From su-infocus at southwestern.edu Thu May 1 16:03:49 2008 From: su-infocus at southwestern.edu (su-infocus@southwestern.edu) Date: Thu May 1 16:06:02 2008 Subject: [InFocus] In Focus Message-ID: <481A3035.2000003@southwestern.edu> IN FOCUS: May 2, 2008 * TOP NEWS * *CALENDAR* MUNDY, JONES FELLOWSHIPS AWARDED *CAMPUS CALENDAR * To view upcoming events at Southwestern by day, week or month, click here . Five Southwestern faculty members have received Mundy and Jones Fellowships for 2008-09. The fellowships provide a total of $42,000 that will be used to fund collaborative research projects with students. Faculty members receiving the fellowships are: . Romi Burks, assistant professor of biology, received a Mundy Fellowship of $9,000 to conduct a study that will involve junior biology majors Colin Kyle and James McDonough. The group plans to study egg-laying behavior in two species of applesnails to better understand their likelihood of invasion. The research will include a trip to Uruguay to study a native species of applesnail. . Sergio Costola, assistant professor of theatre, received a $9,100 Mundy Fellowship that will enable junior theatre majors Edward Coles and Emily Everidge to attend the Rhodopi International Theatre Collective in Smolyan, Bulgaria, this summer. The students are helping Costola write the text for a multimedia performance piece that will be presented Aug. 11. . Traci Giuliano, professor of psychology, received a $9,100 Mundy Fellowship for a research project that will involve junior psychology majors Braden Ackley, Patrick Egan and Jenny Howell. The team will study whether men are punished more than women in cases involving student-teacher relationships. They plan to present their work at the annual meeting of the Association for Psychological Science in May 2009. . Julia Johnson, assistant professor of communication studies, received a Mundy Fellowship of $11,200 to conduct a study that will involve students Nadia Alareksoussi and Brooke Calder. The funds will enable the group to conduct research in the Terrence Trans Collection at The Sylvia Rivera Law Project in New York, and to interview activists and staff who work there. The Terrence Trans Collection is one of only several collections in the United States that specializes in documenting transgendered activism and lives. They will use the research to write papers for presentation at the 2009 meeting of the National Communication Association, and to write a book tentatively titled Communicating Intersectional Alliances: Difference as the Basis of Resistance. . Elizabeth Piedmont-Marton, associate professor of English, received a $2,690 Jones Fellowship for a project that will involve junior English majors Bethany Leidlein and Rachel Ridgon. The project is a survey of faculty, students and alumni to determine their experiences with writing at Southwestern. Funds from the fellowship will enable the students to present their work at the International Writing Centers Association conference in October 2008. The project is part of a larger initiative to improve the quality of writing across the curriculum at Southwestern. The Mundy Faculty Fellowship Fund was established through the philanthropy of Mr. and Mrs. A. J. Mundy of Houston and the William B. Jones Faculty Fellowship Fund was established through the philanthropy of alumni, colleagues, staff and friends in honor of Dr. William B. Jones, professor emeritus of history. Both funds support scholarship, research, or other creative activities that involve a faculty member and a student (or students) in a collaborative endeavor. These projects generally take place in the summer. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ SOUTHWESTERN STUDENTS ORGANIZE BIKE COLLECTIVE A class project at Southwestern has evolved into an initiative that could encourage people in Georgetown to rethink transportation and conservation. As part of a new course titled Introduction to Sustainability, students were asked to participate in a project that would get them thinking about ways of living that are more sustainable. One group of students decided to form a bike collective that would teach bike repair and give refurnished bikes to people who need one, paying in work-trade rather than money. The students have spent the year fixing up a shed located at 1205 Maple Street to serve as a home for the collective, which they have named it the Giracion Bike Collective. Giracion refers to the revolution of a wheel and its gears, but can also refer to a literal revolution or change. "Starting the bike collective this semester has been a great experience," said Sarah Reesor, one of 10 students involved with the project. "I have met new people, learned a lot about bikes, and it has been really rewarding to see the project develop into something we hope will be able to benefit many people as well as bring Southwestern and the Georgetown community closer together. Reesor said Giracion will accept donated bicycles in any condition, and will either repair them or use them for parts. One source of bikes is those that have been abandoned on campus. "If no one comes to claim a bike at the Police Department after a semester, they give it to us," she said. The collective also teaches bike safety and repair to anyone who is interested. Already, the collective has hosted three groups of 7th and 8th grade students from the Operation Achievement Program sponsored by Southwestern. To read the rest of the story, click here . EVENTS SPRING MALL BALL MAY 2 The bi-annual Mall Ball will be held Friday, May 2, on the Cullen Academic Mall at 4:30 p.m. Food and drinks will be served inside the McCombs Campus Center. For more information, contact the Office of Student Activities at (512) 863-1345. MEDIA COVERAGE . The /Williamson County Sun/ ran a feature on Earth Day activities at Southwestern. . The /Williamson County Sun /ran a story about the shipment of refurbished computers to Honduras. . The /Williamson County Sun /ran a story about the opening of the new Giracion Bike Collective. . The /Round Rock Leader /ran a review of the Cake concert at Southwestern. Read the review here . NOTABLES Sophomore *Rob Atkinson* participated in a debate held at Southern Methodist University April 25 on whether the United States should have a Department of Peace. Atkinson, who is national communications coordinator for the Student Peace Alliance, argued in favor of the proposal. To read a release about the debate, click here . *Ellen Davis*, director of communications, had an article published in the May issue of Public Relations Tactics. *Maha Zewail Foote*, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry, has a paper titled "Oxidative DNA damage following photoexcitation of daunomycin: Direct role of oxygen" accepted for publication in the/ Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A: Chemistry/. The paper was a collaboration with co-author *Radhika Kainthla*, senior Biochemistry major. *Ben Pierce*, professor of biology and holder of the Lillian Nelson Pratt Chair, had a paper published in the spring 2008 issue of Council on /Undergraduate Research Quarterly/ titled "Developing a Sustainable Research Program for Tenure." The paper was part of a series on professional strategies for junior faculty members. *Bob Snyder*, professor of political science, received a $25,000 grant from the Earhart Foundation to write a book tentatively titled "The Road to 9/11: The US' Struggles with Revolutionary Movements in the Third World." Kinesiology students *Lauren Arrowood*, *Ben Hoffman* and *Eric Sterner *won top honors for undergraduate research at the 29th annual meeting of the Texas Regional Chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine held in Odessa in February for their paper analyzing the effects of treadmill use in space. Juniors *Hannah Adkison* and *Charles Prince*, and seniors *LaToya Alexander *and *Jeremy Battle* attended the Engaged Diversity Student Leadership Workshop held at Dillard University in New Orleans April 4-6. Also attending the workshop were Sue Mennicke, director of intercultural learning, and Ron Swain, senior advisor to the president. The program was funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. /Have a submission for "Notables"? Send it to infocus@southwestern.edu./ -- Katy Boose Editorial Coordinator Southwestern University 1001 E. University Ave. Georgetown, TX 78626 512-863-1487 boosek@southwestern.edu www.southwestern.edu -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.southwestern.edu/pipermail/su-infocus/attachments/20080501/5cbe20de/attachment.html From su-infocus at southwestern.edu Thu May 8 13:20:49 2008 From: su-infocus at southwestern.edu (su-infocus@southwestern.edu) Date: Thu May 8 13:23:38 2008 Subject: [InFocus] In Focus: May 9, 2008 Message-ID: <48234481.4050504@southwestern.edu> IN FOCUS: May 9, 2008 * TOP NEWS * *CALENDAR* FIVE SUMMER RESEARCH PROJECTS RECEIVE FUNDING *CAMPUS CALENDAR * To view upcoming events at Southwestern by day, week or month, click here . Southwestern faculty members will collaborate with students this summer on research projects covering subjects from artificial intelligence to theatre, thanks to awards from the Fleming Collaborative Research and Creative Activity Program. The program enables faculty members and students to engage in projects that go beyond the scope of regular coursework. Five different projects totaling $113,000 were funded for 2008. The projects involve a total of 13 faculty members and 35 students: . *Steve Alexander*, associate professor of physics, and Walt Potter, professor of math and computer science, received $22,000 for a project that will use artificial intelligence techniques to find organic molecules that interact with light in a very precisely defined manner. These molecules could potentially be used in a variety of industrial applications. Five students will be involved with this project. Part of this project involves developing a computer "cluster" that will be available after the project to anyone on campus who needs large amounts of computer time for their research. . The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry received $68,000 that will enable all of its faculty members to work with student researchers over the summer. Thirteen students will be funded through this grant. . *Sergio Costola*, assistant professor of theatre, received $3,900 that will enable English major and Brown Scholar *Delilah Dominguez* to attend the Rhodopi International Theatre Collective in Smolyan, Bulgaria. Dominguez and three other students are helping Costola write the text for a multimedia performance piece that will be presented Aug. 11. . *Kathleen Juhl*, associate professor of theatre, received $12,000 to develop a Theatre for Social Change production that will become part of Southwestern's First-Year Student Orientation Program. Sixteen students, including senior theatre major *Lindsey Smith*, will be involved with the production, which is scheduled to be presented Aug. 23. . *Sandi Nenga*, assistant professor of sociology, received $6,500 to conduct a study of how youth use media, technology and language to organize their peer culture. The study will be conducted on sixth, seventh and eighth graders attending a middle school summer camp in Georgetown. Sociology major *Tristine Baccam* will assist Nenga with her research. John McCann, assistant dean for faculty development and sponsored programs, says these eight-week collaborative projects help students learn teamwork, problem solving and the techniques necessary to progress to more advanced work in professional and graduate schools. "Undergraduate research experiences have become an essential part of student education, particularly in the sciences," McCann says. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ FIVE SOUTHWESTERN STUDENTS SELECTED TO PARTICIPATE IN SUMMER RESEARCH PROJECTS SPONSORED BY THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION Five Southwestern students have been selected to participate in summer research programs sponsored by the National Science Foundation. The programs are all part of the NSF's Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program. Students selected for the program receive travel expenses, room and board, and a stipend of up to $4,000. To read the rest of this story, click here . ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *TWO SOUTHWESTERN STUDENTS RECEIVE FULBRIGHT TEACHING ASSISTANTSHIPS * Two seniors graduating from Southwestern this month have been awarded Fulbright English Teaching Assistantships in Germany. *Chelsea Edge* and *Amy Tanguay* will spend nine months teaching English to students in Germany. To read the rest of this story, click here . EVENTS SOUTHWESTERN TO HOST ALDERSGATE DAY CELEBRATION MAY 22 Southwestern will host an Aldersgate Day celebration on Thursday, May 22. The event observes the 270th anniversary of John Wesley's "heart-warming" experience at Aldersgate Street in London, which became the basis for the Methodist faith. The program will begin at 10 a.m. in the Lois Perkins Chapel with the singing of Wesleyan hymns led by Southwestern alumnus Henry Holloway. This will be followed by a talk on "Christian Community" by Rev. Debra Crumpton, senior pastor at Georgetown's Wellspring United Methodist Church. From noon to 1 p.m., a buffet lunch will be available for purchase in the Red & Charline McCombs Campus Center for $6.50 per person. After lunch, participants will visit a special library exhibit at Southwestern featuring antique Wesleyan music publications. At 1 p.m., Ellsworth Peterson, professor emeritus of music at Southwestern, will offer a multimedia presentation on the topic of "The Wesleys and English Cathedral Music." The day will conclude with the singing of additional Wesleyan hymns. The event is open to the public. To attend the event, call 800-960-6363 or write alumni@southwestern.edu. MEDIA COVERAGE . The/ Williamson County Sun/ ran a feature story about Laura Hobgood Oster's new book on animals in religious tradition. NOTABLES Seniors *Lindsey Albracht* and *Rory Aguirre* have been accepted into the French Teaching Assistantship program sponsored by the French Ministry of Education. Albracht will spend seven months teaching in the Toulouse region and Aguirre will teach in Nancy/Metz. *Maria Cuevas*, assistant professor of biology, has had an article accepted for publication by Oncology Reports. The research for the paper, titled "In vitro: cytoxic activity of anthrapyrazole analogues in human prostate DU-145 and testicular NETRA-2 carcinoma cells," was conducted with Kurt Seilheimer '07 during the Biology Summer Research Program in 2006 and the 2006-07 academic year. It was partially funded by the Fleming Fund awarded to the Biology Department. Senior *Jessica Hager* will be staying at Southwestern next year as an AmeriCorps/VISTA volunteer working out of the Office of Civic Engagement. *Sarah Holifield* has been selected to have a "This I Believe" essay aired on Houston's Public Radio station, KUHF. She will visit the studio to record her essay this summer. Sophomore physics major *Pelham Keahy* has been selected to participate in the Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internships program (SULI) sponsored by the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC). He will spend eight weeks this summer working with researchers at the center, which is operated by Stanford for the U.S. Department of Energy. Sophomore physics major *Sean Smith* has been selected to participate in the Research Internships in Science and Engineering program (RISE) sponsored by the German Academic Exchange Service. The program gives students in biology, chemistry, earth sciences, engineering and physics the chance to spend a summer working with German doctoral students on their research projects. Smith will spend the summer conducting theoretical physics research with a doctoral student at the University of Geissen. /Have a submission for "Notables"? Send it to infocus@southwestern.edu./ LAST ISSUE OF IN FOCUS FOR THIS YEAR /This is the last issue of /In Focus/ for the 2007-08 academic year. The/ In Focus/ staff wishes you a wonderful summer. We will resume publication Aug. 15. For the latest news from Southwestern during the summer, visit the Southwestern home page at www.southwestern.edu. If you have news of interest over the summer, please contact Ellen Davis, director of communications, at 512-863-1570 or davise@southwestern.edu./ -- Ellen Davis Director of Communications Southwestern University 1001 E. University Ave. Georgetown TX 78626 512-863-1570 www.southwestern.edu -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: http://www.southwestern.edu/pipermail/su-infocus/attachments/20080508/2c766276/attachment.html