Around the College: February 2005
Noted Mathematician Lectures
The CLAS Mathematical Sciences Committee and the Department of Mathematics are sponsoring a series of eight lectures this spring by one of the world’s most eminent mathematicians George Andrews, a member of the National Academy of Sciences and professor at The Pennsylvania State University. Andrews will present two general audience talks, “Why Pure Mathematical Scientists Should Not Mind Their Own Business” and “Research Mathematical Scientists and Mathematics Education” on February 14 and 22 at 4:05 pm in the Keene Faculty Center.
Fresh Faces in the Development Office
The CLAS Development and Alumni Affairs office has welcomed several new faces to its team. Mary Matlock joined the college last summer as an associate director of development. She is fundraising with the humanities departments and also assists with special events such as CLAS Day, the Outstanding Alumni Brunch and Grand Guard Weekend. She previously served as the assistant director of annual giving at the University of Oklahoma.
Director of Development Cody Helmer transferred to the office in January, having worked at the UF Foundation since 2000 in a variety of positions, including assistant director of annual giving and director of regional development. In his current position, he is working with the basic sciences departments.
Norman Portillo also joined the office in January as a director of development, and is working with the social sciences departments. Portillo previously worked at Lexmark International on the vendor relations staff.
The new members join Cynthia Butler, senior director of development, and support staff, Luz Mieses and Shirl Raulerson.
CLAS Faculty Named American Physical Society Fellows
Three UF scientists have been named fellows of the American Physical Society. Physicists Paul Avery and Peter Hirschfeld and chemist Frank Harris each were elected for their original research and innovative contributions in applying physics to science and technology.
Avery was noted for his leadership in developing grid-computing resources for high-energy physics and other sciences. Hirschfeld’s research focuses on high temperature superconductors, and he was cited for his distinguished contributions to the theory of disordered unconventional superconductors that helped to identify d-wave pairs. Harris is a member of UF’s Quantum Theory Project, a group of researchers based in the chemistry and physics departments. His contributions over a 50-year period in developing methods of electronic structure computation for atoms, molecules and solids were honored.
No more than one-half of one percent of the society’s total membership is selected for fellowship status each year.
Apply Now for Undergraduate Research Opportunity
The deadline to apply to the University Scholars Program for the 2005–2006 academic year is February 25. The university-wide program, now in its fifth year, offers undergraduates the chance to gain academic research experience by working one-on-one with a faculty mentor. Each scholar is awarded a $2,500 stipend and $500 for travel, while their mentors are compensated with $500. To be eligible, applicants in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences must have a 3.5 GPA and a graduation date of no earlier than spring 2006. Forty scholars will be chosen in CLAS, and each applicant must find their own mentor and project. To apply, students must submit an application—which can be found online at www.scholars. ufl.edu—as well as a resume, typed research proposal, and a letter of support from their faculty mentor. All materials should be turned in to the department chair of the faculty mentor. Winners will be announced in late March.
Dean’s Office Welcomes New Staff
Keri
Chardi is a new program assistant in the dean’s office
who will be assisting the college’s budget officer John
Watson. Chardi came to UF in 1999 after working for 15 years
in the banking industry. Before joining CLAS in January, she worked
in the Department of Continuing Medical Education as a fiscal/office
assistant. Chardi’s duties for CLAS include processing fiscal
and P-card transactions, assisting with ledgers, and serving as a fiscal
specialist liaison for college units needing assistance.
Chardi’s position was formerly held by Jeannette Hall, who is now an office assistant in the dean’s office working with human resources staff Mary Anne Morgan and Sherry Feagle. She is responsible for payroll processing and troubleshooting, maintaining the CLAS staff database and the CLAS staff performance appraisal process. All financial and HR staff members are now located in 2008 Turlington Hall.
CLAS Staff Receive Superior Accomplishment Awards
Nine CLAS employees have been awarded a divisional UF Superior Accomplishment Award in recognition of their outstanding and meritorious service to the university. They are: Cindy Powell, psychology; Erin Smith, history; John Graham, physics; Kimberly Robertson, psychology; Edward Storch, physics; Corinna Greene, African studies; Paula Maurer, botany; Debbie Wallen, political science; and Mark Meisel, physics. Each awardee has received $200, a certificate of appreciation and a memento coffee mug. They also are under consideration for the university-wide awards, which will be announced in April.
Department News
African American Studies
Faye V. Harrison, a joint professor of African American studies and anthropology, presented the paper “Everyday Neoliberalism, Diminishing Subsistence Security, and the Criminalization of Survival: A Perspective on Gendered Poverty in Jamaica, the US and UK” at an inter-congress in Kolkata, India. The meeting was organized by the International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences (IUAES). As head of the IUAES Commission on the Anthropology of Women, Harrison chaired three sessions, including one organized with the Indian Anthropological Association and UNESCO on “AIDS, Women, and Human Rights.”
Anthropology
Elizabeth Guillette was recently recognized for her innovative methodology and outstanding contributions to children’s environmental health at the University of Minnesota. She received a plaque and also presented the Richard G. Bond Memorial Lecture in recognition of the 20th anniversary of the Bhopal gas disaster in India. She spoke on her recent research involving the continuing effects of the gas on children who were the second generation of exposed parents.
Chemistry
Alan Katritzky was honored at the International Chemistry-Biology Interface Conference in Delhi, India when one of the symposiums, “Synthetic Strategies in Heterocyclic Chemistry,” was presented as a tribute. He also received the lifetime achievement award from the Indian Chemical Society and a plaque commemorating his election as the Foreign Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy by K.R. Narayanan, the former President of India.
English
Mark Reid presented a paper titled “Migrating PostNegritude: Afro-Francophone Women in French Cinema” at the African American and Diasporic Research in Europe Conference, sponsored by Harvard University and held in Paris. His article, “Haile Gerima: ‘Sacred Shield of Culture’,” appears in Contemporary American Independent Film: From the Mainstream to the Margins.
The Creative Writing Program is hosting its 56th annual MFA@FLA Writers’ Festival on February 11–12, featuring presentations from authors Norman Rush, Jim and Karen Shepard, and Lucie Brock-Broido. The festival is free and open to the public. Visit www.english.ufl.edu/ events/events2004–05/crw/festival.html for a complete schedule of events and author sketches.
Mathematics
As one of the highlights of the Special Year in Number Theory and Combinatorics 2004–2005, the department conducted an international conference on additive number theory in November. More than 60 talks were presented, and the event received support from the National Science Foundation, the National Security Agency and the Number Theory Foundation.
In late December, Chair Krishnaswami Alladi was in India for the Mathematics Olympiad, in which 3,500 high school students answered a series of mathematical questions posed by Alladi. The first place winner was awarded an all expense paid trip to UF for one month for training in the mathematics department. The Olympiad was conducted by SASTRA University in South India, the same site as the 2004 conference on Fourier Analysis and Number Theory. Alladi presented two lectures, and Frank Garvan gave the opening plenary lecture of the conference.
Physics
UF’s chapter of the Society of Physics Students (SPS) has received the Marsh White Award from the national SPS organization. This is the second year the organization has received the $300 award to support projects designed to promote interest in physics among students and the general public.
Political Science
Leslie Anderson and Lawrence Dodd have published an article “Democratie Envers Tout: Participation Electoral en Nicaragua, 1990–2001” in the French journal Revue Le Banquet. It appeared in the final 2004 issue of the journal.
Mike Scicchitano is the new managing editor of the journal, State and Local Government Review, a publication that focuses on the public policy and public administration fields.
Psychology
Andrew Hoffman, a senior double-majoring in psychology and English, has received a US Department of Homeland Security full tuition scholarship through its Scholars and Fellows Program. The program was started in 2003 to support the development and mentoring of the next generation of scientists as they study ways to prevent terrorist attacks within the US. Hoffman is one of 105 college students who will receive a tuition voucher and stipend. He is the past president of the CLAS Student Council.
Romance Languages and Literatures
Sylvie Blum-Reid (French) presented “From Brasov to Paris: Brassai’s Visions of 1930s Paris” for the Paris as Promised Land: Francophilia in Eastern Europe session at the annual Modern Language Association convention in Philadelphia on December 30.
Statistics
The department has created a university-wide statistical consulting service, which will provide high-quality statistical consultation, free of charge, to graduate students and faculty researchers. Walk-in consulting is available from 1–2 pm on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday in 101A Griffin-Floyd Hall. This service is intended for short questions, typically concerning statistical software packages. Appointments for more complex or time-consuming questions can be made by emailing consult@stat.ufl.edu.
Zoology
Vassiliki Betty Smocovitis has been elected chair of the history and philosophy of science section of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. As one of 24 sections, members arrange symposia for the annual meeting and provide expertise for association-wide projects.
Credits
Photography
Jane Dominguez