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stay connected GET INVOLVED I am interested in volunteering on a weekly basis as a project manager. I am interested in being a reviewer for project effectiveness and management. (1.5 hour, one-time commitment)

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FALL 2016

ENGINEERING AND BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP By Jake Haser ’19

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By Damaris Gehman ’16

“In higher work it is otherwise, but here below to live is to change, and to be perfect is to have changed often.” –John Henry Newman

The Village Water Ozonization System (VWOS), led by professor

Change is a flavor familiar to the Collaboratory. It is fitting that we are reminded by Cardinal John Henry Newman that “to live is to change.” Over the course of the last year, the Collaboratory experienced a transition in nearly the entire office team. In the stress, uncertainty and busyness of an academic semester, it is easy to be frustrated with change. Times of transition are difficult and exhausting. Thus, we must remember that change is ultimately necessary for our good. It is a sign of movement, productivity, and growth, qualities that must be found if we are to do God’s work. The uncertainty of change causes us to cling to the unchanging nature of our Lord. We know that God is faithful and that he will not give us more than we can handle. We know that his purposes will be revealed to us in time and that his plan is the ultimate plan. I find hope in new perspective because perspective offers clarity, and clarity results in fresh vision. I am excited to experience all over again the vision of the Collaboratory seeing it from new eyes and embodying it with a passionate heart. Although many things will continue to change in the Collaboratory, we will always increase hope and transform lives through collaboration, education, innovation and service. The many fruitful projects and lives impacted demonstrate that the Collaboratory is moving, growing and accomplishing our mission. We can be assured that God is making us perfect as we learn to put our trust in Him.

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Michelle Lockwood, has provided clean drinking water to communities in need since 2007. Professor Lockwood states, “Over the years we have developed a water purification system. Our team has improved maintenance abilities, testing and contact times. There are three systems. One in Honduras, one in Nicaragua and one in Mexico.” The team is pleased with the recent success of a new installation by a site team at a community center. In Oaxaca, Mexico, VWOS’s primary client is Forward Edge International, a non-profit Christian organization. The system helps to feed 120 kids daily, five days a week. Lockwood explains, “The water from our system goes into their meals and provides drinking water. The area is very low income. They have no free access to public water. With our system, the drinking water is at a significantly

for strategic partnerships and applied research are creating a line purification system and

reduced rate for the community.” Interdisciplinary collaboration is a key theme in the Collaboratory. It creates a unique synergy that benefits the projects. For VWOS, the engineering and business departments worked together to create an incredible result! Three students were part of the business team for the Mexico VWOS project. The students developed a business plan to make the system more sustainable and put it into action. They completed the plan as part of the Impact Venture Challenge, a Messiah College business competition, and made it quite far. Professor Lockwood expresses, “The goal is for the system to be financially sustainable for users.” The project desires to give clean, affordable drinking water to the communities the Collaboratory supports. They also ensure that the users know how to maintain the system and that someone can be paid to fix it when needed. Looking ahead, Lockwood says they

new products that would be at a different price. The primary focus is on the level of water purity. She says, “We are currently looking at UV radiation to purify the water instead of ozonization.” Lockwood is excited about the project’s future and thankful for everyone who has contributed to it.

INSID E

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WORD FROM THE STUDENT DIRECTOR

Clockwise from top left: The VWOS team helps make lunch at a school in Oaxaca. The lunch includes the fresh drinking water from the purification system. The VWOS team stops for a picture with residents of Oaxaca. A team member takes measurements for the purification system.

• Word from the student director



• Group updates: Vader’s vision shaped the Collaboratory • New staff spotlight: Doug Flemmens, Derek Plante

the collaboratory for strategic partnerships and applied research

group updates

new staff spotlight THE COLLABORATORY FOR STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS AND APPLIED RESEARCH

MISSION The Collaboratory is a center at Messiah College for applied research and projectbased learning, in partnership with client nonprofit organizations, businesses, governments and communities in our region and around the world. Areas of engagement include science, engineering, health, information technology, business and education. Our two-fold mission is: • To foster justice, empower the poor, promote peace and care for the earth through applications of our academic and professional disciplines • To increase the academic and professional abilities of participants, their vocational vision for lifelong servant-leadership and their courage to act on convictions

VISION Increasing hope and transforming lives through education, collaboration, innovation and service.

IDENTITY The Collaboratory is an organization of students, educators and professionals affiliated with Messiah College. We are Christians who aspire to obey the instructions of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to love neighbors as ourselves and to share his Gospel. As God enables us to serve others today, we seek to grow as disciples of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, to serve as God’s stewards over the resources of our academic disciplines and to bear witness to the good news of the Kingdom of God.

OFFICE STAFF STUDENT DIRECTOR: Damaris Gehman ASSISTANT STUDENT DIRECTOR: Jessica Kline STUDENT PROGRAM MANAGER: Jake Clemens STUDENT ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT:

Sarah Beairsto

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STUDENT MARKETING MANAGERS : Sarah Beairsto for strategic partnerships

and Daniella Van Neste and

applied research

PROFESSIONAL STAFF: DIRECTOR OF THE COLLABORATORY: Doug

Flemmens

ENGINEERING PROJECT MANAGER: Dereck Plante ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT: Shannon Walker

the

for strategic partnerships

STAY CONNECTED and applied research WEB: messiah.edu/collaboratory EMAIL: [email protected]

DOUG FLEMMENS, COLLABORATORY DIRECTOR By Kira Adelman ’19

By Elle Perrin ’18

By Hannah Beairsto ’20

Dereck Plante, engineering project manager, joined the Collaboratory this May. He has a master’s in electrical engineering and was most recently employed at Naval Air Station Patuxent River. Christian service is an important value in his family. The Plantes have taken several short-term trips with Youth With A Mission (YWAM). One of Plante’s favorite Bible verses is Micah 6:8, “He has told you, O man, what is good; what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”Plante explains, “We shouldn’t be arrogant or prideful about our knowledge or relationship with God, but be humble as we journey through our faith. This helps us to love others the way God wants us to.” One of his favorite things about the Collaboratory is that it involves students working on projects that solve real-world problems across the globe. Plante says, “I am thankful that my passions in engineering, missions and education have come together.”

SPONSOR THE COLLABORATORY To support the Collaboratory financially: by check: Please make checks payable to Messiah College. Clearly indicate on the memo line or in an attached note that the gift is to support the Collaboratory. Mail checks to: Office of Development, Messiah College, One College Avenue Suite 3013, Mechanicsburg PA 17055

Please contact us at our mailing address: The Collaboratory Messiah College One College Avenue Suite 3034 Mechanicsburg PA 17055 [email protected] 717-796-1800, ext. 7226

Check out new ways to invest in the Collaboratory by becoming a Cornerstone Investor or Transformation Partner at messiah.edu/collaboratory

DONATION OPPORTUNITY Please fill in the information below and return it to us at the address on the reverse side. Thank you! Or go green and give online at messiah.edu/collabgiving. Option 1: One-time gift to the Collaboratory $25 $50 $100 $500 Other $ _______________ Check payable to Messiah College (Please write “Collaboratory” on the memo line of your check. Please do not write individual’s names on check.)

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DERECK PLANTE, ENGINEERING PROJECT MANAGER

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VADER’S VISION SHAPED THE COLLABORATORY

The Collaboratory welcomes new director, Doug Flemmens. His undergraduate degree is in mechanical engineering from Penn State and his master’s degree is in manufacturing systems engineering from Lehigh University. One of his favorite things about the Collaboratory is the emphasis on service learning. “I love that Collab gives you the opportunity to have both a practical and professional educational experience,” he says. This is a special beginning not only for him, but for his entire family, as his daughter begins her first year at Messiah. While looking for a new job, God spoke to Flemmens through Ephesians 2:10, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” During this time of job searching, he came to accepted students day with his daughter. The program opened with Ephesians 2:10! He knew at that moment he was meant to take a job at Messiah College.

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The Collaboratory could not continue to increase hope and transform lives without a broad team of sponsors.

David Vader faithfully served as the director of the Collaboratory for 20 years. Above, he is seen working with students over the years on campus and on a site team trip to Burkina Faso in 2008.

Dr. David Vader, director emeritus of the Collaboratory, spent 20 years at the helm of the organization. Vader stepped

down as director at the end of the spring semester and resumed a full-time teaching workload this fall. His vision of God’s kingdom coming to Earth has shaped the lives of students, supporters and Collaboratory partners all around the world. Vader joined the Messiah College faculty in the 1990s. He says, “I had everything I needed to be happy according to the American dream. I had a good job and was making good money alongside the support of a great family and church community. But I began asking myself the stewardship question, ‘What was I doing to serve the kingdom?’ And that’s when God brought me to Messiah, where I found kindred spirits to work with.” Vader and others began dreaming of the Collaboratory in the 1990s. The group’s vision was two-fold: to create an atmosphere for students to apply knowledge they were learning in the classroom and to collaborate to serve others. An exploratory trip was made to West Africa in 1996 to gauge the possibility of working

in the region. The trip laid the foundation for the Collaboratory’s partnership with Serving in Missions (SIM), the first of many clients. Initially, students and faculty from the engineering department came together with a shared desire for service and stewardship. “Students can make a difference in the kingdom through using their academic gifts and applying their team building skills in a very practical way,” Vader explains. The Collaboratory expanded beyond the engineering department and now has about 60 professionals and more than 200 students involved, representing about 15 majors. We partner with about 30 clients in numerous countries. There have been many successes, as well as hardships, in Collaboratory history. Vader states, “The biggest challenge is that nothing like the Collaboratory had ever been done before, which is also a highlight. There was a huge learning curve for me and the institution, but it changed Messiah College positively in so many ways. There has been so much compassion and support from other departments and organizations in the College.” Interdisciplinary membership and support is critical to the

organization’s success. In addition to professional development, the organization promotes spiritual growth. Vader says, “I have grown a great appreciation for how we can help our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ that are suffering in a practical way and partnering with other Christians from other places to raise awareness.” Vader made a significant impact on the Collaboratory, deeply caring about the work he does, the students he works with and the people he serves. He continues working with the organization as the manager of two projects. Although his role has changed, he remains committed to the Collaboratory’s vision.

“The biggest challenge is that nothing like the Collaboratory had ever been done before, which is also a highlight. There was a huge learning curve for me and the institution, but it changed Messiah College positively in so many ways.”

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