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Burnett to step down as VP for student affairs; will chair ELC BY JENNIFER MULLEN After more than 30 years guiding Old Dominion’s student body, Dana Burnett will step down as vice president for student affairs and become professor and chair of the Department of Educational Leadership and Counseling in the Darden College of Education. Burnett will assume his new role Aug. 10. Dean of Students Geneva M. Walker-Johnson will serve as interim vice president. “Dr. Dana Burnett is an acknowledged expert in the area of student affairs, known and admired by his peers across the nation,” said President Roseann Runte. “At Old Dominion, he has been an essential part of student life, promoting school spirit, a sense of community, dedication and responsibility to others. Burnett, who joined the university in 1972 as director of financial aid and placement, has been responsible for the guidance and leadership of the ODU student body since he was named dean of student affairs in 1974. As the university grew – and hairstyles, clothing and culture changed – Burnett remained a constant. In 1984, he was named vice president for student affairs. In this role, he has been responsible for student activities and leadership, residence life, health services, multicultural student services, orientation, student judicial affairs, academic advising, counseling services and disability services, among other areas. An expert in student affairs, Burnett is a member of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accreditation team, National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, American College Personnel Association and the Virginia Association of Student Personnel Administrators. He has given more than 60 professional presentations and authored numerous journal publications. During his tenure, he has taught several courses, including leadership in higher education, ethics and law in the urban university and student personnel administration. “I am delighted that an administrator of Dr. Burnett’s stature has decided to lead the Department of Educational Leadership and Counseling,” noted William Graves, dean of the Darden College of Education. “Our students and faculty will benefit from his experience as one of Old Dominion University’s strongest voices for excellence in academics and student services. Moreover, his vast experience in higher education administration will be an asset to one of the university’s fastest growing graduate programs, higher education administration." Burnett received a bachelor’s degree from Allegheny College and a master’s and doctorate in education from Indiana University. Back to top
Mark Santana, who graduated from Old Dominion University in May with a bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering, had planned to continue his studies in graduate school in the fall. But that was before he learned he had been awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study in Spain. Although graduate school is now on hold, the 22-year-old from Norfolk will nevertheless receive a singular educational experience in 2006-07, studying water quality in the Ebro River, which runs through Zaragoza, a 2000-year-old valley city in the northeastern part of the country. While there, he will work at the University of Zaragoza and receive a monthly stipend. The Fulbright program begins Sept. 13 and continues for nine months. “I will be looking for correlations between the quality of the water and the number of government and business facilities located in the region,” Santana explained. “In doing so, I will be working with international engineers, researchers and the Spanish scientific community. “I’m excited about this research, along with the opportunity to build a database of contacts and to get to know other students like myself.” Fluent in Spanish, Santana first visited Spain over spring break in 2005 with a group of fellow Old Dominion students who were studying linguistics. Having also visited Montreal, Puerto Rico and Berlin, he longed for the opportunity to live and study abroad, leading him to apply for the Fulbright award. He learned he had won the scholarship two weeks after graduation. “Naturally, my parents and I were very excited, very happy,” he said. “The first thing we did was drive over to the university to thank the professors who helped me.” In addition to the valuable experience he will gain, Santana said he looks forward to visiting the Basque country, Barcelona and Madrid. He is most interested in going well off the beaten path to experience Guadix and its “Barrio Troglodyte,” where the residents live in caves, some of which have electricity, marble floors and even Internet access. Back to top Chemist wins $1.25 million NIH grant for nanoscience BY JIM RAPER X. Nancy Xu, associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry, has won a $1.25 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that underscores her growing international reputation in nanobiotechnology. In the summer of 2005 she received an award of $1.3 million from the National Science Foundation for fundamental cellular studies at the nanoscale, which ranges from one-billionth to one-millionth of a meter. Now, less than a year later, the NIH has chosen Xu to do single-cell and nano-probe research that sometime in the not too distant future could lead to more efficient gene therapy and to other revolutionary medical treatments for diseases such as cancer. “She is a very gifted and talented scientist who has demonstrated an extraordinary ability to garner the sort of high-level, competed funding that raises the national stature of a research university,” Richard V. Gregory, dean of the College of Sciences, said of Xu. “Because of this type of funding, ODU is being recognized as an emerging leader in nanoscience, and we look forward to continued growth in the field under the leadership of Nancy and her colleagues,” Gregory added. Xu said she is especially pleased with the award, given the recent NIH budget paring. “This is a confirmation of the importance of our research program, and I certainly look forward to getting more exciting research projects done. I am extremely proud of my past and present students and postdocs for their significant contribution to the research program. We share the common goal of advancing scientific research, and we all work very hard to achieve our goal,” she said. Simultaneous with the announcement of the NIH grant was the publication of a National Cancer Institute (NCI) article highlighting Xu’s work. The article, prepared by the NCI Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer, is titled “Mission to the Inside of a Living Cell.” It emphasizes the importance to cancer research of nanotechniques Xu has developed for probes of living cells. Most past and current research findings about biochemical reactions in cells come from tests of dead cells or of purified biomolecules extracted from cells. The “rate of a biochemical reaction occurring in a test tube could be quite different from that observed for the same reaction inside a cell,” the article states. In recent years, Xu and her research group at ODU have been prominent creators of nanoparticles that can enter a cell and literally “light up” the interior. The NCI article gives high marks to her silver nanoparticles, which are exceedingly bright and do not photo-decompose, surpassing any other available probes for cellular imaging. These silver nanoparticles, according to the article, promise to provide detailed information (via advanced microscopes) about the biological processes and dynamics in living cells. This information can be used to (1) identify changes that occur when cells undergo malignant transformation, (2) perform single-cell cancer tests, and (3) provide exceedingly early cancer detection that could bring major improvements to cancer therapies. “The primary challenge now is to develop methods for modifying the surface of the nanoparticles to make them more biocompatible, so that more biological processes can be observed without perturbing or destroying the cell’s intrinsic biochemical machinery,” Xu is quoted as saying in the NCI article. The NIH award, which provides research funding over five years, will allow extensive nanoparticle research by Xu and her two chief collaborators, Christopher Osgood, ODU associate professor of biological sciences, and Jean-Michel Jault, a researcher at France’s Commissariat a l’Energie Atomique. The researchers will develop optimal nanoparticle probes to study the molecular mechanism of a transporter that is primarily responsible for multi-drug resistance in cancer therapy. The research also will involve the use of nanoparticles as carriers for effective drug delivery. Osgood, a veteran researcher who directs ODU’s Ph.D. program in biomedical sciences and has worked with Xu on previous projects, was lavish in his praise of the young, Chinese born scientist. “She is nearly unique in having simultaneous support from both NSF and NIH,” he said. Both funding agencies are typically supporting the top 10-15 percent of applications. To receive million-dollar awards from both is a spectacular achievement and an indication of the high regard for Dr. Xu’s work and her research team.” The research will focus on ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters that are present in bacteria cells, as well as in human cells. These transporters are membrane proteins that serve, in layman’s terms, as cellular gatekeepers and bouncers. Of particular importance to medical science is the transport mechanism by which intruding specks—such as nanoparticle probes or molecules of antibiotics and cancer-fighting medicine—are recognized and expelled from cells. Although the transport mechanism is a natural protective measure, it works against physicians trying to eliminate sick cells. It “bounces” probes or medicines that are sent into cells to arrest an infection or malignant growth. With more study, the day may come when chemotherapies, for example, could have stealth qualities. Molecules of medicine would be able to enter cells and avoid the ABC transporters long enough to perform their mission. This would allow precise targeting of cancer cells and avoid the current massive doses of medicines needed to outgun the transporters. The massive doses kill healthy as well as diseased cells and are what cause the sicknesses and severe symptoms that accompany chemotherapy, the so-called side effects. Better knowledge of intercellular activity also may bring advances in gene therapies, in which one or more genes are introduced into a cell for the treatment or prevention of disease. Xu said in an interview that she foresees “profound” advances in medicine and many other fields based upon nanoscience and nanotechnology. “It is truly interdisciplinary. Every scientist and engineer can make significant contribution to his or her own field using nanoscience and nanotechnology. There is no doubt that nanoscience and nanotechnology will play a vital role in advancing every scientific discipline and major breakthroughs will take place in this exciting, emerging new field.” She said she believes any university that aspires to be a recognized as a research institution in the U.S. must choose nanoscience and nanotechnology as a major research focus. “It is crystal clear that no institution can become a leader in science and engineering without a distinguished nano program.” Through her research projects and grants, Xu has become known on the ODU campus as a standard-bearer for nanoscience and nanotechnology. She has presented research and chaired symposia at conferences throughout the world. Her dream is to help grow nano-research at ODU to the point that its various projects are integrated into one initiative and conducted under the auspices of one discrete, well-funded center and in a state-of-the-art nano-facility. She already has her eye on advanced instrumentation, such as a $2 million high-resolution transmission electron microscope and $1 million nano-fabrication apparatus, which she needs for her ever more sophisticated analysis. “To make this dream come true, it will require substantial institution support, and I certainly cannot do it alone,” she said. Currently, she is able to use the services of most of the advanced nano-facilities around the nation for her research program via National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network (www.nnin.org). Xu is the sole principal investigator on the NIH award. She sees it as a sort of an indicator showing the passage from young investigator to established investigator. As a young investigator, she said, one might get “favored considerations.” For this NIH R01 grant, however, she had to compete alone, and without special considerations, against a full field of seasoned investigators through the most rigorous review process conducted by a NIH panel of 20-30 experts in the field. Back to top
Akan brings vast experience to the dean’s office. He has served as chair of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering for nine years, is a member of the BCET management team and contributed to many strategic decisions, according to Dean Oktay Baysal. “He has dealt with students and faculty, with budgets, with accreditation issues,” explained Baysal. “He has a wealth of experience and shown tremendous leadership. He will do very well as associate dean.” An American Society of Civil Engineers Fellow and an ODU Civil Engineering Faculty of the Year Award winner, Akan has authored numerous books, articles and reports, taught many courses and well served the university since his arrival in 1982. In his new post, he will assume broader responsibilities involving all the departments of the college, including the overseeing of undergraduate and graduate programs as well as research centers, institutes, and clusters or incubators. “Our college has had tremendous success in the recent years in research, academic programs and contributions to the local economy,” said Akan. “The challenge we face now is to exceed and further our past accomplishments. Working closely with all members of the college, I am looking forward to assisting the dean to bring to our college the recognition we deserve as a world-class learning institution for engineering and engineering technology. “I am excited about the new position. It will give me the opportunity to interact closely with highly qualified and dedicated faculty in all the engineering and engineering technology fields.” Back to top
Open to the public, the conference will be held in Webb Center from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Aug. 10. It is being hosted by Congresswoman Thelma Drake (2nd District, Virginia), a member of the House Armed Services Committee and vice chair of its Personnel Subcommittee. She also serves on the House Committee on Education and the Work Force. The conference will provide the knowledge needed to do business with the federal, state and local governments. Vendors will have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with government procurement officials, who will share specific information about their unique contracting needs. For more information call 497-6859. Back to top Basketball team will host tourney to open season The men’s basketball team will open the 2006-07 season, hosting the Cox Communications Classic in the Ted Constant Convocation Center, Nov. 10-12. The four-team round-robin event will include Clemson, Monmouth and Arkansas State. There will be two games each day. Clemson is coached by ODU alumnus Oliver Purnell (’75), a member of the ODU Sports Hall of Fame and captain of the Monarchs’ 1975 NCAA Division II national championship squad. His Clemson squad had a 19-13 record last year and competed in the NIT. The Monmouth Hawks were 14-13 last year, winning the Northeast Confer-ence title by one point over the league’s top seed, Fairleigh Dickinson. The Hawks defeated Hampton 71-49 in the NCAA Tournament play-in round before losing to Villanova. The Arkansas State Indians were 12-18 last year, finishing third in the Sun Belt East Division at 7-7. “This tournament provides a great kickoff to the 2006-07 season with such a reputable title sponsor and having one of ODU’s greats like Oliver Purnell bring his Clemson team,” said ODU head coach Blaine Taylor. “This makes for three fun-filled days of basketball.” Back to top
The University of Virginia, the champion the past two years, was second overall at .658 and Virginia Commonwealth was third at .639. ODU won 72 percent of its men’s contests and 61 percent of its women’s games. ODU was paced by its men’s basketball team advancing to the NIT semi-finals and field hockey reaching the NCAA semifinals. The men’s soccer team advanced to the NCAA second round, while women’s basketball and field hockey teams captured CAA championships, and the wrestling squad won the Virginia Intercollegiate crown. Virginia led the state in national top 20 team finishes. The University of Richmond led the state with five conference titles. Overall, Virginia Division I schools compiled a 2,178-1,990-65 record for a winning percentage of .522. The survey began in 1978-79 and includes winning percentages of only those sports with NCAA-sponsored championships. Old Dominion won seven of the first eight titles, then again in 1993-94, 1995-96 and 1998-99. Back to top
The cost for each trip is $999 per person based on double occupancy, plus a 10 percent service charge. The London trip is scheduled for Sept. 25 to Oct. 2 and the Ireland trip for Nov. 6-13. For more information call 1-800-572-4049. Back to top
Networking receptions for alumni and participating employers will be held at the Virginia Beach and Northern Virginia Higher Education Centers from 5-5:30 p.m. The job fair will include two-way virtual video employer presentations to allow students, alumni and employers to interact live, regardless of location. Those who wish to participate virtually may attend at the following locations: Gornto TELETECHNET Center, Peninsula Higher Education Center and Northern Virginia Higher Education Center. To participate visit www.odu.edu/cmc to register and upload a resume, or e-mail cybercoach@odu.edu for more information. Back to top
Wodzianski will give a gallery talk at 7:30 p.m. The reception and exhibition, which continues through Aug. 27, are free and open to the public. The gallery is located at 350 W. 21st St., Norfolk. For more information call 683-2355. Back to top
Alok K. Verma, Ray Ferrari Professor of Engineering Technology, is the general chair of the International Conference on Agile Manufacturing (ICAM), which will be held July 18-21 at Norfolk’s Marriott Waterside Hotel. Verma has been a keynote speaker at three previous ICAMs in India, China and Sweden. About 200 conferees from throughout the world are expected to attend, including manufacturing and business leaders from Virginia, North Carolina and Maryland. Verma has been directing about 20 ODU faculty and graduate students, as well as representatives of local industry, in planning the conference. Agile manufacturing, which involves modern methods for quick response to market opportunities, is a term coined by efficiency experts who believe traditional mass production cannot satisfy customer demands in the 21st century. The agile process promotes short development and production lead times, and seeks to accommodate customers who want customized and designed-to-order products. The Lean Institute incorporates lean and agile manufacturing into its goals, and has an overall mission to provide manufacturers with new productivity tools, as well as training and consultation services to improve efficiency. “Many manufacturers tend to be so busy with day-to-day operations and firefighting that they don’t have time to look at the bigger picture,” said Verma, who is chief technologist for the local Lean Institute. “This is where we come in, to provide new techniques and tools to provide products of high quality at low cost.” The Lean Institute at ODU works closely with the Virginia Applied Technology and Professional Development Center (VATPDC) and has done projects with industrial clients such as Stihl Inc. and Northrop Grumman. The latter company presented a $15,000 check to Batten College Dean Oktay Baysal and Verma in April to support the ICAM. Keynote speakers at the conference will include Kenney Preiss, the Sir Leon Bagrit Chair at Ben Gurion University, Israel; Sandy Munro, president of the international consulting firm Munro & Associates; James F. Brice, director, Task Force Lean, Naval Sea Systems Command; Richard Schonberger, author of “Let’s Fix It”; Jennifer Boykin, vice president for process excellence at Northrop Grumman; and Rear Adm. Michael D. Hardee, NAVAIR’s commander of aviation depots. “This conference brings together academic researchers, industry practitioners and government policymakers to a common forum,” said Verma. “It offers attendees three concurrent academic tracks and two industry tracks on a wide variety of topics related to lean and agile manufacturing.” Pre-conference workshops are planned on such topics as lean simulations, nanotechnology, supply chain management and robust design and engineering optimization. Focused technical sessions on topics such as nanotechnology, automotive systems, intelligent manufacturing systems and lean in education are also being planned. In addition to Verma, ODU faculty members and graduate students involved in the ICAM planning and operations are Cheng Lin, associate professor of engineering technology; Anthony Dean, visiting assistant professor of engineering technology; Gary Crossman, professor of engineering technology; Han Bao; Ajinkya Deodhar; Anuradha Singh; Mihir Jawale; Shivanandini Tanuku; Gaurav Jaju,and Samyukta Kodukula. For more information go to www.lions.odu.edu/~averma/ICAM2006. Back to top
Starting in the fall, Old Dominion will add a B.A./B.S. degree in African American and African studies and a Ph.D. program in criminology and criminal justice, both in the College of Arts and Letters. The board approved the award of tenure and promotion to associate professor, effective with the fall 2006 semester, for the following faculty (Luisa Igloria and Vijayan Asari are already associate professors):
Four faculty members were appointed as representatives to Board of Visitors’ committees for 2006-07: Harold Wilson, Academic and Research Advancement; Ken Daley, Administration and Finance; James English, Institutional Advancement; and Linda Miller-Dunleavy, Student Advancement. The board also approved the appointment of the following new faculty with tenure: William Q. Judge Jr., professor of management and E.V. Williams Chair of management; Theodore P. Remley Jr., professor of educational leadership and counseling and Batten Endowed Chair in counseling; Robert Spina, professor of exercise science, sport, physical education and recreation; Alfred S. Townsend, associate professor of music; and F. Ludwig Diehn Endowed Chair in instrumental music education; and Greg G. Wang, associate professor of occupational and technical studies. In other action, the board approved:
Provost Thomas Isenhour, who made the announcement, said, “Renee Olander has done an excellent job as acting director of the center. She has built relationships with stakeholders both on campus and in the community. We know she will be an outstanding leader for the Virginia Beach Higher Education Center.” Chandra DeSilva, dean of the College of Arts and Letters, praised Olander for her professionalism, initiative and energy, saying she is the ideal choice to direct a center that expects to see continued growth in the coming years. Olander received her master’s degree in English from ODU in 1987 and joined the university the following year as an instructor of English. She served as a lecturer and academic adviser for the College of Arts and Letters from 1995 to 2000, and was named director of interdisciplinary studies in July 2000. She had served as acting director of the Virginia Beach Higher Education Center since 2005. A former president of the Southeastern Virginia Women’s Political Caucus, Olander has led poetry workshops at many schools, libraries and community centers across Virginia.
Runte, he revealed, slipped away from her duties in Norfolk to drive nine hours to West Point for his retirement ceremony on June 2. She spoke at the ceremony, returned directly to her car and drove back to Norfolk. “This is the first time I have ever experienced or observed, in my seven years as department head at West Point, the leader of a gaining organization reaching out and welcoming someone in this way,” McGinnis said. “I was deeply honored and impressed by her presence and by her remarks.” He said Runte congratulated him for his Army career of 29 years and welcomed him and his wife, Tracy, to ODU. “She also laid out the challenges ahead for me as the executive director of VMASC.” McGinnis, who had served as chair of the Department of Systems Engineering at the U.S. Military Academy, was elevated from colonel to brigadier general at his retirement ceremony, and awarded the Army’s Distinguished Service Medal. Runte said she was honored to participate in the ceremony. “The high regard in which he is held by all his colleagues speaks very well, indeed, about his capacity for innovation and his perceptive nature. I am proud that he has chosen Old Dominion for the next chapter in his career and I know that he will lead us well in our efforts to double the size of our program and to increase dramatically the economic impact VMASC has on the region.” McGinnis has been a regular member of official U.S. delegations to international symposia involving computer simulations. In 2002-03 he directed a task force for the secretary of the Army that used modeling and analysis to revamp the way the Army builds its combat brigades. Under his leadership, reimbursable research in systems engineering at West Point increased from $300,000 in 1999 to $3 million in 2005, and he was credited with expanding the institution’s research partnerships both with the Department of Defense and private industry. VMASC has been an integral part of a Hampton Roads modeling and simulation complex that focuses on military applications. Many of the applications involve training under simulated conditions, but also include the development and testing of strategies, policies and equipment. VMASC serves businesses and industries apart from the military, as well, and is a catalyst for $500 million per year in economic activity in Hampton Roads. Back to top
Bolin’s winning photograph is of an exotic root parasite (Hydnora africana) in full bloom. This plant is one of the most unusual on the planet. Not only does it lack chlorophyll, and therefore is dependent on nutrition from its host plant, but also it spends all its life underground, emerging only to flower. The winning photo was taken last winter when Bolin was doing fieldwork in North Cape Province, South Africa. Bolin’s dissertation research focuses on the pollination biology and taxonomy of a group of parasitic plants in the family Hydnoraceae. The winning photo shows two flowers that resemble footballs, and each has an open seam revealing a bright pink interior. The desert flowers rise from the parasite body, which attaches itself underground to the roots of a shrub and takes in all the nutrients and water that it needs to survive. The flowers emit an odor of rotting meat to attract pollinating flies and beetles. “One of the ways we locate the plants in this desert biome is by the intense, foul smell, because the flowers are often obscured by host foliage and difficult to see,” said Bolin’s adviser, Lytton John Musselman, Mary Payne Hogan Professor of Botany and chair of the Department of Biological Sciences. Bolin will receive $500 for winning the Botanical Society’s 2006 Conant “Botanical Images” Student Travel Award and will present findings of his research at the society’s centenary meeting in California in July. Bolin’s work is part of an ongoing collaborative research effort between the University of Namibia and ODU’s biological sciences department. His co-adviser is Erika Maass, a faculty member at the University of Namibia. – Jim Raper Back to top
A self-described introvert, Vaughan greets patrons at the Elise Hofheimer Art Library with a warm welcome and unwavering enthusiasm. The first thing one notices when entering the library is the faint sound of classical music. “Visitors react positively to it and our students love it – they find it conducive to studying,” he says. Managing the 15,000 circulating volumes of the library, which is located in the Diehn Fine and Performing Arts Center, keeps Vaughan busy. A typical day will finding him ordering new books, working with faculty to choose texts and assisting students and library patrons. “As we are one of the only comprehensive art libraries in the Norfolk area, we get a lot of visits from members of the community,” he notes. “We actually end up receiving a substantial amount of donations from former patrons ... who love art and want their books put to good use.” As a philosophy student at Virginia Commonwealth University, Vaughan worked in the library there and was active in the artisan community in Richmond in the late 1970s. He served as the poetry editor for the Richmond Arts Magazine from 1978-80. He has been published in Sidewalk Press’s poetry volume of the Carnelian. His poems “What’s left after” and “My grown daughter” appear in the June issue, which can be accessed at This month Vaughan was appointed managing editor of The Powhatan Review, a literary magazine based in Norfolk that showcases regional writers and artists. Below is a poem he wrote and first published in 2001. – Susan Beck “Shoe” All of it is in the drifting, alone, a What is it about a shoe or was it lost? There must be even out their step. But hold on our walk in life, and its precisely this, our infinite isolation. (in memoriam, Philip Guston) Birth date: April 4, 1955 Hometown: Norfolk Children: Kaitlin Elizabeth, 18; Hannah Marie, 16; and Molly Clayton, 16 Pets: My student assistants Pet peeve: Unmitigated arrogance Favorite place on campus: The boardwalk along the river west of Powhatan Avenue, for its openness and, at times, quiet. Most memorable ODU experience: Probably meeting Henry Clay Hofheimer when he introduced himself in the art library. He amusingly alluded to something in the fact that we shared a name. Also, I enjoyed subsequent visits to his home on Graydon Avenue. Most treasured possession in my office: A sign, hand-written and drawn by my daughters, Hannah and Molly, years ago when they were very little girls visiting the library, that reads, “Have a very non-stressful day!” Whom I most admire at the university: Faculty emeritus Dr. Mo Berube, eminent scholar of educational leadership, for the force of his personality, his humor and intelligence. Last book read: “The Secret Diaries of William Byrd” (3 volumes) Favorite movie: No one favorite, although “My Dinner with Andre” creeps to mind. Favorite quotation: “Walking on water wasn’t built in a day.” (attributed to Jack Kerouac) Four people (living or dead) I would like to meet: Lenny Bruce, Simone Weil, Albert Camus and Klaus Kinski Greatest accomplishment: It’s not so much my accomplishments, but those of my daughters, if I’ve had anything to do with theirs. Activities or organizations outside the university: Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities, and the Academy of American Poets Idea of the perfect day off: Driving without destination down country back roads. Vice I’ll admit to: I admit to nothing. Last vacation: What vacation? Worst job: I’ve never regretted any job. Profession, other than the one I’m in, I might like to attempt: Teaching, specifically poetry and philosophy. Back to top
A little past noon each day the NASA MODIS satellite swings over the Chesapeake Bay and sends back to Earth a digital, color record of what it sees. It is the job of scientists such as Old Dominion University oceanographer Richard Zimmerman and his research team to turn these “snapshots” of the 190-mile-long bay into reliable measures of water quality. For Zimmerman, who chairs the Department of Ocean, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, the work has all the urgency of a spy thriller in which the good guys work fervently to solve a puzzle and prevent a catastrophe. In the summer of 2005, about 5 percent of the Chesapeake Bay became anoxic, or oxygen depleted. This comprised the bay’s largest ever “dead zone,” and urged along the work of Zimmerman and his ODU bio-optical research group. “Our mission is to develop algorithms specifically for the Chesapeake Bay,” he explained. These mathematical instructions will wring more and better information from the satellite imagery, and could provide the incontrovertible evidence necessary to “mobilize the body politic to take the bold actions needed” to improve water quality in the bay, he said. At the base of Zimmerman’s work is this one simple fact: Healthy expanses of water have what might be called a healthy complexion. A favored complexion comes from a favored productivity level, which means that organisms are growing in the water and tend to be the organisms that scientists want to be growing. Any change from healthy colors can mean trouble. A common culprit is a harmful algae bloom-and often a chlorophyll-rich green color-that is caused by excessive flows of nutrients from agricultural and urban sources, especially in warm summer waters. The blooms can block sunlight from reaching sea grass meadows growing on the sea floor, killing the grasses and robbing the water of the oxygen that plants produce. When the bloom-forming algae die, they sink and decompose, a process that further consumes the dissolved oxygen in the water. In addition to the anoxic zones that appeared in the Chesapeake Bay during the unusually warm summer of 2005, there were even larger hypoxic zones-those with significantly reduced oxygen levels. Some experts estimated that about one-third of the bay suffered from a lack of oxygen during 2005’s warmest months. Mobile marine creatures can flee an oxygen-depleted zone; stationary creatures, such as oysters, die. By the spring of 2006, some areas of the bay had not recovered from last summer’s die-off of bottom-dwelling seagrass, making it imperative that marine scientists keep close tabs on the bay’s water quality this summer, Zimmerman said. Up until about a quarter century ago, marine researchers did not have access to regular color imagery of a body of water. They had to rely on coarse-grained observations collected from boats and from fixed instrument perches on lighthouses and buoys, and the occasional photographic image collected from aircraft. Today’s satellite observing platforms provide a tremendous flow of earth observing data, including ocean color that has vastly improved what we know about oceans and coastal or inland waters. The acronym MODIS for the satellite that makes the daily pass over the Chesapeake Bay stands for “moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer. (More about it can be found at http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov.) It is the goal of ocean researchers such as Zimmerman to improve our ability to interpret and extract useful knowledge from the satellite data. He and the bio-optical research group at ODU are working with the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Admin-istration (NOAA), as well as NASA, to improve the algorithms that enable computers to interpret the satellite imagery. Group members include Victoria Hill, a postdoctoral research associate; David Rule and Ilaria Nardello, research associates; Jasmine Cousins and Xiaoju Pan, doctoral students; and Mandy Stoughton, master’s student. In addition to the Chesapeake Bay, the ODU research group has bio-optical projects under way in the coastal waters of Florida, California and the Arctic. These coastal waters need study because the mouths of rivers, shallow water, and bottom characteristics such as sand bars and oyster or seagrass beds can give patchwork variety to what the satellite sees. This makes it difficult to pinpoint those dots of color that actually are telltale signs of water quality slippage. Although deep and blue oceans may submit to one-algorithm-fits-all analysis, coastal waters must be treated as a collection of “highly parochial” zones requiring customized analysis for each zone, Zimmerman explained. At present, the lower Chesapeake Bay project of the bio-optical research group involves regular transects in the ODU research vessel, Fay Slover, from just off Little Creek to the Chesapeake Light tower. At each of several research stations, the oceanographers make measurements of ocean color and take samples to analyze the constituents responsible for that color. They measure concentrations of phytoplankton chlorophyll, dissolved organic matter and suspended sediment in the water. They take core samples of the floor of the bay. They also use a special spectrometer to measure the light leaving the water, the light that will be converted into color imagery by the satellite cameras. The data the researchers collect can be used to validate and calibrate computational processes that glean water-quality measurements from satellite images. Among the processes are those that make allowances for the atmospheric disturbances – clouds, haze, etc. – that can prevent a satellite from seeing the true colors of light leaving the water’s surface. Over time, the researchers expect to develop algorithmic instructions that will automatically convert digital image data from satellites into detailed and precise water-quality information for the lower bay. “We want to take the skilled interpreter out of the raw data analysis, to eliminate the judgment calls and to deliver image products in near real-time for use in decision-making by resource managers,” Zimmerman said. Too often in the past, he added, experts have had to “allow for this, and allow for that” in their interpretations of satellite imagery because algorithms weren’t sophisticated enough to provide reliable analysis. Reliance on human experts also slows the delivery of image products into the hands of water-quality managers, reducing their utility. The goal is rapid, pinpoint accuracy, such as early detection of algae blooms, and early differentiation between benign and harmful blooms. It is also important to be able to tell from satellite imagery whether a green patch is caused by algae or a kelp forest. In a project in Califor-nia, the ODU research group is developing ways not only to tell kelp from algae, but also to zero in on the age and health of the kelp. Zimmerman believes the day is coming when satellite imagery analysis will allow scientists to stay on top of marine environmental issues, even to the point of being prescient. “It is helpful to be right with your predictions,” he explained. “For example, to be able to say when there will be die-offs of grass beds. The prediction would demonstrate to everyone the impact of nutrient loading from agricultural and urban runoff.” Authoritative analysis and predictions could point precisely to places along the Chesapeake Bay where preventative measures and environmental cleanups are likely to have the largest impacts, he added. “Some problems need more attention than others. The problem with generic cleanups is that a region can spend a lot of money but not measurably improve the quality of the environment. And the lack of clear results can undermine public support for cleaning up the bay.” Back to top
Tonelson, 56, serves as the director of ODU’s Commonwealth Special Education Endorsement program (CSEEP). Funded through a grant from the Virginia Department of Education, the CSEEP program allows those already teaching special education in public schools to take a condensed, distance-learning course for just $100 per class. “Teachers stay in place, teaching, while becoming significantly more effective,” said Tonelson. “It overcomes being geographically and financially bound while providing the same course work, knowledge and skills obtained in traditional programs.” Since its inception in 1998, the program has resulted in 800 fully accredited special education teachers in the public schools where before they were working on minimal knowledge of special needs under provisional/temporary licenses. Tonelson has taught at ODU since 1981 and, at one time, worked as a third-grade teacher in Virginia Beach. He has two daughters. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the College of William and Mary, a master’s from ODU and a doctorate from the University of Virginia.Once she has made her stops on behalf of “Firefly Cloak,” Reynolds said she plans to spend the final six weeks of her summer break finishing the draft of another novel she has started. “It’s ambitious. I know. I’m just going to go for it.” Back to top
Lark Publishing released the book in May as part of its nationally distributed series of art books. Rising seniors Tanya Mercado Lang, an art education major from Virginia Beach, and Rachel Delk, a graphic design major from Smithfield, each submitted work last year to the highly competitive “500 series,” along with classmates from their ceramics course, at the request of Richard Nickel, assistant professor of art. “We had an assignment to make a pitcher. Then we took photographs and submitted them to the publisher,” Delk said. “It didn’t seem real when I got accepted until I was in Barnes & Noble, and there it was. The book was right there on display and I was so excited. My mom bought five copies.” Delk, who took the course as an elective, said she was surprised to find she had a natural aptitude for the medium. Lang, however, plans to teach ceramics and hopes to open her own shop one day. “I love working with clay. That’s my thing. I keep the pitcher on my dresser. It’s such a tiny piece, but I think it’s beautiful.” – Lisa Suhay
“Destination Unknown,” choreographed by Amanda Kinzer, assistant professor of dance in the communication and theatre arts department, will be performed by a mix of ODU graduates and current students as part of the festival’s Contemporary Showcase IV, scheduled for 8 p.m. July 24 at the DiCapo Opera House in New York City. Dancers include: Sarah Miller, a 2005 dance education graduate; Christina Puricelli, a 2006 dance graduate; Elizabeth Zamer, a 2006 dance and marine biology graduate who was also selected as outstanding student in both disciplines for 2005-06; Ashley Budy, a junior dance and English major; and Katie Tuebner, a junior dance and studio art major. The International Dance Festival - NYC was created to promote greater dialogue between local, national and international artists. It offers increased performance opportunities for ground-floor, emerging and established dance artists, as well as opportunities for student choreographers and performers. The event produces a full spectrum of performances representing all disciplines of dance, presenting New York audiences with a diverse array of dance. Kinzer received her M.F.A. degree in dance performance and choreography from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, in 2000. She has performed with the North Carolina School of the Arts, the Virginia School of the Arts, Modernextension Dance Company, Second Wind Dance Company, the Tidewater Dance Collective, Gravity Optional Dance Company and with Creo, Old Dominion’s new-music ensemble. Her choreography has been featured at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, UNC-Greensboro, Elon University, Old Dominion University, Salem College, the University of Virginia, the 2004 Richmond Choreographers’ Showcase and, most recently, at the 30th International Choreographers’ Showcase in Louisville, Ky. Back to top
Suppose an outbreak of the avian flu or a bioterrorist attack were to occur in a large metropolitan area. Would health-care providers be prepared to respond? Andrew Balas, dean of the College of Health Sciences, wants to make sure the answer is yes. With a $70,000, two-year grant from the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Balas is the co-principal investigator on a biosurveillance project to develop an automated patient record so that health-care providers can react swiftly and effectively in the case of a pandemic. Balas, who will be working in collaboration with the Mayo Clinic (principal investigator) and Vanderbilt University, will search for patterns in patient symptoms that emerge during the early stages of a pandemic. “Through biosurveillance, we are attempting to recognize trends to better respond,” Balas said. The study will apply SNOMED Clinical Terms (SNOMED CT), a coding language that makes health-care terms consistent and universal, to current patient records. The coded records can then provide shared data across specialties and heath-care sites. SNOMED CT can create a common language for electronic medical records, ICU monitoring, clinical-decision support, medical research studies, clinical trials, computerized physician-order entry, disease surveillance, image indexing and consumer health information services. “We hope to see a more advanced unified patient record – no matter what doctor, specialist or hospital a patient visits,” Balas said. The technology will significantly increase response time, he noted. For example, nurses and doctors must often wait on lab tests for a full diagnosis. If they were made aware earlier that an outbreak of a certain disease had occurred, they could spring into action much more quickly. “These typical sets of symptoms overall create a picture of a disease,” said Balas, who expects the project to develop profiles to recognize cases of anthrax, radiation and avian flu. “It is important to use the available data we have to recognize attacks or infections. We think this will tremendously expedite response times,” he added. Back to top
Two Old Dominion professors warn of the dangers of steroids, sports supplements and performance-enhancing drugs in a recent article in the Journal of School Health, and suggest that school nurses have a unique opportunity to prevent the use of these often harmful supplements. The article, which appeared in the journal’s May 2006 edition, was written by Laurel Garzon and Carolyn Rutledge, associate professors of nursing, along with ODU alumni Rebecca Ewald and Teresa Meadows, who work as nurse practitioners. “A lot of kids are using these substances and are not aware that many of them can have harmful effects,” said Garzon, who serves as graduate program director of nursing. Performance-enhancing drugs and supplements, while often used to boost athletic performance, ward off fatigue and enhance physical appearance, can also produce a variety of undesired side effects, according to the authors. For example, the popular over-the-counter supplement creatine, known for building muscle, can cause stomach pain, nausea, diarrhea and muscle cramps. High doses of the supplement may even be linked to kidney, liver or heart problems. Another popular chemical, ephedrine, found in supplements like Metabolite, can provide energy and enhance fat burning but also can cause dizziness, headache, irregular heartbeat, stroke, seizure or even death, Garzon said. “We have found that this is a tremendously timely issue and that students simply need to know the dangers of these substances,” she noted. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that there has been a 50 percent increase in the number of teens who have tried steroids in the past 15 years. Garzon and Rutledge contend that school nurses have the opportunity and the ethical responsibility to educate both students and parents, many of whom may be unaware of the long-term effects of certain over-the-counter supplements, and to provide information to parent-teacher associations and school administrators. “There is a tremendous amount of pressure on teens to perform well, and many may feel pressure from coaches or parents,” Garzon noted. “The school nurse is an outlet for information and dialogue.” During a physical examination, nurses can assess the physical indications of steroid use, including hypertension, sudden increase in weight, increased acne or vocal changes, the authors suggest. Other physical symptoms nurses should look for are headache, gastrointestinal distress, change in hair, muscle cramps, nausea and vomiting, and decreased appetite. School nurses can also talk to students to gauge changes in mood, such as increased restlessness or aggression, and to check on memory decrease and difficulty in sleeping. Garzon and Rutledge note in the article that partnerships with key figures in a student’s life – parents, teachers, coaches and athletic trainers – can also be helpful: “These partnerships can be vital in identifying at-risk adolescents, providing information, decreasing the pressures to use supplements and developing programs to combat the problem.” Back to top
– “ODU, scientists kick in money and time to keep maglev afloat” ODU students could do a lot worse than to look up at the futuristic, but entirely empty maglev guideway and see an old-old lesson. Sometimes stubbornness in the face of impossible odds really is enough to get the job done. (...) There’s another lesson for ODU students: Just because the maglev train fails to float, doesn’t mean the people who believed in it, funded it and sacrificed for it are failures, too. ODU will only fail when it stops trying for something big. (Editorial) – “Maglev’s lessons for ODU students” “Older people learn languages differently than young people. Older people seem to grasp patterns and analyze things logically in ways that sometimes younger people are not capable of doing.” ... “If you start learning a language at 3 or 4, it happens very naturally. But if you wait until you’re 13 or 14, you’ve missed the critical age. You really have to learn it the same way you learn math or any other subject.” (Janet Bing, professor of English) – “For some immigrants, English is a lifelong challenge” “I think all of us would have a hard time explaining to a parent that we wouldn’t be willing to provide that information to ensure the additional safety of their child.” (John R. Broderick, vice president for institutional advancement) – “Law requires Va. colleges to give police student data”
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