Research at Andrews
On reading this research report some will wonder what is the use of it all, and why does the University spend time and money on it? But researchers see things differently as they ask, “Why did we not know this before, and what can this new knowledge do for us?” At this point research becomes education, and that explains why good universities invest time and money on it. I hope you enjoy this brief sampling of recent research activities at Andrews.
James Hayward, an Andrews’ biologist, along with graduate students Brianna Payne and Libby Megna, revisited the Galapagos Islands to study its marine iguana. These animals seemingly from another age have survived in their isolation and present a fascinating study of animal behavior.
Karl Bailey, a young researcher in our behavioral sciences department, has explored the importance of undergraduate research and found it to be the most effective way of getting students into good graduate programs in psychology and make them successful.
Several of the other research activities reported here combine the old and the new in order to bring fresh understanding to important subjects or to find solutions to age-old problems. Brian Strayer in the history department has produced a new biography of a well-known early Seventh-day Adventist pioneer and church leader, known to many by name, but not by much else. Thanks to this work we now know J.N. Loughborough as his denomination’s first historian.
Two Andrews’ researchers have studied a nationwide epidemic, the cure of which has escaped scientists for decades: acute anxiety caused by mathematics. The investigators, Rudi Baily and Jeannie Montagano, are psychologists, and they have found this to be a universal condition in the country for which a remedy must be found if America hopes to continue its lead role in engineering, medicine and science.
Modern technology applied to age-old methods of excavating for past artifacts in the kingdom of Jordan helps reconstruct our understanding of the past, says Randy Younker, director of the Institute of Archaeology.
Stan Patterson and Erich Baumgartner, of the Theological Seminary and the School of Education respectively, have studied international church leadership practices. They found, perhaps not entirely surprisingly, that local culture impacts local practice in leadership styles. Perhaps that would be true in our country too, if we had eyes to see it clearly.
The variety of research projects reminds us that university research is not merely a discrete number of activities, but a way of life for teachers and students. As they stumble upon questions they straightaway look for answers, and publish their findings so that everyone can review them and in time benefit from new knowledge. Research universities devote enormous resources to this kind of work. But in truth all educational institutions, including Andrews, should adopt this way of life: seeking answers, finding solutions, making changes.
Cordially,
Niels-Erik Andreasen
President