Alex Clune - Cohort 2

AYA Life and Earth Sciences Major

You have some big news... Yes, I got engaged this summer to my girlfriend of more than 5 years. I proposed in June and we're planning a Summer 2015 wedding. She doesn't attend BGSU so we've had to work hard to keep up the relationship.

As a senior looking back, what has been one of your favorite parts of being in the ACTION program? Aside from the academics, I really enjoyed the sense of community my first year living in Offenhauer West residence hall with many of my Cohort 2 peers. It was so nice to live on the same floor in order to stay close and involved throughout the academic year after building a close bond during the summer.

What has been one of the biggest benefits to you as an ACTION scholar?

Tell us about your summer jobs... For two summers, I worked full time for the US Geological Services (USGS) collecting and analyzing water samples at Grand Lake Saint Mary's. More recently, since last spring I have been working directly with Dr. Midden. During the school year, my job has included teaching classroom lessons on water quality in local school districts, and this summer I was a research intern continuing with sampling and testing.

It sounds like you are very busy. What do you do when you have some free time? I definitely don't have much free time, but I like anything competitive such as Ultimate Frisbee and have played some different intramural sports. This summer I played a lot of volleyball and of course spent time with my fiancé. I am also on the core team for Veritas, the Catholic organization on campus. Since I do not consider myself organized or self-disciplined, I decided not to have cable TV this year in my apartment to prevent myself from being distracted during the rigors of Methods. I'm sure I'll soon have even less spare time than I do right now.

Any fun facts you can share with us? In high school I was an excellent swimmer and I still hold 7 out of 11 school records. I don't swim much anymore because I like to swim competitively. If I do get in the pool, I want to race the person in the lane next to me! Another interesting fact is that up until college almost everyone called me "Fred"! It isn't a middle name or anything and I'm not sure how it started, but it stuck. It wasn't until I came to BGSU that people used my real name.

 Molly Conroy - Cohort 4

Middle Childhood Education - Science & Mathematics

How did you end up at BGSU? BGSU was not initially my first choice; in fact, I didn't want to come here when I started looking at colleges. But, after multiple tours, it started to feel more like home. Eventually I was debating between attending BGSU and UT, and ACTION pulled me in to seriously consider BG as an option. And, I love the people here. Everyone is so friendly and sometimes complete strangers say "hi."

Now that you are starting your second year, what has changed from when you first arrived on campus? I am much less dependent on people around me. I used to need validation from others, but now I am more confident in myself. I knew I could succeed in high school, but after maintaining a 4.0 at college the first year, this has enabled me to know that I can do well at this level also and it feels good.

You had an amazing summer. Tell us about your experience.  I went to Germany twice while in high school and came to college with a strong desire to go overseas. A program opened up where I could go abroad during the summer to earn both college credit and volunteer hours so I jumped at the chance. I was placed in Japan and lived in the barracks on base teaching aquatics and facilitating/planning other educational programs for kids during the day. I was so busy I didn't have much time to be homesick, but it was hard having little technology use and very little contact with family and friends in the States. Outside of camp, I was able to be a tourist and travel to different spots. My family had an exchange student from Japan when I was younger, so we met up and he was able to show me things most Americans don't get to see. I loved it and definitely want to go back, but I would also like to experience a different culture if possible.

How did you know that you wanted to be a teacher?  I've always wanted to be a teacher and certain things throughout my life validated this desire. I did some tutoring in high school and had a great experience. When the light bulb came on for the students I was helping, I wanted that to continue. Then, when I did the field experience for Intro to Education at BGSU in the Toledo Public School District, I really connected with some of the students and saw how I could make a difference as a teacher.

You just started a new job at Kenwood Elementary School in Bowling Green...Yes, I work for the STARS after school program from 3:00-6:00pm Monday through Friday. I help the kids with homework and keep them occupied as they participate in Challenge Centers and enjoy free time. I've already faced some new situations and I know this job will provide some excellent experience for me as a future teacher.

You have traveled the world on numerous occasions. Is there any experience that stands out?  Many are unforgettable, but one of my favorites was eating crepes under the Eiffel Tower!

Any advice to pass along? Take risks and put yourself out there. Because I have stepped out of my comfort zone, I've had the opportunity to do amazing things. 

What do you get when you combine a dynamic faculty member with four talented ACTION students? One result is J2N3 (stands for Jodi, Jess, Nick, Nicole, and Nikki). This is the name Dr. Haney's research group gave themselves as their freshman group focused on GLOBE research last year.

Not content just to share their research information at the Choose Ohio First Research Symposium last spring, the group attended the 17th Annual GLOBE Partner Meeting held on the outskirts of Washington, DC from August 10-16, 2013.

The theme of this year's meeting "From Space to Place: From Eyes on Earth to Hands on GLOBE" drew 269 participants from 26 countries and 27 U.S. states. Participants took part in a welcome reception, information and networking sessions, poster presentations, and field studies. Members of the GLOBE community presented posters and exhibited materials highlighting their local GLOBE activities. Their presentations, posters, and activities helped to inform the community of successful GLOBE implementation around the world.

What an amazing experience for these future teachers from Cohort 4 who are just starting their sophomore year to attend the conference with their ACTION freshman research advisor, Dr. Jodi Haney. This is what the students had to say...

Nick:  Many scientists from GLOBE and NASA took a great interest in our work, especially with how we wanted to make GLOBE more technologically friendly with iPhones. Besides our presentations, we participated in GLOBE training sessions with scientists, teachers, and students from all over the world, working together to learn the training protocols. One of the keynote speakers from NASA talked about the process to build and launch a satellite into space, which was really cool and we each got to build our own mini satellite out of Legos. When we weren't at the conference, we had the chance to explore the sights of Washington, DC. My only regret would be that we couldn't stay longer!

Nicole:  The trip to DC was awesome! Because the GLOBE program is international, we met people from all over the world such as Nigeria, Croatia, Thailand, Oman, and even as close as Akron, Ohio! I learned about the culture in other countries without leaving America. As participants who are pre-service teachers as well as students, it gave us a unique perspective on the experience as we learned all sorts of information that we can use down the road (as well as a lot of free materials). I cannot wait to use GLOBE in my future classroom!

Nikki:  During one of our training sessions we were put into groups and worked with people to explore the GLOBE protocols and develop a sense of how this could relate to our own individual land covers. On the very last day we were finally able to give our presentation to the globe community, NASA scientists, and others. It was an amazing learning experience and we had a blast making so many international connections.

The past few years, the Ohio Board of Regents has hosted several Choose Ohio First Showcase Events. On May 15, 2013, Dr. Brahier and Wendy met Lauren Barr (Cohort 2) and Sarah High (Cohort 3) at Columbus State Community College for the most recent Showcase event to highlight the accomplishments of COF scholars across the state. Both students had the opportunity to discuss their freshman research projects and rub shoulders with various administrators and student participants from numerous institutions.

In attendance were Ohio Board of Regents Chancellor John Carey. Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, Columbus State Community College President Dr. David Harrison, and hundreds of Choose Ohio First award recipients.

Hopefully you already have Saturday, September 21 on your calendar to attend BGSU's Family Weekend. Make sure to stop by our tailgate tent starting at 1:00pm prior to the BGSU football game to grab some lunch and interact with other ACTION scholars and families.

STEM in the Park has become an annual event for the entire Northwest Ohio community and each year it keeps getting better. Hosted on Saturday, September 7 from 10:00am-2:00pm at the Perry Field House, children of all ages will have the opportunity to engage in hands-on science, technology, engineering, and math activities. ACTION will again be hosting two activity stations with Megan Kemerley coordinating a science project and Maggie Dowe facilitating a math activity.  It will be fun for all! More information can be found here.

Spaghetti Dinner: September 3 at 6:00pm

STEM in the Park:  September 7 from 10:00am-2:00pm

Tailgate Party:  September 21 at 1:00pm