Lakers and community members gathered on March 22 to celebrate the grand opening of the new Laker Store in the Grand Rapids Art Museum in downtown Grand Rapids.
The Laker Dance Team and Louie the Laker joined the gathering at the new location, which overlooks Rosa Parks Circle and aims to expand GVSU’s presence in Grand Rapids while contributing to the community by enhancing the retail space on Monroe Center.
“Grand Valley students and alumni animate the city of Grand Rapids,” said President Philomena V. Mantella. “This location, right in the heart of downtown, is literally and figuratively at the center of so much that takes place in Grand Rapids.
“It is much more than just a merchandise store. We have plans to make this a place for entry and access to all things GVSU. We will activate the space, just as our students do every evening downtown.”
Community leaders who spoke at the event welcomed the opportunity to bring new energy and patrons to this central area of downtown.
GVSU alum and current student Isabella Ordonez poses for a photo with President Mantella in the new Laker Store on Monroe.
Image credit – Amanda Pitts
“We’ve put a lot of effort into the creation and growth of Rosa Parks Circle and the space around it,” said Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalynn Bliss. “GVSU is a perfect choice to help this area become an even more popular place to gather, learn and celebrate.”
Also at the ribbon cutting were representatives from the GVSU Admissions Office, who were ready to fulfill that promise of making the storefront more than just a place to sell merchandise. They were fielding questions about GVSU admittance, and will have a presence in the downtown location in the future.
The Laker Store on Monroe will be open four days a week. The hours are:
Grand Valley hosted both West Michigan’s FIRST Robotics District Competition and the Region 12 Science Olympiad on its Allendale Campus March 23. Hundreds of middle and high school learners participated in competitions that would put their problem-solving and STEAM skills to the test.
West Michigan’s FIRST Robotics District Competition
More than 40 high school robotics teams gathered in the Fieldhouse for West Michigan’s FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics District Competition. The arena was retrofitted to house a specialized competition pit, dozens of toolboxes, and banners that identified each team’s work area, practice fields and a makeshift cafeteria.
At the start of Saturday’s ceremonies, Provost Fatma Mili awarded the GVSU FIRST Robotics Scholarship to Christopher Tunstall, a student at Grand River Preparatory Academy in Kentwood. The $20,000 scholarship is awarded to prospective GVSU engineering students who have participated in FIRST Robotics.
Tunstall said he initially did not know participating on a robotics team would eventually lead to a scholarship. Tunstall plans to study electrical engineering at Grand Valley next fall.
The three-day event and volunteers were coordinated by Nicki Bonczyk, ’14, who has volunteered with FIRST Robotics since 2009. Darren Fife, a Grand Valley student studying computer science and computer engineering, was one of many volunteers.
“This organization helped build my love for engineering, which is why I feel I have to give back,” Fife said. “It facilitates so much hands-on learning, and provides all these students with a fun and competitive way to discover their love for the STEAM subjects.”
Teams battled all day with their robots to achieve certain objectives, won points for their alliance, and tinkered away at repairs. At the end, the Wayland Wildcats from Wayland Union High School finished in first place, followed by teams from Mattawan and Grandville. Other awards and winners from the event can be found on the First Inspires website .
Team members from East Grand Rapids High School are pictured March 23 at the FIRST Robotics District Competition at the Fieldhouse Arena
Image credit – Macayla Cramer
Region 12 Science Olympiad
In the Kelly Family Sports Center and the Padnos Hall of Science, middle and high school students from Kent, Ottawa and Muskegon counties showcased their STEAM abilities in events ranging from subjects on anatomy and physiology to optics and lasers. It marked the 40th anniversary the Region 12 Science Olympiad competition hosted at Grand Valley.
With 18 middle school and 22 high school teams attending the event, the competition provided students like Violet Harlow, from Hudsonville’s Riley Street Middle School, hands-on learning experiences, such as assisting in assembling her team’s launcher for the Air Trajectory event. The event calls for students to launch projectiles onto targets and collect data regarding device parameters and performance.
“The reason why I enjoy Science Olympiad so much is because it allows me and my teammates to do tons of hands-on science experiments, which we can’t do as much in the classroom,” Violet said.
A Grand Valley researcher is teaming up with a teacher and students from a Muskegon County high school to conduct tests monitoring the health of a beloved creek that flows nearby.
The most recent testing is for the presence and behavior of suckers in Crockery Creek, which is a tributary for the Grand River as it nears the end of its journey to Lake Michigan. That sucker monitoring is also part of a larger study with ties to John Ball Zoo and the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, said Amanda Buday, associate professor of sociology.
Buday, a rural sociologist, got involved with studying Crockery Creek after conducting a community survey in 2022 for the Ottawa Conservation District regarding the Crockery Creek watershed.
“One of the things that stood out as we talked to landowners is that a lot of people expressed memories of fishing in the creek, and it was a really valued local trout stream,” Buday said. “But there was a sense that the Grand River had gotten a lot of focus as far as water-quality efforts but that Crockery Creek had not been up until the Ottawa Conservation District grant.
Pictured from left, Ravenna FFA teacher Melanie Block, Amanda Buday, associate professor of sociology, community volunteers Devlyn and Ken Borgman and Grand Valley student Steven King stand along the Rio Grande Branch of Crockery Creek as they participate in a sucker migration study in collaboration with John Ball Zoo and Shedd Aquarium.
Buday said further research showed monitoring of Crockery Creek had been relatively inconsistent. As she investigated ways to help fill that gap, Buday was connected with Melanie Block, a teacher at Ravenna High School who leads that school’s FFA Rural Technology class.
Block’s students, primarily from that group, have been taking part in stream monitoring in conjunction with Buday. Other testing has included monitoring for such things as E. coli.
“This helps draw a connection for why they should care about the water quality in the community and how they affect it,” Block said.
The project’s goal is to collect community-owned stream science data that over a long period of time will help keep a pulse on what is happening with this creek that has been significant to generations of residents, especially recreationally.
The Ravenna High School contingent and Buday recently started the sucker monitoring by using equipment in a branch of Crockery Creek which runs through Patterson Park. The students had started their morning meeting with experts at John Ball Zoo on training and monitoring protocol.
This study of suckers is one of the first projects on the east side of Lake Michigan for the Shedd Aquarium experts, who are also researching sucker migration in Illinois and Wisconsin, Buday said.
According to those experts, suckers are the most abundant migratory fishes in the Great Lakes. They serve as a food source for many species while fertilizing creeks with their nutrients during spawning migrations. Monitoring is important because the timing of their migration is based on environmental cues, which may be activated earlier than usual in the spring due to climate shifts, the experts said.
Buday said a hallmark of this entire stream-monitoring project is the number of GVSU experts who have helped with field training, water research techniques, statistics and more. She said they are constantly working to innovate ways to bring the research to the public and to upgrade equipment and techniques.
The inspiration behind the so-called “The Dial of Destiny” in the 2023 Indiana Jones movie is an ancient mechanical object that scholars say provides crucial insight into ancient Greeks’ understanding of astronomy at that time.
This week, the Grand Valley community has a chance to hear from one of the leading experts on the object, named the Antikythera Mechanism: Alexander Jones, the Leon Levy Director and Professor of the History of the Exact Sciences in Antiquity at New York University.
Jones will speak at 2 p.m. April 5 in the Mary Idema Pew Library’s multipurpose room.
“One thing that we hope people will take away from Dr. Jones’ presentation is an appreciation of the innovative, creative spirit with which peoples of the ancient Mediterranean approached the exploration of their world,” said Melissa Morison, GVSU Classics Department chair.
“While the Mechanism’s exact purpose and the extent of its capabilities are still the subject of ongoing research, its discovery has provided valuable insights into the technological innovation of ancient civilizations and their sophisticated understanding of the cosmos.”
Jones said in an interview that he would describe the object as “a kind of simulator that allows you to imitate the passage of time at an accelerated rate.”
First discovered by Greek sponge divers in 1901, the Mechanism now consists of 82 identifiable fragments, some as small as a fingernail, Jones said. What has been recovered is about a third the size of the original.
The artifact, which dates back to around the first century BCE, contains dials, instruments, an intricate gearing system and text that have all provided clues to experts about its use, Jones said. He said this existed at a time when Greek astronomy was getting very mathematically sophisticated.
“This is clearly at the most advanced end of what could be done in a workshop environment to display scientific knowledge at the time,” Jones said.
This photo shows the three “main” fragments A, B, and C as they are displayed now in the National Archaeological Museum in Greece, according to Jones.
Image credit – Anita Gould, license CC BY-NC 2.0 DEED
Jones marvels at the complexity of the device and the scientists’ depth of knowledge it indicates, including the movement of heavenly bodies known in ancient times and the prediction of eclipses.
“I think it was probably a high-end teaching device that you would use to teach lessons in astronomy to, say, a sort of elite class of wealthy intellectual people,” Jones said. “And it would be really impressive to be able to show this box that is like a sped-up version of the cosmos around us in that very miniature form.”
Noting the Mechanism is a “real demonstration of the power of human invention and intellect,” Jones said the object also provides insight into the complex history of humans, their societies and cultures.
Morison said the visit by Jones helps emphasize an area of increasing interests for students.
” In Classics, we are expanding our capacities in the area of ancient Mediterranean technologies of all kinds, to align with increasing student interest in that area,” she said. “Being able to host Dr. Jones is a great way to get started.”
The Student Award Convocation on April 8 will recognize top academic scholars and students who will receive Excellence-in-a-Discipline Award.
The ceremony will begin at 6 p.m. at the Eberhard Center. A list of all award recipients is posted on the Office of the Provost website. Profiles of three students are below.
Also, the Division of Student Affairs recently recognized top student leaders during an award ceremony.
Tianna Davis will receive the Gayle R. Davis First Generation College Student Emerging Leader Award.
Image credit – Amanda Pitts
Tianna Davis, who will receive the Gayle R. Davis First Generation College Student Emerging Leader Award, was initially surprised when she learned that a faculty member had nominated her for a fellowship in the Hauenstein Center’s Cook Leadership Academy.
Then she read the description Darren Walhof, professor and chair of political science, had written and began to see herself as a leader.
“I always thought I was a regular student doing regular things,” said Davis, a junior majoring in political science. “But professor Walhof sees me as a leader and I’m going to live up to that.”
A native of Detroit, Davis said it took some “major hopping” before deciding on political science. Adding a minor in human rights was key, she said.
She plans to explore the field more during the summer months during an internship as a victim advocate.
“I’ll be able to learn more about the court process and get hands-on experience in this field. I would like to work in the victim advocacy realm and bring that work back to Detroit,” she said. “There are not many people in these positions.”
Davis works in the Office of the Provost at the front desk and is a member of Pi Sigma Alpha, the national honors society for political science.
She will be the first person in her family to earn a college degree, a fact she carries with pride and, sometimes, a few tears. She has two younger sisters, one who is a senior in high school.
“I try to be a role model and leader for my sisters. I’m proud of myself and I know my mom and my family are proud of me,” she said.
– Michele Coffill
Aseel Ayesh will receive a Glenn A. Niemeyer Award.
Image credit – Kendra Stanley-Mills
Aseel Ayesh, a native of Grand Rapids, will receive a Glenn A. Niemeyer Award , presented to undergraduate and graduate students who demonstrate excellence in the classroom and extracurricular activities.
As a third-year student, Ayesh will earn two bachelor’s degrees in accounting and finance this spring. Ayesh is also part of a combined degree program and is working to complete a master’s in scientific accounting degree concurrently with her bachelor’s degree programs. She said it’s a stepping stone to her goal of attaining a Certified Public Accounting license.
“By fully immersing myself in my studies with enthusiasm and dedication, I unlock potential for growth and development,” Ayesh said. “This entails embracing challenges as opportunities for learning, persisting through setbacks, and continuously seeking to expand my knowledge and skills.”
Ayesh said she is thankful to her parents for all her successes. As first-generation immigrants from Palestine, Ayesh said her parents worked hard to immerse her and her siblings in the best education systems they could find. Ayesh said they also shaped her views of the world by providing her with the opportunity to live and study abroad in Palestine for three years. She said that experience grounded her in her identity, roots and faith.
“Being exposed to two completely different ways of life (in the East and the West) made me appreciate the richness of each and gave me the opportunity to selectively incorporate aspects from both into my own life while discarding those that do not resonate with me, allowing me to shape my own identity and world view,” said Ayesh.
During her time at GVSU, Ayesh has been a part of several organizations, including the Frederik Meijer Honors College, Hauenstein Center’s Cook Leadership Academy and the Seidman College of Business mentorship program.
“There are many career paths I’m currently considering. Regardless of my choice, I aim to pursue a career that will give me an opportunity to give back to the community that has supported me,” she said.
– Thomas Garrett is a student writer for University Communications. Garrett, a native of Stevensville, is a senior who is majoring in writing.
The Physics Department is hosting a solar eclipse viewing event on the Allendale Campus April 8 to help attendees safely view the phenomenon and share the wonder while learning more about it.
The viewing event will take place from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. in front of the Kirkhof Center. GVSU Physics experts will be on hand to provide information at the beginning of the event and prior to the maximum coverage, which occurs around 3:11 p.m.
Organizers will provide ways for attendees to safely observe the eclipse, including glasses, solar telescopes and a pinhole camera, since it is not safe to look directly at the sun during the eclipse. The event is weather dependent.
According to the Physics Department, the maximum coverage of this area of 93.2% will occur at 3:11 p.m. The partial eclipse starts at 1:55 p.m., and then the partial eclipse ends at 4:24 p.m.
Experiencing this rare event is special, and even more so since the next solar eclipse covering this much of North America and the United States won’t occur again until 2045, said Richard Vallery, department chair.
While totality – which will be closest to this area in Ohio – typically brings a temperature drop and a stirring of nocturnal animals, those types of effects won’t be as profound here, Vallery said. But the moments of maximum coverage will still be amazing.
During an event like this, Vallery also likes to ponder how “this is a large-scale celestial interaction on a scale that we don’t normally think of.” The size of the celestial bodies, the orbits, the angles, the alignments all play a role in an event that is remarkable, he said.
“It’s this brief moment in time where celestial bodies all interact in a way to produce an event that’s kind of fleeting,” Vallery said. “It just helps you think about the majesty of the solar system.”
Hundreds of Grand Valley students will showcase their research or creative projects during the annual Student Scholars Day on April 10.
Now in its 28th year, Student Scholars Day recognizes not only the students’ academic journey, but also their personal growth, said Susan Mendoza, director of the Center for Undergraduate Scholar Engagement.
“For a lot of students, they learn more about their discipline and themselves as they engage in research,” Mendoza said. “It’s not this thing that’s completely separate from ourselves, but it is part of ourselves and our intellectual development and journey.”
Imani Perry, the Henry A. Morss, Jr. and Elisabeth W. Morss Professor of Studies of Women, Gender and Sexuality and of African and African American Studies at Harvard University, will deliver the keynote address to kick off the event.
Perry’s address is scheduled for 4 p.m. on April 9 in the Pere Marquette Room at the Kirkhof Center.
Perry, a columnist for The Atlantic, received the 2022 National Book Award for Nonfiction for her work, “South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation.”
“ She’s the perfect person to kick off the celebration,” Mendoza said. “She’ll be talking about her research and also her journey as a scholar in that process.
“That’s the piece we want students to understand and to explore. Research and scholarship isn’t simply about the act of doing research and scholarship. It’s about their development and transformation during that process.”
For more information, visit the Student Scholars Day website .
A monthly survey conducted by a Grand Valley researcher indicates that area manufacturers and businesses are seeing signs of modest growth in the West Michigan economy.
Brian Long, director of supply management research at the Seidman College of Business, said several metrics in his report rose in March and hinted at a recession-free 2024, though some responses from surveyed purchasing managers reflect caution.
“With this month’s positive numbers, it seems obvious that barring some kind of a Black Swan event that a recession is not just around the corner, but now improbable for the rest of 2024,” Long said.
“However, we have built up a few cautionary bubbles, and we’ve averaged a post-war recession about every six years, and so we are not immune to recessions, and we need to keep a close watch on 2025 and beyond.”
Several key indices from Long’s report trended upward in March. The report’s new orders index, a measurement of a company’s business improvement, rose seven points last month. The production index, a measure of a company’s output, climbed 12 points.
The largest gain came from Long’s employment index, which climbed 16 points from February, suggesting area firms are increasing their staffing levels.
“Last month’s survey came in flat, but this month’s numbers came in considerably more positive, and furthermore, the purchasing manager surveys at the national level are also positive,” Long said.
“Our survey of employment has been modestly negative for the last six months, so it was good to see our employment index bounce back to positive in our most recent report.”
Here’s a look at the key index results from March’s survey of West Michigan businesses:
New orders index (business improvement): +10 vs. +3 in February
Production index (output): +2 vs. -10 in February
Employment index: +9 vs. -7 in February
Lead times index: -2 vs. -5 in February
More information about the survey and an archive of past surveys are available on the Seidman College of Business website .
A two-day series of discussions and “field trips” April 16-17 will explore strategies for expanding creative capacity across West MIchigan.
“Unlocking Creative Capacity: How to Grow a Rainforest Innovation Ecosystem” is the theme for the 2024 Confluence Thought Series, presented by GVSU . The series theme likens the nurturing of a creative community to a rainforest, where biodiversity flourishes due to a balance between competition and cooperation.
More than 20 leaders in tech, business and education will share visionary ideas that are fueling better companies and teams.
Brian Cohen, executive director of Confluence, said this year’s events widened the lens on the tech-focused series to look at the entire “innovation ecosystem.”
“Because all innovation, including tech, happens at the level of individuals and small teams, it’s critical for West Michigan to have a ready workforce that’s motivated and available to be hired,” Cohen said. “So expanding creative capacity through strengthening teams, opening up networks and increasing diversity is the best way for our region to stay competitive and to capitalize on all the opportunities that exist within tech and beyond.”
The series includes a “field trip” to GVSU’s downtown futureEDlab and X>STUDIO at Consumers Energy’s John G. Russell Leadership Center.
Ed Aboufadel, senior associate vice president for academic affairs, will also be part of the 10 a.m. April 16 panel discussion, “Understanding Social Barriers: Building an Ecosystem Based on Connection.”
Registration for the events is free to members of the GVSU community and includes breakfast and lunch each day. Ticket prices range from $10-$40 for others.
Discussion sessions for the The Thought Series will be held at Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University, 17 Fountain St. NW in Grand Rapids.
Tuesday, April 16
Session 1
Brainy, Diverse and Motivated: Unlocking Creative Capacity Across the Workforce, 8:45 – 9:45 a.m.
Session 2
Understanding Social Barriers: Building an Ecosystem Based on Connection, 10–11 a.m.
Field Trip
Tour of GVSU futureEDlab and X>STUDIO at Consumers Energy’s John G. Russell Leadership Center, 120 Front Ave. SW in Grand Rapids
Wednesday, April 17
Session 1
Cooperating Within Competition: How to Build Trusted Partnerships, 8:45–9:45 a.m.
Session 2
Inside Job: Building Teams That Exceed Individual Capacities, 10–11a.m.
Field Trip
AI Incubator at Grand Rapids Community College, Room 133, Calkins Science Center, 226 Bostwick NE, 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.
About 150 projects were presented to a crowd of over 400 people at the Reach Higher Showcase on April 12.
The exhibits were presented in line with GVSU’s Reach Higher Commitments to an empowered educational experience, a lifetime of learning and a culture of educational equity.
There were many innovative and impactful projects on display at Reach Higher. Here are five examples of presentations from the event.
Experiential learning inside a virtual courtroom
While courtrooms are generally open to the public, some students face challenges fitting an in-person courtroom observation into their schedules. Through virtual reality, the courtroom can be brought to the students.
Developed by GVSU’s Legal Studies faculty and IT Innovation and Research teams, the VR Courtroom provides students with a 360-degree tour of a courtroom located in the 61st District Court in Grand Rapids. Students receive an immersive and interactive experience designed to facilitate a stronger connection between theory and practice.
Through a VR headset, phone or computer, users explore the courtroom’s layout and design while learning foundational concepts related to the court system. The program also provides behind-the-scenes views of less commonly visible courtroom features, such as the judge’s chambers.
The development team has high hopes for expanding off the foundation of this VR experience. Courtney Topic, assistant professor with the School of Criminology, said the group hopes to expand to live-action VR experiences, giving students opportunities to practice in an authentic setting.
GVSU Digital Twin
GVSU Blue Dot introduces the Digital Twin, a dynamic, virtual representation of a physical object. Innovator in Residence Joseph Van Harken and Senior VMA Jeff Staub said the tool can be used for campus planning, student orientation, improving learning environments and personalized education.
The exhibit featured two use cases for the Digital Twin.
The Digital Doppelganger can be used in External Reality experiences. A photo-realistic digital human avatar is created using an eight-camera depth capture array. The avatars can be utilized in virtual campus tours, allowing prospective students to explore Grand Valley without stepping foot on campus.
Pre-visualization allows prospective architectural renderings of future projects such as the Blue Dot Lab to be presented in augmented reality. Users can place the Digital Twin onto the surface using their phone and walk around the experience to explore.
The Dragoncillo Puppet Troupe: community outreach through puppetry
Beginning more than a decade ago, the Dragoncillo is a puppetry troupe dedicated to imaginative, bilingual (English and Spanish) storytelling that educates while it entertains. The group performs across the country and abroad at universities, K-12 schools, festivals and other gatherings.
The custom designed, 3D-printed figures allow volunteers to join the performance with minimal rehearsal time.
The group’s performances range from 30-75 minutes and feature a variety of original and adapted works.
Jason Yancey, Dragoncillos’s artistic director and Spanish professor at GVSU, said the shows include interactive elements after the performances. He said this can be especially insightful to young students who have never experienced puppetry in person before.
Each show ends with an opportunity for the audience to ask questions and handle some of the puppets.
GVSBrew: Two new brewing badges
The Cell and Molecular Biology Department created two new stackable Brewing Badges. Students learn to design and brew beer, identify various beer styles and assess beer through sensory and scientific methods.
The Homebrewing Badge is earned through a single course, CMB 350, Foundations in Brewing. The class focuses on the historical, social, economic and health impacts of beer.
The Craft Brewing Badge is earned by completing two courses, CMB 430, Brewing Science and CMB 431, Advanced Brewing. These classes focus on the analysis of beer and brewing methods from a scientific perspective. Students have the opportunity to advance their brewing skills and recipe design to produce high quality beers.
Casting Club African Spear and Halligan bar
The Casting Club presented two projects at the Reach Higher Showcase. Their African Spear was entered into a 2023 competition held in Cleveland by the Steel Founders Society of America. Their spear took home first place in design criteria and won third place overall at the competition.
This year, the students are producing Halligan bars. The tools are used by firefighters for forcible entry. The multipurpose tool can break down doors, create openings for other tools among other things.
Rock Phelps, an engineering student, said their design includes a flat shaft which makes it easy for an ax to slide along the bar as well as a handle designed to make the tool easily handled with firefighter gloves.
Oregonstate News Blog 