The Courier Online News&Notes - Volume 36, No. 6

Four faculty members receive Univ. Professor designation
Provost Thomas Isenhour recently announced University Professor status for four Old Dominion faculty members, effective at the start of the 2007-08 academic year.

They are: Ravindra P. Joshi, professor of electrical and computer engineering; Sheri A. Reynolds, associate professor of English; Lawrence B. Weinstein, professor of physics; and Michael T. Zugelder, associate professor of finance.

Currently, 32 faculty members at ODU hold the title of University Professor. The designation was established to recognize outstanding teachers. Only tenured faculty are considered for the honor. Desig-nated faculty will hold the title permanently and will receive $2,500 per year of discretionary funds to support their professional development for the four years following their appointment.

Faculty are nominated for the honorary title by departmental colleagues in their discipline. Approved nominations are forwarded by deans to the University Professors Committee.

According to the Faculty Handbook, “Each nominee shall ordinarily teach a minimum of three courses per year, which shall ordinarily include one undergraduate course. Nominees shall have student ratings above the departmental mean for the average overall effectiveness of the instructor, averaged for all courses per semester.” Back to top

Prof working to protect artifacts from USS Monitor
A team of scientists and conservators, including Desmond Cook, professor of physics, has high hopes for a new process developed to protect artifacts from the Civil War ironclad USS Monitor.

Experiments are being conducted utilizing “critical fluid” processes in pressurized chambers. Water and other fluids under high pressure, and sometimes high heat, are used to remove harmful chemicals from samples of iron and wood. Fluids in a chamber isolate or break down contaminants under conditions similar to those found in a typical kitchen pressure cooker.

“Critical fluid technology will revolutionize artifact conservation and then be accepted for many more corrosion-related issues,” Cook predicted. “Its future is as exciting as it can get if we can get the funding we need to develop this method.”

Cook, who for two decades has been a rust-buster working on troublesome rust problems affecting bridges and other steel structures, was the right man in the right place when The Mariners’ Museum in Newport News was chosen to be the home of the Monitor conservation effort.

“I feel fortunate that these artifacts came right here into my backyard,” he said, referring to the more than 1,000 pieces of the ironclad vessel and shipboard articles that have been recovered so far from the Monitor wreck site 16 miles off Cape Hatteras, N.C. Those pieces include the well-known turret, two massive guns and the vessel’s steam engine.

Cook’s role in the conservation of the Monitor is noted in a feature article, “Up from the Deep,” in the October issue of Materials Performance magazine.

“Through his work on the Monitor and other historical conservation projects, Cook hopes to develop new conservation techniques that will in turn lead to new information for the corrosion community” to use in protecting structures such as bridges, oil rigs and pipelines, the article states.

Little scientific research has been done on corrosion of wrought iron and cast iron, both of which are prominent in the makeup of the Monitor artifacts. With the Monitor project being hailed as the most important salvage effort ever of a sunken battleship, scientists and conservators are under a lot of pressure to design and implement a fail-safe conservation strategy, Cook said.

“The history of this sort of work is littered with mistakes,” he explained, citing instances in which marine artifacts deteriorated despite conservation treatments.

Conventional conservation strategies for shipwreck articles involve alkaline baths – often juiced with electrical current – that last for years, perhaps a decade or more.

“The problem with this technique is that when chloride (salt) extraction rates are low, the chloride is assumed to be all removed,” Cook said. “But this is not true. Residual chloride remains. So after many years of electrolytic treatment, you still end up with enough chlorides to cause failure later.”

As it happened, the Monitor recovery effort over the last decade has coincided with a similar effort for another Civil War vessel, the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley. It is also constructed of wrought and cast iron and presents similar conservation challenges. The 40-foot Hunley, which sank at the entrance of the Charleston, S.C., harbor in 1864 and was raised in 2000, is at the Warren Lasch Conservation Center in Charleston.

Scientists from Clemson University took on the challenge of helping to conserve the Hunley and it was their innovation to employ critical fluid technology. Cook and colleagues at Clemson have now combined their efforts in order to assist both conservation projects.

“My work with the Hunley project involves working with researchers from Clemson to develop and evaluate the critical fluid extraction process and facility,” Cook said. “This work is done in Charleston, but I do all the materials analysis, pre- and post-treatment, at ODU. The analytical techniques I use have been developed from my work involving steel bridge corrosion evaluation due to marine and de-icing salt exposure.”

Cook said his goal is eventually to have critical fluid technology facilities at ODU’s Applied Research Center in Newport News, allowing extraction experiments as well as analysis with sophisticated spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and electron microprobes to be done under one roof.

Critical fluid technology involves different types of processes. Supercritical fluid extraction is a three-decade-old process that at times has put liquefied carbon dioxide to work to separate caffeine from coffee and cholesterol from eggs. When waterlogged wood is the target, supercritical reactions can remove water without causing the cracking and other damage that comes from air-drying wood, and other treatments.

“Supercritical” means that a substance such as carbon dioxide has been heated and pressurized to produce vapor-liquid equilibrium. Subcritical water remains fluid under very high heat and pressure and is an extraordinary solvent. In these states, substances can rinse into tiny pits and crevices and do quickly what a conventional extraction bath may take years to accomplish.

“Getting more funding is what we need now to scale up our recent successful tests,” said Cook, who has also been assisted in the Monitor conservation project by David Burdige, ODU professor of ocean, earth and atmospheric sciences and an expert in marine sediments.

The Mariners’ Museum will open its $30 million USS Monitor Center in March. Its attractions will include some conserved artifacts, but most of the recovered material will be on view only in the conservators’ water tanks. The center, however, does feature a replica of the Monitor that visitors will be able to tour.

Cook said that even under the best-case scenario, the conservation of artifacts already recovered could take a decade or so. The most difficult conservation job will involve the Monitor’s steam engine, which is made of several different metals.

The conservation effort and the raising of other Monitor artifacts will be hastened, Cook said, only if new technologies show superior results. “But getting scientists involved in the conservation programs is difficult, probably because of the poor track record of funding availability in this area,” he added.

“Conservation is typically not a topic of scientific research. Our partnership of ODU and Clemson researchers, together with The Mariners’ Museum and the Friends of the Hunley organization, is a very new mindset in the conservation area.” Back to top

New director of international programs joins ODU this month
R. Michael Philson has been named executive director of the Office of International Programs.

An international educator with faculty and administrative experience in the United States, Fiji, Thailand, Taiwan, Korea and Japan, he most recently served as executive director of international education at Wichita State University.

Philson succeeds John Heyl, who retired last year, and will assume the position Jan. 25.

“Mike has a great deal of international experience and has been an excellent director of the program at Wichita State,” said Provost Thomas Isenhour. “He is an innovator and a doer. We look forward to new major initiatives for international education and research under Mike’s leadership.”

Philson joined WSU in 2001, where he oversaw all aspects of international education. His responsibilities included the recruitment and advising of international students, study abroad for U.S. students, international exchange agreements, and university policies relating to international education.

While there, he initiated exchange agreements with universities in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Austria, Germany, Mexico and Japan, and established international travel grants to support faculty development and international initiatives.

WSU serves approximately 1,300 international students.

From the time Philson embarked on his first position overseas in 1977 as a Peace Corps volunteer in Fiji, virtually all of his professional experience has focused on international education. He has lived more than a dozen years in Asia and the Pacific, and served as president of a two-year college, Japan’s Kanda Institute of Foreign Languages, from 1999 to 2001.

Philson holds a doctorate in higher education administration, with a focus on international education and technology in education, from the University of Michigan (1999). He earned master’s degrees in 1983 and 1977, respectively, from the University of Hawaii at Manoa (English as a second language) and the University of Wisconsin (journalism and mass communication). He received a bachelor’s degree in political science in 1972 from Washington University in St. Louis. Back to top

Economics Club offers annual outlook on Jan. 17
Mark Zandi, chief economist and co-founder of Economy.com, will be the featured speaker for the Economics Club of Hampton Roads’ Annual Economic Outlook Conference on Jan. 17.

Co-sponsored by the College of Business and Public Administration, the luncheon will begin at 10:45 a.m. at the Norfolk Marriott Waterside Hotel. The cost is $30 for nonmembers. Due to limited space, reservations are required and may be made by calling 683-4058.

ODU professors Vinod Agarwal, Mohammad Najand and Gilbert Yochum will present their regional economic forecast during the program.

As chief economist and co-founder of Economy.com, Zandi is responsible for the firm’s forecasts, model development and consulting practice. His research interests include macroeconomics, as well as financial, industrial and regional economics.

Cynthia Cooper, former internal auditor of World Com, will be the guest speaker for the Feb. 7 luncheon. Back to top

CVC giving tops goal with over $138,000 in pledges
The campus community once again exceeded its Combined Virginia Campaign goal, raising more than $138,000 for local, regional, national and international charitable organizations, including area United Way agencies.

Pledges totaled $138,125, or 10.5 percent above the goal of $125,000.

“There is tremendous power in the collective giving of employees,” said Karen Travis, assistant vice president for institutional advancement, who served as the 2006 CVC campus coordinator. “Together we have been able to help meet the needs of our fellow Virginians and people all over America who rely on the help of charitable organizations. I extend my heartfelt appreciation to all who contributed.”

Six campus divisions exceeded their goals:

President’s area, consisting of the equal opportunity/affirmative action, university counsel and president’s offices;
Institutional advancement;
College of Sciences;
Development office;
Academic affairs central, consisting of the following areas: academic affairs/consortium, career management, distance learning, higher education centers, international programs, library, registrar and University College; and
Darden College of Education.
The College of Health Sciences and the president’s office tied for the highest participation rate (60 percent), followed closely by institutional advancement at 58.7 percent. Back to top

ODU faculty, students win global knowledge event
Competing against seven other area colleges and universities, Old Dominion faculty and student teams took first place in the annual WorldQuest competition, held Nov. 16 at the Chesapeake Confer-ence Center.

It was the seventh consecutive year that the ODU faculty team placed first.

Hosted by the World Affairs Council of Greater Hampton Roads, WorldQuest tests international knowledge in such categories as faces and places in the news, geography, current events and culture. The event was sponsored Booz Allen Hamilton and the city of Chesapeake.

The faculty team included Stephen Johnson, director, study abroad; Chris Drake, professor of Asian studies; Tim Kidd, instructor of geography; Fran Hassencahl, assistant professor of communication and theatre arts; Maria Fornella-Oehninger, lecturer of political science and geography; Patrick Mbajekwe, assistant professor of history; Corliss Tacosa, adjunct assistant professor of political science; and Bruce Seifert, professor of finance.

The student team included Alexander Palmer, Morgan Darr, Eugene Rubenstein, Danny Taylor, Raquel Fratta, Pam Majumdar and Chris Pearson. Back to top

Reservations due Feb. 5 for Women’s Studies dinner
Karina Turok, the internationally known photographer who last year published “Life and Soul: Portraits of Women Who Move South Africa” (Double Storey Books), will be guest speaker for the ODU Friends of Women’s Studies Annual Dinner Feb. 19 at the Ted Constant Convocation Center.

The evening will begin with a social hour (cash bar) at 6 p.m., followed by dinner at 7 p.m. The cost is $25 for the general public and $10 for students. Reservations are due Feb. 5 and may be made by calling 683-3823.

Turok’s book features black-and-white photos of 75 women who have been pivotal to the transformation of South Africa. Turok studied in Cape Town during the 1980s, a time of intense struggle for South African people living under the apartheid regime. She later worked closely with Nelson Mandela to document his experience as the country’s first democratically elected national president.

Photos from her book (including audio comments from the subjects) will be on display starting at 5 p.m. Feb. 2, for approximately three weeks, at The Selden Gallery in Norfolk’s Selden Arcade. The exhibit is sponsored by the city of Norfolk. Back to top

Cucchiari-Loring family establishes memorial award
A scholarship has been established in memory of Claire Cucchiari-Loring, the ODU senior music major who was killed at a Chesapeake shopping center Dec. 8 by an estranged boyfriend, who then took his own life.

The scholarship is being funded by gifts from her family, friends and others. According to Catherine C. Craft of the development office, awards will be made in the spring and fall 2007 semesters while the endowment is building. Preference will be given to a member of the ODU Jazz Choir, of which Cucchiari-Loring was a member.

“Claire was an outstanding student in our music program,” said President Roseann Runte. “She will be greatly missed by many faculty, staff and students whose lives she touched.”

John Toomey, professor of music who taught Cucchiari-Loring in several classes, said she had “a beautiful, natural voice, a wonderful gift.”

Checks, made payable to the ODU Educational Foundation (with note: “Cucchiari-Loring Scholarship”), should be sent to the development office in 129 Koch Hall. For more information call Craft at 683-4468. Back to top

AUA schedules presentation on campus construction
Robert Fenning, vice president for administration and finance, and Dale Feltes, director of design and construction, will give a campus construction update Jan. 17 for the Association of University Administrators. The presentation will begin at noon in the River Rooms of Webb Center. Back to top

Diehn Concert Series brings Baltimore Consort to campus
The Baltimore Consort will perform on campus Jan. 29 for the Diehn Concert Series. Tickets to the performance, scheduled for 8 p.m. at the Diehn Fine and Performing Arts Center, are $25 for general admission and $10 for students.

The consort has delighted audiences on both sides of the Atlantic, and its CDs have appeared on Billboard Magazine’s Top 10 list. The group has recorded 12 disks on the Dorian label.

The musicians are known for their arrangements of early music from England, Scotland and France, as well as ballads and dance tunes from the Appa-lachian Mountains and Nova Scotia.

For tickets call 683-5305. Back to top

ODU donates more than 200 books to local children
The president’s office last month donated more than 200 books to local underprivileged children.

The annual project was started in 2002 by President Roseann Runte and Tanners Creek Elementary School guidance counselor Sherrill Hurwitz, who gives the books to students who have little or no reading material at home. The president’s office had been collecting books from the campus community since August. Back to top

Event to honor Burnett set for Jan. 18 in Webb
The campus community is invited to an event at Jan. 18 to honor Dana D. Burnett for his many years of exemplary service in student affairs. It begins at 7 p.m. in the North Cafeteria of Webb Center.

After more than 30 years guiding the student body, Burnett recently stepped down as vice president for student affairs to become professor and chair of the Department of Educational Leadership and Counseling.

Those planning to attend should RSVP at 683-3116 or rsvp@odu.edu by Jan. 16. Back to top

Board approves early-retirement plan
The Board of Visitors on Dec. 8 voted to approve an early-retirement plan for teaching and research faculty for the 2006-07 and 2007-08 academic years.

The plan will be instituted to encourage the retirement of senior faculty, retain sufficient salary to hire replacements at the assistant professor rank and create additional positions with the remaining funds. It would become effective upon approval from the governor.

To be eligible, a faculty member must be at least 65 at the date of retirement, tenured and have a minimum 10 years of full-time service at ODU.

In other action, the board approved the establishment of an Institute for the Advancement of Community Justice. It will be housed in the sociology and criminal justice department and will bring together scholars from multiple disciplines across campus who are interested in a variety of research topics that share a common interest in community justice.

The purpose of the institute is to foster interdisciplinary research in community justice at ODU, to disseminate knowledge on issues central to community justice to other scholars and to community leaders, and to create opportunities for discussion among scholars, community leaders and local agencies on issues related to community justice.

The board further approved a resolution to name the indoor tennis facility that’s currently under construction, the Folkes/Stevens Indoor Tennis Center. It will be named for S. Grey and Amy Folkes and Ricky and Judy Stevens in recognition of their contributions to the project. They are longtime supporters of ODU and Hampton Roads tennis.

In other matters, the board voted to:

Award tenure to Margaret Mulhol-land, assistant professor of ocean, earth and atmospheric sciences, effective with the spring 2007 semester;

Grant the title of emeritus to Justin C. Friberg, associate professor of political science and geography, effective Jan. 1,
2007; and

Appoint two faculty members with tenure, effective Dec. 25, 2006: Brenda Stevenson Marshall as assistant dean of the College of Health Sciences and associate professor of community and environmental health, and Ali Beskok as professor of aerospace engineering with the designation of Batten Professor of Computational Engineering. Back to top

Heller, Berube publish new books
Two faculty members, Dana Heller and Maurice Berube, have recently published books.

Heller, professor of English and director of the Humanities Institute, is the editor of “The Great American Makeover: Television, History, Nation” (Palgrave Macmillan). The collection explores the relationship of popular contemporary “makeover” shows in the broader context of American cultural history, and the long-standing national fascination with the idea of reinventing oneself.

“Makeover shows such as ‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,’ ‘Nanny 9/11,’ ‘American Idol,’ ‘The Biggest Loser’ and ‘Queer Eye for the Straight Guy’ are the latest manifestation of a cultural mythos that can be traced through the histories of U.S. immigration, evangelicalism and commercial culture: the promise of personal transformation, the powerful fantasy of American recreation, and its enduring ability to speak to our shifting national desires and anxieties,” Heller said.

Berube, eminent scholar emeritus of educational leadership, and his wife, Clair T. Berube, who earned her master’s degree at Old Dominion and has taught at the university on an adjunct basis, are the authors of “The End of School Reform” (Rowman & Littlefield).

The book examines the partial successes of history’s three major educational reform movements (the Progressive Education movement at the beginning of the 20th century, the Equity Reform movement of the 1960s to 1970s and the Excellence Reform movement from 1983 to the present) and contends that such major movements in education will never be seen again.

Drawing on interviews of education historians and policy professors, the “end of school reform” thesis maintains that educational innovation may still continue, but only on a piecemeal basis, accordiing to the authors. Back to top

ODU and VCCS sign admission agreement
Old Dominion and the Virginia Com-munity College System recently signed a guaranteed admission agreement that ensures a seamless transfer to the university for qualified students. The pact extends opportunities beyond the existing articulation agreements between ODU and Virginia’s community colleges.

State community college students who meet the university’s requirements may apply for admission after completing their first 15 hours of community college credits. ODU will guarantee the acceptance of all transferable credits earned by students who complete an associate degree and maintain a minimum 2.5 GPA. Students must also have earned a “C” or higher in each community college course applicable to the transfer-oriented associate degree program.

Students who have been accepted by the university will have access to ODU departmental advisers while they are still enrolled in their community college. They will be considered students of both the community college and ODU once they have successfully completed the guaranteed admission agreement process.

“In addition to providing a seamless transfer for these students, we can now start advising them before they enroll in classes. The students will receive a newsletter from us and will be invited to various campus activities, including athletic events,” said Alice McAdory, executive director of admissions.

Students who earn their associate degree with a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher will be automatically considered for merit-based scholarships.

President Roseann Runte said the new agreement represents the latest step in the university’s longtime commitment to accepting transfer students. “This has been a part of our mission for many years,” she said.“ In 2005-06, we welcomed more than 1,800 new transfer students who attended a Virginia community college. Our guaranteed admission agreement is a great benefit to students who wish to continue their higher education.” Back to top

Village market will offer organic foods
The University Village will soon welcome a new tenant to Monarch Way: Harvey T’s Natural Market.

Scheduled to open by early March, the market will occupy 3,760 square feet of retail space at 4216 Monarch Way, providing natural, organic and gourmet food products. Product lines include produce, dairy, eggs, frozen foods, grocery items, hand-cut domestic and imported cheeses, as well as a selection of vegetarian and vegan-prepared foods.

“We pride ourselves on service, and we want to create a pleasant shopping experience for people with exceptional tastes,” said owner Tommy Langford.

Plans include a breakfast bar with a wide variety of natural and organic cereals, pastries, waffles, breads, oatmeal and juices in addition to an extensive selection of teas and coffee.

A “Grab and Go” section will include sandwiches, salads, snacks, soups and stews. The store will also have a large selection of cheeses. A dry goods section will complement organic and natural prepackaged meat and meat substitutes. Back to top

Memorial funds established for employees who died
Memorial funds have been established in honor of Old Dominion employees who died recently.

College fund donations for the 4-year-old daughter of Samikia Brooks may be made through the dean’s office in the Darden College of Education. Checks should be made payable to “Virginia Education Savings Trust.” Brooks, a housekeeping worker who had recently also enrolled as a student, died Jan. 2.

Donations may be made in memory of Robert E. Evans II, the instructional support manager for the physics department who died Dec. 18, 2006, to the American Heart Association, c/o Brenda Dail, P.O. Box 220, Elizabeth City, NC 27909. An open house in memory of Evans will be held at the Evans home, 120 Kings Way, Moyock, N.C., from 2-4 p.m. Jan. 14. For details call Walt Hooks at 683-6086.

Donations in memory of Sondra Anne Ford “Sandy” Swift (M.A. ’70), the longtime adjunct English instructor who died Nov. 9, 2006, may be made in care of the development office. For more information call Richard Massey at 683-4261. A favorite among students, Swift taught 19 years at Old Dominion, including both Honors College and general-education English courses. Back to top

Nine nominated for Va. Outstanding Faculty Awards
Nine Old Dominion faculty members were nominated for the 2007 Virginia Outstanding Faculty Awards program. Administered by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia and funded by a grant from the Dominion Foundation, the program will select statewide winners for awards of $5,000 each. The recipients will be announced early next month. ODU honored its nominees at a luncheon on Dec. 4 and awarded each of them an account of $500 to support their scholarship.

The following are excerpts from the nominees’ personal statements, which were part of the nomination materials.

John A. Adam
University Professor
Mathematics and Statistics

What is my philosophy for undertaking research, teaching, speaking and writing about mathematics in general, and applied mathematics in particular? It is a simple one. I try to understand the material to be presented on as many levels of description as is reasonable and attempt to communicate that understanding with enthusiasm, gentleness and humor. Like most others in my profession, I continue to be fascinated by the beauty, power and applicability of mathematics. I try to induce that fascination in others wherever I am involved professionally. Mathematics is a subject that is generally misperceived, sadly, by many both inside and outside the academic world. ... One of my goals in teaching mathematics is to try and open students’ minds to the ... triad of beauty, power and applicability.

David C. Earnest
Assistant Professor
Political Science

When I teach, I seek not only to bring my personal experiences in Washington to the classroom, but to encourage students to go out and partake in the process: intern locally, in Richmond or in Washington. If a student cannot take an internship, I encourage him or her to read the newspapers closely, to experience policy debates that are unvarnished by theory and academic jargon. This experience is essential to a student’s learning. ... Every week I work with my students to nurture ... critical habits with an exercise called “Of What Is This an Instance?” We read puzzling news items and seek to understand what they say about international conflict, trade, globalization, migration or any of a variety of topics. When students learn to see abstract concepts and theoretical debates in quotidian happenings, they have integrated natural inquisitiveness, classroom learning and current events.

Dennis E. Gregory
Associate Professor
Higher Education Administration

My professional background, taken together with my interest in higher education law, has led to a sustained record of professional service. I have always felt that such engagement is a key component of what a professional in higher education must do to provide effective teaching and mentoring to graduate students and young professionals. Being a leader in professional associations provides opportunities to shape the higher education landscape and influence decision makers, both inside and outside of higher education. I have been fortunate through my professional service to develop networks of contacts that include leaders whose experience and background I respect, and who can be mobilized to the benefit of the students I teach and the scholarship I pursue.

Ravindra P. Joshi
Professor
Electrical and Computer Engineering

I consider myself to be an inspiring and effective teacher. I always endeavor to help my students succeed by encouraging independent thinking, self-confidence and belief in their own unique abilities. Although I started out with the traditional classroom lectures, I have evolved to incorporate televised teaching, CD-ROMS, tapes and other asynchronous methods. Using humor, citing commonplace practical examples and being cognizant of the needs and background of my students greatly helped improve my style, delivery and effectiveness in the classroom. ... I think an effective teacher should help students get tough and be prepared to face challenges of the engineering profession. I have always worked toward this goal by maintaining high standards, quality and work ethics.

Jill C. Jurgens
Associate Professor
Counseling

I believe it is essential to collaborate with students in order to cultivate learning partnerships. Teaching must go beyond information sharing; it must provoke, inspire and empower learners to take action on their own behalf. Some of the best teaching occurs when we view ourselves, not as experts in our fields, but as cohorts in learning. The best classrooms, therefore, are those in which the teachers and students learn from one another. I welcome opportunities to supervise independent studies and to work directly with students interested in designing their own learning contracts. I encourage students to conduct their own inquiries, become actively involved in research and submit proposals to present at professional conferences. The energy and excitement that these scholars bring to our work is invigorating.

Lucien X. Lombardo
Professor
Criminal Justice

Teaching, scholarship and engagement in service have always been both interdisciplinary and integrated with my commitment to serve others – individually and in the wider community. My course materials and scholarship draw on many disciplines (e.g., sociology, psychology, law, philosophy, literature, management). In teaching workshops I have always described this as a process of engagement. I also believe that it is important as a teacher to sharpen one’s skills and develop new perspectives. For this reason, during the past 20 years I have been involved in every major interdisciplinary curriculum development project at Old Dominion: Writing Across the Disciplines, Third World Studies, African American Studies and Women’s Studies. These have been part of my attempts to find new ways of helping students learn and efforts to shape the curriculum to enhance the teaching-learning process.

Kay L. Palmer
Associate Professor
Nursing

The last 20 years, I have been focused on facilitating access to educational opportunities for nurses. An example of my early activities involving harnessing technology to create access for nurses to advance their education was the RN-to-BSN distance education program. I was one of the pivotal faculty members in the program’s development at Old Dominion. It was broadcast via TELETECHNET. The plan called for enrolling 100 students within five years. It enrolled 100 students in the first year. We were meeting a need that had not been addressed. Since the implementation of the program, I have taught at least one class per semester as part of my commitment to distance education for nurses and making available the technology-based RN-to-BSN option for practicing nurses in Virginia and elsewhere.

Timothy S. Seibles
Associate Professor
English

Our lives are circumscribed by language – from mass media, from pulpits, from conversations, from anything we read, even billboards. Every word we come in contact with asks for our consideration, however protracted or brief. If we are not aware of ways in which words work on our minds we are all the more vulnerable to those who manipulate language for ends that may not represent the general good. Whether I stand before a classroom filled with aspiring writers or students fulfilling a requirement, I want to make an irresistible case for the kind of attentiveness that literature demands. They may not fall in love with the readings, but I want them to recognize that a poem, a story, an essay or an article all represent a chance to see what, perhaps, had not been seen before – and the chance to be awakened emotionally in ways they hadn’t anticipated.

Wayne K. Talley
Professor and Eminent Scholar
Economics

I have tried to adhere to the lessons learned in high school of working hard and accepting challenges and opportunities in life. Today, I have reached goals that a boy from Hanover County, Va., never would have expected to achieve. My place in the university, designations at federal agencies and foreign universities, and various research and achievement awards have all confirmed the correctness of the career that I built on these simple principles. The accomplishments have been shared with my colleagues and students at Old Dominion University and I have encouraged and collaborated with them to help develop their research and achieve their academic goals. It is my belief that when one seeks to help other in his/her professional life, all parties benefit. Back to top

Medical modeling research highlighted in magazine
BY JIM RAPER

Medical modeling and simulation research at Old Dominion receives a complimentary review in a feature article published by Mechanical Engineering magazine. The comments of Mark Scerbo, professor of psychology and a human factors expert, figure prominently in the article.

Together with several photographs, the 3,500-word article tells how ODU’s Virginia Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Center (VMASC) and human factors psychologists have teamed with faculty at Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) to move to the forefront of several branches of medical modeling and simulation.

The headline, “Virtual OR,” notes the article’s focus on the simulated operating room that is one of the latest projects of the ODU-EVMS team. But the writer also delves into other research done under the auspices of the National Center for Collaboration in Medical Modeling and Simulation, which the two institutions run.

Hector Garcia, visualization lab manager for VMASC and the researcher most involved with ODU’s Cave Automatic Virtual Environment (CAVE), is also quoted in the article. The third simulation researcher identified by the magazine is Dr. Leonard Weireter, professor of surgery at EVMS, and a collaborator with Garcia and Scerbo.

Three main thrusts of the research are explored: (1) evaluation of existing simulation instruments that are commercially available; (2) development of marketable simulation devices, such as one to teach the cleaning of a wound; and (3) development of room-sized simulations, such as the virtual OR, that can be created in the CAVE.

Mechanical Engineering’s online version of the article, which appeared in the November edition of the print magazine, is at http://www.memagazine.org/contents/current/features/virtual/virtual.html.

Compared with other “lives-in-the-balance” professionals such as airplane pilots and soldiers, physicians have been exposed to very little simulation training. Pilots have been required for years to qualify on flight simulators before they fly modern jets. But only in 2004 did the U.S. Food and Drug Administration establish its first virtual-reality training requirement for a specific surgical procedure. The rule requires surgeons to dem-onstrate mastery of a simulated carotid artery stent implant before they try the procedure in an actual operating room.

“This action taken by the FDA is an historical event of unimaginable proportions,” Scerbo wrote in a paper he presented at last year’s annual meeting of the international Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. “It is the first time in the history of medicine that performance-based competency measures will determine who can and cannot perform a medical procedure.”

The traditional “see one, do one, teach one” apprentice training of physicians, Scerbo said, does not expose residents to a standard set of medical conditions and procedures, or to standard performance measures.

Also, he pointed out, the American Medical Society’s accreditation council recently established an 80-hour work-week limit for residents, which actually represents a cutback in apprentice training hours for the typical resident.

He believes the time is ripe for simulation medical training. “Simulation offers the opportunity to study the practice of medicine from a more scientific perspective,” he said. “It will never replace the apprentice system, but it can make the system much better.”

Weireter emphasizes the value of a “controlled environment” during medical training. “Much like a flight simulator where the trainer can mimic situations, we can induce situations we want to drill an individual or team on,” he said.

Tell-tale sounds heard through a stethoscope that a physician needs to be able to recognize can be simulated. So can other symptom-recognition requirements and dexterity feats.

The virtual operating room can simulate more than a physician’s core duties, Scerbo added. It can expose trainees to real-world team-building challenges and pitfalls brought about by cultural, gender and age differences. It also can be a test lab to study task sequencing and other aspects of how people learn in a stressful environment. Scerbo believes the basic virtual reality created to simulate an operating room can be adapted to simulate an emergency room.

“With VMASC and our Center for Collaboration in Medical Modeling and Simulation, we could have in this region a medical training simulation facility that is one of a kind, that people would come from all over to use,” Scerbo said.

A presentation about the virtual OR was given by Scerbo, Garcia, Weireter and other colleagues including Lee Belfore, ODU associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, at the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference in Orlando, Fla., in early December.

“This is a highly visible venue with attendance numbers that exceed 15,000,” Scerbo said. “Medical simulation is a small, but growing part of this meeting, so it was significant to be included in the program.”

VMASC also had an exhibit at the conference promoting modeling and simulation in Hampton Roads. Back to top

Casteen challenges students at graduation
University of Virginia President John T. Casteen III challenged students to live their beliefs at Old Dominion’s fall commencement Dec. 17 at the Ted Constant Convocation Center.

“We share the conviction that to live is to act out the belief that we inherit – that we acquire by learning,” he said. “Today and every day forward, I encourage today’s graduates to preserve the good that they have acquired and inherited.”

Casteen, who was presented an honorary doctorate at the ceremony, also said, “Old Dominion prepares its graduates to be at home in this global world, providing each of you with the skills to survive the challenges of the future.”

UVa’s president since 1990, Casteen previously served as president of the University of Connecticut (1985-90) and Virginia secretary of education (1982-85).

Six graduates were recognized during the program. At a luncheon on campus the day before, the Alumni Association presented them with Outstanding Scholar Awards, given to the student with the highest grade point average in each college. Also recognized at the luncheon were the ODU faculty members who most inspired each student. The top scholars and their inspirational faculty are:

Arts and Letters – Janelle Engle of Lancaster, Pa., a music education major with a 4.0 GPA (Leslie Stewart, visiting assistant professor of music);

Business and Public Administration – Chad Allen Gerber of Monticello, Minn., an information technology and decision sciences major with a 4.0 GPA (Li Xu, professor of information technology and decision sciences);

Education – Robyn Markowitz of Virginia Beach, a human services and counseling major with a 4.0 GPA (R. Charles Fawcett, adjunct instructor of human services and counseling);

Engineering and Technology – Andrew Brian Frank of Fairfax, Va., a mechanical engineering major with at 3.93 GPA (Duc Nguyen, professor of civil engineering);

Health Sciences – Lorri M. Jones of Virginia Beach, a nursing major with a 4.0 GPA (Susan Murray, lecturer of nursing); and

Sciences – William Scott Parrish of Danville, Va., a computer science major with a 3.96 GPA (Janet Brunelle, lecturer of computer science). Back to top

Quest, arts brochure win top awards
Quest, the university research magazine, and the 2006-07 College of Arts and Letters Fine and Performing Arts Series brochure won the highest award given in the 2006 MarCom Creative Awards international competition.

MarCom is a program of the Communicator Awards organization based in Arlington, Texas. The competition recognizes outstanding achievement by marketing and communication practitioners. Judging criteria included creativity, resourcefulness and overall quality.

The platinum award, which goes to the top 15 percent of some 5,000 entries, was presented to Quest and the Fine and Performing Arts Series brochure. This is the second year in a row that Quest has received the platinum award.

“For our publications to be ranked in the top 15 percent of some 5,000 entries from colleges, universities and businesses speaks for itself,” said John R. Broderick, vice president for institutional advancement. “More importantly, it says a great deal about the talented people who work in university relations and publications.”

Broderick founded the magazine in 1997 and has been its editorial director. Others involved with the magazine are Sharon Lomax, designer; Jim Raper, editor; Victoria E. Burke, director of university publications; Steve Daniel, associate director of university relations; and Janet L. Molinaro, copy editor.

The Fine and Performing Arts brochure was designed by Shara Weber, graphic designer for university publications.

Three university publications won MarCom gold awards, which are presented to those entries judged to exceed the high standards of the industry norm. About 20 percent of the 5,000 entries qualify for this designation, including the College of Business and Public Administration Annual Report, designed by Burke and edited by Molinaro; Foundations Annual Report, designed by Susan C. Hughes and edited by Molinaro; and State of the Region, designed by Lomax, illustrated with graphics by Hughes, and edited by Daniel and Molinaro. Back to top

Scott Harrison wins 2006 Customer Relations award
Scott Harrison, director of information technology for student affairs, received the 2006 Customer Relations Employee of the Year award at the Human Resource Department’s Annual Recognition Program last month.

An Old Dominion employee since 1987, Harrison was presented a plaque, $500 and three days of bonus leave.

Nominated by several co-workers, Harrison was cited for his helpfulness, problem-solving ability, responsiveness, cooperation, friendliness and positive attitude.

Don Stansberry, director of student activities and leadership, noted Harrison’s patience, which he noted was a valued virtue for one who provides technical support to every member of the student affairs division as well as a number of clubs and organizations.

“Scott takes the needed time to help us learn and master the technology needed to do our jobs. He does this with a calm and positive attitude,” he said.

Stansberry added, “He never makes you feel dumb, or feel that you have bothered him with a very simple question. He is viewed as an expert on our staff.”

He also cited Harrison’s monthly “How Do I?” sessions, which allow staff members to learn how to enhance their technical skills.

Lesa Clark, director of multicultural student services, noted, “One can always count on him to get us out of that tech hole and land on our feet ready to tackle and succeed at our given tasks and responsibilities.
Jennifer Kingsley, whom Harrison has supervised for the past seven years, observed, “I think it would be difficult to find anyone else on campus who demonstrates more commitment to customer relations excellence. While he may not interact with students on a daily basis, everything he does is to ensure other offices can support students.

“Ultimately, Scott is one of the best role models and mentors I have ever worked with, mainly because of his positive attitude and interest in helping others achieve success, and doing [it] all from behind the scene.”

Also nominated for the Customer Relations award were:

Esther Cato, Student Housing; Toni Cawley, Ocean, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences; Gregory Flick, English Language Center; Troy Goldie, Academic Technology Services; Deidre Hall, Educational Leadership and Counseling; Tawana Hardy, Research; Joanne Johnson, Facilities Management; Ardena Jordan, Monarch Copy Center; Sandra Mathews, Foreign Languages and Literatures; Tonya McDuffie, Facilities Management; Marie Miller, Continuing Studies Operations; Tecarla Moore, Registrar; Anthony Redifer, Computing and Communication Services; Robin Smith, Distance Learning (Olympic College); Ronald Smith, Facilities Management; and Kelly Wyatt, Biological Sciences. Back to top