2008 Achievement Notes
January
Dr. Gerald A. Merwin Jr., assistant professor of Political Science, recently co-authored a chapter in the book “Handbook of Research on Global Information Technology Management in the Digital Economy,” which published in January 2008. Merwin was involved in the writing of the first chapter “Economic Development: Government’s Cutting Edge in IT.” For more information about the book, visit http://www.igi-global.com/reference/details.asp?ID=7134&v=tableOfContents.
February
Suzanne Barnett, Director, Small Business Development Center (SBDC), was awarded a grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration through the University of Georgia to assist in the operation of the VSU SBDC during 2008.
Dr. James LaPlant, Associate Dean, College of Arts and Sciences, was awarded a grant from the City of St. Marys, Ga., to provide Geographic Information System (GIS) training for employees of the City.
Dr. Julie Lee, Associate Dean, College of Education, received a grant award from the Georgia Department of Human Resources for the continuation of the Babies Can’t Wait program for FY2008 (Year 13). This project provides community-based services for children with disabilities, their families, and their service providers.
Mimi McGahee, Director, Educational Technology Training Center, received a grant award from the Georgia Department of Education to administer the End of Course Testing for the Georgia Virtual School Program.
Barbara Warren, Instructor, English Department, received a grant award from the Georgia Humanities Council for her project entitled, Looking Back and Remembering: WWII Veterans’ Voices from Southern Georgia. Ms. Warren will use oral history as a method of gathering, preserving and interpreting the diverse voices of Georgia WWII veterans, specifically those who have participated in the Honor Flights to Washington, D.C., to visit the WWII Memorial. The Georgia Humanities Council and the National Endowment support this project for the Humanities and appropriations from the Georgia General Assembly are also provided.
Dr. Fred A. Ware, Professor of Management, received the Best Case Award at the 16th Annual Southeast Case Research Association (SECRA) Meeting at Myrtle Beach, SC, February 15, 2008. The case, "Passing the Torch, or Torching the Past?" was selected for the award out of the 45 cases presented at the regional conference. Dr. Ware's participation at the SECRA Meeting was supported by a grant from the Center for Faculty Development and Instructional Improvement.
Dr. Andrew Brovey, Associate Professor, Curriculum, Leadership and Technology Department, recently received the Yugma Education Program Award, a donation of software licenses. Yugma is a web-based collaboration service that enables people to connect over the Internet to communicate and share content and ideas, using any application or software. Dr. Brovey and his students will be exploring this application as a part of graduate course ITED 7050, Distance Education.
Erin Salmon, Coordinator for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services, was recently awarded a grant from the Georgia Department of Labor for continuation of the Sign Language Project. This project allows VSU to administer Georgia Quality Assurance Screening (G-QAS) to interpreter/transliterator candidates who are seeking certification.
Dr. Larry D. Hilgert, Associate Professor, Psychology and Counseling Department, has established a contract to provide psychotherapy/counseling services for student groups, individual students, and families in the Brooks County School System.
March
Dr. Brian L. Gerber, Professor and Director for Curriculum Content, Research and Technology, College of Education, recently received a grant from the Georgia Department of Education for his "Webcasts for Biology and Physical Science Project." These Webcasts will provide support for Georgia teachers in the implementation of the new Georgia Performance Standards (GPS) in Biology and Physical Science courses.
Dr. Marty Giddings, Director, Division of Social Work, recently received a grant from the Georgia Department of Human Resources for the Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSW) Supervision Project. This is a continuing project that provides supervision for employees of the Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) who are seeking to become Licensed Clinical Social Workers in the State of Georgia.
Dr. J. Stephen Lahr has been selected by the National Art Education Association as the Outstanding Art Educator of the Year, 2008, for the Southeastern Region of the United States, which represents 10 States and 2 Territories. The award will be presented on Friday, March 28, at the National Convention in New Orleans, La. Dr.Lahr is one of four finalists for Outstanding Art Educator of the Year in the Nation, which is given to an individual with significant leadership, scholarship and service to the Association and to the field. Lahr was award Outstanding Art Educator of the Year for the Western Region of the United States in 1976 by NAEA and has twice been awarded Higher Art Educator of the Year in Georgia, 1991 and 2001.
Dr. Cristabal Serran-Pagan, Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies, recently published an article in The Merton Seasonal, A Quarterly Review, Vol. 32, No. 4, Winter 2007, pp. 3-11, titled "Builders of the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth: The Transforming Power of Agape Love in King and Merton." Please e-mail Dr. Serran-Pagan at cserranpagan@valdosta.eduif you are interested in more information.
Dr. Thomas Manning and Dr. Tolu Salami of the chemistry department received an education grant to run a workshop for middle school and high school science teachers this summer. The two week course will focus on implementing various types of technology, from molecular modeling to nitrate monitoring, in the classroom for middle schools and high schools in South Georgia. Teachers will bring a range of programs and supplies back to their host institution to increase technology-based activities in their classrooms.
Jessica Cobb, programs coordinator and facilitator for the Campus Recreation Challenge Course, was named the first ever Student Employee of the Year. In addition to a plaque and a $50 gift certificate to the VSU Bookstore, she will soon represent VSU at the regional level of competition against other outstanding student employees from schools in the area.
April
Greg Kean and Caley Allen, both senior chemistry majors, were both awarded "Best Paper" for their oral presentations at the joint meeting of the Georgia-Florida Academy of Science held in Jacksonville, Fla. in March. Kean presented "Production of the Cancer Drug Taxol from a Microbial Paste," and he thanks Dr. John Barbas from chemistry and Dr. Emily Cantonwine from Biology for their participation during his project. Caley presented "Chemistry in a Nanodrop: Protein Folding" and thanks members of the VSU IT Department for their assistance.
At the recent 2008 Georgia Speech and Language Hearing Association Convention, the VSU chapter of the National Student Speech-Language-Hearing Association received first place for having the most students who registered and participated in the convention. Additionally, 19 graduate students along with their professors and supervisors presented poster sessions. Ashley Garland, a third semester graduate student, received the Jack Bess Scholarship.
At the recent College of Education awards night, seven students from Communication Sciences and Disorders received scholarships, including Brittany D. Bessilleau, Elizabeth Rilene James, Chelsie Hooks, Cassie Quick, Mary Louise Gunderson, Ashley Olivia Garland and Maria Danielle Hall. Four students received departmental awards, including Shawnry J. Baker, Jennifer Barnes, Mary Gunderson, and Arpaigner O'Neal. Mary Louise Gunderson also received the COE Outstanding Student Award and will carry the banner at this year's graduation.
Dr. Brian Gerber, Director for Curriculum Content, Research and Technology, and Principal Investigator of this project, and Dr. Heather Brasell, Assistant Professor, Middle Grades, Secondary, Reading and Deaf Education, recently received a grant from the U.S. Department of Education through the University of Georgia Improving Teacher Quality Grants Program. This Inquiry Physical Science Project will engage twenty (20) 8th grade middle school science teachers from the 11 school districts of the Coastal Plains RESA in an intensive summer institute that focuses on science content and effective instructional strategies.
Dr. Ann Marie Smith, Assistant Professor, Middle, Secondary, Reading and Deaf Education, was recently awarded a grant from the U.S. Department of Education through the University of Georgia Improving Teacher Quality Grants Program. Her project, Expository and Persuasive Writing Across the Curriculum, involves a collaboration between Valdosta City Schools and VSU in a 40-hour summer workshop to provide middle school teachers with content, materials, and instruction in argumentative and expository writing.
Dr. Viki Soady, Department Head and Professor, Modern and Classical Languages Department, was recently awarded a grant from the U.S. Department of Education through the University of Georgia Improving Teacher Quality Grants Program. This project, ESOL Endorsement for Teachers with Field Experience in Guadalajara, Mexico, will provide P-12 teachers from area schools with the opportunity to gain six credit hours toward English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Endorsement in Guadalajara, Mexico. Teachers will become immersed in Mexican culture through home stays and will teach ESOL in Mexican schools to English learners from grades P-12.
Dr. Marty Giddings, Director and Professor, Division of Social Work, and Ms. Carol Smith, Title IV-E Director, received a grant from the Georgia Department of Human Resources for the IV-E Supervision Project (Learning Lab), a program to work with social services supervisors to improve clinical practice associated with child welfare.
May
Suzanne Barnett, Area Director of the Valdosta State University Small Business Development Center, was awarded "Consultant of the Year" at the annual meeting held at the University of Georgia's State Office in Athens. The Georgia SBDC Network is comprised of 18 offices located throughout the state and the award is the highest honor conferred at the state-wide event.
Dr. Charles E. Backes, Professor, Adult and Career Education Department, received a FY 2009 grant award from the Career, Technical and Agricultural Education (CTAE) Resource Network for the New Teacher Institute and New Teacher Institute Internship and Mentoring Program. This project will help meet the needs of Trade and Industrial and Healthcare Science Technology Education across Georgia by preparing new teachers to provide well managed and effective classrooms for career and technical students.
Dr. Linda de la Garza, assistant professor of chemistry, was recently award a grant from the National Science Foundation (through the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia) for her project on Photosynthesis and Bioinorganic Hybrid Systems. This research involves defining basic principles that govern solar energy conversion via the study of electron transfer reactions within novel structures in natural and biomimetic photosynthesis. Dr. de la Garza is one of only 13 faculty members nationwide to qualify for the Faculty and Student Team (FAST) project at Department of Energy laboratories. She and two of her students will spend the summer at Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Ill., where they will have the opportunity to become actively involved in ongoing research, have access to state-of-the-art equipment and instruments, and interact with senior researchers.
Dr. J. Mitchell Lockhart, Associate Professor, Biology Department, was awarded a grant from the U.S. Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity (USAMRAA), Fort Detrick, Md., for his continuing Gopher Tortoise Demography Study at Moody Air Force Base, Georgia. This project involves trapping and collecting biological samples from gopher tortoises for disease testing.
June
University Attorney Laverne Lewis Gaskins was appointed to the State Bar of Georgia's Board of Governors as a Member-At-Large representing Post 3. The Board of Governors is comparable to a legislative body, representing the interests of the approximately 36,500 lawyers in Georgia. Gaskins' previous Bar activities include appointments to the committees on the Unauthorized Practice of Law and Women & Minorities. Her Board of Governors appointment is a two-year term expiring June 2010.
Dr. Nanci A. Scheetz, Professor, Middle, Secondary, Reading and Deaf Education Department, was awarded a grant (for year 5) from the U.S. Department of Education. This grant supports the preparation of educational interpreters through an innovative, comprehensive, Web-based distance learning/field-based program, and involves collaboration with school districts and educators in area schools. This project helps students in rural areas to receive bachelor's degrees from VSU and to earn educational interpreting certification.
Dr. Donna N. Sewell, professor of English, was recently awarded a grant from the National Writing Project to continue the Blackwater Writing Project at VSU for its 14th year. This program supports the improvement of writing and the teaching of writing through a professional development model that invests in area teachers.
July
At the four-day College and University Professional Association for Human Resources Southern Region Conference, Valdosta State University's Human Resources and Employee Development department took home the Excellence in Human Resources Practice Award.
Laverne Lewis Gaskins, Valdosta State University Office of Legal Affairs, is now a member of the Florida State University, College of Law, Alumni Association's Board of Directors.
The Student Success Center tutor training program has received international certification by the College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA). Additionally, VSU's application is considered an exemplary model, and CRLA has asked for permission to showcase the application/training program at national conferences. For tutors, certification is evidence of rigorous training, which establishes credibility for resumes as well as builds confidence and expertise. For VSU, the certification demonstrates the excellent academic support provided for any student. Those utilizing tutoring services will know they are working with highly qualified individuals, who are part of only the 10th University System of Georgia program to receive the coveted certification.
The Master of Library and Information Science Program was recently approved to host a chapter of Beta Phi Mu, the International Library & Information Studies Honor Society. The VSU chapter was installed at the Annual Meeting of the American Library Association in Anaheim, CA, on June 28, with many VSU representatives in attendance, including Dr. Wallace Koehler and Dr. Elaine Yontz from the MLIS Program; Emily Rogers from Odum Library; MLIS alumni Lori Lester and Ruth Hayden; and current MLIS students Christopher Baker and Jennifer Yontz-Orlando. Dr. George Gaumond accepted the charter for our Beta Beta Mu chapter, the newest chapter in over twenty years.
Dr. Theresa J. Grove, Principal Investigator and Assistant Professor, Biology Department, and Dr. Timothy J. Fort, Assistant Professor, Biology Department, were recently awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation. In their research project, "Thermal Adaptation of Killifish: The Role of Calsequestrin in Glycolytic Skeletal Muscle," they propose to characterize the structure and function of the calcium binding protein calsequestrin (CSQ) from the fast twitch muscle of teleost fish in the family Fundulidae that are adapted to different environments, and to characterize the muscle mechanics of white muscle from these fish and determine the importance of CSQ.
Dr. George Gaumond was reappointed as a member of the State Board for the Certification of Librarians by Governor Sonny Perdue on July 8. Dr. Gaumond's term of office ends December 31, 2012. He is currently the chairman of the State Board.
Dr. Dorothy Dye, Director, Learning/Service Center, and Dr. Marty Giddings, Director, Division of Social Work, were recently awarded a grant from the Department of Human Resources/Southeast Georgia Area Agency on Aging, A Division of the Southeast Georgia Regional Development Center. This grant allows for the continuation of the "Alzheimer's Day Care Program" at Valdosta State University to provide quality adult day care services for individuals with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.
For the third year in a row VSU, represented by Dr. Ivan Nikolov, Dr. Viki Soady, and David Starling, was awarded a Foreign Language Assistants (FLTA) program grant. The award is part of the Fulbright Program initiative to host for one academic year instructors of Arabic, Chinese, and Russian - languages of critical importance for the national security. The visitors will participate in national and community conferences and events, attend graduate level classes at VSU, and serve as resources for community engagement (outreach).
August
Ms. Deborah S. Davis, certified archivist, Odum Library, and Dr. Catherine Oglesby, professor, History Department, were recently awarded a grant to preserve and provide public access to a collection of letters, photographs, scrapbooks, postcards and other items of historical significance, maintained by Leona Roberts Strickland Hudson, the owner of the collection, now deceased. The Valdosta State University Foundation received funding from the estate of Mrs. Hudson, and is contracting with Valdosta State University's Odum Library archives department to provide management and preservation services for this collection, dating back to 1883.
Mimi McGahee, Director, Educational Technology Training Center (ETTC), recently received a grant award from the Georgia Department of Education, which allows the VSU ETTC to offer local school districts the Georgia Assessment for the Certification of Education (GACE)/Computer Skill Competency (CSC) Assessment, a requirement for Georgia teacher certification.
Dr. Mark Blackmore, Professor, Biology Department, received a FY2009 award from the Lowndes County Board of Health (LCBH), which will continue to support a mosquito collection project in Valdosta and Lowndes County for West Nile Virus research.