Chadron State students study physics at theme park
Nine Chadron State College students, Associate Professor Dr. Mary Keithly, and adjunct faculty member Kinsley Mason traveled to Universal Studios Florida during midterm break to enhance their scientific understanding.
By News Channel NebraskaCHADRON – Nine Chadron State College students, Associate Professor Dr. Mary Keithly, and adjunct faculty member Kinsley Mason traveled to Universal Studios Florida during midterm break to enhance their scientific understanding. The members of the Physics 152 class included Samuel Aden, Cobie Bila, Jordan Economou, Emily Evans, Carrie Drake, Alexis Kramer, Brady McDaniel, Emma Stewart, and Aubree Quast. The group raised funds for the trip by waiting tables at a local restaurant in advance.
Quast, a pre-Medicine student of Clarks, Nebraska, will graduate in 2025.
“It was a different way to experience physics in real life. I guess I didn't realize how much physics played into the rides. The entire theme park is planned out according to physics. They know exactly how big the rides need to be to get the speeds they want. All the planning that goes into it from structural engineers was amazing. There's a lot of fun career options if you're super into physics,” she said.
Quast enjoyed the group’s trip to the beach because Keithly had just reviewed waves in class.
“There were some pretty big waves. You can see them and feel them. There were transverse and longitudinal waves. You see the wave on top and also feel the water underneath. It's very neat because, as someone who had never been to the beach before, I could actually see how it works,” Quast said.
The students took small sensors on the rides that measured force and heart rate.
“In class, we go over problems like this and you can look at the pictures, but when you're there on the rides, you feel multiple forces because you're held down and back at the same time. I think it was a really good experience. We actually got to see things in action that we've been learning all year, which made a big difference,” Quast said.
The trip to the ocean was a first-time experience for Drake, a geoscience major who will graduate in 2024.
“The day I got to see geology in action was the day at the ocean. Getting to go into the ocean and feeling how the rotation speed of the wave was faster closer to the sand and slower at the surface was fascinating. Experiencing something in person that you’ve learned in a classroom is always the best part of being a science major. I also got to see how they use engineering to attempt to control coastal erosion and maintain the tourist beaches,” Drake said.
Students present at international English convention
CHADRON – Five Chadron State College Students attended the 2023 Sigma Tau Delta International Convention in Denver earlier this spring. Sigma Tau Delta is an international English Honors society that strives to confer distinction for and promote interest in English language and literature that hosts an annual convention where selected student works are presented in panel-style presentations.
Two CSC students presented at the convention. Erin Hayhurst of Scottsbluff, Neb., presented Funeral Songs, a creative nonfiction piece, and Abigail Swanson of Grand Island, Neb., read Another Calls You Beautiful, a collection of poetry. Hannah Pfeifly of Stromsburg, Neb., Rebeka Scheiderer of Hotchkiss, Colo., Vernon Plenty Bull of Allen, S.D., and adviser Dr. Mary Clai Jones also attended the convention.
“The conference gave me an opportunity to find my voice and embrace it to explore different writing methods. I am a Criminal Justice major, but Creative Writing is my chosen minor,” Plenty Bull said.
Along with paper presentations, the conference also included round tables and presentations exploring careers in English.
“Hearing from experienced editors gave me clarity and will help me decide on my career path after graduation,” Scheiderer said.
Students had opportunities to network with peers, share ideas, and explore ways to improve campus involvement in their chapters.
“My favorite part of the trip was getting to meet people with similar interests from all over. I loved being able to represent a smaller community at this large event,” Hayhurst said. “During the panel, the other writers and I received many thoughtful and interesting questions. That really inspired me, seeing people interested in something I'd worked on.”
Pfeifly said the conference had a lot of value for her as a student and looking into the future beyond graduation.
“It was an eye-opener to what I could do career-wise, academically, and creatively,” she said. “I listened to fantastic writers and they encouraged me that I am better than I thought. If I could go again, I 100-percent would.”
All Student Art Show open until April 28
CHADRON – Chadron State College’s annual All-Student Juried Art Show is now open in Memorial Hall’s Main Gallery through April 28. The colorful exhibit includes 50 works by Art majors, Art minors, and non-Art majors enrolled in studio art courses during Fall 2022 and Spring 2023, according to Art Professor Mary Donahue.
Formats include painting, printmaking, drawing, illustration, graphic design, sculpture, ceramics, mixed media, and video.
The following artists received awards: Abigail Tidball for an Untitled linocut; Carissa Hill’s ceramic piece named Painter’s Cupcake Stand; Maya Goss for a mixed media Comic Cover Concept; and Levi O’Dell for a ceramic piece titled Stolen. Honorable mention went to Hill for an acrylic on windmill blades, It’s Not for Everyone, and Angelyze Perez for a mixed media, Relentless.
An overflow show of additional work by CSC art majors, minors, and non-art majors will be in Gallery 232 on the second floor of Memorial Hall until April 28. Hours for both shows are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or by appointment by calling 308-432-6317.