Academics

The hoop house closed its first semester with a successful harvest, producing over 100 pounds of cold-season crops. The greens were used by Torvian Dining Hall, providing farm-to-table food options for the university. The greenhouse-like structure was built in January to be used by students in the Environmental Studies program . Students in the Sustainability in Food Production course , taught by Professor Marie Olson , grew crops from seedling through harvest, and were responsible for maintaining all aspects of the hoop house. This process allowed them to put their classroom coursework into

Ashley Rovder, an Environmental Engineering major, took part in a unique full-immersion study abroad experience in Bolivia. The experience was made possible through a collaboration between Saint Francis University and the University of Dayton’s Engineers in Technical Humanitarian Opportunities in Service Learning (ETHOS) project. Below, Ashley discusses her experience abroad. What service project did you work on while in Bolivia? I volunteered for SODIS (short for Solar Water Disinfection), a nonprofit organization in Cochabamba, Bolivia, that focuses on providing clean water for the community

Four students in the Environmental Petroleum Engineering course presented their final class project on the explosion and oil spill that occurred from the massive, mobile oil rig, Deepwater Horizon. Nicholas King, Connor Witman, Jan Vit Suntar, and Jonathan Bruno presented a petroleum engineer's perspective explaining what happened during the catastrophic BP oil spill in 2010. They examined what went wrong, what the environmental impacts were, and what lessons can be learned from this disaster. The students reported eight things that went wrong causing the oil well to leak for 87 days spilling

Formed five years ago by a small group of friends in the Computer Science Program , the Gaming Club brought together students who shared a love of video games. The gaming club doesn’t just play games, they also do a lot for the campus and community. Currently, there’s about twenty active members that meet weekly to plan activities. When many think of gaming, they think of video games. But the club also plays tabletop games such as Dungeons and Dragons and Magic: The Gathering, as well as livestreaming party games such as Super Smash Bros., Mario Party, and Mario Kart. Most gaming sessions will

There are many “ifs” to Brandon Fiume’s approach to photography. If he picked the right location, if the weather cooperates, if his camera settings are correct, and if the train is running on time, he may get another award-winning photo of freight or passenger train. Brandon's desire to learn something new helped him discover his creative side and “think outside the box…car.” A knack for experimenting The Junior Computer Science major always enjoyed problem solving. “When I was young I would open up a spreadsheet, enter values and try to make the numbers achieve a desired result,” remembers

Dr. Seuss’s book, Oh, The Places You’ll Go! , is practically a graduation gift requirement. A fun story about discovery and the decision to leave one’s setting and have adventures, experience new people, places, and things. This story rings especially true for Chelsea Esken, who graduated Saint Francis with a Master of Occupational Therapy degree in 2017, and is now in Hutchinson, Kansas working as a Traveling Occupational Therapist. Below, Chelsea discusses the ways the OT Program prepared her for an incredible journey. First off, what is a Traveling Occupational Therapist? Being a Traveling

Schlumberger , the world’s leading supplier of technology solutions in the oil and gas industry once again made a generous donation of their nearly $60 million software package to be used by Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering undergraduates at Saint Francis University. The donation provides 15 licenses and a maintenance contract for the next three years for different Schlumberger software products such as PETREL, ECLIPSE, PIPESIM, VISAGE, MEPO,INTERSECT, and MANGROVE. Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering Seniors, Zach Rohland and John Sheesley, started working with the software PETREL in

Saint Francis University students looking to study abroad have another option this year to go global: spring break in the Galapagos Islands. The excursion for Biology students departs March 2nd and returns March 10th, 2018 and will fulfill a three credit Field Biology course requirement. Professors Dr. Gail Drus and Dr. Melissa Meadows will accompany ten students on the nine-day excursion. Before departing for the islands off the coast of Ecuador, students will research the ecology and learn about the conservation efforts. Once there, they will experience firsthand the stark differences in

A tiny house phenomenon is sweeping the nation. The typical American home is about 2,600 square feet, but more Americans are choosing to downsize into tiny homes with less than 400 square feet. Tiny houses enable people to live a smaller, simpler life in an efficient space. The idea to build a 160 square foot, tiny classroom was developed in the spring of 2017 by Allison Rohrs, Director for the Institute of Energy at Saint Francis University. “The idea is to utilize the tiny house model in order to educate students and the community about renewable energy, efficient living and producing a

More than 530 high school students from 30 local schools celebrated science on the Saint Francis University campus for the 24th Annual Science Day event. Dr. Pete Skoner , Professor of Physics and Science Day organizer, started the morning off with the inspiring story of Maurice Stokes and Jack Twyman and the “Become That Someone” theme embraced by the University. New this year, Dr. Skoner invited students to “Become That Scientist” on Instagram throughout the day to share their science day experiences. Participants chose from a variety of prizes at the end of the day. Hands-on Science