eNews July, 2009

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Dordt student awarded NOAA scholarship and internship

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has awarded Justin Krosschell, a sophomore at Dordt, the prestigious NOAA Hollings Scholarship, which provides up to $16,000 in tuition and up to $6,500 in pay for a summer internship position at a NOAA facility.

Krosschell is majoring in physics and electrical engineering, with a minor in the Kuyper Scholars Program. He believes an internship last summer at Dordt College was the key to his selection as a Hollings Scholar. Last summer Justin was one of two student interns funded by a grant from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Krosschell assisted a Dordt professor in studying jet streams in the polar vortices and how gases respond to the movement. The study has implications for ozone depletion.

For more on this story click here.

Also in this issue . . .

PT students help professor

Students build an electric car

Engineering professor honored

Two professors teach in Africa

Alumnus retires after 42 years

New apartment complex being built

DDD was a 'hair raising' experience

Dordt students help engineering professor with physical therapy

Some lessons are taught in lecture halls, but the best lessons come from experience.

That has been the case for a dozen students in the physical therapy program at Dordt College, who have been providing daily physical therapy for Dr. Charles Adams, an engineering professor who was injured in a car accident in February, 2008. Students have been meeting regularly with Dr. Adams every week for several months.

For more in this story click here.

Dordt students put electric car in drive

Ford Motor Co. has announced plans to debut a battery-electric car in 2012. Dordt College engineering students presented their version in May at a Senior Design Project Night.

The 1998 Neon Revolt – Electric Car Conversion was designed by Andrew Friend (Zillah, WA), Robert Kangas (Maple Grove, MN), Matthew Laverman (Sioux Center, IA), Duy Nguyen (Westminster, CA), Joseph Slegers (Orange City, IA), and Katiegrace Youngsma (Douglas, MA). Their faculty advisor and project sponsor was Dr. Douglas De Boer, an engineering professor at Dordt.

The 1998 car converted to electric power was purchased for $1,500. The conversion began in January and was operational by senior design presentation night May 6. Along the way students learned mechanical and electrical engineering concepts, budgeting, obtaining parts, and troubleshooting. The total cost of the project was around $12,000.

In a feature story by the Sioux City Journal, writer Tim Gallagher commented, "Beyond the technical aspects of the car, it showed me again how vital small colleges are to Siouxland. Where else could you find young people from Iowa, Minnesota, Washington, Massachusetts and Vietnam putting their heads and elbows together to create a marvel like this?"

Read the entire Sioux City Journal article here.

Read Professor De Boer's blog about the project here.

Brue receives John Calvin award

Dr. Ethan Brue, professor of engineering at Dordt College, was named the 2009 John Calvin Award recipient.

The award, which comes with a privately funded $500 honorarium, is presented annually to a Dordt College faculty member whose teaching demonstrates ability and commitment in articulating a Calvinistic perspective.

Recipients are selected based on nominations from graduating classes and faculty. Three selected graduating classes were asked which of their Dordt professors inspired and instructed them most in the development of a Calvinistic world and life view and in applying those views to issues of contemporary society. From the list of nominees, an external panel selects the final recipient.

For more on this story click here.

Dordt professors lend their expertise to students at Zambian University

Dordt College professors Ron Vos (agriculture) and Tom Wolthuis (theology) spent time this summer teaching at Northrise University in Zambia.

Blog posts about their work in Zambia can be found here.

Professor Wolthuis also has a blog about his time in Zambia.

Schaap retires after 42 years as elementary school teacher/principal

Arlyn Schaap's dream job when he graduated from Dordt College in 1967 was to teach high school science. He's done that and more for the past 42 years, serving as a teacher and/or principal at Lebanon, Ireton, Edgerton, and Orange City Christian Schools. Schaap retired at the end of the school year.

See the story by the Siouxland Press here.

New residence hall planned

Dordt College recently announced plans to construct a new residence hall scheduled to be ready in the Fall of 2010.

The new facility will house 192 upperclassmen in 32 six-resident units. Each apartment will have 3 bedrooms, a kitchen, shared living area, and bathroom facilities.

Groundbreaking is scheduled for Thursday, July 9, at 9 a.m.

For more on this project click here

Discovery Days 2009

Dordt Discovery Days 2009 was held on campus June 22 - 26. More than 200 junior high school students from across the United States were on campus for a week's worth of fun, games, and learning with the theme "Hair Raising Discovery".

Discovery Days participants chose from a variety of classes in music, theater, art, sports, and other interests. This year's camp offered 30 classes. New offerings this year included Money Madness (being a smart consumer); Cooking with Karen, and How It's Made (tours of area manufacturing facilities).

Check out photos from the week here.

Alumni and friends events

Summer alumni events planned

July 25, 2009 in Seattle, WA - Dordt alumni get together at a Seattle Mariners vs. Cleveland Indians baseball game.

August 8, 2009 in Denver, CO - Dordt alumni get together at a Colorado Rockies vs. Chicago Cubs baseball game.

August 15, 2009 in Minneapolis, MN - Dordt alumni get together at a Minnesota Twins vs. Cleveland Indians game.

August 16, 2009 in Manhattan, MT - Sendoff for Dordt students heading to school. Potluck dinner, games, and a chance to visit with President Zylstra.

For more information on these and other alumni events, click here or contact Wes Fopma.

See you this summer at an event near you!

Alumni Weekend

scheduled

Make plans now to come to campus for Alumni Weekend on September 11 - 13. Friday events include an Alumni Business Connections breakfast in the morning with alumnus Kevin De Vries and Distinguished Alumni Banquet in the evening. Saturday events will feature an alumni baseball game, Dordt College football vs. Waldorf with a pre-game tailgate party as well as soccer and lacrosse games and an afternoon kids carnival. The evening will conclude with comedian, Ken Davis in the BJ Haan Auditorium. Sunday will feature an organ recital by Distinguished Alumni Chris Teeuwsen.

For more information or to reserve your Ken Davis tickets, contact Wes Fopma via phone at 712-722-6028 or via e-mail.

Where are our alumni now?

We love hearing what our alumni are doing with their Dordt College education. If you or an alumni you know is doing something interesting or is putting that reformed world and life view to work in a unique or compelling way, we'd like to know about it.

We need to compile several alumni profiles that give us a diverse mix of majors, career paths, and locations to choose from. Perhaps we can use your story to help a prospective student who is considering Dordt College or a professor may be able to use your insights in the classroom. This is a great way for you to reconnect in a meaningful way with your alma mater.

Our alumni are our most valuable asset, please consider submitting a name--yourself (don't be shy!) or someone you know--and some background information (grad year, major, current job, etc.) if known. Please send your suggestions to alumni@dordt.edu. Your help and input is always appreciated.

Job openings

To check out current employment opportunities at Dordt College, click here.

Also, please contact us if you or someone you know would be a good match for one of our available positions. We appreciate your tips and recommendations of great candidates who could serve with us at Dordt.

Alumni notes

Please remember to include information about yourself when sending in birth announcements for the Voice. Your classmates like to hear what you've been doing. Send us an e-mail at alumni@dordt.edu.

The most recent Voice

Connect with other alumni

This is the place to connect and network with other Dordt College alumni. The directory is available only to Dordt College alumni, who must register to gain access to contact information for other Dordt alumni. Those who register can update their own profiles and hide any information they do not want listed. The directory has a simple search function and an advanced search function, allowing you to search for other alumni, based on various criteria. For more information contact the alumni office at 712-722-6022 or email: alumni@dordt.edu.