November 21, 2002

Visiting scholars beneficial to ISU, community

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — In any given week, Nelson Dias may be working with NASA officials one day and visiting a Vigo County middle school the next. Elena Pérez might be doing research on methane seeps off the coast of California and later putting together a project for a Vigo County High School science fair.

Dias and Pérez are among 12 visiting scholars on the Indiana State University campus this year, but their work, like that of many of their peers, reaches much farther than their laboratories.

It's a mutually beneficial relationship for ISU and the scholars.

"Having these scholars as resources is a very positive experience," said Sue Berta, interim chairperson of the department of geography, geology and anthropology. "They really enhance our programs and we would like to do more collaborative work with them in the future."

Not only do the visiting scholars gain knowledge from ISU's faculty, but visiting scholars often help put ISU on the map in terms of the important research being done in its laboratories.

The benefits to ISU extend off campus as well.

Dias and Pérez both work in the department of geography, geology and anthropology -- Dias doing research involving remote sensing with Paul Mausel, professor emeritus, and Pérez conducting research in marine biology and paleontology with Tony Rathburn, assistant professor.

Dias, who received his Ph.D. from ISU in 2001, received a grant from NASA to develop a multimedia program for middle and high school students which explains how remote sensing works and what it is used for.

"The project was developed from scratch," Dias said, explaining that he created everything from the software, to graphics, audio, text and automation. After about five years of work, the project was being reviewed by NASA Earth Science Enterprise (ESE). It was approved and is being distributed nationwide.

While attending a conference in Brazil, Dias was asked to do a Brazilian version of the program for the Brazilian Institute of Space Research (INPE).

The second project focuses on the preservation and conservation of the Amazon region. The first project focused mostly on the wetlands in Indiana and the United States. Now Dias is working to secure new grants to get the Brazilian CD converted to English and several other technology transfer projects started at ISU.

Remote sensing, Dias explained, is "observing from a distance with scanners, cameras or satellites things we can't usually see with our eyes." It is used in agriculture, weather, monitoring ecosystems and the affects of human influences like logging and road construction.

Dias has worked closely with teachers and students in the Vigo County School Corp. in the testing of the program.

Pérez, a post-doctoral scientist, has been working with Rathburn in studying methane seeps -- where methane bubbles out of the sea floor -- off the coast of California. They are studying the organisms that live in those environments and seeing how changes in those organisms are affected by methane in order to apply these results to the study of modern and ancient climate change. Pérez, along with geology majors Amanda Duncan and David Williams, took part in a student research cruise off the California coast in September to get a closer look at both the living and fossilized marine life. For the undergraduates, this was an opportunity for hands-on research experience, and for Pérez, this was an opportunity to hone teaching skills in the field.

Rathburn said Pérez's work benefits ISU and the community in a number of ways. She helps with the training of independent research students as well as supervising undergraduate students in the laboratory. She also oversees the microfossil collection that has recently arrived at ISU on long-term loan from Scripps Institution of Oceanography and has devoted time to high school students interested in science.

"She put together a really great hands-on project using sediments from around the world," Rathburn said. "She had different samples and the students had to do the detective work and study each sediment's characteristics to determine what part of the world it is from. It was the most popular learning activity in the place."

Pérez is currently assisting the efforts of a 15-person committee involved in bringing the JASON Project to ISU and the Wabash Valley.

The JASON Project is a multi-disciplinary program that sparks the imagination of students and enhances the classroom experience. The JASON Project exposes students to leading scientists who work with them to examine its biological and geological development.

In exploring the ocean, scientists will use submersibles or remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) and other equipment to transmit images to the classroom as the exploration happens.

"They see exactly what the researchers are seeing when the researchers are seeing it," Rathburn explained.

Rathburn said the geography, geology and anthropology department is fortunate right now to have two visiting scholars who are interested in everything from the lab to the community. "Some are only interested in their research, which is their priority," Rathburn said, "But it's really good to have some combination of scholars who are great researchers, but also want to get involved in the community."

For Dias, Terre Haute and ISU feel a lot like home. He's been working and living in this community for several years now, keeping up with his paperwork to extend his Visa and continue doing his research.

"There is a lot of extra stress and pressure put on our international scholars because of all the time that must be devoted to paperwork and keeping their status," Rathburn said.

Dias came to the United States after working for a company in Porto Alegre, Brazil, because he wanted to be further educated in one of the "best universities in the world."

Dias met Mausel and began doing research in 1994 at ISU. He earned his master's degree in 1996 and has been conducting research and studying here ever since.

"America has the best universities in the world," Dias said. "I really wanted to come here and learn the right way."

Pérez has a bachelor's degree from the University of Granada (Spain) and a Ph.D. in oceanography from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (University of California -- San Diego). Her interest in Rathburn's research brought her to ISU. Rathburn has been Pérez's mentor since she signed up for a research cruise off Southern California as a doctorate student.

In addition to representing ISU at meetings and seminars regionally, nationally and internationally, Pérez said she enjoys getting out of the lab and working with students at the middle school, high school and college levels.

"Sometimes research can be frustrating because it can take a long time to obtain results and you may feel like you're not contributing much to society," Pérez said. "Also, sometimes being in a lab can get lonely. That's why I take every opportunity I get to interact with people and be helpful."

That's where working with ISU students in the lab, accompanying students on research trips like the one to California and helping with local science fairs make a difference, she said.

Indiana State University Visiting Scholars
2002-2003

Serguei Desnitski, Russia, Theater

Nelson Dias, Brazil, Geography, Geology and Anthropology

Brian Fisher, Canada, Athletic Training

Luo Gu, China, Life Sciences

Ik-Sang Kim, Korea, Languages, Literature and Linguistics

Elena Kondratova, Russia, Theater

Feng Li, China, International Affairs Center

Jerzy Malachowski, Poland, Health and Safety

Maria Elena Pérez Martin, Spain, Geography, Geology and Anthropology

Jiuping Wang, China, Languages, Literature and Linguistics

Geng Wenxiu, China, Psychology

Weiping Xie, China, Life Sciences

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Writer:
Jennifer Kearns, assistant director, Public Affairs,
(812) 237-8037 or devkearn@isugw.indstate.edu

ISU Public Affairs:
(812) 237-3773 or http://isunews.indstate.edu