Nicholas Brune, a senior mathematics major, will graduate from UMSL this spring and earn the university’s first Certificate in Actuarial Studies. (Photo by Alicia Hottle-Sippy)

A variety of studies and media outlets agree: the actuarial field is booming even among these tough economic times. A recent analysis put together by CareerCast, a job search portal that says its analysis is a quarter century in the making, states that growth in the actuarial field is set to outpace all other professions. Keeping true to its commitment to prepare students for the changing job market, UMSL now offers a Certificate in Actuarial Studies through the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science. And given the profession’s booming future, it’s perhaps no surprise the first recipient of the certificate, Nicholas Brune, is completing his entire undergraduate curriculum in only three years.

Brune came to UMSL in 2010 knowing that he wanted to be an actuary. Thinking he’d have to carve his own niche within the math and economics programs, Brune went through his first semesters working toward minors in economics and statistics along with his math major. Then, in Brune’s junior year, the Certificate of Actuarial Studies was being developed and the committee behind it actually recruited Nicholas for his input.

“There’s a big need in the Midwest for actuaries right now,” said Ronald Yasbin, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at UMSL. “And before UMSL only one other school in the area offered any kind of degree in the field.”

But for students like Brune, who is also a student in the Pierre Laclede Honors College, an interest in the actuarial studies extends way beyond the job outlook.

“It’s hard to find a job that encourages the learning process to such a degree,” Brune said. “Some companies might give you a raise to get an MBA, but in the actuarial field it’s really not about the money, it’s about the mathematical concepts that many people have yet to learn. It’s a great opportunity, a great field for someone interested in math.”

Brune says he was fortunate to know early on that math was going to be his chosen field of study, though even as he accumulated advanced placement and college credit math courses at St. Charles (Mo.) High School, he wasn’t sure the exact career those math skills would translate into.

A few months before Brune graduated from high school a teacher brought the actuarial profession to Brune’s attention, knowing that Nicholas wanted to apply math to the financial realm and would probably prefer a career with a stronger interpersonal aspect.

It was that focus carried over from high school that allowed him to get through his entire undergrad so quickly. Though doing so was not without challenges. His very first semester he enrolled in 18 credit hours. This current semester he is enrolled in 19.

“Nicholas is a smart guy,” said Robert Sorenson, a professor of economics. “He had a goal that he had honed in on like a laser. I am sure Nick will be a great standard-bearer of the quality of our certificate program and a very successful actuary.”

The College of Business Administration and School of Professional & Continuing Studies at the University of Missouri–St. Louis announced a new program that offers a Certificate in Digital Media Marketing. Courses will begin in June with a curriculum that offers marketers a chance to amplify their skills in the digital world, including social media, Web analytics, media buying and mobile marketing. This fall, the university will be adding social media marketing to its graduate level curriculum.

“It is imperative that universities begin to seriously change their marketing curriculums to reflect the evolution of marketing and business being driven by technology or they will be outdated and irrelevant,” said Perry D. Drake, academic director and assistant teaching professor at UMSL.

Consumers are changing the way they communicate with and research brands, and brands are changing the way they promote and engage with consumers. Attention has been shifted from traditional media marketing to Internet, wireless devices and other digital platforms.

By 2016, advertisers will spend as much on interactive marketing as they do on television advertising today, according to Forrester Research. Investment in search marketing, display advertising, email marketing, mobile marketing and social media will near $77 billion and represent 35 percent of all advertising, as interactive channels gain legitimacy in the marketing mix.

As such, today’s marketers must be well versed in many areas including:

• Social media listening techniques and tools
• Web tracking techniques, tools and dashboarding
• Mobile marketing strategies
• Content development strategies
• Email marketing techniques for customer retention and retargeting

“The curriculum is designed to prepare marketers for the changing landscape where consumers are connected to a number of devices, have an unprecedented level of information for purchase decisions, and if properly cultivated can be an ambassador for their favorite brands,” Drake said.

Due to the focus on the latest issues facing the marketing community, the certificate course curriculum will improve the skill set of a recent graduate or an established professional, and is taught by local and national industry experts.

For more information, including course descriptions, instructors, fees and registration, visit the program website or call Perry Drake at 914-299-4879.

Note: UMSL Events contains information about events that will occur in the seven days following publication (Friday-Thursday). It contains information compiled from the UMSL Campus Calendar. No submissions are accepted, and since the calendar is self-populated, University Marketing and Communications is not responsible for the content that appears here or its accuracy. If you would like to receive UMSL Events via e-mail, you can subscribe to UMSL Daily or UMSL Daily Events.

Textbook Sell Back
Date/Time: May 17, 2013 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM
Location: UMSL Bookstore
Audience: Student
Description: It’s Textbook Sell Back time! Stop by the UMSL Bookstore to sell back your Textbooks. Guaranteed buyback; receive a minimum 5.00 for each textbook you sell. Enter to win a iPad, each textbook you sell enters you to win! For more details visit umslbookstore.com
For Info: Stephanie Eaton at 314-516-5763

MFA Graduate Readings
Date/Time: May 17, 2013 7:30 PM
Location: Lee Theater, Touhill Performing Arts Center
Audience: Open
Description: The University of Missouri – St. Louis’s Master of Fine Arts Program in Creative Writing invites you to experience original fiction and poetry authored and read aloud by our MFA graduate students.
For Info: Touhill Ticket Office at 314-516-4949

Writing for the Net
Date/Time: May 18, 2013 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Location: 403 JC Penney Conference Center
Audience: Open
Description: Publish your work instantly. Be your own columnist. Sell your work. Establish a Web presence. Writing for the internet is easier than normal writing, and a fun challenge. We will practice “translating” prose into internet prose. Fee: $65
For Info: Mary Gough at 314-516-5974

Spring Commencement
Date/Time: May 18, 2013 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Location: Mark Twain Building; Touhill Performing Arts Center
Audience: Open
Description: Ceremony I (10:00 a.m.; Mark Twain Building) – Nursing, CoFAC, Social Work, MPPA Ceremony II (2:00 p.m.; Mark Twain Building) – Arts & Sciences Ceremony III(6:00 p.m.; Touhill PAC) – Optometry
For Info: Cindy Vantine at 314-516-5442

Spring Commencement
Date/Time: May 19, 2013 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM
Location: Mark Twain Building
Audience: Open
Description: Ceremony IV (2:00 p.m.; Mark Twain Building) – Education Ceremony V(6:00 p.m.; Mark Twain Building) – Business, Engineering
For Info: Cindy Vantine at 314-516-5442

Textbook Sell Back
Date/Time: May 20, 2013 7:30 AM to 6:00 PM
Location: UMSL Bookstore
Audience: Student
Description: It’s Textbook Sell Back time! Stop by the UMSL Bookstore to sell back your Textbooks. Guaranteed buyback; receive a minimum 5.00 for each textbook you sell. Enter to win a iPad, each textbook you sell enters you to win! For more details visit umslbookstore.com
For Info: Stephanie Eaton at 314-516-5763

Textbook Sell Back
Date/Time: May 21, 2013 7:30 AM to 6:00 PM
Location: UMSL Bookstore
Audience: Student
Description: It’s Textbook Sell Back time! Stop by the UMSL Bookstore to sell back your Textbooks. Guaranteed buyback; receive a minimum 5.00 for each textbook you sell. Enter to win a iPad, each textbook you sell enters you to win! For more details visit umslbookstore.com
For Info: Stephanie Eaton at 314-516-5763

Weight Watchers at Work
Date/Time: May 21, 2013 11:30 AM to 12:30 AM
Location: 225 MSC, Conference Room
Audience: Open
Description: Come join Weight Watchers at Work on-campus any Tuesday. A group of faculty and staff meet with a Weight Watchers facilitator on a weekly basis. To initiate the process, follow these instructions: Go to wellness.weightwatchers.com Enter Company ID: 46814 Enter Company Passcode: WW46814 Register as a new member GENERAL INFORMATION: Meeting Times are Tuesdays 11:30am-12:30pm in 225 MSC $39.95/month Includes free access to E-Tools, an on-line resource to help with your success Questions or interest in the program? Contact Teresa Balestreri (ext. 5002; tkb@umsl.edu)
For Info: Teresa Balestreri at 314-516-5002

Using Cognos Student Reports
Date/Time: May 21, 2013 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Location: 65 JCP
Audience: UMSL Only
Description: This session is intended for individuals interested in using the student reports available via Cognos. These reports contain data at the student or course level and are operationally-oriented, rather than high-level summaries. The goal of this session is to familiarize UMSL faculty and staff with the Cognos environment and available student-oriented reports. Topics in this hands-on session include: set-up activities; signing on; setting the default folder; effectively navigating in the application; an overview of the reports; how to run reports; and where to find documentation. There will be ample time for questions. Verify your access to Cognos by following the directions at: http://www.umsl.edu/~ir/files/pdfs/VerifyCognosAccess.pdf
For Info: Larry Westermeyer at 314-516-4010 or Carol Sholy at 314-516-4148

Mindfulness Meditation
Date/Time: May 22, 2013 12:15 PM to 12:45 PM
Location: Center for Student Success conference room– 225 MSC
Audience: Open
Description: Mindfulness Meditation is a proven—and increasingly popular—method for reducing stress, anxiety, depression, insomnia, and a variety of medical conditions. Incorporating Mindfulness into your schedule can enhance your overall well-being and allow you to live your life more fully. These weekly guided Mindfulness activities are free and open to beginning as well as experienced meditators.
For Info: Jamie Linsin at 314-516-5711

UMSL Toastmasters Club
Date/Time: May 23, 2013 12:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Location: UMSL Alumni Center, 101 Woods Hall
Audience: Open
Description: This is the initial, founding, meeting for an UMSL Toastmasters Club. Come and explore Toastmasters. It can be a life-changing experience.
For Info: Ron Gossen at 314-516-5776

Critical Conversations (Management)
Date/Time: May 23, 2013 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM
Location: Arts Administration Building, HR Training Center (Room 222)
Audience: Faculty/Staff
Description: Monthly classroom training sessions are offered to staff on a first-come-first-serve basis. Participants can sign up and find a schedule of courses through myLearn. To enroll in this course, view the catalog and select UMSL Instructor Led Training. Select desired course. For other training opportunities, please visit: www.umsl.edu/services/hrs/Current%20Employees/training.html
For Info: Tara VanDeVoorde at 314-516-5258

UMSL biology major Serene Darwish received a College of Arts and Sciences Research Grant to study the kiskadee bird population in Guyana. (Photo by August Jennewein)

When Serene Darwish made the switch from pre-med to biology she knew it was a better fit, but the move came as a surprise to her family. Now, any lingering doubts have been quashed.

Darwish, a resident of Florissant, Mo., and a junior biology major at the University of Missouri­–St. Louis, will spend 42 days in Guyana examining the mating songs of the great kiskadee bird population. Her summer research excursion comes courtesy of a $1,000 College of Arts and Sciences Research Grant.

“I was originally pre-med, and this semester I knew it wasn’t for me. And I knew I had a passion for animals,” she said. “I’m trying to prove to my family that I have passion for this. I know I can do it.”

Darwish was one of six undergraduates to receive this year’s grants. The college created the grant program last year in order to promote undergraduate research. A faculty and student review committee selected six undergraduates to receive funds to help them complete their research activities.

Darwish’s project, “Identifying contact zones in Guyana for great kiskadee populations through differences in unlearned loud songs,” will be overseen by her research mentor Godfrey R. Bourne, associate professor of biology. Bourne will also be in Guyana this summer conducting bird research, something he does every summer.

“I’m seeing if there is evolution occurring with the kiskadee species, by looking at differences in their mating songs,” Darwish said. “If we notice a difference in the songs, than we know the birds are changing. They are evolving.”

Each kiskadee subspecies has somewhat complex unlearned loud songs. Essentially, the birds are hatched knowing certain songs and are unable to learn new ones. She’ll be looking to see if their physical environment is favoring certain elements of the loud song while selecting against other song elements, thus influencing geographical clustering of song types.

“If their homes are changing structurally this might influence nature selection to accentuate differences in their songs, especially with mating related to female choice of males as mates,” Darwish said.

Her research findings will help determine if there’s something going on with the bird’s gene flow among neighboring populations and let researchers know if the species will be endangered soon.

This is her first excursion into field research, which has her equally excited and nervous. The grant money will be used for travel expenses.

Her take-away from winning the grant is never underestimate your strengths.

“If you don’t try you won’t know,” she said. “This encourages me to try even harder and try other things.”

Five other students in the College of Arts and Sciences won research grants: Sean Cristea for “Investigation of Methods to Predict DNA Curvature in Viral Genomes,” Eleni Goranitis for “The Effects of the Alzheimer’s Amyloid-Beta Protein on the Inflammatory Response,” Hung Nguyen for “Systematic Study of Photoresponsive Structure-Behavior Relationships in Cyanometalates,” Bojana Opacic for “Overexpressing IAA biosynthesis rescues mutants with low IAA phenotypes” and Matthew Queensen for “New Chiral Organometallic Iron Catalysys for C-C and C-Si Bond Forming Reactions.”

(Photo by Danny Reise)

For the second time in three years, the University of Missouri–St. Louis men’s golf team has earned a spot in the NCAA Division II Championship.

The UMSL Tritons recorded a third-place finish at the NCAA Midwest/Central Regional, held last week at Strawberry Creek Country Club in Kenosha, Wis., and are one of five teams from the regional advancing to the NCAA Championship May 20-24 at the Hershey (Pa.) Country Club.

It marks the eighth NCAA Championship appearance for the program. UMSL recorded a 15th place finish in 2011, which also came under the direction of fourth-year head coach Troy Halterman.

UMSL finished with a 54-hole score of 866 (283-290-293), seven strokes behind team champion University of Central Missouri (Warrensburg) (287-287-285 – 859). The Mules used a late surge to fend off University of Central Oklahoma (Edmond) (289-294-291 – 864), who placed second.

Fellow Great Lakes Valley Conference member Bellarmine University (Louisville, Ky.) (285-294-295 – 874) and Southwestern Oklahoma State University (Weatherford) (295-287-293 – 875), placed fourth and fifth, respectively, and also advance to the national championship.

Junior Joe Atkisson, who competed in last year’s regional as an individual and placed 95th, took home a third place finish this year, carding a six-under par 210 (68-70-72), bettering his own 54-hole school record of 214, set at the GLVC Championship earlier this season.

Medalist honors went to the University of Central Missouri’s Ryan Hughey, who finished 13 strokes under par with a 203 (65-69-69) to lead the field of 108 competitors. 

Junior Warren Crow (68-74-77) and senior Chase Smith (73-72-74) tied for 18th place, each shooting a 219, while freshmen David Abolt tied for 24th place with a 221 (74-74-73). Freshman Colby Yates rounded out the scoring with a 225 (74-77-74), tying for 53rd place.

Tobi Williams will graduate from UMSL on May 18 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. A 2009 graduate of the highly successful Bridge Program for high school students, Williams credits Bridge and UMSL for pointing her in the direction of a successful career. (Photo by August Jennewein)

When her mother proposed a program that included Saturday morning classes, Tobi Williams reacted like many high school sophomores.

“I said I was 100 percent against the idea,” said Williams, now 22, and about to graduate from the University of Missouri–St. Louis. “But the UMSL Bridge Program ended up being a really great experience for me in so many ways.”

Located at UMSL, the Bridge Program offers a Saturday Academy for ninth through 12th graders designed to build strong academic proficiency in math, science, writing and other areas critical for the successful transition to college. Founded 27 years ago, 100 percent of Bridge students are admitted to college.

“I was attending a private high school for girls and the curriculum was college prep,” Williams said. “But Bridge helped me learn what college was really going to be like. I learned about time management and how to get things done.”

Williams also learned a lot about herself.

“I had always gone to private, predominantly white schools,” she said. “I was one of the only African American kids for a long time. Bridge, which serves predominantly African American students, gave me a different perspective.”

What she discovered at Bridge were classes filled with good students, who were hard working and successful, just like her.

When she graduated from high school, Williams headed off to the University of Missouri–Columbia. But after two years, she returned to St. Louis. She enrolled right away at UMSL.

“I loved the smaller classes, and my grades improved,” she said. “My mother graduated from here, has earned several degrees and now is a school principal”

In a program known for its standouts, Williams will do exceptionally well in life, according to those who have worked with her.

“Self-motivation, accountability and commitment are key factors placed upon students that participate in Bridge,” said Natissia Small, assistant dean of students and head of precollegiate programs. “Tobi is a wonderful example of a student who met the program’s expectations. I am certain that she will obtain her master’s degree and overall achieve lifelong success.”

Williams will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in psychology on May 18, right on time.

“I’m very proud of myself for doing it in four years,” she said.

She plans on going to graduate school, hopefully in California. She’s going to take this next year to perhaps work for Teach for America. She has her goals set. She’s looking at marriage and family counseling or sports psychology as possible professions.

“I’m really close to my family, and I’d like to share some of the things I’ve learned from them with other people,” she said.