Gatton Academy News

The Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky at WKU has been recognized byNewsweek magazine as the nation’s top high school.

America’s Best High Schools 2012, released online Sunday and in the May 28, 2012, print edition of the magazine recognized 1,000 schools from across the United States. The Gatton Academy was ranked fifth in 2011 list.

Rounding out the top five schools were The School for the Talented and Gifted Magnet (Dallas, Texas), BASIS Scottsdale (Arizona), School of Science and Engineering Magnet (Dallas, Texas), and BASIS Tucson (Arizona).

Newsweek’s methodology for their rankings sought to highlight schools that focus on providing solutions to the challenges of 21st century education and prepare students for both college and life. (To read more about the Newsweek list, visit http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2012/05/20/newsweek-ranks-kentucky-academy-as-america-s-top-high-school.html)

Each school’s score is comprised of six components: four-year, on-time graduation rate (25 percent), college matriculation rate (25 percent), Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) tests per student (25 percent), average SAT/ACT scores (10 percent), average AP or IB scores (10 percent), and AP courses offered (5 percent). (To view the complete list, visit http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2012/05/20/america-s-best-high-schools.html)

Dr. Julia Roberts, executive director of the Gatton Academy, explained that the components of the methodology reflect the high-level learning necessary for successful students in a globally-competitive society.

“The United States has emphasized proficiency or grade-level learning to the exclusion of nurturing the talents of advanced learners,” Dr. Roberts said. “A promising future for our country is closely tied to the development of talent in science, mathematics, languages arts, the social sciences, and the arts. The purpose of the Gatton Academy is to extend learning opportunities for gifted students who live in all parts of Kentucky.”

WKU President Dr. Gary Ransdell underscored the unique experiences available to Gatton Academy students and the role the campus community has in engaging students at the highest level.

“What a great tribute to everyone on our faculty and to the staff of the Gatton Academy,” Dr. Ransdell said. “The key has been the manner in which WKU faculty have involved these students in serious undergraduate research and opened up international experiences for them.”

Over half of Gatton Academy students engaged in study programs abroad during the previous academic year, with opportunities in Italy, the United Kingdom, Costa Rica, China, and Taiwan. Moreover, 91 percent of recent Gatton Academy graduates participated in a research project sponsored by a university faculty mentor.

The program’s strategic partnership with WKU plays an important role in the development of students both in and out of the classroom, according to Gatton Academy director Dr. Tim Gott.

“This recognition would not have been possible without the full partnership we have with Western Kentucky University,” Dr. Gott said. “Having access to top professors and instructors, the university’s research facilities, and the support of the administration provides a pathway for advanced Kentucky students to be on equal footing with others across from the United States.”

Corey Alderdice, assistant director for admissions and public relations, also noted the recognition is something that should be shared with the more than 100 public school districts in the state that have partnered with the Gatton Academy to engage students from 107 Kentucky counties since the program’s inception.

“At the core of its mission, the Gatton Academy acts as an extension of the nearly 200 public high schools is the state of Kentucky,” Alderdice said. “These students excel not only because of the opportunities they have been provided by the Academy but also because of the preparation and experiences they have pursued at the elementary, middle, and early high school level in their home districts.”

The Gatton Academy, which opened in 2007 and is funded by the Kentucky General Assembly, is the commonwealth’s only state-supported residential high school with an emphasis in math and science.  Roberts added that the announcement is the culmination of over a decade of advocacy to make the program a reality for Kentucky students.

“Fifteen years ago the idea for what has become the Gatton Academy was put forward,” Dr. Roberts said. “Ten years of advocating preceded its opening. Being recognized as the top high school in the country by Newsweek at the conclusion of the Gatton Academy’s fifth year is a dream come true.”

Contact: Corey Alderdice, (270) 705-3632; Dr. Julia Roberts, (270) 745-6480 or (270) 991-6355; Dr. Tim Gott, (270) 745-3605 or (270) 307-0135.

Celebration of Commencement Weekend at WKU continued on Saturday as The Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky honored its fifth graduating class of high school seniors.

Forty-seven students representing 30 counties from across the Commonwealth were recognized during the ceremony in Van Meter Auditorium. The ceremony not only celebrated the significant accomplishments of the program and its graduates over the last two years but also looked toward the infinite possibilities ahead.

Gatton Academy Executive Director Dr. Julia Roberts expressed that the day’s events were both a celebration of the Class of 2012’s personal accomplishments, a starting point toward their work of creating a better Kentucky, and a fitting close to the first chapter in the history of the program.

“Reaching five years marks an important milestone in the history of the Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky,” Roberts said. “This fifth graduating class of the Academy brings joy and promise to the Commonwealth.  Their interests in STEM and talent for learning at high levels have become evident during their two-year experience at the Gatton Academy.”

Curtlyn Kramer, a graduating senior from Ashland, framed the unique learning environment of the Gatton Academy as a program attuned to the needs of gifted and talented students.

“Each of our experiences has been different, shaped by not only the things we have accomplished, but the people with whom we have shared these experiences along the way,” Kramer said. “At no typical high school is every single student’s achievements so unanimously celebrated, because at no other high school is each student’s struggles so unanimously understood.”

The Honorable John D. Minton Jr., Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Kentucky, delivered the commencement address. Minton, an alumnus of the final graduating class of WKU’s Training School, reminded graduates that they are not the first generation of high school students to claim the WKU campus as their home.

“My high school commencement took place here in Van Meter Auditorium in May 1970,” Minton said. “I cannot tell you how proud I am to have such a prestigious high school return to the WKU campus. We have heard about your outstanding ACT/SAT scores and the success of Gatton graduates in college. So if you don’t mind, we Training School alumni will claim Gatton as the 21st Century iteration of Western’s Training School.”

The major difference is that Gatton Academy students have taken advanced coursework in mathematics, science and other subjects at WKU in fulfillment of high school requirements and the Gatton Academy curriculum. On average, students have each earned more than 70 hours of college credit.

Minton also encouraged students to be engaged citizens.

“As you begin life beyond the Gatton Academy campus, you will discover that your alma mater intends for you to leave here equipped with a literacy of doing, not simply knowing” he said. “Having equipped you with knowledge, Gatton Academy expects of you a life of social and civic service that is active, fulfilling, and socially responsible.”

(more…)

A student at the Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky at WKU has received a national scholarship to study in Morocco this summer.

Fleischmann, the son of Maria and Randall Fleischmann, is a second-year student at the Gatton Academy. He has studied Arabic for three semesters with Khaldoun Almousily, instructor of Arabic in WKU’s Department of Modern Languages. Through the NSLI-Y award, he expects to gain an additional year’s worth of language proficiency this summer.

“I am so grateful to have been awarded this scholarship,” he said. “It is a unique opportunity, and will give me both knowledge and experience to help with my future.”

Fleischmann aspires to become a research scientist in chemistry and to use his Arabic skills to study environmental issues concerning fossil fuels in a region that has some of the largest oil reserves in the world.

“Paul is a bright student and overall genuine individual,” Almousily said. “The NSLI-Y scholarship will assist him in achieving his ambitious professional goals and learning the Arabic language and culture. I look forward to seeing what the future holds for him.”

Fleischmann spent several weeks working on his application for the NSLI-Y scholarship with Dr. Melinda Grimsley-Smith, Coordinator of International Scholarships in the Office of Scholar Development.

“Many meetings to revise my essays with Dr. Grimsley-Smith both strengthened my application and made the process a great experience,” Fleischmann said.

“It is a real pleasure to work with students like Paul. There’s a good amount of ambition hiding under his laid-back exterior,” Dr. Grimsley-Smith said. “He brings all of his academic and personal interests together in a compelling way, and clearly conveys a strong sense of purpose in his writing. In short, he demonstrates the recipe for success in competitions like NSLI-Y.”

This will be the second international experience for Fleischmann. Over the 2012 winter term, he traveled to Costa Rica to conduct research at the Cloudbridge Nature Reserve with WKU Biology Professor Keith Philips, as well as another Gatton Academy student and a Gatton Academy alumnus to investigate the Gunnera-Nostoc Symbiosis. Students identified populations of Gunnera on the reserve, harvested samples and dissected portions to determine if bacterial symbionts were present. He has also been involved with research under the direction of Dr. Ouida Meier of the Department of Biology investigating local wastewater as a source for cave and karst and groundwater pollution.

About the Office of Scholar Development: The Office of Scholar Development is committed to helping WKU students in all majors and degree programs develop the vision, experience and skills to be independent, engaged scholars. OSD welcomes the opportunity to work with students interested in the National Security Language Institute for Youth or other similar opportunities. Contact: Dr. Melinda Grimsley-Smith, (270) 745-5043.

About the Gatton Academy: The Gatton Academy offers a residential program for bright, highly motivated Kentucky high school students who have demonstrated interest in pursuing advanced careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Approximately 60 students each year are admitted to the program through a competitive selection process. Instead of spending their junior and senior years in traditional high schools, students enroll in the Gatton Academy and live in a uniquely dedicated residence hall. The goals of the Gatton Academy are to enable Kentucky’s exceptional young scientists and mathematicians to learn in an environment that offers advanced educational opportunities and to prepare them for leadership roles in Kentucky.  At the end of two years, Gatton Academy students earn at least 60 college credit hours in addition to completing high school. Contact: Corey Alderdice, (270) 745-6565.

Contact: Melinda Grimsley-Smith, (270) 745-5043.

David Sekora, a second-year student from Franklin at the Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky, has been named the recipient of the 2012 National Merit John M. Stalnaker Memorial Scholarship.

The award is a four-year scholarship underwritten by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation as a tribute to its founding President and Chief Executive Officer.

“I’d like to thank the National Merit Corporation for awarding me the Stalnaker Memorial Scholarship,” Sekora said. “This is truly a high honor, and I am certain that it can do nothing but help to propel me forward along the path of achievement.”

Sekora, who is dually enrolled in the Gatton Academy and Franklin-Simpson High School, was among approximately 1,000 distinguished high school seniors who have won corporate-sponsored National Merit Scholarship awards financed by about 200 corporations, company foundations and other business organizations. Recipients were selected from a pool of some 15,000 Finalists nationwide.

About 1.5 million juniors in some 22,000 high schools entered the 2012 National Merit Scholarship competition when they took the 2010 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®), which served as an initial screen of program entrants.

Dr. Tim Gott, director for the Gatton Academy and member of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation’s advisory council, described Sekora as both an emerging scholar and outstanding young adult.

“We are thrilled to celebrate this incredible honor with David,” Gott said. “Not only does this recognize him as one of the top academic students in the nation, it also reveals his depth and balance that allows him to be considered such an outstanding young man.  He has made a huge impact while he has attended the Gatton Academy and we look forward to seeing his accomplishments in the years to come.”

Sekora was selected from the 2012 pool of National Merit Finalists who are planning to pursue majors and careers in science or mathematics. Beginning this fall, Sekora will pursue degrees in mathematics and computer science at the University of Chicago. He would like to eventually become a mathematics professor and independent software developer.

During his time at the Gatton Academy, Sekora already has a jump start on his pursuits. Sekora researched geometric knot theory under guidance of Dr. Claus Ernst. The ultimate goal of the project was to learn about viral DNA, as in some cases viral DNA displays a knotted structure inside the capsid, which prevents the DNA from being threaded into a host organism for reproduction. To better understand their behavior, they developed software to generate random knots in confinement spheres, simplify knots through various transformational schemes, and identify knots given a suitably simplified polygonal representation.

“Overall, I would say that my time at the Academy has been a very positive experience in my life,” Sekora said. “The opportunities available to me–particularly research and scholarly opportunities alone– would have been enough to make the experience worthwhile. I am confident that the Gatton Academy has prepared me for life to a degree that few other programs can claim, and am thankful a million times over that I could be a part of something so wonderful.”

Additional National Merit Scholarship winners will be announced by the corporation in May.

Contact: Corey Alderdice, (270) 745-6565.

Four second-year students at The Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky recently shared research findings at The National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR).

Lydia Brothers, from Madisonville, Andrea Eastes, from Mayfield, Keaton Smith, from Alexandria, and Erin Walch, also from Alexandria, presented at the annual conference, held March 29-31, 2012, at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah.

NCUR promotes undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative activity in all disciplines. The conference provided undergraduate scholars in all fields and from all types of institutions of higher learning a forum to share the results of their work through posters, presentations, performances and works of art.

Derick Strode, the Gatton Academy’s assistant director for academic services explained that the conference was a new venue with a diverse audience for students to share their research.

“What we found is an open-minded forum that welcomes quality student projects from a wide-array of disciplines,” Strode said. “This is important because it allows our students a chance to collaborate with others who think about problems in very different ways than scientists or mathematicians.”

Established in 1987, the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) has consistently been one of the largest national conferences for promoting undergraduate research, creative, and scholastic achievement. This two to three-day annual event draws hundreds of talented students representing over 400 colleges and universities nationally.

For Brothers, the variety of backgrounds and viewpoints can lead to interdisciplinary thought and discovery.

“I think the greatest value of NCUR to a student researcher was the availability of so many people who were involved in such a wide range of fields,” Brothers said. “Having researchers from such varied backgrounds who are truly interested and willing to challenge you with questions or provide you with alternate methods to improve your conclusions really gives you something positive to take back to the lab.”

An additional portion of NCUR includes plenary sessions led by nationally prominent speakers sharing their perspectives on educational policy, various programs and initiatives, funding opportunities for undergraduate research efforts, and career development.

Four out of five Gatton Academy graduates participate in a faculty-sponsored research project during their time at the Academy.  The Gatton Academy supports students in such endeavors not only as a means of academic growth but also extending the program’s mission of providing rigorous learning experiences.

Keep reading to learn more about students’ research and comments from their faculty mentors.

(more…)

As Kentucky center Eloy Vargas was signing autographs at an event in Bowling Green, Ky., on Saturday morning, a high school student approached him with an unusual request.

Natascha Richardson, a senior at nearby Gatton Academy, asked Vargas if he’d be her date to her senior prom that night.

“It was my turn to get an autograph and I was just like, ‘What are you doing tonight?’ and he was like ‘What are you doing tonight?’” Richardson told WBKO. “I was like, ‘You should go to prom with me’ and it just kind of happened.”

The 6-foot-11 Vargas agreed to be Richardson’s prom date on the condition that he could wear a sweater and jeans since he didn’t have time to pick up the proper clothes for the event. The twohad dinner together, snapped photos and even hit the dance floor before Vargas left to return to campus.

Read the Full Story at Yahoo! Sports

Since 2006, WKU has led the state in recognition by the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program. This year, WKU placed among the top producers of Goldwater Scholars in the nation.

Lukas Missik, also a second-year student in the Gatton Academy from Danville, received an Honorable Mention in the national competition. Charles “Chadd” Coomer, a biology and chemistry double-major from Louisville, was WKU’s third award winner this year.  Universities may nominate up to four students each year.

The students’ success stems from the emphasis placed on undergraduate research at WKU and in the Gatton Academy. Goldwater Scholars are selected based on their academic performance and potential for a research career.

“These students should be commended for demonstrating their future potential effectively through their outstanding research essays and research productivity to date,” said Dr. Kevin Williams, Goldwater faculty representative and associate professor of chemistry.

Each of the students worked closely with their mentors and the Office of Scholar Development to develop cogent applications, submitting numerous drafts over the course of several weeks. “The faculty who have effectively mentored these students in research and the classroom should be applauded for their efforts,” Dr. Williams said.

Established by the U.S. Congress in 1986 to recognize the former senator from Arizona, the scholarship program identifies and honors students who excel in and are pursuing research careers in the sciences, mathematics and engineering. Winners receive $7,500 annually with which they can pay for undergraduate tuition, fees, books and room and board.

WKU is one of 24 institutions where each scholar nominated was recognized by the program. Out of more than 1,100 applicants nationwide, only 282 were selected as scholars and fewer than 200 others received Honorable Mention recognition.

WKU President Gary A. Ransdell commended the students on their willingness to take on ambitious research projects.

“The success these students demonstrate through this recognition shows what can happen when you pair excellent students with a caring, wonderful faculty and the support system available at WKU,” he said. “This is a tribute to their hard work and determination and the guidance and support of their faculty mentors.”

(more…)