news
|
newsandnotes
Reidy, whose financial contributions and commercial connections helped to establish the ODU center in 2002, recently announced an additional gift of $2 million. A resident of Virginia Beach since 1986, Reidy is the director of Yantai Raffles Shipyard, based in China. He is also a director of an oil and natural gas exploration company in Pennsylvania and is president of McClees Associates LLC in Virginia Beach. He was a board member of Old Dominion’s Bank of America Entrepreneurial Center and a long-time board member of Operation Smile, a charity based in Norfolk that performs cleft lip and palate surgery for children in 24 countries. The bioelectrics center is located on the fifth floor of the Norfolk Public Health Building. It was developed as a research initiative of ODU in partnership with Eastern Virginia Medical School. Karl H. Schoenbach, eminent scholar of electrical and computer engineering, is the director of the center and holds the Batten Endowed Chair of Bioelectric Engineering. The center’s mission is to increase scientific knowledge and understanding of the interaction of electrical fields and ionized gases with biological cells. This new knowledge has many applications in the fields of medical diagnostics and in removing contaminants from the environment. Reidy’s gift will assist the center in meeting a number of its objectives, which include performing leading-edge interdisciplinary and multi-institutional research; recruiting top faculty and exceptional graduate students; supporting regional, national and international programs; and increasing external funding and institutional visibility. “Frank Reidy’s support will allow the center to make a quantum leap in research and development, by providing seed money for a number of bioelectrics applications with the potential for tremendous impact in medicine,” Schoenbach said. “There are three areas where the support will help to move basic research to applications. The first and foremost is cancer therapy using ultrashort electrical pulses.” Schoenbach added that Reidy’s gift will “allow scientists to focus on those research areas which not only promise commercial rewards, but will offer new medical therapies and environmental improvements.” Reidy assisted the center in the signing of its first licensing agreement with a large venture capital group that is expected to bring in $8 million to ODU and EVMS over the next 10 years. The ability to manipulate cell functions with electrical fields and define the results is a new field of opportunity for students and businesses to invest in, Reidy said. Schoenbach and colleagues from ODU’s electrical and computer engineering department work closely with research scientists Stephen Beebe and Stephen Buescher of the Center for Pediatric Research, a joint program of EVMS and Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters. Old Dominion is the lead institution in partnership with EVMS, MIT, Harvard University, the University of Texas Health Science Center, Washington University and the University of Wisconsin on a five-year, $5 million Department of Defense grant awarded to the center in 2002. Back to top
The purpose of the award is twofold: To recognize excellence in teacher education programs and to advance the field of teacher education by identifying promising practices and critical issues related to measuring the impact of programs on teacher candidate knowledge and the impact of these teachers on pupil learning. AASCU also recognized Ball State University. ODU’s Commonwealth Special Education Endorsement Program (CSEEP) was recognized for its initiative “Meeting the Needs of Virginia’s Children with Disabilities: The Commonwealth Special Education Endorsement Program.” The distance-learning teacher preparation program provides a readily accessible path to full licensure and highly qualified status for conditionally licensed special education teachers across Virginia, ensuring a high-quality education for the state’s children with disabilities. By providing a network among Virginia Public Schools, state-operated programs, non-public special education schools, the Virginia Department of Education and ODU, teachers are provided site-based college courses in special education designed to meet the requirements for endorsement in emotional disturbance, learning disabilities, and mental retardation; and integrated content knowledge, technology standards, instructional strategies and Virginia Standards of Learning throughout the course work. Faculty members Steve Tonelson, Jane Hager, Robert Gable and Cheryl Baker, of the Darden College of Education, initiated this alternative certification program in 1997, and through their efforts and those of the CSEEP staff, have received almost $7 million in external funding from the Virginia Department of Education. The CSEEP program has provided tuition support for more than 1,500 conditionally licensed special education teachers and, to date, has helped 774 of Virginia’s special educators to become fully licensed and highly qualified. “Dr. William H. Graves III and his colleagues combined innovative teaching using sophisticated technology and their considerable talents to provide excellence and access in special education,” said President Roseann Runte. “I applaud their success and admire their dedication in the service of educators and education. They epitomize the finest scholars and teachers who change lives daily at Old Dominion University.” George L. Mehaffy, AASCU’s vice president for academic leadership and change, and whose division oversees the award process, said, “The Christa McAuliffe Award challenges teacher education programs to demonstrate the effectiveness of their programs, an incredibly difficult task. Yet these two award winners have made striking progress in demonstrating the impact of their program on graduates and the impact of those graduates on K-12 students. “Through this award, these nationally selected programs offer innovative leadership in the continuing redesign and improvement of teacher education,” he said. “The proposals we received demonstrate that AASCU institutions are committed to placing highly trained and fully qualified teachers in America’s classrooms.” AASCU’s Christa McAuliffe award, named in honor of the teacher who died in the Challenger disaster, was first presented in the 1980s. McAuliffe was a graduate of Bowie State University (Md.), an AASCU member. AASCU institutions prepare more than 50 percent of all new teachers in the United States. AASCU will present the award at its annual meeting, which is scheduled for Nov. 20-22 in Scottsdale, Ariz. Back to top
Acclaimed novelist Tobias Wolff, author of “This Boy’s Life” and the National Book Award finalist “In Pharaoh’s Army: Memories of the Lost War,” will speak at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 6 in the Mills Godwin Jr. Life Sciences Building auditorium under the auspices of the festival and the President’s Lecture Series. Other festival headliners include Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novelist Art Spiegelman and Susan Orlean, whose book “The Orchid Thief” was made into the film “Adaptation.” Siegelman, the author of “Maus: A Survivor’s Tale,” “Maus II: From Mauschwitz to the Catskills,” both based on his parents’ experiences as concentration-camp survivors, and his Sept. 11 tribute, “In the Shadow of No Towers,” will speak at 8 p.m. Oct. 4 at the Granby Theater, 421 Granby St., Norfolk. Orlean, who is a staff writer at The New Yorker, will speak at 8 p.m. Oct. 5 in Chandler Recital Hall of the Diehn Fine and Performing Arts Center. Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Lucinda Williams and her father, poet Miller Williams, close out the festival with a joint performance at 8 p.m. Oct. 7 at the Granby Theater. Tickets are required for this event, which benefits the ODU Writers-in-Community Program. Tickets may be purchased at the door or by calling 683-5305. All other Literary Festival events are free. “In essence, literature is an experience that goes beyond definition. Provocative poems, plays, performance pieces, and works of nonfiction and fiction cross boundaries, shaping their own definitions in the process,” co-directors Michael Pearson and Brian Silberman note in a statement about the festival. “We hope for this year’s Literary Festival to be an experience in which you will be led into new territories, guided across genres, shown the shifting boundaries between forms. Great writers, artists and performers will be your guides. ...” The full schedule follows:
The festival is funded in part by the Virginia Commission on the Arts and the Norfolk Commission on the Arts and Humanities. More information is available online at www.odu.edu/litfest or by calling 683-4770. Back to top
The book constitutes a portion of Princeton Review’s best regional guidebooks, which collectively include profiles of more than 600 institutions. The Southeastern edition showcases the top 140 schools in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, and Tennessee. Institutions featured in the publication met criteria for academic excellence in their regions and students were interviewed anonymously. The survey asked students questions about their school’s academics, campus life and student body. ODU was named as a best college by The Princeton Review in 2003. Back to top
ARC consists of an interdisciplinary team of researchers working on scientific and technological problems in the areas of thin films, laser and plasma applications, materials technology, and the emerging fields of nanotechnology, biomedical engineering, sensor science and technology, and microelectronics and micro-electro-mechanical systems. Projects at the center are sponsored by federal agencies, the commonwealth of Virginia, and various industries and national labs. In making the announcement, Oktay Baysal, dean of the Frank Batten College of Engineering and Technology, said Elsayed-Ali had done “an outstanding job” in an interim capacity, and encouraged faculty to collaborate with ARC for research and development. Elsayed-Ali joined the ODU faculty in 1992. His research interests are mainly in ultrafast laser probing of surface and thin film reactions. He received the university's Faculty Research Award in 2000. Back to top
Moderated by Tim Seibles, associate professor of creative writing, the panel will include Cathy Lewis, host of “HearSay” on WHRV-FM; Tom Robotham, managing editor of Port Folio Weekly; and Lisa Murray, ODU director of corporate and foundation relations and long-time book reviewer on WHRV. The discussion, which is free and open to the public, will be held at 7 p.m. in room 101 of the Mills Godwin Jr. Building. Back to top
The ODU Board of Visitors voted in June to start a Division I-AA football program in the fall of 2009, provided certain provisions are met prior to June 1, 2006. One provision is a favorable market assessment. Most recently, PricewaterhouseCoopers has completed market and financial analysis projects for the potential expansion of Wake Forest’s Groves Stadium, the University of Connecticut’s jump from I-AA to I-A in football and the reclassification of the Northern Kentucky University athletics program from Division II to Division I. The ODU study is expected to be completed by November and presented to the Board of Visitors at its December meeting. Back to top
The performance will feature works by Berio, Fleischer, Kasparov, Maxwell-Davies, Ohana and Shatin. Founded in 1998 by Andrey Kasparov, associate professor of music, Creo is the only professional new-music group in Virginia. Back to top
For details call 683-3384. Back to top
Free blood pressure checks, blood glucose screenings, and nutrition and wellness information will be offered. In addition, employees can get a cholesterol lipid profile for only $15. For more information call 683-5927. Back to top
An ODU employee for more than 30 years, Barnes is the longest-serving financial aid employee, with more than 20 years in the office. She ran the veterans office on campus before joining financial aid. Barnes was honored as ODU’s 1999 Customer Relations Employee of the Year. Those planning to attend the social are asked to RSVP to Patricia Hinton at 683-4498 or phinton@odu.edu. Back to top
Tee times begin at 11:30 a.m. for the captain’s choice event. The entry deadline is Sept. 23. The cost is $55 for ODU students and $65 for all others. There is a $5 discount for those who register by Sept. 16. For more information call 683-3384. Back to top
Gail E. Dodge, a nuclear physicist who has taken a leading role in atom-smashing experiments at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (JLab) in Newport News, has been appointed chair of the physics department. Since joining the faculty in 1995, Dodge has juggled classroom teaching and the birth of a daughter with investigations of sub-atomic particles. She won the College of Sciences Faculty Excellence Award for 2003 and since this spring has been the principal investigator of a $1.7 million Department of Energy grant that supports research by ODU nuclear physicists at JLab. “Dr. Dodge will bring her enthusiasm for research and education to bear on the physics department and will play a vital role in bringing further national recognition to this department,” said Richard V. Gregory, dean of the College of Sciences, who announced the appointment Aug. 31. Dodge said she agreed to “take the plunge at this time only because I am a member of a strong research group in a harmonious department. The faculty has been very supportive.” She added that she hopes the physics faculty can be expanded in the near future. “I think ODU’s push to be among the nation’s top 100 public research universities is important, and to play in that league, the physics department must be bigger,” she said. She would like to see the department branch into other fields such as experimental condensed matter physics or astrophysics. Eleven members of the university’s 20-person physics faculty make up a nuclear physics university research group that is one of the nation’s largest. The internationally diverse faculty includes three Russians, two Serbs, an Armenian, a German, an Italian, an Australian and an Irishman. Dodge did postdoctoral research at the Free University in Amsterdam, but her roots are in New England and all of her formal education came in the United States. A graduate of Princeton University, she earned a doctorate from Stanford University in 1993 and has focused since then on experimental nuclear physics. Most recently, she has researched the angular momentum and excited states of the neutron. She and colleagues have been funded by DOE to investigate the underlying structure of subatomic particles and the forces that create them. Dodge succeeds the Irish-born, world-renowned atomic theorist Colm T. Whelan, who returns to teaching and research after four years as chair. Whelan is a fellow of the Institute of Physics and was, in 2000, elected a fellow of the American Physical Society (APS) for significant contributions in atomic collision theory. In 2003 he was designated an ODU eminent scholar. Appropriate epitaph: THE original Dixie Chick (I’ve lived in five Southern states) Back to top
In addition to collecting funds for the American Red Cross and Salvation Army via the annual Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign (CVC), the university, at the suggestion of President Roseann Runte, has created a special fund to assist the relatives of ODU employees and students whose lives were devastated by Katrina. Donations through the CVC, 100 percent of which will go directly to aid hurricane victims, were requested by Sept. 16; however, donations after that date will be taken. Because of the immediate need for assistance, only cash and checks, made out to “CVC - Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund,” will be accepted. Donations should be brought to Lynda Shirk in room 219 of Koch Hall. To assist the parents and other relatives of ODU students, faculty, staff and alumni, some of whom lost their homes, a relief fund has been established at the ODU Credit Union. Donations are being accepted in the form of cash, check or credit card. onations may be made in person or through the mail to the credit union, 2707 Hampton Blvd., Norfolk, VA 23517. Credit card donations may be made via telephone at 533-9308. In a recent letter to the campus community, Runte asked that those who have relatives affected by the hurricane contact her office or Glenda Humphreys, director of human resources. Elsewhere on campus, Jennifer Kingsley, coordinator for community service and outreach in the Office of Student Services, is overseeing hurricane-relief efforts among the student population. School supplies, toiletries and clothing are being collected at the Information Desk in Webb Center for people associated with the ODU community who were forced to flee the destruction of Hurricane Katrina and come to live in Hampton Roads. Also benefitting from the collection will be approximately a dozen students who have enrolled at Old Dominion because their colleges and universities have not reopened, Kingsley said. Donations of medial supplies are also being accepted, which will be assembled into health kits and sent to Baton Rouge for distribution. The deadline for these donations is Sept. 17. Specific items requested and donation locations can be found at http://studentservices.odu.edu/stuactivities/volunteer/opportunities.htm. Back to top
Cecelia Tucker, director of community relations, said she anticipates that members of the campus community will turn out in force as in years past. Assisting her are co-chairs Victoria Burke, director of publications, and Jennifer Kingsley, coordinator for community service and outreach in the Office of Student Services. Those who wish to participate in Community Care Day activities can register and find more information online at www.odu.edu/ccd. Volunteer opportunities have already been established at the following locations (and more are being arranged): Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia, FORkids Inc., International Black Women’s Congress, Larchmont Library, National Environmental Commission and the Village Pointe Apartments. Volunteers are also needed to take part in neighborhood cleanups. Back to top
The picnic, which will feature a menu of hot dogs, chips, dessert and soda, is free to classified and hourly employees. Also planned are a Bingo game, 50/50 raffle and door prizes. Back to top
Good food and drink (everything from smoothies and frappes to beer and wine), casual conversation and live entertainment are all part of the mix at the University Village Shops on Monarch Way. With four eateries now open and two more on the way, the Village is slowly becoming a destination for the campus community as well as the surrounding neighborhoods. It’s also proven to be a hot spot for student employment. ODU graduate Don Rockwell ’00 (M.A. ’02), co-owner of Boar’s Nest Bar & Delicatessen, the first shop to open back in January, admits the move was a bit of a gamble, but he’s expecting it to pay dividends down the road. “It’s getting better every day,” he said of the business at his establishment. Boar’s Nest, which opened in the middle of the 2004-05 basketball season, quickly became the “pregame headquarters for alumni and students,” Rockwell said. In addition to offering a variety of signature sandwiches (the “Powhatan” features smoked turkey, Granny Smith apples, bacon, spinach and house sauce on wheat) and salads, Boar’s Nest has a wide selection of beer, microbrews and wines. Rockwell said he and his partner made a conscious decision to differentiate Boar’s Nest from the old bars that once fronted Hampton Boulevard. “We’re focusing on being what a corner college bar and delicatessen should be,” he said. “We offer a friendly atmosphere – a place where you can come to eat and relax, or sit at the bar and talk politics.” Boar’s Nest, open 10:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. Monday through Saturday, also has live music Wednesday (acoustic) and Thursday (reggae) nights. It plans to hold an outdoor, German-style Octoberfest from 4 p.m. to midnight on Oct. 1, featuring beer and sausages, costumed wait staff and music. On the corner across 45th Street on Monarch Way, Port City Java co-manager Rob Loomis said that after a slow summer, he is happy to see business picking up again. “We still need to grow as a business, but this is encouraging.” Offering everything from cappuccino to iced coffee to “The Red Eye!” (coffee with fresh espresso shots added), Port City’s menu also includes an array of frappes, freezes, shakes and chillers, as well as pastries, scones, muffins, sandwiches, wraps and salads. The shop’s relaxing environment features both traditional seating and stuffed chairs. “I sense that the various businesses in the Village are developing different niches. Our clientele is largely older students, faculty and staff, along with regulars from the neighborhoods,” Loomis said. Open 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. weekdays, 7 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Saturday and 7 a.m. to “8ish” p.m. Sunday, Port City features live music Tuesday and Thursday from 8 p.m. to closing. Playing Tuesdays this semester is a local band called The Tripps, which includes one ODU student, and the Thursday act consists of two Ph.D. students from Istanbul and Mexico, who cover everything from classic to rock to recent music. An open mike night is also being considered. The coffee shop, whose outside doors carry the message “Leave Worries Here,” hangs ODU student art on its walls, and Loomis said he has talked to one student about having a senior art show there in December. Tropical Smoothie Cafe, the third shop to open on Monarch Way, has been busy meeting the demand for smoothies, wraps and sandwiches since the start of the fall semester, reports Suzanne Bruehl, who owns the shop with her husband, Weslee, an M.B.A. student. “Thank God for school starting,” said Suzanne, who holds a master’s in education from ODU. She notes that Tropical Smoothie is beginning to see a lot of repeat customers, including those who are looking for healthier fare than that offered by fast food restaurants. “A lot of people come in for their ‘smoothie rush’ in the afternoon to get them to dinner time,” she said. “And we’ve had one girl who said she lost eight pounds by drinking smoothies in place of lunch food. I told her she could be our version of Subway’s Jared.” Bruehl also reports that the shop’s fresh-baked cookies are popular. “We can’t keep those in stock. We bake them every morning and they’re gone before the end of the day.” Tropical Smoothie is open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday. The most recent eatery to open in the Village is Perfectly Frank. In addition to its selection of hot dogs and sausages, the restaurant offers hamburgers, a variety of sandwiches, shakes and floats – even sweet potato fries – and serves beer. Dave Savino, who owns the business with Tony and Tarah Sciortino, said business has picked up recently since the restaurant’s July 13 opening. Tarah, a former ODU student, and her husband also operate Famous Uncle Al’s near Greenbrier Mall. Perfectly Frank, which offers both table and counter seating, has lined one side of its walls with large, framed photos of former outstanding ODU athletes. It is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. “People are exploring,” Savino said of the campus community and neighborhood customers who have eaten there the past two months. Of the Village, he added, “We’re trying to create an area that is a stopping point.” Back to top
Moderator Elizabeth Esinhart, senior lecturer of political science and geography, will lead the discussion. Speakers and their topics include:
A question-and-answer session will follow the presentations. The program will also include a performance by the vocal group The Faithful Men, directed by Nancy Klein, associate professor of music. The discussion commemorates the ratification of the U.S. Constitution by the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia on Sept. 17, 1787. President Bush issued a proclamation in 2001, urging “federal, state, and local officials, as well as leaders of civic, social, and educational organizations, to conduct ceremonies and programs that celebrate our Constitution and reaffirm our commitment as citizens of our great Nation.” In 2004, Congress passed a provision mandating that every school and college receiving federal money must teach about the Constitution in September. For more information about the program, call 683-3925. Back to top
In this fast-moving adaptation of the classic Norse fairy tale, the youngest daughter of a poor man must make an epic journey to redeem a broken promise. With the help of trolls, hags, the four winds and the audience, she discovers that the power of love can conquer all. Show times are 7 p.m. Friday; 11 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday; and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Running time is one hour. Ticket prices are $3 for children, $5 for general admission. Call 683-5305 for tickets and more information. Back to top
One of America’s greatest playwrights, O’Neill (1888 - 1953) creates a staggering modernization of Aeschylus’s trilogy, “The Oresteia.” In moving the action from ancient Greece to Civil War America he gives immediacy to its sense of national tragedy, family relationships and power struggles. The play has been called an American masterpiece. It runs Oct. 14-23 at The Stables Theatre. Show times are 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday. All tickets are $10. Call 683-5305 for tickets and more information. Back to top
They also are an exclusive class, having been gleaned from ODU’s largest ever applicant pool of 7,052. They come from 24 nations and 31 states, and 35 percent of them are of non-Caucasian racial profiles. In this 75th anniversary year for the university, the quality and size of the freshman class underscores the challenges the institutions has overcome and the progress it has made. Just 10 years ago, the entering class numbered 1,570 from a pool of 4,838 applicants. The comparable figures this year represent increases of about 35 percent and 45 percent, respectively. The acceptance rate has tightened from 86 percent in 1995 to the much more exclusive 66 percent this year. The average grade point average a decade ago was 2.8 and the average SAT score was 1,018, compared to 3.3 and 1,070 this year. “While we are pleased to enroll our second largest class ever, we are especially excited about the academic achievers coming to Old Dominion for the fall,” said John R. Broderick, vice president of institutional advancement and admissions. “For example, 150 or so of these students have 4.0 high school grade point averages. In addition, we continue our rich commitment to diversity.” Broderick noted that ODU also enrolled more than 1,800 transfer students this fall, which is a record. Alice R. McAdory, executive director of admissions and assistant vice president for institutional advancement, said, “The freshmen are not only some of the most academically gifted who have entered ODU, but they also have very impressive resumes. The majority have served in leadership roles, volunteered in their communities, participated in local government organizations, participated in sports programs, and the like. I am very pleased with the quality of this year’s freshman class.” She said 23 Leadership Scholarship Awards and 183 Merit Scholarship Awards went to the class. Katie Sammons, from Hickory High School in Chesapeake, is one of the outstanding members of the class of 2009. She was salutatorian of her high school class with a 4.925 GPA and scored 1,530 on the SAT. She was the outstanding senior at Hickory High in math and science. She served a Virginia Governor’s School summer mentorship at NASA Langley Research Center and hopes her education leads to a doctorate in aerospace engineering. Like many of her ODU classmates, Sammons excels at more than academics. She was a section leader in her high school marching band, a member of the Chesa-peake Student Youth Leadership Forum and a volunteer worker at her church. She said her initial impressions of the university have been positive. “I feel I will enjoy the classes. I like the fact that the professors present the material and it is up to you to learn it. This way you can individualize your study habits.” Sammons and another outstanding classmate, Kyle Craig Ballance, have a natural bent toward ODU because each has a parent who is an alum. Sammons’ father, David Sammons, earned his degree in engineering in 1984 and Ballance’s mother, Rindy Craig Ballance, graduated in health sciences in 1980. Ballance, who lives in Moyock, N.C., but attended high school at Greenbrier Christian in Chesapeake, had a GPA of 3.97 and scored 1,440 on the SAT. He had the third highest GPA in his class, was most valuable player on the golf team, and did volunteer work for his church and Union Mission. “I am very excited about how my classes are looking,” he said. “I feel that they will be both challenging and rewarding. My classmates are great. So far everyone I have encountered has been friendly and helpful.” Ballance said he is unsure of his major just yet, but is “investigating” engineering. Another entering freshman, Scott Curran, the salutatorian of his class at Kecoughtan High School in Hampton, is as interested in technology as Sammons and Ballance and has jumped straightaway into the computer science program. Neverthe-less, he also was inspired by a creative writing course he took in high school and wants to take more writing courses as a collegian. Curran had a 4.44 GPA, scored 1,520 on the SAT and was physics and history student of the year at Kecoughtan. He ran cross country and played soccer at the varsity level, chaired the city of Hampton Neighborhood Youth Advisory Board, volunteered at his church and at a homeless shelter, and refereed youth soccer. He said he is finding the faculty at ODU to be “friendly and willing to help with problems in the classroom and outside.” He added, “Although there is a little more reading and homework than in high school, college classes so far are interesting and engaging. I have met a number of people in my classes and around the dorm that share my interests and I have made some good friends.” Among other outstanding freshmen in the ODU class of 2009 are David Pandyan Talaiver and Keith P. Barth Jr. Talaiver, from Lloyd Bird High School in Chesterfield, Va., had a 3.7 GPA and scored 1,310 on the SAT. He attended Bird’s Center for Pre-Engineering and excelled in engineering competitions nationally. He also got high marks from NASA for his performance in the Governor’s School Summer Mentorship program at NASA Langley Research Center and will continue his engineering education at ODU. He played in three bands at his high school, sang in his church choir and played freshman and junior varsity football. “I absolutely love it here,” he said. “The instructors are always available and students act as a family. A comfortable atmosphere is a key to doing well in college, and I have certainly found it here.” Barth, from Churchland High School in Portsmouth, had a 4.396 GPA and scored 1,350 on the SAT. He won the Optimist Outstanding Student Award and was a Superintendent’s Scholar. He played in two school bands, was an all-district performer in volleyball and all-region performer in baseball. He was president of his sophomore, junior and senior classes and served on the Portsmouth City Council Youth Advisory Commission and as a National Catholic Youth Conference delegate. “I’m excited to have the opportunity at ODU to meet new people and experience a more free and independent learning environment,” he said. He will study computer science. Back to top
Borrowing a humorous line he has been known to deliver from his philosophy as a U.S. Congressman – “When you hear good news, stand next to it” – ODU has taken the principle a step further by announcing a companion scholarship, which will seek gifts from the popular history professor’s former students. By his own estimate, Whitehurst has taught 7,000 students at Old Dominion, and still has the grade books to prove it. A number of the students he instructed in his early years at the Norfolk Division and Old Dominion College – 1950 to 1969, before he went to Washington – recently received a letter from President Roseann Runte asking for a contribution. And while those he has taught since returning to campus in 1987 as Kaufman Lecturer of Public Affairs won’t be contacted (the idea was to ask for donations from alumni who have been in the “real world” the longest), they are welcome to contribute. Whitehurst, or “Dr. Bill” as he is affectionately known by students and colleagues, said he and his wife, Janie, are endowing a $25,000 scholarship in their name as one way to give back to the institution that has meant so much to them. “Lewis Webb was like a second father to me,” Whitehurst said, recalling his early days at the Norfolk Division. “I have so many great memories. It’s a great school, and my wife and I are pleased to do this. “It’s so expensive to attend college now. Two-thirds of my students work and are putting themselves through school, so it’s gratifying to know that these scholarships will give a leg up to future students.” The Whitehursts’ endowed award will go to a history major with a minimum GPA of 3.0 who has financial need, and the Friends of Dr. G. William Whitehurst Scholarship will be awarded to an undergraduate student from any discipline, with a minimum GPA of 3.0, who is eligible for the federal Pell Grant. “Many of the students who had me, actually most of the students, were not history majors,” Whitehurst noted. At age 80, Whitehurst is showing no signs of letting up, and is back in the classroom this fall doing what he loves. It is, he confides, a simple formula for a long and happy life. Back to top
“We would like to keep you around here forever if we can, rector James A. Hixon told Runte, adding, “The board feels you’re doing an outstanding job.” The board further decided to set aside $15,000 annually for scholarships in the president’s name. Also at the meeting, Runte reported that the capital campaign has raised approximately $86 million to date in donations and pledges; the goal is $100 million. In other action, the board approved granting the title of emeritus to John L. Echternach, eminent scholar emeritus of physical therapy, who will retire in December. Back to top
Einstein’s famous equation E=mc2 helps to explain why you and I have the masses we observe – shall we say 150 pounds – on our bathroom scales. Humans are made of atoms of hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and carbon, with a smattering of some heavier elements. Each atom in turn is made of a nucleus, which contains 99.95 percent of its mass, and electrons, which are rather lightweight. All nuclei are built from nucleons, and they are composed of even tinier building blocks called “quarks” that are bound together by “gluons.” But if you add the masses of all these building blocks, you can account for only a few percent of the mass of each atom. This would seem to mean that a person who weighs 150 pounds on her bathroom scale, actually has a mass of only about two pounds. This may be good news to dieters, but where are the missing 148 pounds? According to Einstein’s formula first published 100 years ago, mass and energy are just different sides of the same coin. If you calculate the mass of a composite object, you always have to add the contribution from its internal energy. It turns out that the mass of all atoms is nearly all due to the energy of the quarks and gluons inside the nucleons. To study this internal energy, we need to probe matter with the best resolution possible, using the most powerful “electron microscopes” available. The accelerator at Jefferson Lab is the “brightest” such microscope in the world, and that is why scientists from around the world come here to study the origin of mass. An ongoing project at Jefferson Lab gets to the heart of the interrelation of mass and energy described by Einstein. Surprisingly, an important part of the potential energy of the quarks inside a nucleon has to do with a quirky property of subatomic particles called “spin.” (Think of a top spinning around its axis.) All quarks have exactly the same amount of spin, 1/2 in the units of the subatomic world. Nucleons also have that same spin of 1/2. This raises the question of how the quark spins arrange themselves inside the nucleon so that the total sum comes out right. Obviously, they can’t all be spinning in the same direction because then their spins would add to three times 1/2, more than the spin of a nucleon. Professor Gail Dodge and I from the Old Dominion University Nuclear Physics Group coordinated the recent experiment that shows – together with similar experiments – that quarks do not like to spin in the same direction. They tend to pair up with opposite spins so that their net contribution to the nucleon spin is actually quite small. In fact, whenever we observe a quark that carries a good fraction of the mass-energy of its nucleon, the remaining two quarks seem to add their spins to a total spin of zero. To complete this picture, we have to answer the key question: What happens when a single quark carries nearly all of the mass-energy of the nucleon? For this, we need higher energies than even Jefferson Lab can offer today, but at the same time we need the superior beam qualities of high intensity and continuous operation that only Jefferson Lab can provide. The solution is an upgrade that will double the energy of the Jefferson Lab accelerator to 12 billion electron-volts. The 1,500 researchers working at Jefferson Lab have made this upgrade their highest priority. So far, the upgrade plan has passed initial hurdles, and there is cautious optimism that the upgraded facility will begin operation early in the next decade. Ultimately, through continuing experiments of ever-increasing accuracy and corresponding advances in theoretical models, we can hope to unravel the true origin of most of the visible mass in the universe – including our own weight. Professor Sebastian Kuhn is a research scientist affiliated with the Jefferson Lab accelerator facility. This article first appeared Aug. 14 in the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Back to top
Presented by the Office of Research and the Research Foundation, the session covers the fundamental aspects of conducting research and/or sponsored programs at Old Dominion. The content is tailored for new faculty and faculty who are new to the research/sponsored programs process, but the session is open to any interested faculty. Topics include: finding funding opportunities, the research infrastructure at ODU, proposal development and submission, research compliance, and intellectual property and technology transfer issues. In addition, foundation staff will address both pre-award activities – such as the budget development and proposal submission process – and post-award management. Also covered will be the Research Foundation’s role in grants and contracts administration; human resources; and employment, purchasing, and accounting services in support of research efforts at ODU. Registration is required: visit www.odu.edu/ao/research/services/workshops.html or contact Lee Furr at 683-3148 or rfurr@odu.edu. Back to top
The following classes are offered at various times: Blackboard, Computer Literacy, Emerging Technologies, Faculty Web Site, Preparing for Class, Teaching on Television, Teaching Online and Video Lecture Series. In collaboration with the Office of Computing and Communications Services, CLT has prepared two new faculty and staff resource guides: Blackboard Quick Reference for Faculty and Staff, and Faculty and Staff Accounts Quick Reference. To find out more about the classes and guides, go to www.clt.odu.edu. Back to top
– “Buying milk can help with price at the pump” “It’s important to recognize that the economic state of the region really lies in the hands of people who make policy outside of the region. It means we’re becoming more vulnerable to outside policy decisions made by DOD. It’s important for the people who plan to recognize it. We’re becoming as defense-dependent as we were in the 1980s.” (Gilbert Yochum, professor of economics, as part of a Q&A on “Oceana economics”) – “Loss of base could have a big impact, small ripple” “Here in Hampton Roads, there is abundant room for both standardized suburban tracts and edgy, ‘urban cool’ neighborhoods, as well as for the Navy, PETA and CBN, if we are tolerant and respect our democratic traditions. We’ll all be better off economically if we learn to do so.” (James V. Koch, president emeritus and Board of Visitors Professor of Economics, in a commentary) – “It’s not about the coffee” “Technology may still save us from our oil addiction. But just as we buy insurance to protect our lives, we should have an insurance policy to protect the energy security of future generations.” (Steve Yetiv, professor of political science and international studies, in a commentary) – “Will America be ready when oil supply peaks?” “The subtle features of rainbows can only be explained in terms of advanced physics and mathematics.” (John A. Adam, University Professor of mathematics) – “Math, naturally” “I sympathize with people adjusting to different cultures. They know more about the world and less about themselves. They wonder who they are and where they come from. I am one of these diasporic individuals who come from two different worlds.” (Camille Yaroch, a student who is both Sicilian and Virginian, in a commentary) – “A Sicilian American wonders where home is” “I thought I had to be able to do everything a man could do, in the way that men did it. As I went along, I learned I could have strength in different ways. If you can’t win by the rules that are written, you change the rules.” (Roseann Runte, president) – “Room at the top?” “It [2004] was a good year for higher education in the commonwealth of Virginia. The governor and the General Assembly continued to address base adequacy funding for institutions such as Old Dominion University, plus the restructuring legislation passed, which is another positive step forward for colleges and universities in Virginia.” (John R. Broderick, vice president for institutional advancement) – “ODU administrator cites signs of school’s growth”
|