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Bowling Green State University / College of Arts and Sciences / News and Events
Nate-Locke-PreProfessional-awards

When Nate Locke first stepped on campus he immediately felt at home despite the snow and freezing temperatures at that time.   He spent his day speaking with students, faculty, and staff members in the athletic department, and learning more about the psychology department. By the end of his visit, he knew BGSU was not only a place he could call home, but a place that would help him succeed.  

He began his career as a Falcon with a full ride football scholarship and his successes only continued to grow from there. He earned Dean’s List recognitions every semester as a student, Academic All MAC Honors, Distinguished Scholar Athlete Award, and the Commissioner’s Award every year from 2014-2017. In 2017, he was also recognized as an Allstate AFCA Good Works Team Nominee, Campbell Trophy Semifinalist, Wuerffel Trophy Nominee, and Academic All District. His unrelenting motivation carried him through graduation, where he earned the President’s Award and Top Ten Senior Award, as well as graduating Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Psychology.  

He will start medical school at the University of Toledo in the fall, but, he didn’t always know that he wanted to become a doctor. He started as an exercise science major and then changed concentrations several times before ultimately realizing that he wanted to practice medicine. Between his natural interests in the sciences and experiences with the health of those closest to him, Nate found the pre-medicine track.  

In Nate’s words, “It took me a few years to discover my gifts and that eventually lead me to pursue medicine.” Specifically, Locke is interested in psychiatry. “Since high school, I have loved learning about psychology and the mind. I find the brain so interesting in its complexity. Also, I have family members close to me who have unfortunately suffered with health conditions. More specifically mental health issues. So, this field is very close to home for me because my family has actually dealt a lot with psychiatrists and other mental health professionals. Those experiences drive me forward to one day help others in the same way my family has been helped.”

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FACULTY PARTNER WITH KENYAN COLLEAGUES TO SHARE KNOWLEDGE OF HARMFUL ALGAL BLOOMS

The bright green water in the bay was all too familiar to the visiting scientists from Bowling Green State University. It indicated a harmful algal bloom (HAB). But, instead of Ohio’s Lake Erie or Sandusky Bay, this bloom was in Kisumu Bay in Kenya’s Lake Victoria. As scientists have discovered, toxic algae know no national or geographic boundaries and can cause problems wherever conditions are favorable.

Aboard the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) research vessel in April were BGSU biologists Drs. George Bullerjahn, Timothy Davis, Michael McKay and Jeffrey Miner, along with Dr. Kefa Otiso, an urban geographer in BGSU’s School of Earth, Environment and Society who is originally from Kenya and previously conducted urban environmental research in Lake Victoria’s catchment basin. Working alongside researchers from KMFRI and nearby Kisii University, Bullerjahn, Davis, and McKay collected water samples from the lake and some of its feeder rivers while Miner caught a number of fish including the invasive Nile perch for further study. 

The BGSU researchers were in Kenya this spring for a special joint symposium on water quality at Kisii University in southwest Kenya, a collaboration facilitated by Otiso. Titled “Bridging the Gap: Current State of the Science and Future Research Opportunities between the North American and African Great Lakes,” the symposium allowed researchers from BGSU, Kisii University, Egerton University and KMFRI to discuss harmful algal blooms and the challenges facing sustainable tourism development around Lake Victoria.

Kisii Vice Chancellor John Akama, whose scholarly interests are in sustainable and cultural tourism, also participated.

“All five of us presented our work at the symposium, along with colleagues from Kisii and KMFRI,” McKay said.

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Outstanding Service Award

Outstanding Service Award

JODI SCHROEDER MASTERFULLY DIRECTS THEATRE AND FILM OPERATIONS “You must do the things you think you cannot do.” This quote from Eleanor Roosevelt has inspired Jodi Schroeder to strive to grow, learn and improve the environment around her. By all accounts, she succeeds abundantly. 

Schroeder, administrative assistant in the Department of Theatre and Film, was selected as this year’s winner of the Classified Staff Council Outstanding Service Award. It was presented to her at the annual CSC spring reception, along with a $1,000 check and a plaque bearing her name, to be permanently displayed on the second floor of the Bowen-Thompson Student Union.

Theatre and Film is a “complex creature,” wrote department chair Dr. Lesa Lockford, and Schroeder handles the department’s operations with both attention to detail and goodwill.
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Classified Staff Team Award

Classified Staff Team Award

SMITH, DE LA CRUZ ARE WORLD-CLASS TEAM BUILDERS Change is hard. And when it comes to academic departments, each with its own culture and practices, it can be especially challenging. So when the decision was made to merge the German, Russian and East Asian languages department with the romance and classical studies department to form the new Department of World Languages and Cultures, everyone knew it would be a demanding process. 

Luckily for the endeavor, administrative assistant Amy Smith and senior secretary Rachel De La Cruz were more than up to the job. In recognition of their essential contributions to making the merger a success, as well as their ongoing exemplary service, the team won the 2018 Classified Staff Team Award. Smith and De La Cruz received enthusiastic nominations from faculty, administrators and graduate students. They were honored at the annual Classified Staff Council spring reception May 16. The two will share a $1,500 award and their names will be displayed on a commemorative plaque in the Bowen-Thompson Student Union. Read More

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FACULTY EXCELLENCE AWARDS HONOR 22 OUTSTANDING EDUCATORS

Colleagues and friends gathered April 9 to celebrate the University’s most accomplished faculty and staff at the annual Faculty Excellence Awards. President Rodney Rogers, Board of Trustees Chair Megan Newlove and Dr. John Fischer, interim provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, congratulated the honorees on their achievements in research, teaching, mentoring, advising, service, creative arts and collaborative work. Among those from the College of Arts and Sciences include:

  • Akiko Jones, senior lecturer in World Languages and Cultures and director of Asian Studies, named the 2018 Master Teacher. Presented this year by Student Alumni Ambassadors representative Rachel Eichenauer, the award honors a faculty member who demonstrates a commitment to student learning and growth within the classroom. For Jones, that commitment extends far beyond the classroom walls. READ MORE
  • Dr. Moira van Staaden, professor of biological sciences, granted a professorship of research excellence. A top scholar in her field of neuroethology, she has also become known as an internationally recognized expert in STEM education, dedicated to encouraging and increasing study in the STEM disciplines and to developing and sharing research-based instructional practices. READ MORE
  • Janet Ballweg, professor and head of the printmaking area in the School of Art, granted a Professorship of Creative Arts Excellence. “Through her innovative studio practice and her dedication to sharing it with students and colleagues, Janet has made herself central to conversations reassessing the nature and future direction of her discipline,” said nominator Charlie Kanwischer, director of the School of Art. READ MORE
  • Dr. Neal Jesse, professor of political science, granted a Professorship of Teaching Excellence. In his 18 years at BGSU, Jesse has taught an expansive variety of classes and designed curriculum and courses in not only political science but also international programs, Honors and even fire administration, bringing to each his zest for the subject matter and the most effective teaching methods. READ MORE
  • Dr. Susan Brown, chair of the sociology department and professor of research excellence, named Distinguished Research Professor. Recognized as one of the top and most visible family sociologists and demographers in the country, Brown has helped create a new subfield of sociology. READ MORE
  • Dr. James Albert, a professor of mathematics and statistics, named Distinguished University Professor. An internationally known expert on Bayesian statistics, Albert has combined his passion for both statistics and baseball by creating a new field that studies the statistics of sports. This has heightened interest and increased quantitative literacy through his application of statistics to baseball. READ MORE
  • Dr. Alexis Ostrowski, an assistant professor of chemistry, received the Outstanding Early Career Award in recognition of her exceptional level of scholarly achievement and well-funded research program in chemistry and the Center for Photochemical Sciences. READ MORE
  • Dr. Melissa Miller, a professor of political science and the 2016 Master Teacher, was honored by Faculty Senate with its 2018 Community Involvement Award. Miller has continually proven herself dedicated to sharing her extensive knowledge about politics and state and national issues. READ MORE
  • Dr. Anne Gordon, an associate professor of psychology, received the Distinguished Service Recognition Award for her series of quality contributions to the University. READ MORE
  • Dr. Lee Nickoson, director of General Studies Writing, received the Faculty Mentor Recognition Award for her effective communication with faculty and her modeling of strongly inclusive pedagogy. READ MORE
  • Dr. John Laird received the Faculty Senate Leadership as a Chair/School Director Recognition Award. As a professor in the University’s physics and astronomy department, and as chair for four, four-year terms, he has supported the needs and goals of both BGSU students and regional high school students for more than 30 years. READ MORE
  • The Department of Psychology was presented the 2018 Faculty Senate Unit Recognition Award for its demonstrated record of excellence that stems in part from its culture of individual faculty development and collective problem-solving. READ MORE

2018 News Stories

2017 News Stories

Fall 2018-ASW