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CNHS NEWSLETTER

(Image above) On September 14 the Fall 2022 nursing cohort at UW-Parkside had their White Coat Ceremony. The White Coat Ceremony welcomes students to the practice of healthcare as they begin their journey to be a nurse and commitment to the field of healthcare.

NATURAL PRODUCTS IN SUNSCREEN | Dr. Illirian Dhimitruka

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.

SKYRMIONS AND HALL TRANSPORT | Dr. Bom Soo Kim

Bom Soo Kim Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Mathematics And Physics Department

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.

MENTAL HEALTH AND REFUGEES | Jordan Snyder Psy.D.

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. 

PARKSIDE SPORTS SALES TEAM RANKED #22 IN THE NATION

Kyle Brannigan Ph.D

Leading the way for the Parkside Sports Sales team is an Assistant Professor of sport management, Kyle Brannigan Ph.D. Dr. Brannigan came to Parkside in the Fall of 2021 following his graduation from the University of Northern Colorado. Kyle specializes in sales, marketing, and revenue generation while he has worked in numerous professional and amateur athletic organizations. He continues to help his students break into the sports industry and is currently leading just two students into the National Sports Sales Competition; most schools have four competitors. The two competitors representing Parkside and the state of Wisconsin at the national championship are Ronald Doane and Tristan Kaufmann. Doane has been individually ranked #39 in the nation in ticket sales. Meanwhile, Kaufmann has been ranked #49 in ticket sales. Following the qualifying rounds in November 2022, the Rangers were ranked the 22nd best team in the country; the only school from Wisconsin to crack the top-25 rankings. The National Sports Sales Championship matches will be held in Atlanta, Georgia, in front of numerous professional sports organizations looking to hire young graduating students eager to improve the ticket sales strategies on the professional level. During the 2021 championship, Kyle's team upset the highly ranked Texas Tech University. Dr. Brannigan notes this kind of performance is also a great marketing tool for the school as many people know who Texas Tech is but may not have known where Parkside was until this championship. 

SUMMER RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS

RESEARCH FELLOWS

Rachel Hall

Hunter Cheney

Kaylie Garcia

Trever Schneider

Thomas Asher

Elize Zevitz

Alyssa McBain

FACULTY MENTORS

Dr. Jordan Snyder

Dr. Bom Soo Kim

Dr. Qinghua Luo

Dr. Illirian Dhimitruka


Other Faculty Mentors

Dr. Christopher Noto

Dr. Hom Kandel

GET TO KNOW | ERIN GRAHAM Ph.D.

Erin Graham Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Psychology Department

Erin Graham began teaching at UW-Parkside in the Fall of 2022 where she joined the psychology department. Graham earned her undergraduate degree in Michigan and pursued a Ph.D. in psychology and a minor in statistics at Kent State University in Ohio. After a year of teaching cognitive psychology in Minnesota, Erin became a faculty member at Parkside. The diverse student population and her desire to teach non-traditional students were key factors in her decision. Lastly, Graham is encouraged by the pedagogical missions and goals of the psychology department. 

CNHS 8TH ANNUAL ALUMNI AND COMMUNITY CELEBRATION

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.

EVENT RECAP

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: TYLER MOLLOY

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.”

NEW FACULTY

Geosciences | Stacie E. Albert , Lecturer

Chemistry | Ethan Clements, Lecturer

Garrison Komaniecki Ph.D

Assistant Professor

Chemistry Department

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