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News and Events – Johnson named Quenon Associate Professor of Mining Engineering at Missouri S&T

News and Events  – 2022 – April – 08

Dr. Catherine Johnson, associate professor of mining and explosives engineering at Missouri S&T, has been named the Robert H. Quenon Associate Professor of Mining Engineering. She will begin serving in this role Thursday, Sept. 1.

“I am honored to receive this title and to be recognized for my work in the field of mining engineering” says Johnson. “Being a leader in the field has always been my goal. The Quenon award enables me to continue this path while working in new research directions.”

Johnson says the award will fund new students and assist them in reaching their academic and professional goals. The award is named for the late Robert H. Quenon, who was president and board chair of Peabody Holding Co. of St. Louis. It was established to attract experienced mining engineers to Missouri S&T.

Johnson joined the Missouri S&T faculty in 2015. Her research focuses on the advancement of blasting practices and technologies, coal-dust explosion suppression, shock physics and blast-induced traumatic brain injury. The University of Missouri System named her a Presidential Engagement Fellow in 2019, and she received an Outstanding Faculty Research Award from Missouri S&T in 2021. Johnson also received a Dean’s Scholar Award from Missouri S&T’s College of Engineering and Computing in 2021.

Johnson earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mining engineering from the University of Leeds, United Kingdom, and a Ph.D. in mining engineering from the University of Kentucky in Lexington. She is a member of the International Society of Explosives Engineers; the Society of Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration; and the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining.

About Missouri University of Science and Technology

Missouri University of Science and Technology (Missouri S&T) is a STEM-focused research university of approximately 7,000 students. Part of the four-campus University of Missouri System and located in Rolla, Missouri, Missouri S&T offers 101 degrees in 40 areas of study and is among the nation’s top 10 universities for return on investment, according to Business Insider. S&T also is home to the Kummer Institute, made possible by a $300 million gift from Fred and June Kummer. For more information about Missouri S&T, visit www.mst.edu.

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Ohio State offers resources and events amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Ohio State offers resources and events amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Tensions between Russia and other nations have been growing for decades, following the collapse of the Soviet Union and expansion of North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Credit: Maxim Guchek/BelTA/TASS/ABACAPRESS.COM via TNS

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues, Ohio State has a number of resources to help those impacted, and will host events with information about the war.

Christopher Gelpi, director and chair of peace studies and conflict resolution at the Mershon Center, said learning about the war is an important part of being a good citizen, because everyone has a responsibility to understand how governments, both in the U.S. and overseas, react in times of struggle.

“I see our role in a crisis like this is to bring people together and share the knowledge that our faculty fellows have in a way that is accessible to as wide an audience as possible,” Gelpi said.

An estimated 42,908 people of Ukrainian descent live in Ohio, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey.

Ohio State’s “Education for Citizenship” motto emphasizes the university’s commitment to informing citizens, according to the Office of Diversity and Inclusion website. The Office of International Affairs has a list of resources to inform students about the university’s events covering the crisis in Ukraine.

University spokesperson Chris Booker said in an email the Office of International Affairs offers support resources, including counseling and personal well-being services, immigration assistance for international students and information about cyber security.

“Ohio State developed this list of academic and support resources to assist those impacted by the conflict in Ukraine and foster discussion and education across campus,” Booker said.

The Center for Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies has compiled various academic resources, including books, articles, events and films, that help to better understand the crisis in Ukraine, according to the center’s website. The office will also hold a virtual roundtable Wednesday from 11 a.m. to noon, featuring Polish experts sharing their perspective on the war.

WOSU Public Media and the John Glenn College of Public Affairs will hold an event Thursday at noon called “Dialogue Special Edition: The Russia/Ukraine Crisis,” featuring a variety of speakers and discussions on the possible routes to peace in Europe.

The Mershon Center will host a virtual event March 24 from 3:30-5 p.m., featuring a discussion from Timothy Frye, a professor of post-Soviet foreign policy at Columbia University, about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s role in Russian and international politics, according to the Mershon Center website. Another virtual event hosting 11 speakers who will speak on U.S. and NATO relations with Russia will be held April 8 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.