News tip: Missouri S&T experts available for back-to-school stories

Newswise — ROLLA, Mo. – As students return to college campuses across the country, Missouri University of Science and Technology is finding innovative ways to use technology, reinventing courses and establishing the nation’s first Ph.D. in explosives engineering.

The following is a media tip sheet that includes information about experts and resources at Missouri University of Science and Technology. To arrange interviews, please contact the Missouri S&T Marketing and Communications Department at 573-341-4328 or email [email protected] topics include:

Calculus course redesignThis fall, students in Calculus 1 at Missouri S&T will do more problem-solving at the board in smaller classes that encourage interaction between students and teachers. This redesign of the introductory calculus course will also allow faculty to seek out and help students who are struggling with the course and intervene before they fall further behind, says Paul Runnion, an assistant teaching professor of mathematics and statistics at Missouri S&T, who devised the multiyear, multistage process.

Reinventing biology lab with $10 and a smartphone With nothing more than a smartphone and $10 of hardware supplies, students at Missouri S&T can build their own microscopes this fall as part of a biology lab. Part of the Transforming Instructional Labs project, the do-it-yourself microscope is part of an effort to re-imagine how lab courses can be taught in five science and engineering disciplines on campus. Students in two biological sciences courses will be a part of this experiment this fall.

New STEM-focused elementary ed program This fall, students interested in teaching 1st through 6th grades are registering for a new elementary education program at Missouri S&T that is designed to prepare students for teaching careers that emphasize science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

S&T to offer Ph.D. in explosivesMissouri University of Science and Technology will offer the nation’s first Ph.D. in explosives engineering beginning this fall. The new doctorate will help the university fill critical shortfalls in government and industry in fields like mining, construction, demolition and pyrotechnics, among others. In the mining industry alone, more than 5,000 engineers will retire in the next decade. Missouri S&T was also the first in the nation to offer a master’s degree in explosives engineering in 2010.