ByLion -- August 21

 

IN THIS ISSUE ... 
Convocation honors Katrina
KSLU to add digital signal
Join in "Read for the Record"
BOR grants workshop

Film selected for international fest
Koutsougeras to head CS&IT
Museum, pep rally 'hot' success
Toasting new doctorate
Center for Faculty Excellence news
Chorale seeks singers
This week in athletics
Student achievements
Professional activities

President Moffett delivers convocation address
Emeritus faculty Jim Owens, Beth Gray and George Hess
President's Awards for ExcellenceConvocation honors Katrina heroes
President Randy Moffett praised the "true Katrina heroes" among the university family as he looked ahead to a new academic year at the Aug. 18 faculty/staff convocation. Moffett said Southeastern, despite last year's challenges, "is now being acknowledged as the premier public institution in the region." At the annual event, Southeastern also recognized new emeritus faculty (top right) James R. Owens, Emeritus Department Head and Professor Emeritus of Industrial Technology; Elizabeth D. Gray, Professor Emeritus of Mathematics; and George M. Hess, Associate Professor Emeritus of Sociology. The president and Provost John Crain also announced the 2006 recipients of the university's most prestigious honor, the President's Award for Excellence (at left) Dollie Hebert-Crouch, Excellence in Service-Unclassified Staff; Barbara Forrest, Excellence in Research; Susan Pryor, Excellence in Teaching; Bryan DePoy, Excellence in Artistic Activity; and David Ramsey, Excellence in Service-Faculty. Following convocation, the university community mingled at the University Center to enjoy a barbecue lunch, music, door prizes -- and cotton candy -- compliments of the Alumni Association.
     Note: Don't miss the awards for 25, 30, and 35 years service in next week's ByLion.
Cotton candy at the picnic Enjoying the post-convocation picnic
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KSLU receives CPB grant to add digital signal
Southeastern's public radio station, 90.9FM KSLU, has been awarded a $93,831 digital radio grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to assist in the station's transition to digital broadcasting.
     The grant was announced Aug. 18 by United States Senator Mary L. Landrieu, D-La.
     "Public radio serves an important role in providing Louisianians with news and other important community information," Sen. Landrieu said. "This grant will help KSLU, which has already been named the 2006 Station of the Year by the Louisiana Association of Broadcasters, get even better as they improve their technology and move to digital transmission."
     She said the grant is part of the nearly $220 million in Congressional funding provided to CPB since 2001 to assist both public radio and public television stations to convert from analog to digital transmission.
     KSLU is spearheading digital conversion efforts on the north shore, said Todd Delaney, KSLU interim general manager. 
     "By adding a digital channel to our traditional signal, we will provide listeners with song title and artist information, emergency alerts, weather, and traffic updates automatically on their radio display," Delaney said. "Just as we were the first public radio station in the United States to install a touch screen automation system in 1988, this grant will enable us to continue our innovative efforts to bring the digital revolution to the radio industry."
     Listeners can experience the static-free sound that digital radio will offer by tuning in to KSLU's online stream at www.kslu.org.
     Delaney said the grant will permit KSLU to "secure a future broadcast industry focused on not only meeting, but surpassing the needs of the local community." 
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Jumpstart "Read for the Record"Jumpstart site manager Shawanda Benton reads The Little Engine That Could to, from left, Courtney Easley, and Qimone and Micqi Thrasher.
Jumpstart joins in nation's "Read for the Record" campaign Aug. 24
Jumpstart Hammond is inviting the campus and community to join in "Read for the Record," a national campaign to engage tens of thousands of adults and children in setting the world record for the largest shared reading experience ever.
     Jumpstart Hammond, which is located at Southeastern, is encouraging readers of all ages to register at www.readfortherecord.org and sign up to read the campaign's official book, the children's classic The Little Engine That Could, on Aug. 24.
     Locally, parents and children are invited to a reading at the Hammond Library at 3:15 p.m. on Thursday, said Jumpstart site manager Shawanda Benton. The book will also be read at the Southeastern Lab School and members of Southeastern's Delta Sigma Theta sorority will share the story with children at Kadlyn's Learning Academy, Kids Are Us, and Play 'n Stay day cares.
     Copies of the book are available at Starbucks throughout the country.
     Cynthia Elliott, associate professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning and the founder and faculty advisor of Jumpstart Hammond, said Read Across the Record "highlights a national early literacy event that will involve more than 300 public events and more than 100,000 adults and children registered to read The Little Engine That Could on Aug. 24.
     "To become part of this historic event, we invite you to call our Jumpstart Hammond office at 985-549-5158 or log on to www.jstart.org," Elliott said.
     Jumpstart Hammond engages college students to interact with preschool children who are working toward the day that every child in America enters school prepared to succeed.
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Board of Regents grant workshop
A Board of Regents grant workshop is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 6, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Student Union, Pelican Room 229. The workshops provides a great opportunity to meet with Board of Regents representatives to discuss grant ideas and ask questions. 
     For more information on this workshop, call Margaret Adelmann at 549-5312 or e-mail madelmann@selu.edu.
     Board of Regents 2006-2007 Support Fund Grants (formerly LEQSF)
     Research and Development Program: RCS & ITRS -- 2006-2007 Disciplines Eligible: Physics/Astronomy, Mathematics, Agricultural Sciences, Engineering A (Chemical, Civil, Electrical, etc.), Social Sciences, Biological Sciences (eligible every year), Computer & Information Sciences (eligible every year), Earth/Environmental Sciences (eligible every year)
     Enhancement Program -- 2006-2007 Disciplines Eligible: Arts, Earth/Environmental Sciences, Agricultural Sciences, Health & Medical Sciences, Engineering A (Chemical, Civil, Electrical, etc.), Multidisciplinary.
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Southeastern film on Manchac swamp selected for international film festival
The Manchac Swamp: Man-made Disaster in Search of Resolution, a film produced by the Center for Southeast Louisiana Studies, has been selected to appear in the New York International Film Festival.
     The film, which details the historical degradation of the Manchac Swamp ecosystem, received an "Excellent" rating from the festival nominating committee, and will compete for the "Best Overall" award in the docu-drama category, said the center's director, Samuel C. Hyde Jr., Southeastern's Ford Endowed Chair in Regional Studies.
     He said the film will be shown at the Laemmle Fairfax Theater in Hollywood on September 17 as part of the festival lineup and will air statewide on September 3 on Louisiana Public Broadcasting channels. It also was will be reviewed in a forthcoming edition of the Seattle-based Association for Environmental History newsletter. 
     Written and produced by Hyde, the film, which debuted locally last April, was the product of more than two years of research conducted by the center staff through grants from the university's Lake Pontchartrain Basin Research Program and the Environmental Protection Agency. 
     Center Assistant Director Keith M. Finley helped research the film, which was directed by Southeastern history faculty member Charles N. Elliott. Butch and Kirk Lee of Vivid Video coordinated camera work and post-production with assistance from L. E. Wallace Productions.
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Cris KoutsougerasKoutsougeras to head Computer Science and Industrial Technology
Cris Koutsougeras, a highly regarded specialist in artificial intelligence and robotics, has been appointed head of the Department of Computer Science and Industrial Technology. 
     Also, Roy Bonnette for has been named the department's undergraduate coordinator. The department office has moved from Anzalone Hall 110-1 to Fayard Hall room 307. The department can be contacted at SLU 10847, 549-2189, and 549-5532 (fax). 
     A former associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science at Tulane University, Koutsougeras had been affiliated with the Tulane program since 1994. His areas of expertise include artificial intelligence systems, neural nets, machine learning, hardware and software design for computer interfacing, and robotics. His research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, NASA, the Department of Defense, Department of Energy and the Louisiana Board of Regents. 
     "Retaining a scientist with Dr. Koutsougeras' credentials is a significant step forward for the department and for the college itself," said Dan McCarthy, dean of the College of Science and Technology. "His interests and areas of expertise are so varied, and he has a genuine enthusiasm for the program at Southeastern." 
     Koutsougeras served as leader of Tulane's DARPA Grand Challenge team, which competed in a race involving autonomous vehicle over a 132-mile course in the Mojave Desert. The team - which included himself and 11 undergraduate students - joined with technologists associated with the Gray Insurance Company to compete in the national event and was one only five groups to complete the course, beating teams from institutions such as MIT and Princeton University. Originally 195 teams had entered the competition. 
     The author of numerous journal articles and conference papers, Koutsougeras holds a doctorate in computer science from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, a master of science degree in computer engineering from the University of Cincinnati, and a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the National Technical University of Athens in Greece. 
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Linda Munchausen helps make gakThe Spirit of the Southland band (top left) performs at the Hot August Night pep rally; children marvel over the miniature train in the Columbia Theatre lobby during the children's museum preview (top right); Coach Dennis Roland (middle left) and, President Randy Moffet (middle center) rev up spirit at the Hot August Night pep rally; youngsters get creative with Venetian masks during the children's museum preview at the Columbia Theatre (middle right); chemistry professor Linda Munchausem (right) helps a little one have fun learning about science.
Hot August Night offers preview of proposed children's museum, Southeastern pep rally 
Among the many activities planned for downtown Hammond's annual "Hot August Night" on Friday, August 18, was a preview of the planned "Louisiana Discovery Children's Museum." 
     Hot August Night also featured a spirited "kick off" pep rally for the Southeastern Lions football team, which opens its 2006 season August 31 on the road against New Mexico State. The pep rally included remarks from Coach Dennis Roland and performances by the Spirit of the Southland band, cheerleaders and Lionettes. 
     The lobby and conference center of the Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts was the scene for the children's museum's "debut." Parents and children had the opportunity to literally get their hands on the kinds of fun, creative exhibits that might be housed in the proposed museum.
     Tammy Bourg, dean of Southeastern's College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, is among the community members who are involved in the museum planning. Spearheaded by Hammond City Council member Kathy Montecino, the museum is conceptualized as a hands-on, interactive exploration of the natural environment, people, agriculture, and transportation systems that have shaped Louisiana and the Florida Parishes. 
     To give area residents a taste of what the museum could offer, Bourg and her committee called on community members and Southeastern faculty to create and man sample exhibits in the Columbia Theatre lobby during Hot August Night.
     Members of the museum board and exhibit committee were also on hand to distribute interest surveys. "Our work has just begun," Bourg said. "There is much to do as the museum unfolds." 
     Hot August Night participants included foreign language faculty, who helped children explore the arts and crafts of international cultures by making Spanish dolls, Guatemalan bracelets and Venetian masks. 
     History faculty operated an electric train and explained the importance of the railroad in the development of the region while young children traversed a landscape with a hand-operated train set. 
     The university's Horticulture Club illustrated agriculture with activities such as planting beans and a display illustrating root systems. Chemistry and physics faculty operated hands-on exhibits about the physics of color, electric circuits and chemistry. 
     With help from psychology faculty and the Psi Chi Honor Society, children were able to try out "inverting goggles" that turn the world upside down to teach them about visual perception and illusions. 
     Construction and creativity exhibits included a domino run, 3-D geometric and abstract design construction, a magnetic sculpture board and blocks, and a plexi-art faux stained glass activity.
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President Moffett offers a toast to the new doctoral programToasting the new doctorate
At a convocation of faculty and staff with the College of Education and Human Development last week, President Randy Moffett hoists a glass of sparkling juice in a toast to all who worked over the past years to help the university gain approval for its first doctoral program. Ten students are enrolled in the new program in educational leadership, which is being offered in consortium with the University of Louisiana-Lafayette.

This week in the Center for Faculty Excellence:
Workshops: All workshops are held in Tinsley Hall, Room 103 unless otherwise noted. Registration is required 24 hours in advance of all workshops. Walk-ins are welcome, if space is available. Please call the center to verify or for additional information at ext. 5791 or center@selu.edu.
      Tuesday, August 22, 9:30-11:30 a.m., Blackboard Introduction. This workshop will cover the following: Blackboard navigation, setting course availability, posting the course syllabus, posting announcements, using e-mail, managing the gradebook and posting grades.
     Friday, August 25, 9-10:45 a.m., Power Point. The workshop will introduce the functionality and assist faculty in developing lessons in Power Point.
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Northshore Chorale seeking student, community singers
Southeastern's Northshore Chorale is seeking singers.
     The non-audition ensemble, which performs with Southeastern's University Chorus, is open to all students and area residents.
     "With more than 100 singers from majors throughout the university and professions across the community, these ensembles regularly perform major works with professional orchestras and soloists," said Roger Henry, director of choral activities. "We're inviting anyone who enjoys choral singing to join us for our first rehearsal on Tuesday, Aug. 22, in the Pottle Music Building Annex choral room 165A" 
     Registration begins at 6:30 p.m. for new members; the registration fee is $25. The choirs rehearse from 7-9 p.m. each Tuesday in the choral room.
     "We hope to see you there," Henry said. "This fall the Chorale will perform Mozart's Coronation mass in honor of the 250th anniversary of Mozart's death." 
     For additional information, contact Henry at 549-2334 or roger.henry@selu.edu
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This week in athletics
The 2006-07 Southeastern Athletics season begins this week, with the women's soccer and volleyball teams opening their respective campaigns during this week in Southeastern Athletics. 
     The women's soccer team will open action at home, hosting in-state rival Southern on Friday at 4:30 p.m. at the Southeastern Soccer Complex. On Sunday, Arkansas will come to town for a 1 p.m. match. The Lady Lions defeated Southern, 8-0, last season, while dropping a tough decision to Arkansas, 2-0. Southeastern will be looking for a milestone victory on Friday, as a win versus the Lady Jaguars would be the 100th in school history. The Lady Lions return 10 starters from its 2005 team, including preseason All-Southland Conference seniors Kari Yost and Crista Wood. 
     The women's volleyball team will head to Lafayette to compete in the ULL-hosted Capital One Classic. The Lady Lions face the host Lady Cajuns on Friday at 7 p.m. On Saturday, Southeastern will face Mississippi State at 12 p.m. and Southern Mississippi at 5 p.m. The matches will mark the debut of first-year head coach Julie Langford on the Southeastern sideline. Nine letterwinners return for Langford, who spent three seasons as head coach at Belhaven College. Leading the Lady Lions will be Erin Miles (Austin, Texas), the team's lone senior, along with juniors Melissa Jones (Hallsville, Texas), Megan Sutherland (St. James, La.) and Jill Edwards (Opelousas, La.).
     The Southeastern football team will hold its final scrimmage of the fall on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Strawberry Stadium in conjunction with the annual Fan Night. Fans are encouraged to come out to the stadium at 5:30 p.m. and meet and mingle with Lion players and coaches prior to the 7 p.m. kickoff.
     Tuesday, August 22
     Football, Scrimmage, Strawberry Stadium, 7 p.m. (Fan Night - 5:30 p.m.) 
     Friday, August 25
     Women's Soccer, vs. Southern, Southeastern Soccer Complex, 4:30 p.m.
     Volleyball, at Louisiana-Lafayette (Capital One Classic), Lafayette, 7 p.m.
     Saturday, August 26
     Volleyball, vs. Mississippi State (Capital One Classic), Lafayette, 12 p.m.
     Volleyball, vs. Southern Mississippi (Capital One Classic), Lafayette, 5 p.m.
     Sunday, August 27
     Women's Soccer, vs. Arkansas, Southeastern Soccer Complex, 4:30 p.m. 
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Student achievements 
Jack Siegrist recently defended his master's thesis at Southeastern and then traveled to Memphis to present the results to the 91st Ecological Society of America meeting. His research dealt with the factors controlling plant diversity in landscapes including wetlands in DeSoto National Forest in Mississippi. The talk was titled "The relative importance of environmental heterogeneity in species-area relationships." Siegrist has obtained a prestigious scholarship to continue his studies in the doctoral program at Rutgers University. 
     Accounting major Diana Canatella placed eighth in the Marketing Concepts competitive event at the National Phi Beta Lambda Convention in Nashville in June. Ms. Leigh Smith is the advisor for Southeastern's chapter of Phi Beta Lambda.
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Professional activities
Thomas A. DeVaney, Barbara Shwalb, David ShwalbDavid W. Shwalb and Barbara J. Shwalb (Psychology), and Thomas A. DeVaney (Educational Leadership & Technology), presented a paper in the Health Psychology Division at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association (APA) on August 13. The paper was titled "The Impact of Hurricane Katrina on College Students in New Orleans and Southeastern Louisiana: A Longitudinal Study." The APA met in New Orleans at the Morial Convention Center and with 10,000 professionals attending it was considered a success and a boost to the city of New Orleans.
     David W. Shwalb, James B. Worthen, and Paula Varnado-Sullivan (Psychology) co-authored a presentation at APA on August 11 titled "Ethnic Differences in Weight, Weight Attitude, and Ethnic Identity." The senior author was former Southeastern graduate student Sarah Savoy. Ms. Savoy will study in the psychology doctoral program at Rutgers University this fall.
     Colin Jackson, Gary Shaffer and Paul Keddy (Biological Sciences) co-organized a symposium entitled "Ecological effects of Gulf Coast hurricanes: short term impacts and long-term consequences" This symposium was part of the 91st Ecological Society of America meeting comprising some 3,000 scientists in Memphis, Tenn., Aug. 6-11. Dr. Jackson gave the opening remarks on the importance of scientific understanding of hurricane impacts. Dr. Shaffer contributed a talk titled "Wetlands as hurricane damage-reduction agents: the habitat-specific wrath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, which proposed that cypress swamps can help protect coastlines from damage. Dr. Keddy closed with a talk entitled "Hurricanes, human irrationality, and Gulf Coast ecosystems exploring whether humans had learned from previous catastrophes to adapt to future threats from rising sea levels and recurring hurricanes. 
      Dr. Natasha Whitton (English) was selected as one of 14 nationwide participants to attend the National Writing Project's Writing About Technology Retreat in Nebraska July 26-30. Her article highlighted the success of the recent virtual New Orleans Writing Marathon sponsored by the Southeastern Louisiana Writing Project. 
     Dr. Irene Nero (Visual Arts) will present a paper at the October SECAC conference in Nashville, entitled "Baroque Tendencies in Contemporary Architecture: The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain." 
     Dr. Fred Dembowski (Educational Leadership and Technology) this summer edited Unbridled Spirit: Best Practices in Educational Administration, the 2006 NCPEA YEARBOOK for the National Council of Professors of Educational Administration, Huntsville, Texas. 
     Dr. Martie Fellom (Music and Dramatic Arts) instructed ballet classes for Ballet Lagniappe offered at Algoma Music Camp, St. Joseph Island, Ontario, Canada, July 30-Aug. 12.
     C. Roy Blackwood (Visual Arts/Cultural Resource Management) was recently one of a five-member team who delivered a pilot course entitled National Advanced Youth Leadership Experience (NAYLE) to 40 Boy Scouts at the Rocky Mountain National Camp at Philmont Scout Ranch near Cimarron, N.M. The team was selected nationally from qualified adult scout leaders. 
     Anna M. Kleiner (Sociology and Criminal Justice) presented three papers at the August meeting of the Rural Sociological Society in Louisville, Kentucky: "Working the Frontlines of Relief, Recovery, and Redevelopment: Exploring the Views of Service Providers in the Wake of Disaster" (with John Green of Delta State University and JoLynn Montgomery and Irene Bayer of University of Michigan), "Community-Based Research as Teaching Pedagogy: An Analysis of Participatory Research Approaches", and "Expanding the Marketing Opportunities for Minority and Limited Resource Farmers in Louisiana and Mississippi."
     Judith Fai-Podlipnik (History) was one of 20 academicians from North America to participate in the Silberman Seminar for University Faculty, sponsored by the Silberman Foundation and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. The Seminar was held at the USHMM June 5-16. 
     James De Franceschi (Accounting) presented a paper titled "Determinants Influencing Small Group Performance Effectiveness On A Management Accounting Simulation Project" at the Academic Business World International Conference held in Nashville May 29-31. Co-authors were Dr. Harold Davis and Dr. Pierre Titard (Accounting).
     Dr. David Wyld (Management) presented a paper titled "Are You Ready for RFID and the 'Weird New Media Revolution'" to the 2006 ITSGov Technology Showcase of The e-Gov Institute in Washington, DC on July 26.
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ByLion is published weekly online (bi-weekly during the summer session) for the faculty and staff of Southeastern Louisiana University. Send submissions to publicinfo@selu.edu, SLU 10880, fax 985-549-2061, or bring to Public Information Office in East Stadium. Submission deadline is noon on Friday. Contact: Christina Chapple, chapple@selu.edu, 985-549-2341/2421.

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