Faculty & Staff News
Pat Pringle’s Roadside recognized as Geoscience's Best Guidebook
12/10/09 — Centralia College's Earth Sciences associate professor Patrick T. Pringle's most recent book, Roadside Geology of Mount Rainier National Park and Vicinity, garnered the Geoscience Information Society Best Guidebook Award. Pringle received the award during the Society's 2009 meeting held in Portland, Oregon, in October.
Roadside Geology is an up-to-date book on volcanic processes past and present in the Pacific Northwest, illustrating both the beauty and the hazards of our state's largest volcano. The book covers the volcanic zone from about I-5 to the west, SR 410 to the north, Yakima on the east, and SR 12 to the south.
Pringle's research into age-dating the most recent catastrophic mudflows, or "lahars" at Mount Rainier have given scientists new insights into the destructive forces that could threaten much of the development between the mountain and Seattle if another lahar event occurs.
Numerous color and historical photos and an easy-to-follow layout with clearly identified location stops distinguish the 191-page guide. The award subcommittee noted that of all of this year's nominees, Pringle's book best met the criteria established by the GSIS "Guidelines for Authors, Editors, and Publishers of Geologic Field Trip Guidebooks."
The publication joins Pringle's Roadside Geology of Mount St. Helens, published earlier.
The Geoscience Information Society is an international professional organization devoted to improving the exchange of information in the earth sciences. The membership consists of librarians, editors, cartographers, educators, and information professionals. Information about the Society may be found at its website, http://www.geoinfo.org.
International Programs director runs in Vegas
12/10/09 — When she's not running after international students for Centralia College, you might find Laju Nankani running the streets of various cities throughout the country or abroad. Most recently she ran the Dec. 6 Las Vegas Rock 'n Roll marathon, marking another in a tradition she began in 1991 of running one marathon and a half-marathon each year.
This year, running with a pack of Elvis Presley impersonators, she clocked the 26.2 miles in just over five hours. "This is the first time that I decided to run a marathon with my camera so I could take pictures of interesting sights along the way," she said. She still finished nearly 25 minutes faster than her previous marathon run in Long Beach, CA.
One interesting stop along her marathon route was Paris (casino resort), where at a wedding run-through ceremony (Las Vegas style), fifty runners paused to exchange vows during the run. Also, "There were bands stationed every couple of miles along the route playing a lot of rock 'n roll music. It helped make the arduous 26.2 miles run less boring," she said.
Nankani was one of 28,000 runners in this event, about 3,000 more take part in the annual Boston Marathon, which she also has run. Since 1991, Nankani has run a marathon or half-marathon in more than a dozen places in the U.S and abroad.
Science and Business lead Exceptional Faculty choices
A pair of extraordinary faculty veterans, greatly respected by colleagues and students alike, has captured the 2009 awards for Exceptional Faculty at Centralia College. John Fasler, Associate Professor of Business, and Patrick Pringle, Associate Professor of Earth Sciences, have captured the college's most prestigious faculty recognition for this year.
John Fasler—In his tenure at Centralia College, Fasler has expanded the business program from just four advisees to a current level of over 70. To serve his large student base, Fasler has worked extensively on curriculum development and met with representatives of several four-year institutions to develop programs consistent with baccalaureate transfer requirements. To insure continuance of useful program objectives, Fasler independently recruited an advisory team consisting of CPAs and financial professionals from the local community to discuss program and industry needs. Most of all, Fasler has developed a strong connection and rapport with students from diverse academic, cultural, socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds, and all levels of ability and expertise. He has taken the time and effort to tailor individual programs of study, schedules, and work plans that will meet their individual needs—and will work for them.
"I've always tried to instill the benefits of developing good study habits and constructive work skills," Fasler said. "Those are the habits that will assist them as they enter the working world." Individual students have individual needs, Fasler concludes, and he provides that. "I schedule extra time into my advising sessions," Fasler added, "to ensure my students have full opportunity to discuss their needs and learn to move ahead with proper course scheduling."
Patrick Pringle—Pringle brought over 26 years of geology-related professional experience to his classrooms, providing him a great deal of on-site practical knowledge. He is able to use humor and even drama in the classroom with a narration style that includes stories and lots of rhetorical questions. The strategy works very well for Pringle. "I believe students get pulled in by a story or more closely connected if they feel a sense of relevance about the subject matter," Pringle explained, and then smiled. "I've also found there is a wonderfully edgy sense of expectation and alertness in the classroom if the audience never knows quite what to expect next!"
Pringle combines labs and fieldwork to achieve lab science outcomes such as developing quantitative and spatial reasoning skills. "That technique has been especially successful in the Weather and Climate class." Pringle explained. "Field trips have been key learning situations in my Natural Hazards and Catastrophes and Geology of the Pacific Northwest classes." Pringle believes field trips are critical if students are to adequately learn spatial reasoning skills in the earth sciences. In the natural laboratory they can see geologic features and deposits in context. His students love it—and they learn the material beyond all expectations. "Some of my students have proven to be real achievers," Pringle beamed. "One just graduated Cumma Cum Laude from Central Washington University and is entering a master's program in Geological Sciences." Pringle tells his students that every study is like a trip down the river. "I may have rowed down this stretch a few times," he laughs, "but the rapids and hydraulics have changed since the last time. So I explain I'm not taking them on a scenic tour on this academic float trip; each has a paddle and are expected to use it!" The metaphor applies directly to each student contributing to the forward momentum of the classroom—and the results are almost magic for this Exceptional Faculty award-winner.
Centralia College Board Grants Tenure
The Centralia College Board of Trustees has granted tenure to Stephen Norton, a member of the Centralia College science faculty. Norton is satisfactorily completing his three-year probationary contract and has earned tenured faculty status beginning with the fall quarter 2009. Fourteen first- and second-year probationary faculty were each granted continuance in the tenure-track process. The favorable decisions were made by the board at its March 19 meeting.
The continued faculty members include: First-year: Tadd Belden, Criminal Justice; Jacob Fay, Diesel; Ine Van Dam, Foreign Languages; Gloria Price, Early Childhood Education; Atara MacNamara, Psychology; Kerry Tretheway, Adult Basic Education (ABE) and Sue Sheldon, ABE at the Garrett Heyns Education Center at the Washington State Corrections Center in Shelton (GHEC); and Lance Wrzensinski, Business.
Second-year probationary faculty members include: Ann Alves and Jacob Lund, Civil Engineering; Ken Cotton, Welding; Barret Havens, Library; Joan Fredrickson, Basic Skills (GHEC); and Chris Werner, Farm Management.
Faculty candidates are selected for tenure or continuance by a committee of senior faculty and administrators based on their performance during each year of probation. They must be "passed" by the trustees each year in the three-year tenure track process. "These faculty members represent some of the best educators in the Northwest," said Dr. Jim Walton, college president. "Each has brought exceptional credentials, conviction, and a passion to teach. They will help maintain the tradition of faculty excellence we so highly prize at Centralia College."
Ine-Marie van Dam, Foreign Languages
New to the foreign language department this year is Ine-Marie van Dam, who brings an impressive skill set and an exciting background to Centralia College. Born in The Netherlands, her family moved to the Dutch Antilles when she was two. Thus Ine-Marie uses and prefers the European pronunciation of her name, EE’na, rather than the Anglicized EYE’na.
During her middle school years the family moved to Seattle and van Dam found herself in public school. "I was kind of left to fend for myself," she recalled, her quick humor rising to the surface. "I could speak several languages, but English may not have been my best." You wouldn't guess that today. Early in her high school years she went to Mexico as an exchange student and quickly excelled in Spanish. "I had already taken it in school," van Dam explained. "In fact, I think I took every language course available to me. I seemed to be good at languages, and I enjoyed them."
By the age of 19 van Dam had returned to Europe and enrolled in college, taking French at Strousbourg. Later college courses would include a deep immersion in German. For the next few years van Dam leapfrogged the Atlantic, earning a BA from the University of Washington in French and Political Science and then returning to Europe to notch her MA from the University of Geneva in Switzerland. For several years van Dam worked for the European Common Market as an interpreter. She also worked privately as an interpreter and negotiator for several clients during multilingual contract or market matters. "The common market, I think, was as much politically as financially driven," she said. "It was an exciting place to be." Nonetheless, van Dam returned to the US and for the next several years served on the faculty of the prestigious Monterey Institute for International Studies. There, while packing for a vacation trip to Mexico, van Dam got a call from her sister in Olympia. "She told me of an opening at Centralia College for someone to teach French, German, and Spanish," she laughed. "It sounded right up my alley!" So she flew up, was interviewed, and then went on vacation.
"While I was still in Mexico," she smiled, "April (Doolittle) called and told me they would like to offer me the job." When she returned home she began packing for her move to the Northwest. "I had really been impressed with Centralia College on my very first visit," she said. "The campus was beautiful and I appreciated the new growth taking place. Mostly, though," van Dam added, "the faculty and staff made a huge positive impact on me. I'm not sure I've ever experienced this level of helpfulness and friendliness in one place. Besides, the caliber of the faculty was astonishing."
Always a multi-tasker, van Dam is carrying on with business as usual. During the current quarter she is simultaneously teaching French, Spanish, and German classes. A gifted linguist and translator, van Dam is perhaps best qualified as an interpreter, the toughest skill of the lot. If you are hazy on the differences, just ask Ine-Marie!
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