News – Page 3 – The Gatton Academy News

Gatton Academy Student Develops and Releases his First Commercial App

January 17, 2014 | Academics, News | No Comments

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Gatton Academy senior Ethan Gill of Bowling Green has developed and released his first commercial application for iOS devices.

Gill developed his HueHueHue app out of personal necessity. “I own Philips Hue lights which are supposed to make your life easier,” he said. Hue lights are a wireless lighting system for the home that can be remotely controlled by a smart device to turn on or off and to emit various colors and shades. Gill continued, “However, having to unlock my phone and wait for an app to load ended up being slower than just turning off a light switch.”

His HueHueHue app resolves this “simple” issue allowing the user to toggle Hue lights with a simple action on an iPhone or iPad. Once configured, the app can even run when the screen is locked, simplifying the process and saving the user time.

Western Kentucky University’s winter and summer terms provide Gatton Academy students additional time needed to explore and develop their unique passions. During the 2013 summer term, Gill was awarded the Gatton Academy Research Internship allowing him to conduct computer science research under the direction of Dr. James Gary, Associate Professor of Computer Science and Department Head.

Currently, Gill is developing apps and attending national programming competitions during Western Kentucky University’s winter term as part of his Gatton Academy winter term learning project.

“Gatton Academy students undertake a range of activities during winter term. From classes to study abroad to community service to job shadowing, we ensure that every Academy student is active in their learning during the university’s three-week intersession,” said Derick Strode, Assistant Director of Academic Services at the Gatton Academy. “Ethan’s pursuits in programming are an exact model of how students are using winter term to creatively advance their learning, research, and career goals.”

Gill’s application for compatible iOS devices is avaliable on Cydia at http://moreinfo.thebigboss.org/moreinfo/depiction.php?file=huehuehueDp

By Gatton Academy

What Dreams Are Made Of

January 16, 2014 | International, News, Students | No Comments

[fblike] Samantha Dinga

Italy 2014: Take 1 – My personal Italy experience didn’t go exactly as expected. On New Year’s Day, I met the Gatton group at the Nashville airport bright and early only to find that my passport had expired one month before our departure date. That put a bit of a damper on things. So I sent my friends off with hugs and promises that I’d meet them there, and waited for my mother to come and take me to Atlanta’s regional Passport offices. After three days of scrambling and watching as tons of beautiful pictures were posted, with the help of my lovely mother, I finally had a shiny new passport in my hands.

Italy 2014: Take 2, City 1 – After long flights from Atlanta to Paris and finally to Venice, I finally met Tim in Venice’s airport, and we took a train (sadly no Venetian canals for me) to meet our group in Florence. I was met at the hotel at around 9 pm by a group of my friends, with hugs, and a lot of complaining that I had to unpack quickly because they had waited to eat dinner for me. We walked outside to see Florence still lit up for the Christmas season, passing the beautiful and massive il Duomo just a few blocks from our hotel. We spent the next few days seeing beautiful sculptures such as the statue of David, being toured around Dante’s hometown, singing together in cathedrals with wonderful acoustics, and posing like the tourists we were in front of Pisa.

Italy 2014: Take 2, City 3 – We bussed from Venice to Rome, and proceeded to all become Lizzie Maguire, frolicking around Rome knowing that this is in fact what dreams are made of. We found what we consider to be the best gelato in all of Italy, and ate what was probably the best meal of my life in a small hole-in-the-wall restaurant. Seriously, I don’t know what was in the lasagna, but it was probably magic. We spent our time in Rome going through all of the major destinations, such as the Coliseum, which had a habit of popping out of nowhere as we bussed from tour to tour despite its size. We saw the Trevi Fountain (which was even more than Lizzie Maguire made me believe), visited the ruins of Pompeii, and went down to the Vatican City and the Sistine Chapel, where some of us even got to return and be blessed by Pope Francis himself!

Italy 2014: A Summation – There is no question about why the world raves about the magnificent art in Italy. Even the hallways and ceilings were breathtaking, not to mention the exhibits themselves. The food is worth every hour we flew, and I am convinced that I will be disappointed at every meal I eat for the next few weeks as a result. Outside of all of our touring, I met a lot of great people as I travelled. Though I’ve lived with everyone on the trip for (at least) a semester, I believe that I’ve forged friendships that are tied forever by the bonds that only 10 Euro gelato, Tim Talks about our dreams themselves, storytelling during Mafia card games, countless rounds of our favorite Spaghetti-Western card game “Bang!”, and dozens of verses of “the ants go marching…” can create. Italy was beautiful, as are all of the great people I had the privilege to travel with. This was in fact what dreams are made of.

By Gatton Academy

Gatton Academy Students Present at National Astronomy Conference

January 15, 2014 | Academics, News | No Comments

A current Gatton Academy student and recent alumna presented their research findings on Thursday, January 9 at the 223rd meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) in Washington, D.C.

James “Marcus” Hughes of Marion, a current senior, and Mary Spraggs of Danville, a 2013 Gatton Academy graduate and current WKU student, both presented posters. Their research is mentored by Dr. Steven Gibson, Assistant Professor in the WKU Department of Physics and Astronomy.

Marcus and Mary have done cutting-edge work deserving of a national forum,” Gibson said. “The AAS conference is a great opportunity for them to communicate their results, get important feedback from other researchers in the field, and see how the wider professional community functions.”

Hughes’ poster was titled A Survey of Hidden Molecular Clouds in the Milky Way, and Spraggs’ was A Multi-wavelength Analysis of Cold Evolving Interstellar Clouds. While both students have presented their findings multiple times previously, this was their first time presenting at a national conference.

Gibson said that senior colleagues approached him at the meeting to say how impressed they were with the students’ presentations.

Writing from the conference, Spraggs commented, “We’ve been to talks not only about breakthrough science, but policy, demographics, career preparation, networking, software development, and education. It’s really given us a new view of the culture in the field and the current issues and topics of discussion.”

Spraggs added that she had had numerous talks about graduate programs and graduate research opportunities at the conference.

The conference was attended by over 3,000 astronomers, educators, journalists, and guests. Keynote speakers included Edwin C. Krupp and Neil deGrasse Tyson.
In addition to Dr. Gibson, Hughes, and Spraggs, the WKU delegation also included student Joshua Williams of Bowling Green and Drs. Michael Carini, Richard Gelderman, Ting-Hui Lee, and Charles McGruder, all faculty in the WKU Department of Physics and Astronomy.

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Class of 2013 Survey

January 13, 2014 | Alumni | No Comments

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Gatton Student Attends HackMIT

October 16, 2013 | News, Student Life | No Comments

Ethan Gill

This past weekend I attended HackMIT, a large undergraduate programming contest held on the campus of MIT. During the 24-hour competition, I programmed around the clock creating a set of apps. The app I developed went on to the win the Mopub-sponsored mobile data award. I was one of 30 teams to win a prize out of over 275 submissions; I am honored and ecstatic that I won. I would not have been knowledgeable enough to attend if not for the experience I have obtained while at the Gatton Academy, and I am grateful for everything the Gatton staff has done to assist me this past year.

During the competition, I developed two iOS apps and set up a server in one day. My final product consisted of BeaconBroadcaster and BeaconViewer, apps that use Bluetooth 4.0 on iPhones and iPads to dynamically ‘beam’ content in one direction with the help of a server. The broadcasting device does not need to be an iPhone. In fact, inexpensive Bluetooth beacons can be purchased online. The applications for this idea are endless. For example, a college campus could put a beacon into their campus maps, allowing real-time “you are here” maps to be pushed to visitors’ devices. Or, a museum could use beacons for their exhibits, pushing extra information to visitors.

To demonstrate my apps to judging, I used three iPhones. Two broadcasted and one received beacons. My viewer app finds the nearest beacon by signal strength and displays it, so I moved the viewer back and forth between the other two phones, demonstrating how the information instantly switched onscreen. In addition, I changed the value of a beacon on my server, and the value on the viewing device updated instantly.

I can honestly say that HackMIT was one of the most invigorating and informative weekends of my life so far. I was able to meet countless tech startups and major tech firms like Dropbox, Bloomberg, Twitter, and Pebble. I highly encourage interested programmers to apply to hackathons and conferences; they might have their lives changed.

My submission information can be found at this link: http://hackmit.challengepost.com/submissions/17857-beaconviewer

By Gatton Academy

There and Back Again: An Arabic Tale

September 16, 2013 | Academics, International, News | No Comments

[fblike] Grace Babbs

While at the Gatton Academy, one never quite knows where he or she will end up. For seven weeks this summer, I found myself living in the awe-inspiring city of Amman, Jordan through an opportunity spotlighted by the Academy. The National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) is a scholarship through the US Department of State to instruct students in critical languages through complete immersion. The experience serves to teach linguistic skills, cultural awareness and to promote international dialogue.

The immersive language experience is unlike any other language program. When I arrived in-country, I could say nothing more than, “Hello, my name is Grace,” and count to ten. Over the course of the summer, I developed situational language skills organically, rather than in the classroom setting. Instead of sitting at my desk hunched over textbook learning vocabulary, I learned the language by haggling over prices with shopkeepers, giving taxi drivers directions back to my apartment, and writing down my host mom’s recipes to share with my family when I returned home.

In addition to our real-world language experience, we spent four hours a day in the classroom studying the nuances of the Arabic language. We were taught by native scholars. On weekends, we took excursions to the surrounding countryside to study Arab history and culture and appreciate the country’s natural beauty. We floated in the Dead Sea, rode camels, ran down sand dunes, and saw renowned archaeological sites.

However, the most rewarding aspects by far were the interactions I had with Jordanian locals, especially my host family. The Jordanians with whom I came into contact were the most hospitable and generous individuals I have ever met. For instance, one night I was invited to iftar (the breaking of Ramadan fast) with a friend’s host family. My friend explained to me the relations of the twenty-four of the twenty-five people with whom we were eating. She was unsure of the last man’s relationships to the rest of the family. When she asked her host mother the relationship, she quickly replied, “We met him yesterday. He is our new best friend. He stayed here eight hours yesterday, and he will stay for as long today.”

I have honestly been forever changed by my trip to Jordan with NSLI-Y. In addition to greatly advancing in my Arabic studies, I have begun to truly think globally. The Middle East is no longer a distant and seemingly-violent place in my mind. It has become a second home, a beautiful landscape with even more beautiful people. I am grateful to Derick Strode and Dr. Melinda Grimsley-Smith for their assistance and support throughout the application process and to the US State Department and American Councils for their sponsorship. Because of the seed planted by Gatton, this Kentucky girl has grown into a global student ambassador.

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Alumni Spotlight: Katie Brown

September 12, 2013 | Alumni, News | No Comments

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Can you describe your experience at the Gatton Academy?
The Academy made my last two years of high school more meaningful; it challenged me academically while introducing me to a unique social environment. Being thrown into the Academy together meant that everyone already had something in common to bond over. I made some of the best friends of my life, kick-started my education with 78 college credits, and participated in research, all thanks to the Academy.

How have your experiences at the Gatton Academy helped you in your adult life?
The Academy accented my driven personality making me aware of the new academic opportunities. I loved the research I did through the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) at the University of Michigan the summer after I graduated, but I continue to interact with people who don’t even know that REU’s exist. The Academy introduced me to lots of research and scholarship opportunities that most college students don’t know about. Once I started my post-Academy undergraduate education my resume allowed me to obtain any research position that I was interested in. These research experiences and my drive to seek out opportunities contributed to me getting my dream job.

Since the Academy, what have you been up to?
After graduating from the Academy I interned at the University of Michigan in the Space Physics Research Lab analyzing upper atmospheric winds before starting at the Georgia Institute of Technology in the fall of 2010. I spent my spring semester abroad at Georgia Tech-Lorraine and the fall interning at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab analyzing the properties of thermal waves on Saturn. Returning to Georgia Tech, I pursued some great research which allowed me to work with micro air vehicles in disturbed wind fields and lead an inflatable wing design team. I graduated with my degree in Aerospace Engineering in May 2013 and spent a month traveling around Europe before moving to Seattle to start my job at Boeing.
Currently, with my job as a Flight Test Engineer, I have been on several flights testing autopilot and related communication systems on various Boeing aircraft. Lately, I have been preparing test plans for Boeing’s newest airplane the 787-9 stretched Dreamliner. Getting to fly on planes as a part of my job is a dream come true, an example of what a flight test engineer does can be seen here: http://www.boeing.com/Features/2011/04/bca_747-8F_roller_coaster_04_11_11.html

What do you aspire to achieve in the next ten years?
I hope to finish my private pilot’s license within the next couple months and start my Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering through Boeing by next fall. My current profession is extremely rewarding and I have a current fascination with the possibility of becoming a flight test pilot. Ultimately, I would like to become an astronaut, fingers crossed on making that happen in the next 10 years.

What was your favorite memory from your time at the Gatton Academy?
Most of my favorite Academy memories come from everyday experiences: running to curfew, crashing on the yellow couch after class, Gretchen and I almost killing ourselves rearranging our room dozens of times, tie dying on the hall, realizing coffee is my 8am savior, and the excitement that came from reuniting after a closed weekend or vacation.

We would like to thank Katie for taking time out of her busy schedule to be interviewed.

By Gatton Academy

Academy Alumni Spotlight: Chris Obermeyer

September 5, 2013 | Alumni, News | No Comments

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Can you describe your experience at the Gatton Academy?
My experiences at the Academy were the most enlightening times of my entire life. When I was there I was deeply struggling with who I was as an individual and learning to come to terms with things that I could not change. I had no clue what I really wanted to do for the rest of my life, but I knew that I had a strong ability in math and science. The person that walked through the door on the first day of orientation was almost entirely different from the person that graduated from WKU only 3 years later. My experience at the Academy was filled with laughter, good memories, and amazing friends that I will never forget. While we certainly had our hard times, my peers became the family that supported me through thick and thin. They were there and loved me even as I struggled with loving myself. They opened my eyes in ways that I can’t even begin to calculate or put into words. Many of them don’t know the impacts they had on me or the courage that I found in them. When I look back I know that I was in the right place with the right people. The experience was beautiful and one that has forever shaped my future.

How have your experiences at the Gatton Academy helped you in your adult life?
Wow, that’s a crazy loaded question. It was at Gatton that I learned how to trust others and love others. I will never forget the talks that Andrew Gott and I had about love and how it must be the most perfect thing in the Universe. Many of those talks shaped my worldview and have enabled me to become the person I am today. Seeing the love that Tim showed each of us and his family taught me what it meant to be a loving individual, an amazing dad and a wonderful husband. In my classes I was pushed more than I ever had been in my entire life. I learned that it’s okay to struggle and it’s sometimes necessary to ask for help. My classes prepared me for graduate school and teaching in high poverty urban schools.

Since the Academy, what have you been up to?
I’ve been busy since I graduated from the Academy in 2009. I finished my B.S. in Biology and Religious Studies at WKU in 2010. That fall I moved to Washington, DC to begin my Ph.D in Biological Sciences at the George Washington University. After a short time there I found myself unhappy but completely in love with teaching(I was a TA there). I applied for DC Teaching Fellows and started teaching the following summer. I received full teaching credentials to teach Secondary Biology. At my school I have been rated a highly effective teacher and have held many additional positions both at the school and district level. Last year I organized the first(or one of the first) LGBTQ Pride Day’s in a public high school. It was the first for the District of Columbia. The Mayor attended along with 25+ LGBTQ organizations and 70+ volunteers. The events are spreading this year as I seek to put the initiative in more schools throughout the region with the support of many non-profits and the District of Columbia’s Public Schools. I expect to be appointed to the Mayor’s Advisory Board for GLBT Affairs in the next couple of weeks. Soon I will be responsible for helping to implement the District’s new anti-bullying policy and will be serving on several panels to help make the community aware of the issues that students face on a regular basis. A few weeks ago I finished my M.Ed at American University focusing on Education Policy and Leadership.

What do you aspire to achieve in the next ten years?
This is probably the most difficult question to answer. Right now I’m looking to either find a non-profit to be a fiscal sponsor for my high school programs or to start my own non-profit. I don’t have any intentions of leaving the classroom but am strongly committed to creating change for LGBTQ students in schools across the country starting with DC. I’ve toyed with the idea of running for council in the next ten years but for now I’m not sure. I do know that I want to continue to change lives by having an impact on the kids that walk through my door everyday. The professors at WKU and the staff at the Academy instilled in me the importance of doing what makes you happy and helps others. The rest will take care of itself.

What was your favorite memory from your time at the Gatton Academy?
There are so many favorite memories that I have from the Academy. I could talk about trying to figure out how many marshmallows I could fit in my mouth with Katie Riley, Kaitlin Hartley or Manny Cortez while playing “I’m A Chubby Bunny”. Maybe it was playing frisbee out by FAC and having the time of my life with Luke Akridge and so many others. Perhaps it was the ski trips where I ended up just playing in the snow because I had no ability to stand up when on a slippery surface. It might be eating so much corn on the cob that I got sick just so we could make a corn pyramid to put on the conveyer belt at DUC. There are so many beautiful memories that I had at the Academy it has become impossible to pinpoint which was my favorite. I think my favorite memory from my time at the Academy is happening right now as I reminisce on how perfect the whole experience was. I was a caterpillar in a cocoon that had a transformation to undergo. The Academy was my cocoon and I have come out stronger, better, and ready to take on the world.

We would like to thank Chris for taking time out of his schedule to be interviewed.

By Gatton Academy

China Summer Bridge Program

September 3, 2013 | International, News, Student Life | No Comments

[fblike] Sarah Angelle

My 17th birthday found me pacing the long hallway of Nashville’s airport, waiting for a plane which would take me to Chicago and from there to Beijing. The excitement was bubbling through me with such a rush that I’m surprised the seatbelt on the plane was enough to keep me from floating away. Going to China was the best birthday present I could ask for.

I was given this opportunity through the Confucius Institute at WKU called the Hanban Summer Bridge Program. The idea of the program is to gain elementary knowledge of the Chinese language while being immersed in Chinese culture. The motto of the trip was, you can sleep when you are in America. The itinerary was jammed full with field trips, activities, and language and culture classes.

The field trips included common tourist destinations in Beijing, as well as more unconventional places from the 山东 (Shandong) province (where we spent the majority of our two week stay). Shandong field trips consisted of Weifang, the kite capital of the world, where I learned how to make kites and the meaning of noctilucent kites, the Shouguang vegetable fair (with life-sized statues made of corn and beans), and The Three Kongs: 孔林，孔庙， and 孔府 (meaning Confucius’ cemetery, Confucius’ temple, and Confucius’ family mansion).

The tourist spots in Beijing included the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the Silk Market, and traditional Beijing restaurants. Bargaining became a favorite game of many, and it became normal to pay a sixth of the original price. While at a restaurant in Beijing, I learned that eating roasted duck was part of their tradition, and every time the duck was prepared it was cut into 108 slices. The end of our stay in Beijing consisted of the closing ceremony, where our group was costumed in traditional Chinese clothing and performed Chinese sign language along with a song in Chinese about honoring your elders.

In addition to the multiple field trips, we also dipped our toes into Chinese culture through activities at the host school. The activities included Chinese calligraphy and painting, embroidery, pottery, Chinese paper-cutting, dumpling making, Tai Chi, and songs and games taught by Chinese students and the host families we stayed with for a day. My favorite part about staying at Shouguang Century School was the friends I acquired and the hospitality shown. Although we came across a few language barriers, we made connections that I know will last a lifetime.

I plan to take the things that I learned and teach them to my family and friends, such as a family dumpling night and Tai Chi with a friend in the mornings. In the future, I plan to study abroad in China with a focus on language courses and biology research. By experiencing the culture of a language I began only a year ago, I take comfort in how much I have already learned and look forward to a whole lifetime of study ahead.

By Gatton Academy

Academy Alumni Spotlight: Jae Lee

August 29, 2013 | Alumni, News | No Comments

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Q: Can you describe your experience at the Gatton Academy?
My experience at the Gatton Academy was incredible to say the least.The Academy provided me with various opportunities and challenges which in turn helped me grow and learn as a person.

Q: How have your experiences at the Gatton Academy helped you in your adult life?
The Gatton Academy taught me two lessons that have enabled me to lead a more productive and meaningful adult life so far. The first lesson is to manage my time more effectively through prioritizing on a daily basis while not losing sight on both short-term and long-term personal goals. Given that the curriculum at the Gatton Academy entailed taking multiple college-level science classes with labs and writing numerous pages of analytical papers for humanities classes, learning how to plan and prioritize proved to be (and continues to be) essential for achieving personal goals. The second lesson is to continuously seek out challenges and not to be afraid to try new things. By taking more challenging classes and engaging in new activities, I realized that it is during the time of difficulty and uncertainty that I grow and learn the most.

Q: Since the Academy, what have you been up to?
Upon graduating from the Academy, I continued my undergraduate studies at the University of Kentucky and graduated recently with a degree in math. I am currently a first year student in DMD/PhD program at the University of Louisville and will be taking courses through both the graduate school and the dental school while carrying out a doctoral research project for the next several years.

Q: What do you aspire to achieve in the next ten years?
In the next ten years, I hope to have completed the dual degree program successfully and work as a post-doctoral scholar at a research institution. I ultimately would like to become a dental school faculty member as both a clinician and a researcher.

Q: What was your favorite memory from your time at the Gatton Academy?
Some of my favorite memories at the Gatton Academy include listening to Dr. Gott’s inspiring seminar talks, playing soccer/tennis/chess with other Academy students, and participating in the leadership retreat in my junior year.

We would like to thank Jae for taking time out of his schedule to be interviewed.

By Gatton Academy

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