin serves on the faculty at the Indiana University (IU) Summer String Academy and WKU Summer String Institute, and she has also served on the faculty of the Sommersymfoni i Kristiansand in Norway and University of North Texas Summer String Institute in Texas.

Braddock is currently on the faculty of Western Kentucky University and its Pre-College Strings Program. He teaches viola at the university and maintains a full pre-college studio of young violinists and violists. He also serves as the director of the Summer String Institute. In addition to his many recital performances in the Kentucky area, Braddock has performed in Israel, Austria, Indiana, New York and Colorado. He is the principal violist of the Paducah Symphony Orchestra, and he has been a member of the Evansville Philharmonic and Owensboro Symphony Orchestras.

The guest artists will teach a master class, which is free and open to the public, at 2 p.m. that day in the Music Recital Hall, located in Wright Music Building.

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.