University News

$2.5 Million Great Lakes Center to Link Research, Teaching

Students, educators and citizens in Michigan and around the Great Lakes region will soon have unprecedented learning opportunities to explore Great Lakes science and the connection to the world's oceans, following approval of a US$2.5 million regional Center for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence (COSEE).

"Public understanding of Great Lakes and ocean sciences is essential to ensure the long term protection of these invaluable natural resources," said principal investigator Don Scavia, professor in the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment.

Scavia is also the director of Michigan Sea Grant, a cooperative program between U-M and Michigan State University that promotes sustainability of the Great Lakes and is headquartered at U-M.

With the same project, Great Lakes scientists will have opportunities to meet their education and public audiences in new, collaborative ways.

The National Science Foundation and NOAA-National Sea Grant recently announced funding support for COSEE Great Lakes, the 10th center in a nationwide network. Michigan Sea Grant will work collaboratively with other Sea Grant programs in the region to support a suite of educational opportunities. COSEE Great Lakes is expected to create dynamic linkages between Great Lakes and ocean research and education with the goal of enhancing scientific literacy and environmental stewardship.

In the coming months, Sea Grant educators will be collaborating with partners to coordinate COSEE activities in Michigan and throughout the region. Some of the activities planned include lake exploration workshops, tools and educational materials using the Great Lakes Observing System, Great Lakes curriculum enhancement and integration with ocean topics, and interactive learning events linking researchers with educators, students and the public.

A primary objective is to improve communication between researchers and 4-10th grade teachers and students and enhance teacher capabilities for delivering Great Lakes and ocean science education. Over the five-year program, more than 2,000 teachers throughout the region are expected to take part in COSEE Great Lakes activities along with more than 350 researchers, who will help educate new audiences.

COSEE Great Lakes is a collaborative effort of Michigan Sea Grant and the Great Lakes Sea Grant Network. Michigan Sea Grant is a cooperative program of the University of Michigan and Michigan State University dedicated to the protection and sustainable use of Great Lakes resources. Funding is provided through the National Sea Grant College Program by NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce.

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MacArthur Foundation Awards $1.86 Million to Fund Cornell Research and Training Positions in Peace Studies

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation has awarded a US$1.86 million grant to Cornell University's Peace Studies program to provide additional research and training in science and security studies.

The grant announcement is part of nearly $8 million awarded to Cornell, Carnegie Mellon and Princeton universities and the Georgia Institute of Technology to increase the number of faculty positions and researchers working on projects where science and security policy meet. These grants are a part of the foundation's $50 million Science, Technology and Security Initiative.

This effort aims to expand the pool of independent experts in the U.S. and internationally who can provide objective technical analysis of international security issues. The grant "will increase Cornell's traditional strength in the training of natural scientists to take on advisory roles in international security issues," says G. Peter Lepage, Dean of Cornell's College of Arts and Sciences.

A major goal of MacArthur's grant making in international peace and security is to reduce the dangers posed by nuclear and biological weapons. To do this, the foundation awards grants to strengthen independent scientific and technical advice on security policy, to develop new approaches in cooperative security, and to support policy research and engagement.

When it comes to security issues, there is a need for more engagement between policymakers and technical specialists.

The new grant will support graduate fellowships, post-doctoral researchers, and a senior research associate position. The researchers will study security issues relating to missile defense, weapons in space and biological weapons. "We aim to create an enduring capacity for the training of future generations of scientists who can contribute to the public discussions of technically-related security issues," said Judith Reppy, acting director of the Peace Studies program.

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Dr. Larry D. Terry Appointed UTD’s Vice President for Business Affairs

Dr. Larry D. Terry, a highly regarded administrator and scholar at The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD), has been appointed the university’s vice president for business affairs, a position he had held on an interim basis for the past eight months. 

Terry was named the university’s chief financial and business officer by UTD President Dr. David E. Daniel following a national search to replace Robert L. Lovitt, who retired from UTD last May 31.  Terry’s appointment is effective Feb. 1.

For the past eight months, Terry has filled the dual roles of interim vice president for business affairs and executive vice provost for academic affairs.  With his new appointment, he will relinquish the duties of the latter position.  He will remain a tenured, full professor in the School of Social Sciences.

The Office of Business Affairs is responsible for administering UTD’s operating budget, which exceeds $264 million in the current fiscal year.  It also directs the activities of a number of departments involved in the day-to-day operation of the university, including the Office of the Budget, Controller’s Office, Environmental Health and Safety, Human Resources, Physical Plant, Police Department and Procurement Services.  The office employs more than 280 people.

Under Terry’s leadership, the office has launched an ambitious effort to upgrade campus facilities in order to make them safer, more efficient and more attractive.  Among these projects are improvements to the campus mall, renovations to classrooms and other buildings and the expansion of the campus police force.

Terry, who joined UTD in 2001, is an international authority in the field of public administration and an elected member of the National Academy of Public Administration.  In recent years, he has served as editor of the prestigious scholarly journal Public Administration Review, which is based at UTD. 

Terry earned a Ph.D. degree from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and an M.S. degree from the University of Missouri – Columbia.

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Jackson Named UGA Vice President for Public Affairs

Thomas H. Jackson Jr., who has directed the University of Georgia’s media relations and public affairs efforts since 1988, has been named vice president for public affairs, according to an announcement by Steve W. Wrigley, senior vice president for external affairs.  The appointment is effective March 1, pending approval by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia.

Jackson has served on the president’s Cabinet since 1988, having the longest continuous service among current members, and has been the institution’s primary media spokesperson throughout that time.  He is responsible for institutional public relations strategies and has administrative responsibility for news media relations, photography and video production, public radio station WUGA, publications, the visitors center, and open records compliance.  These units have been recognized with numerous national awards of excellence under Jackson’s leadership.

The public affairs program is integrated with other external affairs units in development, alumni relations and government relations.  Under Jackson’s tenure, the public affairs unit has transitioned to a national reach in communications while moving to electronic, Web-based and video communications vehicles.  The university’s more than 230,000 alumni and friends now receive communications from the institution on a regular basis, covering the broad range of university functions from academic programs to the current capital campaign, the Archway to Excellence.

Jackson earned a bachelor’s degree in history from UGA in 1973 and recently has pursued advanced degrees.  In 2004, he completed the master’s degree in public administration from UGA and now is enrolled in the Ph.D. program in higher education administration.  He first joined the university staff in 1974 as broadcast editor in the office of public relations.  He returned in 1988 as director of public information, rising through the positions of executive director of university communications and associate vice president for public affairs.  He completed the management development program in higher education at Harvard University in 1994.

In addition to the two stints at UGA, he has been a news reporter and Athens bureau chief for WXIA-TV, the NBC affiliate in Atlanta; a correspondent for the Atlanta Constitution; and general manager, news director and program director of radio stations in Athens and LaGrange.

Jackson has been involved in professional development, including serving eight years on the board of the Georgia Education Advancement Council and three terms as its treasurer.

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Yale Appoints Three New Trustees

President Richard C. Levin announced the appointment of three new trustees to the Yale Corporation, the governing board of the institution.

The three new trustees, all of whom are graduates of Yale College, are:

• Jeffrey Bewkes, President and Chief Operating Officer of Time Warner, Inc.
• Donna Dubinsky, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Numenta, Inc., who earlier co-founded Palm Computing and Handspring, Inc.
• Fareed Zakaria, Editor of Newsweek International and host of the PBS series “Foreign Exchange with Fareed Zakaria”

Zakaria will join the Corporation at its meeting in February, and Bewkes and Dubinsky will join the Corporation at the beginning of the University’s next fiscal year on July 1, 2006.

Fareed Zakaria, a 1986 alumnus of Yale College, is one of the country’s leading political commentators. He became managing editor of Foreign Affairs at the age of 28 and now serves as Editor of Newsweek International. He is also an award-winning columnist for Newsweek, a commentator for ABC News, and Managing Editor and host of the PBS series “Foreign Exchange with Fareed Zakaria.”

Zakaria was raised in Mumbai, India. After receiving his undergraduate degree from Yale with a major in history, he earned a Ph.D. in political science at Harvard in 1993 and ran a major research project on American foreign policy. He has taught international relations and political philosophy at Harvard and Columbia universities.

He has written for many publications including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, The New Republic and the webzine Slate. He is the author of “From Wealth to Power: The Unusual Origins of America’s World Role” and co-editor of “The American Encounter: The United States and the Making of the Modern World.” His book “The Future of Freedom: Illiberal Democracy at Home and Abroad,” published in 2003, was a New York Times bestseller and the subject of Levin’s welcoming address to the freshmen that year. It has been translated into 18 foreign languages. Zakaria has won numerous awards for his writing. He serves on several boards, including the Trilateral Commission, the International Institute of Strategic Studies and the Council on Foreign Relations.

Zakaria serves on the President’s Council on International Activities and has spoken on campus on several occasions. He gave the final lecture of the University’s post-September 11 series.

Jeffrey Bewkes has helped to redefine the entertainment industry. Bewkes, a 1974 Yale College graduate, received his M.B.A. in 1977 from Stanford Graduate School of Business. While at Stanford he was the operations director for Sonoma Vineyards. After graduating from Stanford, he spent two years in banking before joining Home Box Office. He rose through the ranks and in 1995 became Chief Executive Officer. At HBO, Bewkes is credited with converting HBO into the first on demand television network and with pioneering the concept of original programming for cable networks. HBO produced such hits as "The Sopranos," "Sex and the City" and "Six Feet Under." Bewkes also served on the management committee of the cable network Comedy Central and the board of Black Entertainment Television.

After AOL Time Warner merged with HBO, Bewkes was named in 2002 as chairman in charge of the Entertainment and Networks Group. He oversaw Time Warner's movie, television, and music interests, including cable networks like HBO and CNN, as well as the WB network, Warner Bros. Studio, New Line Cinema, Turner Broadcasting System and Warner Music. On December 21, 2005, he was promoted to President and Chief Operating Officer of Time Warner, Inc.

Bewkes serves on the boards of the Council on Foreign Relations, the American Museum of the Moving Image, Channel Thirteen/WNET and Time Warner Cable. Bewkes also serves on the advisory boards of Stanford University Graduate School of Business, the American Museum of Natural History, the Creative Coalition and the Museum of Television & Radio.

At Yale, Bewkes is a member of the University Council, which advises the President and Officers about selected academic and administrative issues. He also serves on the Executive Committee of Yale's current fundraising campaign.

Donna Dubinsky, a 1977 graduate of Yale College, is co-founder and CEO of Numenta, Inc., and has the distinction of having led three innovative technology companies. After Yale she received an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School in 1981. She worked initially at Apple Computer, and then as a founder of Claris Corporation, before joining Jeff Hawkins shortly after he founded Palm Computing in 1992. Palm introduced the PalmPilot, which became the first successful handheld computer, in 1996. She served as President and CEO of Palm Computing, which was acquired by U.S. Robotics and then subsequently by 3Com Corporation. The PalmPilot was the fastest-selling computer and consumer electronics product in history at that time, with 1 million units sold in its first 18 months.

In 1998, Dubinsky and Hawkins left Palm to co-found Handspring Inc., a handheld computing and communications company. Handspring shipped the Visor handheld computer, quickly capturing 25% of the handheld market. The firm also became a leader in the emerging category of smartphones, developing the Treo, a category-defining product. Handspring merged in 2003 with Palm’s hardware group to create a new company, now called Palm, Inc., where Dubinsky serves as a director. Palm is a market leader in the field. In 2005, Dubinsky and Hawkins founded their present firm, Numenta, a technology development firm that is creating a new computer memory system modeled after the human brain’s neo-cortex.

Dubinsky also serves as a director of Intuit Corporation, which develops business and financial software for small businesses, and as a trustee of the Redwood Neuroscience Institute. She is also a trustee of the Computer History Museum, where she plays a leadership role in the capital campaign to support the museum’s permanent site in Mountain View, California.

At Yale, Dubinsky serves as a member of the University Council, which advises the President and Officers about selected academic and administrative issues. She also serves on the Executive Committee of Yale’s current fundraising campaign. Dubinsky has spoken on campus, including being a featured speaker for the Yale Entrepreneurial Society.

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UW Medical Center First in Nation to Install Next-Generation PET/CT Scanner

UW Medical Center is the first hospital in the country to install a new-generation PET/CT imaging system designed to help physicians detect, diagnose and monitor treatment of cancer and other diseases, including heart disease and neurological disease, more accurately and earlier in the disease process.

PET (Positron Emission Tomography) and CT (Computed Tomography) scans are both standard imaging tools that physicians use to pinpoint disease states in the body. A PET scan demonstrates the biological function of the body before anatomical changes take place, while the CT scan provides information about the body's anatomy such as size, shape and location.

The new generation PET/CT is a fusion of the high-speed, high-resolution capabilities of a CT scanner with the metabolic and physiologic capabilities of a PET scanner, said Dr. Paul Kinahan, associate professor of radiology and director of PET/CT physics for UW Medical Center.

While PET/CT is most commonly used for cancer diagnosis and treatment planning, its use is expanding into other areas, including cardiovascular and neurological imaging.

For cardiovascular imaging, the PET/CT scanner allows physicians to access essential metabolic and anatomical data including mapping of blood supply to heart muscle, CT angiography and cardiac calcium score. The information made available through the combination system can help physicians accurately diagnose cardiac patients and help eliminate unnecessary invasive procedures.

In neurology, clinicians have been making strides in earlier detection of neurological diseases using PET/CT technology.

In 2005, UW Medical Center installed the first hospital-based 64-slice CT scanner in the country. The Department of Radiology is currently installing the most advanced MR imaging system at South Lake Union and at UWMC.

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Sir Roger Penrose Honored for Math Communication

Sir Roger Penrose, Emeritus Rouse Ball Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford, has received the 2006 Communications Award of the Joint Policy Board for Mathematics (JPBM) in the US. Presented annually, the award recognizes outstanding achievement in communicating about mathematics to nonmathematicians.

The award was announced at the American Mathematical Society’s Joint Mathematics Meetings in San Antonio, Texas. The award citation states that Sir Roger is honored ‘for the discovery of Penrose tilings, which have captured the public’s imagination, and for the extraordinary series of books that brought the subject of consciousness to the public in mathematical terms.’ In particular, the award citation praises Sir Roger’s books The Emperor’s New Mind (1989) and The Road to Reality (2005). The citation states that the award ‘is a tribute to the way that Professor Penrose has made the ideas behind high level mathematics accessible to large segments of the general public.’

The JPBM represents the American Mathematical Society, the American Statistical Association, the Mathematical Association of America, and the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics.

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Director of Oncology Nursing and Transplant Services Wins Book of the Year Award

Representatives of The American Journal of Nursing (AJN) announced that the textbook "Nursing Management: Principles and Practice" has earned its prestigious 2005 AJN Book of the Year Award. Edited by Mary Gullatte, RN, MN, Director of Nursing, Oncology and Transplant Services for Emory's Winship Cancer Institute, and published by the Oncology Nursing Society (ONS), the book is described by AJN as an "outstanding resource." It is the first publication by ONS's Publishing Division to receive such an honor.

The "American Journal of Nursing" is the nation's oldest and largest circulating nursing journal and one of the most highly respected. Its AJN Book of the Year Award competition draws hundreds of submissions by authors from various fields in the nursing profession. A distinguished panel of judges selects those considered the most valuable texts each year. "The AJN Book of the Year competition is the nursing profession's premiere review of the best books related to nursing and healthcare, and the announcement of the awards is an eagerly anticipated event each year," says AJN Editor-in-Chief Diana Mason, RN, PhD. "The books chosen represent the highest standard of excellence in writing and publishing."

Gullatte's "Nursing Management: Principles and Practice" provides an in-depth review of general and oncology nursing management principles to guide the practice and development of nurse leaders and managers. The text includes practice tips, guidelines, and real world examples of management tools such as letters and charts, with a forward by Lois Capps, RN, United States Congresswoman 23rd Congressional District of California.

Gullatte recruited a number of nationally and internationally known expert nursing and healthcare leaders as contributors to address a diverse and comprehensive collection of nursing management issues across multiple practice settings. Topics include leadership development, financial management, mentorship, nursing research, quality and performance improvement, and health policy advocacy.

A 27-year employee of Emory University Hospital, Gullatte has served in roles from staff nurse to various management positions. She is currently Director of Nursing for Inpatient Oncology and Transplant Services and Director of the Oncology Data Center for Emory Hospitals and the Emory Winship Cancer Institute. She has served on the boards of the American Cancer Society and the National Oncology Nursing Society. The recipient of numerous honors and awards, in 2004, she was named Nurse of the Year by the Georgia Nursing Association. In addition, an advocate of community service, she volunteers with countless organizations, such as the American Red Cross, American Heart Association and the Georgia Special Olympics.