Purdue Graduation Briefs
Purdue Graduation Briefs
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April 29, 1998
Blind chemistry student moving on to grad schoolWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Thanks to his determination and a professor who went the extra mile, a blind student from Illinois will graduate May 16 from Purdue University with a degree in chemistry, a field strewn with visual roadblocks for those without sight. Cary Supalo, from Bolingbrook, Ill., plans to go on to graduate school and become a college chemistry professor.
There were difficulties, though. "There were very few Braille materials available for my courses," Supalo says. A professor and a graduate student devised a method that allowed a computer word processor to convert scientific and mathematical statements into Braille. Tactile Access to Education for Visually Impaired Students (TAEVIS), a division of the Office of the Dean of Students, was established in January 1998 to expand the work started by the chemistry department. In addition to the text conversions, the office uses computer illustration programs to convert and modify graphics into materials that students with visual impairments can use. Today, more than 2,000 tactile diagrams exist for students with visual impairments, and more are being designed and distributed each semester. Supalo has participated in Purdue's study abroad program, spending a summer in Europe while taking classes at Prince William College, Cambridge University. CONTACTS: Supalo, (765) 495-8295; Sue Wilder, TAEVIS director, (765) 496-2856; sawilder@purdue.edu
16-year-old to graduate from Purdue with honorsWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Christine Maria Neulieb, West Lafayette, will graduate from Purdue at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, May 15, with a bachelor's degree in English and a nearly perfect grade point average -- six days before her 17th birthday.Neulieb went straight to college from junior high school. "It wasn't a shock to enter college full-time, though, because I eased into it," Neulieb says. "During my last two years at Lafayette Central Catholic, I took one college-level class by independent study and then started attending afternoon or evening college classes." Because Neulieb had only one "B" among the "A's" earned in those college classes, Purdue agreed to admit her as a full-time student in the fall of 1996. She had a 3.97 grade point average at the end of the fall semester. While attending Purdue, Neulieb has lived with her parents, Paul and Marie Neulieb. She says her parents never forced her to be the perfect student. "They encouraged me to go for it, but they never pressured me to do more than I was comfortable doing," Neulieb says. Her father, who is the graduate administrator for Purdue's School of Mechanical Engineering, did tell her it was important to go on to graduate school, which she plans to do after taking a year-long break from full-time studying. She also wants to use the next year to choose the right graduate school. With a doctorate, Neulieb plans to teach college English. As for peer pressure, Neulieb says other students initially told her that if she was so smart, the "smart" thing would be to go through high school at the same time as everybody else and have an easy time of it. "As it stands now, my friends do treat me as normal. But they also tease me about being a high school drop-out," Neulieb says. "You see, I never actually received a high school diploma." CONTACT: Neulieb, (765) 497-0670; chris14n@expert.cc.purdue.edu
Voice of Purdue prepares for final commencementWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Roy Johnson, associate registrar, will be speaking the names of Purdue advanced-degree recipients for the final time during commencement ceremonies May 15 and 16 in Elliott Hall of Music.
Weeks before each commencement ceremony, he reviews a list of graduate students who will receive degrees and researches the name pronunciations with help of Purdue's Office of International Students and Scholars and the students themselves. The checking sometimes continues up to the final moments, with Johnson checking names with students in the Armory just before the processional. CONTACT: Johnson, (765) 494-6163; rajohnson@reg.purdue.edu
With help from Purdue, mom to graduate with sonWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Terri Rene found out what depression was when severe carpal tunnel syndrome forced her our of the clerical jobs she had held at Purdue for almost 20 years.To get back into the workplace, Rene, Lafayette , came back to Purdue, but this time as a student. She will receive her bachelor's degree in restaurant, hotel, institutional and tourism management at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, May 15. During the same ceremony, her youngest son, Brett Conrad, will receive his bachelor's degree in technical graphics. She hopes to land a job in food preparation in a senior citizen facility. Her comeback was made possible with the help of Purdue's Adaptive Programs, which provides services to students with disabilities. Because she had difficulty holding a pen, Rene made use of note takers. She was also given assistance with test taking. "And the faculty members were terrific," she says. "They were very understanding and helpful." In addition to note takers, other services provided by Adaptive Programs include readers, textbooks on audio tape, sign language interpreters, real-time reporters and laboratory specialists. Adaptive Programs staff members also facilitate meetings between students and instructors before each semester so both are prepared when classes start. During the last academic year, 627 students were enrolled in Adaptive Programs. CONTACTS: Rene, (765) 477-7955; Paula Micka, assistant dean of students, (765) 494-1245; pjmicka@odos.purdue.edu
New veterinary technology program graduates fourNOTE TO JOURNALISTS: Photos and additional information about the four graduates are available from Roger Lukens, professor of veterinary technology, (765) 494-7619. WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Four new veterinary technologists will soon be pursuing careers as the first graduates with a Purdue bachelor of science degree in veterinary technology. The degree was designed to prepare veterinary technicians for greater responsibility and advancement. Among the opportunities for veterinary technologists are working with pet behavior problems, managing veterinary practices, working in zoos, humane shelters or farms, and teaching or research. Channing Sheets of Evansville, Ind., plans to pursue graduate studies in public health next fall at the University of Toledo. He says his research will look at diseases passed between animals and humans. "The program was versatile enough that each of us could approach the degree from different areas of interest," he says. The other three graduating seniors are Rebecca Leamon Bierman of Lafayette; Susan Cutter of Canaan, Ind.; and Janel M. Knoll of LaPorte, Ind. The four will graduate at 9:30 a.m. Sunday, May 16. CONTACT: Roger Lukens, professor of veterinary technology, (765) 494-7619.
Compiled by J. Michael Willis, (765) 494-0371; e-mail, mike_willis@purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; e-mail, purduenews@purdue.edu
NOTE TO JOURNALISTS: Journalists who want to cover commencement ceremonies May 15-16 in Elliott Hall of Music at the West Lafayette campus will need tickets and should reserve space for camera equipment. Arrangements can be made by calling Roy A. Johnson, associate registrar, at (765) 494-6163, or Mike Willis, Purdue News Service, (765) 494-0371.
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