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Deadline for summer graduation Bunko for Basketball successful |
Southeastern science students headed to Japan for research
Four Southeastern students are looking forward to the trip of a lifetime this summer
when they leave Louisiana to spend seven weeks performing materials science research
in Japan.
The students – all from Covington – are participating in a summer research program
at Tokyo Denki University (TDU) funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation.
They will depart for Japan on June 20.
Southeastern has a reciprocal relationship with TDU scientists dating back several
years, said Physics Professor Sanichiro Yoshida, who obtained the NSF grant to provide
international research opportunities for Louisiana students.
Participating in the experience this year are chemistry majors David Strickland,
Lauryn Winstead, Brittany Williamson and computer science major Justin Wright. The
students are currently preparing for the trip by reading scientific papers related
to the research they will be performing and studying the basics of Japanese language
and culture.
Strickland and Winstead will be working collaboratively with Japanese scientists
and students to evaluate the strength and adhesive qualities of materials used in
prosthetics and medical implants. The research will use laser optical interferometry,
a technique that Yoshida has worked with most of his professional life and in which
he holds two patents.
Wright and Williamson will also be using laser interferometry to evaluate stress
states of different materials. Laser interferometry can make minute measurements and
can help detect structural weaknesses in various materials.
Yoshida said the students were selected based upon their motivation, a written
application, letters of recommendation, academic performance and an interview by a
Southeastern search committee.
Undergraduate students at most Japanese universities are required to perform
research and prepare a thesis, Yoshida explained. The Southeastern students, he said,
will be exposed to an intense research environment at TDU.
"The exposure these students receive will likely have a considerable impact on
them and their future careers," said Yoshida, a native of Japan and an engineering
graduate of Keio University in Tokyo. "TDU's Department of Mechanical Engineering
has world class facilities and equipment, and the opportunity to interact with the
Japanese scientists and students will be invaluable."
The students said they are excited about the trip and realize the opportunities
it presents.
"This will not only allow me to learn in a completely new environment, but will
also expose me to cultural differences," said Winstead, who is planning on entering
the field of medicine. "I think it is very important to understand how to work productively
with others, specifically those with different backgrounds. The fact that we are going
to be learning so many new things at once, including language, Japanese city life,
as well as a completely novel research opportunity is extremely exciting."
"This is a chance for me to learn something new, expand my knowledge and open
doors for a career path," said Williamson, a senior studying forensic science.
Strickland said he definitely wants to experience the Japanese culture. "Most
importantly, though, is the opportunity to go to another country and work with other
scientists," he said.
"For me, as a sophomore, an internship like this will help me immensely on my
career path," said Wright. "My goals also lean toward politics, so this will help
me see the world in a different light. My preparation has involved studying the landmarks
of Japan, learning some of the language, as well as the 'do's and don'ts' of Japanese
culture, and assuring my parents I will make it back in one piece."
Above: Four Southeastern science students will travel this summer to Japan for seven weeks of research with scientists at Tokyo Denki University. The students will be conducting materials science research, in some cases working on ongoing research performed by other Southeastern students last year. Pictured from left, are Professor of Physics Sanichiro Yoshida, students David Strickland Jr., Justin Wright, Brittany Williamson, Associate Professor of Physical Chemistry William Parkinson, and student Lauryn Winstead.
Southeastern librarian wins ALA Award for creative website for young writers, artists
A Southeastern staff librarian will be awarded the American Library Association's
2012 Scholastic Library Award for his efforts to synergize the writing and illustrating
talents of young people.
Paul Kelsey, who serves as head of acquisitions at Southeastern's Sims Memorial
Library, will be recognized at the organization's annual meeting in June for his creation
of the online magazine "Launch Pad: Where Young Authors and Illustrators Take Off."
The website matches the skills of young authors, poets and illustrators between the
ages of 6 and 14 and publishes the best submissions on the Internet.
In announcing the award, the ALA said, "Kelsey is an outstanding leader in the
field of librarianship and children's and young adult literature. The website allows
young people to publish their creative work and provides dynamic collaborative opportunities,
as young writers and illustrators work together to create amazingly inventive online
publications. His imaginative vision and passion for creativity benefit young people
around the world."
Launch Pad can be seen at www.launchpadmag.com.
The award includes a citation and $1,000 prize donated by Scholastic Library
Publishing, a firm dedicated to encouraging reading and the use of educational technology
to encourage a love of reading among young people.
A resident of Baton Rouge, Kelsey developed Launch Pad following Hurricane Katrina
when his daughter was seeking to publish an essay she had written. "How I Met Elizabeth"
told the story of how his daughter, Clare, made a new friend who transferred to her
Baton Rouge school from the New Orleans area. The essay was later published in Northwestern
State University's Louisiana English Journal.
"I've had a longstanding interest in children's literature and saw the need for
a publishing medium like this," said Kelsey, who has served as the site's editor-in-chief
since its founding in 2007.
He gets an average 20 to 40 submissions a month from all over the nation and
at least six other countries. He reviews the submissions and coordinates the links
between writers and illustrators. The finished products are published on the site
and made available through high quality PDFs.
"I try to be fairly selective and will only publish the better quality work,"
said Kelsey, who has worked as a children's librarian in California. "The best part
is seeing the final published piece. Some of the work is amazing in its creativity
and artistic value. I believe some of these young authors and illustrators will one
day be successful professionals in their fields."
In making the announcement, Georgie Donovan, Scholastics Publishing's committee
chair, said: "As someone who has helped young authors publish their works online,
we felt that Paul Kelsey was well deserving of this award and demonstrated a strong
connection with the same mission that Scholastic has to encourage the intellectual
and personal growth of all children, beginning with literacy."
Kelsey is a graduate of Colorado College and earned his master's in library information
science from the University of Texas. Prior to joining Southeastern, he worked at
the East Baton Rouge Parish Library and at LSU.
Contemporary Art Gallery to feature works of Allison Stewart
An exhibition of paintings and drawings by New Orleans artist Allison Stewart will
be on display at Southeastern Louisiana University's Contemporary Art Gallery through
June 28.
"River and Bloom" is Stewart's collection of works that address the changes that
have occurred in recent years as a result of Hurricane Katrina and the BP oil spill.
"In both events, human lives were lost, animals drowned, and our local flora
and fauna were decimated," said Stewart in her artist's statement. "Our landscape
changed and our way of living changed in ways we never anticipated. Yet nature has
a way of renewing itself and New Orleans today is a stronger city."
Located in East Stadium on the Hammond campus, the gallery is open Mondays, Tuesdays
and Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; and from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesdays.
The exhibit includes paintings on canvas and paper as well as mixed media drawings
and two installations addressing facets of the Louisiana coastal wetlands.
Gallery Director Dale Newkirk said the two wall installations, "Bloom" and "Habitat,"
were created for the Contemporary Art Gallery exhibit, and many of the large paintings
have never been exhibited before.
Newkirk said, "Stewart's lyrical drawing and paintings are made up of many layers
of line, shape and color that occupy the space between landscape painting and organic
abstraction."
Trained as a biologist, Stewart's art is inspired by increasingly fragile environments
and the ultimate interconnectedness of all living things. Her work has been exhibited
extensively throughout the United States and is included in many public collections,
including the U.S. Department of State Art in Embassies Program, New Orleans Museum
of Art, Ogden Museum of Southern Art and the Pensacola Museum of Art.
Southeastern detective's book honored as Police Book of the Year
"John Raven Beau," a novel by Southeastern police investigator O'Neil De Noux, has
been named the 2011 Police Book of the Year by Police-Writers.com.
A group of more than 1,100 current and former police officers who also write
professionally and have published more than 2,300 books, Police-Writers.com is published
by American Heroes Press, which also handles Military-Writers.com and Firefighter-Writers.com.
The selection process considered all fiction and non-fiction books authored by police
officers in the past year.
"John Raven Beau," which is also the name of De Noux's main character in the
novel, is set in pre-Katrina New Orleans. A member of the New Orleans Police Homicide
Division, Beau is a half-Cajun, half-Sioux cop who hunts killers with methodical and
calculating precision.
The story begins in the French Quarter and ends in a swamp, all within the city
limits of the Crescent City. The book is published by Big Kiss Productions of New
Orleans.
A resident of Covington, De Noux has written nine other novels and eight short
story collections. Prior to joining the Southeastern Police Department, he was a homicide
detective and criminal intelligence analyst.
June 18 final day for to apply for summer 2012 graduation
Monday, June 18, is the final day Southeastern students can apply to graduate in summer
2012. The graduation application and payment deadlines will be strictly enforced,
university officials said.
Candidates for associate's, bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees can apply
for graduation by logging into their LeoNet campus accounts and choosing the 'Self
Service, Degree Progress/Graduation, Apply for Graduation' option. Instructions are
available on the 'Current Students' link ('Graduation Information – Apply for Graduation')
at www.southeastern.edu or by calling Southeastern's Office of the Registrar at 985-549-2066.
The $35 application fee should be paid directly to the Controller's Office, located
on North Campus in the Financial Aid Building.
PRIDE's Bunko for Basketball raises $25,000 for scholarship
Bunko for Basketball, the annual fundraiser sponsored by PRIDE (Positive Role Models
Involved in the Development of Excellence), has raised $25,810 for the PRIDE Scholarship.
Over the past five years, PRIDE, the Southeastern Lady Lion basketball team's support
and mentoring organization, has now contributed more than $98,000 to the scholarship,
which provides Lady Lion basketball student-athletes with financial support for post
sports eligibility coursework.
More than $3,800 of this year's Bunko total was raised through the raffle of
a Cali 50 scooter donated to PRIDE by Michael and Denise Holly of Hammond in memory
of Michael Holly's father, Floyd, who coached high school girls basketball. The scooter
was purchased from Big Easy Scooters and Cycles in New Orleans. Christine Haney, interim
academic coordinator for Southeastern Athletics, was the 2012 winner.
Southeastern Channel to broadcast program on romantic communications
A Southeastern televised program designed to help people communicate in their romantic
relationships will air on the university's cable television outlet, the Southeastern
Channel.
Originally produced as a Department of Languages and Communication telecourse,
"Communication in Romantic Relationships" will be re-broadcast as a non-credit program
at 10 p.m. every Saturday night starting this Saturday, June 9, through the month
of December.
The program is hosted by Suzette Bryan, former associate professor of communication
and a certified Emotional Intelligence trainer. Bryan co-authored the book "Scripts
and Communication for Relationships" with Jim Honeycutt of LSU.
In the 30-week series, Bryan presents methods and techniques designed to improve
relationships, and the show explores theories and concepts of how romantic relationships
intensify and dissolve. Among the topics covered are love versus friendship, expectations
in a relationship, the different types of love, who we are attracted to and why, development
of relationships, the one-night stand or "hook-up," mate selection across cultures,
and long distance and cyber relationships.
"The program is a popular one," said Rick Settoon, general manager of the Southeastern
Channel. "Students who have taken the class and watched the program report they have
actually improved their romantic relations, with some resulting in marriages. We
also received positive feedback from viewers who thought it was fascinating."
"I believe the program resonates with viewers because at some point everyone
has been or will be involved in a romantic relationship," said Bryan, a communication
consultant in St. Tammany Parish. "We have a natural desire to connect with others,
but not everyone does it well, as evidenced by the high rate of divorce and relationship
dissolution."
The show includes studio interviews with couples involved in a variety of relationships.
Principles are illustrated with movie vignettes and taped segments of participants
discussing how the concepts presented actually relate to real-life experiences.
Bryan said her main goal is for viewers to gain an understanding of themselves and
how they relate to others, consequently improving their communication skills.
"This should ultimately lead to more satisfying relationships," she said.
The award-winning Southeastern Channel airs on Charter Cable and can be seen
on Channel 18 in Tangipahoa, Livingston and St. Tammany parishes and on Channel 17
in Washington Parish. A live 24/7 webcast can be viewed on the channel's website www.southeastern.edu/tv.
MindLeaders Online Training to be discontinued on June 29
The Comprehensive Public Training Program (CPTP) will be discontinuing the MindLeaders
web course service on June 29, 2012. CPTP based the decision to discontinue this service
on historical MindLeaders system usage. CPTP staff used this information to create
new online courses that will become available to all employees through the State Training
system.
Information on topics and the manner to access these courses will be made available
to employees during the month of July. These will be comparable to the online courses
currently offered through the MindLeaders program.
If you are currently taking any MindLeaders courses online, please complete them
prior to June 29 and send any certificates to Jan Ortego at Jan.Ortego@southeastern.edu or SLU 10799.
Annual Security and Fire Report Available On-Line
According to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime
Statistics Act (Clery Act), institutions which participate in Federal student financial
aid programs are required to provide information to the public regarding campus safety
and security policies and procedures. Statistics regarding crimes and fires related
to their campuses must also be reported. The definition set used for this format is
according to the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR)/National Incident-Based Reporting
System (NIBRS) and updates are made no later than October 1 every year for statistics
from the previous year.
Southeastern is dedicated to providing a safe, secure and crime-free environment
for students, faculty, staff and visitors to our Hammond Campus, Baton Rouge Nursing
Center, Livingston Parish Literacy and Technology Center, and St. Tammany Center.
Many individuals and departments are involved in campus safety and security. This
information can help keep you and others safe at Southeastern.
At Southeastern, we endeavor to consistently provide accurate information to
our community regarding the safety of our campus. In furtherance of these efforts,
we make our Annual Security and Fire Safety Reports available electronically at:
http://www.selu.edu/admin/police/cleryinfo/index.html.
This page links directly to each of the Annual Security and Fire Safety Reports
for our various campuses for the calendar year 2010. The files are in pdf format for
easy viewing and printing.
Hammond
Project Management Professional (Wednesday & Thursday, June 27-28, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.)
The goal of Project Management Professional is to prepare project managers and others
planning to pursue a career in project management with test knowledge and tools to
take the PMP Certification Exam. The course is based on Project Management Institute's
Project Management Body of Knowledge. The cost is $740.
Astrology Unveiled (Thursdays, June 26 – July 19, 6 to 8 p.m.)
This class is a philosophical look into the 12 sun signs of humanity. A unique approach
will be presented to analyzing the 12 zodiac cycles of nature and how humans react
to these annual cycles. The information presented will allow students to better understand
themselves and everyone around them, thus helping to create a truer and more rewarding
way of life. The cost is $90.
MandevilleProject Management Professional (Monday & Tuesday, June 25-26, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.)
The goal of Project Management Professional is to prepare project managers and others
planning to pursue a career in project management with test knowledge and tools to
take the PMP Certification Exam. The course is based on Project Management Institute's
Project Management Body of Knowledge. The cost is $740.
WalkerProject Management Professional (Monday & Tuesday, July 2-3, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.)
The goal of Project Management Professional is to prepare project managers and others
planning to pursue a career in project management with test knowledge and tools to
take the PMP Certification Exam. The course is based on Project Management Institute's
Project Management Body of Knowledge. The cost is $740.
To register, or for further details on these or other courses that are available please
visit:
Hammond- www.southeastern.edu/es Mandeville- www.southeastern.edu/stc Walker- www.southeastern.edu/livingston
Southeastern in the news
WAFB.com
Southeastern detective's book honored as Police Book of the Year
http://livingston.wafb.com/news/community-spirit/53571-novel-southeastern-police-investigator-named-book-year
New Orleans Times PicayuneCovington's O'Neil De Noux wins national award for his latest novel
http://www.nola.com/books/index.ssf/2012/05/covingtons_oneil_de_noux_wins.html
Four Southeastern students to further their education in Japan
http://blog.nola.com/education_impact/print.html?entry=/2012/06/four_southeastern_louisiana_un.html
Baton Rouge AdvocateSLU fraternity earns chapter accolades
http://theadvocate.com/news/livingston/2920832-123/slu-fraternity-earns-chapter-accolades
Disaster program aims to prepare volunteers
http://theadvocate.com/news/livingston/2920854-123/disaster-program-aims-to-prepare
Group to probe Southern layoffs (AAUP)
http://theadvocate.com/news/3016339-123/group-to-probe-southern-layoffs
SLU college dean appointed
http://theadvocate.com/news/livingston/2969894-123/slu-college-dean-appointed
Professional activities
Dr. Barbara Forrest(History and Political Science) spoke on May 19 at a meeting of the Humanist Society
of Santa Barbara, California. Her presentation, "Why Academic Freedom Is a Fraud,"
concerned creationist legislation that is being promoted around the country as "academic
freedom" legislation. On May 20, she spoke at the annual conference of the Orange
County Freethought Association in Irvine, California, concerning the Louisiana Science
Education Act.
ByLion is published weekly online (bi-weekly during the summer session) for the faculty and staff of Southeastern Louisiana University. Send submissions to publicinfo@southeastern.edu, SLU 10880, fax 985-549-2061, or bring to University Marketing and Communications Office in East Stadium. Submission deadline is 4:30 p.m. on Thursday.
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