News Releases

Kevin Babson of Gray Court, a senior biology major at Lander University, has been awarded a $5,000 NASA grant through the S.C. Space Grant Consortium. Babson is working with Dr. Lisa Brodhacker, assistant professor of chemistry at Lander, to develop epoxy telescope mirrors for use in space communications at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.

The host of one of South Carolina ETV's most popular programs has established an award at Lander University to honor his grandmother who graduated from Lander nearly a century ago. Rowland P. Alston, host of the Emmy-award-winning horticulture and gardening show "Making It Grow," created the prize in the name of Mary Frances Poole Alston, a member of Lander's 1914 graduating class.

A program that Lander University introduced less than two years ago to help students apply their classroom learning to real world settings has won a national award. The National Society for Experiential Education (NSEE) has selected Lander's Experience Your Education program (EYE) as the Experiential Education Program of the Year. An organization of educators, businesses and community leaders, NSEE serves as a national resource center for the development and improvement of such experiential learning.

Dr. Paige Ouzts teaches physics at Lander University and she knows the subject intimidates many of her students who are not comfortable with the mathematics associated with it. But she tries to boost their confidence by telling them not to make things harder than they are, the same advice she received when she was a student.

Members of Lander University's Environmental Science Student Organization (ESSO) wrapped up their observance of Earth Week on April 23 by providing an opportunity for students, faculty and staff, and members of the community to have old and unwanted paper shredded.

Lander University's new People to People International chapter recently inducted its charter members. Front row, from left are: Dr. James Colbert, faculty adviser; Beth Burnette; Mary Mufuka; Keeley Haysman; Chanity Walker; Ben Baugher; and Dr. Lucas McMillan, faculty adviser. Middle row, from left: Jonathan Smith, Osheanna Galloway, Shalom Chausarira and Brittnii Watts. Top row, from left: Ty Grogan and Andrew Willis.

A group of students has launched Lander University's observance of Earth Week with the first of several clean-up activities. Members of the Environmental Sciences Students Organization (ESSO) recruited classmates to join them on Monday cleaning up trash in and along the banks of a creek that winds it way through the campus.

Lander University hosted a Peace Studies Conference sponsored by the Greenwood and Lander chapters of People to People International (PTPI), on Friday, March 19.

Lander University faculty member Lisa Brodhacker is a scientist whose goal is to make the perfect plastic telescope mirror for visible light. She cannot define what makes a plastic mirror perfect because she has not seen one. In fact, the scientific community has yet to build one.

In 1968, a young graduate student at Ohio University was asked to lend his expertise to write a section for a textbook titled "An Introduction to Physical Science." Little did he know that four decades later he would be receiving an award, as a co-author, commemorating the book's longevity. The student, Lander University physics professor emeritus Dr. Jerry Wilson, along with co-author Charles Higgins, was presented the 2009 McGuffey Longevity award for "An Introduction to Physical Science" at the Text and Academic Authors Association (TAA) conference in June in San Antonio, Texas.

Dr. Dan Robinson Jr., a Greenwood County physician, has made a contribution to Lander University from his collection of crystals and gemstones. Robinson has given Lander's Environmental Geology program an emerald specimen with an appraised value of $16,000. Jeff Eller, co-owner of Sharp Facets Gallery in Greenwood who coordinated the transfer, described the specimen as volcanic mica schist containing dozens of large dark-colored emeralds. He said it is a very unusual and rare large-scale specimen from a Muzo mine in the region of Colombia, South America, which is recognized as a source of the world's highest quality emeralds.

Lander University graduate Alexandra Foguth has found herself in select company as she pursues a doctoral degree in material science and engineering at Clemson University.

Lander University's student affiliated American Chemical Society (ACS) chapter is celebrating its 25 th anniversary, and each year since its founding a quarter century ago, the chapter has won recognition from the national ACS for its performance across a wide range of activities.

How effective would an education be if it relied solely on textbooks and lectures? Imagine a doctor graduating from medical school without working with actual patients; a teacher earning a degree without spending time with real students; a business graduate entering the workforce without interacting with real clients.

Research being performed this summer at Lander University could eventually make it easier for professional astronomers -- and backyard stargazers -- to peer out into the universe.

Dr. Lynn Deanhardt became interested in chemistry when he was in the fourth grade and growing up in Belton. But he said his teachers at Belton High School, especially chemistry teacher, Dr. Marvin Woodson, influenced him to choose chemistry as a career.