Sen. John Warner to give Waldo Lecture Oct. 23 John W. Warner Jr., U.S. senator from Virginia, will be the guest speaker for the Waldo Family Lecture Series on International Relations at 7 p.m. Oct. 23 in the Ted Constant Convocation Center. Warner has won five consecutive elections to the U.S. Senate, beginning in 1978. In 2005, he became the second-longest serving U.S. senator from Virginia in the 218-year history of the Senate. He announced on Aug. 31 that he would not run for re-election next year. Now serving in his 29th year, Warner is the former chairman, and now the second-ranking Republican, of the Senate Armed Services Committee. He also serves as the second-ranking Republican on two other committees, the Senate Intelligence Committee and the Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works. In addition, he serves on the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs. Warner began his association with the military more than 60 years ago when he enlisted in the Navy at the age of 17 during World War II. He later served in Korea as an officer in the Marine Corps. From 1969 to 1974, Warner served first as undersecretary, then as secretary of the Navy, leading the Navy and the Marine Corps through the second half of the Vietnam War. Following his work as secretary of the Navy, he was appointed by President Ford to coordinate the celebration of the bicentennial of the founding of the United States of America, directing the federal role at events in all 50 states and in 22 foreign countries. The Waldo Family Lecture Series on International Relations, Old Dominion’s first endowed lecture series, was established in 1985 to honor the memory of Loren Pierce Waldo Jr., William Joseph Waldo, Robert Hendren Waldo, Susan Waldo O’Hara, Julia Ann Waldo Campbell and Harry Creekmur Waldo. Over the years, renowned speakers in the fields of government, foreign affairs, journalism, education and public service have visited the campus. Warner’s lecture is free and open to the public. Back to top
“Old Dominion has grown dramatically, as evidenced by record enrollments, new frontiers in research, a beautiful campus and academic excellence,” said John R. Broderick, vice president for institutional advancement and admissions and chief of staff to the president. “Thus, it is increasingly harder to communicate all the university offers in a way that is clear and compelling to our varied audiences.” A brand is the embodiment of how an institution is – and wants to be – perceived by its constituents, and the inherent value it provides. While it is expressed by tangible things like logos, color schemes, fonts and writing style, it is the values, ideas and personality of an institution that a brand conveys that is most important. “Though it will not be used as a tag line, our brand promise neatly sums up all that we are and all that we aim to be: ‘Forward-focused thinking, real-world results,’” Broderick said. The new brand, and its creative expression, was developed following extensive research by the university and its consultants, Educational Marketing Group. Over the course of nine months, the university’s marketing team spoke with students, faculty, staff and alumni to determine the most important and valued threads throughout the Old Dominion experience. Those results were then shared with a university leadership group – the president, vice presidents, deans, admissions, student life, housing and other key areas – which drafted the university’s brand platform. A brand platform consists of three parts: a positioning statement that provides direction or focus; a brand promise that succinctly states what the university will do for its constituents; and the brand drivers that make Old Dominion truly distinct from its competitors. In the new campaign, the university’s messaging will highlight the four main drivers of the Old Dominion brand: nationally recognized faculty; cutting-edge, collaborative research; a profoundly multicultural community that values individuality, and innovative and engaging teaching. The first elements of the new branding campaign include a fresh look and approach to the university’s admissions materials. Under the theme “Built for the Modern Mind,” the materials have an energetic and modern look, based on research with and feedback from university and high school students. They highlight Old Dominion’s academic and research excellence, entrepreneurial outlook, modern architecture and cosmopolitan flair. Over the next several months, the design will be integrated into all of the university’s communications, including advertisements, newsletters, annual reports and magazines that promote the Old Dominion University brand, according to Broderick. He added that the offices of University Relations and Publications are working in tandem to develop the brand’s creative expression for these other communications, and staff members have been meeting with the colleges and various departments and centers to identify needs. Additionally, a Web site is being developed for the campus community to access the various elements and templates of the brand campaign. POSITIONING STATEMENT BRAND PROMISE BRAND DRIVERS
Tim Flannery’s talk on global warming planned for Kaufman Mall Oct. 16 Tim Flannery, world-renowned climatologist and New York Times best-selling author of “The Weather Makers: How Man Is Changing the Climate and What It Means for Life on Earth,” will be the guest speaker for the President’s Lecture Series on Oct. 16. His talk, which will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Kaufman Mall, is free and open to the public. Visitors are encouraged to bring chairs and blankets. In case of rain, the lecture will be held in the Godwin auditorium. Known for his advocacy for the environment and belief that human activity is drastically altering the earth’s climate, Flannery will discuss global warming and its effect on the planet, and what people are doing to contribute to climate change. Flannery, a native of Australia, is director of the South Australian Museum, chairman of the State Science Council and Sustainability Roundtable, and the National Geographic Society’s Australasian representative. He spent a year as professor of Australian studies at Harvard, where he taught in the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology. In 1994, he published “The Future Eaters,” a controversial book that covered the impact of humans on the natural environment in Australia and New Zealand. A regular contributor to The New York Review of Books and The Times Literary Supplement, he also contributes to NPR, ABC Radio and the BBC. He hosted the Documentary Channel specials “The Future” and “Islands in the Sky.” Back to top
The parade will begin at noon Nov. 17, stepping off from 49th Street to Monarch Way. The men’s basketball game against Toledo, scheduled for 7 p.m. Nov. 16, will be preceded by a tailgate party at 5:30 behind the Ted. The women’s team will host Charlotte at 4 p.m. Nov. 17, with a tailgate event at 2:30. The parties are free to students. ODU’s homecoming king and queen will be crowned during a pageant in Webb Center on Nov. 13. Back to top
The London-born Leggett will discuss the “arrow” (direction) of time that is built into our interpretation of everyday experiences and its origin, which he calls “one of the deepest questions in physics.” Leggett is the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Professor and Center for Advanced Study Professor of Physics at the University of Illinois, where he has been a faculty member since 1983. He is widely recognized as a world leader in the theory of low-temperature physics, and it was his pioneering work on superfluidity that earned him the Nobel Prize. For more information, call Amin Dharamsi, professor of electrical and computer engineering, at Benefits Fair set for Oct. 31 The Department of Human Resources will hold its 12th annual Benefits Fair from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 31 in the North Mall of Webb Center. The following outside vendors and agencies that provide benefits to ODU employees plan to attend: Ameriprise Financial Services, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Capital Strategies Inc., Cigna Long Term Disability & Accidental Death (open enrollment), CommonHealth, COSTCO, Equitable/AXA Advisors, Fidelity Investments, Great-West Retirement Services, Legal Resources (open enrollment), Lincoln National, MassMutual, MetLife, Minnesota Life, Social Security Administration, TIAA/CREF, Travel Counselors Inc., Value Options Inc., VALIC, Virginia Retirement System and Waddell & Reed. Visitors to the fair can meet with the vendors, ask questions, pick up information and grab some freebies. Door prizes will be raffled through out the day. Back to top
Donations of books, magazines, audio/videotapes, and CDs and DVDs are being accepted at the circulation desk in Perry Library through Oct. 26. The sale will be in room 151 of Perry Library from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Oct. 31 and Nov. 1-2, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 3. Prices for the sale are $2 for hardbacks, $1 for paperbacks and 25¢ for magazines. Various multimedia will be available. The sale is open to the public. Proceeds will benefit the Library Student Assistant Achievement Award Fund. Back to top
They are: Bridget Anderson, English (Rising Star category); Janet Bing, English; Shaomin Li, business administration; Ed Neukrug, educational leadership and counseling; Stacey Plichta, community and environmental health; Don Smith, sociology and criminal justice (Teaching with Technology category); Wayne Talley, economics; Larry Weinstein, physics; and Rich Whittecar, ocean, earth and atmospheric sciences. Back to top
Africa Day, which will become an annual event on campus, is an opportunity to educate students, faculty and the community about current events and the cultural characteristics of the many countries on the African continent. Activities will begin at 12:30 p.m. in the North Mall of Webb Center with a World Bank photo exhibition and an Africa Quiz. A student/faculty panel discussion is scheduled for 3 p.m. in the Hampton/Newport News Room. A reception and cultural festivities will be held in the North Cafeteria following the ambassador’s address. The evening will close with African music and dance at 7 p.m. Back to top
A question-and-answer session will follow the presentations. Back to top
The bookstore recommends that faculty follow their standard departmental procedures for submitting their orders. For more information contact Dorsha Goodman at degoodma@odu.edu or 683-0048.
CLT’s new “How Do I ...?” knowledge base is available at http://clt.odu.edu/kb. The new informational tool was created to facilitate interactivity and responsiveness in requests for information. M’hammed Abdous, director of the center, said “this tool is one that should make CLT even more responsive to faculty members’ requests for services and information.” He adds that it’s a work in progress, and welcomes submissions of unanswered questions to add to the database. Back to top
Tucker was one of the founding members of the Urban League of Hampton Roads Inc. and served on the first fundraising committee, which secured $40,000 to begin operation in 1977. In addition, she was one of the first members to serve on the board of directors, served as interim president for two years and was employed as the first director of programs. She received the local organization’s first Legacy Award and has served on the Martin Luther King Jr. and Whitney M. Young planning committees for the past 23 years. She serves as the liaison between the league and ODU.
The cost is $25 for faculty and staff (payable by check) and $20 for students (billed to student account). For details visit: http://studentaffairs.odu.edu/healthservices. Back to top
The deadline for proposals is Dec. 3. More information is available online at http://clt.odu.edu.
The commonwealth has assigned ODU the leadership role in the VCERC, with the mission to seek and develop new alternative energy research directions and evaluate viable renewable energy sources for Virginia, with an initial focus on offshore winds, waves and marine biomass. The board also endorsed the appointment of Alex Pothen, professor of computer science, as the Richard T. Cheng Endowed Chair in Computer Science. In other action, the board voted to approve a one-year contract extension – to 2011 – and a 4 percent pay raise for President Roseann Runte. She later announced that she would donate her raise to an area of the university that needs it most. Provost Thomas Isenhour announced at the Academic and Research Advancement Committee meeting that he has approved the designation of eminent scholar for the following faculty, effective with the 2007-08 academic year: David Burdige, professor of ocean, earth and atmospheric sciences; Sebastian Kuhn, professor of physics; and Jeffrey Richards, professor of English. In other matters the board:
The PR People Awards, presented annually by one of the industry’s most-read publications, PR News, are open to all communications, marketing and public relations professionals at for-profit and nonprofit organizations including: corporations, PR firms, public affairs agencies, associations, governmental organizations and academic institutions. Broderick has served as a vice president at Old Dominion since 1996. His areas of responsibility include admissions, community relations, governmental relations, marketing, media relations, military affairs, publications, photography, special events, licensing and the Visitor Center. In addition, he serves as executive editor of both Old Dominion University (alumni magazine) and Quest (faculty research magazine). He recently co-chaired the search committee for a football coach and is now chairing a committee to select a provost, while also heading university-wide initiatives for branding, enrollment management and emergency text messaging. Besides his administrative duties, he annually teaches the School, Community Relations and Politics course to graduate students in the Darden College of Education and has written articles for The Chronicle of Higher Education, the Hartford Courant, the Baltimore Sun, the Richmond Times-Dispatch, The Virginian-Pilot and the Daily Press. Back to top
As originally submitted in 2005, the issue was concerned with increasing the flexibility in the manner in which faculty who teach distance learning classes are compensated. An ad hoc committee on Faculty Workload Policy, chaired by Nancy Cooley, vice provost for distance learning, completed its work in spring 2007, developing a policy that recommended new distribution of monies from distance learning. In considering the recommendation by its Faculty Status and Remuneration Committee, the senate approved the following revised recommendation, which was forwarded to President Roseann Runte and Provost Thomas Isenhour: “The committee believes that there are two distinct parts to the current issue and recommends two policies: a revised policy on workload and compensation for faculty teaching distance learning classes to accompany the policy outlining the distribution of resources for distance learning. The Committee recommends that the ‘Policy on Workload and Compensation for Distance Learning Instruction’ be accepted and replace the currently existing ‘Policy on Workload and Compensation for Televised Instruction’ in the faculty handbook. Further, the committee recommends the acceptance of the “Policy on Distribution of Resources to Support Distance Learning” and that it be placed in the Faculty Hand-book immediately prior to the ‘Policy on Workload and Compensation for Distance Learning Instruction’ (one note on this recommendation however, the acceptance of this policy is only recommended only if needed funds to adequately cover the base are received in the new budget . ...).” A detailed rationale statement for the senate recommendation can be found at www.odu.edu/ao/facultysenate. For the first proposed policy, the rationale statement reads in part: “ ... To encourage innovation and provide maximum flexibility, department will establish Workload and Compensation Committees which may develop policies and procedures that utilize these funds in alternative ways.” For the second proposed policy, the rationale statement reads in part: “The policy recommends a revision in the way distance learning funds are distributed. It identifies three sources of income for distance learning: base funds, TELETECHNET-USA (funds received for students taking classes outside of Virginia), and non-TELETECHNET-USA growth funds (money from enrollments above the projected level).” The senate voted unanimously to recommend a policy drafted by its Scholarly Activity and Research Committee on the use of fixed-price contract residuals. It would replace an existing ad hoc oral policy that limits principal investigator (PI) access to the residual funds to two years. The policy, as approved by the senate, reads: “Fixed-price contract residual direct funds may be used by the PI as salary in summer as well as in regular semesters provided: (a) the amount used as PI salary does not exceed what was budgeted as salary in the fixed-price contract budget carrying full F&A rate; (b) the amount spent on graduate students as stipend and tuition during this same period is at least what was budgeted in the original fixed-priced contract; and (c) the amount used as PI salary is expended within a period to not exceed four years from the date of such approval by the Vice President for Research. “Fixed-price contract residual amounts that remain unspent for a period exceeding four years may not be spent as PI salary.” In other action, the senate voted unanimously to recommend approval of a proposed policy on Graduate Assistantship Grievance; proposed Doctor of Nursing Practice and Doctor of Engineering degree programs; and a proposed policy on Guidelines for Export Controlled Research. Back to top
Born in Dorchester, Mass., Davye grew up in Miami, Fla. He received his B.A. from the University of Miami and his M.A. from Ithaca College. He spent 11 years as a high school music educator. During his tenure as music program and choir director at Owego Free Academy in New York, the music program there was considered among the state’s best. He came to Old Dominion in 1966. From 1966-83, he directed the Concert Choir, which performed throughout the United States. Davye was a prolific composer of choral and instrumental works, including Symphony in One Movement (1980), Missa Brevis (1967), A Child Is Born to Us (1972), and the ballet Four Days from My Life (1990). He retired in 1995. Survivors include his wife, Betty, his daughter, Mary, and son, Michael. Memorial contributions may be made to the Music Department Scholarship Endowment Fund, Diehn Center, Norfolk, VA 23529. Back to top
Organized by the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures and cosponsored by the Institute for Jewish Studies and Interfaith Understanding, the free program will be from 3-5 p.m. in the Burgess Room of the Batten Arts and Letters Building. For more information call 683-3981. Back to top
Schools, businesses and nonprofit organizations may drop off items from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 12 in the north parking lot of the Facilities Management Building. The general public may drop off items from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 13 at the WHRO parking lot on Hampton Boulevard. For a list of items acceptable for recycling and for more information call Savas Comsudis at 683-5611. Back to top
The Trombones of Costa Rica Soprano Roberta Alexander Music Dept. Performances ODU Wind Ensemble, directed by Alexander Treviño ODU Concert Choir, directed by Nancy Klein Student Opera Workshop, Puccini’s “Suor Angelica” ODU Theatre “The Birds” University Dance Theatre Art Exhibitions “Collective Wisdom,” selections from the Baron and Ellin Gordon Self-Taught Art Collection “ODU Art Department Faculty Exhibition” “The World Through My Eyes,” visual art by ODU alumna Irina Avilova Community Music Academy Student and Faculty Recitals
A mid-Atlantic coastal ocean monitoring system designed to boost the accuracy of storm tracking and many other forecasts and warnings will be developed with an $8.7 million grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Experts in coastal oceanography from Massachusetts to North Carolina, including Old Dominion faculty, will be involved in the project. Existing initiatives of the Mid-Atlantic Coast Ocean Observing Regional Association (MACOORA) will be pulled together and expanded to provide a flood of data for this new project, titled Mid-Atlantic Regional Coastal Ocean Observing System. Sophisticated computing will translate the data into real-time models of surface and subsurface ocean conditions, and the models will be the basis of forecasts in fields ranging from climatology to ecology. The coordinated monitoring system, which was announced in August, is expected to improve the predicting and/or tracking of major storms, flooding, riptides, algal blooms, water pollution, oil and chemical spills, conditions affecting coastal maritime navigation, water quality, beach erosion and conditions favorable to commercial and recreational fishing. Coast Guard rescue efforts should be bolstered by the up-to-the-minute information about winds and currents that the system will provide. The system also will analyze data to detect evidence of climate change. “Already this summer, we started using the CODAR high-frequency radar in the lower Chesapeake Bay to measure surface currents and near-shore waves,” said Larry Atkinson, the ODU eminent professor who holds the Samuel A. and Fay M. Slover Professorship in Oceanography and who is the Chesapeake Bay subregional coordinator for MACOORA. “CODAR will be part of the new system, as will the recently announced glider consortium, which will operate unmanned undersea robotic devices to gather data all along the mid-Atlantic coast.” CODAR antennae have been installed by ODU oceanographers at an Ocean View beach site and on the northernmost island of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. The overall administrator of the antennae project and other NOAA-sponsored observing initiatives in the Chesapeake Bay is Virginia’s Center for Innovative Technology. The first of many planned mid-Atlantic coast glider missions concluded in Virginia Beach in mid-August and the glider was on display for a few days afterwards at Nauticus. Another project that will be a component of the new system is the recently announced Chesapeake Bay Inundation Prediction System (CIPS), which is funded by NOAA and operated by the Chesapeake Bay Observing System (CBOS) as part of the Chesapeake Research Consortium (CRC). Elizabeth Smith, research assistant professor with ODU’s Center for Coastal Physical Oceanography, is project coordinator for CIPS and executive director of CBOS. Smith gained extensive experience with ocean observing while at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab in California. CIPS will employ state-of-the-art, high-resolution atmospheric models to predict storm development, movement and intensity. These atmospheric models will be coupled with high-resolution oceanographic models and visualizations that combine the effects of wind-driven ocean storm surges, waves, tides and river discharge to project inundation overland rather than just estimate water height at the shore. Data for CIPS comes from instruments attached to stationary buoys and lighthouses and other structures in coastal waters, research missions of vessels such as ODU’s 55-foot RV Fay Slover and various drifting sensors tracked by universities and government agencies. Sophisticated computer models can assimilate and project the data into a real-time reconstruction of the waters and weather in thousands of square miles of the Mid-Atlantic area. The information will be available to the public, educators, academic researchers and business and industry users via nowcasts and forecasts from NOAA’s National Weather Service and other sources, including services that will be operated by private vendors in cooperation with MACOORA, according to Atkinson. MACOORA, whose coverage area stretches from Cape Cod to Cape Hatteras, includes five subregions: Massachusetts and Rhode Island Bay, Long Island Sound, New York Harbor and New York Bight, Dela-ware Bay and Chesapeake Bay. The association encompasses nine states, 66 million people, the nation’s political and financial capitals, and the world’s largest naval base in Norfolk. Ports in the MACOORA territory handle nearly one-fourth of all waterborne commerce in the United States. NOAA supports 10 other associations similar to MACOORA in other coastal areas of the country. The new coordinated systems spring from the national Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS). Atkinson served a term – funded by the National Science Foundation – as a member of the interagency Ocean.US team that helped to develop IOOS. Back to top
Published by ODU’s Regional Studies Institute, the report also considers whether Hampton Roads is receiving its “fair” share of state government spending. In addition, the 104-page report weighs the economic impact of the private-sector shipbuilding and repair industry; looks at the contributions of the area’s Filipino American community; reviews the surprising financial impact of the AAU Junior Olympics, which the region last hosted in 2006; and examines charitable giving by area citizens. James V. Koch, Board of Visitors Professor of Economics and President Emeritus, oversaw the production of the report, which received financial support from the university and a number of local organizations and individuals. Koch notes that the report does not constitute an official viewpoint of the university. “The State of the Region reports maintain the goal of stimulating thought and discussion that ultimately will make Hampton Roads an even better place to live,” he said. “We are proud of our region’s many successes, but realize it is possible to improve our performance. In order to do so, we must have accurate information about ‘where we are’ and a sound understanding of the policy options available to us.” In the section on affordable housing, the report notes that the rapid increase in regional housing prices in recent years (97 percent between 1997 and 2006) has made it much more difficult for some people to own their own home. Between these years, the annual interest and principal payments required for a typical home purchase rose from only 21.5 percent of the median income of the region’s households to 32 percent. It goes on to say that economically viable solutions to affordable housing challenges nearly always include increased housing density in order to make more moderately priced housing profitable to builders. The 2007 State of the Region report can be found online at www.odu.edu/forecasting. Back to top
Have you ever wondered how big your feet would need to be to allow you to walk on water? Okay, maybe you haven’t. But physics professor Lawrence Weinstein has, and his interest in questions such as this is not just academic. Weinstein is on a mission to teach people how to “estimate.” From a column he launched earlier this year in a national physics magazine and from a book that he, together with mathematics professor John Adam, have written, ordinary people can learn how to apply universal laws to everyday questions. This practice helps us make sense of our world, Weinstein says, and keeps us from jumping to conclusions or formulating opinions that do not conform to universal laws. The title of Weinstein and Adam’s book, forthcoming in April from Princeton University Press, is “Guesstimation: Solving the World’s Problems on the Back of a Cocktail Napkin.” The title of Weinstein’s new column in The Physics Teacher magazine is “Fermi Questions,” a term scientists use for the sort of questions that the renowned physicist Enrico Fermi could answer with quick applications of physical laws and numerical reasoning. At the first atomic bomb test, for example, Fermi dropped pieces of paper as the shock wave passed, and from the displacement of the paper and the distance to the explosion he accurately calculated the yield of the bomb. Questions posed in the column and in the book include estimating the relative amounts of oil used to make our plastic bags and to make the gasoline we burn, estimating the relative accelerations of a person, a Porsche, and a Boeing 747, and estimating the relative dangers of driving to the beach and being bitten by a shark. Adam touched on estimation in his book, “Mathematics in Nature” (Princeton University Press, 2003), an award-winning account of the mathematics that is evident in rainbows, cloud formations, spider webs, leaf patterns, butterfly wings and many other forms in nature. The book, which is illustrated with Adam’s photos, explains how mathematics can be used to formulate and solve puzzles observed in nature. In the process, it teaches the art of estimation and the effects of scale, particularly what happens as things get bigger. Weinstein is a nuclear physicist who has led atom-smashing experiments at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility in Newport News. But he believes that you don’t have to be a Fermi to put physics to use. He is among the first of ODU’s scientists to volunteer for outreach demonstrations for school children or to teach undergraduates. He says one of the best ways to get your head around physics – and to stay grounded in the physical world – is to apply principles governing matter, energy, space and time to what we see around us. “I first encountered estimation questions in my high school physics course,” he recalls. “I love them because they are a great way of applying physical principles to understand the universe.” ODU physics students also seem to enjoy estimation exercises. Weinstein teaches a seminar course, Physics on the Back of an Envelope, that, semester after semester, is rated by physics majors as one of their favorite courses. “One of the things I really like about teaching estimation,” he adds, “is that there are frequently many paths to the answer and I am often pleasantly surprised by students who have found a technique that I had never considered. The course also forces students to integrate what they have learned in previous courses. “When confronted with an estimation question, they have to apply their knowledge of the world to determine which physical principles apply. They also have to figure out the necessary information not given in the problem.” When a person wonders whether we should use ethanol from corn or gasoline from crude oil, a Fermi Question you could pose would be: How much more energy does your car burn every day than you do? This is Weinstein’s answer – “Since your car consumes 5-10 times as much energy daily as you do, even if producing ethanol is 100 percent efficient, and it is nowhere near that, we will need to plow under 5-10 times as much land as we do now to produce that much ethanol. This would have tragic impact on wilderness.” The Fermi Questions column was accepted on a trial basis by The Physics Teacher magazine this spring. The plan was to publish the column over several issues in order to gauge its popularity. But the response to Weinstein’s first effort in May was such that the column was elevated immediately to a regular feature of the magazine. In each column, the author poses two questions. The answers are on the magazine’s Web site (Visit http://scitation.aip.org/tpt/). The walking-on-water question posed at the outset is a paraphrase of a question Weinstein asked in his September column. By applying a little physics, we find out that a 200-pound person would need feet with a total perimeter of about 3 miles in order to be supported by the surface tension of water. “Even my son’s size 15 feet are not that large,” Weinstein writes in the answer posted on the Web site. Back to top
VCCS will provide funding in exchange for research efforts at the center. “This is a win-win partnership between ODU and VCCS,” said Edward Raspiller, director of the Community College Leadership Program. “This research institute is one of the first in the nation that focuses on local community colleges.” Collaborations with center researchers and graduate students in the production of reports, tables and manuscripts will benefit some or all of the 23 VCCS colleges. “This agreement brings tremendous opportunities for students to get engaged with live data and dissertation experience for those working in the Ph.D. program,” said Jaime Lester, instructor of educational leadership and counseling, who teaches in the CCLP. Glenn DuBois, chancellor of VCCS, and Monty Sullivan, vice chancellor, joined ODU officials for the signing. Back to top
Cleteus and Catherine Smith, a married couple who both teach at the Child Development Center, will use the grant to introduce the children to the environment by providing them with hands-on experiences, while also learning from experts currently working in the environmental field. “We noticed that there was not very much being taught about the environment on the pre-kindergarten level,“ Cleteus said. Catherine added, “This grant provides a way for us to develop a curriculum where we can determine what kinds of experiences would be beneficial and which ones might not work.“ One of the many activities the children have already experienced was cleaning a wetland area. “We want the children to learn that they are responsible for taking care of their environment,” Cleteus said. As part of the curriculum, the children also learned the importance of oysters to the Chesapeake Bay when they helped launch a 1,000-oyster spat on an oyster-growing float into the Elizabeth River. The Smiths are also working on the curriculum project with Margaret Mulholland, from the Department of Ocean, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, and the city of Norfolk. Back to top
Oktay Baysal, dean of the Frank Batten College of Engineering and Technology and the grant’s principal investigator, said the scholarship program will support efforts underway at the college to produce more marine engineering professionals, and especially those whose skills are needed by public and private shipyards in Hampton Roads. By ramping up its marine engineering concentration, the college “is responding to the needs of our community and our stakeholders,” the dean said. “The university is committing significant resources and we already have enthusiastic student interest.” The university’s commitment in this area is reflected by its recent establishment of the Institute for Ship Maintenance, Repair and Operations, he said. The NSF award will also help ODU strengthen its new focus on the design of smaller, faster and smarter ships, including the ones required to protect our ports and coastlines as part of the country’s homeland security initiative. “Most marine engineering and naval architecture programs in other universities support the traditional maritime requirements for big bulk vessels,” Baysal wrote to NSF in applying for the grant. “ODU’s niches are its focuses on shipbuilding and repair operations for small and fast vessels in shallow water, and its well established research in naval ship maintenance.” Back to top
Albin, who partnered with Boris Rishko of Richmond, beat the No. 1 seed in the finals to take the medal. The National Senior Games Association is a nonprofit member of the United States Olympic Committee, dedicated to motivating senior men and women to lead a healthy lifestyle through the senior games movement. The summer games are the largest multisport event in the world for seniors. Albin, who represented Virginia in the competition, lost in the singles category in the third round to the eventual winner and top seed. It was Albin’s second year representing the state. Last year he won both singles and doubles in the Virginia Games. Albin hopes to start a badminton club at Old Dominion and provide coaching to prospective players. Back to top
Members of the campus community are being asked for their pledges of support to local United Way agencies as well as a host of other area, state, national and international charitable organizations. “Give Hope” is the theme for this year’s campaign, which is headed by Karen Travis, assistant vice president for institutional advancement. For more information call 683-5759. Back to top
– “Thriving universities drive thriving economies” “We really lean more toward helping students understand the severity or impact of their behavior on the community. I think we’re very sensitive to the community, but I don’t think we’re, I’ll say, slavish to it.” (Geneva Walker-Johnson, dean of students) – “Kicking students out of college is rare, statistics indicate” “This boy grew fast. He’s the Yao Ming of croakers. He is four times the weight of a normal fish of this age.” (Cynthia Jones, eminent scholar of ocean, earth and atmospheric sciences) – “Outdoors Notebook: VMRC expected to rule on striper limits” “We all have fallen in love with the imagined life between the covers of a book.” (Janet Peery, associate professor of English) – “A literary block party” The biggest obstacle is the boss’s mindset. “Organizations don’t trust their people to work away from the office. Managers feel out of control when they can’t see them.” (Donald Davis, associate professor of psychology) – “More workers telecommuting, but plenty of obstacles remain” “These Galapagos corals and algae are the first of many marine species that will be added to the Red List due to our findings. What is significant is that climate change and over-fishing – two of the biggest threats to marine life – are the likely causes in these cases.” (Kent Carpenter, professor of biological sciences) – “Corals added to IUCN Red List of Threatened Species for first time” ModSim World – combined with three conferences earlier this year on modeling and simulation in Norfolk, Chesapeake and Hampton – should pump about $2.5 million into the economy for such things as hotel rooms, restaurant meals and rental cars. “It’s only going to get bigger and better.” (Michael McGinnis, executive director, VMASC) – “ModSim expo’s turnout exceeds expectations” “The Quad will embody the most tangible evidence of a more residential campus. ... And it’s all going to be done in 24 to 30 months.” (Robert Fenning, vice president for administration and finance) – “Construction of new dorms at ODU bucks housing trend” “For the first time, this opens up the possibility of doing alternative forms of training without putting a patient at risk.” (Mark Scerbo, professor of psychology) – “Modeling and simulation mean real opportunities” Hundreds of subterranean species are discovered each year. (John Holsinger, eminent scholar of biological sciences) – “Guardians of the underworld”
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