Advancing STEM

Founders Hall and Innovation Hall complete first phase of Innovation Quad

The August 2022 opening of Founders Hall and Innovation Hall ushers in a new era of STEM excellence at Elon. The state-of-the-art facilities house the engineering and physics departments with advanced spaces for students’ engagement, discovery and interdisciplinary collaboration.

The 20,000-square-foot Founders Hall features prefabrication and prototyping labs, mechatronics and virtual reality labs and an astrophysics lab, all designed to emphasize project-based learning and student engagement. The 40,000-square-foot Innovation Hall includes biophysics and bioinstrumentation labs, an environmental engineering lab and a biomedical engineering lab.

Future phases of the Innovation Quad are planned to include spaces dedicated to cutting-edge undergraduate research further linking business, entrepreneurship, the sciences and humanities.

McMichael Science Center renovations begin

A two-year, two-phase renovation of McMichael Science Center — updating labs, classrooms and facilities for the departments of biology, chemistry and environmental studies — began in May.

Phase 1 was completed over the summer. It included upgrades to environmental studies office and meeting spaces and a laser lab on the ground floor; a biology lab and conference room on the first floor; multiple biology teaching and research labs on the second floor; and chemistry department offices on the third floor.

Phase 2 will occur in summer 2023 and will include renovations of environmental studies labs on the ground floor; reconfiguration of biology labs and common areas on the first floor; upgrades and outfitting for improved biological research labs on the second floor; and chemistry research labs on the third floor.

Elon forms Department of Engineering, completes ABET accreditation review

Following years of preparation — including expanded course offerings, the addition of faculty, and development of curricula that foster thoughtful and innovative approaches to problem solving — Elon established the Department of Engineering in summer 2022.

The engineering program was previously part of the Department of Physics. Associate Professor of Engineering Scott Wolter will serve as the department’s first chair. The department also includes Associate Professor Sirena Hargrove-Leak, Associate Professor Bethany Brinkman, Assistant Professor Richard Blackmon, Assistant Professor Jonathan Su, Assistant Professor Will Pluer, Lab Manager Matthew Banks and Director of Engineering Outreach John Ring.

In fall 2021, faculty and administration completed the ABET accreditation review process, which began in 2019 when the program was invited to participate in the 2020-21 accreditation cycle. The cycle was extended due to the pandemic, and the accreditation team’s site visit occurred virtually in October and November 2021. Feedback following that visit was positive and the college continued to communicate with the ABET accreditation team through the spring. An official determination of accreditation was announced in August 2022.

ABET accreditation signifies that a program meets quality standards and that its graduates are prepared to enter STEM fields in the global workforce.

National Institutes of Health awards $388K for first-year college health study

The National Institutes of Health awarded Elon a three-year, $388,000 grant to track behavior changes in first-year college students associated with long-term health risks.

Assistant Professor of Exercise Science Simon Higgins and Associate Professor of Exercise Science Svetlana Nepocatych were approved for the grant in collaboration with faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Wake Forest University School of Medicine. Nepocatych will oversee Elon’s undergraduate researchers.

Researchers will follow 150 high school seniors through their first year in college to assess their risk of developing metabolic syndrome, a precursor to cardiovascular disease. The study will measure markers of physical health and track students’ lifestyle-related behaviors using wearable technology and surveys. It will also analyze changes in participants’ psychological, social and environmental conditions.

Assistant Professor of Statistics Mark Weaver will mentor undergraduates performing data analysis and reporting using his expertise in biostatistics. Elon University Physician Dr. Ginette Archinal will supervise clinical aspects of the study and train students in clinical techniques.

$300K National Science Foundation grant supports Ryu’s COVID-19 research

The National Science Foundation awarded Assistant Professor of Mathematics Hwayeon Ryu a three-year, $300,000 research grant to support her work with collaborators to develop a mathematical model that could facilitate new COVID-19 treatment options.

As principal investigator, Ryu will lead the international research team as it develops a model for how the human immune system responds to COVID-19, with a particular focus on the timing of the immune response and its impact on the severity of the disease. Understanding those responses through mathematical models should help develop future therapies.

The grant will allow three Elon student researchers to join the effort each year, with work throughout the academic year and during the following summer. Collaborative research will take place at Humboldt State University in California, the University of Bergen in Norway and California State University, San Bernardino.

Loy Farm adds full-time manager and high-tunnel to serve campus, research

The 2021-22 year was one of growth at Loy Farm, where the college and Harvest Table joined to hire a permanent full-time manager and a second high-tunnel greenhouse added capacity for food production.

Taylor Black was hired in summer 2021 to oversee crop management and student interns at the farm. The increased focus on crop planning and yields will benefit Elon Dining, where Harvest Table chefs will incorporate produce into menus. Black is working with chefs to plan menus around seasonal availability.

To further yields and student research, a second high-tunnel was added in spring 2022. The additional space will be allocated to food production, with the existing high-tunnel dedicated to environmental studies classes and research projects. In summer 2021, an outdoor classroom was outfitted with collapsible walls to ensure on-site learning in all seasons and weather conditions.