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2009 Achievement Notes
September
Dr. Brian C. Ring, assistant professor of biology, received a grant award from the National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. His project, Mechanisms of Ovotetsis Development, involves research to understand gonadal development using a fish hermaphroditic model. Data generated from this study will contribute to the general knowledge of reproductive biology of vertebrates. These funds were made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).
Eric Howington, assistant professor of management, co-authored manuscript titled, “Gender Comparison of C-Reactive Protein and Cardiovascular Disease Risk in College Students and Intercollegiate Athletes,” which will be published in the Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness.
The Southern Business and Economic Journal will publish a manuscript written by Dr. David Kuhlmeier, assistant professor of marketing, and Dr. Cliff Lipscomb, assistant professor of economics, titled "Perceptions of Trust in City and County Electronic Government Sites."
Dr. Len Weld, department head and professor of accounting and finance, has published “Courts Rule Against Current Deduction of Lease Payments” in the September 2009 issue of Strategic Finance, which is the flagship publication of the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA), the world's leading association for management accounting and finance professionals.
Colombia native Dr. Luis G. Bejarano, associate professor in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages, became VSU's only certified Oral Proficiency Interviewer for the American Council of the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). The rigorous and prestigious role qualifies Bejarano to certify Spanish education majors throughout the United States. As part of an area translators guild, Bejarano also dedicates his time to translating student handbooks for area schools and employee handbooks for Georgia farms with Hispanic workforces. Bejarano, who specialize in multicultural studies and language education, has also served the community by translating for migrant workers and conducting quality service interviews for the Babies Can't Wait program. In 2008, the avid runner's photography was showcased during the 2008 Hispanic Heritage Month exhibit at the Odum Library. His art work, which ranges from watercolor to mix media, will also be featured at the Odum Library in Spring 2010.
August
Dr. Selena Nawrocki, associate professor of art, presented a creative scholarship paper entitled, “Vertigo," at the Interior Design Educators Council Conference in St. Louis, MO. Her artwork has also been accepted in the following national competitions/exhibitions: Art Connections 5 in Montclair, NJ; the 2009 MUW Alumni Juried Exhibition in Columbus, MS; the VMRC Sixth Annual Juried Art Exhibition in Harrisonburg, VA; the 20th Annual Juried Competition in Rock Hill, SC; and Exhibit-09 ONE at the Infinity Art Gallery in Eugene, OR.
Dr. Fred Ware, professor of Management, published a case in the spring 2009 issue of the Southeast Case Research (SECRA)Journal. The case, "Service in Academia: The Nobel Prize Doesn't Count!" is supported with teaching notes and recommendations backed by a literature search.
July
Dr. Dorothy Dye, director of My Friend’s House, Alzheimer’s Daycare Program, and Dr. Marty Giddings, director 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 for the continuation of the "Alzheimer's Daycare Program" at Valdosta State University. This program provides quality adult daycare services for individuals with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.
The Institut de Recherches Servier recently amended a grant to Dr. Robert L. Gannon, department head and professor of biology, to continue funding for another year. His project involves an evaluation of the efficacy of proprietary compounds developed by Servier in modulating hamster circadian activity rhythms and on anti-anxiety and anti-depressive properties of the compounds.
Dr. Verilette A. Hinkle, Dr. Kerry T. Hinkle and Dr. David M. Monetti authored an article titled "What a Difference Data-In-A-Day Makes" that was published by Community Works (http://www.vermontcommunityworks.org/), a service learning organization. It can be read at http://www.vermontcommunityworks.org/exemplars/exemphghed/datainaday.html.
This summer, Dr. Steven J. Kohn upon being selected by the Psychology Department at Fordham University to receive the 10th Psi Chi Outstanding Alumnus Award.
Global music publisher, Colla Voice, Inc., recently published three pieces composed by Dr. James Shrader, professor and head of the VSU Department of Music. The works are: “In the Bleak Midwinter,” with text by Christina Rosetti; “Trust in Me," based on a Shaker Tune from 1876; and “On Christmas Night,” with text from the traditional English Sussex Carol.
Dr. Darrell Fike's poem "Buddha at the Barbershop" appears in the latest issue of Apalachee Review and is featured on the journal's Web site, http://apalacheereview.org.
June
Suzanne Barnett, director of the Small Business Development Center (SBDC), received a continuing award from the U.S. Small Business Administration through the University of Georgia to assist in the operation of the VSU SBDC during 2009.
Dr. Jean Temple, associate dean for the College of Nursing, received a continuing award from the Department of Health and Human Services/Health Resources and Services Administration for the Advanced Education Nursing Traineeships for FY2010. This project supports registered nurses enrolled in Valdosta State University’s masters nursing program.
Dr. Karla Hull, professor and interim dean of the Graduate School, Dr. Shirley Thompson, assistant professor, and Dr. Lynn C. Minor, acting department head and associate professor in the Early Childhood and Special Education Department, received one year of funding that is part of a five-year award from the U.S. Department of Education. Their project, Seeking to Prepare Highly Qualified Special Education/Early Childhood Educators (SEEC), is designed to support early childhood and special education programs in restructuring the dual certification program.
Dr. Donna N. Sewell, professor of English, was again awarded a grant from the National Writing Project to continue the Blackwater Writing Project at VSU for another year (its 15th year). This grant supports the improvement of writing and the teaching of writing through a professional development model that invests in area teachers.
Dr. J. Mitchell Lockhart, professor of biology, 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.
May
Dr. David J. Hedgepeth, associate professor and principal investigator, Early Childhood and Special Education Department, Dr. Emily Cantonwine, assistant professor, Biology Department, and Dr. Brian Gerber, director for Curriculum Content, Research and Technology, were recently awarded by the U.S. Department of Education through the University of Georgia Teacher Quality Office. Their project, entitled Creating Classroom Gardens for Critters, Kids and Curriculum, is intended to help teachers become experts in content that will allow them to use schoolyard habitats and gardens to integrate student-centered inquiry about the natural world into their curriculum.
Dr. Leslie S. Jones, associate professor, Biology Department, received a grant from the U.S. Department of Education/UGA Teacher Quality Office, for her project "Strengthening the Teaching of Evolution in South Georgia Schools." This initiative will provide area science teachers with opportunities to enhance their own understanding of biological evolution and become acquainted with a variety of instructional strategies developed to minimize the impact of the evolution/creationism controversy.
Terence Sullivan, academic advisor, was selected to receive a NACADA Scholarship from the National Academic Advising Association as part of the 2009 Annual Awards Program for Academic Advising. Sullivan is working towards an Ed.D. in Educational Leadership at VSU.
April
Dr. Marty Giddings, director and professor, Division of Social Work, and Carol Smith, project coordinator, were recently awarded 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. Gary Lynn Wood, professor of chemistry and coordinator for the Center for Applied Research, was recently awarded a grant from the South Georgia Coalition to End Homelessness to conduct a survey of Valdosta and Lowndes County homeless individuals for the coalition.
Dr. Gretchen Bielmyer, assistant professor of biology, was awarded a grant from the City of Jacksonville, Florida, in collaboration with the University of North Florida. Her project, State of the River Report for the Lower St. Johns River, involves analyzing and comparing the water quality in representative tributaries and the mainstem of the Lower St. Johns River.
Dr. Sharon Gravett, assistant vice president for Academic Affairs, was recently awarded a grant from the U.S. Department of Education/GA Board of Regents/GA Institute of Technology for a project titled, “Adult Learning Focused Institutions (ALFI) Survey.” This award allows VSU to develop a template and guidelines for establishment of Adult Learning Focused Institutions (with priority on underrepresented adults returning to college) within the University System of Georgia and to implement an ALFI survey at VSU using best practices in organizational management.
February
Dr. James Ernest, assistant professor in the Early Childhood and Special Education Department, was recently award a grant from the Georgia Department of Human Resources for the continuation of the Babies Can’t Wait program for FY2009 (Year 14). This project provides community-based services for children with disabilities, their families and their service providers.
Dr. Fred Ware, professor of Management, had a case published in the fall 2008 Southeast Case Research Association (SECRA) Journal titled "Passing the Torch or Torching the Past?"
Dr. Cliff Lipscomb, assistant professor in the Marketing and Economics Department, and director of the Center for Business and Economic Research, and Dr. Mel Schnake, professor of management in the College of business, have contracted with the City of Adel, Georgia, to conduct a pay and job classification study.
Dr. Kathe Lowney was recently appointed editor of the American Sociological Association's journal, "Teaching Sociology." She will be the editor for a three year term. This journal is the chief pedagogical publication in the discipline of sociology.
November
Dr. Yakov Woldman, associate professor of Chemistry, was recently awarded a grant from the National Institutes of Health/The Ohio State University Research Foundation through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). The title of his project is NanoSPINs for In Vivo EPR-Based Spectroscopy and Imaging and seeks to develop a new generation of paramagnetic, functionally oriented probes for the needs of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy and imaging.
October
Dr. J. Patrick Biddix, assistant professor and coordinator of the higher education graduate program, authored a manuscript, “Technology Uses in Campus Activism from 2000-2008: Implications for Civic Learning,” which will be published early 2011 in the Journal of College Student Development (JCSD). JCSD is the prominent journal for research on student development, accepting only 10-15 percent of manuscripts submitted annually.
Dr. Kathleen Lowney, professor in the Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice Department, was awarded funding from the American Sociological Association for operation of the editorial office for Teaching Sociology, a refereed journal of the Association.
Dr. Kent Moore’s article, “The Influence of Student Race and Socioeconomic Status on Economics End-of-Course Test Scores,” has been accepted for publication in the Southeastern Teacher Education Journal.
Dr. Cliff Lipscomb and Dr. Brandon Koford, Department of Marketing and Economics, co-authored the paper, "Conservative Dichotomous Choice Responses in the Active Policy Setting: The Case of University Parking," which will be published in Applied Economics Letters.
Dr. Cliff Lipscomb's manuscript, authored with Michael Farmer and Justin Ross, "Inconsistency in Welfare Inferences from Distance Variables in Hedonic Regressions," has been accepted for publication in The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics.
January
Dr. Brian Gerber, director for Curriculum Content, Research and Technology, College of Education, received a grant, funded by a partnership between the National Science Foundation, GA Department of Education, GA Board of Regents, and GA Tech, for the NSF “Partnership for Reform in Science and Mathematics (PRISM)” Project. This award allows Dr. Gerber to deliver video content that addresses the Georgia Performance Standards in high school biology and physical science courses.
Dr. Denise T. Reid and Pat Bezona, professor and assistant professor of mathematics and computer science department, were awarded a grant from the Association for Women in Mathematics/Elizabeth City State University/National Security Agency, to support the VSU Sonia Kovalevsky High School Mathematics Day in April 2009. This program brings female high school sophomores and juniors to the campus for workshops, career presentations, a math competition and mentoring.
Undergraduates Tiffany M. Cochran and Tasha N. Gaylor have been invited to present their research at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) on February 12-16 in Chicago, Illinois. Both students were part of the Faculty and Student Research Team headed by Dr. Linda de la Garza, associate professor of chemistry, and sponsored by NSF and DOE. The three of them collaborated during the summer of 2008 with Dr. Tijana Rajh of the Center for Nanoscale Materials at Argonne National Laboratory in the photo-electrochemical characterization of TiO2 and conductive polymer hybrids for improving photo-induced charge-separation. Their research results will be published in the peer-reviewed DOE Journal of Undergraduate Research.