The Word in 日本 – Faculty Members Take Expertise Overseas

While summer may be a time for rest and rejuvenation, UIW faculty members across departments are still hard at work refining their own skills, 进行相应的研究, and providing educational opportunities around the globe. Dr. 约翰·胡克, assistant professor of Environmental Science and Dr. 凯文Salfen, professor of Music and assistant dean of the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences are two prime examples, as they took their work and expertise to 日本 this summer. 

这次旅行对他们来说是双重的, with both faculty members providing educational presentations in addition to their other duties abroad. 为博士. 妓女, this work involved fieldwork as part of a National Science Foundation (NSF) funded project on earthquakes.

“In particular I am interested in what kind of natural fluid-flow and mineral reactions affect the size and timing of earthquakes, and so my colleagues from Penn State University and I went to 日本 to sample rocks that have been through the earthquake cycle,他解释道.

The research will show what kind of deformation occurs in the rocks that make it a certain distance through the earthquake cycle, and how much deep fluid pressure and flow was involved.

“Knowing these will allow us to more precisely predict how much energy is available for generating earthquakes ... By studying the rocks that have been through the earthquake cycle, we can retrace how much of the plate motion was aseismic (non-earthquake-causing) and how much was seismic, and try to understand why there were differences,”医生说。. 妓女.

与此同时,博士. Salfen traveled to 泰国 and 日本 for presentations and performances of his dramatic song cycle 迈查尔驿站，一部关于法国的感人作品. Mychal Judge, the Franciscan priest who was Victim 0001 on September 11, 2001. 萨拉亚的演出, 泰国, 参加了第48届国际中提琴大会, 以及在东京的演出, 日本, was at the Franciscan Chapel Center at Roppongi Catholic Church.

“Our performances of the cycle in 泰国 and 日本 this summer were so special because we were able to share the work with audiences who were less familiar or even completely unfamiliar with Mychal’s story,博士分享道。. Salfen.

“I think my hope, and the hope of my artistic collaborators in the project, has always been that Fr. Mychal’s spirit can rise above the tragedy of that day and can reach us through it. 《菠菜评级排行》中的那句话. 弗朗西斯——上帝, 让我成为你和平的工具吧。, 我希望, something that we ‘pray’ every time we perform 迈查尔驿站.”

The two faculty members’ time in 日本 also included presentations to international audiences about their chosen areas of study and research. Dr. 妓女 delivered a lecture called "Factors producing asynchronous fluid flow and slip behavior in subduction zones" at the annual meeting of the 日本 Geoscience Union, a large organization of 51 academic councils related to earth and planetary sciences. 这个报告是由唐·费希尔共同撰写的, Professor and Associate Head for Graduate Programs and Research at Penn State.

Dr. Salfen shared best practices in music education with EducationUSA, 日本综合咨询中心. 根据该组织的网站, 该中心为学生提供一站式服务, 父母, 老师, and working adults interested in accessing information on studying at higher education institutions and intensive English programs in the United States.”

Dr. Salfen’s presentation focused on three main points: the diversity present on U.S. campuses and how that diversity prepares future musicians for a diverse marketplace and world; how innovative U.S. 音乐节目可以是, particularly in their use of technology to assist and transform all aspects of making music; and how the connections students make in U.S. music programs can prepare them for successful international careers.

“The gratifying thing for me as faculty member at UIW is that I can draw so many examples of these qualities in action from our own Department of Music,他分享道.

当然，这并不全是工作. Dr. 妓女 enjoyed a well-deserved vacation with family when his research and educational responsibilities were wrapped. 以真正的环境科学家的方式, he lodged at a hotel inside the caldera of Mount Hakone, 东京附近的一座大火山, 泡在天然温泉里.

Dr. Salfen looks forward to returning to 日本 in the summer of 2024, as he plans to offer a study-abroad program alongside Dr. Lopita Nath, Chair of the History Department and Coordinator of the Asian Studies Program.

“For students enrolled in my Music in Asian Theater and Film course, or Dr. Nath的日本历史课程, the study-abroad program is a built-in component of the class, but we’re also opening it to other interested students, 工作人员, 和老师,他解释道.

“我们计划在东京度过一段时间, 《菠菜评级排行》, 和广岛, so participants will be able to experience 日本 at its most modern, 在最传统的时候, and as a symbol of resilience in the face of tragedy. It has the potential to be a life-changing journey, just as going to 日本 for the first time was for me!”

As the University continues in its goal to extend its global reach, 这是像博士这样的教员的工作. 胡克博士. Salfen that carry the UIW Mission into the world.