The Quad

BkMk Press has announced that Stephanie Powell Watts of Lehigh University has been nominated for the 2012 Chautauqua Prize for her collection of short fiction, We Are Taking Only What We Need published by BkMk Press in 2011. Watts is eligible to receive a $7,500 cash prize and paid expenses for a one-week residency at Chautauqua Institution in western New York. In its first year offering a national prize, the Chautauqua Institution will reward an author for his or her significant contribution to the literary arts. For more about the collection see:

• http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-886157-79-8

Joy Swallow was recently recognized for her work in the field of education by the American Institute of Architects. The award, according to the AIA, “… was developed to elevate those architects who have made a significant contribution to architecture and society and who have achieved a standard of excellence in the profession. Election to fellowship not only recognizes the achievements of architects as individuals, but also their significant contribution to architecture and society on a national level.”

Max Skidmore (Political Science) Curators’ Professor of Political Science and Jerry Lonergan,  (B.A., 1980, in Economics) Associate Director of the Civic Council of Greater Kansas City have been named to the UM Presi­dential Search Advisory Committee.

Burton Halpert (Sociology) is retiring after 28 years at UMKC.  He and his lovely wife Barbara will be wiggling their toes in warm sand and enjoying endless beautiful sunsets in Florida after December 31, 2010. Best wishes to Burton in his retirement!

The Center for Applied Environmental Research of the Geosciences Department in partnership with the Association of Environmental and Engineering Geologists, UMKC Chapter, presented their 18th Environmental Forum on October 12, 2010. The topic was: “EPA’s Priorities Toward Sustainability” and featured remarks by UMKC Chancellor Morton. The main address was by Dr. Karl Brooks, Administrator Region 7, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
See:- http://cas.umkc.edu/caer/

On November 10, 2010, a Town Hall Meeting to review developments in the College over the past two years was held in the U-Center. Dean Karen Vorst  provided a commentary as the slides of the Power Point were viewed by the faculty and staff who attended. After the presentation, there was a Q&A session.
See:- http://cas.umkc.edu/docs/townhall%2011-08-10kv.ppsx to view the ppt.

Kathy Goggin, Jannette Berkley-Patton and Delwyn Catley (Psychology) were awarded a three-year, 1 million dollar grant from NIH to create the Heartland Health Network (HHN). HHN is slated to become a coalition of community partners working together to address health disparities  among African-American people by promoting wellness, facilitating health research and the dissemination of effective health interventions.  Founding partners include the Calvary Community Outreach Network (CCON), KC Free and UMKC.  The grant was one of approximately 30 proposals that were funded from 600 submitted grant proposals across the nation.
The “kick-off” event for HNN, a Community Health Fair, drew over 1000 people to the campus of the Calvary Temple Baptist Church on Saturday, October 30th. Chancellor Morton, Dean Vorst, Senator Clair McCaskill and Congressman Emmanuel Cleaver were on hand to express their support for the event and the mission of the HHN. Over 15 community health serving organizations including UMKC’s School of Medicine distributed vital health information and conducted health screening.
See:- http://heartlandhealthnetwork.org/ and http://umkcpsychology.blogspot.com/

Dr. Ken Kramme, a Science teacher at Liberty High School, with more than 31 years of service  to UMKC through the  A&S High School/College Partnerships dual credit program, was recently recognized for teaching excellence by the Society of Chemical Industry (SCI). This Outstanding Teacher recognition program by SCI rewards teachers for motivating students to pursue careers in chemistry or chemical engineering. The award carries a cash stipend of $1000 to be used for classroom purposes or professional development.
To support science education in the Unites States, one of SCI’s goals is to encourage students to pursue degrees in chemistry. Its SCI Scholars Program is a nationwide competition for college students in chemistry or chemical engineering. SCI Scholars may nominate a teacher who encouraged their interest in science and through their excellent teaching, gave them the foundation for their academic success. Dr. Kramme was nominated by Erik Nordwald, a former student at the Liberty High School, who now attends the University of Missouri – Columbia.
See:- http://www.soci.org/Membership-and-Networks/Regional-Groups/America-International-Group.aspx

Congratulations to Lauren Buscher, an undergraduate psychology student, and her research mentor, Jared Bruce.  Lauren’s poster was selected for The Dr. Ted Blau Student Poster Award at this year’s National Academy of Neuropsychology  Conference. The title of the poster was “The relationship between self-reported cognitive difficulties and medication adherence in multiple sclerosis”.
See:- http://www.nanonline.org/NAN/Award/Award.aspx
Congratulations also to David Martinez, a doctoral candidate in Clinical Psychology.  David recently received a highly competitive NIMH Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award to fund his dissertation work.  This $100,000  award will provide funding to support David as he completes his project “HIV Stigma Reduction and Screening in the Hispanic/Latino Church Setting.”  Faculty members Kathy Goggin and Jannette Berkley-Patton will serve as David’s research mentors.
See:- http://grants.nih.gov/training/nrsa.htm

New Letters on the Air is among 10 finalists in the Culture and the Arts category for the 2010 New York Festivals International Radio Programming Awards, which were announced on August 11. Other finalists include programs from BBC Radio 4, RTE Radio 1 (Ireland), and Radio Television Hong Kong. The winner of the competition will be announced by September.

(From left to right Dennis Conrow (Assistant Producer), Angela Elam (Producer & Host), Annie Walsh (Technical Editor) and Max Mosley (Student Radio Staff))

On June 24, 2010, The Applied Language Institute (ALI) hosted a delegation of 13 ESL professors and instructors from the West Bank (Palestine), who were chosen by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs for the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). The 13 visitors participated in the “Teaching English as a Second Language” program to meet with their U.S. professional counterparts. These professionals have travelled across the USA learning about the United States and about English Language teaching in U.S. Universities.
See:- http://www.umkc.edu/ali/about_us.asp

Five A&S faculty were awarded grants by the Missouri Research Board in July, 2010. They are: Keith Buszek (Chemistry); Ekaterina Kadnikova (Chemistry); Jejung Lee (Geosciences); James Murochick (Geosciences) and Nathan Oyler (Chemistry). We congratulate them.

Dean Karen Vorst announced to the College community on June 24th that Jerry Dias (Chemistry) and Michael Kruger (Physics)were awarded UM Curators’ Professorships.   Nomination and selection of Jerry and Michael for these Professorships were based on their outstanding achievements in creativity and research.

Dias’ appointment was based on his pioneering research in the chemistry and molecular architecture of bile acids and tetracyclic triterpenoids, and on his work in the graph-theoretical classification of benzeniod compounds, an area in which he is arguably the world’s foremost authority.  He has been a prolific publisher, with three books, 185 papers and over 1700 citations.

Kruger’s appointment was based on his numerous innovative and diverse accomplishments in ultra-high-pressure solid-state physics and geophysics. Michael has a strong publication record in top journals, including Physics Review Letters and Science, and he has a strong record of external funding including the prestigious “NSF-Career Award.”

Professors Dias and Kruger join an elite group now at eleven and five previous Curators’ Professors and Curators’ Teaching Professors in the College.