Everything Nac

Stephen F. Austin State University’s eighth annual STEM Day provided more than 350 area high school students an opportunity to learn about science, technology, engineering and math through faculty-led sessions, student panels and a physics magic show.

Working alongside SFA students and faculty members, students learned how STEM integrates across disciplines through hands-on, interactive activities, said Adrienne Aul, STEM Research and Learning Center programs coordinator.

“This event gave students exposure to different areas that many have not experienced before and made students more aware of career possibilities within STEM disciplines,” Aul said.

Students chose between 22 different sessions covering a variety of subjects, including a presentation on fiber optics by event sponsor, Suddenlink.

“It is our commitment as a technology and communications company to support and inspire the next generation of leaders, and we are honored to partner with SFA and local school districts who share our commitment,” said Travis Nance, Suddenlink regional vice president of market engagement. “Through this partnership, we can provide innovative ways for our high school students to gain additional learning opportunities, so they get the foundational STEM skills and knowledge needed for careers in technology.”

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

The Stephen F. Austin State University School of Honors will host a lecture by its former director, Dr. Allen Richman, professor emeritus of history, at 3 p.m. March 13, in the McKibben Education Building, Room 131.

Richman, the 2006-07 Regents Professor, will present “For Faith and Fortune – The Significance of the First Crusade: 1095-1099.” He will discuss the history of the crusade and its lasting significance on the world.

Dr. Michael Tkacik, School of Honors director, is excited to have Richman back on the SFA campus. “[Richman] is an engaging lecturer, one of the best I’ve ever seen,” Tkacik said. “He is entertaining even as he covers his subject matter in scholarly detail. I think this event is a great opportunity for current students to hear from one of SFA’s most skilled professors emeriti.”

Richman began teaching at Stephen F. Austin State College in 1965. He was among the original organizers of the School of Honors program.

“Allen played a central role in institutionalizing the School of Honors as well as dramatically increasing its size,” Tkacik said, “but his students will remember him most for being a caring advisor who helped them achieve their dreams.”

This event is free and open to the SFA and Nacogdoches communities. Refreshments will be provided.

Contact Jennifer Crenshaw in the SFA School of Honors at (936) 468-2813 or jmcrenshaw@sfasu.edu for more information.

By Emily Brown, marketing communications specialist for Stephen F. Austin State University.

The School of Theatre at Stephen F. Austin State University has begun a campaign to fund its scholarship created to honor the late Dr. Alan Nielsen, a former theatre professor and creator of SFA’s cabaret troupe, The Original Cast.

Nielsen passed away on March 26, 2018, in Nacogdoches. He was 72.

During his career at SFA, Nielsen inspired hundreds of students to pursue careers in theatre arts. By building the scholarship fund to an endowment, future theatre students will benefit for years to come from Nielsen’s devotion to theatre education, according to Cleo House Jr., director of the School of Theatre.

“Dr. Nielsen is a legend,” House said. “His influence on the School of Theatre is still felt and talked about to this day. We must do what we can to honor his memory and make sure that students who are representatives of what he stood for, which is being a well-rounded artist and scholar, are recruited and/or awarded.”

Nielsen was born on Jan. 26, 1946, in Oakland, Nebraska. As a young boy, his dream was to be a cartoon animator, but his talent for writing and directing musicals and composing music and lyrics soon emerged. He earned degrees from Concordia Teachers College, the University of Nebraska and City University of New York and went on to teach and become a puppeteer while he continued to perform, write and compose for performance venues such as EXIT (Experience in Theater), Nebraska Repertory Theater, the Chautauqua Tent Tour of Nebraska, NY Choral Society, the Minnesota Musical Workshop and the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis.

He began his 21-year career at SFA in 1990, directing more than 25 plays and creating the traveling musical troupe The Original Cast, for which he both composed and produced their shows.

The Original Cast attracted many of the School of Theatre’s best performers, and Nielsen’s legacy lives on in the hearts and talents of the many students that he mentored, according to CC Conn, associate professor in the School of Theatre.

“He touched many lives with his beautiful smile, big heart and unlimited creativity, and he inspired many young artists to go forward into careers as actors, directors, teachers and designers, spreading the love of theatre that he instilled into them,” Conn said upon his passing last year. “His work as a teacher, advisor, mentor, director, actor, composer and puppeteer was unparalleled. He was greatly loved, and he is greatly missed.”

House hopes that the many SFA students who were mentored by Nielsen will use this scholarship opportunity to “give back” to their alma mater and honor a great educator.

“It is one thing to reminisce on days gone by and another to take action to ensure that a legacy is not forgotten,” House said. “I am hopeful that all those who feel like Dr. Nielsen had any influence on them will take up the charge to support creating an endowment in his honor.”

Gifts by check: Checks should be made payable to the SFASU Foundation. Please include a note or write on the memo section of the check Dr. Alan Nielsen Memorial Theatre Scholarship. Mail to: SFASU Foundation, Inc., P.O. Box 6092, SFA Station, Nacogdoches, TX 75962-6092. Deliver to: SFA Office of Development, Austin Building, Room 303.

Gifts online: Go to www.sfasu.edu/give. Under Step 1, click Select Other and type in Dr. Alan Nielsen Memorial Theatre Scholarship. Follow the next three steps to make a secure gift online.

Gifts by phone: Call (936) 468-5406 and visit with the Development Office.

Payroll deduction: Call (936) 468-5406 and visit with Sarah Sargent in the Development Office to prepare the payroll deduction paperwork.

The Oklahoma State Park system encompasses diverse landscapes ranging from subterranean caverns to rolling mountains. However, of the more than 55,000 acres that comprise the state park system, some of the most spectacular, scenic vistas are not accessible to those with health or mobility limitations.

Stephen F. Austin State University graduate student Kyle Thoreson is hoping to remedy this utilizing the rapidly evolving technology of virtual reality.

Thoreson, pursuing a Master of Science in resource communications at SFA, serves as a park ranger at Osage Hills State Park, located within the Osage Nation Reservation in northeastern Oklahoma.

When contemplating topics for his final nonthesis project, Thoreson said he researched the growing popularity of 360 videos and how this technology can be utilized to share Oklahoma’s state parks with everyone.

“For example, to get to the best vantage point of the falls at Natural Falls State Park, you have to go down to the very bottom so you’re looking up at the falls,” Thoreson said. “We have sort of a skyway that goes out and gives you a view from part of the way down, but it’s just not the same as being below the falls.”

By capturing 360 video and audio from this position, Thoreson said people unable to make the hike down will still have the opportunity to fully immerse themselves in the experience of the 77-foot waterfall.

Thoreson presented his idea to regional managers within the Oklahoma State Park system, and he is currently collecting 360 video at select parks.

“We have to determine what things different demographics want to see and ensure it is speaking to their emotional health.”

This focus on improving mental health through virtual immersion in nature is of great significance, especially considering the growing body of research indicating that time in or exposure to nature can improve emotional health and well-being.

While 360 video is available on platforms such as YouTube and other social media sites, Thoreson hopes to expand this initiative by using more immersive virtual reality suites that are equipped with multiple viewers, phones and a server to allow large numbers of people to experience the footage together.

Thoreson said tools like this allow parks to expand their reach and impact by taking the footage directly to those physically unable to visit the park due to health, economic or transportation limitations.

“They can put on a viewer in the comfort of home to experience the park,” Thoreson said. “It’s a driving interest of mine — to be sure I can take the parks to the people.”

To learn more about this and other research, visit atcofa.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.