Through an ongoing, interdisciplinary epidemiology research initiative, the MU undergraduates and their faculty are tackling questions like, What factors affect the spread of cholera in an outbreak? How effective is vaccination? What control methods can best be implemented in a cost-effective manner?"

Matthew Villemarette '13, a mathematics major, explains, "Using real-world data, we adjust assumptions and model parameters to fit actual scenarios and, by implementing our model, identify optimal treatment methods to address an epidemic."

Previous Marymount students have used a deterministic model with set parameters to predict outcomes. In his research, Villemarette decided to introduce chance and probability into the equation with a stochastic model. "In real life," he points out, "random changes occur. So introducing chance provides additional insight."

Working under the guidance of Dr. Will Heuett, assistant professor of Mathematics, Villemarette used MATLAB, a matrix-based computer software language and development environment, to simulate different scenarios. He explains, "The stochastic approach uses the same system of equations as the deterministic model, but each term is interpreted probabilistically. Events and times are selected randomly, and probabilities of event occurrences are continually updated as time progresses. In this way, different simulations yield different results, with examples of delayed peaks of outbreak, early peaks, and even no outbreaks."

A Marymount DISCOVER research grant enabled Matt Villemarete to continue his work during summer 2011. Henry Turcios '13, a Biology major, has also participated in the cholera research project, working under the supervision of Dr. Elsa Schaefer, professor of Mathematics, with funding from the National Science Foundation.

Dr. Schaefer notes that collaboration between biology and math students strengthens the research. She explains, "The biology students take leading roles in researching the current understanding of cholera dynamics, such as the length of immunity, efficacy of vaccinations, and proportion of asymptomatic cases; while the math students take the lead on mathematical model development and computational analysis."

Matt Villemarette adds, "There's a shift inherent in combining math and biology. Students are taking courses in each other's disciplines, so we end up with a better understanding of how the two fields can work together to provide real-world solutions."

As Villemarette continues with his research, he will implement tau-leap and multi-scale techniques, investigate variables and changing parameters, and analyze the effectiveness of multiple intervention methods. He explains, "Ultimately, our aim is to investigate intervention strategies to help limit the spread of this disease."

With Dr. Heutte's encouragement, Villemarette presented his work at the regional conference of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) in April 2012. At the conference, he was also a member of the winning team in the Radical Dash, a timed competition in which mathematical modeling is used to tackle a wide variety of medical scourges, from malaria to HIV infection.

This past summer, Villemarette participated in a prestigious DOD/NSF Research Experience at George Mason University, focused on Computational Mathematics and Nonlinear Dynamics of Biological, Bio-inspired, and Engineering Systems. He again used MATLAB software, but this time worked with a deterministic model to simulate HIV infection in the body by adding new factors.

Looking forward, Matt Villemarette says, "I know that I want to continue with math. I plan to go straight to grad school after graduation and hope to be accepted into one of the top applied math programs in the country."

The hands-on-science experience was taught by MU Master of Education students, working under the direction of Dr. Usha Rajdev, associate professor of Education. Dr. Rajdev has been collaborating with NASA for the past five years. She explains, "Aerospace Educational Specialist Rick Varner, from the Goddard Space Center, visits my Science Methodology class every semester to provide professional-development training related to our Earth and Space Unit. He brings materials for our pre-service teachers, so that they will be able to replicate the activities in their own classrooms."

In a recent session, Mr. Varner advised the Marymount graduate students, "Watch for teachable moments. When a child asks a question, he takes ownership and really wants to know. Encourage your students to experiment to discover answers for themselves."

As a result of this collaboration, Marymount University was named a NASA Professional Development Network Partner in 2012 - the only one in Virginia to date. In a letter to Dr. Rajdev, Dr. Kyle Peck of the NASA Aerospace Education Services Project wrote, "Together, we can make a difference in STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math] education, through collaborations that identify and serve appropriate audiences, providing them with sustained access to NASA resources and assets."

Dr. Rajdev says, "My goal is to give teachers a beginning tool kit of creative approaches to subjects that are sometimes considered difficult. I tell them, 'Each year, you should add on to the ideas and materials you started with. Modifying and adding, always looking for teachable moments and creative ways to convey information - that is how you will become excellent, hands-on teachers.'"

Dr. Rajdev's work also has an international component. For several years, she and students from her Math and Science Methodology course have been sharing their hands-on curricula with teacher candidates and children at the Dr. Virambhai R. Godhaniya College in Porbandar, India. Dr. Rajdev explains, "Before leaving the U.S., my students learn hands-on techniques for teaching math and science through our NASA partnership, as well as partnerships with the U.S. Forestry Service and an environmental-education program called Project Wild. These organizations generously supply materials for projects that our students can do with the teachers and children in India."

This summer, Dr. Rajdev again traveled to Porbandar, this time under the aegis of the Fulbright program, to expand her teacher-training initiative. Marymount Education students participated via videos and Skype conferencing.

MU faculty and students regard it as a privilege to be able to share their passion for math and science with teachers and children in their local communities and around the world. The partnerships with NASA and other organizations help to ensure that MU-educated teachers are armed with interactive methods and tools that will spark children's imagination and start them on lifelong journeys of discovery.

They took

• a biology course focused on the critically endangered Hawksbill sea turtle, taught by Professor Todd Rimkus;
• a sociology course led by Dr. Stephanie Ellis, which gave the students the opportunity to reflect on a culture much different from their own while living in Gales Point, a remote village of farmers and fishermen located in a wildlife preserve; and
• a communication/graphic design course taught by Professor Barry Erdeljon and MU alumna Sara Gulick '04, through which the students created three videologs ("vlogs") documenting their scientific efforts, the natural environment, and the local culture.

Professor Erdeljon says, "This was a huge wake-up experience for our students. At Gales Point, the villagers live a very simple life, and theirs is an amazing story. As recently as the time of their parents, these people would eat turtles and their eggs. But when they learned that the turtles are endangered, they stopped the practice. Now, during the egg-laying season, the villagers walk the beaches at night, from after the moon sets until dawn, seeking turtle tracks and nests, and marking them in order to protect them. They don't get paid for this; they just do it. Our students helped them with the beach patrols."

Hawksbill sea turtles, which can live up to 150 years and weigh as much as 200 pounds, come ashore to the same beach year after year to lay their eggs in holes in the sand, then return to the sea. Dr. Todd Rimkus, professor of Biology, started the Hawksbill research project several years ago. He and his students work closely with Kevin Andrewin, who leads the local research and preservation team in Gales Point, to mark the turtle nests and record a standard set of data, which is used for educational purposes and shared with scientists globally.

In the pre-dawn darkness of July 1, 2012, a group of MU students and villagers that had been patrolling the beach looking for turtle tracks radioed Dr. Rimkus. They told him that they had found a mature Hawksbill stuck under a fallen tree, tangled in its roots. A team of villagers helped the students dig her out, after which they held the turtle (whom they named Moochula - a word that means "fine" or "nice" in the local Sambii language) steady on a makeshift platform, while Dr. Rimkus attached a satellite transmitter to her thick shell. Photos of the procedure can be seen at www.hawksbillhope.org.

Moochula was the second Hawksbill turtle satellite-tagged by Marymount students in this ongoing research initiative. Whenever she surfaces in her long migration around the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, the transmitter sends a signal to an overhead satellite.

Track Moochala's movements online

Luis Fernandez was hesitant to sign up when he first heard about the Belize program. But looking back, he says, "It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. We take so much for granted in the United States, then you go to Gales Point and see how people live a simple life, love what they do, and are happy. When I saw the turtles and the nests, it became so clear to me why we were there. This experience will remain in my memory forever."

...who recently taught a sociology course in Kenya to study the interconnections between the welfare of humans and wild animals.

The students in Goodman's "Addressing Injustice: Activism and Advocacy" course helped Kenya Wildlife Service rangers and Africa Network for Animal Welfare staff find and remove illegal snares set by poachers who hunt wild animals in Naivasha, an hour north of Nairobi, the Kenyan capital. Even when they manage to escape from the wire snares, the animals are often injured, making them vulnerable to predators. The pregnant zebra had been favoring a leg hurt while struggling out of a snare. This allowed the hoof to grow overly long, giving her a limp even after the leg had healed. But with a trimmed hoof, the zebra could walk - and run - normally again, making her far less vulnerable. Goodman, a member of the Leadership Council of the American Sociological Association's Section on Animals and Society, notes, "Each crude snare can be reused to catch between 10 and 100 animals. We removed four snares, so we saved the lives of as many as 400 animals."

The course was one of a linked pair that took eight MU students on a three-week study-abroad experience in summer 2012. The companion offering, taught by Justin Goodman's wife and colleague, Dr. Stacy Lopresti-Goodman, was a psychology course called "Abnormal Primate Behavior," now in its second summer of research abroad.

The students in that course assisted with Dr. Lopresti-Goodman's ongoing research by observing and recording the behaviors of chimpanzees rescued from the bush-meat and pet trades. The animals now live in the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary within the Ol Pejeta Conservancy, a 90,000-acre wildlife preserve 200 miles northwest of Nairobi. Their traumatic lives have taken a physical and psychological toll; many of the chimps exhibit signs of Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome, including self-mutilation, screaming fits, self-clasping, and anti-social behavior. The field observations document this suffering for educational purposes.

Dr. Lopresti-Goodman says, "I want to help educate scientists and lay people about the rich emotional lives of chimpanzees, how they can and do suffer just as we do, and what we can all do to prevent and alleviate such suffering. If I'm successful, people might be compelled to put pressure on their legislators to pass protective laws."

Chimpanzees, whose populations are decreasing rapidly due to hunting, habitat loss, and disease, are protected as an endangered species worldwide - except in the United States, where they are still used in experiments, in show business, and as pets. The other exception to this worldwide protection is Gabon, the only other nation where chimps are used in experiments.

Dr. Lopresti-Goodman's research is timely. In the 112th Congress, the Great Ape Protection and Cost Saving Act (H.R. 1513/S.810) has racked up more than 180 bipartisan sponsors. The bill, which passed a Senate committee in July 2012, would save taxpayers about $300 million over the next decade and protect chimpanzees by phasing out their use in invasive research, requiring the retirement to sanctuaries of the 600 federally-owned chimps now held in research labs, and forbidding their breeding for laboratory use. Another bill introduced this year, the Captive Primate Safety Act (H.R. 4306/S.1324), would ban interstate trade in primates for the pet trade and has also been passed by a Senate committee.

The theme of giving back to the wider community - in Africa and in the United States - was central to both of the Kenya study-abroad courses. Dr. Lopresti-Goodman says, "At the end of our stay, the students gave presentations to the Sweetwaters staff about different aspects of abnormal behavior in chimpanzees. These caregivers are self-taught experts in their own right, but they have no formal training, and they were surprised to learn that some common behaviors they had observed were abnormal. Our students also made recommendations to lessen the abnormal behaviors. The caretakers were grateful for the information. One student who had been fearful of giving a presentation later said that the caregivers' response made him glad to have done it. These students weren't just taking; they were dealing with a subject they feel passionate about, and they were giving back."

When they returned to the U.S., the Marymount students brought art pieces that villagers in Voi, Kenya, had made from reclaimed wire snares. The pieces will be on sale at MU this fall, with the proceeds going back to Kenya to help support the villagers' families and reduce their need to hunt wild animals as a source of food and income.

To arrange the Costa Rica experience, Marymount partnered with International Service Learning, an organization that enlists medical and educational volunteer teams to provide services to people in need around the world. The MU team worked at two facilities run by the Missionaries of the Heart of Christ Redeemer - the Manos Abiertas orphanage and Corazon Redentor, an adult residential-care facility.

Preparations for the trip began many months in advance. None of the participating graduate students spoke Spanish, so they all took a Spanish class in the fall. They also conducted fitness screenings for a clinic here at home, always thinking about how methodologies common in the U.S. could be adapted to fit a very different environment.

The prospects for the Marymount team to really make a difference in Costa Rica were bolstered by the generosity of DC-area businesses that provided the physical-therapy equipment needed to make their trip a sustainable success. Braces and supports, wheelchairs, crutches, pulleys, traction devices, walkers, splints, ultrasound units, and a neuromuscular stimulator were donated by Inova Springfield Physical Therapy Center; Elite Physical Therapy in Washington, DC; and Dominion Medical Equipment of Chantilly, Virginia.

Arriving in Costa Rica, the MU volunteers were immediately struck by the positive atmosphere. Garrett Hurd recalls, "Manos Abiertos is an amazing place; the love that the Hermanas (Sisters) have for their wards is as clear as the bright blue Costa Rican sky."

After an initial assessment of needs, the Marymount group realized that their work was cut out for them. Dr. Jason Craig, associate professor of Physical Therapy, explains, "The level of patient ability ranged from relatively independent and mobile to bed-bound and locked in place with muscle contractures as a result of neurological injuries."

Hurd remembers, "A little voice in my head started making suggestions: a better positioning option, which muscles to strengthen in order to improve mobility, body-mechanics that would help the caregivers prevent injury to themselves." Soon, routines were established and the MU students were gratified to see how quickly their efforts began showing results.

The volunteers also provided services to the residents of two local shanty towns, or precarios, organizing a health and wellness fair where patients received screenings and personalized exercise/treatment programs. For DPT student Nicole Taylor, working in the precarios provided the greatest sense of accomplishment. She says, "People came to us with complaints of pain and impaired function and left with knowledge and tools to combat their problems."

The group's last afternoon in Costa Rica was spent at Manos Abiertos and Corazon Redentor, educating the Sisters and staff on the particular needs of each patient. The Marymount students had developed individualized treatment plans for each patient, detailing positioning needs, exercises, stretches, and a turning schedule. The training session was videotaped, to provide an educational resource for current and future staff members.

Dr. Diana Venskus, associate professor of Physical Therapy, smiles proudly as she recalls the parting words of Sister Marlene Rodriguez, the founder of Manos Abiertos and Corazon Redentor: "She thanked us, saying that our students had done more in 15 days than any other person or group had done in 15 years to advance physical therapy care for their residents."

A recipient of MU's Spirit of Service scholarship, McGrath volunteered to help out at the annual event as a freshman, then said yes when asked to serve as its head coordinator in her sophomore and junior years.

The tournament, sponsored by Marymount's Campus Ministry Association, is a much-anticipated competition that gives Special Olympics athletes from across northern Virginia an opportunity to show off their basketball skills at the regional level. MU students from various athletic teams, campus clubs, and classes work together to plan the event, cheer for their adopted teams, participate in the half-time fun, and generally enjoy a day of camaraderie with the athletes.

From the tournament's relatively modest beginning in 1996 to the major production it is today, Marymount has always given the event the respect that any tournament-level athletic competition merits. Generations of participants and family members have expressed appreciation for the love that the MU community puts into planning and running the tournament. Recently, at a local fair, a father came up to the Marymount booth to express appreciation for the "day of dignity" that the University provides for his son and other Special Olympians. A few years ago at the tournament, another parent commented, "The Marymount students are great; they give our players the respect and support that any athlete is due."

At the 2012 tournament this past April, Arlington Special Olympics Coordinator Bernie Woolfley enthusiastically noted the size of the crowd. Reflecting on what this level of support means to the visiting athletes, he said, "One of the Special Olympics mottoes is 'Having a life like yours.' I can't tell you how much it means to our athletes to spend the day with college students. It's an opportunity for them to experience what other young adults experience."

Marissa McGrath concurs, noting, "It's always great to see how much the athletes enjoy themselves, and knowing that we have contributed to their happiness makes us all feel good."

But she adds, "It's equally great to see what this event does for the Marymount community. It brings us together with a shared purpose. And for many students, this is their first interaction with people who have disabilities. It gives them a chance to open themselves up, to see things from a different perspective. Several MU students came up to me at the end of the tournament this year and said, 'Thank you for this experience.'"

Casey and Brendan Hammeke, sibling Special Olympics athletes who played in the 2012 tournament, expressed the joy they felt that day. Casey, a member of the Fairfax Fantastics, said, "It's fun, and I got to see a lot of friends that I don't get to see too often." Her brother Brendan, who plays for the Fairfax Spartans, added, "Marymount is wonderful. There are lots of good people to talk to here."

During the 2012 Closing Ceremony, MU chaplain Father David Sharland, Y.A., reflected on the joy of fellowship and service that invigorates all who are privileged to take part in the Special Olympics Basketball Tournament. As the teams, their family members, and the Marymount community formed the circle of friendship, Father Sharland ended the day with a prayer, giving thanks for the "opportunity to compete, to work as teams, to serve our brothers and sisters, to experience fellowship and celebration, and to have this special occasion to give greater glory to God."