 |
|
 Convocation
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. |
 |
 |
Table of content
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."
Table
of content
 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.
Table
of content
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.
Table
of content
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.
Table
of content
 Koutsougeras
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.
Table
of content
 |
|
 |
|
|
 The
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.
Table
of content |
 Toasting
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.
Table
of content
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
Table
of content
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.
Table
of content
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.
Table
of content
Professional activities
 David
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.
Table
of content
|
