In episode 10 of the Conversatio podcast, Dr. Mary Imparato discusses faith, family, and community amid an economic crisis with Timothy P. Carney, the senior political columnist for the Washington Examiner and senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.
Faculty
Meet Dr. Judith McDonald!
Author: The Crusader Staff Writer, Laura Gonzalez
The Elementary Education professors are some of the coolest teachers I have ever had the opportunity to learn from. One professor I want to share is Dr. Judith McDonald. Dr. McDonald teaches lots of education classes, but the best one was the Science Methods of Teaching. She is more than a hard-working professor at the Abbey. She has spent lots of time in schools helping with their science programs to this day, traveling, and helping write 3 chapters of a book. Dr. McDonald is always willing to help students out with achieving their goals, but have you ever heard of one that is helping the Kingdom of Sudira Rabum understand a new standard and implementing interactive science for students grades Kindergarten through 12th.
Becoming a teacher was something she realized was her dream job. Teaching science is what stood out to her since she was so young. According to Dr. McDonald, she was at girl scout camp when she realized her strong passion for science. In the summer of 6th grade, when the astronauts landed on the moon, she was demanding everyone to watch the moon landing. She cut out all the pictures from Washington news and still has them to this day. Watching the moon landing was an incredible experience that helped her fall in love with science.
Dr. McDonald has been working here at the Abbey for 15 years and is currently in her 16th year. She has taught a “lifetime” of all grade levels, including graduate school. Dr. McDonald has spent another “lifetime” of learning and is continually still learning to this day. Outside of the college classroom, Dr. McDonald works with schools around the Charlotte area. At one school, she is helping the school build a garden. She helps host STEAM nights where some of the education methods students help teach another school an educational project. Dr. McDonald has created so many opportunities for her students to adventure out and have experiences with their teaching careers. Something that gives her motivation to stay involved in school is when she sees her education students cross the line from student to teacher.
Outside of being a great professor, she loves to be outdoors, hiking, enjoying nature, gardening, and traveling. She has to Switzer, France, Iceland, Hawaii, Costa Rice, and Panama. Dr. McDonald loves to travel and discover new science within all the adventures. In Iceland, she saw volcanos, swam, and touch the Europe plates. She saw northern lights and glaciers. In Hawaii, she saw an active volcano in Kailua and observatories. Hiked the Grand Canyon to see rock formations. Went to Costa Rica to see the biodiversity. Gone to Panama for volcanoes and the canal. Snorkeled the Caribbean and watch coral bleach. One of her favorite things is to observe clouds everywhere she goes.
This article was originally posted in the Spring of 2023, Issue 1 of The Crusader Newspaper. Download the full issue here.
Succeeding in Class: Dr. Ian Crowe
Author: The Crusader Staff Writer, Patrick Gallagher
If you have taken a class with the much-liked Professor Ian Crowe, you know by now not to have a hood on your head in that class. The well-known professor has been teaching for 41 years and has been a professor at the Abbey for the last several years. He not only has experience being a high school and college professor, but he has also taught in a different country, which gives him an interesting perspective on how the classroom works.
When asked about the most important things for students to be doing in class, Dr. Crowe had a surprising response. Most of the students at Belmont Abbey would think that a professor might say to do all the reading beforehand, take lots of notes, and maybe be on time every time. However, Dr. Crowe says out of all of these, the most important thing is merely to “look attentive” in class.
Yes, my fellow students, it’s that easy. Simply look attentive in class, and you can have happier professors and better grades.
Dr. Crowe says that if you look attentive, you will probably have a notebook on the desk in front of you, even if you don’t plan on taking any notes. But if you do have a notebook in front of you, you are more likely to pay attention and write something interesting down, and instead of the entire class being background noise, you may find that you have an interest in whatever subject you may be in. Even if this is not the case, simply looking attentive can lead to a better overall grade and a better understanding of what you are studying. So, have your ears uncovered, your notebook on the desk, and when your eyes are up, your grades probably will be too.
This article was originally posted in the Spring of 2023, Issue 1 of The Crusader Newspaper. Download the full issue here.
Belmont Abbey Monastery – a way of a holy life
Belmont Abbey monastery, founded by the Benedictine monks on April 21, 1876, is the sweet and humble home of the Benedictine monks.
The holiness of the Abbey monastery is sublime, and the simplicity of its monks is divine. The chanting of daily prayers sanctifies the monastery, and the chastity and benevolence of the monks dignifies the monastery.
Belmont Abbey monastery is imbued with silence, peace, and serenity and it radiates the monks’ inner beauty. The monastery inspires the monks to be compassionate and kind and it nurtures the community in the body, spirit, and mind.
For 146 years, the Abbey monastery has been a blessing to the community and a beacon of light. Let us pray the Abbey remains blessed with the love of Christ.”
Read the full article writing by Abbey Professor, Gireesh Gupta.
Engaging Undergraduate Student-Athletes in Research and Publication Opportunities
Students Lauren Denhard, Desislava Yordanova, Kira Zazzi, Jose Mejia, Timothy Shar, Julia Iseman, Tucker Hoeniges, Madison Mitchell, and professor Dr. Erin Jensen recently published an article titled “Engaging Undergraduate Student-Athletes in Research and Publication Opportunities.”
Undergraduate research and publishing have been shown to be beneficial to students and to lead to positive outcomes. Most of the current research on undergraduate research has not specifically focused on student-athletes and the unique challenges that they face in being involved in undergraduate research opportunities. As eight undergraduate student-athletes and one mentorship-focused college professor discovered, student athletes can be successful when engaging in undergraduate research and publishing. Such a project needs to have a mentor who has a good relationship with the students and can lead them through the process. Without the guidance, editing, and revising capabilities of that mentor, this article would not have been written. While all of the student-athlete co-authors contributed to the article, they needed the faculty mentor to keep them motivated and to bring their ideas and suggestions together into a cohesive article. It was the mentor who kept co-authors involved in every step of the process, but also the one who stayed up all night to finish the final edits on the article.
Despite some challenges around having all co-authors participate in the revision process or in contributing to the literature review, the overall benefits of the project certainly outweighed those issues. The co-authors expressed feeling more confidence in their writing abilities and their academic goals. They expressed appreciation for having an opportunity to learn about the research and publishing process and gaining information that would be useful for them in the future and for their post-graduation goals. Several co-authors decided to submit their own individual essays to a variety of undergraduate journals and are waiting to hear back. Other co-authors sought out writing opportunities through internships, writing for the newspaper, and deciding to pursue a minor in writing.
Student-athletes can succeed in undergraduate research and publication with the support and guidance of a faculty mentor who is committed to the process and is willing to put in the time and effort to help us through the process. Such benefits are both short- and long-term, and they are significant, ranging from contributing to students’ academic success and focus on graduate school, to increasing confidence in their writing, expanding their awareness of the academic research process and motivating them to become part of this process. Student-athletes should not be excluded from the process because of their perceived busy schedules; instead, they should be mentored and guided through that process.
