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| Ron Strickland |
Ron Strickland, Professor of English, has been named a Fulbright Senior Specialist and as such was the plenary speaker for the 10th annual American Studies Conference on Saturday, November 1 at Moldova State University. The conference theme was "Ten Years with America: Sailing Uncharted Waters," and Professor Strickland's address was titled "Never Grow Old, Never Grow Up: Postmodernism and the Infantilization of American Culture." In it he traced the evolving relationship between the ideology of consumption and the rise of the youth culture in American society from the 1950s to the present. His address was delivered to an audience of 70 conference participants, including representatives from universities in the Ukraine and United States as well as other institutions in Moldova. The conference included four sessions comprising twelve presentations, and concluded with a panel discussion summarizing and extending the discussions. Dr. Strickland's presentation and several other papers from the event are being edited for publication in a collection of conference proceedings.
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Sam Catanzaro, Executive Associate Dean and Professor of Psychology, has been elected to the Board of Directors of the Council of Colleges of Arts and Sciences (CCAS), a national organization that advocates for liberal arts education. Illinois State has been a member institution of CCAS for many years; recently, Catanzaro has served on the Committee for Research Universities and on the Program Committee.
As a member of the Board of Directors, Catanzaro will work with CCAS colleagues to plan its annual meeting and professional development workshops. In addition, he expects to help the organization provide leadership in national discussions of higher education, particularly regarding the importance of the traditional liberal arts and sciences in the contemporary context.
“It’s a great honor to be elected. CCAS has been a great source of collegial support,” said Catanzaro. “I’m proud I can represent ISU while helping CCAS advocate for the arts and sciences.”
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The star projector
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The ISU Planetarium is currently presenting its annual holiday show, ’Tis the Season. “The stars have fascinated human beings for centuries,” said Planetarium Director Tom Willmitch. “I hope that people will find time during the busy holiday season to join us for this unique look at the many ways the stars have influenced our celebrations.” ’Tis the Season recounts the historical, religious, and cultural rituals practiced during the time of the winter solstice--not only Christian and Jewish; but also Egyptian, Roman, Pagan, Celtic, Nordic, and Hopi. The program also looks at some of our more light-hearted seasonal traditions: from gift giving and kissing under the mistletoe to songs about lords a-leaping and ladies dancing. ’Tis the Season will be presented through December 13. Show times are 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Saturdays.
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Dr. Michaelene Cox, Assistant Professor of Politics and Government, has recently published a new edited volume entitled Social Capital and Peace-Building Creating and Resolving Conflict with Trust and Social Networks, published by Routledge. This edited collection “focuses on the paradoxical power of social capital in creating and resolving conflict,” Dr. Cox said.
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Graduate students learn in 3D
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Professor Jamie Perry, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, developed a unique solution to assist her students in understanding complex medical procedures. Perry found the surgical procedures used for cleft palate repair to be an area of much confusion for the students in her class. Using 2D books to understanding 3D concepts, such as surgery, with numerous steps is difficult.
Perry’s research team developed an innovative teaching method that has enabled graduate students to view a stereoscopic 3D computer animation of the surgical procedures used for cleft palate repair using a pair of 3D stereoscopic viewers and/or red and blue lens anaglyph glasses. The animations have been used during classroom instruction.
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Sixteen Silver Dome Awards
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The School of Communication students won sixteen Student Silver Dome Awards at the Annual Illinois Broadcasters Association University Awards presentation, more than any other three universities combined, on Friday, November 7. Top honorees included ISU’s student-run television station, TV-10, and radio station, WZND. TV-10 won seven awards in total, with four of them being first place awards. WZND won a total of nine awards. Click Read More for complete list of awards.
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| Peter Smudde |
Peter Smudde is a new assistant professor in communication. An ISU alumnus with bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Department of English, he earned his Ph.D. in communication from Wayne State University. Smudde’s sixteen years of corporate communication experience in industry included a wide range of work in public relations, marketing, advertising, and technical writing. He was formerly tenured associate professor at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. His articles have been published in Public Relations Journal, Public Relations Quarterly, Review of Communication, Communication Teacher, Communication Quarterly, Visible Language, and Technical Communication. He has two books in press—one is a long-term public relations case study and the other is an edited volume on education as rhetorical action. He is co-author with Dr. Jeffrey Courtright on a new book studying the discourse genres of public relations through rhetorical, linguistic and business perspectives. Smudde and Courtright published their first book, Power and Public Relations, last year.
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Jack Chizmar and Tony Ostrosky
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A new endowment honoring Dr. John Chizmar and Dr. Anthony Ostrosky has been established in the Department of Economics. The endowment, which was established earlier this year for the purpose of student scholarship and faculty support, is now nearing $50,000 through the generous support of many alumni and friends of Dr. Chizmar and Dr. Ostrosky. The first awards are scheduled to be announced in the spring of 2009. They will include a scholarship for an undergraduate economics student and an award for faculty that will celebrate an outstanding faculty member in the field of economics. Additional information may be obtained from Mary Rundus, CAS Director of Development, at merundu@ilstu.edu
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December 4 – Department of Biological Sciences Seminar, “Sex, Speed, and Selection: Invasion Dynamics of Rusty Crayfish in Contrasting Habitats,” Dr. Bill Perry, ISU, 214 Moulton Hall, 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Pre-Seminar Coffee at 3:30 p.m., 4th Floor Atrium, Science Laboratory Building.
December 5 – Department of Philosophy Colloquium, “From Baryons to Black Holes: A Short Journey Across the Cosmos,” Professor Sadri Hassani, ISU, Stevenson 401A, 4 p.m.
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