Meet Lake Superior State's 18 new faculty members

The following is the continuation of SooToday.com's article about new faculty hires at Lake Superior State University.

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************************* Muhammad Janjua also arrived at LSSU last winter and is an assistant professor of mechanical engineering for the department of engineering and technology.

Janjua comes to Lake State from the New Jersey Institute of Technology, where he researched the complex self-assembly of micron-sized particles on electrified fluid-fluid interfaces.

He and another colleague, Sai Nudurupati, who is coming to Lake State as well, hold provisional patents generated by the work.

Janjua received a PhD from the New Jersey Institute of Technology; a master's degree from the City University of New York; and a bachelor of science from Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Technology, Pakistan, all in mechanical engineering.

Sai Nudurupati comes from the New Jersey Institute of Technology to serve as assistant professor of mechanical engineering in LSSU's engineering and technology department.

His research with Janjua at NJIT centered on manipulating and precisely measuring nanoparticles on fluid surfaces through the use of electric fields.

Another project applied advanced engineering software to analyze the fracture forces on a femur bone.

Nudurupati received his master's and doctorate degrees in mechanical engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

His baccalaureate is in industrial production engineering from Osmania University, India.

Pariwate Varnakovida will be an assistant professor of geographic information systems (GIS) in the LSSU Division of Chemistry, Environmental Sciences, Geology and Physics.

Varnakovida is completing a doctorate in geography from Michigan State.

His doctoral project creates a dynamic model to simulate and predict human-environment interactions and landscape level changes over time for Nang Rong Town in Thailand.

He holds an MS in information system management from Mahidol University and a bachelor of science in mathematics from Chiangmai University with minors in computer science and business administration.

Kristina Watson starts as an assistant professor of psychology in the College of Social Sciences, Arts, and Humanities.

She comes from Utah State University, where she taught graduate courses on the biological basis of behavior, and undergraduate integrated life science classes.

Her doctoral thesis and research work at USU explored neurochemistry and behavior.

Watson has a PhD in psychology-behavioral neuroscience from the University of Washington, Seattle; an MA in psychology from Eastern New Mexico University; a BS in psychology with minors in chemistry and government; and an associate's degree in general math and science with honors from Cosumnes River College, Sacramento, Calif.

Kathleen Kalata comes aboard as an instructor in the math and computer science department.

Kalata took a leap into computer science while she was still firmly established in a nursing career.

She co-founded the Midwest Alliance for Nursing Informatics as a result of her master's project.

Her work integrated database and computer technology with nursing and pharmacology courses set in labs, clinics, and classrooms.

She comes to LSSU from Park University, based in Parkville, Mo., where she was coordinator of on-line course development across 42 satellite campuses in 21 states.

She is completing her PhD in educational leadership from Western Michigan University.

She holds an MBA and a master's in administrative studies in nursing from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Her BS is in nursing from Saint Francis College, Fort Wayne, Ind.

Julie Barbour joins the English department as an instructor after teaching as an adjunct for the past three years.

Prior to 2006, she taught a wide range of writing at the University of Kentucky, Lexington and Transylvania University, a private college in the same city.

Her work has been published in The Louisville Review, The Licking River Review, Taproot Literary Review and New Zoo Poetry Review.

She has received an artist enrichment grant from the Kentucky Foundation for Women, and in 2004 was a finalist in the Poets and Writers exchange contest for Kentucky.

Barbour holds an MFA in creative writing and a BA in English and classical studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

LSSU alumna Jillena Rose becomes an English instructor after serving as an adjunct instructor since her graduation in 2003.

She teaches college-prep reading and writing, creative writing,and freshman composition, as well as an honors course that explores the origins of creativity.

Outside of the classroom, Rose coordinates student success seminars, LSSU's Writing Center and the IPASS/Student First mentor program.

Rose received a master of fine arts degree from Warren Wilson College, Swannanoa, North Carolina and a BA in English language and literature from Lake State.

Another Lake State alumna, Amy Molenaar, starts as an instructor in exercise science.

Molenaar received her BS magma cum laude in exercise science from LSSU in 2007.

She also holds associate's degrees in health and fitness from Lake State and science and art from Muskegon Community College.

She is completing an MS in exercise science through Northern Michigan University.

Her master's thesis looks at the workout frequencies required by athletes to maintain peak strength and conditioning during the off-season.

A paper based on her work is being prepared for the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.

Molenaar played volleyball for the Lakers from 2004-2007. Sarah Ouimette has been hired as an athletic training instructor, coming from Superior Physical Therapy in Sault Ste. Marie where she worked as a certified athletic trainer.

Her student athletic-training experiences supported gymnastics, wrestling, track and field, swimming, cross country, football, softball, hockey and Special Olympics, bowling, basketball and track.

She holds a master of education in professional development and a bachelor of science in athletic training from the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire.

She also holds a physical therapy assistant degree from San Juan College.

Ouimette is also a certified First Responder.

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