Everything Nac

Sounds of chirping frogs filled the air, but it wasn’t coming from the pond students in Stephen F. Austin State University’s STEM Academy sat near. Sarah Riley and Kennedy Tinajero listened intently on a laptop to breeding frog calls they recorded, counting the number of frogs and seeking to identify the different types of calls for a project examining the factors that influence frog behavior.

Entering their senior year at Lufkin High School, Tinajero and Riley have been a part of SFA’s STEM Academy since their freshman year, exploring science, technology, engineering and mathematics. While most of their learning has taken place in a classroom setting in the past, they now have the opportunity to conduct research in the field with the help of SFA faculty members.

“Every year we get to learn something new and discover what we’re most passionate about,” Riley said. “This year we got to go off on our own, do research, and meet with professors and learn what they do, so this has been a really special experience for us.”

Riley and Tinajero are using a Song Meter borrowed from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service Southern Research Station to collect data from a pond inside the Lufkin city limits, as well as utilizing data collected by the Forest Service from a pond in a local national forest. The Song Meter records sounds for a minute every hour from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m., giving the students six minutes of data per site to analyze.

“We’re trying to see what factors play into the calls, learn about the different types of calls and see how many frogs there are,” Tinajero said. “It’s really interesting, and I’m happy that we’re doing it.”

Because there is an increase in breeding frog call activity during the summer months, the students will be able to record several species of frogs to determine species richness, said Dr. Erin Childress, lecturer in SFA’s Department of Biology. Childress assisted the students with initially sorting through the data, pointing out the different frog calls.

“My vision as a mentor is for these students to think about the entire scope of a research project from beginning to end,” Childress said. “This includes thinking about broad questions they have about nature, narrowing down what specific questions they are curious about, and considering what methods are most appropriate for analyzing the data, what knowledge is gained from the results of the data, how this information adds to the broader scope of knowledge, and what limitations they faced in this study that could have influenced the conclusions they make.”

Students in SFA’s STEM Academy begin high school with a cohort of students and progress through elective courses with them. The students are encouraged and expected to enroll in dual credit and advanced mathematics and science courses, said Dr. Jana Redfield, assistant director of the STEM Research and Learning Center.

“The students in the cohort work in SFA laboratories on college-level experiments guided by university faculty members and lab assistants,” Redfield said. “They sharpen their cooperative learning skills during these laboratory sessions. They are also challenged to think and problem-solve and are given the opportunity to conduct independent research.”

To learn more about STEM Academy and the STEM Research and Learning Center, visit sfasu.edu/STEM.

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

Stephen F. Austin State University alumna Mai Le is the host of Space Center Houston’s Explorer Camp TV, a new weekly show that gives audiences an up-close look at the exciting world of human space exploration.

A 2013 graduate in the School of Theatre, Le lives in the Houston area and works as a freelance actor in film, commercials, theatre and voiceover. As host for Explorer Camp TV, Le introduces guests and new segments and occasionally facilitates interviews with educational specialists at Space Center Houston.

She landed the hosting job in the middle of a pandemic as a result of what she described as a “right time, right fit” situation.

“I was already booked for a Space Center Houston commercial that was going to advertise their reopening at the beginning of July,” she said. “Somewhere within that production process, a TV series was pitched and approved. Once they got the ball rolling for it, they contacted my agent to bring me on to Explorer Camp TV.”

The show is dedicated to science and space exploration learning and airs at 11 a.m. Wednesdays on My20 KTXH. Viewers explore rocket science, astronaut food, robotics and more, and they learn what it takes to get into space. They hear from real scientists and engineers, complete hands-on STEM activities, and get news about NASA missions.

Managing an acting career and keeping the momentum going for a lifestyle based on the entertainment industry during a pandemic has been quite the challenge for Le.

“At the beginning of this year, I had a dozen doors I was trying to open at once, with a contingency plan for everything,” she said. “Now, it’s hard to predict what any of my next steps might be when the industry is changing and adapting around COVID.

“After quarantine began back in March, I’ve steadily watched my bookings go on hiatus, get canceled or get reprogrammed for a date on which I can’t guarantee my availability,” she added. “At the same time, I’m extremely lucky to book gig work, and so much is ‘COVID-centric,’ with a commercial here about social distancing; an info-video there on a loan for COVID victims; a play-reading about paying rent during quarantine, etc. I never would have predicted to be doing what I’m doing four months ago, and I can’t imagine what it’ll be like four months from now.”

Le credits her recent success in the bookings arena to her agents at Pastorini-Bosby Talent.

“I do a lot of work on my own, but I’m definitely not a one-woman show,” she said. “Any success I’ve received has come from my personal hard work but also from the support of people who trust me and build me up.”

View some of Le’s Space Center Houston commercial work at There’s Space For Everyone, Experience the History and Reopening July 1st.