At the end of September, Assistant Professor of Computer Science Dave Toth and his colleagues from Merrimack College, Jimmy Franco (Chemistry) and Charlotte Berkes (Biology), were awarded two grants of supercomputing time to search for drugs to cure histoplasmosis and inhibit HIV. Their research team was awarded a total of 1,818,365 hours of compute time on the 40th fastest computer in the world, worth about $148,778. Toth will use the Ranger supercomputer at the Texas Advanced Computing Center to conduct virtual screens of millions of molecules to find the best leads. Franco and Berkes will then test the best leads in their labs to determine how effective they are and try to devise better molecules based on the structure of the most effective molecules. The granting entity, the NSF-funded organization known as the Extreme Science and Engineering Discovery Environment (XSEDE), awards grants of compute time to scientists, engineers, social scientists, and humanists for computationally intensive research.
DTLT Presents at ELI Fall Focus Session
A Culture of Innovation from umwnewmedia on Vimeo.
Martha Burtis, Jim Groom, Tim Owens and Andy Rush of UMW’s Division of Teaching and Learning Technologies (DTLT) presented on Tuesday, October 2 at the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative’s Online Fall Focus Session on the theme of innovation in higher education. The basic question guiding the presentation, which was centered around the seven minute video above, was the following: how does a university like UMW consistently foster innovative projects like UMW Blogs, ds106, and, more recently, A Domain of One’s Own?
There’s no one adequate stock answer to such a question, so when preparing the presentation DTLT decided to interview students, faculty, and staff around campus to get a broader sense of the culture of innovation happening at UMW. What DTLT got in return for its labors was quite compelling. The video was shot and edited by Andy Rush, and it’s just a teaser for a much larger documentary that DTLT is planning on making this semester to start chronicling and narrating the culture of innovation at UMW.
Joseph Dreiss Presents at SLSA Conference
On Sunday, September 30, Professor of Art and Art History Joseph Dreiss presented a paper at the 26th Annual Meeting of the
Society for Literature, Science and the Arts (SLSA)
which was held in Milwaukee, Wis. The paper, “Direct Encounters with Nonhuman Nature: The Landscape Interventions of Andy Goldsworthy,” was presented as part of the Arts and Ecologies session. Fellow panelist and presenters were Elizabeth Kessler, Stanford University, who presented on “Alignments: Earthworks, Astronomy, and Instrumentality” and Christine Filippone, University of Pennsylvania, who presented on “The Human Use of Human Beings?: Feminism and Systems Theory in Public Sculpture and Ecological Art.”
The Society for Literature, Science and the Arts is an interdisciplinary society devoted to the study of the interrelationship and dialogue between the science, engineering, technology and the arts.
Susan Knick Wins Leadership Award
Susan Knick, director of scheduling and events, was named the first recipient of Leadership Fredericksburg’s Joseph H. Dangler Leadership Visionary Award. Knick, a 2009 graduate of the Leadership Fredericksburg program, received the award during a ceremony on Wednesday, Oct. 3. The award goes to a graduate of Leadership Fredericksburg who has been a top community leader.
James Goehring Delivers Address in Rome
James Goehring, professor of religion, presented an invited plenary address on “Recent Research in Egyptian Monasticism (2008-2012)” at the Tenth International Congress of Coptic Studies in Rome from Sept. 17 to 22.
Gwen Hale and Students Presented at Regional Conference
Gwen Hale (left) and tutors from the Writing Center presented at the PCAS/ACAS conference in Nashville
Gwen Hale, director of the Writing Center and Writing Program, presented at the Popular/American Cultural Association in the South (PCAS/ACAS) conference in Nashville, Tenn. Several tutors in the Writing Center also presented at the conference from Sept. 27 to 30. Hale presented “Making Room: Using Technology, Social Media, and Old Fashioned Ingenuity in Writing Centers to Serve the Influx of University Students with Varying Skill Sets, Educational Needs, and Social Backgrounds.”
Carly Boucher presented “Bridging the Gap of Different Englishes in American Universities,” Connie Dowell presented “Just a Blog Post?: Writing Centers and 21st Century Composition,” Sarah Foote presented “Voice is Choice!: The Importance of Finding and Teaching Voice in Writing,” Nicollo Madden presented “Pop Music as a Learning Devive for those with Autism” and Zehra Yousofi presented “Brawny: It’s More than Just a Paper Towel.”
“Aside from delivering amazing presentations, several of the UMW students were approached by scholars from other universities. Zehra Yousofi was approached about applying for a graduate program at the University of Kentucky. Further, she was approached about publishing the paper she presented at the conference. Next, Nicollo Madden was approached about continuing his scholarship and applying for a graduate program at Morgan State University. The students attended numerous sessions and networked with scholars from all over the South. Now that they have had a taste of presenting at conferences, they have all concluded that they certainly want to do it again.” — Gwen Hale
Suzanne Houff Publishes Book on Instructional Design
Suzanne G. Houff, professor of education, is the author of the recently published book “Instructional Alignment: Optimizing Objectives, Methods, and Assessment for Developing Unit Pairs.” The book, released by R&L Education in September 2012, “offers a concise and basic approach to instructional design.”
Zach Whalen Presents Paper at Society for Literature, Science and the Arts
Zach Whalen, assistant professor in the Department of English, Linguistics and Communication, presented a paper at the recent Society for Literature, Science, and the Arts conference, held this year in Milwaukee, Wis. The presentation, “A Counterfactual Historiography of Three Game Platforms,” challenged the received metanarrative of game console generations. By way of a close reading of three less well-known consoles — Channel F, Vectrex and Virtual Boy — the paper explores the implications of an alternate history for video game devices.
D.J. Garcia Named Excellent Eagle Employee
Congratulations to D.J. Garcia, textbook manager of the bookstore, who has been selected as the Excellent Eagle Employee for the month of October. A parking spot of his choosing has been reserved for him until the end of the month.
Here is what one of his co-workers said about him:
“Most impressive is the quality of customer service that D.J. delivers, and the demeanor with which he delivers it during even the most demanding – and sometimes trying – of times. Keep Calm…Carry On is taped to his desk overhead. He lives that motto and more: Keep Kind and Carry On. Keep Consistent and Carry On. Keep Patient and Carry On. Keep Helpful and Carry On.
From August 22 –29, (following two 65-hour work weeks), there is a line at D.J.’s counter from store open until store close. Each person receives D.J.’s full attention; each person has their question answered, problem solved. Phone is ringing, emails are pinging in, textbook orders are changing, four people are calling his name at once; shipments are delivered to the wrong schools… Keep Calm, Carry On… Amidst it all, D.J. sets the bar for customer service at its highest level. He is smiling. He is making students smile. One has to see him in action to understand; in is an amazing sight. I will strive to bring my own customer service skills in line with D.J.’s!”
To nominate someone who you believe is an Excellent Eagle Employee, send an email to Priscilla Sullivan (psulliva@umw.edu) with Excellent Eagle Employee in the subject line. In your email, be sure to list the person’s name, department, work location (with the most convenient parking lot), and of course, the reason why you believe they should be recognized. Please spread the word to other employees about this wonderful opportunity to recognize a co-worker(s).
Claudia Emerson Honored as Woman of Distinction
Arrington Distinguished Chair of Poetry and Professor of English Claudia Emerson was named one of seven “Women of Distinction” of 2012 by the Girl Scouts of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Emerson received the award during a ceremony on Wednesday, Sept. 26. The girl scouting review committee chose the “Women of Distinction” based on their ability to serve as examples of courage, confidence and character. Emerson’s award focused on her accomplishments in culture and communication.