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Trio of Calvin students earn nation’s most prestigious STEM research award

msk23@calvin.edu — Wed, 02 Apr 2025 11:25:49 +0000

Trio of Calvin students earn nation’s most prestigious STEM research award msk23@calvin.edu Wed, 04/02/2025 - 07:25

Aerin Baker (Saugatuck, Mich.), Maggie Grabill (Ada, Mich.), and Ava Tatko (Grand Rapids, Mich.) have been named 2025 Goldwater Scholars. The scholarship, awarded by the Barry M. Goldwater Foundation, is widely considered to be the most prestigious award for undergraduate students in the natural sciences, mathematics, and engineering in the United States.

More than 1,300 students from 445 schools applied for the award, but only 441 students received it. This marks the second straight year that three �鶹�� students earned the distinction.

“To have multiple students most years earning this distinction is a testament to the strength of our students and the strength of our research programs here at Calvin,” said Chris Hartemink, professor of engineering and Calvin’s campus representative for the scholarship.

Personalized research experiences

Common to all three students’ experience is they were invited into research during their first year at Calvin. One thing they discovered was they would have incredible access to their professors and be seen as partners in the research.

“The professors are so intentional about connecting with you as an individual, as a person, and that grows during the research,” said Baker, a junior studying chemistry. “You are working alongside your professor, not under them.”

“Whenever I had advice to give or a research-related question to ask I could walk into my research advisor’s office anytime and sit down and have a conversation,” said Tatko, a junior studying engineering with an energy, environmental and sustainability concentration. “At a larger university, where you have more of an impersonal relationship, that is not an option.”

Impressive outcomes

While the students have felt like partners in the research, their names being listed as co-authors alongside their professors in major journal articles validate that feeling.

“We’ve published four papers and we are working on a fifth now,” said Baker, who also presented her research at the American Chemical Society’s National Meeting in Denver, Colorado this past summer. “My advisor [Professor Doug Vander Griend] and I are also working on a collaboration with a university in France.”

Grabill, a chemical engineering and chemistry double major is only a sophomore, yet she already has two publications to her name.

Maggie Grabill '27 earned the Goldwater Scholarship as a sophomore. Most awardees are juniors.

As for Tatko, she’s already seeing the tangible benefits of her research on a global scale. She’s been working on getting a manuscript published about centralized chlorination for rural communities in the Andean mountains in Ecuador. While she says the water disinfection systems in the U.S. are well proven, they aren’t necessarily available to other countries because of material needs and regulation restrictions.

“So, the engineering department at Calvin is partnering with an engineering and missions organization in Ecuador and we are working with them to do design for specific communities. So, I have been organizing and doing design for 18 different communities over six years of data and organizing that into a formalized paper to get it published to share the design so others can do it for other countries.”

Practical applications

In Spring 2024, Tatko got to travel with her research advisor and two other student researchers to install the design they had created as a prototype in their lab during her first year of summer research.

Ava Tatko (left) in Ecuador with her fellow student researchers and her research advisor, Julie Wildschut (center).

“It was so very interesting to have my research directly applicable. It was novel research, and we then had the opportunity to install it and do ‘real engineering’ and work with the community and make sure they knew how to do maintenance and installation themselves so they could operate it once we had returned to the U.S.,” said Tatko.

Support leads to success

While Baker, Grabill and Tatko realize the research experiences they received at Calvin helped them earn the prestigious Goldwater award, they also credit their professors and advisors who invested countless hours to help their students stand out amongst their peers.

“All the applicants worked closely with Professor Hartemink during the month of January to do essay writing and drafts and reviews and to make sure this application was as polished as it could be,” said Tatko.

“I had been told as a sophomore you’ll put your best foot forward, but know that you can’t be as competitive as the juniors because you only have one year of experience,” said Grabill. “So, I thought I’d be applying next year. But I’m super grateful that despite the odds, Professor Hartemink and other professors at Calvin had enough confidence in me to take the time to write letters of recommendation.”

“I think Calvin provided me a lot of support to win the Goldwater,” said Tatko. “My application wouldn’t have been as strong without Chris Hartemink’s and Julie Wildschut’s, my research advisor, guidance and support throughout the process.”

Made the right decision

While the three still have time to decide their next step after Calvin, one thing they all agree on: they made the right choice in coming to Calvin.

“100%! I thought my idea of research was pretty solid coming in, but as I’ve gone through Calvin, it’s a lot deeper than I originally thought. You get to connect with so many people, collaborate not just in your own lab, but across departments and with people from other schools who have knowledge of what you are working on,” said Baker. “Calvin is a great place in the research community and a lot of great opportunities come out of that.”

“I don’t think I’d be where I am if I wasn’t at Calvin. I think it’s been a really great experience,” said Grabill.

“The longer I’m at Calvin the more grateful I am that I chose to come here,” said Tatko. “It’s really worked out for me in every sense I wanted.”

Interested in learning more about Calvin and the opportunities available to you? Get started.

Wed, 04/02/2025 - 12:00

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Chemistry professor Doug Vander Griend researches alongside Aerin Baker '26. At Calvin, students have opportunities to work 1-on-1 with professors on important research projects. Baker's research experience has already led to co-authoring multiple papers for journals and presenting at a national conference.

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Vibrant Community

hp59@calvin.edu — Tue, 11 Mar 2025 17:13:15 +0000

Vibrant Community hp59@calvin.edu Tue, 03/11/2025 - 13:13

A few months ago, many of us gathered in person or online to witness the inauguration of Calvin President Greg Elzinga.

I had the privilege to work alongside Greg in the advancement division for seven years, and I can tell you firsthand how blessed the Calvin community is to have a leader like Greg serving our institution in this important way.

During the ceremony and in the weeks leading up to the event, it struck me again how vast and wide the Calvin community is. The week before the ceremony on our Knollcrest Campus, I was honored to attend a joint Commencement and inauguration ceremony with Calvin students at our Handlon Campus. Then on January 24, I sat in the Covenant Fine Arts Center with Greg’s family, longtime colleagues, students, and friends of Calvin to celebrate and support an esteemed coworker starting his new role. The array of people painted a beautiful picture of the many ways Calvin intersects with so many different communities.

I trust many share the notion that being in community is generally a good thing. I believe God created us, in part, to need one another. As alumni, our time at Calvin helped shape our picture of what it means to be in community. Participating in traditions like Chaos Night (or Day), jumping in the Sem Pond, Rivalry games, and musical and stage performances crafted core memories and lifelong bonds. If you’re like me, student life at Calvin made a profound impact.

Yet our community experiences are more than fond memories; they are still dynamic and alive today. In this edition of Spark, you’ll learn how professors and students from our kinesiology department interact with kids from the Grand Rapids community at summer Health Camp and with Grand Rapids fire fighters during injury prevention clinics. Calvin’s 53-year partnership with the local community of Umm Al-Jimal has culminated in the archaeological site’s new designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Our Calvin community will soon gather to celebrate the accomplishments of the Class of 2025 as they officially become Calvin alumni and to reminisce with the Class of 1975 who, 50 years ago, celebrated their own Commencement.

We also look forward to formally launching Calvin’s 150th anniversary celebration this summer. Throughout the 2025–26 academic year, we invite you to join with our global community in celebrating God’s incredible blessings over a century and a half.

Wherever you are and whatever community God has called you to serve, I pray that you may join with those around you this Easter to celebrate the glory of our resurrected Savior, Jesus Christ, and the assurance that brings.

Wed, 04/16/2025 - 12:00

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Jeff Haverdink

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Space for Connection

hp59@calvin.edu — Wed, 13 Nov 2024 18:27:30 +0000

Space for Connection hp59@calvin.edu Wed, 11/13/2024 - 13:27

It’s hard to believe that in just a few weeks a historic fall semester at Calvin will come to a close. And what a semester it has been!

We were blessed to welcome nearly 1,200 new students, launch new master’s degree programs, and enjoy the sounds of a new marching band. And who will ever forget Calvin’s first official football season?

There was energy and excitement at Calvin this fall, and we have much to be grateful for.

Adding to that excitement was the un- veiling of many new spaces around our Knollcrest campus. The completion of the first phase of the Commons Union project revealed a remodeled Hekman Library, designed to enhance student learning and shared life together. Both an interactive virtual learning lab and a cadaver lab debuted in DeVries Hall for our health sciences students. Calvin athletics celebrated the dedication of the soccer stadium and the opening of an outdoor athletic building, complete with an incredible football locker room.

Beyond the beauty and excitement of new structures, what means more is seeing how the community uses those spaces. Often while walking through the library or waiting for a coffee at Peet’s, I look around to simply take in the scene of students learning from each other and creating lifelong memories together.

This past summer, I had the privilege of traveling to Seoul, South Korea, to spend time with some of our amazing alumni, current students, and the leadership team of our Calvin Alumni Association Korea Network. It was an incredible experience, and I’m deeply grateful for the beautiful hospitality our fellow Calvin alums showed me while I was on their side of the world.

On more than one occasion, I had to re- mind myself that I was nearly 6,500 miles from Calvin’s campus. The culture and food were different, not to mention the sheer size of the city. Yet at one event, I was surrounded by nearly a hundred alumni and students. I felt right at home, warmly welcomed by new friends who all share a common Calvin connection.

As with all my interactions with Calvin grads, I was blessed with new perspectives while in Seoul. It was meaningful to spend time there: seeing the world from a new vantage point, experiencing the hospitality of Korean culture, and most importantly, getting to know alumni at a deeper level in their own space.

Physical space matters, but meeting people where they are and sharing life together matters even more, whether in a new study area on campus or halfway around the world sharing conversation over delicious Korean barbecue.

As we turn our focus to celebrating the birth of our Savior, I marvel anew at God’s great love for us. God sent his Son into our earthly space to live with us and to give his life for us so that we might live forever with him—in his holy and perfect space.

Gloria, in excelsis Deo!

Wed, 11/13/2024 - 12:00

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Director of Alumni and Family Engagement, Jeff Haverdink, shares a meal with the Calvin Alumni Association Korea Network leadership team.

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Students Helping Each Other Be Successful in the Classroom

msk23@calvin.edu — Fri, 11 Oct 2024 13:01:02 +0000

Students Helping Each Other Be Successful in the Classroom msk23@calvin.edu Fri, 10/11/2024 - 09:01

Noelle Haviland came to Calvin as an Honors student.

But when it came to Calculus … “I felt lost,” said Haviland. “I didn’t even know what it was I didn’t understand.”

While Haviland worked really hard and ultimately did okay in the class, she admits she waited too long to ask for help, and it caused her to struggle. So, when her statistics class came around, she didn’t make that same mistake.

Taking a different approach

“I decided to get a tutor right away and take advantage of that resource and also having someone as an accountability partner to make sure I was doing my homework,” said Haviland.

While Haviland was receiving tutoring in one area, she was tutoring her peers in others.

“Everyone has different strengths academically and I feel that that’s another way tutoring is helpful, sharing those skills,” said Haviland. “Someone who is really good at math helping someone in the humanities, and vice versa.”

It's like iron sharpening iron. Emily Bosscher, a peer support coordinator and academic counselor at �鶹��, says that a peer-to-peer tutoring model has proven to be successful.

Using a proven model

“We have a peer tutoring model at Calvin, and nationally the research shows that’s the better model,” said Bosscher. “Students respond better to their own peers. They want to be with someone who has just been in the trenches, who has just experienced that particular professor’s way of teaching and testing.”

This model provides students with a trusted guide, with someone who has been there, done that, and recently. Bosscher gets recommendations for tutors from professors and then trains the students on the techniques and the logistics of being a good tutor.

“If you did well in the class and have a passion for helping other people, that’s pretty much all you need,” said Bosscher.

Ask for guidance ... early

Bosscher says that tutoring is just one of the academic supports offered to students at Calvin. She said her office also offers coaching and group study sessions. She says while there are plenty of academic supports in place, too many students decide to ask for tutoring out of panic rather than prudence.

“I would recommend any student set up an appointment with a counselor in Student Success to determine if tutoring or coaching is the best direction given their situation,” said Bosscher. “We love to counsel people early on to find the best route, so they don’t have to get to a place of panic.”

For Haviland, who has now benefitted from being both the recipient and provider of tutoring and coaching, she sees the benefit of moving from a feeling of being lost to one of confidence.

Your peers want to help

“Sometimes admitting to yourself you need help can be difficult, but it’s important because you don’t want to stay stuck or struggling when there are resources that can help you,” said Haviland.

Students who choose tutoring have a 1-on-1 one-hour session every week with a peer who has a grasp on the material being taught and understands the style of the professor teaching it.

“If you are struggling in a class and you really want help from someone who has been in your position before, gone through that class with that professor, then tutoring is a really great resource,” said Haviland.

Equipped to thrive

Students who choose coaching spend time each week with a peer mentor learning time management, study skills, the importance of getting enough sleep, and other skills important to making the transition from high school to college expectations.

“I think that many of the tutoring requests that come in are probably better served by teaching study skills, and so coaching is a way that we can help students,” said Bosscher.

Bosscher says there are 120 tutors currently on staff. Last year more than 500 students were involved in one-on-one tutoring or coaching pairings and there were 1,850 visits to study sessions.

Whether you are looking to become a tutor or coach or to receive tutoring or coaching, or both, contact Emily Bosscher.

Fri, 10/11/2024 - 12:00

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