Letter from The Dean

Patrick Nelson, PhD
Interim Dean
College of Arts and Sciences

Thank you for joining us for the third edition of Foundations , the e-magazine of the College of Arts and Sciences (CoAS)! So much has happened since last year’s edition. So much to be proud of.

First, I’m grateful to have been tapped as Interim Dean for this amazing College at LTU. My colleagues are stellar scientists, communicators, and human beings who are earnest in their pursuit of knowledge and dedicated to their students and their futures. And every day, our staff provides immeasurable support to the faculty and students as we live out our mission of educating future leaders, the bright minds of our students. Our work is indeed foundational.

LTU places laser focus on research as a means to teach as well as to contribute to the betterment of society. We believe that participating in real-life research enhances our students’ knowledge and understanding of the subject matter. As a technological university, of course, our focus is STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). We’ve recently created the STEM Education initiative as our commitment to our students, our professors, high school and community college teachers, and our community. Dr. Sibrina Collins tells you of the positive impact it’s already having.

In this edition, you’ll also learn of the important mathematical modeling of the COVID variants conducted by Drs. Mathew Johnston and Bruce Pell and their students. Physicists Drs. Bhujyo Bhattacharya and George Moscelli are studying the forces of light and gravity to further probe the origins of our universe. Dr. Wisam Bukaita reports on the growth of data science as a discipline and as a viable career choice for LTU students. José González-Belmonte introduces you to one of the most popular programs offered in CoAS: Game Software Development. You’ll meet our newest faculty members, cognitive psychologist Dr. Corey Bohil, and robotics and AI expert Dr. Eric Martinson. Dr. Yelena Vaynberg heads our actuarial science program. This degree is tailored to LTU’s strength in theory and practice, combining mathematics, statistics, programming, economics, and finance theory to provide students with a truly interdisciplinary experience. Unique to our program is that students will prepare and take the first two actuary tests, P exam and FM exam, providing them with a huge advantage with companies.

My great desire, after reading these exciting stories, is that you would consider engaging with our College. Whether you’re an alumnus, a parent or grandparent of one of our students, a representative of a company or organization that’s employed one of our graduates, we need your support, both moral and financial. Many of our students can only come to college with financial help. When you read the story about Elizabeth Coon, a Media Communication student, you’ll feel the impact a scholarship has had on her life. You can donate a scholarship in your own name, the name of your corporate or family foundation, or make a general contribution on our secure website. A bright future could depend on it! 

Thank you for reading Foundations . I’d welcome your feedback at scidean@ltu.edu .

Sincerely,

Patrick Nelson, PhD
Interim Dean
College of Arts and Sciences