MAT IECE program more affordable through PEEAK funding

Students in MSU's Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education (IECE) program are encouraged to apply for grant money now available through Preparing Early Educators in Appalachian Kentucky (PEEAK).

PEEAK is a five-year personnel preparation grant running 2015-2019 and is funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. The purpose of the grant is to prepare highly qualified early childhood special educators and early interventionists to serve in high need areas across Kentucky.

More than 30 students will be funded for the MAT IECE over five years. Funding includes:

• Tuition for coursework
• Book stipend (up to $300 per year)
• Travel stipend (up to $400 per year)

There is a service obligation associated with the grant funding. For every academic year of funding provided under PEEAK, scholars are required to provide the full-time equivalent of two years of service.

The MAT IECE program prepares students with or without prior teacher preparation to work with young children from birth through kindergarten. The program leads to teacher certification and a master's degree. Graduates of the program pursue work as public preschool and kindergarten teachers or as developmental interventionists.

To learn more about the MAT IECE program at MSU and PEEAK grant funding opportunities visit www.moreheadstate.edu/MAT-IECE/.

Institute of Aerospace Engineering lets students reach new heights

High school students have the opportunity to earn six hours of college credit in space systems engineering thanks to a partnership between MSU and a national science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education organization.

The Institute for Aerospace Education (IAE) is a dual credit program offered at 32 Kentucky high schools as well as others across the country. The program is available for any student at a participating high school who meets MSU’s freshman admission requirements.  The IAE works in collaboration with high schools, colleges and universities, local and regional airports and other businesses to provide students with learning opportunities in:

• Aeronautical engineering
• Space systems engineering
• Aerospace computer engineering
• Airport design/civil engineering
• Flight
• Air traffic control
• Advanced manufacturing
• Unmanned aerial systems
• Aviation management/operations
• Aircraft maintenance

Classes are taken online and through distance learning with students completing laboratory assignments at their high school under the guidance of a faculty facilitator.

Jennifer Carter, director of space science for the IAE and a workshop instructor at MSU, said students learn vital life skills such as problem solving, time management, teamwork and communication skills through being involved with the program. “They learn how to think through a problem, and they learn how to do that by troubleshooting,” she said. 

For more information, visit www.iae.aero.

For more information on the space science program at MSU, visit www.moreheadstateedu/eass.

MSU offers master's in English program completely online

Morehead State University has long made an investment in various forms of distance learning and offers a number of completely online degree programs. The Master of Arts in English program at MSU is no exception. MSU is one of the only accredited schools in the nation to offer this program both in the traditional classroom setting and completely online.

The 33-hour program provides students with thesis and non-thesis options and provides a comprehensive overview of advanced literary study as well as courses in creative and technical writing and linguistics.

A degree in English prepares students for fields in which expert writing and reading skills are valued, such as creative arts, law, public relations and publishing. The master's in English online program is an excellent option and provides convenience and flexibility for working professionals seeking to expand their knowledge and experience in the field.

Graduate school at MSU is more affordable with graduate tuition being the same for both in and out of state students.

Learn more about the Master of Arts in English program at MSU at www.moreheadstate.edu/ma-english/.

To view a complete list of graduate online degree offerings available at MSU visit www.moreheadstate.edu/gradonline/.

Space Trek helps girls reach for the stars

Students who participate in Space Trek will have the chance to
work in teams to create cricketsats, which can be launched into
space to measure atmospheric conditions.  

High school girls who are interested in learning more about space science will be able to take their learning to new heights this summer thanks to a camp offered at MSU.

Space Trek is a one-week camp for incoming sophomore, junior and senior high school girls with an interest in science and engineering. The camp is held at MSU’s Space Science Center, and participants will have the opportunity to study all facets of the design, construction, launch and tracking of satellites and spacecrafts.

Campers will learn to calibrate equipment, collect and interpret data, and will work in mission teams to build small satellites, called cricketsats.  They will also set up a ground station for tracking satellites and will create a flight mission and report the mission results to the Space Trek leaders team. Campers will have the opportunity to learn from MSU’s Space Science faculty members, aerospace engineers and scientists.

Jasarae McKinney attended Space Trek in 2014. A sophomore at Rowan County Senior High School, McKinney said her science teacher told her about Space Trek and she found the camp intriguing, so she decided to go. McKinney said she learned a lot at the camp, but the most interesting thing was how the cricketsats work in the atmosphere and how to solder on the different components.

“My favorite things about the camp would have to be meeting all the wonderful girls and performing the mission with them and being with people I could relate to, and the deeper education I got in the space science field,” she said. McKinney added that attending Space Trek has made her consider new possibilities for when she goes to college. “I was dead-set on the medical field until I went to Space Trek and met Ms. (Jennifer) Carter. After meeting her and going to Space Trek, I’m now considering going into a space science degree.”

The deadline to apply for this year’s Space Trek camp is March 1, 2015, and the camp will be held July 11-18. All applicants must be entering their sophomore, junior or senior year of high school and must have a recommendation form completed by a principal, teacher or guidance counselor. The cost of attending the camp is $250, and scholarships are available for those with financial need.

Space Trek is sponsored by Morehead State University and the MSU Center for Regional Engagement, the American Association of University Women (Kentucky) and NASA Kentucky.

For more information about Space Trek and to apply to attend, visit http://www.spacetrekky.org/. 

For more information about MSU's Department of Earth and Space Sciences, visit www.moreheadstate.edu/ess.  

Contemporary art and textile exhibition to be featured in MSU's Claypool-Young Art Gallery

The Claypool-Young Art Gallery offers opportunities for MSU students and artists to submit their work to exhibitions year-round. Most recently, the Claypool-Young Art Gallery has been accepting entries for Stitch: A Regional Contemporary Art Textile Exhibition.

Stitch will feature works of all textile and fiber media and is accepting submissions from artists living in Kentucky, Ohio, Missouri, Indiana, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, Mississippi, Georgia and Illinois. Work for consideration must be created, in sum or part, of textile or fiber techniques including but not limited to, two and three-dimensional artwork consisting of the following:

• Stitching
• Knitting
• Weaving
• Crochet
• Quilting
• Felting
• Surface design on fabric
• Stitched paper
• Art to wear

The exhibition is sponsored by the Kentucky Chapter of the Surface Design Association and will be juried by renowned textile artist Susan Shie.

Students and artists may submit up to three artworks before the March, 13 2015 postmark deadline.

Selected works will be on display in the gallery from June 8- Aug. 26.

A prospectus is available at www.moreheadstate.edu/claypool-young-gallery/.

IRAPP empowers students to impact Eastern Kentucky

If you are looking for a degree program that will allow you to have an impact on the lives of the people of Eastern Kentucky, consider earning a degree in government or public policy at Morehead State.

MSU’s Institute for Regional Analysis and Pubic Policy, known as IRAPP, integrates the resources of MSU to plan and promote sustainable development in the region.

As a student, you may be involved in research initiatives, service activities and community outreach projects that will improve the lives of Eastern Kentuckians. You may collaborate with a number of organizations, including the Center for Educational Research and Leadership (CERL), Center for Virtual Appalachia (CVA), The Hardwood Institute, Youth Build and the Kentucky Institute of Geospatial Education, Research and Outreach, and other regional organizations.

You may participate in outreach in areas such as:

•        National security
•     Foreign policy
•     International relations
•     Public health
•     Environmental monitoring and restoration
•     Environmental hazards
•     Geographic Information Systems
•     Political philosophy
•     Public law
•     Intergovernmental relations
•     Federalism
•     Economic development 

IRAPP courses may be taken as a compliment to another major or minor program (for example, a major in biology with an emphasis in Regional Analysis and Public Policy). MSU also offers the following degrees in Regional Analysis and Public Policy:

•        Bachelor’s in government
•        Bachelor’s in public policy
•        Master’s in government
•        Master’s in public administration (MPA)

For more information, visit www.moreheadstate.edu/irapp.

Public Child Welfare Certification program connects social work students to careers after graduation

Through implementing the Public Child Welfare Certification program (PCWCP) at MSU, the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services helps children and families in Kentucky in addition to securing careers for qualifying undergraduate social work juniors and seniors.

As a student in the program, you may complete your social work degree while participating in the cabinet's child welfare training curricula. Upon successful completion of the program, you must serve a two-year employment commitment with the cabinet.

Benefits of participating in the PCWCP include:

• Paid in-state tuition for up to four semesters
• A $1,300 stipend each fall and spring semester and a $650 stipend for each summer semester to assist with any fees, books, living expenses or travel related to the program
• Upon program completion you will be assisted in acquiring employment with the Department for Community Based Services (DCBS).
• PCWCP graduates are hired into the DCBS at a 5% higher salary rate.

For more information about the program visit www.moreheadstate.edu/pcwcp/.