LSU'S Biweekly Newsletter for Faculty & Staff
February 11, 2005 |
VOL. 21, NO.114 |
LSU’s Public Policy Research Lab recently released the Louisiana Business Image Survey asking national employers their opinions of Louisiana’s business environment. According to the survey sponsored by the Committee of 100, the major factors affecting the state’s negative image are corruption, the lack of a qualified workforce, and the lack of access to quality schools.
The university can make a major contribution in helping the state and its business community to reverse its image. Not only does LSU create significant opportunities for our current business endeavors, but also, LSU is building the human and physical infrastructure for the future.
One only needs to walk around the campus to see the research and public service that are helping serve the industrial base and commercial interests of our state. The College of Engineering and School of the Coast & Environment are helping to protect the nation’s energy supply line, while working toward a cleaner environment and supporting recreational-based ecotourism. The Ourso College, through the Louisiana Business and Technology Center, offers a low-cost opportunity for business incubation and has been credited with sponsoring more than 100 companies, creating about 8,000 jobs. Center for Computation and Technology led the development of the LONI project causing the National Lambda Rail to route through our state, and bringing incredible computing capacity for research and collaboration.
LSU’s greatest contribution will be shown in the education of students. The responsibility of postsecondary education is to provide for the workforce, but LSU’s unique task is to provide leaders for that workforce. Our students must have an educational experience of national caliber if our state is to have the level of knowledge needed to attract new industry. As Dek Terrell, Freeport McMoran Chair in economics and leading researcher of the business image survey, said, “In this global market, high-quality labor, not low labor cost, is the key to Louisiana’s future.”
To train our future leaders, LSU established several residential colleges. The newest residential college, Vision Louisiana, focuses its curriculum on understanding the problems of Louisiana. Students in Leadership LSU have the opportunity to have an open dialogue with industry and government leaders who greatly affect our state’s economic and social condition.
In addition to those students who have dedicated their time to Louisiana, LSU students have reached new heights in their fields and raised the LSU flag high on the national stage. Recently, a five-student accounting team from LSU, under the direction of Professor Barbara Apostolou, won the xAct competition hosted by PricewaterhouseCoopers in New York. Erin Meradith is the fifteenth Center for Internal Auditing student to take top student honors in the Certified Internal Auditing Exam world. In December, LSU alumna Lauren Wilbert took second prize in the Hearst Journalism Awards Program.
If the enhancement of intellectual capacity is one of the priorities for the state, there is no question that LSU, through its National Flagship Agenda, can be of help. Our strategic plan centers on attracting some of the brightest people in the nation and the world to join us at LSU. By offering nationally competitive education and research programs, LSU also contributes to enhancing the economy and civic well-being of the state.
For more information about the Business Image survey or to obtain copies of the report, visit http://www.survey.lsu.edu and click on the Louisiana Business Image Survey link.
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| Ed Laws |
Ed Laws, former chair of the University of Hawaii-Manoa’s Oceanography Department, has taken over as dean of LSU’s School of the Coast and Environment.
Highly regarded for his research on aquatic pollution, phytoplankton ecology and aquaculture, Laws was on the faculty at the University of Hawaii for 30 years and has received numerous awards and recognitions. Laws is the director of a major research center at the University of Hawaii dedicated to the study of oceans and marine phenomena and their connections to human health.
“ We are very pleased that Ed Laws has accepted this key post as dean of our School of the Coast and Environment,” said LSU Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Risa Palm. “We expect that his experience, energy and vision will help promote the Flagship Agenda.”
Laws earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Harvard University in 1967 and a doctorate in chemical physics from Harvard in 1972. Before joining the University of Hawaii faculty in 1974, he served as an oceanography instructor at Florida State University. He was chair of Hawaii’s Oceanography Department three times, and served as the university’s interim vice chancellor for research and graduate education.
Laws is the author of numerous articles, as well as two popular textbooks, “Aquatic Pollution” and “Mathematical Models for Oceanographers: An Introduction.” In 1980, he received the Thomas Jefferson Award for Community Service and he was named a William McCurdy Fellow at Duke University Marine Laboratory in 1994. He has been a member of the State of Hawaii Department of Health Water Quality Standards Technical Committee since 1977.
“ I came to Louisiana State University for two reasons,” said Laws. “One was the caliber of the administration. The people I have met, in particular William Jenkins and Risa Palm, are truly visionary leaders with a strong commitment to the Flagship Agenda. It is a pleasure to be working at a university run by such leaders.
“ The second is the strength of the faculty in the School of the Coast and Environment. This school is on a trajectory to become the world leader in the study of coastal oceanographic processes in river ecosystems. The questions and problems our scientists will be addressing in the next few years are of utmost importance to the economy and culture of Louisiana. We are most concerned about developing strategies for managing our coastal resources in a sustainable manner. I am excited about working with these people to help provide answers to such important questions.”
For the time being, Laws said he will continue to direct Hawaii’s research center for oceans and human health, which is funded by a grant of more than $1 million from the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, one of the National Institutes of Health. He said that he hopes to get some of LSU’s faculty involved in related research in the coming years. Laws will also continue to conduct National Science Foundation-funded research on marine food webs that he began while at Hawaii.
Laws takes over for Russell Chapman, who stepped down as dean at the end of 2004.
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LSU System President William Jenkins was recently honored with an Honors College scholarship in his name. He is pictured with his wife, Peggy Jenkins, and scholarship contributors Harry and Norma Longwell. |
Harry and Norma Longwell have chosen to recognize LSU System President William L. Jenkins by contributing a scholarship to the LSU Honors College in his name.
The Longwells’ $80,000 contribution will be used to establish the William L. Jenkins Honors Scholarship, and recipients of this scholarship will be called “Jenkins Scholars.”
“ The promotion of the Honors College by Dr. Jenkins during his long history with LSU is just an example of the academic areas that have flourished under his stewardship of Louisiana State University. It is an honor to recognize him in this way,” said Longwell, retired executive vice president of ExxonMobil Corporation.
A surprised Jenkins noted, “I truly feel very humbled that Harry and Norma Longwell have decided to contribute a scholarship to the Honors College in my name. Having my name associated with a scholarship program in one of our most prestigious colleges is both an honor and a privilege.”
Recipients of the scholarship will be full-time, undergraduate students enrolled in the LSU Honors College. Financial need will be a consideration in the selection of Jenkins Scholars, and preference will be shown to students majoring in the sciences, engineering and business administration.
“ Having distinguished alumni who care for our institution and its students by contributing to scholarship programs is a benefit to everyone associated with LSU,” said LSU Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Risa Palm. “And to have this one named for President Jenkins is especially moving. This program will be invaluable to the Honors College.”
The LSU Honors College provides intellectual opportunity for academically able and intellectually motivated undergraduate students. Graduates of the Honors College participate in a specific honors program and complete and defend an undergraduate thesis.
“ This is the Honors College’s first endowed scholarship. Scholarships such as this are essential for the Honors College to attract and retain a diverse and talented student body,” Honors College Dean Nancy Clark said. “We are grateful for the Longwells’ support and can think of no better way of recognizing President Jenkins’ commitment to the Honors College.”
Jenkins, a native of South Africa, became president of the LSU System in 1999. He served as chancellor of LSU from 1996-1999, as LSU’s provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs from 1993-1996, and as dean of the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine from 1988-1993. Prior to that, he served on the faculty at Texas A&M University and the University of Pretoria in South Africa.
Jenkins received his professional veterinary medicine degree in 1958 and his specialist credentials in 1968, both from the University of Pretoria. He earned his doctorate from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1970.
He has served on numerous professional boards and committees, including the National Institutes of Health’s Alcohol Abuse and Misuse on College Campuses Committee, and a special steering committee of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to review accreditation criteria for colleges and universities. He is a member of the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges’ Committee on Food and Society and serves on the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Coastal Restoration and Conservation.
Jenkins has also served on the boards of the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, the Greater Baton Rouge Chamber of Commerce, the Council for a Better Louisiana, the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge, the Nature Conservancy of Louisiana, and the Baton Rouge board of the National Conference for Community and Justice.
Jenkins and his wife, Peggy, have four children and nine grandchildren.
Besides tending to the topics of Sean O’Keefe and Les Miles, the LSU Board of Supervisors covered serveral other orders of business at its January meeting.
The Board of Supervisors inducted their new member, James Roy of Lafayette. Roy replaces outgoing LSU Board of Supervisors member William Rucks. Roy is an attorney with the Lafayette law firm Domengeaux, Wright, Roy and Edwards. He represents the 7th Congressional District and will serve on the Budget and Finance Committee, Property and Facilities Committee, Flagship Committee, and Foundaion & Affiliated Organization Committee.
On another topic, Bill Silvia, LSU System executive vice president, told board members that the LSU System has been asked to save about $9 million before July, due to state budget cuts to higher education. Silvia said System campuses are trimming their spending by cutting back on hiring, purchasing supplies and equipment and travel. LSU A&M will need to cut about $3 million while the Law Center expects $1.2 million. LSU AgCenter Chancellor Bill Richardson said the AgCenter campus is being affected the most since it relies on the state for the majority of its funding and it does not have the option to raise tuition to make up for the cuts. Richardson said he will most likely need to cut many AgCenter programs and services in the areas of family and consumer sciences, economic development, natural resources and 4-H.
In other news the board approved:
• A vote to change the wording of a board policy allowing tuition breaks for the children of alumni who live out of state to include stepchildren.
• Putting plans for the new $23 million baseball stadium into the university’s capital outlay budget. The stadium will be paid through bond revenue and private donations.
• An increase in R.V. parking in Touchdown Village effective the 2005 football season. Season permits will increase from $400 to $500 while individual game permits will go from $75 to $100.
• The board also approved recommendations for two new academic chair positions in Geology and Geophysics for the LSU College of Basic Sciences, as well as 12 new professorships at LSU.
LSU will celebrate Black History Month throughout February, with a variety of performances and competitions following the theme “Exploring the African Diaspora.”
The Apollo Players will present “Lessons of the Trash Gang” on Friday, Feb. 11, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Feb. 13, at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. in the LSU Union Cotillion Ballroom. The Apollo Players is an acting troupe for students of color that is dedicated to performing plays that depict the African and African-American experience. “Lessons of the Trash Gang” is an original piece written by an LSU student.
On Wednesday, Feb. 16, at 7 p.m., in the Bo Campbell Auditorium of the Cox Communications Academic Center for Student Athletes, there will be a tribute to Black History Month featuring keynote speaker Farai Chideya. Chideya, acclaimed author, speaker and journalist, will address the importance of honoring the accomplishments and contributions of blacks in America. A reception is scheduled to follow the program in the Multi-Purpose Room of the Maravich Assembly Center.
On Thursday, Feb. 17, at 7 p.m., in the Union Royal Ballroom, the Sankofa Poets, a group of LSU students that share talents in writing, performing and critiquing poetry, will present “Our Journey,” which is the group’s interpretive rendition of the journey involved in the African Diaspora.
On Saturday, Feb. 19, from noon until 4:30 p.m., there will be a reunion on the parade grounds sponsored by the LSU Black History Month Committee and Southern University Student Government. There will be live music, games, food, a cook-off contest, talent show and black history trivia during the event. Also during the event, a departmental fair will introduce students and the public to opportunities at their respective campuses.
Wednesday, Feb. 23, at 8 p.m., there will be a Race/Religion Symposium in the Union Cotillion Ballroom. The symposium is co-sponsored by the Union Program Council’s Black Culture Committee and features three nationally renowned spoken word poets including Bryon Bain, Jason Carney and Rives. The poets will engage the audience in discussion regarding the current state of race relations and offer an artistic rendition of their personal opinions on the issue.
The W.E.B. DuBois Quiz Bowl will be held on Thursday, Feb. 24, at 7 p.m., in the African American Cultural Center. The contest will put campus organizations in competition for the African American Cultural Center plaque by testing their knowledge of black history and popular culture. The winning organization's name will be placed on the plaque and it will be displayed in the center for a year.
On Monday, Feb. 28, at 7 p.m. “The Bridge: Connecting Our Histories, Creating Our Future” will take place in the African American Cultural Center. The event will bridge the gap between Black History Month and Women’s History Month. A panel of accomplished women from LSU and the Greater Baton Rouge community will answer questions on the women’s rights struggle, while comparing and contrasting the experience of women of different ethnic backgrounds.
For more information on LSU's Black History Month activities, contact Isaac Netters, coordinator for the African American Cultural Center, at 225/578-1627 or via e-mail at aacc@lsu.edu or bnetters@lsu.edu.
Assistant Professors David P. Young of LSU’s Department of Physics and Astronomy and Bin Chen if the Department of Chemistry have been chosen to receive prestigious CAREER Awards from the National Science Foundation.
The NSF CAREER Award is the foundation’s most prestigious award for junior faculty members. It is part of the Faculty Early Career Development, or CAREER, Program, which “recognizes and supports the early career-development activities of those teacher-scholars who are most likely to become the academic leaders of the 21st century.” CAREER Award recipients are selected on the basis of creative career-development plans that effectively integrate research and education within the context of the missions of their institutions.
Young’s research for the grant will focus primarily on the synthesis and characterization of intermetallic superconductors – a material that loses all of its electrical resistance when cooled below some characteristic temperature. Ultimately, such research could lead to the creation of a groundbreaking new type of superconductor.
“ Once a material is in the superconducting state, it can transport an electric current without any power losses, and this, of course, has huge economic advantages.” said Young. “The ‘Holy Grail’ of condensed matter physics would be to discover a room-temperature super conductor.”
Young works in the area of experimental condensed matter physics. His area of expertise lies in the synthesis of high-quality single and poly-crystalline materials classified as strongly correlated electron systems. In these materials, electrons in solids can behave in strange ways – displaying collective phenomena – at very low temperatures (near absolute zero) and in high magnetic fields.
In addition to the research, Young’s CAREER Award project also incorporates an educational component that will target pre-college minority students in an effort to stimulate their interest in the basic sciences. Young and his students plan to travel to middle schools around the state, giving lectures on science and science careers and performing visual demonstrations.
“ Our hope is that we can spark enough interest in a few of these kids and encourage them to pursue careers in the sciences,” said Young. “Many of them just don’t realize how interesting and fun science can be, and that it is all around them.”
Chen’s project is titled “Advancing Simulation Methods for Long Time-Scale Chemical and Biological Events.” His research will make use of the new simulation approaches and LSU’s SuperMike supercomputer to tackle important problems, such as protein crystallization and chemical reactions. These enhanced techniques bypass time and spatial constraints imposed on conventional simulation methods, thus allowing molecular-level, long time-scale activities - particularly protein-related events - to be sampled in a realistic time frame. According to Chen, the research will complement existing experimental and theoretical efforts aimed at understanding the mechanism of protein crystallization.
“ Despite the recent advent of terascale computing platforms, biological events ranging in size from individual molecules to complex assemblies take place on a time scale that far exceeds the boundary of current simulation approaches,” said Chen. “On the other hand, the advances in our understanding of the relationship of biological structure to biological function are bringing new missions and also new challenges to molecular simulation.”
For more information, contact the awardees. Chen can be reached at 578-4094 or binchen@lsu.edu. Young can be contacted by e-mailing dyoung@rouge.phys.lsu.edu.