College of Arts and Sciences Newsletter

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Volume 3, Number 5, May 2015

Aloha to Dr. Jennifer Mulnix

Now that all the commencement ceremonies are over, Professor Jennifer Mulnix will be trading hello for aloha. She will travel to Honolulu, Hawaii to attend an NEH Summer Institute titled Buddhist Asia: Traditions, Transmissions and Transformations. The five week institute brings twenty-five college and university educators together as they engage in Buddhist teachings, practices, and texts. "We are participants, and we each bring our own expertise of Buddhism," Mulnix said. "The aim is for us to take what we learn and contribute to our campuses."

For Mulnix, an Associate Philosophy professor, the Summer Institute aligns nicely with her interests and research. "I gravitate toward Buddhist philosophy," she said. "Buddhist perspectives of happiness make sense with my own experiences." Mulnix's experiences as a philosophy expert will provide depth for the institute as well. She will bring her philosophical lens to the study of Buddhist Asia.

But Mulnix is more concerned with what she can bring back to the UMass Dartmouth campus, especially to her students. She is passionate about Buddhism, and she loves teaching the course. But she wants to do it better. "I love teaching the Buddhism course because it reminds me to practice what I teach," Mulnix said. "But I know I can do it so much better and the Summer Institute will help me do that."

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Kaput Center Gives Girls the Green Light

An important buzzword in higher education is STEM - science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. And within the STEM disciplines, there remains a long-lasting gender disparity. Beste G??ler, the Interim Academic Director for the Kaput Center for Research & Innovation in STEM Education, thinks the gap is due to critical socio-cultural factors. "In my opinion, the research signals that the problem may not necessarily be about the ability of female students and whether they can succeed in STEM fields," G??ler said. "The gender disparity in the STEM fields in the US seems to be connected to dispositional issues that are related to critical socio-cultural factors."

To address the gender gap within STEM areas, the Kaput Center partnered with Greenlight for Girls to host the 5th annual Greenlight for Girls Day SouthCoast at the UMass Dartmouth on April 25, 2015. The event not only connects girls to influential role models, but it also shows them the many ways that STEM areas connect. And this year the girls got a chance to ask questions during a panel discussion. "My rationale behind a panel was to create a platform where we could talk with the girls rather than talking to the girls," G??ler said. "They had many interesting questions during the panel, which gave us important clues about their dispositions and some of the stereotypes they are exposed to regarding what it means to be female in a STEM field."

Although there are other initiatives in Massachusetts that target STEM literacy, it is important that UMass Dartmouth addresses the issue as well. Reaching out to young students is a way to recruit future STEM students to UMass Dartmouth. But even more important is the University's position in the SouthCoast. "UMass Dartmouth possesses a strategic place as an institution which has a research center in STEM Education," G??ler said. "It has many opportunities to target the problem of gender disparity and other educational issues related to underrepresented students."

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An English Alumna's Fast Track to Success

On May 16th, Amanda Butcher accepted her college diploma and put her undergraduate studies behind her. Now, she is focusing on her new job, which starts June 22nd. Her job - Senior Technology Development Program Associate - grew out of an internship with UnitedHealth Group, which runs an innovative program that puts new college grads on a fast track to leadership positions. Butcher is part of that accelerated program, and she couldn't be more excited. "I'll be learning about small business insurance," she said. "And as part of the Technology Development Program, I'll be able to travel and meet people."

As optimistic as she is, Butcher does have some concerns about leaving the UMass Dartmouth community. She is leaving a small college community and joining a worldwide company that has over 80,000 employees. That's a little unnerving. But for Butcher, she worries most about her love of fiction writing. "I'm worried that I will become a workaholic because I'm really passionate about my new job," Butcher said. "I don't want to lose fiction writing because of my full-time job."

Despite her concerns, the English alumna is confident that she has the skills to be a successful technical writer. Her job will focus on being a liaison between software developers and business analysts. In a sense, she will be their translator and help make their work more accessible. "The most important skill I have for this job is knowing how to communicate," Butcher said. "I know my audience, I'm aware that they exist, and I know how to communicate with business analysts and developers."

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