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NEWS April
2002
"News from
the College of Life Sciences at the University of Maryland,
College Park"
NEWS
ITEMS
- The
Dean's Message
- Upcoming
Events
- New
Faculty Announcement
- Faculty
Recognition
- In
the News
- Alumni
& Student News
- Arabidopsis
Minisymposium
- Maryland
Day
- Maryland
Association for Higher Education Awards
- Peer
Mentors
- Clean-Up
Awards
- Funding
Alerts
- How
to Post Your News Here
FROM
THE DEAN
We can all take great pride in our
four assistant professors who have just been promoted
to associate professor with tenure--Caren Chang, Chuck
Delwiche, Zhongchi Liu and Wenxia Song. In addition,
Kerry Shaw, who moved here as an associate professor,
was also awarded tenure. All had outstanding files
and sailed through with flying colors. Caren's and
Zhongchi's promotions solidify our base in plant molecular
genetics using Arabidopsis as a model system, Chuck's
promotion affirms our commitment to bioinformatics
and plant systematics, Wenxia's appointment represents
a commitment to the development of cellular immunology,
and Kerry's appointment recognizes her outstanding
research program in behavioral genetics. All have
of course also proved themselves in the classroom
and through their service to the University and scientific
community. Congratulations to all!
I'm also very
pleased to announce that the Department of Chemistry
and Biochemistry has recruited Dr. Sang Bok Lee as
their newest assistant professor. Dr. Lee's expertise
is in analytical chemistry, material science and nanotechnology.
Several other searches are nearing completion and
I hope to have more good news on this front next month.
Two
very distinguished biologists have joined the University
within the past month. Dr. Bernard Schwetz, Deputy
Commissioner of the FDA during the Clinton administration
and Acting Commissioner for the past year and a half,
has joined the College as a Senior Research Scientist,
and Dr. Dennis O'Connor, formerly undersecretary of
science and acting director of the Museum of Natural
History at the Smithsonian Institute, has been named
Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate
School. Dr. Schwetz is a toxicologist; Dr. O'Connor
is a developmental biologist. Both will be tremendous
resources for us.
The College is very pleased to
welcome Jennifer White, our new College Academic Technology
Coordinator. Jennifer has worked in the University
and with the College before, and so she will have
a short learning curve. She holds degrees in Electrical
Engineering with a Biomedical concentration and French
Language and Culture from College Park. As many of
you will know, these positions are funded by the OIT
and are designed to support faculty in using information
technology in their teaching and research, as well
as providing a bridge between the College and OIT.
This
newsletter is "going to press" just before
the final decision about the System's budget in the
legislature. There have been ups and downs this month,
and it's not going to be over until it's over. However,
we have not received any negative signals to date
about the planning money for the new Bioscience building.
The
Terps national success has of course made this past
month an exciting one. Congratulations to Gary Williams
and the Men’s Basketball Team!
Norma Allewell
Dean
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UPCOMING
EVENTS
Schedule of Classes
April 12: Last day to drop with a
"W" (one course — up to 4 credits)
May 14: Last day of classes
May 15: Study Day
May 16-22: Final Exams
May 22: Commencement for College of Life Sciences,
6:00 p.m.
May 23: UM Main Commencement
June 3: First Day — Summer Session I
Events
April 6: Alumni Awards Gala
April 13: Arabidopsis Minisymposium (See info below)
April 15-16: Board of Visitors Meeting
April 16: Celebration of Scholarships
April 29: Faculty/Staff Awards Reception
May 1: Reception for Academically Successful Students
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New
Faculty Announcement
It is with great pleasure that we announce
that Dr. Sang Bok Lee of the University of Florida
has accepted an offer to join the faculty as of September,
2002, in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry.
Dr. Lee's research interests are in analytical methods
and extend into engineering and sensors.
Our special
thanks goes to the Search Committee comprised of Drs.
Larry Sita, Dan Falvey, Alice Mignerey, Janice Reutt-Robey
,and Cheng Lee who worked tirelessly to ensure that
the Department recruited the most talented applicant.
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FACULTY
RECOGNITION
Dr. Earlene Armstrong, Entomology,
was honored by the African Students Association at
its annual Tribute to Women of Color event on March
15th. The event offers tribute to faculty and staff
that have made a difference to students in the UMD
community.
Dr. Avis Cohen, Biology, is the project director to
establish a new "virtual" Institute for
Neuromorphic Engineering (INE), an institute of colleagues
from around the world. Avis and Dr. Shihab Shamma,
Institute for Systems Research, received an NSF 5-year
award for $500,000. They will fund research that gets
its beginnings at the Telluride Neuromorphic Engineering
Workshop held each summer.
Johnson
& Johnson awarded Dr. David Mosser, CBMG, $70,000/year
for three years through their Focused Giving Award
program. This honor is a recognition of David's exceptional
research program and his entrepreneurial
skills.
Dr. Paula Shrewsbury, Entomology, is P. I. of a new
grant from the N.E. Region Sustainable Agriculture
Research and Education Competitive Grants Program
(USDA-SARE), entitled "Enhancement, Implementation,
and Evaluation of Biologically Based Pest Management
Tactics for Three Key Pests in Production Nurseries
- Moving Towards Sustainability." The aim of
this research and extension project is to develop
and implement less toxic pest management tactics that
will reduce pesticide use in production nurseries.
Co-P.I.s are Colin Stewart, Entomology, and Stanton
Gill, UMD Cooperative Extension Service.
Dr. Anne
Simon, CBMG, was awarded a 4-year NIH grant for $890,000.
Anne’s research is titled "Elements Required
for Replication of a Model Viral RNA."
The
CBMG team of Drs. Ann Smith, Richard Stewart, and
Robert Yuan received one of two University of Maryland
Innovation in Teaching with Technology Awards. A ceremony
to celebrate their achievement will be held during
the Teaching with Technology Conference on April 5.
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IN
THE NEWS
Dr. George Bean, CBMG, recently appeared
on Australian TV to discuss the ergot fungus which
may have been responsible for the Salem witch hunt.
The fungus occurs on rye kernels and can cause symptoms
almost identical to those exhibited by individuals
who have taken LSD. The accused witches exhibited
these symptoms. George has also been approached by
Senator Max Cleland (GA) to discuss some phenolic
compounds that prevent indoor mold contaminants. The
Senate Armed Forces Committee is concerned about these
mold fungis which could cause severe respiratory problems
in naval vessels located in the Persian Gulf.
Dr.
Marjorie Reaka-Kudla, Biology, comments in Science
News, February 16, on a list of coral reef hot spots
where a "marine region rife with organisms found
nowhere else" is being threatened by human influence.
http://www.inform.umd.edu/CampusInfo/Departments/InstAdv/newsdesk/Clips/2002/0315a.html
Caught in a photo! Celebrating the return of Gary
Williams and the Terps Basketball team at Cole Filed
House on April 2, a number of our staff could be found
in a photo in the Washington Post. Some of the fans
included Dr. Lisa Bradley, her son and mother, Dr.
Amel Anderson, Cherice Cade, Bobbi Donley, Linda Lachman,
Wendy Loughlin, and Robin Berkow. What a wonderful
end to an amazing season!
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ALUMNI
& STUDENT NEWS
Congratulations to Bradley N. Buran,
a double-major in Physiology & Neurobiology and
Anthropology, who just won a Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship.
Brad is an honors undergraduate working on the auditory
system of deep sea fishes in the lab of Dr. Arthur
Popper, Biology. Brad’s career goal is a Ph.D.
in Neurobiology and, eventually, a position at a research
university. Everyone in Dr. Popper’s lab is very
proud of Brad’s success.
Terrence Hines, a
biological science major and premedical student can
be found studying physiology and neurobiology. More
often than not, though, his dorm room is used as the
corporate office of Hines’ technology company,
"Inteam Inc." Karen Thornton, associate
director of the Hinman CEO program, relented to Hines‚s
sales pitch and admitted him to the coveted program.
Washington Post, March 19
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A47154-2002Mar18.html
Ethan Kane, graduate student in Entomology, returned
from Costa Rica where he assisted Dr. Neville Winchester
of the University of Victoria with the Arthropods
of La Selva (ALAS) Project, a long-term biodiversity
inventory being conducted at the La Selva Biological
Research Station. His participation was sponsored
by Dr. Valerie Behan-Pelletier of Agriculture Canada.
Ethan sampled canopy and leaf-litter to examine the
microarthropod communities of suspended soils. He
also tested the feasibility of performing cryo-fixation
in the field and transporting fixed microarthropod
specimens back to the USDA's Beltsville laboratories
for low-temperature scanning electron microscopy imaging.
The
much publicized research on the romantic Australian
bowerbird hits home turf. The Melbourne Age interviewed
Gail Patricelli, doctoral candidate in Biology and
associate mechanical engineering professor Gregory
Walsh, the man who designed the "fembot"
robot used to lure male bowerbirds. March 12
http://www.inform.umd.edu/CampusInfo/Departments/InstAdv/newsdesk/Clips/2002/0312.html
Congratulations to Daphne Soares, Doctoral Candidate
in Catherine
Carr's lab for the 1/2-page spread
on her research that appeared in the
Washington
Post (Kid'sPost) on March 6. Her research paper was
also recently accepted to Nature!
Congratulations
go out to sisters Fasika and Tinsay Woreta, both Biochemistry
Seniors. They have each won a Jack Kent Cooke scholarship
for medical school which covers tuition and expenses.
Johns Hopkins may be their medical school of choice.
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Arabidopsis
Minisymposium
The 3rd Annual Arabidopsis
Minisymposium will be held on campus Saturday, April
13 from 8:30 AM to 5:45 PM. For the complete program
and other information regarding the symposium, please
go to http://www.umbi.umd.edu/~cab/arabidopsis.html.
Registration, lunch and refreshments will be provided
free of charge to participants.
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Maryland
Day
The University of Maryland is opening
its doors to the community for Maryland Day on April
27th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Bring your family and
friends for a day of learning, exploration and fun
for all ages. The College of Life Sciences will have
activities on the first floor of the Plant Sciences
Building including the Biotech Bakeoff, Forensics
with the Bone Collector, and Insect Expo 2002 (presented
by the Department of Entomology).
Come and have
a great time. It’s all free!
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Maryland
Association for Higher Education Awards
Each year the Maryland Association
for Higher Education bestows three
awards on educators
who have provided outstanding service to their institution
and to the state of Maryland. The three categories
are:
administrators - for program innovation, the development
of policy, or expert management
faculty - for curricular or pedagogical innovation
or institutional service
advisors/mentors (to staff members) - for developing
effective mentoring and advising programs
The application requires an application
form, a c.v., and two letters of
recommendation.
Six copies of the material are due in the office of
the Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs by May 1,
2002. If you are interested in making a nomination,
please email Dr. Ellin Scholnick (es8@umail.umd.edu)
and she will send you a "hard copy" of the
announcement. Take advantage of this opportunity to
recognize distinguished institutional service.
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Peer
Mentors
Because registration
is beginning…
The College of Life Sciences established a Peer Mentor
Program in the Spring 2002 to supplement the services
provided by the Student Affairs Office. Peer Mentors
will be available to work with undergraduate students
in the following areas:
1. assisting undergraduates in developing
four year academic plans prior to their pre-registration
appointments
2. assisting students with course registration
via VENUS,TESTUDO, DROP/ADD, MARS
3. acting as ambassadors
during recruitment events
4. partnering with UNIV
100/101 sections starting Fall 2002
5. holding office
hours in Symons Hall throughout the semester
6.
providing the student perspective and feedback to
the Student Affairs staff on issues related to the
undergraduate experience
If you have any questions
about this program, please contact Wendy Loughlin
at
301-405-3086.
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Clean-up
News
According to Robert Stumpff of Facilities
Management, our college "has the clean up project
down to a science." This year, the College disposed
of 16,220 pounds of debris (8.11 tons). Of this amount
4,420 lbs or 2.21 tons was metal that was recycled,
and 11,800 lbs or 5.90 tons was trash.
The Department
of Chemistry and Biochemistry was the winner by disposing
of 7,900 lbs (3.95 tons) of trash, while the other
departments combined removed 3,900 lbs (1.95 tons).
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FUNDING
ALERTS
List of
Funding Alerts - The list of funding alerts is lengthy.
Community of Science Database of Funding
-
If you want information about the Community of Science
database of funding sources go to the Office of Research
Administration and Advancement at http://www.umresearch.umd.edu/ORAA/.
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How
to Post your NEWS!
If
you would like to share your accomplishments or other
news, please send a note to Gene Ferrick at gferrick@deans.umd.edu.
Issues are usually sent at the beginning of each month.
Maintained by
Gene Ferrick - gferrick@deans.umd.edu.
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