Azusa Pacific University -- In Focus

During the winter months, Connie Brehm, Ph.D., associate professor of nursing, accompanies her graduate students to area homeless shelters. There, they not only gain firsthand experience, but also have an opportunity to help people who often do not have access to basic health care. “This is not a population for whom health care is a priority,” Brehm said. “We need to go to them.”

Two nights a week, Brehm and three or four of her Family Nurse Practitioner students load a van with medications, equipment, and supplies and set out to an East San Gabriel Valley Coalition for the Homeless member church that is hosting the homeless for that evening. They treat 15-20 people per visit, do basic assessments and care, and make referrals for more serious problems. Brehm, who also leads a discipleship group for graduate nursing students, considers these occasions a valuable adjunct to the formal classroom setting.

“It's so important for nursing students to see the spiritual and service side of their chosen vocation,” she said. “Fundamental to nursing is treatment of the whole person, following the integrated model that Jesus set when He took care of people both physically and spiritually. This gives us the capacity to be more effective in all that we do as nurses.”

“Connie is absolutely amazing - she involves us in a lot of extra activities just for our benefit,” said graduate nursing student Christine Erdmann, RN, who works in cosmetic nursing in Beverly Hills. “She plans special projects outside of her normal responsibilities.” For Erdmann, these evening field trips have been a journey out of her comfort zone. “I've never had contact with the homeless before,” she said. “It's been a very good experience because it has taught me that I need to treat everyone, regardless of income or status, to the best of my ability.”

“I believe that undergraduate students come to us at a critical time in their development,” said Jack Carter, associate professor of mathematics. “Often their image of self is determined by their perception of what others think of them.” In an effort to address his students' emotional, as well as academic needs, Carter intersperses classroom instruction on equations, logarithms, and fractals with readings from Max Lucado's book You Are Special. He wants his students to know that they have value beyond grades, looks, and achievement.

Trained as a design engineer, Carter also seeks to help his students succeed. He carefully arranges his classroom with four to six chairs at each table, situated so that no student has their back to him or their peers. With rollers on the chairs, students are free to move from the computers around the perimeter of the room to groupings of other students to work on projects together. This fluid, mobile modular set-up encourages movement and open participation.

Before teaching, Carter owned and managed several businesses which convinced him of the benefits of integrating theoretical knowledge with real-life experience. He favors a holistic approach to math and science, giving his students opportunities not only to solve problems, but also to participate in dialogue, make presentations, and collaborate with one another on assigned projects.

To this end, Carter contributed to the development of a project that gives engineering students an opportunity to apply their skills beyond textbook theory and integrate physics, math, and computer science. Joe Denny '03 and former pre-engineering student Derek Simpson spent the summer designing, constructing, and programming two small robots. The result of their work is a "bobot," a diminutive, three-wheeled contraption with feelers and a light sensor, and a slightly larger "quadripod," a challenging four-legged machine.

The students program the two robots to move along a path, walk through a maze, coordinate their appendages, and even "fight" one another in the style of Battlebots, a television show where contestants' homemade robots battle for a prize. “By programming the robots, I could understand and apply what I had learned in the classroom,” said engineering student Denny Beyond this practical experience, Denny also praises his teacher for a relationship that makes learning easier. “I have had Mr. Carter for six classes and found that I can always go to him for advice on school, career, and even personal matters,” he said. “He helps me see what I can do - what is possible. I don't think he realizes the influence he has on us. He's been like a mentor to me.”

Denny and Simpson have been inspired by Carter to use their project to encourage other budding scientists. The two are creating a program featuring their robots to present at local high schools. “We want to give kids an idea of how science makes sense and can be integrated into real life,” said Denny.

PAGE 1 • 2 • 3 | NEXT ›