Students and professors alike are settling into the fall semester, each working on their own research, classes and innovations.
The Daily caught up with six professors, ranging across disciplines, to check in on their first few weeks with students back on campus.
Brandon Runnels, associate professor in aerospace engineering, is entering his first semester at Iowa State.
“All good,” Runnels said. “All good and busy. I like it so far.”
Sherry Berghefer, teaching professor in the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication is working on new projects within the Greenlee School. “My two words would be ‘looking forward,’” Berghefer said. “We’ve got some really great things going on here in Greenlee this semester. Some of them I am very closely involved with.”
The efforts Berghefer referenced were Press Paws, a program bringing dogs into Hamilton Hall, a new major selected as a degree of the future, digital storytelling and space renovations in Hamilton.
Alenka Poplin, associate professor in community and regional planning is also working on a degree of the future.
“Fantastic, inspiring,” Poplin said, describing the beginning of the academic year. “I work with great people on exciting projects.”
Poplin referenced her work with study abroad opportunities in Austria and her role in developing a degree of the future, game design.
Michael Thompson, a professor of agronomy focusing on soil science, said his year has been busy as he sat in front of his dual-monitored computer in his Agronomy Hall office.
“Busy, exciting,” Thompson said. “There’s a lot to do, but there’s a lot to learn. That’s what I do. I learn and I facilitate learning, so that makes it exciting.”
Sang Kim, associate professor in electrical and computer engineering, noted a busy year ahead and noted his year has been good so far, but with a busier schedule.
“Just okay,” Kim said. “I’ve got a little bit more students than previous years, so I need to spend more time preparing and dealing with responding to student’s emails.”
Santosh Pandey, associate professor in electrical and computer engineering, said this year he noticed an increase in enthusiasm since the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020.
“Definitely I see a lot of excitement and enthusiasm in the class,” Pandey said. “That was kind of lost in the pandemic. I feel the energy. I feel the tempo.”
