|
THIRD FRONTIER GRANT AWARDED
A University research project is a recipient of an Ohio Third Frontier Commission grant.
The $800,000 Action Fund grant was awarded to a research team, including The University of Akron, to design a secure computer network. The $1.6 billion Third Frontier Project has been established by Gov. Bob Taft to create high-tech, high-paying jobs in the state.
UA’s Division of Information Technology Services is collaborating with Westlake, Ohio-based Western DataCom and San Jose, Calif.-based Cisco Systems Inc., on the project, which is intended to create a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) modem to support high-speed, secure communications.
CDMA is a wireless technology based on mathematical algorithms that facilitates faster and more reliable data transmission. The initial target market for this modem is federal law enforcement, intelligence and military agencies, and state and local government first responders.
Top
ART LINKLETTER TO SPEAK ON NOV. 3
|
|
| Art Linkletter |
Assuring that “Old Age Is Not for Sissies,” American icon Art Linkletter will speak at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 3 at E. J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall. With his signature humor, the 90-year-old Linkletter will address a variety of issues associated with caregiving and the aging process. His talk is the fourth event in the 2003-2004 University of Akron Forum Series, and is sponsored by Summa Health System. Tickets are $4 each for faculty, staff and students with a Zip Card.
In a career that spans more than 60 years in radio, television and print, Linkletter is best known for his roles on “House Party” and “People Are Funny,” he also is the author of ‘Kids Say the Darndest Things” and “Old Age Is Not for Sissies.”
Linkletter has received two Emmy Awards, one Grammy Award and 10 honorary doctorate degrees. He has served on the President's National Advisory Council for Drug Abuse Prevention, the Presidential Commission to Improve Reading in the United States, the President’s Commission on Fitness and Physical Education, and he was named Ambassador to Australia and Commissioner General to the 150th Australian Anniversary Celebration by President Reagan.
Top
MIDWEST ECONOMICS CONFERENCE
More than 100 participants from 11 states are already registered for the Midwest Conference on Student Learning in Economics: Innovation, Assessment and Classroom Research being hosted by the Department of Economics on Nov. 7. The one-day event will be held in the Student Union.
“Doing Classroom Research and Getting it Published” is the topic for William Becker, a professor of economics at Indiana University and the editor of The Journal of Economic Education. His talk is scheduled from 2:15 to 3:40 p.m. in the Student Union Theatre and is open to the entire University community.
Becker’s talk also is part of the Institute for Teaching and Learning Distinguished Visiting Scholar Seminar Series.
Another featured speaker for the day is Paul Romer, a professor of economics in the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University and a Senior Fellow of the Hoover Institution. At 8:50 a.m. he will present “Using Technology So Students Learn More (and Professors Work Less).”
This conference was organized under the leadership of Steven Myers, UA associate professor of economics; and sponsored by the Committee on Economic Education of the American Economic Association; The Calvin K. Kazanjian Economics Foundation, Inc.; and the National Council on Economic Education, Aplia, Inc., as well as the University’s Institute for Teaching and Learning and the Barker Center for Economic Education.
For more conference information, contact Michael Nelson, chair of the Department of Economics, at ext. 7939 or nelson2@uakron.edu , or visit the conference Web site here.
Top
CIVIL WAR IS FOCUS FOR KNEPPER LECTURER
Thavolia Glymph, assistant professor of African and African American studies and history at Duke University, will deliver the 2003 George W. Knepper Lecture on Oct. 30 at 7:30 p.m. at Martin University Center.
“Liberty Dearly Bought: The Making of Civil War Memory in Afro-American Communities in the South" is the title for her presentation, Both the talk and the reception that will follow are free and open to the public.
Glymph is the author of several essays on slavery, emancipation and the U.S. Civil War and Reconstruction, economic history and southern women. Her current work focuses on southern women in the transition from slavery to freedom and the formation of an Afro-American women’s radical culture in the postbellum South.
The annual lecture was created in 1994 to honor George W. Knepper, a specialist of Ohio history and UA distinguished professor emeritus of history. For more information, contact Abel Bartley at ext. 4909.
Top
2003 AMERICAN HEART WALK COMES TO CAMPUS
Registrations are being taken now for the annual American Heart Walk, planned for Nov. 1. This is the third consecutive year that the event will be hosted here on campus.
The American Heart Association has committed $110,000 to fund two research projects in the departments of biology and chemistry. The lead investigators on these projects are biology professors Daniel Ely and Amy Milsted.
This year’s walk will start at 9 a.m. at the James A. Rhodes Health and Physical Education Building and continue through campus. Participants will have the opportunity to walk the 2.5-mile route as many times as possible to raise money for the association’s efforts.
Approximately 1,500 walkers of all ages are expected to participate in this noncompetitive event. The walkers raise money by asking friends, family members and co-workers to sponsor them. Funds raised through the walk not only support research, such as the work being done at UA, but local community service and public education programs as well.
Major sponsors for the event, in addition to UA, include Summa Health System, Children’s Hospital Medical Center of Akron, InfoCision Management Corp., Akron General Medical Center, Kaiser Permanente, Sequoia Financial Group LLC, Barberton Citizen’s Hospital, Akron Cardiology Consultants, The Heart Group Inc., Akron Beacon Journal, Akron Life and Leisure magazine, Time Warner Cable, WAKR-AM and WONE-FM.
Event co-chairs are Nick George of Buckingham Doolittle and Burroughs, and Tom Luck of Lucky Shoes.
For more information, call the Summit County American Heart Association at 330-867-9987.
Top
ORSSP PLANS OPEN HOUSE
The Office of Research Services and Sponsored Programs, in conjunction with the Office of Technology Transfer, The University of Akron Research Foundation and the Controller’s Office, will host an open house on Nov. 7 from 9 a.m. to noon at the ORSSP offices in Polsky 284 (use the direct entrance on State Street).
New faculty are especially encouraged to attend so they can meet the research services staff and post-award grant accountants. Contact Mary Dingler at ext. 7774 or mdingler@uakron.edu for more details and to R.S.V.P.
Top
LAW PROFESSOR TAKES OFFICE
|
|
| Carolyn Dessin |
Carolyn Dessin, associate professor of law, is the newly elected president of the Central States Law School Association for the 2003-04 academic year. As president, Dessin, along with the School of Law, will host the CSLSA 2004 annual conference.
“The annual conference brings together legal scholars from several dozen schools to present papers on various significant topics,” says Dessin. “It’s a marvelous opportunity for The University of Akron School of Law to showcase its own legal scholarship.”
Prior to joining the University, Dessin, who primarily teaches taxation and contracts, was law clerk to The Honorable Collins J. Seitz, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Dessin earned a Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, at Villanova University, where she was editor-in-chief of the Villanova Law Review, and a member of the Order of the Coif.
Top
CELEBRATION OF TEACHING EXCELLENCE
On Oct. 3, three of the University’s own were honored by the Northeast Ohio Council on Higher Education at the organization’s “Celebration of Teaching Excellence in Northeast Ohio” luncheon in Cleveland.
The University of Akron honorees are Harold Foster, professor of education; Antonio Quesada, professor of mathematics; and Kathleen Ross-Alaolmolki, director of nursing education.
Fifty-six instructors in all were chosen from more than 9,000 full and part-time faculty at the region’s higher education institutions to be honored. Those recognized represent a wide range of academic disciplines, ranks and degree levels. Each recipient was presented with a Celebration of Teaching Excellence Award, named for the event.
“This list of great teachers underscores the quality and breath of higher education throughout northeast Ohio,” said Charles W. Hickman, NOCHE’s executive director. “These faculty, and many of their colleagues, are a primary reason why students from all 50 states and around the world select colleges and universities in our region to pursue their baccalaureate and graduate level studies.”
Top
|
|
|
|
POLYMER ALUMNI HONOR DEAN
|
|
| Frank Kelley |
Frank Kelley, dean of the College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering since 1988, was honored with the 2003 Outstanding Alumni Award at the Department of Polymer Science’s Alumni Day Symposium on Oct. 3. Under his leadership, the University’s polymer program has become the largest in the United States.
Stephen Cheng, department chair, spoke at the event, along with such distinguished polymer alumni as James LeMay, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories; Ross Stacer, University of Massachusetts at Lowell; and Lynn Yanyo, Lord Corp.
Kelley is a University alumnus three times over. He earned a bachelor of science degree in chemistry in 1958, a master of science degree in polymer chemistry in 1959 and a doctorate in polymer chemistry in1961.
While serving in the U.S. Air Force, Kelley was assigned to the Air Force Rocket Propulsion Laboratory at Edwards Air Force Base in California, and remained at the laboratory in a civilian status after the completion of his tour. He conducted research and managed technical programs associated with solid-propellant mechanical properties. He was named chief of propellant development in 1966, chief of advanced plans in 1970 and chief scientist in 1971.
In 1973, Kelley transferred to the position of chief scientist of the Air Force Materials Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton. In 1977 he was named laboratory director. He returned to UA in 1978 to serve as director of the Institute of Polymer Science.
Kelley has received many professional awards and honors, including the Rubber Age Award, the AIAA Outstanding Technical Contribution Award, the Air Force Commendation Medal, the Civilian Meritorious Service Medal in 1967 and 1978, and the Exceptional Civilian Service Award from the Secretary of the Air Force.
Top
SUMMER RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS
The University provides funds for faculty research grants and summer fellowships. The Faculty Research Committee evaluates grant and fellowship proposals and determines which will be funded. Full-time faculty from all disciplines are eligible to apply.
The deadline for proposals for the Faculty Research Fellowship for Summer 2004 is Nov. 14 at 4 p.m. These fellowships are for $8,000. Additional remuneration by the University is limited.
Guidelines for the preparation of proposals and applications are available from the Office of Research Services and Sponsored Programs, located in The Polsky Building, Room 284, (+2102). This information also is available on the ORSSP Web page at http://www3.uakron.edu/orssp .
For more information, call Elizabeth Kinion, chair, at ext. 5550; Mary Dingler at ext. 7774, or the ORSSP office at ext. 7666.
Top
APA HONORS PSYCHOLOGY PROFESSOR
|
|
| Charles Waehler |
The American Psychological Association Division of Counseling Psychology presented Charles Waehler, an associate professor of psychology, with its “Outstanding Contribution Award in The Counseling Psychologist.”
The Counseling Psychologist regularly publishes major treatises that reflect significant scholarship and substantial contributions that advance the specialty. The annual award acknowledges exceptional scholarship in treatises published within a particular year of the journal.
Waehler, along with his co-authors Bruce Wampold of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and James Lichtenberg of the University of Kansas, accepted the award during the American Psychological Association's 2003 annual convention for the article “Principles of Empirically-supported Interventions in Counseling Psychology,” published in March 2002.
Waehler, who joined the University in 1989, is director of training in UA’s Collaborative Program in Counseling Psychology. He is a practicing psychologist with Cornerstone Comprehensive Psychological Services in Medina, and the author of the book “Bachelors: The Psychology of Men Who Haven’t Married.”
Top
BLISS INSTITUTE HELPS SET BAR FOR ONLINE CAMPAIGN STANDARDS
The Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics has joined forces with the Illinois Institute of Technology’s Chicago-Kent College of Law to help address standards and practices that govern the uses of new technologies, including the Internet, through the formation of the Standards Association for Elections Online.
A nonprofit organization, SAFE is developing standards and practices for online campaign activity. The group endorses third-party monitors to certify that campaign Web sites follow its standards.
“SAFE is establishing methods to ensure transparency and security in online political Web sites,” says Rick Farmer, a UA assistant professor of political science and fellow in the Bliss Institute. “Ensuring these standards is critical if we are to realize the Internet's potential for political communication and interaction.”
Top
ENTERTAINMENT BOOKS AVAILABLE
The Society of Women Engineers is selling Entertainment Books for 2004 that contain savings for many local restaurants and attractions. Akron and Canton area books are available for $28. Books for the Cleveland area are available at $25 until Dec. 1. Entertainment books also may be ordered for other cities in the United States.
For more information, contact the society at akronswe@yahoo.com .
Top
HILLTOPPERS SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED
Seventeen University students are recipients of the Hilltoppers Scholarship for the 2003-04 academic year.
The Hilltoppers Scholarship — at $500 per academic year — is a renewable award for students who maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA or better and a class load of at least 12 credit hours per semester.
Since 1956, the Hilltoppers, an alumni organization, has supported the University by encouraging contributions of personal and financial support from both alumni and friends of The University of Akron.
Top
UNIVERSITY COLLEAGUE HONORED
Summit Academy, a community school for alternative learners, has renamed its original building at 864 East Market St. the Dr. James T. Hardy Center for Educational Leadership. Hardy, an associate dean of the College of Education, died on Dec. 3, 2000, after a long illness.
A longtime educator and community leader, Hardy served in the Akron Public Schools in addition to his years at the University. An advocate for children with special needs and a promoter of educational reform, Hardy worked closely with Peter DiMezza, founder of Summit Academy Schools.
Present at the Sept. 30 dedication ceremony were family members and friends, University colleagues, representatives from the city of Akron and many members of the community.
Top
PRESERVING A PART OF HISTORY
It took visionaries and volunteers, as well as many years, to preserve and restore the Ohio & Erie Canal as a valuable resource for public recreational use.
At the forefront of that effort, from late 1964 through 1970, was Al Simpson, a columnist for the Canton Repository, and Ralph Regula, the village solicitor of Navarre who later became a member of the Ohio Legislature, and who now is the U.S. congressman from Ohio’s 16th district.
Through the 1960s, Simpson wrote often about how he and Regula explored the old canal and developed the idea of saving the canal land for future generations. His columns helped to generate and sustain grassroots public interest in the canal.
Those columns have now been compiled into a book by University Libraries, “Along the Towpath — A Journalist Rediscovers the Ohio & Erie Canal.” Russ Musarra edited the book, and Chuck Ayers provided illustrations for it. The columns are introduced in a foreword written by Lynn R. Metzger, professor emeritus of anthropology at the University, and a prologue written by Simpson.
For more information or to reserve a copy of the book, contact Julia Gammon, acquisitions department head, at ext. 6254. Hardcover copies are priced at $29.95; softcover copies are $19.95.
Top
|
