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President Runte announces pledge of $25,000 to library In addition to noting some of the highlights of the previous academic year, President Roseann Runte spoke to a number of challenges and opportunities Old Dominion will face in the years ahead during her State of the University address Aug. 25. She encouraged members of the campus community not only to participate in campus activities, such as lectures and cultural and sporting events, but also to support the upcoming capital campaign with a designated gift to the library. Saying that the library “is the heart of an academic institution” and “a key to the pursuit of every discipline,” she announced her own pledge of $25,000 to the library in addition to her annual gift of $20,000 to the scholarship fund. “Together, we can ensure the ability of future students to discover the history we are making today in the tomes or digital archives of the Perry Library,” she said. “Together, we can ensure the future of Old Dominion University and make our shared visions reality. Let us not dream. Let us make dreams come true.” Runte also announced the themes of the university's next five-year strategic plan, which is scheduled to be in place next year. Specific goals for the plan will be finalized in the coming months. The plan’s themes include:
Runte emphasized that the selection of themes and goals for the new plan does not mean that the university will stop doing other things it has always done, but instead signifies a desire to dedicate additional energy and resources to achieving the newly stated goals over the next five years. Commenting on the initiative to improve the university’s national ranking, she said, “We will do this by supporting retain faculty. We will begin hiring new faculty and we will be advertising for a number of new chairs.” Regarding new initiatives to beautify the campus, Runte noted that the recently adopted campus master plan calls for eventually eliminating 55 acres of surface parking lots in favor of quads and relying on additional parking garages around the perimeter of the campus. Another goal of the master plan is to provide enough housing to accommodate half the student population. In addition to increasing the number of apartment buildings in the University Village, Runte said, “We will add new research and teaching spaces. These are sorely needed. We will [make] the Village ... ever more lively and a vital, vibrant place to celebrate the arts and to pursue academic life.” Noting the new housing, as well as the restaurants and cafes scheduled to open in the Village in the coming weeks and months, she added, “We have significantly increased the number of security officers on campus to cover both the increased responsibility with the Village expansion and their normal duties.” Also during her address, which was held in the newly renovated Mills Godwin Jr. Building auditorium, Runte cited the “significant strides” ODU has made toward becoming a “greener” campus and acknowledged the Faculty Senate for its approval of a new, required course on the global environment. “Now we will actually be able to preach what we practice,” she said. In her closing remarks, Runte returned to the strategic plan, offering a philosophical commentary on why such documents are important: “At Old Dominion University our strategic plan is an attempt to recognize the potential greatness of humankind, of our students and our region. It is an attempt to further our mission of changing lives. “Our plan harnesses technology to the use of our community. It promotes a community of scholars who share a common mission of learning and discovery. It offers the possibility of shared values and intelligent dissent. It recalls our sense of purpose and invigorates us all with the responsibility of sharing the knowledge and wisdom we have acquired along with the passion for learning. “That passion brings joy and meaning to our lives and will animate our classes and our community, ensuring that wherever this university reaches, we will promote an ethic of authenticity requiring creation, construction, discovery and originality.” Back to top
Coleman Barks, poet and professor emeritus of English at the University of Georgia, will be the first speaker for the series at 7:30 p.m. Sept 16. His talk, “Rumi’s Work with Community,” will be in the Mills Godwin Jr. Building auditorium. Barks has spent 28 years collaborating with various Persian scholars to translate the poetry of the 13th-century mystic Jelaluddin Rumi. Richard Rodriguez, author and journalist, will speak Oct. 7. His talk, “Brown: The Last Discovery of America,” will address America’s black-and-white notion of race. It will be in the Webb Center cafeteria. Talks by the following speakers will be held in the MGB auditorium:
All lectures are free and begin at 7:30 p.m. Back to top Dean of health sciences appointed Andrew Balas, former dean of public health and professor of health policy at Saint Louis University, was appointed dean of the College of Health Sciences, effective Aug. 25 and pending Board of Visitors approval, Provost Thomas Isenhour announced recently. Balas had served as the dean of public health at Saint Louis since 2002. Under his leadership, the school achieved the highest enrollment, largest faculty and staff size, lowest ratio of students per faculty, record new contracts and grant awards, and largest corporate donations in the school’s history. Previously, he was the Weil Distinguished Professor of Health Policy and director of the European Union Center at the University of Missouri. The author of more than 100 publications, including peer-reviewed scientific articles, textbooks and presentations, Balas has also published reviews and editorials in the Journal of the American Medical Association, British Medical Journal and Journal of the American Medical Informa-tics Association, among others. During the past decade, he has been responsible for $10 million of externally funded research as principal investigator/project director. In 1998, Balas served as a Congressional Fellow and worked on health care legislation for the Public Health and Safety Committee of the U.S. Senate. Additionally, he has served on several expert panels of the Institute of Medicine, state government committees and sections of the National Institutes of Health. Balas is a member of the National Advisory Council for Healthcare Research and Quality of the Secretary of Health and Human Services, board of directors of the American Medical Informatics Association, and the steering committee of the eHealth Initiative. He is an elected member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts and fellow of the American College of Medical Informatics. Balas received an M.D. from Semmelweis University and a master’s degree in applied mathematics from Eotvos University, both in Hungary, and a Ph.D. in health informatics from the University of Utah School of Medicine. Back to top
The convocation will include a faculty processional, complete with caps and gowns. All faculty are encouraged to participate and should report to the Big Blue Room at the Constant Center before 3:30 p.m. Back to top
The Academic and Research Advancement and Administration and Finance committees will meet jointly from 11:30 a.m. to noon in the board room to hear a presentation on the Strategic Plan. Back to top HACE collecting supplies for Iraqi schoolchildren The Hourly and Classified Employees Association (HACE) is sponsoring a drive through Sept. 30 to collect school supplies for children in Iraq, part of a national effort coordinated by Operation Iraqi Children (www.operationiraqichildren.org.) The supplies will be shipped overseas for distribution by U.S. military personnel. Items are being collected by HACE building representatives across campus. For locations of collection sites call Milissa Story, president, at 683-3594. The following supplies are needed: blunt-end scissors, pencils, colored pencils, large erasers, small pencil sharpeners, notebook paper, composition notebooks, metric rulers, folders with inside pockets and zippered pencil bags. Monetary donations will also be accepted to cover shipping costs. Back to top
“A Comedy of Errors,” which ran in the Aug. 6 edition, laments the carelessness of job applicants for key positions in higher education institutions and provides several examples, from gross misspellings of a committee chair’s name to addressing the wrong university in a cover letter. Broderick points out that institutions themselves are not free from error and relates the story of a colleague who was scheduled for a phone interview only to be told five minutes before the interview they had called one name too far on the list and she was not a candidate. The full piece can be read online at www.odu.edu/webroot/orgs/IA/university_news.nsf/articles/08022004020616PM. Back to top
Addesso submitted “Over-red” for the “Who’s Afraid of Blue, Red and Green” series of The 59th Minute: Video Art on the NBC Astrovision by Panasonic in Times Square. Sponsored by Creative Time, an organization that commissions, produces and presents adventurous, temporary public artworks of all disciplines throughout New York City, the videos air the last minute of every hour of the Astrovision programming from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. Addesso’s piece began airing June 24. For “Who’s Afraid of Blue, Red and Green,” artists investigated the nuanced relationship between distance, proportion, scale, color and moving imagery. Modern video, computer and television screens are based upon these three colors.
His talk is scheduled for 2 p.m. in the James/Lynnhaven River Room of Webb Center. Tata will address issues of concern to state employees, including health care and raises.
“New technology provides another opportunity for improvement through distance learning. This tool gives teachers an opportunity for professional dialogue and training. I know that many universities have made a huge commitment to e-learning: University of Texas, University of Southern California, Old Dominion University, and hundreds of others,” Paige said. His remarks focused on the importance of teachers throughout history as “counselors, community leaders, judges, negotiators and visionaries”; technology as a tool to share information and expand intellectual horizons; and the U.S. Department of Education’s recent initiatives to improve teaching and learning quality. Back to top
Also, the Hourly and Classified Employees Association recently announced the debut of its first e-mail address, HACE@odu.edu. Employees may send correspondence to any HACE committee chair or member at this address. Back to top
The dinner meeting will begin at 6 p.m. in the Virginia Rice Webb Room of Webb Center. All AAUW members, as well as other university-educated women who would like to attend, should contact Theresa Nock at theresanock@williamewood.com or 625-2580 for reservations and parking details. Back to top
The group’s first luncheon meeting of the year is scheduled for noon Sept. 14 at the home of President Roseann Runte, who will discuss her expectations for the new academic year. The group will also get to meet the student recipients of the ODU Faculty Emeriti Scholarships for 2004-05: Christie Brady, Carl Champagne, Amy Cooke, Erin Nagle, Anne Tamburello and Jaime Zahorian. Also coming up soon is the first gathering of the new book club on Oct. 12 at the home of Paul Homsher. Bob Woodward’s “Plan of Attack” will be discussed. Selections of subsequent fiction and nonfiction works also will be discussed at this meeting. The association’s first social luncheon, hosted by Bob Michel, will be held Sept. 28 at Broad Bay Country Club. FEA President Nancy Topping Bazin announced that a membership drive will be held soon to encourage more emeriti faculty to become active in the association. Annual dues for active membership are $10. (Dues should be mailed before the Sept. 14 meeting to the FEA treasurer, Al Rollins, 1022 Westover Ave., Norfolk, VA 23507. Checks should be made out to Al Rollins.) Currently, nearly 200 former faculty and administrators hold the title of emeritus, and the association offers them “a means to stay in touch with old friends from our years of teaching,” Bazin said. “It’s an opportunity to converse with colleagues from all fields of study. We have many more opportunities to get together with people from departments other than our own now that we are retired.” She also noted, “The association can serve as a forum where we can share our concerns about retirement and health. Younger members of our own family and younger friends often do not truly comprehend what we are experiencing.” The association recently sent a brief questionnaire to all emeriti faculty to find out what they are currently doing. After the information is received and compiled, it will be shared with the membership via a newsletter. One of the group’s longstanding projects is its scholarship fund, Bazin said. To be eligible for the awards, recipients must be a dependent of a current faculty member or administrator, have at least junior standing and have high academic credentials. This year’s six scholarship recipients, whose majors range from English to mechanical engineering, were awarded about $2,200 each. Emeriti faculty who would like more information about the association or who wish to suggest activities for the group may contact Bazin at 623-2478 or nbazin@odu.edu.
An Old Dominion faculty member since 1985, Raver-Lampman also hopes to assist in the development of a teacher training program for teachers of students with disabilities. She is one of approximately 800 U.S. faculty and professionals who will travel abroad to some 14 countries in 2004-05 through the Fulbright Scholar Program. This marks Raver-Lampman’s third Fulbright award. She has also taught in the Czech Republic (1993-94) and India (1999). Recipients of Fulbright Scholar awards are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement and because they have demonstrated extraordinary leadership potential in their fields. Back to top
Stabler joined the university in 1971 as chair of the sociology department, a position he held for six years before returning to full-time teaching. He taught 22 years at Old Dominion. Before joining ODU, he was the Jane Addams professor of sociology at Rockford College in Illinois. A graduate of Earlham College, Stabler received his master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin and his doctorate from Michigan State University. His doctoral dissertation was researched in rural Cuba, prior to Castro. Stabler was a birthright Quaker and a registered minister in Virginia. He attended the Virginia Beach Friends Meeting, where he served in many capacities. He also served on the National Board of the American Friends Service Committee. Although teaching was his great love, Stabler spent many years volunteering in various community activities, helping those less fortunate. Much of his work was based on the Quaker philosophy, which included practicing non-violent methods of conflict resolution, and he worked for peace throughout his adult life. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Jeanne Johnson Stabler, and four children: Sally Palmer Stabler, M.D., of Denver, Colo.; Robert N. Stabler of Madison, Wis., Patricia J. Stabler of Melrose, Mass; and Rebecca Stabler Crank of Jacksonville, Fla. He is also survived by seven grandchildren, two step-grandchildren and four siblings. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Friends Service Committee, 1501 Cherry St., Philadelphia, PA 19102, or a charity of choice. Back to top
We had some little concern about a dorm, which led me, perhaps by error, to Dr. Gregory. Within an hour of sending an e-mail we received the kindest letter from this man. I don’t think he is even responsible for the area of the inquiry but he insisted that we call him anytime we had any question, however small, because “I am here to serve the students and their families and this is my pleasure in life.” Now, what do you think of that? He even asked us to bring by my nephews, who are just beginning [at ODU], so he can meet them. I believe that this gentleman does more credit to Old Dominion University than the slickest advertising campaign could ever accomplish. ODU will soon have to offer our family a group discount. First my mother went there, then my niece who followed up with a master’s degree in physical therapy. Then my nephew graduated in the undergraduate school and now another, Samuel Burton, is starting his undergraduate work in oceanography. Finally, another nephew, Jonathan Dillion, much to my pride, is starting in the M.F.A. program under the wonderful poet Tim Seibles. I couldn’t be happier he is going to work with Mr. Seibles. Naturally, we are excited to add yet two more of our family to the ODU community. – Timothy Carter, M.Div.
The Philippine Islands, located in the Southeast Asian marine biodiversity triangle, has the richest concentration of marine life on the entire planet, according to a study conducted by Kent Carpenter, Old Dominion University associate professor of biological sciences. A multidisciplinary project headed by Carpenter that lasted more than 10 years and involved 101 of the world’s foremost authorities on marine life produced 2,983 maps of marine species for the western Pacific Ocean. The study, conducted for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, produced "the largest and most accurate database available" according to a review by Bruce Collette of the National Marine Fisheries Service Systematic Laboratory at the Smithsonian Institution. "Scientists have long known that the area in Southeast Asia that includes Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines holds the richest marine biodiversity. I was amazed to discover that the extreme center of this biodiversity is in the Philippines, rather than closer to the equator," said Carpenter. "However, a geographical information system analysis of this extensive database clearly shows this pattern." The results of these findings will be published in the journal Environmental Biology of Fishes under the title, "The Center of the Center of Marine Shorefish Biodiversity: The Philippine Islands." The article is co-authored by Victor Springer of the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. The computer analysis was done with the support of Conservation International. Carpenter’s goal now is to understand the natural forces, such as lithospheric plate movements, prevailing currents, and the geography and geology of the area, that contributed to the evolution of the biodiversity. "This discovery poses some very interesting questions about the origins of marine life in our oceans. Perhaps the Philippines hold the key to unraveling mysteries about how marine biodiversity patterns change through space and time." Another of Carpenter’s goals is to support conservation efforts in the Philippines. Teaming with life on its coral reefs, mangrove swamps, seagrass beds and soft-bottom habitats, the Philippine Islands are the marine counterpart to the Amazon rain forest in terms of concentrated biodiversity, he said. Unfortunately, the Philippines share another sad common characteristic with the Amazon—many of its inhabitants are being threatened with local extinction due to uncontrolled deforestation, soil erosion, air and water pollution, coral reef degradation and destructive fishing techniques. The study also found that this center of marine biodiversity has a comparatively high number of species that are only found in the Philippines. Therefore, there is the real threat of extinction, including some species that have yet to be discovered by scientists. "This area is highly threatened and a number of destructive fishing practices, including dynamite fishing, contribute to the decline," said Carpenter. "The biggest problem in terms of coral reefs is in runoff from poor land use that results in heightened erosion. This runoff goes into the rivers and out to sea covering the coral in sediments that are detrimental to their survival." Species Carpenter helped catalogue in the waters off of the Philippine Islands include seaweeds, corals, bivalves, gastopods, cephalopods, stomatopods, shrimps, lobsters, crabs, sea cucumbers, sharks, rays, chimaeras, bony fishes, estuarine crocodiles, sea turtles, sea snakes and marine mammals. "Biodiversity is of major interest to many people," he said. "Many marine organisms have yet to be looked at for pharmacological purposes. Some sharks appear resistant to cancer. It turns out that sharks are becoming endangered because of over-fishing. Some marine organism might hold the cure to cancer, but we are destroying them before we get a chance to study them." Based on Carpenter’s findings, a good place to look may well be in the waters off the Philippine Islands. Back to top
Wellington has more than 25 years of experience in the investment industry. As an in-house DFA research expert, he writes a column debunking erroneous media predictions about various markets for the company’s Web site. He previously worked as director of research for LPL Financial Services. Wellington received his bachelor’s degree from Yale University. Co-sponsored by the College of Business and Public Administration and Wilbanks, Smith & Thomas Asset Management LLC, the luncheon begins at noon at the Sheraton Waterside Hotel in downtown Norfolk. The cost is $30 for nonmembers. For more information or to make reservations, call 683-4058. President Roseann Runte was reappointed as chair of the Economics Club. Also reappointed were retired Cox Communications vice president of public affairs and community programming, Irvine Hill, as president, and associate professor of finance and director of the M.B.A. program, Bruce Rubin, as executive director and treasurer.
Swain recently returned from a 26-day, 3,400-mile bike expedition from Washington state to Virginia. He and 43 fellow cyclists departed Everett, Wash., on July 18, averaging about 131 miles per day before finishing in Williamsburg on Aug. 12. A few members of the group marked the end of the trip by dipping the front wheels of their bikes in the water at a nearby beach. “Seeing the country was, of course, quite remarkable,” Swain said. “I’d never crossed (America) on the ground before, and I’d never been to many of the places we visited.” Three days in particular left indelible impressions. On day 10, when the group crossed the Big Horn Mountains in Wyoming, Swain said the ascent from about 3,000 feet to more than 9,000 feet was spectacular, both visually and physically. “The climb was the biggest I’d ever done on a bike, and the riders were timed individually on the main section as a fun challenge,” said Swain, who conducts research on cardiovascular and metabolic responses to exercise. “I was pleased to come in sixth among the 40-plus riders, especially since the five who beat me were all younger than I.” By the end of the four-week-long journey, the group had ascended 101,500 feet of hills and mountains. Day 13 through the Badlands of South Dakota also stood out, as did day 24, crossing the mountains from West Virginia into Virginia. “After the descent on the Virginia side, we passed through the George Washington National Forest,” Swain recalled. “The trees lining the road on either side and the light filtering down from the late afternoon sun created an emerald green cathedral that went on for a few miles.” The full impact of the trip will take some time to sink in, Swain said, but he’s looking forward to having a new schedule as the fall semester begins. “I spent virtually a month following what most people would consider a bizarre routine: up at 5:30 a.m., put on your bike clothes, get your bike outside to fill the tires with air and the bottles with Gatorade, and then have breakfast in the parking lot at 6; finish packing your gear bag for the van and ride out at 6:30; spend the next 8-12 hours on your bike, stopping only for food breaks. “Once you hit the new hotel, you clean your bike, take a shower, find dinner at a nearby restaurant, hunt for a coin laundry every three or four days, and get in bed by 9 p.m. One day I told my roommate that life was very simple when knowing that your laundry is clean gives you a deep sense of satisfaction. He agreed completely.” – James J. Lidington ODU work history: professor of exercise science since August 2001; associate professor since August 1993; director of the Wellness Institute and Research Center and chair of the Institutional Review Board College degrees: B.A. in biology, 1978, University of South Florida; Ph.D. in physiology, 1984, University of North Carolina Medical School, Chapel Hill Birth date: Sept. 1, 1953 Hometown: Tampa, Fla., where I did most of my growing up, although I started out in Massachusetts Spouse: Xiaohong Zhang Swain (from Beijing), a personal trainer Pets: Two dogs, a chow chow named Chang Cheng (literally, “city wall,” the Chinese name for the Great Wall of China) and a Great Dane named Tai Shan (“Supreme Mountain”) Pet peeve: Telemarketers Most memorable campus experience: Gladys Knight concert at the Ted Most treasured possession in my office: Signed copy of Per Olaf Astrand’s “Textbook of Work Physiology.” He is one of the fathers of exercise physiology, whom I met 20 years ago. He’s now about 90 and still attends conferences. Whom I most admire at ODU: The faculty in my department. They all work very hard for little reward. Last book read: “Without Fail” by Lee Child Favorite movie: “Casablanca” Favorite quotation: “If I have eight hours to chop down a tree, I’ll spend the first six sharpening my ax.” Abraham Lincoln Greatest accomplishment: Top academic graduate and simultaneously top physical fitness graduate of Army NCO school in 1974 Favorite song: “Unchained Melody” by the Righteous Brothers Idea of the perfect day off: Hiking in the mountains with my wife Hobbies: Bicycling (surprise!), traveling, reading Favorite TV show: I’m a news junkie and watch a lot of news and talk shows. I hardly ever watch “regular” TV shows. Favorite meal: Stir-fried squid with vegetables Vice: A glass of red wine every evening. (It’s not really a vice, but part of my health routine!) Last vacation: A week in Sequoia National Park Favorite area restaurant: Why did they close Le Chambord? For the time being, Swan Terrace is it. Last smart thing I did: Stopped panicking five minutes later (after the last dumb thing, below), took a deep breath and got the problem solved. Last dumb thing I did: Broke both pairs of glasses in five minutes on my bike trip Worst job: Garbage truck washer (with a steam gun outdoors in the summer heat of Tampa). It was my first job, and it actually wasn’t that bad, but my sister hated picking me up after work in her car. Profession I might like to attempt: If I were younger, I might have stayed in the military. Appropriate epitaph: I haven’t lived enough to know how that should read. Back to top
As terror threats rise and the war in Iraq continues, medical personnel are seeking ways to prepare themselves for the possibility of needing to save a life not in a hospital room, but on the battlefield. Mark Scerbo, an Old Dominion University psychology professor, is examining ways that modeling and simulation technology can be applied to train for such situations. The work is part of a collaborative project with ODU’s Virginia Modeling Analysis and Simulation Center and Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS), which is funded in part by $4 million from the Naval Health Research Center. Amid gunfire, explosions and sniper fire in both daylight and nighttime conditions, more than 24 EVMS medical students and residents performed surgical procedures on a mannequin-based simulator during test trials in March and August at ODU’s virtual reality CAVE. “The findings from this initial study show that virtual environments can provide a safe environment for military medical personnel to train for dangerous duty,” said Scerbo. While the students found their medical school training to be excellent, the skills that helped them succeed in a hospital environment, such as the ability to ignore chaotic surroundings, could get them killed on the battlefield. The ODU/EVMS project is unique, according to Scerbo, because it represents the first time that two different forms of simulation technology have been used together to study the application of surgical skills. "We now have a 'laboratory' to study the practice of medicine without using actual patients or animals. More important, by using the CAVE virtual environment we can recreate an unlimited number of environmental conditions and study their potential impact on surgical performance--again, without putting patients at risk," he said. Scerbo completed phase one of the study in March. During that phase, 15 medical students performed a tube thoracostomy on a mannequin-based simulator in a fully immersed CAVE virtual environment, which featured a combat simulation complete with gunfire, explosions, and a virtual sniper under both daylight and nighttime conditions. "Taken together, the results suggest that the surgical skills acquired by students in a traditional medical school setting may be compromised when the students are called upon to perform them under hazardous conditions," said Scerbo. He will now analyze whether the students did better during the second trial in August and how they compared with the residents, who have more hospital experience. Scerbo will present his findings Aug. 16-18 at the NATO Symposium on Combat Casualty Care in Ground Based Tactical Situations: Trauma Technology and Emergency Medical Procedures, in St. Pete Beach, Fla. Back to top
The exhibition and reception are free and open to the public. Walter Pach (1883-1958), a critic, historian, collector, teacher and connoisseur, is best known as a spokesman and catalyst for the modernist movement. He, along with Arthur B. Davies and Walt Kuhn, played a key role in producing the famed 1913 Armory Show, held in New York, Chicago and Boston. The show marked one of the earliest U.S. exhibitions of works by the great European modernists Matisse, Picasso and the Duchamp brothers. Although renowned as a critic and speaker, Pach considered himself primarily an artist and exhibited widely during his lifetime. He graduated from the City College of New York in 1903 with a degree in art. He also studied with Robert Henri at the New York School of Art and went abroad to paint with William Merritt Chase in 1903 and 1904. In 1914 he married artist Magdalene Frohberg (1884-1950), of Dresden, Germany. Several of his works are in the collections of the New York Public Library and the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Museum of Modern Art, both in New York. Pach taught at several schools, including New York University and Columbia University. The University Gallery, located at 350 W. 21st St., Norfolk, is open noon to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; noon to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and 1-4 p.m. Sunday. For more information call 683-2355 or go to www.odu.edu/al/art/gallery.
Tickets for the talk, scheduled for 8 p.m. at the Ted Constant Convocation Center, are $15 and are now on sale at the Constant Center box office and all Ticketmaster outlets (online at ticketmaster.com or by calling 671-8100). Brokaw’s remarks, titled “A Look at the World,” will kick off COVITS 2004, a conference for senior-level executives to be held at the Norfolk Waterside Marriott Sept. 26-28. ODU was selected as host institution for COVITS, the Commonwealth of Virginia’s Information Technology Symposium. Back to top
Courses that examine political symbolism in recent popular culture and use computational systems to better understand the interactions of drugs and pathogens are among several innovative offerings at Old Dominion this fall that cover timely topics in new ways. Jeffrey Jones, assistant professor of communication and theatre arts, has incorporated various recent events, from the Sept. 11 tragedies to the war on terrorism to the political conventions, in his new course, Communication and Political Symbolism (COMM 468/568). “Central to this class is the understanding that for many citizens, politics has less to do with specific governmental policies, partisan loyalties or steadfast ideological leanings than it does with abstract feelings and meanings about American democracy, said Jones, now in his second year at ODU. Students will study political phenomena, including the Democratic and Republican national conventions, the state of the union address, elections, the pledge of allegiance, state funerals, foreign wars, beheadings and torture, flags, civil war reenactments, news broadcasts, memorials and museums, and feature films. “I find student understanding, awareness and knowledge of these topics to be vitally important in this crazy world we now live in,” said Jones. Students will work in 10 teams of four students throughout the semester to read class materials and analyze events reported by the print and electronic media. “Each team will locate, capture and reproduce the imagery from these events and perform a brief written or oral criticism and analysis based on the readings,” said Jones. “For instance, while the newspapers bemoan the Republican nominating convention as little more than an infomercial, and therefore not worthy of precious prime-time airtime, students will be asked to analyze it as a ritual of great importance and how and why that is the case.” ••• “What can we do when a drug used to treat a disease or infection becomes ineffective because the pathogen has become resistant to it? Look for a new one, of course,” said Alex Pothen, professor of computer science, in the syllabus for his new course, Computational Systems Biology (CS 795/895). “Since the discovery of new drugs is a long and expensive process, the pharmaceutical industry is interested in computational methods for identifying drug targets with superior drug-resistant properties. Such methods depend on a comprehensive knowledge of the interactions between the target molecules and living systems.” Pothen notes that recently developed technologies have made it possible to study how genes and proteins interact with one another. “The wealth of data on protein and gene interaction networks has necessitated tools from computer science and mathematics to collect, organize, query and understand such networks,” he explained. “Computational systems biology is the moniker for this area of research, and it involves the development of combinatorial algorithms, databases, statistical methods and software.” Students in the course will consider several problems in computational systems biology: data mining in protein networks, finding locally well-connected subgraphs, graph clustering and partitioning, predicting protein networks from genomic data, improving the reliability of protein networks and computing similarities of genomic networks across several organisms. They will present the results of their projects in class. ••• Elsewhere, David Dryer, senior research scientist at ODU’s Virginia Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Center, is teaching the course Enterprise System Dynamics (MSIM 795/895) this fall to business people and engineers interested in learning more about the complexities of planning, creating and implementing computer modeling and simulation systems. “System dynamics allows us to create ‘microworlds,’ management flight simulators where space and time can be compressed, slowed and stopped so we can experience long-term side effects of decisions, systematically explore new strategies and develop our understanding of complex systems,” said Dryer. Students will use state-of-the-art software to develop and test computer simulation models to improve their understanding of the ways in which an organization’s performance is related to its internal structure and operating policies as well as those of customers, competitors and suppliers. Back to top
President Roseann Runte will join Danville Community College President Carlyle Ramsey for the first event, a breakfast ceremony Aug. 31, and travel to the other sites throughout the semester. “TELETECHNET means accessibility through technology,” said Runte. “For the commonwealth, it means that we have conquered geography and are offering the highest-quality education for a very reasonable cost. For Virginians, it means that no qualified citizen lives more than 30 minutes away from a four-year university degree. “Old Dominion changes lives in every community of the state by broadening horizons, offering qualifications for better employment and paving the way for economic development.” Community leaders, as well as former and current students, will also be on hand at the DCC breakfast to discuss the positive effects the program has had on the community and their lives. Since its inception, more than 187 Danville residents have received bachelor’s and master’s degrees through the distance learning program. “As one of the original 13 participating colleges, we all have seen the program grow and achieve academic credibility and respect,” said Ramsey. With more than 50 sites across Virginia – including all schools in the Virginia Community College System – as well as sites in Arizona, Washington, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Georgia and the Bahamas,TELETECHNET is the largest distance learning network of its kind in the nation. Back to top
– “A comedy of errors: A vice president wonders – Is it too much to ask “In this environment, tuning out the world around you can get yourself killed. You need to divide your attention between the task at hand and your surroundings.” (Mark W. Scerbo, associate professor of psychology) – “Simulation helps keep doctors cool under fire” “For some folks an MBA’s not necessary for them. They quickly want to acquire the information then go back and apply it. It’s a program that people will use in their everyday jobs.” (Sheila M. Powell, director of the Executive Development Center) – “Get in the fast lane with a mini” “With better than one-half of the Navy population at sea, education on ship is important.” (Dick Whalen, director of military activities) – “Navy, local schools partner to teach at sea and at home” “When I taught at Queens College most of the kids were very, very liberal ... . Then I came down here and found that the kids in the doctoral program were pretty much conservative – so that was a major culture shock. I had to adapt my teaching to that.” (Maurice Berube, professor emeritus of educational leadership and counseling) – “One Mo time” “The physical response of the ocean to hurricanes is complex. No one has considered the biological contribution to the altered carbon flux balance that takes place when hurricanes pass over oceans.” (Jerry Wiggert, research scientist, Center for Coastal Physical Oceanography) – “Hurricanes spur growth of plankton in the ocean” “Usually when people think about electricity, they think about a brutal way of killing – electrocution, burning, this kind of thing. Our method is focusing on extremely short pulses, so that there’s no thermal effect, no heating involved. It’s purely an electrical effect.” (Karl H. Schoenbach, eminent scholar of electrical and computer engineering) – “A high-voltage fight against cancer” “We need to be showing the elite in Iraq that they’d be worse off in the chaos if Americans left than they would behind a unity government.” (Steve A. Yetiv, associate professor of political science) – “U.S. troops to be needed in Iraq for some time”
Widely regarded as one of the top pitching coaches in college baseball, Meyers oversaw a South Carolina pitching staff that compiled a 53-17 record as the Gamecocks captured the 2004 Southeastern Conference Tournament Championship, NCAA Regional and Super Regional Championships, and finished third at the College World Series. Meyers served as an ODU assistant coach in 1996. In his eight seasons as pitching coach for the Gamecocks, South Carolina compiled a 372-152 record. A Meyers-coached pitcher has been a first-team All-American in each of the past five years, and 17 of his pitchers have signed professional contracts. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration at Iowa State and a master’s in physical education from South Alabama in 1989. Grant targets role of men in decreasing violence “Confronting the issue of men’s violence against women has long been regarded as important on college campuses,” said Fogerty, “but because violence against women is often viewed as just a women’s problem, programming and educational efforts have traditionally focused on women.” While the Women’s Center typically includes events geared toward men during Sexual Assault Awareness Week in October, the grant will enable the center to do more. John Foubert, assistant professor of higher education at William and Mary and president of NO MORE, the National Organization of Men’s Outreach for Rape Education, will give the keynote address for this year’s series of programs. He will also conduct workshops for students, faculty and staff, tackling rape myths, discussing the role of consent and detailing what a men can do if a woman they know is assaulted. MCC offers new film series, “The Human Experience” Presented as an observation of the human struggle to survive and find resolution within one’s own society, the free series includes nine films. Each will be introduced by a member of the campus community. The first film in the series, “House of Sand and Fog,” will be shown at 8 p.m. Sept. 13 in room 102 of the Mills Godwin Jr. Building. Directed by Vadim Perelman and released by DreamWorks Pictures in 2003, it stars Jennifer Connelly and Ben Kingsley. It’s the story of three fragile yet determined people who become dangerously entangled in a relentlessly escalating crisis. One of them is Col. Behrani, once a wealthy man in Iran, who is now a struggling immigrant willing to bet everything he has to restore his family’s dignity. For more information call 683-4406 or visit http://studentservices.odu.edu/po/humanexperience. Volunteers sought for Community Care Day For more information or to volunteer visit www.odu.edu/ccd or call 683-5210. Back to top
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