Faculty Development Grantees 2009-10

Project Summaries 2009-2010

Adam Barry, Assistant Professor in Health and Kinesiology

Cordelia M. Brown, Assistant Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Engineering Education

Dr. Cordelia M. Brown is engaging undergraduate Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) students in designing and developing small scale ECE related projects that help the community. These projects are intended to be introduced in junior high school math and science classes. Lafayette’s Tecumseh Junior High School will serve as the community partner for this project. The ECE undergraduate students will engage the junior high students in construction and demonstrations of the projects to the community. The goals of the project are to: (1) engage ECE undergraduate students in designing and developing small scale ECE related projects that help the community; (2) engage and increase the level of awareness of junior high school students of ECE related projects that help the community; and (3) implement the ECE related projects in the community.  This project will potentially impact over 200 students.

G. Jonathon Day, Professor in Hospitality and Tourism Management

Professor Day teaches two Service-Learning courses in partnership with The Destination and Travel Foundation. The Foundation has identified social responsibility and sustainability as two key areas of focus in information transfer between the organization and its members. In an Introduction to Tourism, students will conduct a research project surrounding the current trends in sustainability as they relate to tourism and travel. Students will investigate sustainability trends in the hotel and lodging sector; the travel distribution network; and with consumers. At the end of the semester, students will report their findings and best management practices to The Destination and Travel Foundation. In an Introduction to Management and Organization Behavior, students will conduct a research project surrounding the importance of diversity and cultural awareness in the tourism industry. Students will investigate diversity and cultural awareness trends in the hotel and lodging sector. At the end of the semester, students will report their findings and best management practices to The Destination and Travel Foundation. Link: Diversity and Tourism Hospitality Report Fall 2010

Jane Krause, Clinical Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice

Prof. Krause’s Drug Abuse/Addiction Education course furthers the education of 32 Doctor of Pharmacy students by increasing his/her communication abilities and drug abuse/addiction knowledge, and allowing students to deliver that knowledge as community outreach.  During this course, students will be working with the following community partners: Otterbein Elementary School, Payless/Kroger Pharmacies, and Wabash Valley Hospital Outpatient Services. At Otterbein Elementary School, students will apply the course knowledge by presenting a five-hour drug abuse/addiction educational program to sixth grade classes (40 students).   Students will also develop, coordinate, and implement a four hour "Drug Abuse and Awareness Health Fair" at two Payless/Kroger Pharmacies in the Lafayette Community. Finally, two students will have the opportunity to develop, coordinate, and implement drug abuse prevention presentations and activities for elementary-school-aged children and youth attending Camp Building Character.  This is a four-week day camp held in June that is coordinated by the Wabash Valley Hospital Outpatient Services for its patients in Benton County.

Lynetta Freeman, Associate Professor of Small Animal Surgery

Dr. Freeman, in partnership with the Almost Home Humane Society, is leading an effort to offer senior veterinary students a Service-Learning opportunity during their rotation in anesthesia and small animal general surgery.    Through generous local donations and a contribution from MERIAL, a surgical suite was established at the AHHS so that animals can undergo neutering procedures prior to being adopted.  Senior veterinary students, under faculty supervision, travel to the AHHS and perform surgical procedures under general anesthesia.  In 2009, over 200 animals underwent surgery with successful recovery and adoption.  The students gain experience with performing routine surgical procedures and an awareness and appreciation for the needs of their community’s local animal shelter.  The AHHS is served by having these procedures performed in house.  It is less costly and less stressful for the animals.  The neutered animals are then available to find their "forever homes" much more quickly, creating capacity for the AHHS to serve other animals.

Mathias J. Sutton, Associate Professor of Industrial Technology

Dr. Sutton and a colleague are leading a group of 60 College of Technology undergraduates to help an Indianapolis-based soil analysis firm improve their soil testing cycle time. The students will analyze a recently improved in-checking process that uses bar code technology, design an experiment of proposed improvements, collect and analyze the data, then formulate recommendations. The activity is expected to improve the overall cycle time so that approximately 4,300 growers, farming 860,000+ acres across Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio, can minimize fertilizer costs while maximizing crop yields. Students will gain valuable experience analyzing and improving production capabilities by way of a very practical exercise. In doing so, they will help local growers minimize their production costs and optimize soil amendments.

Paul Ebner, Assistant Professor of Animal Sciences

Dr. Ebner, in partnership with Heifer International, is leading a group of 20 Purdue University College of Agriculture undergraduates on a three-week Service-Learning course in Romania.  In the first part of the course, participants will work closely with 65 local dairy and beef producers to jointly design and implement programs aimed at improving animal health, nutrition, production efficiency and environmental stewardship.  In the second part of the course, the students will design and construct a manure handling system for a livestock facility that provides therapy and food for an institution serving 200 children and adults with various disabilities.  It is expected that the course will allow the students to enhance their education and training through practical application, and, at the same time, improve the economic stability and sustainability of the various livestock programs.

Sandra Sydnor-Bousso, Assistant Professor in Hospitality and Tourism Management

Dr. Sydnor-Bousso uses a Service-Learning approach in both a sophomore and senior level course in the Hospitality and Tourism Management department; between the two courses, 10 agencies and/or businesses are engaging 75 Purdue University students during the Spring, 2010 semester. The sophomore level course, Introduction to Marketing, facilitates the learning of marketing by approaching the course from a Service-Learning perspective; the senior level course, Feasibility Planning, has students develop a feasibility plan for a new or re-envisioned business using a Service-Learning approach.  Student teams are matched with an inventory of not-for-profit and other businesses to engage, producing a marketing or feasibility plan as the primary evidence of course objectives and client fulfillment.  In the process, working with the community, students simultaneously learn and teach, applying class fundamentals to assist businesses and agencies that otherwise would not have a plan.  Particularly meaningful for students and the clients they serve, is the opportunity to help not-for-profit agencies craft communication designed to reach traditionally difficult to get to groups with messages of assistance.  Conservatively, in excess of 5,000 people over this calendar year have the potential to be impacted in very meaningful ways as a result of student teams’ participation and contribution to these agencies and businesses.  In the feasibility analysis course, struggling businesses are assisted and entrepreneurial ventures can be assessed regarding their future viability. Students learn cooperation, negotiation, and communication skills that extend beyond the classroom, giving way to life-long learning and the gratification of seeing the counsel they provide help and improve the communities in which they reside.

Satish Boregowda, Continuing Lecturer in Management

Dr. Boregowda teaches a senior-level undergraduate elective course titled Marketing Planning and Research (MGMT 425). As part of the course requirement, students will conduct a marketing research project to examine the market potential for sustainable and/or green business development in the greater Lafayette area. Students will design a marketing study to identify in particular, market potential for locally produced high quality metal products, handicrafts, organic food, and related products and services. They will work closely with local authorities, entrepreneurs, artisans, and farmers to model the local business network. The motto of the project is to be “Local First Global Next” – it is the integration of local networks that lead to global networks. They will design a scientific study that will involve collection of secondary data (from private and government sources) followed by collection of primary data via pilot online surveys and/or focus groups. The sample size is expected to be small due to time constraints. Depending on the nature of the data collected, they will conduct appropriate statistical analysis and present final reports. This study is expected to provide an avenue for management students to think like entrepreneurs, while keeping in mind the needs of the local communities and the environment.