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News release prepared by: Brynn BoyerA World Class Education
Dave Toth and Collaborator Win Award
Dave Toth, assistant professor of computer science, and his collaborator, Dr. Jimmy Franco, an assistant professor of chemistry at Merrimack College, were one of two winners of the 2012 Undergraduate Computational Engineering and Sciences (UCES) Award. The winners were selected from a set of finalists for the award who were invited to present their work in Boston on February 27th at the 2013 SIAM Conference on Computational Science & Engineering.
The web site of the Krell Institute, which administers the award, states that “the UCES Award program was created to promote and enhance undergraduate education in computational engineering and science (CES). The program encourages development of innovative educational resources and programs, recognizes the achievements of CES undergraduate educators, and serves to disseminate educational material and ideas to the broad scientific and engineering undergraduate community. Awarded annually, UCES is funded by the Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellowship program administered by the Krell Institute.
The purpose of the UCES Award program is to recognize undergraduate faculty who have recently developed courses, programs, and/or curricular material. Such contributions need not be broad in scope, but should be innovative and transferable to other institutions or programs.”
Toth & Franco created a week-long lab activity that teaches students how to perform virtual screening with a supercomputer to identify potential drugs. They published their work in the Journal of Computational Science Education. The materials for the activity, including a 27 page full-color lab manual and other materials people would need to use the lab in their own courses are available online.
Kristen LePine Performs at Intersection Arts Festival
Office Sustainability Tip of the Week
When most of us think about sustainability, I would imagine the topics that immediately come to mind include reducing waste, recycling on a regular basis, and conserving energy. But what about the ultimate act of sustainability — donating blood.
I’ve been donating blood on a regular basis for a little over ten years. However, I have been technically eligible to donate blood for about 20 (wait–that can’t be right–I cannot be that old!). So why did I go ten years without donating? Well, like many people, the main reason I never donated was because I was never asked. On those occasions when I would pass a blood drive being held at my college while I was a student, I would never seriously considered donating. I would think of needles and how I’d rather not get stuck with one (how many of you are in this boat?). No one I knew personally had come and asked me to donate, and no one I knew was donating blood that day, so where was my personal connection with the whole thing? And probably at that moment I didn’t even have the time to donate. You know college students–so very busy and only have time for studying and nothing else. In retrospect, for me these are all pretty flimsy excuses. When I was in my mid-twenties, a co-worker organized a blood drive and asked me if I wanted to donate. It was probably the first time I had ever been asked, and I remember initially being hesitant like many of us are when we are asked to do something we’ve never done before. But after she explained to me what was involved (a mini-physical is performed where the technician checks your pulse, blood pressure, temperature, and hemoglobin level, you answer some basic questions about your lifestyle, travel history, and medication/health history, the donation itself takes about 8-10 minutes, and you then enjoy some refreshments before you leave), it was hard to find a legitimate reason to say no. I can honestly say that donating blood for the first time changed my life and I’ve been donating either blood or platelets on a regular basis ever since. I would like to think that most of us live our lives thinking about how we can help others. When you donate blood, you can save up to three lives. What better way is there to help others than giving the precious sustainable gift of life?
So if you’ve never donated blood before and are eligible (tips for first time donors), please consider stopping by one of the many blood drives that UMW holds throughout the year. If you cannot donate because you are ineligible, encourage others to donate. The Fredericksburg Campus organizes several drives throughout each semester, and the Stafford Campus has been holding blood drives every six months since Fall 2011. The last blood drive at the Fredericksburg Campus took place on February 19th, and the next blood drive at the Stafford Campus will take place on April 10th. If you’d like to make an appointment to donate blood on April 10th at the Stafford Campus, please email me (kcaffrey@umw.edu). Colleges and Universities play one of the biggest roles in collecting blood by holding drives on a regular basis. These drives are not just for students — they are for staff, faculty, friends, family– anyone and everyone in the campus and local community. So will I see you at the next blood drive? You can look for me at the refreshment table. I’ll be the guy who just saved some lives and is kicking back enjoying a big bunch of Oreos.
For some additional facts about donating blood, go to: http://www.redcrossblood.org/learn-about-blood/blood-facts-and-statistics
If you have any suggestions for things we can all do differently each day to create more sustainable environments, please feel free to leave a comment or email me the idea to be featured in a future Tip of the Week. The PCS Action Group members for the “Office Sustainability Tip of the Week” are Kevin Caffrey, Elizabeth Sanders, Robert Louzek, and Dre Anthes.
Last Week’s Tip: How To Turn Consumers Green.
UMW Wins CASE Award
The Division of Advancement and University Relations received an Award of Excellence from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). The award was announced Tuesday, Feb. 19 at the District III conference in Atlanta in recognition of a new publication designed to encourage donors to put “Mary Washington First” in their philanthropic giving and estate plans. A complete listing of all CASE District III awards is available at http://www.casethree.org/award_programs/2013_award_winners.html
Upcoming COAR Events: Variety Show and Spring Festival
Mark your calendars: COAR’s Variety Show is fast approaching. The event will be Saturday, March 16 at 7:30 p.m. in the Great Hall. Come out to see UMW’s most talented performers “raise the roof” to support Habitat for Humanity! From a capella groups such as One Note Stand to the UMW Dance Team, the Variety Show will definitely be a night to remember! Admission is free, but bring your spare change for chances to enter raffle drawings for great prizes. All proceeds will benefit COAR’s Alternative Break Programs, which give students the opportunity to go on Habitat for Humanity trips during Fall and Spring Break.
Are you looking for a fun weekend activity with your children? Join COAR at the President’s home at Brompton for an afternoon of fun! This year COAR will be hosting its annual Spring Forward Festival on Sunday, March 24 from 1 to 4 p.m. The afternoon will be filled with spring-oriented crafts and hourly egg hunts. The event is free of charge.
If you have any questions about either event, contact COAR by email at coarumw@gmail.com or by phone at (540) 654-1802.
UMW Hosts Statewide Conference on Digital Learning, March 7
UMW will host the inaugural Open and Digital Learning Resources Conference, known as OpenVA, on March 7 at the Fredericksburg campus. The conference will bring together more than 250 stakeholders from across Virginia. Professors, education technology specialists, administrators and thought leaders will use exhibits, panel discussions and facilitated TED-like talks to tackle the big questions facing higher education:
- How can digital learning resources and networked educational experiences lower costs?
- What challenges and opportunities do MOOCs bring for Virginia institutions?
- How can we create new collaborative partnerships across the Commonwealth?
- How can digital technologies positively impact student outcomes?
Many UMW faculty members and students will present during the conference, including Lisa Ames, Karen Anewalt, Gail Brooks, Martha Burtis, Teresa Coffman, Stephen Davies, Stephen Gallik, Suzanne Houff, Mary Kayler, Elizabeth Lewis, Jeffrey McClurken, George Meadows, Krystyn Moon, Nicole Myers, Tim Owens, Andy Rush and Mara Scanlon.
The conference is an initiative of the Office of Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV), the Virginia Community College System and 14 partner institutions. For more information, contact Jim Groom at jgroom@umw.edu.
Business Services February 2013 eUpdate
February 2013 Updates and Announcements
- Procurement Services
- SPCC Refresher Training Available
- eVA News & Changes
- Market Basket Item Comparison
- Contract Activity
- Recyclemania
- Bookstore
- Great Lives Series
- EagleOne
- CVS Now Accepting EageOne
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SPCC REFRESHER TRAINING AVAILABLE
Procurement Services offers SPCC refresher training every 3rd Wednesday at 3:00pm, in the Eagle Village 4th Floor Conference Room. Please contact Melissa Myers at x1057 if you would like to attend.
Upcoming 2013 Training Dates:
- March 20
- April 17
- May 15
- June 19
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eVA NEWS & CHANGES
eVA Downtime
eVA will be down for server maintenance from 5pm. Friday, March 1st, through 7am Monday, March 4th.
During this period eVA Logins (buyer & vendor) and public access to the VBO will be unavailable.
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Message to eVA Buyers regarding State Entered Vendors (SEV)
Please review the following important information as it pertains to using your SPCC in eVA with SEVs.
Questions can also be brought forward in the BUG meeting.
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eVA Problems?
If you are experiencing problems with eVA, please contact Pacifique Munezero in Procurement Services at x1127.
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MARKET BASKET ITEM COMPARISON
December 2012 Market Basket survey compared the following items:
Item | Price* | Company |
CRTDG CMBOPK 96/97 |
$84.07 |
Ball office |
CRTDG CMBOPK 96/97 |
$69.55 |
Ribbons and Rolls |
Price Difference |
$14.52 |
|
Item | Price* | Company |
PERSONAL PLANNER |
$18.99 |
Office Depot |
PERSONAL PLANNER |
$15.57 |
The Supply Room |
PERSONAL PLANNER |
$11.99 |
UMW Bookstore |
Price Difference |
$4.67 |
(Average) |
* Price as of 12/31/12
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CONTRACT ACTIVITY
- Jumbotron Screen for Commencement – awarded
- Campus-wide Janitorial Request for Proposal– issued
- CM@Risk (Woodard/Mercer) – in progress
- Equipment Trust Fund Purchases – in progress
- Maintenance for various software and equipment
A current listing of UMW contracts can be found on the Procurement Services website:
http://adminfinance.umw.edu/purchasing/files/2012/10/Summary-list-of-contracts-02-01-13.pdf
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Business Services supports UMW RECYCLEMANIA!
The UMW RecycleMania Shred Event will be held from on March 7. All work orders to have boxes collected should be submitted no later than March 5 at 4pm. Please review the following document for all guidelines and instruction.
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BOOKS FROM THE GREAT LIVES LECTURES
The Bookstore will have books available for sale at the Great Lives lecture series during the spring semester. All lectures are in Dodd Auditorium on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.
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EagleOne NOW ACCEPTED AT CVS!
Your EagleOne ID card is already setup with a debit account, cardholders may add funds at any time. Better yet, sign-up for payroll deduction and as an added bonus and receive a punch card redeemable for one free meal per month at Seacobeck Dining Hall (that’s equivalent to $60 a year).
To sign up, print and complete the FORM and send it to Payroll, 4th Floor, Eagle Landing. The minimum deduction is only $10 per pay period and you may withdraw from the plan at any time.
See link for a complete list of EagleOne Off Campus Merchant Partners: http://adminfinance.umw.edu/eagleone/eagleone-off-campus-2/
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Please contact Business Services for information and assistance at x1576.
Visit our website: http://adminfinance.umw.edu/business-services
Erma A. Baker CPPO, VCO
Assistant Vice President for Business Services and CPO
University of Mary Washington
1301 College Avenue
Fredericksburg, Virginia 22401
ebaker@umw.edu
540-654-2043
White House Releases Online Database of Colleges
The White House recently released a searchable online database with information about every U.S. degree-granting institution. The database, an initiative of the U.S. Department of Education’s College Affordability and Transparency Center, compares a university’s costs, graduation rate, loan default rate, median borrowing and employment with national averages. According to the White House website, the College Scorecard will “help empower students and families with more transparent information about college costs and outcomes, so that they can choose a school that is affordable, best-suited to meet their needs, and consistent with their educational and career goals.”
UMW’s scorecard is available in PDF format or by searching for “University of Mary Washington” on http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/education/higher-education/college-score-card.