Visiting Japanese scientist joins bioelectrics team
Retired Rear Adm. John T. "Jack" Kavanaugh, who headed the project to move the USS Wisconsin to its current berth next to Nauticus, will be the guest speaker for the Faculty Emeriti Association meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 14. It begins at noon in the Virginia Rice Webb Room of Webb Center.
Interested members of the campus community are welcome to attend, but registration is requested by calling 683-3259. Attendees should provide their own lunch.
Visiting Japanese scientist joins bioelectrics team
Sunao Katsuki of Kumamoto University in Japan has joined the bioelectrics research team at Old Dominion's Physical Electronics Research Institute.
Kumamoto University is the center of pulsed power research in Japan, and Katsuki is one of the leading scientists in the field, which studies the effects of ultrashort, high-power electrical impulses on inorganic and organic matter.
"He has designed and built pulse generators, which provide electrical pulses of more than 100,000 volts for durations of one-billionth of a second, and has explored their use for bacterial decontamination of gases and liquids," said Karl Schoenbach, eminent scholar of electrical and computer engineering and director of the institute.
"He was attracted to Old Dominion by the new research projects in bioelectrics initiated by scientists at the institute, in cooperation with scientists from the Department of Ocean, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and the Eastern Virginia Medical School."
Bioelectrics focuses on electrical processes in biological cells, mammalian cells and bacteria, which can be controlled by ultrashort external electric fields. Among the applications of these processes are gene-transfer into cell nuclei and triggering of programmed cell death, with possible application for cancer treatment, Schoenbach said.
Katsuki, who will work with the bioelectrics team for a year, plans to concentrate his research on the effect of ultrashort, high-electric field pulses on the decontamination of liquids with high concentrations of pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms.
"Foodborne illnesses associated with microbial pathogens are a global problem and a major public health issue. The use of electric pulses for bacterial decontamination of food and water offers an attractive alternative to presently used pasteurization and chemical decontamination methods," Schoenbach said.
Greene added to guest list for "Book Guys" show
Douglas Greene, professor of history, will join Alf Mapp, professor emeritus of English; Janet Peery, associate professor of English; and Gordon Magnuson, a local book collector and seller; as guests for the the Saturday, Feb. 10, taping on campus of the "Book Guys" radio show.
A writer, editor and collector, Greene has a special interest in the Oz books by Frank Baum and the mystery and detective writings of John Dickson Carr.
The book appraisal show, which airs on National Public Radio stations across the country, will be taped from 2-4 p.m. in Room 101 of the Mills Godwin Jr. Life Sciences Building. It is free and open to the public. Following the show, hosts Allan Stypeck and Mike Cuthbert will conduct free appraisals of audience members' old, rare or heirloom books.
Their appearance is sponsored by Old Dominion's Friends of the Library and the Friends of the Jean Outland Chrysler Museum Library.
Education college to host Mid-Atlantic Symposium
The Darden College of Education will hold the ninth annual Mid-Atlantic Symposium on Education Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 17-18, at the Sheraton Inn Oceanfront Hotel in Virginia Beach.
This year's keynote speaker, Richard Allington, is a professor at the University of Florida. He has served on the board of directors of the International Reading Association and was president of the National Reading Conference.
The symposium, "Best Practices in Improving Quality Instruction," is open to all educators, school administrators, parents, students and community agency personnel. Sessions will focus on such issues as Standards of Learning training, alternative/special programs, instructional technology, inclusion/diversity in the classroom and dealing with at-risk students.
For more information call 683-4686.
McLaughlin accepts post with private consulting firm
James J. McLaughlin, vice president for distance learning, has accepted a position with a large private consulting organization that focuses on the commercialization of educational distance learning programs, the university announced yesterday. He will assume that position April 1.
During McLaughlin's tenure at Old Dominion, he has led the university's efforts to send graduate engineering programs to submarines at sea and has been instrumental in the successful inclusion of several university programs in Navy College.
President James V. Koch praised McLaughlin for his efforts in positioning Old Dominion's distance learning programs for the future and noted that he brought considerable business expertise to his post.
No decision has been made concerning McLaughlin's replacement.
Chinese Film Series continues Feb. 19
"The Story of Qiu Ju," a comedy that won Best Film and Best Actress awards at the 1992 Venice Film Festival, will be shown Monday, Feb. 19, as part of the Chinese Film Series "The Contemporary China."
In the movie, a woman who seeks justice for a simple slight against her husband encounters bureaucracy and politesse in this well-observed portrait of contemporary Chinese life. The free film, with English subtitles, will be screened at 2:15 p.m. in Room 345 of the Technology Building.
For more information contact Holly Liu, lecturer of foreign languages and literatures, at hhliu@odu.edu or call 683-3973.
Offices win awards
The Office of Student Activities and Leadership's Weekend Event Funding Program was one of four selected by the National Association for Campus Activities' Exemplary Practices and Model Programs to receive recognition this year at the NACA 2001 National Convention. The Weekend Event Funding Program enables students to be responsible for planning and implementing campus activities.
Also, the Office of Alumni Relations recently won a CASE District III Special Merit Award for its overall alumni relations program.
Global challenge is topic of grad. research conference
Speakers from four Virginia universities, as well as from such institutions as Cornell University and the Chinese University of Hong Kong, will be among the presenters at the Old Dominion University Graduate Research Conference and International Career Workshop, Feb. 16-17.
The conference, "Global Challenges in the 21st Century," is hosted by Graduate Programs in International Studies and the Center for Regional and Global Study. It will feature panel sessions on the following:
- Feb. 16 - "Continuity or Change in Foreign Policy?"; "The Cling, Clang and Clash of People"; "Religion as Critical Perspective"; "The Power of Issue in World Affairs"; "Development I: Forging for Reform"; and "Power Shift or Status Quo?"
- Feb. 17 - "New Thinking or Old Realities"; "Does Democracy Work?"; "Asymmetrical Threats and Terrorism"; "The Power of Technology and Regimes"; "The Intelligence Factor"; and "Forging for Reform."
For more information call 683-4669.
