Everything Nac

Six of Stephen F. Austin State University’s largest in-house grants for 2016 were awarded this month through the University’s Research Enhancement Program and the SFA Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, totaling approximately $120,000 in support of faculty research and creative projects.

Eighteen grant proposals were submitted to and reviewed by the University Research Council, which then chose the six Research and Creative Activity Grants recipients. Two Research Pilot Studies (smaller in-house funding opportunities) also were awarded. Dr. Steve Bullard, SFA’s interim provost and vice president for academic affairs, approved the council’s recommendations.

“Research enhancement funds like RCA and RPS grants are meant to encourage and strengthen research, offer scholarly and creative opportunities for faculty members, serve as support for innovative research, and provide seed monies to attract other financial support from external entities,” Bullard said.

Research and Creative Activity Awards:

Dr. Roger Masse, assistant professor of forest wildlife ecology and management, and Dr. Christopher Comer, professor of forest wildlife management, in the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture

Breeding Bird Response to Oak Savannah Restoration in Eastern Texas

Oak savannah vegetation is declining at a rate fast enough to cause conservation concern. The result of that decline is the encroachment of woody vegetation and habitat loss and degradation for wildlife. Following baseline assessment methodologies, Masse and Comer will estimate abundances of breeding birds in restored and reference post oak savannah. The proposed research will help to evaluate the success of oak savannah restoration and lay the foundation for additional studies regarding wildlife habitat in Eastern Texas.

Dr. Lauren Gonzalez, assistant professor of elementary education in the James I. Perkins College of Education

Preschool Teachers Perspectives and Implementation of STEM

Almost every position in the current workforce is related to science, technology, engineering and math. Creating successful STEM learning in young children will require significant commitment and coordination, yet will yield enormous payoffs in the future. The purpose of Gonzalez’s study is to investigate the knowledge and perspectives preschool teachers have regarding STEM education, how they implement it into their classrooms and whether preschool teachers’ knowledge/perspectives of STEM education and its implementation change after receiving research-based training development.

Dr. Heather Olson Beal, associate professor of secondary education and educational leadership in the James I. Perkins College of Education

What do Teachers Think? A Qualitative Study of Choice School in a K-12 Rural Setting

Despite the expansion of current school reform efforts, including increased choice and privatization, little research examines how the growing school choice landscape influences teachers’ professional lives. Also, there is little research that explores the ways in which these processes impact rural school contexts.

Olson Beal’s findings, based on data collected from semi-structured interviews with teachers in Nacogdoches County, will be significant to educational practitioners who work in rural areas and to policymakers and researchers who seek to understand how the current shift toward school choice and marketization affects teachers in rural areas.

Dr. Luis Aguerrevere and Dr. Daniel McCleary, assistant professors of human services in the James I. Perkins College of Education

Ability of QEEG Indicators to Classify Children with Learning Disabilities

Quantitative electroencephalogram indicators have the potential to provide valuable clinical information and data regarding brain functioning in children with learning disabilities. This project will determine how and to what degree the QEEG indicators (e.g. absolute power) can differentiate children with LDs. The study will determine the accuracy and inaccuracy of QEEG activity in identifying the presence of a learning disability using concepts such as sensitivity and specificity. If successful, this study can provide means for the use of QEEG in psychoeducational settings.

Dr. Deb Scott, professor of music (trombone) in the College of Fine Arts

CD Recording of Trombone Solos

Scott, SFA professor of trombone, will record and create a professional CD showcasing her talents in solo trombone performance. The project will help to establish her as one of the leading technical performers on trombone. It will be recorded professionally in the Dallas area.

Accompanying Scott on this project will be Dr. Ron Petti, professor of collaborative piano and director of accompanying at SFA. One previously unrecorded piece in the trombone world and one that is noteworthy of recognition is Dr. Stephen Lias’ “River Runner,” which was composed for Scott. Lias is the professor of composition at SFA. The recording project should help bring notoriety to his composition, as well.

Dr. Brian Barngrover, assistant professor of computational/physical chemistry in the College of Sciences and Mathematics

Fundamental Growth Mechanism of Noble Metal Nanoparticles

Cancer, renewable energy and water purification/remediation are important areas of research and have a high impact on our lives. Nanoparticles, in particular noble metal nanoparticles, all of which are resistant to corrosion and oxidation, can be the answer to all three of these areas.

By studying the underlying growth mechanism of noble metal nanoparticles, Barngrover intends to further an understanding of nanoparticles size and morphology. If nanoparticle growth is understood, the guesswork could be eliminated, resulting in lower costs and green syntheses.

Research Pilot Study Awards:

Dr. Jenny Gumm, assistant professor of biology in the College of Sciences and Mathematics

The Function of Meral Spot Coloration in Stomatopods (genus Neogonodactylus)

Color signals are critical in animal communication. Coloration may mediate aggression between species, and therefore aggression may drive diversification of color signals. Gumm will test the hypothesis that social interactions drive color diversification in Stomatopods (marine crustaceans commonly known as mantis shrimps).

Dr. James Rowe, assistant professor of kinesiology and health science in the James I. Perkins College of Education

The Effects of High-Intensity Exercise on Postprandial Lipemia and Glycemia

Rowe wishes to determine the influence of a single bout of high-intensity interval exercise on the postprandial (non-fasted) concentration of triglycerides, glucose and insulin in the blood of moderately-trained men after a mixed-liquid meal of dietary fat and sugar. The mixed meal will be comprised of chocolate ice cream, whole milk and whipping cream. The results of this study will hopefully provide more insight into how brief periods of high-intensity exercise influence the prevalence of some risk factors associated with metabolic disease.

Eleven-year-old Nacogdoches pianist Antonio Ajero has been awarded a National Gold Medal from the Royal Conservatory Music Development Program, earning him the status of being the only Texas resident to garner this prestigious prize.

A recent student of Linda Parr in the Music Preparatory Division of the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Music, Antonio scored the top mark in the nation on the Level 9 Piano assessment.

National Gold Medals are awarded each academic year to music development program students who achieve the highest standard of excellence in the United States. Sixty-nine students earned National Gold Medals this year. In addition to recognizing the top scorers in The Royal Conservatory Music Development Program, National Gold Medals honor music teachers for the time and effort put into training their students.

“Last May I was asked to take Nio as a student just a couple of weeks before his piano exam and coached all of his repertoire as time allowed, so I was quite excited to hear the fabulous news,” Parr said of the accomplishment. “I have not had a student in the Royal Conservatory Music Development Program before, and I am getting introduced in a very big way.”

Although the program is nationally and internationally established, Parr explained that it is not as familiar to teachers in the East Texas area as are Music Teachers National Association or National Guild of Piano Teachers assessments.

“The amount of daily practice that Nio has dedicated to technique, repertoire, score sight-reading, theory and aural skills, improvisation, reading and comprehension of music is astounding,” Parr said.

Although he recently became a student of Parr, from the age of 3, Antonio has studied and performed regularly with his father, Mario Ajero, who is associate professor of piano pedagogy at SFA.

“This National Gold Medal from The Royal Conservatory is certainly the most prestigious recognition that Antonio has received for his musical accomplishments,” Ajero said. “I was informed by The Royal Conservatory that close to 100,000 students were assessed this year across all levels and disciplines in North America. For Antonio to achieve the distinction of earning the highest Level 9 Piano score in the entire country is really unbelievable to me, because I would be proud if any of our high school students or even some college students just passed this exam, let alone get the highest mark.

“For him to achieve this at age 10 when he took this assessment is incredible,” he added. “But I’ve seen how much preparation, practice and time that he’s devoted to reaching this distinction. So at the same time it does not surprise me to a degree. For Nio to be recognized as the top piano student from one of the most prestigious music institutions in North America certainly affirms that we are doing something special and is personally satisfying for me as a parent.”

Parr complimented Ajero for his guidance and positive influence on his son’s musical interests and resulting accomplishments.

“He has nurtured and implemented all of this with both Nio and his sister Olivia from a very early age, and the arts are being completely integrated into the children’s daily routine,” she said. “I commend the Ajero family on establishing a busy, but well-balanced routine of school and music studies, exercise, social networking and healthy, happy family time.”

“We’ve been very fortunate to have Antonio grow up in this wonderful musical environment and listen to performances from faculty, students and guest artists,” Ajero said. “At the same time, all the recitals that he’s participated in over the years have helped prepare him for moments like this. I look forward to seeing his lessons with Linda Parr take his musicianship to another level.”

Since the RCMDP audition, Antonio has and continues to study additional repertoire of J. S. Bach, Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin, Albéniz, Debussy, Paderewski, Bartok and others. He played in a long-distance master class with Dr. João Paulo Casarotti in Brazil, was a winner in the 2015 Red River Radio Young Artists competition, collaborated with young violinist Yassia Felts, gave a full solo piano recital in November, and was recently invited to perform for a new music festival in Alexandria, Louisiana.

Antonio will work to complete Level 10, which will allow him to test for an associate diploma in piano performance from the conservatory. Most of the necessary theory and music history skills for this endeavor will continue to be encouraged, taught and monitored by his father.

For information about the Music Preparatory Division of the SFA School of Music, visit www.music.sfasu.edu/prep or contact Director Pat Barnett at (936) 468-1291.

Eight outstanding young musicians have been accepted as participants in the distinguished 2016 Schmidbauer Young Artist Competition at Stephen F. Austin State University.

Celebrating its ninth year, the Schmidbauer Competition holds the highest standards in artistry and performance. It is designed to attract young high school musicians ages 15 to 18 who seek to continue future careers involving music and are looking at schools that may be best suited toward helping them reach their goals. It is SFA’s goal to be that institution, according to Dr. Gene Moon, director of orchestral studies at SFA and of the competition.

A valuable recruiting tool for SFA, the Schmidbauer Competition offers a unique performance opportunity for young musicians, offering prizes that include cash awards, scholarship incentives from the SFA School of Music and performance opportunities with orchestras.

“Concerto performances with orchestras are very rare for a musician at any stage of their professional career, and very much for a budding high school student,” Moon said. “Our hope is that eager young students will be attracted to such lucrative opportunities. I am always excited to work with young musicians. They bring such a naïve, young energy to the stage that affects greatness in everyone around them.”

Slated for Saturday, Jan. 30, the competition takes place in Cole Concert Hall in the Tom and Peggy Wright Music Building on the SFA campus. The semi-final round of the competition begins at 1 p.m. Finalists will be announced at approximately 5 p.m. Those who move onto the final round will perform in a live concert starting at 7:30 p.m.

Among the competitors are:

Ashley Wu, piano

Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K. 466, first movement by W.A. Mozart

Ashley Wu started her piano lessons at age 6 with Elena Bakina. Starting in spring 2015, she is under the coaching and guidance of Dr. Sergey Kuznetsoff. Ashley has participated in piano competitions locally and internationally winning numerous prizes. Most notably, she won in Italy in the 22nd Concorso Internazionale per Giovani Musicisti Citta di Barletta in 2012 as silver medalist and in the 17th Concorso Internazionale Di Musica Pietro Argento in 2014 as bronze medalist. She was a silver medalist for the Seventh International Chopin Youth Competition in 2011. In December 2014, she finished as semi-finalist in the Cesar Franck International Piano Competition headed by Dmitri Bashkirov in Krainem, Belgium. Locally, she won gold medals for Conroe Music Teacher Association (CMTA) Cash Award Piano Contest in 2014, Legacy Concerto Competition in 2011, and scored CMTA Theory Tests with highest distinction the past five years. By winning gold medal at the Legacy Concerto Competition, Ashley was invited to perform with Conroe Symphony. She has also participated in master classes with Dr. Robert Roux, Dr. Steven Spooner, Dr. Tamas Ungar, Dr. Nelson Delle-Vigne Fabbri, and Dr. Namik Sultanov.

Ethan Le, violin

Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77, first movement by Johannes Brahms

Ethan Le is a senior at Cinco Ranch High School in Katy. He began studying the violin at the age of 6 and began piano lessons at 7. For the past nine years, he has studied with Kenneth Goldsmith at the Shepherd School of Music. He has been chosen multiple times through auditions as a Houston Young Artist by the non-profit organization Houston Young Artist’s Concert as violinist and pianist, which resulted in a performance on “The Front Row,” a Houston public radio show. Ethan made his orchestral debut at 14 with the Houston Civic Symphony as its winner of the Young Artist Concerto Competition Junior String Division. In that same year, he also won the Clear Lake Symphony Youth Concerto Competition Junior String Division. As its winner, he was given the honor of performing with that orchestra, also. As a freshman, he represented Cinco Ranch High School on the TMEA All-State Symphony Orchestra, 1st violin 3rd chair. In 2014 and 2015, Ethan received first place at the Clear Lake Symphony Youth Concerto Competition in the senior string division and at the Houston Civic Symphony Young Artist Concerto Competition in the senior division.

Eric Chen, piano

Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Major, Op. 26: I. Andante. Allegro by Sergei Prokofiev

Eric Chen is a senior at Plano Senior High School. He began learning music at the age of 3 and started playing the piano at 4. Currently, he is studying with Dr. Catharine Lysinger, senior lecturer in piano and piano pedagogy at Southern Methodist University. He has won numerous competitions, including the 2014 Collin County Youth Artist Competition where he placed second in finals, won first prize in the senior concerto division of the Dallas Symphonic Festival in both 2014 and 2015, and first place in the junior division of the Baylor-Waco Piano Competition. Eric also studies cello with Jung Shin Lewis. He placed as seventh chair in the 2015 TMEA Philharmonic All-State Orchestra and was part of the 2014 and 2015 TMEA Honor Full Orchestra. Eric has also earned accolades in the Encana-Plano Science Fair and the DRSEF, and was invited to participate in the 2013 Vienna International Piano Festival. He serves as president of the Plano Teen Harmony Orchestra.

Nathaniel Wu, piano

Piano Concerto No. 1 in G minor, first movement by Felix Mendelssohn

Nathaniel Wu began his piano studies at age 5 with Elena Bakina. Starting in spring 2015, he is under the coaching and guidance of Dr. Sergey Kuznetsoff. He has participated in piano competitions locally and internationally winning numerous prizes. Most notably, he won in Italy in the 22nd Concorso Internazionale per Giovani Musicisti Citta di Barletta in 2012 as silver medalist of Group B and in the 18th Val Tidone International Music Competition in 2015 as honorable mention of Group C as well as finishing as semi-finalist in the Cesar Franck International Piano Competition headed by Dmitri Bashkirov in 2014. Locally, he won gold medals for cash award piano contests in 2012 and 2014, Legacy Concerto Competition in 2011, and scoring CMTA Theory Tests with highest distinction the past 10 years. By winning a gold medal at the Legacy Concerto Competition, Nathaniel was invited to perform with Conroe Symphony. He has also participated in master classes with Dr. Robert Roux, Dr. Tamas Ungar, Dr. Steven Spooner, Dr. Nelson Delle-Vigne Fabbri and Dr. Namik Sultanov. Furthermore, Nathaniel played flute as second instrument and was an active member of his school flute ensemble and chamber music up to his sophomore year. He won placements with regional and state auditions annually from 2009 through 2015 for both solo and ensemble performances.

Samantha Choo, violin

Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47, first movement by Jean Sibelius

Samantha Choo, 16, began studying violin at the age of 7. She currently studies under Professor Philip Lewis. Samantha performed at the 2014 Basically Beethoven Festival’s Rising Star Recital and played at Chamber Music International’s pre-concert. She has soloed with the Meadows Symphony Orchestra and Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra as their concerto competition winner. She won top prizes in the Schmidbauer, Juanita Miller, Chamber Music International, Collin County Young Artists, Vernell Gregg Young Artists, and Dallas Symphonic Festival concerto competitions. Her summer activities include attending IU Jacobs School of Music’s Summer String Academy and UTA’s Texas Chamber Music Institute where she received merit scholarships. She has also joined the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra International Youth Orchestra Camp and UNT’s Summer String Institute. Samantha has performed in master classes for David Chan, Gary Levinson and Mimi Zweig. Samantha is the 2015 recipient of the Sheila and Werner Harms Young Artist Scholarship. She is the co-concertmaster of GDYO and has been in the program for eight years. She was concertmaster of the Jasper Symphony Orchestra and the 2014 National and Texas Honors Full Orchestra. She also had the honor of playing with the DSO on NPR’s “From the Top.” Samantha’s artwork has won top awards in the Congressional Arts and Texas VASE competitions. She is heavily involved in school clubs and has held many leadership positions such as president of her school’s National Junior Art Honors Society and being an orchestra officer.

Sara Aldana, violin

Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47, first movement by Jean Sibelius

Sara Melissa Aldana is a native of Bogota, Colombia. She has performed as soloist with the Youth Orchestra of the National University of Colombia, Baroque Orchestra of the National University of Colombia and the Bogota Youth Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra. Sara spent four years as concertmaster of the Youth Orchestra of the National University of Colombia and toured Spain with the National University of Colombia Orchestra. She has been a member of the Bogota Foundation Symphony Orchestra, the Bogota Youth Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Clara Schumann Women’s Orchestra. Sara won scholarships to attend a number of music festivals including the Bravo! Summer String and Keyboard Institute at the University of Minnesota, the Cartagena Music Festival in Colombia, the Sewanee Summer Music Festival at the University of the South, the Santa Catarina Music Festival in Brazil, the Campos do Jordao International Music Festival in Brazil, and the first Meeting of Latin American Suzuki Students in Peru. In 2010, she won the Luis Angel Arango Library’s Youth Performer National Competition in Colombia. In 2014, she won the Coda Bow Prize in the Mary West Solo Competition. In 2015, she won grand prize and first place senior division at the Mankato Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Competition and honorable mention at Thursday Musical Competition. Sara’s primary teacher is Sally O´Reilly as part of the Pre-Conservatory Program at Shattuck-St. Mary’s School. She has also worked with Liz Angela Garcia and Marcelino Prats at the National University of Colombia. Sara has performed in master classes for Lion Spierer, Simone Bernardini, Richard Young, Boris Brovtsyn, Hagai Shajam, Luiz Filipe Coelho, Theodora Geraets and Ruben Aharonyan.

Spencer Sharp, violin

Violin Concerto in A minor, first movement by Antonin Dvorak

Spencer Sharp is a violinist who has won more than 20 young artist competitions in the past three years. He started playing at age 4, and was on stage by age 5, sharing his talent with the world. He has performed solo and studied internationally in China, Austria, Spain, France and South Korea. He has played solo with the Lebanon Symphony Orchestra, the Belleville Philharmonic, the Columbus Symphony’s Young Artists’ Showcase, the Evansville Philharmonic (eight concerts), the St. Louis Civic Orchestra, the McConnell Arts Center Chamber Orchestra, the Blue Ash/Montgomery Symphony, and the Louisville Symphony Orchestra (three-concert subscription series). In 2014, he performed the Korngold Violin Concerto in concert in Spain, accompanied by a Spanish national pianist. He has also played solo at Carnegie Hall (twice), and played a solo at the Kennedy Center. Spencer frequently performs on radio and television, and has played for the Midwest satellite of the Jerry Lewis Telethon. He is homeschooled to give him freedom to travel and perform. He studies violin with Gabe Pegis, principal second of the Cincinnati Symphony.

Alexander Davis-Pegis, cello

Cello Concerto in B minor, first movement by Antonin Dvorak

Alexander Davis-Pegis began his cello studies at the age of 4. He has participated in summer music programs including the Chautauqua Music Camp, Sound Encounters, Lonestar Young Artist Program, and the Heartland Chamber Music Festival. Alex was a member of the 2008 and 2010 Suzuki Youth Orchestra of the Americas and was a master class participant at the 2010 National Suzuki Association Conference. He was the 2012 MTNA State Junior Division winner and national finalist as well as a semi-finalist at the 2015 Juanita Miller Competition. Alex is a member of the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra. He studies the cello with his mother, Donna Davis. A senior in high school, he plans on majoring in cello performance.

Admission to the semi-final round of the competition is free, and tickets to the final round are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and $3 for students/youth. For ticketing information, call the SFA Fine Arts Box Office at (936) 468-6407.

For more information about the competition, contact Moon at (936) 468-3885 or moongh@sfasu.edu or visit www.schmidbauercompetition.org.