[InFocus] In Focus

[su-infocus at southwestern.edu]

*IN FOCUS*
 
April 28, 2006

*IN FOCUS SURVEY*

University Communications* *is conducting a readership survey of /In 
Focus/. All members of the Southwestern community and those who receive 
this newsletter are invited to complete this short (13-question) survey 
before May 12. To take the survey, please go to 
www.southwestern.edu/its/surveys/in_focus.htm 
<http://www.southwestern.edu/its/surveys/in_focus.htm>.

*TOP NEWS*
 
*THREE SOUTHWESTERN STUDENTS RECEIVE AWARDS *
*FOR COMMUNITY SERVICE*
 
Three students from Southwestern University have received awards from 
Texas Campus Compact, a statewide organization that promotes community 
service, service learning and civic engagement among college students.
 
The awards were presented at the organization's Civic Engagement 
Appreciation Luncheon held April 21 in Austin.
 
Lauren Sekel, a junior majoring in psychology with a minor in special 
education, received the Unsung Hero Award, and Katherine "Kat" Haskin, a 
sophomore psychology major, was the first runner-up for the Unsung Hero 
Award. Ansa Copeland, a junior philosophy major, won first runner-up for 
the Leadership in Action Award.
 
Read the entire story at www.southwestern.edu/newsroom/news/060422.html.
 
*UPCOMING EVENTS*
* *
*ORCHESTRA AND WIND ENSEMBLE CONCERT APRIL 30

*
The Sarofim School of Fine Arts' Music Department presents the 
Southwestern University Orchestra and Wind Ensemble, conducted by Lois 
Ferrari, in concert April 30 at 7 p.m. at the Georgetown High School 
Performing Arts Center.

Featured on this program for the Wind Ensemble are works by Dmitri 
Shostakovich and Richard Wagner, as well as Mark Camphouse's "A Movement 
for Rosa." The Orchestra will follow with Beethoven's "Symphony No. 8 in 
F major, Op. 93," Wagner's "Siegfried Idyll," and "March Past of the 
Kitchen Utensils" from "The Wasps" by Ralph Vaughan Williams.

The concert is free and open to the public. For more information, call 
512-863-1379.

*DANCE REPERTORY COMPANY PERFORMANCE APRIL 28-30*

The Sarofim School of Fine Arts' Theater Department presents the 
Southwestern Dance Repertory Company, directed by Judy Thompson-Price, 
April 28-29 at 8 p.m. and April 30 at 3 p.m. in the Jesse H. and Mary 
Gibbs Jones Theater.
 
Tickets may be purchased in person or over the phone with a Visa or 
MasterCard. The box office is open Monday through Friday 1-5 p.m. and 1 
hour prior to curtain. Adult tickets are $12 and senior (62 and over) 
and student (with valid ID) tickets are $10. Discounts are available for 
groups of 15 or more. Call the box office at 512-863-1378 to order 
tickets and for information and schedules.**
* *
*PUBLIC NIGHT AT THE FOUNTAINWOOD OBSERVATORY*
 
The final public viewing night of the spring semester will be held from 
8 to 11 p.m. Friday, May 5, at the Fountainwood Observatory. The 
Observatory is located on the northeast side of campus adjacent to the 
Rockwell Baseball Field.
 
Physics department faculty and talented observers from the Williamson 
County Astronomy Club (www.williamson-astro.org) will be on hand to 
guide visitors through their viewing experience. The night will begin 
with a near first quarter moon high in the sky. The shadowed outlines of 
many of its impact craters can be seen in this phase. Saturn will appear 
about 20 degrees to the west of the moon and Jupiter will be visible by 
about 9 p.m. Many brighter star clusters and double stars will be 
visible as well.
 
Fountainwood viewing nights are always free and open to the public. For 
weather-related updates, call the Fountainwood Observatory hotline at 
512-863-1242.
* *
*STUDENT PRESENTATION MAY 2*
 
The campus community is invited to attend Christine Chalmers' 
presentation of her research for departmental honors in psychology May 2 
at 4 p.m. in Olin 209. Her talk is titled "Autism and executive 
functions: The effect of motivational/attentional 
accommodations." Refreshments will be provided.
 
*FACULTY FORUM *
 
A.J. Senchack, professor of business, will lead a brief presentation and 
discussion about designing and conducting courses to teach liberal arts 
at the noon Faculty Forum on Monday, May 1, in the Lynda McCombs Room. 
This is the final Faculty Forum for the spring semester. Sodexho will 
provide a hot lunch for $4.25 per person and coffee and tea will be 
available for 50 cents. Faculty, staff and guests are welcome to attend.
 
*NOTABLES*
 
*Shana Bernstein*, assistant professor of history, presented her paper 
"Collaborating Against Conservatism: Jewish-Mexican American Civil 
Rights Coalitions in Cold War Los Angeles" at the annual conference of 
the Organization of American Historians, which was held in Washington, D.C.
* *
Professors *Kerry Bruns*, *Lynn Guziec* and *Frank Guziec* of the 
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry were co-authors on a recent 
paper titled "Studies with Novel Sulfur-Oxide Alkylating Agents" 
presented at the American Association for Cancer Research in Washington, 
D.C.
* *
*Alisa Gaunder*, assistant professor of political science, took *Lissa 
Terrel* '06, *Tyson Berger* '06, and *Chris Bailey* '07 to the 
ASIANetwork Conference in Lisle, Ill., April 21-23 to present their 
research supported by the ASIANetwork Freeman Student-Faculty Research 
Grant.  Gaunder and five Southwestern students received this grant to 
travel to Tokyo, Japan, to conduct research on "Political Leadership in 
Japan" last summer. At the conference, Gaunder and Terrel participated 
on a panel titled "Faculty-Student Collaborative Research: Process and 
Results" and presented findings from their research on women and 
politics in Japan. This research was co-funded by Mundy and ASIANetwork 
Freeman grants. Terrel, Berger and Bailey also co-presented a poster on 
their summer research on "Political Leadership in Japan" at a session 
featuring the research of the ASIANetwork Freeman grantees. 
* *
*Don M. Parks*, associate professor of economics and business, presented 
two papers, "Student Leader Training Exercise" and "Delivered Cost and 
Differentiation Applied to Threshold, 3rd ed.," at the Association for 
Business Simulation and Experiential Learning (ABSEL) international 
conference.
* *
*Jacob Schrum*, senior computer science and mathematics major, won first 
prize in the student poster competition held at Sam Houston State in 
Huntsville at the Consortium for Computing Sciences in Colleges (CCSC), 
South Central Region. "Genetic Algorithms and Neural Networks: The 
Building Blocks of Artificial Life" was his honors research under the 
supervision of *Walt Potter*.**
* *
*Therese Shelton*, associate professor of mathematics, was invited to 
present "Assessing the Math Program" at a meeting of the Texas 
Association of Academic Administrators in the Mathematical Sciences 
April 7. The meeting was held at Midwestern University in Wichita Falls, 
Texas, in conjunction with the Texas Section Meeting of the Mathematical 
Association of America.**
* *
*Lauren Shepard* '06 was honored by the Central Texas American Chemical 
Society as Southwestern's outstanding graduating chemistry major.

*SU IN THE NEWS*
 
David Gaines, associate professor of English, was quoted in an article 
about Bob Dylan in /The Washington Post/.
 
*CALENDAR*

 
April
 
28-May 9         Student art exhibit, Fine Arts Gallery
28-30               Dance Repertory concert, Jesse and Mary Gibbs Jones 
Theater
29-30               Lacrosse tournament, Varsity Game Field
30                    Southwestern University Wind Ensemble, 4 p.m., 
Georgetown High School Performing Arts Center
30                    Southwestern University Orchestra, 7 p.m., 
Georgetown High School Performing Arts Center
 
May
 
5                      Last day of classes/Spring MallBall
5                      Fountainwood public viewing night, 8 p.m., 
Fountainwood Observatory
8                      Senior Dinner
8-12                 Final examinations
12                    Official Southwestern Ring Ceremony
13                    Commencement
17                    Summer I Term begins
29                    Memorial Day
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