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Volume 5, Issue 2: August 25,2008
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Steven Juliano and Olcay Akman
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ISU will host a symposium focusing on the research and educational aspects of Biomathematics and Ecology on September 6 and 7, 2008. The symposium is jointly organized by professors Olcay Akman of the Department of Mathematics and Steven Juliano of the Department of Biological Sciences. "This is an excellent opportunity for ISU to increase its national profile in Biomathematics as well as an opportunity to make students more aware of this new and exciting program," notes Dr. George Seelinger, Chair of the Department of Mathematics. One of the plenary speakers will be Dr. Unal Ufuktepe of Izmir University of Economy, with which ISU has recently signed a faculty and graduate student exchange agreement.
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Volume 5, Issue 2: August 25,2008
Kam Shapiro, Assistant Professor in the Department of Politics and Government, has published a new book: Carl Schmitt and the Intensification of Politics (Rowman and Littlefield, 2008). The book, his second, continues the series, Modernity and Political Thought, which is devoted to critical studies of major political thinkers. Carl Schmitt was a German jurist and political theoriest, best known for his penetrating critique of liberal democracy and his defense of national sovereignty and executive authority. His writings, particularly those preceding and immediately following World War II, have of late become a source of renewed interest for a broad range of political thinkers, both academic and popular.
Dr. Shapiro’s book explores the full range of Schmitt’s writings, from his early Catholic period to his post-World War II studies of international law and warefare. Rather than provide a general introduction to Schmitt’s work, however, it highlights the continuing relevance of his arguments to a variety of contemporary debates surrounding democratic sovereignty and global politics. To do so, the book situates Schmitt’s writings in the context of a general philosophical and political crisis of liberal democracy, one posed by the economics, cultural, and technological upheavals of the first wave of modern globalization and its collapse in the inter-war period.
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Volume 5, Issue 2: August 25,2008
Jim Raines, Associate Professor in the School of Social Work, recently published Evidence-Based Practice in School Mental Health. The book is the first of its kind, tailored specifically to help school social workers infuse research throughout their daily practice. Recent legislation embedded within the No Child Left Behind Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Improvement Act mandates the use of evidence in school-based practice, yet social workers—especially those long out of school—often lack the conceptual tools to locate, evaluate, and apply evidence in order to demonstrate the effectiveness of their work. Raines' book provides school service providers a pragmatic approach to informing every major practice decision with the appropriate research so that students receive the best possible services.
Topics include how to use research to make reliable and valid assessments, to choose the best interventions, and to evaluate students' progress. Raines provides detailed examples along the way, including sample spreadsheets practitioners can easily adapt to evaluate their students' progress and to bring accountability within reach for their schools.
Besides school social work, Raines' interests include spirituality in social work practice, clinical practice, and learning disabilities.
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Volume 5, Issue 2: August 25,2008
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2008 Solar Car Team
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This summer a team of ISU students participated in the 2008 North American Solar Challenge (NASC). The team, a multidisciplinary group of more than 20 students, dedicated hundreds of volunteer hours to designing and building Mercury II, their hyper-mileage, solar-powered car. Construction of the car was an ongoing project over the course of several months. The cockpit and several other parts from ISU’s 2005 NASC entry, Mercury I, were used as the basis of the redesigned solar vehicle. An improved solar array, consisting of nearly 500 photovoltaic cells, covered the car’s top surface and provided energy to move the 880 pound vehicle (combined weight of car and driver) at an average cruising speed of 35 mph and to a maximum speed of around 60 mph. The photovoltaic cells convert sunlight into electricity that can be stored in nickel metal hydride batteries. The batteries are then used when more energy is needed than the array can provide.
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Volume 5, Issue 2: August 25,2008
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| Sunil Chebolu |
Sunil Chebolu joins the ISU faculty as an assistant professor of mathematics. He received his doctorate in mathematics from the University of Washington in Seattle. He also holds MS degrees in mathematics and statistics. Much of his research deals with algebraic topology and modular representation theory. His areas of expertise include group representations, cohomology theories, triangulated categories, axiomatic homotopy theory, and Galois theory. Chebolu held post-doctorate fellowships in Canada and Sweden. In addition, he taught courses ranging from topology and geometry of manifolds to advanced calculus and linear algebra. He is fluent in four languages (English, Telugu, Hindi, and Bengali). In his free time he enjoys reading the history of science, biking, learning about computers, and travelling.
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