7/2/2021

Dr. Vanden Eykel visited Rome for research in 2019.

Associate Professor of Religion Eric Vanden Eykel has been appointed the Forrest S. Williams Teaching Chair in Humanities at Ferrum College. This endowed teaching chair designation is given to a tenured faculty member who has demonstrated excellence in teaching and scholarly work, and who is committed to scholarly research within the Humanities.

“I was thrilled to receive news of this appointment, and it’s a real honor to be recognized in this way for my scholarship and teaching,” said Vanden Eykel. His appointment letter describes him as generous and supportive of Ferrum College students and his colleagues.

The Williams Teaching Chair is a two-year appointment with the possibility of extension for another one- or two-year term. While serving, Vanden Eykel will conduct research to support two book projects, one which he is authoring himself about the Magi in the Gospel of Matthew, and another that he is co-editing with a colleague from Wingate University, Dr. Christy Cobb, which encompasses a collection of essays on sexual violence in early Christian literature. His research will also include travel during his upcoming 2022 spring sabbatical, but those details are not final yet.

“I’m hoping to take a few trips and explore opportunities for integrating travel components into some of my courses at Ferrum,” he explained.

“Dr. Vanden Eykel is one of our dynamic and engaging faculty members, and his nomination for the Williams Teaching Chair highlights his accomplishments and brings honor to Ferrum College,” said Dean of Arts & Sciences and Professor of Chemistry & Physics Jason Powell, who nominated Vanden Eykel for the position. “He was recently named a general editor for the Journal for Interdisciplinary Biblical Studies (JIBS), and I am particularly excited about the book he is writing about the Magi described in the book of Matthew. Look for him to lead an upcoming trip to Rome for members of the Ferrum College community, as well!”

Learn more about Vanden Eykel’s editing position for JIBS.

Learn more about Ferrum College’s Religious Studies program.

4/26/2021

Brooke Turner ’21 poses with research snails.

Ferrum College senior, STEM scholar, and Franklin County native Brooke Turner has been named an Appalachian College Association (ACA) Ledford scholar for 2021. Turner received a $1,000 stipend to fund her undergraduate research project, titled “Using Approach-Avoidance to Study Addictive Behavior in Snails.”

Turner will use the scholarship money to study the addictive behavior of pond snails by injecting the snail’s food with nicotine. “In psychology, approach-avoidance is known as a conflict because the goal is both appealing and unappealing,” she explained. “I will use approach-avoidance to observe if the snails approach or avoid the nicotine. By observing the behavior of the snails, I will be studying the addictive effects of nicotine.”

In September 2021, Turner will submit her research findings and a video recording of her final project presentation which will be posted on the ACA website.

Turner has been working with Dean of Arts and Sciences and Professor of Chemistry and Physics Jason Powell on this project for over a year. “The pandemic delayed her work, but the Ledford award she received from the Appalachian College Association will mean that she is able to continue her work into the summer,” said Powell. “I am honored to have been able to help shape her research question as she pursues this independent research project.”

“I hope to finish my research over the summer and publish my findings in an undergraduate research journal,” said Turner.

Turner will graduate a semester early, in December 2021, when she will earn a Bachelor of Science in pre-professional health sciences with an emphasis in pre-medicine. She is triple-minoring in biology, chemistry, and psychology.

According to the ACA website, “the Ledford Scholarship, named for Colonel Lee B. Ledford, offers financial assistance for summer research projects to undergraduate students enrolled at ACA member institutions. Undergraduate students from all disciplines, applying various methodologies, are eligible.”

(July 9, 2020) The Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission has awarded Ferrum College $40,000 over the course of one year to help fund a cybersecurity Internet of Things (IoT) lab project for the College’s Computer Information Systems program.

“Our computer technology and information systems program has always trained students in software interfacing, network security, and hardware troubleshooting, explained Dean of Arts and Sciences, and Professor of Chemistry and Physics, Jason Powell. “By upgrading our computer hardware laboratory to the IoT Laboratory with the help of a $40,000 grant from the TRRC, Ferrum College will be able to expand training opportunities to include certificate programs and courses in human interfaces with emerging technologies in systems of interconnected devices.”

“The IoT are devices – most likely sensors, like security or smart home systems, smart cars, thermostats, even vending machines – that collect and exchange data without human-to-computer or human-to-human interaction. That data is then fed to machine-learning algorithms which convert it into knowledge to support decision-maker systems,” explained Assistant Professor of Computer Information Systems Omar Darwish.

The IoT lab project will focus on designing, programming, and debugging sensors, robots, and embedded systems that can operate and interact with humans in unstructured environments.

How does this happen? “Students will learn how to attach different types of sensors to drones and rovers to explore unreachable areas,” said Darwish, who will facilitate the program’s lab work, under the direction of  Dean of Arts and Sciences and Professor of Chemistry and Physics Jason Powell. “Sensors will gather data and send them to specialized processing units that have models which are built using machine learning algorithms. Finally, the model makes a decision to do specific action.”

The program is aimed toward computer science students, but students in fields such as physics or chemistry may also want to participate. If necessary, the theoretical portion of the course can be administered online; however, the practical portion must involve classroom or lab study.

“As our world becomes more and more connected the need for experts in computer technology and cybersecurity will only increase. It’s important that we take advantage of the opportunities this growing field can bring to Southern and Southwest Virginia and this program helps ensure that we are able to do so,” said Tobacco Commission Chairman Delegate Terry Kilgore. 

“We are thrilled to receive such a generous grant from the Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission,” said Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Aimé Sposato. “With technology continuously progressing, this program is a must for Ferrum College’s Computer Technology and Information Systems students. We look forward to working with the Tobacco Commission to do our part in advancing cybersecurity.”

Learn more about Ferrum College’s Computer Technology and Information Systems program here.

Learn more about the Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission and its work here.