Burcu Çenberci — Enriching Life with Art

Burcu Çenberci — Enriching Life with Art

by | Jan 3, 2022 | Achievements, MIU News

January 3, 2022 • ISSUE 604

Burcu Çenberci

Enriching Life with Art

 

According to a recent study by lead researcher Marie Loiselle, PhD, in the Journal of American College Health, Consciousness-Based℠ education buffers the effects of stress on mental and physical health in college students. 

 
Assistant Professor Loiselle and her co-author, Professor Fred Travis, compared surveys of 321 undergraduate students at MIU between 2008 and 2014. The students were surveyed during their first month of college and again a couple of months before graduation.
 
The students spent two to three years at MIU, and they participated in at least one daily group practice of the Transcendental Meditation® program. They had access to counseling, attended classes with a variety of lifestyle recommendations, and ate fresh organic food in the campus cafeteria.

With a class of ComPro students

The data showed significant improvements in eight out of eleven areas of the survey, including lower anxiety and depression, improved self-esteem, and increased mental and physical health. In contrast, studies at other universities report a general decrease in mental and physical health over the college years.
 
The study concluded that Consciousness-Based education appears to be an effective tool in improving student well-being, which is a key factor in academic success.
 
Assistant Professor Loiselle received her doctorate degree from MIU in Maharishi Vedic Science℠ in 2018. She first enrolled at MIU in 1974 and earned a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies. Later she obtained a master’s in higher education administration from MIU.

With her husband, daughters, and son-in-law, from left to right: Vincent Bataoel, Nelina Loiselle, Dal Loiselle, Marie Loiselle, and Yelana Loiselle

She is a certified teacher of the TM® technique, taught at Maharishi School for 11 years, and is currently the director of MIU’s Evaluations and Assessments, which conducts the student surveys used in her study. Her research interests also include the effect of the TM technique on burnout in educators, health care workers, and professionals in other high-stress jobs.

Marie Loiselle Publishes Study on Consciousness-Based Education and Student Health

Marie Loiselle Publishes Study on Consciousness-Based Education and Student Health

by | Dec 27, 2021 | Achievements, MIU News

December 27, 2021 • ISSUE 603

Marie Loiselle

Publishes Study on Consciousness-Based Education and Student Health

According to a recent study by lead researcher Marie Loiselle, PhD, in the Journal of American College Health, Consciousness-Based℠ education buffers the effects of stress on mental and physical health in college students. 

 
Assistant Professor Loiselle and her co-author, Professor Fred Travis, compared surveys of 321 undergraduate students at MIU between 2008 and 2014. The students were surveyed during their first month of college and again a couple of months before graduation.
 
The students spent two to three years at MIU, and they participated in at least one daily group practice of the Transcendental Meditation® program. They had access to counseling, attended classes with a variety of lifestyle recommendations, and ate fresh organic food in the campus cafeteria.

With a class of ComPro students

The data showed significant improvements in eight out of eleven areas of the survey, including lower anxiety and depression, improved self-esteem, and increased mental and physical health. In contrast, studies at other universities report a general decrease in mental and physical health over the college years.
 
The study concluded that Consciousness-Based education appears to be an effective tool in improving student well-being, which is a key factor in academic success.
 
Assistant Professor Loiselle received her doctorate degree from MIU in Maharishi Vedic Science℠ in 2018. She first enrolled at MIU in 1974 and earned a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies. Later she obtained a master’s in higher education administration from MIU.

With her husband, daughters, and son-in-law, from left to right: Vincent Bataoel, Nelina Loiselle, Dal Loiselle, Marie Loiselle, and Yelana Loiselle

She is a certified teacher of the TM® technique, taught at Maharishi School for 11 years, and is currently the director of MIU’s Evaluations and Assessments, which conducts the student surveys used in her study. Her research interests also include the effect of the TM technique on burnout in educators, health care workers, and professionals in other high-stress jobs.

Katie Farrell Rogers Pursuing Leadership Development

Katie Farrell Rogers Pursuing Leadership Development

by | Dec 20, 2021 | Achievements, Excluded from search, MIU News

December 20, 2021 • ISSUE 602

Katie Farrell Rogers

Pursuing Leadership Development

Katie Farrell Rogers is a registered dietitian, with a specialty in diabetes care and education, who works as a clinical district manager for a medical device company in the Seattle, Washington, area.
 
When her mother died of Alzheimer’s disease, Katie decided to challenge her brain by enrolling in a master’s program. Her sister found MIU’s website and shared it with Katie. While combing through the website, Katie discovered the online MA in Leadership and Workplace Conflict Resolution program and applied.
 
She wanted to enjoy the learning experience and hoped the classes in communication, negotiation, coaching, and mediation would also be useful in her job. She wasn’t disappointed—she has been able to tackle challenges in her personal and professional life using what she has learned.
 
“The program is more than I ever imaged it would be,” she said. “The expectation is that you are going to participate in the class, and it’s not just a professor lecturing. Hearing the experiences of other people helps the material cement into your brain.”
 
She was also pleasantly surprised that she was able to make friends with her classmates. She invited them to a five-day stay at her family’s vacation home on Anderson Island in Washington State, where they hiked, practiced yoga, and meditated together.

With her classmates at her family’s vacation home, from left to right: Meagan Anderson, Katie Snyder, Darcy Wright, Katie Rogers, Jenny O’Laughlin, Asha Bawden

The practice of the Transcendental Meditation® program has helped Katie become more introspective and access deeper levels of her mind. “I get ideas or solutions to problems that have been plaguing me,” she said.
 
Although she was primarily looking for personal development at MIU, the program has inspired her to seek opportunities for leadership development and organizational design within her current company. She began networking with the education branch and will be giving a presentation on unconscious biases at an upcoming leadership development session.
 
In her free time, Katie likes to explore nature in the Pacific Northwest and spend time with her family.

Sunpreet Chohan—Integrating Knowledge with the Self

Sunpreet Chohan—Integrating Knowledge with the Self

by | Dec 13, 2021 | Achievements, Excluded from search, MIU News

December 13, 2021 • ISSUE 601

Sunpreet Chohan

Integrating Knowledge with the Self

MIU student Sunpreet Chohan came to the United States from India as a child with his family, who settled down in Long Island, New York. Sunpreet began a career in banking at the age of 16 and worked his way up from teller to investment banker while earning a bachelor’s degree from Saint John’s University, New York City.
 
Although he spent 15 years in finance, Sunpreet says he didn’t enjoy his profession and often found it stressful. In his free time he had been pursuing the study of Jyotish, Indian astrology, which has been part of his family lineage.
 
When he lost his job due to the the COVID pandemic in 2020, he decided to focus all his attention on the study and practice of Jyotish. One day he saw an ad for MIU on social media and in February 2021 he enrolled in the online MA in Maharishi AyurVeda® and Integrative Medicine Program. Six months later, he became an on-campus student.

With his parents, Manny and Gucci Chohan, and grandparents, Pritam Kaur and Avtar Singh

“Taking the online courses and practicing TM every day sparked something in me,” he said. “I needed to seek the highest first, come to MIU, and enroll in the Maharishi Vedic Science℠ program.”
 
Practicing the Transcendental Meditation® technique has helped Sunpreet discover deeper layers of Jyotish through his experience of higher states of consciousness. “I always knew something was missing,” he said. “You have to establish yourself in the Self before taking action.”
 
One of the reasons Sunpreet came to MIU is to complete the TM-Sidhi® program, which he began in early December. Since he became a student, his parents have also learned the TM® technique. “After all their sacrifices as immigrants, this is the best way I can repay them,” he said.
 
Sunpreet enjoys sharing his knowledge, and his goal is to enhance the knowledge of Jyotish and help raise collective consciousness through the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi programs, including Yogic Flying®.

Najeeb Najeeb—Robotics and Self-Driving Cars

Najeeb Najeeb—Robotics and Self-Driving Cars

by | Dec 6, 2021 | Achievements, MIU News

December 6, 2021 • ISSUE 600

Najeeb Najeeb

Robotics and Self-Driving Cars

MIU alumnus Najeeb Najeeb recently rejoined MIU faculty after completing his PhD in robotics and spending two years working on self-driving cars in California.
 
Associate Professor Najeeb earned his undergraduate degree in computer science from the University of Baghdad and worked in software and web development for five years in Iraq.
 
In 2006 he heard about the practical approach of MIU’s ComPro Program from a friend and applied. He began his studies in 2007 and, when he finished his on-campus courses, the Computer Science Department asked him to join as a faculty member.

Celebrating his birthday on campus with fellow students

He found his studies in robotics as much play as work, and in the process he realized he had gained a competitive advantage at MIU. “I was able to get more done than my peers because I got my eight hours of sleep and my TM practice,” he said. “I was more awake in class, which made me more effective.”
 
Professor Najeeb completed his doctorate degree in four years. He wrote his dissertation on a no-prior-knowledge-based algorithm for near optimal wireless power transfer from a drone to an underground sensor, and then implemented and demonstrated his work. The algorithm he wrote has several implementations, one of which enabled an agricultural drone to more efficiently charge the batteries of a sensory network in a drip irrigation system, saving time and energy.

With colleague and mentor, Professor Clyde Ruby

Professor Najeeb completed his doctorate degree in four years. He wrote his dissertation on a no-prior-knowledge-based algorithm for near optimal wireless power transfer from a drone to an underground sensor, and then implemented and demonstrated his work. The algorithm he wrote has several implementations, one of which enabled an agricultural drone to more efficiently charge the batteries of a sensory network in a drip irrigation system, saving time and energy.
 
He wanted to continue working in robotics, and he chose the most exciting area in the field: autonomous vehicles. He accepted a job at the self-driving car company Cruise in San Francisco. “It felt like playing a video game,” he said. “I was able to test the results of the lines of code I wrote.”
 
In 2020 Professor Najeeb accepted an invitation from MIU to return to Fairfield and now teaches courses in web and enterprise applications.