Everything Nac

The Stephen F. Austin State University School of Art and the Friends of the Visual Arts will present a free, one-night screening of the documentary “Valley Uprising” at 7 p.m. Friday, June 1, in The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House in downtown Nacogdoches.

Narrated by acclaimed actor Peter Sarsgaard and produced by Emmy Award-winning Sender Films with Big UP Productions, “Valley Uprising” recounts the history of Yosemite’s bold rock-climbing tradition: half a century of struggle against the laws of gravity and the laws of the land, according to information at http://senderfilms.com/

“Valley Uprising” is a film by Peter Mortimer and Nick Rosen, edited by Josh Lowell and produced by Mortimer, Rosen and Zachary Barr. It stars Yosemite climbing legends Dean Potter, Alex Honnold, Lynn Hill, Jim Bridwell, Royal Robbins, Warren Harding, Yvon Chouinard, John Bachar, “Chongo” Chuck and others.

The documentary was a grand-prize winner at the Banff, Torello, Bilbao Mendi, Danish, Kendal, Krakow and Ladek mountain film festivals, a multiple climbing and adventure film award winner, and an audience award winner at several other film festivals.

This screening is part of the School of Art’s monthly Friday Film Series and is sponsored in part by William Arscott, Nacogdoches Film Festival, Karon Gillespie, Mike Mollot, David Kulhavy, Brad Maule, John and Kristen Heath, Galleria Z, Jill Carrington, Jean Stephens, Jim and Mary Neal, Richard Orton, Nacogdoches Junior Forum and Main Street Nacogdoches.

The Cole Art Center is located at 329 E. Main St. For more information, call (936) 468-1131.

Sixth through eighth grade students from local schools recently spent the day at Stephen F. Austin State University exploring math with the help of faculty and students at the university’s first Julia Robinson Mathematics Festival, hosted by the Department of Mathematics and Statistics.

Supporting locally-organized events across the country, the festival aims to inspire kindergarten through 12th grade students to develop problem-solving skills through math puzzles, problems and games in honor of the late Julia Robinson, the first woman mathematician to be named a member of the National Academy of Sciences.

“The festival is in keeping with the mission of the STEM Research and Learning Center and our desire to provide access to positive experiences with mathematics for students in our area,” said Dr. Jane Long, associate professor in the department.

The festival also gave SFA students the chance to interact with middle school students in a “comfortable, no-pressure atmosphere,” Long said.

Throughout the afternoon, participants worked on nonstandard problems and questions designed to teach them to collaborate and think creatively, like acting out the swarming patterns of ants and estimating how many popcorn kernels could fit in the Student Center Grand Ballroom.

“Mathematics is a lot more than memorizing rules,” Long said. “Ultimately, success in mathematics and STEM fields requires students to think effectively, especially when it’s not immediately obvious what to do.”

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

Stephen F. Austin State University’s Office of Research and Graduate Studies awarded two honors to outstanding graduate students. Alyssa Abreu of Spring received the Marilyn Odom Graduate Student Award, and Chad Huckaby of Nacogdoches received the William R. Johnson Outstanding Thesis Award.

The awards are presented annually to recognize students dedicated to the pursuit of their graduate degrees and to honor the hard work put in to compiling thesis projects.

Marilyn Odom Graduate Student Award

Abreu is pursuing a Master of Science in kinesiology. She works in the SFA Department of Kinesiology and Health Science’s Human Performance Lab.

“My area of study is in behavioral medicine, where I look at the effects of exercise and diet on disease,” Abreu said. “I am proud of what I have been able to accomplish thus far, which is highly attributable to the incredible kinesiology staff. I also understand there are many other graduate students … doing great things, making this award very meaningful. I am honored to have received it.”

Dr. Eric Jones, SFA professor of kinesiology and health science, nominated Abreu for the Odom award. Both Jones and Dr. Mark Faries, former SFA assistant professor of kinesiology and health science, were significant mentors for Abreu.

“Alyssa has been a great asset to our department, students and myself,” Jones said. “Our lab would not be as developed if not for her willingness to lend her time and efforts, as well as her attention to detail and constant desire for improvement. A student with Alyssa’s drive and potential is rare. We have very been fortunate to have her.”

In 2016, Abreu received the Donald A. Pegg Student Leadership Award from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. The honor included grant funding that Abreu used to create SFA’s Lumberjack Lifestyle Medicine Association in January 2017. The organization has prepared healthy meals for Nacogdoches’ homeless population, engaged in health education programs, and organized a 5K and 10K run in April.

Abreu said it was just as special being nominated by someone of Dr. Jones’ caliber as it was receiving the award.

“Having somebody believe in you and your efforts makes a world of difference and has gotten me where I am today,” she added.

The Texas American College of Sports Medicine named Abreu the 2015 Undergraduate of the Year and presented her with the 2016 Outstanding Graduate Research award. She has two publications and two manuscripts in preparation and is working on her thesis, which is titled “Self Regulation in Low Income Mothers in the Community-Based, Extended Food and Nutrition Education Program.”

Abreu was recently appointed research coordinator for a national study on medical students’ perceptions and understandings of lifestyle medicine. She is directing and organizing data collection for the study at 10 medical schools in addition to manuscript preparation. She plans to pursue a doctoral degree in public health.

The Marilyn Odom Graduate Student Award is granted to full-time students who have a 3.8 GPA or better for all graduate work at SFA with at least 24 graduate hours taken in residence at SFA.

William R. Johnson Outstanding Thesis Award

Huckaby received a Master of Science in mathematical sciences from SFA in 2017.

“I found out I had received this award while on my way to take a prospective student to the SFA campus for a tour, so finding out that day helped bring my SFA experiences back to mind,” Huckaby said. “I am incredibly honored and humbled to receive this prestigious award.”

Huckaby’s thesis is titled “Observations in Convexity.” His thesis advisors, Drs. Sarah Stovall and Roy Harris, both professors of mathematics and statistics, nominated him for the Johnson award. Stovall called Huckaby an “excellent mathematician and an excellent writer.”

Harris added, “Due to the results he achieved and his well-written manuscript, the decision to nominate Mr. Huckaby was obvious.”

Huckaby received the 2015 Mr. SFA award and was appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott to serve as student regent on the SFA Board of Regents for the 2016-17 academic year.

“Being nominated by Drs. Harris and Stovall is truly an honor for me as they were among the first to teach me during my undergraduate studies, coupled with the fact that both of them are SFA graduates and incredible mentors,” Huckaby said. “Receiving this award adds another dimension to my incredible experience at SFA. I am forever indebted to SFA for affording me incredible opportunities to learn and grow. I say SFA makes Lumberjacks great!”

Huckaby is pursuing a doctoral degree in curriculum and instruction at Texas A&M University.

The criteria for the William R. Johnson Thesis Award are significance and originality, appropriateness of style, quality of writing and quality of graphics when appropriate. The Graduate Council’s Student Affairs Committee recommends a winner who is then voted on by the council.

Story by Christine Broussard, senior marketing communications specialist at Stephen F. Austin State University.