What does engagement look like when is extends across the categories of engaged teaching, research, and service?



Dr. Hazel Barton (Biological Sciences)
Dr. Hazel Barton (Biological Sciences) partnered with the Cincinnati Museum Center, the Brighton Center, and a group of NKU students to conduct a three day camp, 'Amazing Caves: The Science of Exploration' (ACSE), for local "at risk" middle school students. The Brighton Center assisted in identifying a number of students with an interest in science to participate in the camp. The camp was held at the Cincinnati Museum Center in their artificial cave exhibit. It introduced the middle school students to topics related to caves through the excitement and practice of cave exploration. The students took on the role of an "exploration scientist" and were introduced to a variety of topics in order for them to explore a cave. The NKU undergraduate students participated by assisting Dr. Barton in teaching the middle school students broad topics such as chemistry, trigonometry, and surveying. This camp was supported by CINSAM and is described in their 2004-5 Annual Report.

Dr. Perilou Goddard (Psychology)

Dr. Perilou Goddard received a University-Community Partnership Grant to work on a project, "Updating Community Education Programs about Mental Disorders." This two-year project allowed Dr. Goddard and four psychology majors to work with the Mental Health Association (MHA) of Northern Kentucky to update four community education programs designed to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness. The original programs had been developed in the mid-1990s with grant funding from the National Institute of Mental Health. However, they had become outdated.

The NKU students worked with Dr. Goddard and Jill King from the MHA to (1) identify valid sources of new information for programs on anxiety disorders, mood disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder; (2) update the programs themselves, putting them in PowerPoint format and improving the content; and (3) present the programs to a test audience of community members. The students also presented their work at the Celebration of Student Research and Creativity; in addition, the second year's cohort presented their work at the annual meeting of the Midwestern Psychological Association. Students gained experience in working with a community agency and in presenting information to a community audience. The MHA can now use the updated programs for community presentations, and the information sources identified by the students can be used by the MHA staff to maintain the programs' currency in future years.

Dr. Stephen Yungbluth (Communication)

Dr. Stephen Yungbluth (Communication) has been partnering successfully with the Center for Peace Education for the past two years. The Center for Peace Education is located in Cincinnati, Ohio. Its mission is to build a "stronger Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky community by providing youth and adults with the tools, strategies, and experiences needed to value differences and resolve conflicts constructively." Dr. Yungbluth received an NKU project grant to conduct a focus group with trainers of the organization's most extensive program, Students' Creative Responses to Conflict (SCRC). The results from the focus group data will be written up and submitted for potential national publication with support from an additional summer fellowship.

Further, Dr. Yungbluth has worked with CPE to help them conduct their own assessments of the SCRC program. Dr. Yungbluth conducted a search of the literature and identified a study reporting evaluation of a similar program. He has proposed a replication of this study and even conducted a pilot test examining the viability of its measures. The overall goal of this project is to provide the Center for Peace Education with the resources and knowledge required to expand their capacity to impact our community's youth. Dr. Yungbluth and the Center for Peace Education are currently searching for a funding source to continue this work.

Greg De Blasio (Communication)

Greg De Blasio (Communication) mentored a student with a project for the Student Celebration of Research and Creativity. A student in his Public Relations Writing class extended her class work with a poster session regarding Global Witness, an international organization dedicated to calling attention to the harms that come from purchasing dirty gold and dirty diamonds. The student's work in class involved the creation of communication materials generally found in an organization's media kit. Her work related to the poster session, however, amounted to a face-to-face call to action. The student produced flyers and other handout materials that informed the audience about the issues and about what could be done to discourage the support of a questionable industry. This project tied into his research interests concerning how social issues can influence or be influenced by organizational communication campaigns.