°µĶų±¬ĮĻapp Magazine Talented New Professors Join the °µĶų±¬ĮĻapp Faculty

Five new accomplished, tenure-track professors joined the °µĶų±¬ĮĻapp faculty this fall. Isaac Gomez (kinesiology), Jennifer Ito (physics), Ruth Lin (music), Siegwart āZigā Reichwald (music) and Guang Song (computer science) each bring a deep Christian faith and a love for teaching.
Isaac Gomez, a local resident who graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, is completing his doctorate from the University of Oregon. Using behavioral testing, transcranial magnetic stimulation and electromyography, he has studied how our brains control movement. āI want to apply that research to children who are learning new motor skills,ā he says. āIām fascinated by my nieces and nephews ā kids are wonderfully fun to work with.ā He has published his findings.
Gomez says he experienced a spiritual reawakening in college through his study of science. āThe more I learned about physics, chemistry and biology, the more I felt the presence of God in the natural world,ā he says. āI came to realize that science is an effort to reveal the mechanisms behind Godās creations ā that science and faith are not mutually exclusive ā and that the study of science can, in fact, strengthen our faith in God.ā
Jennifer Ito, who recently earned a doctorate from UC San Diego, helped build millimeter-wavelength telescopes as part of the Simons Array in Chile. āWeāre hoping to study the cosmic microwave background, thought to be remnant radiation from the Big Bang,ā she says. āThis branch of astrophysics looks into origin science. It creates a unique opportunity for integration with faith.ā
As researchers collect data from the telescopes, Ito hopes to involve °µĶų±¬ĮĻapp students in the analysis. āMy faith and my professional work are intertwined and inseparable,ā she says. āThe laws of physics are extensions of Godās constant nature, and we use these concepts to describe how Christ holds all things together. I see my research as a way to learn more about God through His handiwork.ā
Sheāll learn to use °µĶų±¬ĮĻappās powerful Keck Telescope and looks forward to working with the Santa Barbara Astronomical Unit and the community when the college opens the observatory to the public the third Friday of each month, weather permitting.
Ruth Lin grew up in °µĶų±¬ĮĻapp, Illinois, a Chicago suburb, and will direct orchestral activities and chair the Music Department at °µĶų±¬ĮĻapp. Born in Southeast China, she immigrated to the United States with her family when she was 10. For the past 12 years, she directed the symphony orchestra at Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota.
āI see great potential at °µĶų±¬ĮĻapp to make the most of the gifts God has granted us,ā she says. āCOVID-19 gave us an opportunity to stop and reflect, reevaluate and explore new possibilities to discover hidden potential in ourselves and others. Weāve become even more thankful for our unshakable foundation in Christ and his gift of music. Weāve remembered the joy of making music together and being in fellowship.ā
Lin earned her bachelorās, masterās and doctoral degrees from Northwestern University in Illinois. She began playing the piano at the age of 5. As a student, she performed Prokofievās Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Northwestern University Symphony Orchestra as the Concerto Competition Winner.
Her experiences and honors include being one of the 10 Conducting Fellows at the Juilliard Conducting Workshop for Music Educators. She performed as a Debut Conductor with the National Symphony Orchestra as part of the National Conducting Institute and led the National Symphony Orchestra in concert.
Lin has commissioned and conducted two world premieres for the Gustavus Symphony Orchestra: āFaith and Perseveranceā by Chen Yi celebrating the collegeās 150th anniversary, and āFanfare for a Weapon-Free Worldā by Steve Heitzeg.
She has started building relationships in the Santa Barbara music community. āMaking music and connecting with others through music is a gift from God,ā she says. āWhat weāre unable to say in words we can express perfectly in music.ā
Siegwart āZigā Reichwald joins the faculty as Adams professor of music and worship. A musicologist, heāll teach music history and work with the Chapel Team. Previously, he taught at Converse University in South Carolina and Palm Beach Atlantic University in Florida. He earned a Bachelor of Music in organ performance at the University of South Carolina, a Master of Music in conducting and a Doctor of Philosophy at Florida State University. His books include āThe Genesis of Felix Mendelssohnās āPaulusāā (Scarecrow Press, 2001) and āMendelssohn in Performanceā (Indiana University Press, 2009). He has published articles and presented papers on topics such as the music of Mendelssohn, Brumel, Schumann, Poulenc and Piazzolla.
āIām a music historian interested in the intersection of sacred music and music history,ā he says. Focused on the 19th century, he also explores contemporary concert and sacred music. His dissertation on Mendelssohnās āSt. Paulā oratorio led to additional study of the German composer, including the relationship of his sacred music to Schleiermacherās philosophy, the politics of Restoration-era Prussia and German nationalism.
āAs a scholar, I hope to pique the curiosity of anybody interested in learning more about how music has been and still is an essential means of giving voice to the human experience,ā he says. āLife happens through relationships. Working at °µĶų±¬ĮĻapp is my ultimate dream job, blending musicology with sacred music. My father was a pastor, and Iāve been involved in church music much of my life. Music has always been an essential part of worship, and a musician has no higher calling or greater responsibility than leading worship.ā
He first visited °µĶų±¬ĮĻapp with his daughter Olivia ā21, an Augustinian Scholar and political science major. She enrolls in Harvard Law School this fall (see page 98).
Guang Song, who has taught computer science at Iowa State University since 2006, has focused his research on computational biology. āA powerful tool, computation extends the reach of many liberal arts and science endeavors,ā he says. āI see some of this in my own research experience in computational biophysics and biology, where I apply computational models to study protein structure and dynamics.ā
Song earned a doctorate at Texas A&M University. He explores how proteins move, studies their molecular mechanical systems, and classifies their various shapes. āI love teaching and appreciate this opportunity to help students learn how to be skillful in computer science and to be disciples of Christ,ā he says.
Along with the new tenure-track appointees, several professors join the college in short-term roles, including Nathalie Confiac (nursing), Aaron Cooke (economics and business), Lesley Gardia (nursing), Dianthe Hoffman (nursing), Wendy Jackson (English, theater arts; see page 28), Sara Johnson (biology; see story on page 64), Kelly Taylor (mathematics), Pauline Remy (modern languages), Annamarie Gonzales (nursing), Holly Shelton (English), Nick Taylor (biology), Silke Werth (sociology) and Jackie Xie (chemistry).