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Have you ever wondered what ingredients and compounds go into making the lotion that protects your skin from harmful UV rays? Assistant Professor of Organic Chemistry Illirian Dhimitruka has been at UW-Parkside since the Fall of 2021 where he has brought his past studies and research questions to his students to work on in the Natural Products lab. One of his more recent studies has been researching natural products and compounds in sunscreen to replace unnatural chemicals. Professor Dhimitruka works alongside his students in the lab where they record their findings in hopes of publishing a theoretical paper. One breakthrough that Illirian has published is that acids found in the husk of corn contain compounds that can replace synthetic compounds currently used in most sunscreens that many scientists believe have adverse effects on human health. During his time at Parkside, Illirian and his students synthesized 15 compounds that have been tested and proved to absorb UV rays. They then formulated sunscreens and measured UV transmission through 3M tape that mimics human skin. These findings conducted here at Parkside are being presented at numerous UW system universities for further studies and publishing. By extracting the active ingredients from corn bran, Illirian hopes to use this compound to further create more products from natural compounds.

Most students don’t realize that their professors are also doing research and writing of their own in their own time. Assistant professor in the Mathematics and Physics department, Bom Soo Kim, has been working on getting his book published. Dr. Kim describes the process of being published as a very time-consuming process as he finished the book over a year ago, but the past year has been spent revising and proofreading every page of his work. Bom Soo describes Skyrmions and Hall Transport as”... uniting these two findings in an extensive account of skyrmion dynamics using novel analytical tools. ...this book guides readers through frontline, interdisciplinary research that encompasses high-energy physics, condensed matter, and materials science.” Bom Soo has studied around the world, as he has lived in California, Kentucky, Maryland, South Korea, Greece, Israel, and now in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Professor Kim plans for his book to be published on February 1, 2023.

The increasing amounts of forced migrants and asylum seekers has quickly spiked in recent years due to numerous global crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the war on Ukraine. But figuring out the toll that forced migration brings upon a person's mental health is what Assistant Professor in the Psychology department, Jordan Snyder, is trying to find out. Dr. Snyder works alongside current students and faculty to solve issues such as diagnosing mental health problems in asylum seekers, determining the kind of mental health needs forced migrants need, and most importantly training psychology professionals to determine the level of quality health care that must be met in order to properly help those with mental health issues. Jordan wants to solve the questions that surround proper mental health care as there is not much background into the requirements that psychology professionals need in order to be helpful to such refugees. There are many barriers that refugees face when they are forced to relocate. Not only is leaving your home country a scary experience, but the lack of access to quality healthcare, and the language barriers pose major concerns for those seeking asylum from global crises. During the summer of 2022, Jordan and some students dove into the literature that surrounds mental health and forced migrants. The team’s goal is to determine a way to measure the level of skill and capabilities possessed by mental health professionals, and the mental health opportunities that are available for asylum seekers in order to better prepare health providers to give them the capabilities they need to be helpful to such forced migrants and asylum seekers. The team is currently working on qualitative interviews with knowledgeable mental health professionals to come up with a psychological scale that determines the proper knowledge and capabilities needed to serve refugees. Proper training for mental health professionals is just one piece to the puzzle that Jordan and his team is working to solve due to the global issues that are so prominent in our society today that cause harm not only physically but mentally on those who are forced to leave their homes. 

On Tuesday, October 11th, 2022, the College of Natural and Health Sciences hosted the eighth annual Alumni and Community Celebration in the UW-Parkside Student Center Ballroom. The event featured Dr. Jacques Galipeau, MD, from UW-Madison, as he shared personalized cell therapies for immune and malignant disorders. Also, UW-Parkside Physics professor Dr. Pirooz (Paul) Mohazzabi, Ph.D. spoke on "The Career of My Dreams" and his passion for teaching for over 43 years. This event was also offered virtually for attendees who were unable to join the event in person. Thirteen CNHS students were honored by the Dean Dr. Emmanuel Otu as CNHS Scholarship Honorees; Astrid Levesque - Biological Sciences, Bailey Peterson - Applied Health Sciences, Christian Marquez - Physics/Math, Elise Zevitz - Pre-Med/Biological Sciences, Hunter Cheney - Chemistry, Joel Lee - Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Julia Jones - Physics, Logan Sivak - Applied Health Sciences, Michelle Deisz - Applied Health Sciences, Nick Winter - Biological Sciences/Education, Ria Patel - Biological Sciences, Samantha Meyer - Clinical Mental Health Counseling, and Vanessa Reynoso - Applied Health Sciences.

Tyler Molloy is a Parkside Alumni from the Spring Class of 2022 where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Sports Management. Tyler is currently in the Master of Science-Sport Management program at Parkside where he works as a Events and Operations Graduate Assistant for Parkside Athletics. Tyler comes to Parkside from Eagle, Wisconsin where he graduated from Palmyra-Eagle High School. Following his two years of studies at UW-Whitewater, Tyler chose to come to Parkside because of his love for sports and he had heard Parkside had a phenomenal sports management program. Tyler says he chose sports management because it is his passion, and he feels sports are what he knows the most about. You can often find Tyler working in the Sports and Activity Center on campus or if there is a home sporting event, he will be the person you always see at the ticketing window.

“My experience so far working as an events and operations Graduate Assistant has been great.  I’ve been incredibly busy with working numerous events and learning about the behind-the-scenes operations that most sports fans don’t think about. Being a GA has been the most hands-on, practical experience, I have had in the industry by far. I am learning and improving every single day, with the goal of setting myself up for a successful career in sports.”

Geosciences | Stacie E. Albert , Lecturer

Chemistry | Ethan Clements, Lecturer