2002

The Voice: Winter 2002

The Voice

Faculty News


The professional involvements of Dordt faculty members outside the classroom reveal Dordt's commitment to provide educational leadership in the Christian community as well as among its own students. By sharing these activities, we hope to provide fellow Christians with further resources, ideas, and encouragement as they work to be of service in Christ's kingdom.

Dr. John Zwart, physics professor, and his former student Joel Minderhoud, who now teaches high school science, had a brief item published in the “Idea Bank” section of The Science Teacher magazine. The piece is titled “Mirror, Mirror” and appeared in the October 2001 issue of The Science Teacher.

Zwart also gave invited talks at the 2001 Association of Christian Schools International Mid- America Region conference in St. Paul, Minnesota, on October 18 and 19. His presentations were titled “Light Motif: Demonstrations and Experiments with Light,” “Zap!: Demonstrations and Experiments in Electricity and Magnetism,” and “A Hands-On Exercise in the Scientific Method.”

Dr. Del Vander Zee also gave presentations at this summer's ACSI Convention.
The first, titled “Fast Plants in the Classroom: The Mustard Seed,” was presented in two parts, including an introduction to the lab system and a follow-up hands-on session, to show how the tiny mustard seed enables students of all ages to learn many biological processes within six weeks. “Creation Care and Environmental Stewardship” discussed the place of humankind within the creation.

Dr. Tom Visker, professor of health, education, and recreation, had an article published in the Fall 2001 issue of The Christian School Teacher. It is titled “Beyond the Locker Room Prayer.”

Dave and Jeri Schelhaas each led two sectionals at the Ontario Christian Schools Teachers Association Convention on October 25. Jeri's sectionals were titled “Creative Dramatics_Another Way to Learn” and “Developing Presentational Theatre.” Dave's were “Teaching Poetry So They Love It,” and “Writing Poetry: Imaginary Gardens and Real Toads.”

Drs. Mike Vanden Bosch and Ken Bussema lectured in China Nov 5-9 as part of ELIC's Visiting Scholar Lectures Series. Bussema's topics included “Recent Research in Higher Education,” “Learning Principle and Collaborative Action,” “The Impact of Higher Education on Moral and Civil Responsibility,” and “Assessing Student Learning.” Vanden Bosch taught poetry (see below).

Dr. Charles Adams, dean of the natural science division, spoke at a conference on Christian Scholarship held at Calvin College at the end of September. His paper, titled “The Unity in Creation and the Bi-Directional Character of Technological Artifacts,” is published on Calvin's website at http://www.calvin.edu/fss/125conf/adamsch.htm .

Dr. Tony Jelsma gave presentations on human genetic engineering and stem cell research at a two-day conference titled “Tinkering with Creation.” The event was sponsored by the Burlington Reformed Study Centre in Burlington, Ontario.

On October 2, Dr. Dennis Vander Plaats participated in a round-table discussion with approximately twenty educators from various CSI schools and organizations. They met in Seattle, Washington, at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, with Tom Vander Ark, the chief educational consultant for the foundation. Vander Ark described the attributes of “good schools” as the Gates Foundation sees them. Participants discussed the need for visionary change in Christian high school education.

Drs. Wayne Kobes and Ron Vos gave a presentation titled “Biblical Foundations for Agricultural Missions” at the annual Agricultural Missions Conference at ECHO (Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization) on November 13-15 in North Fort Myers, Florida. Five students also attended the conference.

Business Professor Scott Quatro, who recently gained final candidacy status for the Ph.D. in Organizational Learning and Human Resource Development at Iowa State University, was recently quoted in an article in the November 5 edition of the Omaha World Herald on “Organizational Spirituality and Performance among Fortune 500 Firms,” the subject of his dissertation research.

Dr. John Vander Stelt spent three weeks lecturing in Pusan and Seoul, Korea, and then in Tokyo and Kobe, Japan, this fall. While many of his lectures were given for students at Kosin University and Pniel Theological Seminary lecturing on the history of reformational thinking and Christian philosophy, Vander Stelt also preached in church services and met with Christian educators and leaders to discuss worldview and educational issues.

Theology Professor Tim McConnel's review of Cornelius Van Til: Readings and Analysis, by Greg L. Bahnsen appeared in the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 44 (2001): 371- 372.

Two papers authored or co-authored by Dr. Ethan Brue from Dordt's engineering department appeared in the September 2001 issue of Powder Technology. an international journal for fluidization and particulate related systems. “Resolving dynamical features of fluidized beds from pressure fluctuations” and “Use of pressure fluctuations to validate hydrodynamic similitude in fluidized media: bubbling beds” were written with Robert C. Brown.

Dr. Joan Ringerwole, professor of music, was organist for the closing service of the 26th Annual Hymn Society Conference held in Independence, Missouri, this past summer.

Education professor Lloyd Den Boer led (through a translator) nine workshops on educational leadership in Christian schools to a group of thirty directors (principals) from small, young Christian schools spread throughout countries that formerly were part of the Soviet Union. The Conference was organized by ACSI for its member schools in these
countries and held from November 5-9 in Kiev, Ukraine.     

Dr. John Van Dyk, director of the Center for Educational Services, led a professional development day on November 30 for teachers in the Canadian Reformed schools in Langley, British Columbia.