Two ODU Professors Named SCHEV Outstanding Faculty Awardees

For the sixth time since the program was introduced in 1987, Old Dominion has two winners in the annual State Council of Higher Education’s Outstanding Faculty Awards competition: Lawrence Hatab and Lawrence Weinstein. This also marked the 11th consecutive year that ODU has had a winner in the highly competitive program, which is funded by the Dominion Foundation.

Hatab and Weinstein are among 12 college and university faculty members from across the commonwealth who were honored for 2009. They each will receive $5,000.

In addition to sharing a first name, the two ODU professors share a passion for teaching, along with a reputation among students for making two of the most difficult academic disciplines - philosophy and physics - both understandable and meaningful.

Hatab, who holds the titles of University Professor and Louis I. Jaffe Professor of philosophy in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, has taught at the university for 32 years. In their course evaluations, students consistently give Hatab high marks for his enthusiasm, expertise, challenging standards and ability to explain and communicate difficult philosophical material.

He has had great success teaching some of the most demanding thinkers in the Western tradition. Hatab combines a depth of expression with a sense of humor, a passion for ideas and a certain theatricality, all of which bring philosophy alive in the classroom.

“I suppose I was born to be a teacher,” he said. “I am extremely fortunate to have a career doing something that fits my nature so well. And teaching philosophy goes right to my core.”

A nationally and internationally recognized scholar, Hatab has published six books (all monographs) and more than 40 articles, book chapters and reviews.

Weinstein, like Hatab, has been designated by Old Dominion as a University Professor for his excellence in teaching. He has taught at ODU for 16 years.

Weinstein, a Fellow of the American Physical Association and a nuclear physicist, has received accolades for teaching physics at every level, from Physics 101 to Graduate Quantum Mechanics. In communicating the big-picture message that physics is crucial to understanding how the world works, he demonstrates ideas and principles via experiments that employ a variety of apparatus, ranging from rubber bands to flame tubes.

He constantly searches the results of physics education research for tested ways to better engage introductory physics students. Recently, he introduced SCALE-UP, which stands for Student-Centered Activities for Large Enrollment Undergraduate Programs. Students work on activities in carefully structured groups of three, sitting around tables with white boards and laptops. While the students work, the instructor roams the classroom - asking questions, sending one team to help another, gently guiding a group, all the while building relationships with the students.

Together with John Adam, University Professor of mathematics, he wrote “Guesstimation: Solving the World’s Problems on the Back of a Cocktail Napkin” (Princeton University Press, 2008).

Weinstein offers the following analogy for the challenging research in the subatomic world that he conducts at Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility in Newport News: “The method of study comes naturally to any 5-year-old: hit it hard and see what comes out. We hit the nucleus with high-energy electrons from a particle accelerator ... and then we detect the particles that come out of the collision using huge spectrometers comprised of massive magnets and complicated particle detectors.”

Rothe Wins Prestigious Critical Criminologist of the Year Award

Dawn Rothe, assistant professor of sociology and criminal justice, was named 2008 Critical Criminologist of the Year by the American Society of Criminology at its annual meeting in St. Louis.

Rothe’s areas of research include crimes of the state, such as crimes against humanity, genocide, war crimes and other massive human rights violations. More recently, she has been researching transnational crime, most notably, that of human trafficking of body parts and the causes that bring about and sustain authoritarian regimes, which is a natural extension of her previous work in the realm of state crimes.

“Dr. Rothe is a uniquely productive scholar,” said Randy Gainey, chair of the sociology and criminal justice department. In addition to numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, she has published two books, “The International Criminal Court: Symbolic Gestures and the Generation of Global Social Control” (Lexington Publishers, 2006) and “Blood, Power and Bedlam: Violations of International Criminal Law in Post-Colonial Africa” (Peter Lang Publishing, 2008). She has two other books under contract.

“Her works reflect her critical passion for social justice and hatred of injustice, and her achievements are many. She was clearly the most appropriate choice for this prestigious award,” said Gainey.

The American Society of Criminology is an international organization concerned with the etiology, prevention, control and treatment of crime and delinquency on a scholarly, scientific and professional level. The Critical Criminologist of the Year award, given by the society’s Critical Criminology Division, honors a person for distinguished accomplishments in scholarship, teaching or service in a recent year or years.

ODU Math Students Shine in Putnam Competition

For the second year in a row, Old Dominion University mathematics student Kevin Kordek has scored in the top 14 percent of undergraduates in the United States and Canada who entered the grueling Putnam Math Competition. ODU’s three-person team of seniors, including Kordek, finished 86th out of 405 teams in the latest competition.

Kordek scored 21 points on the Putnam exam given in December 2008, one point better than he did on the previous year’s test. The Putnam competition is six hours of frustration for most participants; around three-fourths of the undergraduates who sit for it each year score no points. Close to 3,700 students took the latest test.

Daniel Wallis scored 12 points, placing him in the top 24 percent, and Katherine Sammons scored 1 point, which is the median score.

Mark Dorrepaal, chair of the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, praised not only the students, but also Richard Noren, an associate professor in the department who prepared the team for the challenge. “The test is well-known for its very difficult questions, which require detailed, handwritten solutions,” Dorrepaal said. “I want to publicly congratulate our team,” he added.

Carol Simpson, the ODU provost, and Chris Platsoucas, the dean of the College of Sciences, also sent congratulations to the team. “This is a great achievement for the department and reflects very well on ODU as a whole,” said Simpson. Platsoucas noted the accomplishment of the students and their coach, and also praised Dorrepaal for “providing the environment for their success.”

ODU was ranked 81st among United States research universities in the National Science Foundation’s latest (2007) tally of research and development expenditures in mathematics.

ODU Graduate Wins Prestigious Dissertation Award

It’s arguably the top doctoral student award for research in teacher education in the United States. And this year, it has been won by an unassuming Navy veteran who earned both his master’s and doctoral degrees through Old Dominion University’s Darden College of Education.

Bill Reed received the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education’s 2009 Outstanding Dissertation Award.
Reed’s work assessing the value of education versus professional development in the acquisition of teaching skills will be recognized during the AACTE’s 61st Annual Meeting and Exhibits.

“Being chosen is beyond my wildest expectations,” Reed said, adding that he hadn’t planned to apply for the award, but was encouraged to by Darden College Dean Bill Graves. “But his belief in my project to carry the torch and that the Darden College of Education might benefit from such an honor propelled me forward.”

Graves said of Reed’s award, “It’s the first time in 18 years that a dissertation from Virginia has won, and only the third time ever. The quality of the work is outstanding. The contributions of his adviser, Dr. John Ritz, were invaluable. He deserves the attention. It’s a wonderful accomplishment.”

For his doctoral dissertation, Reed wanted to find out what impact school leadership has on the development of teachers. In testing teachers in the Norfolk Public Schools, he found that professional development contributed the most to the teachers’ ability to instruct, followed by graduate education. Undergraduate topics did not appear to contribute as much to students’ performance.

Reed currently works as an assessment coordinator and psychometrician for the Norfolk Public Schools’ Department of Strategic Evaluation.

Koch is an author of “The Entrepreneurial Personality”

Books, magazine articles and educational programs on entrepreneurship are all based on the idea that anyone can be an entrepreneur – that entrepreneurs are made, not born. Well, maybe not.

In a new book titled “Born Not Made: The Entrepreneurial Personality” (Praeger Publishers), Old Dominion University President Emeritus and Board of Visitors Professor of economics James V. Koch and co-author James L. Fisher came up with a surprising conclusion: Some individuals are simply more naturally fitted to become entrepreneurs than others. Because of heredity, some people are much more likely to become successful entrepreneurs.

True entrepreneurs not only see the world differently – they act differently, according to the book. Compared with corporate managers, for example, they are more confident, more decisive, more likely to upset the apple cart and more energetic. They love to compete but are notable for the partnerships they are able to fashion with friend and foe alike.

The authors surveyed 234 CEOs. “We developed two tests that proved to be highly accurate in predicting and explaining which CEOs were entrepreneurs and which were not,” said Koch.

Hofmann on Advisory Committee for Climate Change Research

Old Dominion University physical oceanographer Eileen Hofmann serves on the select committee that prepared the comprehensive report on climate-change research released late in February 2009 by the National Research Council.

The report suggests that the U.S. Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) expand its investigations beyond the physical climate system to include research about human reactions to a changing climate and how societies can mitigate and adapt to the impacts.

Hofmann, who is affiliated with ODU’s Center for Coastal Physical Oceanography, is broadly known for her work on coupled physical-biological models, including research of ecosystems in the Southern Ocean off Antarctica and of the role of environmental conditions in structuring oyster populations on the East Coast of the United States. She was one of 15 scientists and engineers from academia and industry who served on the Committee on Strategic Advice of the U.S. Climate Change Science Program.

The committee said that the CCSP is hindered by its limited research into the social sciences. The report found that spending on human-dimension research has never exceeded 3 percent of the CCSP research budget, and therefore, modeling of how people interact with or affect their environments is lacking. New research that is recommended could eventually help communities deal with extreme weather, sea level rise and melting ice, fluxes in fresh water availability, agriculture and food security issues, and new and re-emerging diseases, according to the report.

A specific priority recommended by the committee is the establishment of a U.S. climate observing system that includes physical, biological and social observations to ensure the collection of data needed to address climate change.

The National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine and National Research Council make up the National Academies. These institutions are independent and nonprofit, and provide science, technology and health policy advice under a congressional charter.

Scientist in Pub Series Launches with Talk by ODU’s Hatcher

If some of your best thinking has been done in pubs, you’ll want to check out the new Scientist in the Pub series sponsored by the organization Science and Reason in Hampton Roads (SRHR).

Patrick Hatcher, an Old Dominion University professor of chemistry and biochemistry, discussed algae as a source of biofuels in the first session in March at Norfolk’s New Belmont restaurant.

Lawrence Weinstein, University Professor of physics at ODU and the president of SRHR, said the organization is devoted to the critical examination of dubious or extraordinary claims. The group meets monthly to discuss topics of scientific or pseudoscientific interest and has a Web site at www.reasonandscience.org.

Hatcher, who occupies the Batten Endowed Chair in Physical Sciences at ODU, is executive director of the Virginia Coastal Energy Research Consortium that currently is researching growth characteristics of microscopic algae and their conversion into biodiesel fuel.

Weinstein said the Scientist in the Pub lectures are free and open to the public. For more information about the programs, contact Weinstein at lweinste@odu.edu.

ODU’s Seiler Wins American Real Estate Society’s Young Scholar Award

Michael J. Seiler, professor and Robert M. Stanton Chair of Real Estate and Economic Development in Old Dominion University’s College of Business and Public Administration (CBPA), won the 2009 American Real Estate Society (ARES) William N. Kinnard Young Scholar Award.

According to Diane Quarles, ARES manager of member services and a faculty member of the finance department at Clemson University, the annual award is given “in recognition of high-quality research contributions to the real estate discipline achieved by someone under the age of 40.”

Nominations for the Kinnard Award come from all 500 members of ARES and are reviewed by its executive committee. Consideration is given primarily to scholarly activities, impact and engagement in developing new knowledge for the real estate industry.

Seiler, who joined the CBPA faculty in 2008, conducts research primarily in the areas of behavioral real estate, portfolio management, brokerage and real estate investments.

“Dr. Seiler, with his strong research reputation, provides the much needed leadership for our real estate program. This award is a testimony to his abilities as a researcher and the bright future of our real estate program,” said Mohammad Najand, chair of the CBPA’s Department of Finance.

Seiler has published his studies in top academic and practitioner journals, including Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Journal of Real Estate Research, Financial Review, Journal of Portfolio Management, Journal of Real Estate Portfolio Management, Appraisal Journal, International Real Estate Review, Journal of Housing Research, Journal of Real Estate Practice and Education, and Journal of Real Estate Literature.

Four ODU Graduate Students Present Research at State Forum

Four graduate students at Old Dominion University were chosen to present their research at the statewide 2009 Graduate Student Research Forum in Richmond early this year. The ODU students were among some 60 presenters from 13 Virginia universities. The forum sponsored by the Virginia Council of Graduate Schools (VCGS) showcased research for invited guests, including politicians, business leaders and academics.

“Investing in graduate education is investing in Virginia,” Gov. Timothy Kaine declared in a letter endorsing the forum. “Graduate students work closely with faculty to create new understandings and discoveries, which are applied to the social and economic challenges facing society.”

Philip Langlais, ODU vice provost for graduate studies and research, said the projects being presented will contribute to economic, social and civic progress in Virginia.

ODU participants:
• Rebekah Fariss, a doctoral student in educational leadership, Darden College of Education.
• Georges M. Arnaout, a doctoral student in engineering management, Frank Batten College of Engineering and Technology.
• Elizabeth F. Giles, doctoral student in nursing, College of Health Sciences.
• Margaret Lemaster, master’s student in dental hygiene, College of Health Sciences.

ODU’s assistant vice president for graduate studies, Brenda Lewis, said the students who presented were nominated by their colleges and chosen by the Office of Graduate Studies. “Our decisions were based, among other things, on the quality of research and the value of that research to the commonwealth,” Lewis explained.

Lewis said that about 70 percent of the people who earn graduate degrees at Virginia schools take jobs in Virginia, and that the forum is designed to show the benefits of in-state graduate education.

Faculty Innovator Grants to Spur Student Learning

Faculty Innovator Grants for 2008-09 from the Center for Learning Technologies encourage faculty to explore the use of technology in teaching. The lessons learned by the grant recipients will be shared as an important step in promoting and fostering campus-wide dialogue on innovation in teaching and learning. Recipients will present their projects as part of CLT’s series of workshops, panels and special events.

The FIG awards were as follows:
• “Broadcast to Podcast, Video to Vodcast: Authentic Materials as Portable Foreign Language Content” - Betty Rose Facer, Foreign Languages and Literatures; collaborating faculty: Peter Schulman, Paloma Sugg and Albert Marra, Foreign Languages and Literatures; and Alajandro Salgado Losada, Communications, Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca, Spain. This project plans to provide authentic materials as portable language content for all 12 languages offered in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures.

• “Multimedia Projects for Multimodal Learning” - Jennifer Kidd, Educational Curriculum and Instruction; collaborating faculty: Peter Baker, Educational Curriculum and Instruction. In this project, student-designed learning resources will be generated via computer-based webcams and microphones.

• “Online Critical Skills Evaluation and Improvement: A Retention-Centered Learning Program” - Steven R. Walk, Engineering Technology; collaborating faculty: Roland W. Lawrence, Engineering Technology. The objective of this project is to develop the first series of critical skills remedial learning modules to serve those students requiring extra-curricular learning support to enable their success in upper-level courses.

• “Integrate Teaching, Research and Technology in Fluid/Structure Interactions” - Jin Wang, Mathematics, and Gene Hou, Mechanical Engineering; collaborating faculty: Keejoo Lee and Shizhi Qian, Aerospace Engineering; and Miltiadis Kotinis, Mechanical Engineering. This project aims to meet the increasing needs of education and research in the fluid-structure interaction problems. Such problems arise in many applied fields such as the ship industry, navy craft operations and design optimizations, and demand significant efforts in education, research and technology development.

• “Just in Time Tutoring Educational Resource (JITTER)” - Leanne Sutton, College of Sciences, Dean’s Office, and Math and Science Resource Center; collaborating faculty: Lee Land, Mathematics and Statistics. The College of Sciences sponsors free tutoring and study groups for Math 102 and 162 students. In this project, a training guide will be developed for student facilitators for use in conjunction with a faculty-led training program.

Society of Physics Students Wins National Honor

The Society of Physics Students (SPS) chapter at Old Dominion University has been named an Outstanding SPS Chapter for 2008. This is the third straight year that the ODU chapter has received this national recognition; the chapter also won the title in 2002.

“The selection is based on the depth and breadth of SPS activities conducted by your chapter in such areas as physics research, public science outreach, physics tutoring programs, hosting and representation of physics meetings and events, and providing social interaction for chapter members,” wrote SPS Director Gary White in a letter announcing the award to chapter sponsor Lawrence Weinstein, University Professor of physics at ODU.

White also is associate director of education for the American Institute of Physics, which is the parent organization of SPS. An average 8 percent of the nation’s 700 SPS chapters are judged to be outstanding each year.

Weinstein sent a congratulatory message to the chapter members with a special mention of chapter president Brian Wieland “for his energy and enthusiasm.” Chris Platsoucas, dean of the ODU College of Sciences, also congratulated Weinstein and the chapter. “This is an outstanding accomplishment, and the fact that you have received this award for several years is truly exceptional.”