Category: Stories In Focus

As part of their continuing commitment to scholastic excellence and research, four Houghton College faculty members have recently stepped into the publishing world: Brian Webb, Sunshine Sullivan, Jonathan Case, and Terence Paige.

Houghton’s Sustainability Coordinator, Brian Webb, published an article in August’s issue of the Journal of Geoscience Education. As part of his research process, Webb conducted research on the Houghton campus during February of 2015, distributing surveys to measure student attitudes before and after a lecture by evangelical Christian climate advocate Katharine Hayhoe. The general consensus of climate education is that it usually “polarizes” people toward one view or the other, and that very few people fall in the middle of the spectrum of beliefs about climate. However, the results of the pre- and post-lecture surveys revealed that several Houghton students adopted beliefs more sympathetic to climate concerns.  

This was Webb’s first major publication. In the future, he would like to do a follow-up study on campus “testing the variable of [Hayhoe’s] Christian identity to determine if that particular factor has an influence on the effectiveness of her communication.” Christians in general are much less likely to believe climate change is a serious concern, so Webb suspected that Hayhoe’s Christian background may have given her “extra credibility.”  

A paper written by Dr. Sunshine Sullivan, associate professor of Education and Chair of the Education Department, was also published in the fall edition of the International Christian Community for Teacher Education journal (ICCTE). She was prompted to write this article after attending ICCTE’s conference as a keynote speaker in 2016. She described the ICCTE conference as a chance for Christian teachers to come together and share research that they are doing, but also express how “faith supports us in that work.” While it is “very collaborative,” teachers “also try to challenge each other.” As a result, the ICCTE felt much like a “retreat” for Dr. Sullivan.

Following the conference, Dr. Sullivan was asked to “reconfigure [the] talk into [a] paper” so that it could be published in the ICCTE journal. “I was thinking about how God walks beside me,” commented Dr. Sullivan, reflecting on what had spurred her to write the article. While she felt that God affirmed her calling as a teacher, there were issues she was combating in the classroom and knew she needed to address. In her article, she sought to bridge the gaps that may exist among teachers, students, and faculty, describing this as the “in-between spaces” in “teacherly life.”

In May, New Testament professor Dr. Terence Paige published a book entitled 1 & 2 Thessalonians: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition. It was published as part of the New Beacon Bible Commentary series. A Houghton press release described Dr. Paige’s book as “a comprehensive work that offers verse-by-verse explanations of the two early Christian writings” and “helps to clarify Scripture’s meaning by guiding the reader through sociological, religious and cultural issues the original readers faced, in addition to the usual attention to literary and theological features that affect the interpretation of the texts.”

Webb and Sullivan both confirmed that the publication process “is consistent” across the board. First, one must write the article according to the journal’s length guidelines before submitting. Then, if accepted, the writer will add editorial comments based off the comments received from the journal’s editors. Lastly, the writer’s work is copyedited and published. The entire publishing process for journal articles typically takes a few months.

Despite the vulnerability inherent in publishing, Dr. Sullivan said that she “enjoys conversations that come from having work published.”  She is thankful that the criticism from peers and editors has allowed her to grow as a writer.

CAB’s regular Coffeehouses got off to an upbeat start last Thursday with the musical talents of Houghton’s faculty.

Over the past decade, coffeehouses have become a staple to gather students around visiting speakers, important issues on campus, or simply some good music. Interestingly, it was only at the end of last semester that CAB hosted its very first ever faculty coffeehouse, as announced on the event’s page. Connie Finney, Benjamin Lipscomb, and Marc Smithers returned to the Java stage Thursday, harmonizing to “You Are my Sunshine” and “Eight Days a Week.”

Professor Lipscomb also performed a spoken word version of”Dynamite” by Bruno Mars mashed up with a rendition of “Brown-Eyed Girl.” Memorably, he adjusted the lyrics to “blue” in honor of Professor Bruxvoort-Lipscomb.  

Students came to check out the latest and greatest hits performed by a few of Houghton’s talented faculty and staff, then relaxed in the second hour of the coffeehouse, which focused on hymns.  “Honestly, I loved the hymn singing, the second half,”  Bonnie Huegel ‘19 commented.  “The Beatles were very fun.”   

This year, CAB has persistently and intentionally chosen Houghton students and faculty to show their talents in music, with just as much vivacity as years past. Part of CAB’s set up is the sociable yet studious atmosphere of Java is kept during their Thursday night events. Gabi Sheeley, a fellow musician, expressed her thoughts after the coffeehouse, “It’s a place where students can either come and do homework or talk in conversation too- it’s just a good casual outlet.” The come-and-go entourage invited those who wanted to stay for 5 minutes or 2 hours to take a break from the day and enjoy the calming rhythms.

“I enjoy hearing the music, but it’s a different atmosphere from a concert,” agreed Bonnie.  “It’s a smaller, more intimate setting.  I generally see people I know there and get to listen with friends and acquaintances.”

“We have to put in so much energy to plan out what songs. There’s the pressure of having your fellow students enjoying the music with you,” shared Gabi. “So it’s great to know that we’re supporting each other’s talents and passions.” Just as encouraging as it is to an athlete, or a band member when a friend comes to a game or concert, so it is when showing up to CAB coffeehouses.  “I make it a point to go whenever I someone I know is performing,” said Bonnie.  “It’s a good break from studying.”

Frequently CAB selections are of singers with a guitar or band accompaniment, which share their picks on both familiar and unfamiliar songs of various genres. Each performer puts their own special twist on how they want to represent their song choices.  Upcoming coffeehouses scheduled for the semester include Gabi Sheeley and Gena Hartman, Mason Sebian, Andrew Hutton and Naomi Canaviri, and “Rotheehouse”, a coffeehouse to be performed by the RAs of Roth.

Tyger Doell ‘19, one of the RAs in question, is looking forward to the performance. “It’s a great opportunity for me and some of the other guys on the staff who aren’t super musically inclined to get a chance to shine on the stage,” he said. “I know, for me, it’s always been on my Houghton bucket list. I don’t know how to play the guitar or really any instruments, but with this coffeehouse, I can team up with some of my best friends and we can make music together.”

Summer break is a fantastic time to take advantage of volunteer and internship programs. Students are often encouraged to participate in these programs as a means of gaining experience in a field that they will potentially prepare to enter after graduation. Often times, skills and interests are enhanced during these summer experiences, preparing students for their fields of work.

Since Buffalo is the closest city to Houghton, many students took advantage of the broad range of internship opportunities available there. Ashley Carroll ‘17, a psychology major, explored an internship in Buffalo with P.A.T.H. (People Against Trafficking Humans). P.A.T.H. is a non-profit organization that provides services to any woman or child that is vulnerable, traumatized, or has been exploited by the human trafficking industry. Carroll participated in a variety of positions, such as leading spiritual development groups, shadowing a social worker, sitting in on support groups, and providing transportation for clients.

Carroll was fortunate to participate in an internship that solidified her career goals. “I got to see the good, the bad, and the ugly of non-profit organizations,” she said, “and was able to explore my passion in regards to counseling and loving on human trafficking survivors and women who have experienced severe trauma in their lifetime. I seem to have discovered that I would love to be a school counselor!”

Tess Taggart ‘17, a biochemistry major, spent the summer in her hometown of Albany, NY, working as a Quality Control Analytical Chemistry Intern at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. She worked on optimizing the peptide mapping procedure in Regeneron’s quality control lab. Taggart had the opportunity to present her research to a member of the senior leadership team, as well as the whole department she worked for.

These internship programs allowed interns a large amount of freedom to put into practice the skills they have learned in college. Taggart was able to build complex experiments for the company she interned with. “My boss trusted me to carry out procedures and gave me great advice throughout the process,” she said. “I really felt like I was doing something important with the department.”

Ji-yeong “Jenny” Woo ‘17, a TESOL major, had the opportunity to complete a volunteer internship in Sendai, Japan. She assisted teachers with classroom programs and preparations, supported children with intellectual, physical, and behavioral difficulties with their academic studies, and spoke English in the classroom as well as on the playground to help students learn. “My favorite part of [my] internship was building a relationship with my students and teachers at school and seeing growth in their academic and spiritual areas,” Woo said.

Participating in cross-cultural internships such as Woo’s can be a challenge. When in a host culture, it’s easy to be misinterpreted and misunderstood. One of the biggest challenges Woo faced during her time in Japan was being Korean. During class one day, a student asked her where she was from. When she responded with Korea, the student initially responded negatively, due to the stereotypes some Japanese people have towards Koreans. Woo was able to use this tension with her student to talk about God’s love, which unites across differences and breaks cultural barriers.

The VOCA Office was created to assist students in finding Internships and volunteer programs that expose them to hands-on, authentic experiences in their own fields of interest. “VOCA does a great job of preparing you for interviews and helping to clean up your resume or CV,” Taggart said. “Going through that process is extremely important to landing a great summer job.” Whatever your major may be, there are opportunities out there to help you better understand your role in expanding the kingdom of God.

In the Spring of 2017, Ryan Yates began his term as Houghton’s Assistant Professor of Computer Science and Data Science.

Yates graduated from Wheaton College in 2003 with majors in computer science and mathematics. From there, he landed a job in the software industry, building computer aided design tools before further pursuing his academic career at the University of Rochester.

“My area of research is in systems; in particular, synchronization,” Yates said. “Synchronization is how you manage multiple computers on the same chip all working together, and making it work to either improve speed or increase the scale of the problems we solve. The other half of my research is in the Haskell programming language which is a functional programming language that is different from others in its commitment to a mathematical approach to things.”

Combining these two areas, much of Yates’ current work has focused on improving the performance of transactional memory, which involves a compositional approach to solving problems. “In the industry I was working for, we encountered concurrency problems in managing computers that involved thinking about the whole system at once,” he said. “Transactional memory allows you to think about the small parts independently.”

Dr. Brandon Hoffman, Department Chair of Physics, Computer Science, and Engineering highlighted the strengths Yates brings to the program. “He is interested in a wide variety of fields that involve computer science, which is really important for data science because you’re applying it to anything, and he’s interested in applying it to anything,” Hoffman stated. “When you present him with a new application, he’s good at seeing the connections and he enjoys it.”

Morgan Smith ’19, a student who has been under Yates’ tutelage for several years, echoed Hoffman’s statement. “Yates is interested not only in developing valuable tools, but also in using and sharing those tools intelligently and respectfully. Computer scientists tend to retreat into their discipline and look down on what they perceive as the non-technical laity, while Yates seeks to help people with different skill sets contribute to and benefit from the discipline by prioritizing the social dimensions of technology,” Smith said. “This focus will help Yates produce excellent technologists and make him an ideal educator for students from other disciplines encountering computer and data science in Houghton’s new liberal arts courses.”

Since Yates has always valued getting to know people in an intentional way, he has adopted an interactive lecturing style in the classroom. “If I don’t get to know my students, I won’t get to know what things are just beyond their ability, and what is way beyond their ability,” he said. “I want to push them just beyond their ability, so they are constantly on the edge of learning.”

This focus has not gone unnoticed by many of his students, including Smith. “Yates combines technical expertise and pedagogical skill with humility and active concern for students,” she reflected. “In particular, I value the way he pushes students to think critically about the material they’re learning, helping them to understand why something’s designed a certain way by imagining and evaluating multiple possibilities together.”

To Yates, learning is personal. “I want every person to be aware of their own strengths and weaknesses, and I want to give them an opportunity for learning,” he said. “I want everyone’s learning experience to reach everybody, and in that vein, I also want to demonstrate my own learning and demonstrate things that are just beyond the edge of my understanding, and engage with students in those things.”

So what does “success” mean in the computer science classroom? “Getting to know better the material, and not just the ideas,” Yates said, “but also the place of those ideas in a bigger picture of the world.” He values discovering how the ideas are important to humanity, and to the world. “Each class should broaden your world in an interesting way,” he said. “You haven’t been successful in the classroom if you aren’t making connections to things outside of it.”

Houghton’s 8,000-panel solar array made big headlines when it was built in 2015. Since construction, however, publicity has been slim. So how is is doing these days? Brian Webb, Houghton’s Sustainability Coordinator, was happy to be asked.

Attaching a hard dollar figure to the array’s performance presents some difficulties, especially given the financial and technical complexities of the system. The solar array functions through a complicated, slightly befuddling power purchase agreement, which is quickly becoming the norm in most green energy situations. Borrego Solar Systems, the solar panel manufacturer, leases college land, rents out the necessary equipment, and provides initial development funds. Since the array sits behind the main campus meter—if designed to feed directly into college dorms, it would have needed to be placed on the quad—it does not directly reduce the college’s energy consumption. Rather, electricity produced by the solar panels flows straight into the mainline, and WGL Energy retroactively applies credits for this contribution to the college’s utility bill.

Did pitching such a high-tech, eco-conscious system in conservative Allegany County present any difficulties? “Not as much as I expected,” Brian said. “Economically, it sold itself—otherwise it would have been a really hard sell. It made sense strictly from an economic perspective.” Two years later, those initial promises of economic beneficence have held out. During that time period, the solar array has netted approximately $188,000 dollars for the college. (That number represents the difference between payments to the solar company and credits from the utility provider.) Current estimates show that the solar array produces roughly 3 million kilowatt hours of electricity each year, which equates to 45% of the college’s consumption.

Over the course of the 25-year agreement, Houghton hopes to offset 50,000 metric tons of carbon emissions, save $4.3 million, and provide an attainable, affordable model for environmental sustainability to other colleges and communities. But finding ways to communicate productively about that model can be a challenge. “I think that you can’t really appreciate the situation we as a human species are in unless you realize the gravity of environmental issues,” he says. “But if you leave it at that, people feel disempowered.” His job as an environmental advocate, then, walks a delicate line between an honest appraisal of the planet’s health and a hopeful confidence in our ability to recognize and take action against those threats. Rather than drifting too far to one side or the other, Webb tries to tailor his message based to the needs and interests of his audience.

When addressing his international development classes, for example, he focuses heavily on the impact that climate change has on impoverished and underserved populations. While speaking to evangelical Christians, he tries to frame conversations within the language of creation care, environmental stewardship, and the Biblical mandate to care for the earth. This was the strategy and ethic that influenced him to invite Katharine Hayhoe, who spoke from a distinctively Christian perspective about climate change. It also played heavily into his decision to organize the upcoming Republicans and the Climate event, which hosts conservative Rep. Bob Inglis, a prominent advocate for market-based solutions to environmental concerns.

Despite a tumultuous rhetorical climate surrounding environmental issues, Webb remains optimistic about our ability to effect change. As the solar project shows, “It’s not like we don’t have the technology. The only thing lacking is the political will.” To Webb, the economic, middle-of-the-road solution advocated by Inglis—and realized in the solar array—just might be the best answer to our century’s most pressing environmental questions. “It’s the best compromise between the idealistic and the realistic,” he said. And when so much is at stake, striking a compromise might be the most vital thing to do.

Imagine earning college credit while hiking mountains in the Alaskan wilderness, bonding with fellow students around campfires, and seeing animals such as moose, bears, caribou, and eagles. Houghton College launched a new study abroad program this semester, Arctic Studies in Alaska, that makes those experiences a reality. While Professor of Biology James Wolfe has been taking students to Alaska during Mayterm since 1991, this semester marks the first time that Houghton has offered a full semester program in Alaska.

According to Wolfe, who is the primary organizer of the Arctic Studies program, a total of ten students from Houghton and other Christian colleges are enrolled in the program this semester. All students take four core courses: Ecology of Alaska, Human Ecology, Alaskan Missions, and Wilderness Recreation and Management. These courses help students gain “an appreciation for the different Alaskan cultures, for both historic and current missionary efforts to reach natives, as well as for the numerous recreational aspects of being in the wilderness of Alaska,” said Wolfe. He added that students can add independent studies to their core, and this semester students are studying subjects such as Alaskan flora and the relation of observed moose browsing activity to moose density.

The program is based at the former Alaska Bible College campus in Glennallen, Alaska, Wolfe said. Alaska Bible College has moved their campus to a different location, making the campus in Glennallen available to Houghton College. According to TravelAlaska’s website, the southern Alaska town of Glennallen is positioned as an ideal “a jumping-off point to the largest national park in the United States, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve.” The town has “an imposing backdrop” of mountains and is “a great vantage point for viewing the northern lights” in winter, TravelAlaska noted. In fact, students in the program experienced the northern lights early in September. The Houghton College Arctic Studies in Alaska Facebook page described the experience: “At 1:30 am, the sky started to open up and dance, turning green with hints of pinks, yellows, and purples!” In addition to experiences on the Glennallen campus, students have had the opportunity to take field trips to nearby locations, including Fairbanks, Kenai Fjords National Park, Denali National Park, and Wrangell-St. Elias National Park.

At the Glennallen campus, students have access to a large dorm building, classrooms, a chapel space, a library, a gym, and a cafeteria called “The Food Cache.” There are also cottages and apartments on campus, which are rented to local Alaska residents. The campus is adjacent to Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, which gives students ready access to a hands-on learning environment. This semester, Assistant Professor of Recreation Laura Alexeichik is the primary professor for the Arctic Studies program.

Since starting their semester on August 1st, students have had numerous opportunities to interact with their new environment. Gabrielle Brewster ’18, a student in the program, wrote of her experience during a trip to the city of Valdez, “The salmon were running as they returned to their birthplace to spawn…the return of salmon to the region brought with it sea lions, birds, and bears.” She added, “We then went to Tok, where Dr. Wolfe’s cousin generously invited us all over for a dinner of moose burgers, and they were delicious!” Another student, Tyler Cline ’19, said, “This semester is providing me with a radically new outlook on environmental and human interactions…we are able to get up close and personal with all of the things that we are learning in class. In addition to all we are learning, it’s also nice to be able to take a stroll and see the beautiful mountains!”

Wolfe said that programs like Arctic Studies in Alaska are few and far between due to the remoteness of Alaska. “There’s a lot of people talking about the Arctic, but there are very few college programs that are actually based up there,” he said. Learning in Alaska can provide students with a useful and unique perspective, Wolfe suggested, and said that the program gives students “a sense for the enormity of wilderness” and equips them with knowledge of “the types of science that can be done in an [Arctic] environment.” In future years, the program may expand to reach a wider market of students, such as Christian students at non-Christian universities. Wolfe said of the program, “It’s a challenge, but it’s exciting, and I think the students are amazed at what’s up there and how different it is than down here.”

This past summer, two teams of four Houghton students served on Summer Ministry Team, Houghton’s outreach program aimed at middle and high school students. From mid-June to mid-August, the Summer Ministry Teams visited various camps throughout the Northeast, although they also traveled as far as Michigan and Maryland. While their primary goal was to connect with campers and share the message of the Gospel, they often coordinated camp events and represented Houghton College. This involved handing out free T-shirts to campers and speaking with them about their own Houghton experience.

“I did not realize what I was getting myself into,” admits Theresa Patnala ’19, who represented Team Gold. As a native of India who grew up working with children of lower castes, Patnala was eager to participate in a ministry opportunity in the States as well. However, what began as simply a summer job ended as a life-changing experience. Patnala recalls times of spiritual exhaustion as she encountered teens with broken lives.  

Chris Henderson ’19, of Team Purple, shares Patnala’s perspective, confessing that “the hardest thing is hearing about all of the terrible things that the kids have to go through. A lot of campers struggled with their home life, their self-image, and a lot of anxiety and depression.” In addition to the spiritual exhaustion, Andrew Sherman ’19, of Team Gold, adds that the SMT was also physically exhausting because “you’re never alone.” Between traveling on days off and constantly working with the campers, SMT often felt like a “24/7 job.”

Despite the physical, spiritual, and emotional demands of SMT, however, Patnala, Henderson, and Sherman all express deep appreciation for having participated, especially in describing how it helped them to grow. Henderson reflects, “On SMT I feel like God reopened my eyes to His goodness and his power to transform the lives of His people. I saw a lot of things left at the altar this summer, and I had a lot of talks with my campers where they opened up for the first time about something, or they decided not to let their past define them anymore. That was moving for me.” Consequently, these emotional and heartbreaking conversations with campers created “a new reliance on God” in Henderson. All SMT members agree that the spiritual growth far outweighed the constant exhaustion.

Patnala’s growth during SMT involved leaving her comfort zone by sharing her testimony that she had rarely told prior to SMT. In addition, she was anxious that her being a person of color would hinder her from connecting with campers. However, when God “broke down walls,” her “personality just came out” because “sharing your testimony brings so much healing.” Although she realized that “we are not the fixers of the world,” there is great value in crying with and praying over campers in order to comfort them.

Sherman shared that there were many “times where I felt like God was affirming me” because God was “preparing me for leadership” and “spiritual disciplines” such as early morning prayer.  Sherman was very intentional about “doing the things that I’m recommending other people to do,” stressing the importance of practicing what one preaches.  

All three SMT members affirm Houghton College for having given them the opportunity to represent both Jesus Christ and Houghton College. Sherman appreciates that “Houghton has a really good vision for how we can be preparing people to bring Christ into the world,” adding that Houghton’s positive feedback from camp management makes him proud to be a Houghton student.  Henderson agrees, saying, “If anyone ever gets the chance to be a part of it, they should absolutely jump at the chance.”