Author: Jordan Trautwein

Several Houghton students spent their summer working on science projects as part of Houghton College’s Summer Research Institute (SRI). During this period, students had the opportunity to learn skills and utilize technologies not common in the classroom, gain practical experience in lab research, and work in close partnership with a professor mentor.  The SRI’s participants fully expect that the skills and technologies gained throughout the summer will make the students more marketable to employers.

While the SRI is designed to be a learning experience, the projects each boast highly practical applications. Several students discussed hopes for presenting their research at conferences, or described how it already is helping a business or organization. “We started to work with a company that builds a certain kind of impeller.  What I’m hoping is that our research can help them to improve their products and reduce costs,” Heather Phillips ‘18 explains.

When asked about difference between Houghton’s Summer Research Institute and similar programs, Professor of Physics Kurt Aiken explains: “We have a different emphasis.  Certainly, we want to help the company, want to get things done, but I also told my student that I want them to learn some things and that changes what I might make them do.  Even if it’s going to take them some time to learn…I am more willing to invest that time.”

As a result, both students working on the impeller project mentioned how they walked away with greater skills in their fields.  Phillips says that “Being able to understand more of the software side of the electrical engineering” will help her in the future as she works towards a master’s degree.

Some students found mostly technical value in their projects, while others gained a new sense of purpose. Jonathan Durbin ‘19 remarks, “While I don’t intend to get much more into the field of fluid dynamics, I did learn various skills that I think will help later on.” Unlike Durbin, Brielle Kwarta ‘19 claims that her research on photosynthetic allocation helped to solidify her interest in the subject, saying that “Incorporating math and biology is an area of study that I am definitely interested in pursuing.  The opportunity to do research this summer confirmed my aspirations for graduate school and beyond.”

Erica Barney ‘18, who worked on  monitoring biodiversity along the Pacific Crest Trail, agrees that “Being a part of this project, I have been exposed to various field research designs, methods and theories which are skills that I will use in the future to continue to ask and attempt to answer questions about the complexity of creation.”

Aikens also believes that the experience has helped his students gain a deeper appreciation for the complexity of many scientific issues. “For students I think it’s a great opportunity to apply their knowledge that they’ve learned through the school year,” he comments, “but to problems that aren’t problems that you can look up the solutions at the back of the book.”

Several students referenced their appreciation for the practical work they were able to accomplish during their research. Ben Reber ‘19 , who performed work in photosynthetic allocation, says “Especially in math, we talk a lot about math theory and numbers for numbers’ sake, and that’s all well and good, but it was kind of nice to see there are reasons we are doing math. Here’s an application that applies to the real world.”

Professor Aaron Sullivan similarly emphasizes the unique way in which students were aware of the implications of their research. “I want my students to be involved in the development of research projects so they can learn how to function as scientists rather than being plugged into a project like a cog in a wheel,” he says. “Because of that, I regularly discussed aspects of the design with them and incorporated their feedback and criticism.”

Individualized attention and one-on-one mentoring was also a highlight of the program, both for students and professors. “I was looking for one on one time with a faculty member because a lot of times in normal labs you’re in a eight to twenty other people,” Greg Ballard ‘20 says of his expectations for his summer spent researching protein misfolding.

Professors are similarly grateful for the opportunity to work closely with their students. Professor of Biology Ransom Poythress says: “It has been a delight to watch my students grow personally and spiritually, become invested and excited about a scientific problem, travel with them through the highs and lows of the experimental process, and finally compile and share our work publicly, all while celebrating, praising, and glorifying God with our efforts.”

This year’s Houghton Palooza will be on Saturday, April 29 running from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Townhouses.  In the case of bad weather, it will take place in the Campus Center’s Van Dyke Lounge.

According to Theresa Taggart ’18, primary planner for this year’s Houghton Palooza, the event has been happening annually for over 10 years. JL Miller, Resident Director (RD) for the Townhouses, added, “It was originally student-started with the idea of an end of the year music festival making use of the talent we have on campus and enjoying the good weather.  And since then it’s pretty much kept on that same base but we’ve added a few elements along the way that attract a wider community member audience.”

Community members and families are welcome to join students in enjoying the activities.

“This year, like past years, will have live music, hot dogs, and many different ‘carnival’ booths,” Taggart explained. “For example, we will have face painting, cotton candy, popcorn, a 40 foot obstacle course, a home run derby bounce house, and more.”  New to this year’s festival is two inflatables, instead of the usual one.

Miller acknowledged another addition to the traditional activities.  He said, “We invite clubs on campus to see if they want to host something, be a part of a little booth to provide an activity and for the first time we got FILA involved so they’re going to have a nerf gun tin can shooting gallery.”

The intention with the new activities over the years, according to Miller, is to be “expanding beyond just the music but still making the music central.”  As for this year, Miller said, “I’m really impressed by the bands we have lined up.  Sometimes we rotate through low times when there’s not as many bands available, but this time it’s a really full set of bands and musicians that I think students will really enjoy and know.”

Miller explained while the event is staff supervised, the intention is for it to be a student run even.  “Being the Townhouse Representative of CAB,” Taggart commented. “I’m the point person for planning the event. But this event really takes a big team to execute. The townhouse RAs and JL Miller help with planning and getting bands and club participation…We all put together our best ideas and we delegate tasks to get it done as quickly as possible.”

“I’m really just excited to see everyone have a good time,” Taggart said of the coming event. “The best part about event planning is seeing people enjoy the work you’ve put into it. Houghton Palooza is one of my favorite campus events, and I love seeing others go and have fun.”

Jill Templeton ’17, who has attended two Paloozas in the past, enjoys the event for its opportunity to social and destress.  “I like it because all my friends are there and not just the ones I go with.  It’s just an afternoon of fun.  You don’t have to worry so much about schoolwork, although finals are just around the corner.”

This Saturday, the Kerr Pegula complex will host the Women of Worship:  Refresh Your Spirit conference.  The event lasts all day and features several keynote speakers and an award winning musician.  While the morning workshops are reserved for women, men are welcomed to enjoy the evening concert.

Whitney Capps of Proverbs 31 Ministries will provide the opening and closing keynotes for the morning workshop sessions, which start at 10:00 a.m., according to the event’s page on the Houghton website.  Capps’ personal page for Proverbs 31 explained Capps practices speaking simply and with honesty. This is an attempt to cut past what she terms the “church talk” people so often tire of hearing.  In doing so, Capps expressed the hope that listeners would consider familiar texts once more and find new meaning in them.

Publisher of Gwinnett Magazine, Kelly Greer, remarked, “Whitney has a freshness and youthfulness that makes you think she’s your peer. The truth is spiritually she is wise beyond her years and works faithfully to make a positive difference for the Kingdom.”

The conference will also feature Mindy Sauer ‘03, a Houghton alumna, and mother of Ben Sauer, who inspired the “Blue for Ben” campaign in 2014.  Throughout the tragedy of losing her son to cancer, Sauer was quoted numerous times on how her family has found strength in their faith.  Sauer will be speaking in the first session of the morning workshops.  The second session has yet  to have a speaker assigned.

Lisa Allen, Executive Director of Proverbs 31 Ministries, will be the keynote speaking for the evening session of the conference.  With a background as a Women’s Ministry Director, Allen expresses in her biography “a passion for seeing women reach their fullest potential and live their best lives.”  She emphasized recognizing how God made individuals, and how their individuality feeds into God’s calling for them.  Other topics address finding ways to realize where God is working in one’s life to more fully and willingly participate without suffering from a spiritual burnout.  Her biography described her as being having a “playful yet practical style gives audiences fun and profound insights that build their confidence.”

Singer-songwriter, Laura Story, will provide the music for the conference’s evening concert.  She has received multiple honors as an artist, including a Grammy.  Story is an experienced songwriter for other singers, including Chris Tomlin, as well as producing her own award winning works.

In her most recent album, Open Hands, she focuses on the need to surrender to God’s will instead of insisting upon our own.  She remarked in her biography,  “The irony is the less control we have, the more peace we have and the more, I would even say, success and joy we find. It’s a contrary picture to what the world tells us, but it’s gaining through letting go.”

Also pivotal has been her role as a mother and her personal experiences of God’s grace taking shape in unexpected circumstances.

Story emphasized the gravity with which she takes her work as a songwriter, recalling how God has been able to use songwriters in the Bible and more recent history for His glory.

Tickets for the conference are still on sale starting at $22.

There will be two events happening this evening, Froth and Backyard Fest.  Both are available to all students and offer free food.

Froth is Rothenbuhler (Roth) Hall’s annual party dedicated to milk.  According to the Houghton College website, the event will take place tonight from 9:00 to 11:00 p.m.

“Part of the fun about Froth is not completely knowing what to expect,” said Joe Miner, a Resident Assistant (RA) at Roth. “But, I can say that there will be lots of music, milkshakes, ice cream, and more. We will have lactose-free products as well for our lactose intolerant friends. For the most part, though, Froth is something you really need to attend to understand all that’s happening.”

Miner has been working with Jon Craton, the Resident Director (RD) of Roth,  to organize the event. “However, to make it all run smoothly,” Miner added, “It will take a group effort of some Roth residents, RA’s, and our friends.“

He continued to explain the history of the odd theme, and how it returned once more to Houghton.  “Froth was created in the Spring of 2015. It was a combined effort from students who have now graduated from Houghton,” Miner said

The turnout of the first Froth was, according to Miner, a bit unexpected.  “I don’t think they expected many people to show up because it’s literally a milk-themed party, but a lot of campus ended up coming. It’s one of those funny things that had no right to be successful, but was a success anyway.”

According to Miner, the event is back for it’s third year in a row because “we heard so many positive reviews.” Because it was such a success, when Miner and Craton were planning events for Roth’s upcoming academic year, they “decided to bring it back again.”

The timing of the event is strategic for the sake of pacing events and also for the mental health of students. He said, “We intentionally planned this for the end of the semester. Most of Roth’s traditions take place in the Fall, so it’s nice to have something else happening in the Spring.” Miner continued, “Froth is great to have at the end of the semester because it’s an opportunity to let some of the crazy out. It’s one last chance to dance your heart out, and I think students appreciate that.”

Also hosting an event this evening is the class of 2020.  Backyard Fest, which will take place on the Ski Hill, will happen  from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m.   Following the backyard theme, according to the Houghton College website, the event will feature lawn games, s’mores, and live music.

Hannah Sievers ‘20, class president, explained the inspiration for Backyard Fest.  “So actually I had a dream about this event. I woke up and realized I had to throw this event, so starting in January or so I began talking to the executive cabinet and my class cabinet to get the wheels rolling.”

The class cabinet worked alongside several members of the executive cabinet to create the event.  Their goal was to create a “chill hangout coffeehouse kind of vibe” for the evening.

Sievers added, “I am super excited to hopefully have Backyard Fest be an annual tradition to be carried on even after our class graduates.”

Victoria Pitre, a graduate student at the Greatbatch School of Music, was one of eight national finalists at the 2017 American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) national conference.  The competition for the ACDA took place on March 9 in Minneapolis.

Daniel Black, Director of Vocal Music and Conducting, said of the ADCA, “The membership is more than 20,000 representing more than one million singers across the United States.”  Black continued, “[The competition] has been around for many years and takes place at every national ACDA conference. For choral conductors, it is widely known.”

To qualify for the competition, Pitre conducted two pieces which changed meter. “Last October, we arranged for Victoria to record herself conducting the Houghton College Choir in a twelve minute video,” Black explained. “Additionally, she was not able to work with the choir prior to the recording so they were prepared by me. My goal was to have the choir function at a very high level so that she could spend her twelve minutes shaping the music they produce to her liking.”

“Victoria’s [also] incredibly gifted when it comes to conducting,” commented Carolynne Waddington ‘19, a fellow music student. “Whenever she conducts us in College Choir, everyone responds so well.  She has so much energy that just radiates off her and makes its way to us. She is so talented and the school of music is so blessed to have her.”

Black went and said “The competitors were looking at gesture, rehearsal technique, and demeanor on the podium. Each graduate student had only eight minutes to work on two pieces with a choir they had never heard before. Obviously, with that kind of constraint, efficiency in achieving one’s goals is paramount.”

Chosen from over a hundred applicants, Pitre successfully secured one of the eight national finalist positions along with an invitation to compete at the conference.  She is the first student from Houghton college to receive this honor, according to Armenio Suzano, Dean of the Greatbatch School of Music.

“It is a testament to the music program offered at Houghton College that one of our students was selected to be in that small, extremely select group,”Suzano said.  “Furthermore, it reflects the unwavering commitment of the Greatbatch School of Music and our Music faculty toward excellence in all levels of music education, regardless of style or genre – from Opera, to Collaborative, to Technology, to Worship.  Uncompromising, relentless pursuit of musical excellence, with solid Christian values. Victoria Petri’s ACDA competition is a validation of that mission”

“Victoria has many accomplishments in and out of the music building.  She is such a wonderful person that lights up any room she walks into,” Waddington added.  “She has one of the most beautiful singing voices and I’m so happy she has been able to really show it off this year.”

“Having the fact that I was a semi-finalist on my resume will be something that helps to establish to future employers that I have a solid skill set,” Pitre recognized. “ Also, I had the opportunity to meet the other competitors, and network with peers who have similar strength of goal and vision for the future.

President of the college, Shirley Mullen, will teach a cross disciplinary humanities class next semester. According to Mullen, her course will fulfill a Humanities 101 requirement, which seeks to foster “critical thinking, character, creativity, communication and citizenship or community building.”  

With the recent changes to the integrative studies (IS) requirements the introduction of a few new courses to make fulfilling the requirements easier on students, according to Provost Jack Connell. These include new, low credit science courses and three general humanities courses, Connell disclosed at a Student Government (SGA) meeting earlier this month.

Overall, Mullen said she believes the new IS requirements will help Houghton realize its mission statement of academic rigor while making the school welcoming to transfer students.

Professor of English and Director of IS requirements, Susan Bruxvoort- Lipscomb, said, “[Mullen is] absolutely the best qualified person in the college to teach [Humanities 101] because she has two PhDs.  She has a PhD in history and in philosophy.  Those are two of the disciplines [covered in the course], so she was excited about teaching this course.”

 Mullen said she hoped “students would come away from the class with a larger understanding of what it means to be human, both in the sense of being made in the Image of God, and in the sense of being part of a centuries-long global conversation about the meaning and purpose of our lives.”  

The course is intended to fulfill general education requirements for first year or transfer students, but can be taken as an elective by upper-level students, Connell said.  Mullen stated, “Whatever one decides to major in or work at, a Christian liberal arts education should prepare one to be more fully human, as God intended us to be, in that major or in that occupation.  A class in the humanities also helps one to identify those human traits that transcend culture, gender, economic status, etc.  and how that ‘humanness’ can then be enriched by an understanding of the rich diversity that exists within the human community.”

Lipscomb said Mullen was approached about teaching the course partly because “there has been some retirements in the history department and the college has decided to delay for one year hiring in history.”  She continued, “There was an opportunity.  We needed someone to teach this course and we thought of her as someone who was a great teacher in Westmont and has had a great career in teaching and super qualified to do this.  We approached her and asked her is she’d be interested.”

Included already in the course offerings for fall of 2017 are also new science courses that are more conducive to fulfilling general education requirements.  Lipscomb described them as “two hour courses” with the accompanying lab  “built into the time so you don’t have to go to a separate lab time.”  According to the 2017-2018 course  catalog, there will be the options of Science as a Human Endeavor: Cosmology and Science and Society: Nuclear Age taught by professors of physics Kurt Aikens and Mark Yuly.

Professor David Kinman, Chair of the World Languages and Literature Department, will be retiring this year.  He began teaching at Houghton nine years ago for the fall semester of 2008.  Currently, Professor Kinman teaches Spanish courses as well as Foreign Language Methods.

Before coming to Houghton, Professor Kinman taught as a high school teacher in Pennsylvania covering the subjects of Spanish, French, and Latin.  During his time as a high school teacher, he coached Girls’ Varsity Track.  He also served as a professor at a different college, Clarion University in Pennsylvania, for eleven years teaching Spanish, French, and Foreign Language Methods.  When speaking on what initially brought him to Houghton, he said “After 35 years teaching in a public high school in Pennsylvania, I had a desire to finish my career where I could blatantly live my faith in the classroom. God provided this opportunity at Houghton.”

Professor of world languages and literature,  Eva Meilaender, explained how in his time at Houghton he has taught several Spanish courses and worked to revive student interest in taking Spanish courses.  Throughout her time working with him, she found Professor Kinman “was always available to the students and listened to their needs and problems.  He was very encouraging and helpful.”  In his role as Chair of the World Languages and Literature Department, she noted “He was a very caring chair of the department and took a personal interest in his colleagues.”

Professor Kinman said of his teaching experience “I have been blessed to experience what I would call highlights every day. My students are my highlights…getting to know them and sharing a small slice of our lives together is a gift from God.”  However, he does look forward to spending his retirement with his wife and three grandsons.  He also hopes to reconnect with his church’s ministry in a way that was difficult while he was a weekend commuter.

The college website stated  his goals for his time at Houghton  “are to serve students by encouraging them to seek a growing passion for languages and for Jesus.”  In living out his own passion for both, he works to “teach Spanish with the idea that we can value others who speak that language.”  As corroborated by his coworker , Meilaender, he sees importance in students from all majors considering courses in Spanish.  He emphasized to students “the value of majoring in Spanish or Spanish Education, or minoring or concentrating in Spanish within the framework of a Christian world view.”  Professor Kinman stated, “I have desired for my Spanish students to be able to value and validate the speakers of that language. I pray that I have effectively taught them how to do that.”

During his time at Houghton, Professor Kinman worked outside his department in his position as a Track and Field assistant coach.  In this capacity he has lent his experience as a coach for a high school team and helped guide students towards greater success.  His profile on the Houghton Highlanders website reported,  “Dave Kinman has been working with the Highlander jumpers and hurdlers since the 2014-2015 season.  While at Houghton, ‘Coach K’ has guided Zdravko Bogdanoski to an outdoor school record in the men’s high jump.”

This coming week students will have the opportunity to attend a faculty lecture by Kinman.  On Monday, March 13 in the dining hall at 4:30 Professor Kinman will be presenting his Valedictory Lecture, a retrospective on his time in teaching.

Last weekend, Houghton hosted its final Honors interview weekend for the academic year.  The weekends serve not only as the process of determining which students will be invited to join the Honors programs, but also as a form of advertising to students why they should choose to receive an education from Houghton.

The Houghton College website claims,  “We were one of the first colleges to introduce a serious, developmental curriculum for top incoming students, and our honors opportunities remain among the best anywhere.”  During Honors interview weekends, the school had the opportunity and challenge to prove itself worthy of the statement.

Director of the Honors Programs and Professor of Philosophy, Benjamin Lipscomb explained while other colleges are increasingly offering Honors programs and interview weekends, “Our process is more rigorous and, from what we hear back, it’s more impressive than what other schools do with their honors interview weekends.”  He continued, “We dig a little harder here, press people a little more, and that makes an impression on them.  So I keep hoping we can maintain that edge and I think there are certain reasons to hope that we might.”

Different from other schools is the length of time for which Houghton has been working on this process.  Lipscomb offered, “I am blessed to be the inheritor of a long tradition going back to the mid 90’s of ‘Sure, let’s’.  And there is that Houghton communal spirit; we’re good at this barn raising sort of thing, which it really is. And that enables us to impress our candidates of what we’re able to put on.”  According to Lipscomb, to host an Honors weekend it requires “a ton of work to get these files to faculty to read ahead of time, to give up a whole Saturday.  Two faculty members looking at each candidate that comes in and engage seriously with the material they supplied.  It’s a lot of work and I think if you don’t already have a tradition of faculty working that hard and coming in on their off time, it’s hard to do that.”

One change to this time-honored system, is the recent practice of telling students from the first two weekends of their acceptance as soon as it’s decided, rather than waiting to hear until after decisions are made from all three weekends.  When explaining the reasoning behind the decision,  Lipscomb said, “Students are making their college decisions earlier and earlier.  This is in the Honors pool and outside the Honors pool.  People who would have waited until March or April to make these decisions, because of changes in how financial aid processing works.”  He added, “And if we can give them something particularly appealing to think about before the end of February…there is a definite admissions strategy to telling them early.”  He argued that the physical visit to the campus is “a very appealing part of the pitch to come”.

Anna Schilke ‘19, who will serve as the teaching assistant (TA) for those accepted into next year’s London honors program, recalled her experience  from going  through the honors weekend interviews, “I remember walking in as a prospective to honors weekend, and it was so cool,”Schilke stated.  Even as someone who grew up in the community, she said she found it an impressive display of the college.

She noted “Honors weekend brings together the best of Houghton College, it brings together the faculty and staff, it brings together the student body, it brings together our ability to send students to the world and really make that tangible.”