October 29, 2015
Today, Virginia Wesleyan has the privilege of hosting high
school students from Nansemond Suffolk Academy (NSA). We’ll welcome 28 honors
biology students to campus along with NSA teacher Laura George, who
participated in the NABT/BSCS Biology Teacher Academy held at VWC this past
July.
During their visit, the students will participate in lab
activities, working closely with Professor of Biology Vic Townsend, Batten
Professor of Biology Phil Rock, and Assistant Professor of Biology Eric
Johnson. They will compare three branches of microscopy, studying fruit flies
through the lenses of the College’s scanning electron microscope, a stereo
microscope, and a compound microscope.
Our visitors will also hear research presentations by
Virginia Wesleyan biology students Ashley Byers ’16, Emily Brooks ’16, and
Tatyana Zvonareva ’16, and they will enjoy lunch in Boyd Dining Center with
members of the VWC softball team. It will be a fun, educational, and well-rounded
day for all involved.
This is the second in a series of visits from area high school
students. In September we welcomed biology students from King’s Fork High
School in Suffolk, and next week we will host a group from Green Run High
School in Virginia Beach. Plans are also in motion for additional visits this
spring.
I cannot overstate the value of hosting young students from
our area high schools. Not only is it an absolute pleasure to play a role in
the growth and academic advancement of these brilliant young minds, but it also
presents an opportunity for us, as a college, to showcase our stellar programs,
faculty and facilities.
Many people don’t think of the sciences as being part of a
liberal arts education, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Our
programs and facilities have become a true showcase in recent years. Since
2010, Blocker Hall has received close to $4 million in renovations, among them
the creation of several research labs; updates to Blocker Auditorium; and the
addition of our scanning electron microscope—the result of a $242,502 grant
from the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Other big draws for students interested in the sciences at
VWC are the College’s pre-professional programs, the NSF-funded STEM Scholars
Program, and our proximity to the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean, which
offers invaluable opportunities for undergraduate research. And of course, the
forthcoming Greer Environmental Sciences Center will only further enhance VWC's
growing sciences programs.
I’d like to thank Drs. Townsend, Rock and Johnson, as well
as Dr. Hilve Firek for organizing and implementing these visits. When you see
our young guests on campus, today and in the future, please take a moment to give
them a warm Marlin welcome.
