September 2012

Around Campus

Mobile app puts UNF at your fingertips
By Matt Coleman

Everything the University of North Florida has to offer now fits in the palm of your hand.

 

At least, that’s the idea of the University’s new, free mobile app. Developed through a joint effort by UNF Information Technology Services and the mobile branch of education software giant Blackboard, the new UNF app comes loaded with nearly everything students, faculty, staff, alumni and donors need to stay plugged in to life at UNF.

 

UNF goes mobile 

 

The app can be downloaded from both the Android and Apple app stores right now. It’s free to download, works on the iPhone, iPad and Android phones and comes loaded with a wealth of UNF-related info. That includes maps, event listings, phone directories and much more.

 

Dmitriy Bond, assistant director of Enterprise Systems, said the app development process took months, most of which was spent translating the different technology requirements of the University and Blackboard. He said once all of the University’s systems were deemed compatible with Blackboard Mobile and vice versa, the app came together in short order. He said Blackboard’s app, which has been adopted by dozens of upper-tier universities such as Duke, Stanford and Princeton, is the best in the business.

 

“It’s intuitive, it’s fast-loading and it is easy for anyone with a basic familiarity with mobile computing to grasp,” he said.

 

The template for the app was developed by Blackboard, and UNF ITS integrated it into the University’s servers so it could effectively display only the most updated information, Bond said.

 

It’s also not just a one-size-fits-all app. It works off of what’s called a springboard, which allows users to organize the modules in the way that works best for them, further personalizing their UNF experience.

 

Maps 

  

Getting lost on campus should be a thing of the past. With the map function, you will be able to see exactly where you are on campus, find where you want to be and figure out the best route to take. You can also check out a picture of some of the main campus buildings so you know what landmark to locate.

 

Directory 

  

Now, anyone on campus is truly just a tap away. Search the public directory for faculty, staff and administrators. Send an e-mail or place a call, right from the app. Save contact information from the directory directly into your phone’s address book and move directly to Maps to find a professor’s office.

 

Events 

 

If it’s happening on or around campus, it’s here. Browse concerts, lectures, exhibits and more. Search for specific events, bookmark them for easy reference and even see where they’re happening. Add events to your device’s calendar. Questions about the event? Call or e-mail the event organizer directly from the app.

 

News  

  

Keeping your finger on the pulse of campus life has never been simpler. With News, you can monitor multiple feeds of the latest headlines and stories pertaining to your campus no matter where you are. No need to switch to a browser, because you’ll read UNF-related articles right from the app.

 

Students and alumni benefit too 

 

Kelcey Rose Weimer, a senior communication major featured in a video advertising the app, said she was impressed by the app’s functionality and extensive content.

 

“It’s great,” she said. “I can’t think of anything else a student could need to stay in the loop about things happening on campus.”

 

The same can be said for alumni. Kim Diamon, associate director of Alumni Services, said the app will be a great way to keep alumni plugged in to all the concerts, shows and events happening at their alma mater.

 

“This gives us yet another way to let the community know about all the great things happening on or around campus,” Diamon said. “And with all of our alumni who own mobile phones and tablet computer, it just makes sense that we’d communicate with them through the same channels they use on a daily basis.”

 

Mobile web overhaul  

 

The new University app isn’t the only way UNF is embracing the mobile world. Bond said his team in ITS converted all University web pages into a mobile-friendly format so users who browse on their cell phones or tablet computers like Amazon’s Kindle Fire will have the best viewing experience possible.

 

Some web pages might have misplaced text or pictures when viewed on a mobile device for the time being. If you see any formatting issues and want to help out the University’s mobile transition, you can report any irregularities to University Web Specialist Jamie Spruell at (904) 620-2191 or webmaster@unf.edu.

Around Campus

New Osprey Café opens on campus
By Matt Coleman

Even the pickiest of eaters should find something to like inside the University of North Florida’s new on-campus dining facility.

 

Built on the same site as UNF’s previous cafeteria, which served Ospreys since the late 1970s, the new UNF dining facility — known as The Commons — is a four-story monolith of food and service.

 

The old cafeteria — a one-story building that was one of the oldest structures on campus — was demolished in mid-2011. Construction of the new, $13-million facility started in May 2011, and it started this August during a soft opening for faculty and staff. The first full dinner service took place Friday, Aug. 17.

 

After stepping foot in the 26,000-square-foot, first-and-second floor Osprey Café dining area, diners familiar with the older facility will undoubtedly be impressed by the widespread improvements to the menu and front-of-house service.

 

Dave Jordan, resident district manager for Chartwells, said the facility focuses on a few important culinary factors. Food will be made-to-order as much as possible, eliminating the heat lamp-driven style of service one could expect from a buffet.

 

“The focus is first and foremost — fresh,” he said.

 

Different cuisines — everything from grilled favorites to healthier vegan and gluten-free fare or varied ethnic staples — will be split into separate pods. There will be no reheating or microwaved food — everything will be made fresh in front of diners.

Korey Konopasek, Chartwells’ director of operations, said there will be a total of seven different points of service with two separate action stations where Chartwells chefs will prepare the day’s special.

 

“People who come in for the first time, they might be a little overwhelmed with all the food choices,” he said. “There are so many options, they’ll spend some time wondering where to go.”

 

The Heart Stone Ovens pod features a cast-fired oven with a stone slab inside for making from-scratch pizza, strombolis, calzones and other baked dishes. Opposite from the oven is an action station offering made-to-order pastas and omelets during breakfast service. The Baker’s Crust pod will spotlight an assortment of baked goods — rolls, paninis, desserts — that are all made fresh in-house. And hungry diners can make their own entrées in the My Pantry pod, which includes make-your-own equipment for waffles and ice cream. 

 

As for the building itself, it follows a similar model to other new campus structures — heavy on glass and natural light while being mandated to achieve at least LEED Silver Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, the non-profit organization that promotes sustainability and administers LEED certification. Overlooking UNF’s Candy Cane Lake, it offers a picturesque view of the campus’ natural landscape while being positioned in a readily accessible location for hungry students, faculty and staff.

 

The new facility is a massive improvement in every area of comparison to the old dining hall, Jordan said.

 

It’s open longer hours. It has a larger staff of about 60 part-time student and full-time workers. Osprey Café occupies the first two floors. The third floor includes office space for Campus Planning, Design and Construction staff, the Faculty Association, the Office of Faculty Enhancement and the United Faculty of Florida. The fourth floor boasts a Faculty Lounge with a built-in bar, fireplace and seating for about 30. The rest of the fourth floor is called the Talon Room, a ballroom with seating for 200 that can be used to host University functions. The Talon Room is equipped with a warming kitchen, storage and audio/visual equipment and includes a balcony with additional seating. It is expected to open in November or December.

 

The construction crew was even led by one of UNF’s own. Will Schat, a 1994 construction management graduate, served as the project director for Barton Malow, the company in charge of the build. Two other graduates of construction management were also involved in The Commons project: Denny Bucy, Miller Electric Company project manager; and Ryan Schmitt, president of Petticoat Schmitt Contracting, Inc.

 

Around Campus

Electrical engineering student lands high-profile internships
By Matt Coleman

In the electrical engineering world, there are a few industry titans that top the internship placement lists of thousands of students.

 

Snagging a summer gig with either Texas Instruments or IBM would be a dream scenario for any MIT or Stanford student.

 

Alex Wegznek, a senior electrical engineering major at the University of North Florida, has interned at both companies the past two summers.

 

No big deal, he said.

 

“I was lucky,” Wegznek said humbly. “Because of my professors here at UNF, I had a lot of help with finding contacts and keyword optimizing my resume. I couldn’t have done it without them.”

 

Dr. Jerry Merckel, associate dean of the College of Computing, Engineering and Construction, helped Wegznek with both internship applications. He said Wegznek’s back-to-back internships placements go beyond plain luck. A focused scholar with a tremendous work ethic, Wegznek had the initiative to set his sights high and not give up, Merckel said.

 

Before he knew it, he was working in the processor development group at IBM in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. just one summer after training with the TI team in Dallas, Tex. When some of his peers were hitting the beach and relaxing away the summer, he was working with an advanced coding language and designing a sequence that automated the work of his IBM colleagues and cut down on the time needed to finish their assignments.

 

“There’s no substitute for that practical, hands-on experience I’ve gotten through my internships,” he said. “When you’re actually in the industry, it’s less about formulas and more about on-the-job experience. That’s one thing my UNF professors have made clear to me — it’s much more than just the classroom.”

 

Wegznek is a shining example of the fact that UNF is steadily raising its academic profile for incoming students and producing some of the most gifted and driven scholars in the country. He entered college after notching a perfect math score on the ACT and SAT and chose UNF over a host of other universities because of the unparalleled access he had to his professors and to Transformational Learning Opportunities (TLOs).

 

He said he likely wouldn’t have received such in-depth advice and mentorship from his professors, including Merckel, if he attended another larger school.

 

Thanks to UNF, he’s also boosted his industry knowledge and overall confidence by engaging in different TLOs, including his first trip outside the country to Holland. He studied renewable energy, such as windmills and second-generation generators and compared those with developments in the United States.

 

His internship has prepared him to finish off his final semesters at UNF on a high note. He hopes the high-profile summer jobs on his resume will be a major draw to potential employers. And when he starts searching for that first full-time job out of college, he said he’d turn to his professors and academic mentors for guidance.

 

“They’ve helped me every step of the way,” he said. “At UNF, you can tell the faculty really cares about making sure you’re prepared for everything. I’ve had great luck so far, and with them on my side, I’ll be set in the future. That’s a good feeling.”

 

 

Around Campus

UNF team takes home ‘Big Beam Contest’ honors
By Matt Coleman

A team of University of North Florida civil engineering students was selected in August as regional winners in the 2012 Engineering Student Design Awards, also known as the Big Beam Contest.

The students narrowly missed out on top, national honors at the contest, which is organized by the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI). The objective of the Big Beam Contest is for teams from national universities and colleges to design, fabricate and test a precast, pre-stressed concrete beam with the help of local precast concrete producer members. Prizes are awarded based on efficient design, design accuracy, most accurate prediction of maximum load capacity and other categories.

The UNF team was comprised of seniors Adam Dooley and Andrew Isildar, the team captain, as well as UNF graduate student Matthew Graeff, who served as beam designer. They were sponsored by Gate Precast and won $1,250, provided by the SIKA Corporation and PCI.

“It was an honor to compete on that level,” Isildar said. “Compared to some of the other programs, UNF isn’t the most well established. The University of South Florida placed first and second in 2010 and 2011, and we went right through them. It shows that UNF can produce a very high quality and results-oriented project.”

“We are extremely proud of the students who won this competition,” said Dr. Mark Tumeo, dean of the College of Computing, Engineering and Construction. “These types of events provide important opportunities for the students to gain real-world experience and clearly demonstrate that UNF’s engineering programs are among the best in the state and nation.”

Dr. Adel El Safty, UNF associate professor of civil engineering, served as the team’s faculty adviser, teaching his students the pre-stressed concrete design and calculations, as well as coordinating with PCI and Gate Precast. UNF alumnus Tim Morgan assisted in beam set up and testing, while Tom Newton, Gate Precast’s vice president of operations, served as the team’s PCI producer.

El Safty said his team fought hard against some incredibly stiff competition. In this year’s regional competition, UNF defeated University of South Florida (second place), University of North Carolina at Charlotte (third place) and the University of Central Florida (fourth place). UNF placed second in the regional competition in 2010 and 2009. Nationally, the student engineering team came in fourth just behind the University of Texas-Austin (first), University of Kansas (second) and the University of Notre Dame (third).

Isildar said the hands-on experience of crafting a creative design that fit the parameters of the contest prepared the team for the everyday conditions of the work force.

“We had to balance practicality and innovation,” he said. “The subject matter was pre-stressed concrete, which is a graduate-level concept that we hadn’t been exposed to yet. With the help of Dr. El Safty, we all got together, learned some of the theory and went through the design process.”

They compiled their research and designs in multiple spreadsheets and settled on an I-beam because of its efficiency and low weight.

“The judges said we were right at the top of the list nationally when it came to efficiency,” Isildar said.

El Safty said he was proud of the team for pulling together and representing UNF at a national level.

Isildar said the experience will be a great resume booster, and he’s happy for being allowed the opportunity to work in a real-life setting.

“The reality of the project was great,” he said. “We were structurally designing the material to the judging criteria, which are real-world expectations. It’s a very good learning process for students who want to break into the field.”


 

Around Campus

Blown glass art installed inside Biological Sciences Building
By Matt Coleman

A kaleidoscopic array of natural colors marks the walls of the University of North Florida’s new Biological Sciences Building.

 

Yellow represents the fragrant jasmine planted outside in the building’s courtyard. Blue symbolizes the vitality of the river and its importance to the research going on within the building’s high-tech laboratories.

 

Every color choice for the hexagonal sculptures adorning the walls of the Biological Sciences Building is directly influenced by the natural world, said St. Augustine sculptor and glass blower Thomas Long, whose work is now on display inside the new building.

 

“Basically, I saw the building drawings and thought about it from the perspective in the space, the light and the flow of the building,” Long said. “In my blown glass sculpture, I like to try to bring outside natural elements inside, and I’m fascinated by mathematics that are found in nature, so this project in this building was a really good fit for my interests.”

 

Long’s installation, “Wellspring,” comprises 87 pieces of hand-blown glass spanning more than 100 feet around the Biological Sciences Building. It was installed in July and will be on permanent display.

 

He first heard about the opportunity for his work to be featured inside UNF’s newest academic building through a national call to artists as a part of the Florida’s Art in State Buildings Program, which is administered by the Florida Division for Cultural affairs.

 

An outline for the project was issued by UNF’s campus art committee, and Long said it spoke to his interests in the Florida environment. The building’s status as UNF’s seventh green facility on campus since 2005 also appealed to his creative process.

 

Most of the other buildings on campus, including the Biological Sciences Building are Silver LEED Certified by the U.S. Green Building Council, a non-profit organization that awards certification. The new building is going one step further, however, as it has been submitted for Gold certification, which requires a higher standard of green compliance. Everything, from the widespread use of glass as opposed to physical lighting down to the building’s air system, was designed to work smoothly with a minimal energy footprint.

 

Long applied through the bid process and was selected as one of the finalists to present a formal proposal. The design process lasted only a few weeks. The actual fabrication of the hexagonal sculptures took Long and his glass assistant, Lauren Shirer, four months. They blew all the glass components individually, cold-worked the glass, welded and fabricated the framework, powder coated the pieces and installed them by hand.

 

He said the organic exchange of information between students, professors and researchers helped drive the creative process behind “Wellspring.”

 

“A wellspring, it’s where ideas take place and are shared,” he said. “It’s like a river. That’s what causes the ideas to move forward, join together and come apart into new ideas or currents. I was excited for the opportunity to propose this element in a large-scale sculpture in such a fantastic building. I hope that it brings inspiration to the students, faculty and visitors to the UNF campus.”

 

More of Long’s work is available online at www.createglass.com. 

Around Campus

UNF becomes more military friendly through Prudential grant
By Dan Dundon

As UNF’s enrollment continues to grow, one increasingly important segment of that growth will be veterans and active-duty military. Already recognized as being among the most military-friendly campuses in the nation, UNF is aiming to enhance that distinction with help from a major financial services company.

The Prudential Foundation has provided more than $45,000 in gifts during the last two years for a variety of activities relating to veterans at UNF. Through Prudential’s support, UNF was able to create three educational programs aimed at informing faculty and staff about the benefits and challenges of having more veterans on campus. The resulting programs covered a wide range of topics relevant to any organization aiming to serve veterans and active-duty military.

The grant is part of a growing corporate commitment to UNF as reflected in The Power of Transformation campaign.

The Prudential funds are also used for a book scholarship, as well as a computer program that helps veterans and all students with their interviewing skills through the Career Service Center.

“Prudential has a deep appreciation for the service and sacrifices made by U.S. military service men and women and our military veterans,” said Lata Reddy, vice president of corporate social responsibility at Prudential. “In today’s uncertain economic environment, veterans are facing unique challenges in their pursuit of higher education. We are proud to partner with UNF to support programs that prepare its faculty and staff to help veterans overcome those challenges and provide resources and support to veterans enrolled in the university.”

The grant takes on increased importance because of projections that the number of veterans and active-duty military will be increasing on campus. Ray Wikstrom, director of the UNF Military and Veterans Resource Center, said more than 1,000 veterans using the Post 9/11 GI Bill attended UNF last year. Since the establishment of the MVRC in 2010, Wikstrom said the center has seen a steady increase in veterans taking advantage of the center’s services.

With the Pentagon projecting a more than 140,000 reduction in force over the next two years, Wikstrom said he expects many of these service members to use their GI Bill to increase their employment opportunities. Due to the amount of military credits accumulated through their service, Wikstrom said that many of the veterans are coming in as sophomores, juniors and seniors or coming from local state colleges such as Florida State College at Jacksonville.

With the prospect of more veterans on campus, the Prudential-sponsored sessions were timed perfectly. Dr. Tracy Hejmanowski, program manager at the Deployment Health Center at the Naval Hospital Jacksonville, targeted student advisers and the staff of the Division of Student Affairs in a recent series of sessions. Later this year, a third session will be devoted to faculty.

Hejmanowski explained that student veterans possessed unique psychological and emotional perspectives. Considering their transition from a military environment to a civilian academic environment, she reminded the Student Affairs staff how different veterans can be from your typical college student.
“They have a deep-rooted sense of discipline based in their ability to take and give orders,” she said. “Due to the nature of their experiences, these veterans handled an incredible level of responsibility.”

But in some cases, Hejmanowski noted there are also challenges.

“Some veterans have anger issues because of the grief they have experienced,” she said. “Simply put, they can’t forget what they have seen. These men and women have lost comrades who were very close to them, many in the most horrific ways imaginable.”

Because of those experiences, Hejmanowski explained that veterans might have different priorities.

“Some things that may seem important to you at a university may not seem that important to them anymore because their priorities have changed.”

She urged those who program events to be sensitive to the environment that might be created for a veteran who has served in a combat zone. She emphasized the importance of including program notes or public announcements for such things as fireworks or other loud noises and demonstrations.
Hejmanowski encouraged the Student Affairs staff to get veterans involved in University activities. Veterans often feel a part of something important while on active duty, and they didn’t know how much they would miss that until they were no longer part of it, she said. That’s why it’s important for them to be involved in campus life.

Nationally, an estimated 350,000 student veterans are on college campuses and 25 percent of all veterans attend college within two years of separation. With those numbers, UNF can expect a significant influx in coming years. Because of the Prudential grant, UNF will be better prepared to meet the growing needs of returning vets.

 

Briefs

UNF now offering Public Policy Concentration through the MPA program

The University of North Florida is now offering a Master of Public Administration Public Policy Concentration.

 

The first classes of the new concentration started this semester. It’s the first graduate-level program in public policy in Northeast Florida.

 

Like the rest of UNF’s MPA offerings, the public policy concentration is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration, the leading accreditation body for MPA programs. 

 

The MPA program caters to mid-career professionals, offering almost all courses in the evening, usually from 6 to 8:45 p.m. Internships and online courses are all offered to help prospective students juggle the demands of their jobs while still pursuing their education.

 

The program features four other different concentrations outside of public policy — general administration, health administration, local government policy and administration and non-profit management  — and is well suited for dozens of different public-sector positions.

 

Dr. George Candler, program director and associate professor, said the vast majority of MPA students stay in the region to work.  To read more about the program, check out this alumni Journal article on the program and its distinguished alumni base.

Get to Know

Lynne Arriale

Name: Lynne Arriale

 

Department: Music

 

Job title: Associate Professor of Jazz Studies, Director of Small Ensembles

 

What do you do? 


I teach jazz piano and run the combo program. 


 

Years at UNF: Six

 

What person had the greatest impact on your life?   

My teachers 


  

Describe your favorite UNF-related memory? 

All the moments when it was very evident that my students were growing as musicians and as human beings.

  

What is your favorite thing about working at UNF? 

The students and faculty are wonderful.

 

If you could choose any other career, what would it be and why? 

I’m happy being a musician.

 

If you were not working at UNF, what would you be doing? 

I would be continuing to tour internationally with my group.

 

What would you like to do when you retire? 
 

I don’t plan to retire. But, if I had more free time, I would practice piano more, compose more and have more leisure time.

 

What is the best thing you ever won? 

First prize in the Great American Jazz Piano Competition

 

What band(s)/musician(s) would perform the soundtrack to your life?  

James Taylor

 


If you won the lottery, what would do with the money? 

I would ponder that question if I ever won the lottery — but that is highly unlikely, as I would never buy a lottery ticket.

 

What is your favorite way to blow an hour? 

Playing the piano.

 

If you were asked to paint a picture about anything you wanted, what would you paint? 

I would paint a picture that would communicate that things are rarely as they seem.

 

What was the best money you ever spent? 

Food, shelter and music lessons

 

Tell us something that would surprise people to know about you: 

I’d rather just surprise them.

 

What was the first concert you ever attended, and what was the most recent concert you attended? 

I attended a symphony concert when I was very young, and the last concert I attended was a solo concert that I played two weeks ago.

   


What are you most passionate about? 

Clarity in communications and kindness

 

Who is the most famous person you ever met? 

Gene Hackman and Lily Tomlin

 

What do you hope to accomplish that you have not done yet? 

I simply want to continue to grow as a person and as a musician.

 

Tell us about your family.
 

I have a sister who lives in New Mexico.

 

Last book read: 
 

“The Big Short” by Michael Lewis

 

 

 

Faculty & Staff

Brooks College of Health 

  

Nursing: The faculty and graduate students of the Nurse Anesthesia Program had 13 research papers accepted for presentation at the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists 2012 Annual Meeting in San Francisco, Calif. in August. 

 

Public Health: Elissa Barr presented “The New National Sexuality Guidelines” at the Summer Academy for Teachers of Health Education sponsored by the Florida Department of Education in Gainesville in July. 

  

College of Arts & Sciences 

  

Biology: Dr.Dale Casamatta was approved for a second term as the program director for the Psychological Society of America. He also had accepted, with D. Stani, M. Gantar and L.L. Richardson, “Characterization of Roseonema reptotaenium (Oscillatoriales, Cyanobacteria) gen. et sp. nov. isolated from Caribbean black band disease” in Phycologia, and, with Beaver, J.R., D.E. Jensen, C.E. Tausz, K.C. Scotese, Kristen M. Buccier, “Response of phytoplankton communities of six reservoirs of the middle Missouri River (USA) to drought and a major flood event: Importance of water residence time” in Hydrobiologia.

 

Dr. Matt Gilg had accepted for publication, with E.G. Johnson, J. Gobin, B.M. Bright and A. Ortolaza, “Population genetics of introduced and native populations of the green mussel, Perna viridis: Determining patterns of introduction” in Biological Invasion.

 

Drs. Matt Gilg and Tony Rossi, with K.Stokes and P. Stiling, had accepted “The gall midge, Asphondylia borrichiae, (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae): An indigenous example of host–associated genetic divergence in sympatry” in Environmental Entomology.

 

Dr. Mike Lentz and student Eric Luman published an article “The Accuracy of Pitching Yeast by Mass in a Small Microbrewery” in the Master Brewers Association of the Americas Technical Quarterly.

 

Dr. Dan Moon and Jamie Moon published “Examining the factors influencing keystone interactions” in Trends in Ecology.

 

Drs. Dan Moon and Tony Rossi, with R. C. Meyer and K. Stokes, published “Restoration and plant composition in former pine tree farms restoration and plant composition in former pine tree farms” in Southeastern Naturalist.

 

Dr. Terri Ellis and her students presented a poster entitled “The Impact of Antibiotic Exposure on the Protein Profile of Outer Membrane Vesicles Produced by Resistant Strains of Klebsiella pneumonia” at the American Society for Microbiology Annual Meeting in San Francisco, Calif.

 

Dr. Kelly Smith and her student, Patrick Goodwin, presented a poster at the Florida Lake Management Society Meeting titled "Developing a long term monitoring program on campus: Student monitoring of lake water quality at University of North Florida."

  

English: Mark Ari published his poem, “Hama, July 31, 2011; for Ibrahim Qashoush,” in Poetry Quarterly.

Dr. Nicholas de Villiers had his article, “The Amicable Return of Roland Barthes,” published by the University of Minnesota Press on its weblog.

 

Dr. Christopher Gabbard published his book review of A History of Intelligence and “Intellectual Disability: The Shaping of Psychology in Early Modern Europe” in the Journal of Literary and Cultural Disability Studies.

 

Marcus Pactor published his short story, “Minor Repair," in Forge; he also published four poems — “Apocryphal,” “Dial that Robin,” “The Nihilist Chews” and “Untitled” — on the online poetry site, Firestorm Literary & Arts Journal.

 

History: Dr. David Courtwright presented “Airworld: The History, Culture, and Prospects of American Aviation,” at the 2012 BAA Cultures of Mobility conference in Munich, Germany in July.

 

Dr. Theo Prousis published a book, “Lord Strangford at the Sublime Porte (1822): The Eastern Crisis” in a projected four-volume study.

 

Languages, Literatures and Cultures: Clayton McCarl presented a paper titled "ChocQuibTown y la invisibilidad nacional" at the 2012 meeting of the Latin American Studies Association in San Francisco in May.

  

Music: Dennis Marks has been touring with six-time Grammy award winner Arturo Sandoval during the summer. Also, his big band chart arrangement of “The Swan” has been published by Really Good Music.

Laura Dwyer taught at the Anatomy of Sound Workshop at the University of Michigan. She performed in the Colorado Music Festival for six weeks, and she will be teaching at Keith Underwood’s Flute Workshop at Ghost Ranch in New Mexico. 

 

Dr. Nick Curry served on the faculty of the Meadowmount School of Music during the month of July. Meadowmount is one of the top string camps in the country and is where Yo-Yo Ma, Itzak Perlman, Pinchas Zuckerman and Lynn Harrell attended as youths. Curry also performed as a soloist on multiple concerts around South Africa as one of the faculty leaders on the UNF Chamber Singers tour. Finally, Curry also served on faculty at the Tennessee Valley Music Festival for the fourth straight year where he was assisted by UNF rising sophomore cellist Hannah Hoffman.

  

Physics: Dr.Jay Huebner presented “A Meteor Crater in Jacksonville?” to the Kiwanis Club of Deerwood in July.

 

Dr.Huebner also posted a crowd-source project to www.petridish.org for funding. The site will remain active through September.

 

Dr. James Garner made a presentation at the American Physical Society sponsored conference at the American Center for Physics in Washington, D.C. in June.

  

Sociology and Anthropology: Dr. Ronald Lukens-Bull was an invited speaker as part of the Seminar “Benarkah Indonesia Semakin Tidak Toleran dalam Kehidupan Umat Beragama?” (Is it True that Indonesia is Becoming More Intolerant in Religious Life?) sponsored by the Center for Research and Development of Religious Life, Ministry of Religious Affairs, Republic of Indonesia.

Dr. Lukens-Bull alsopresented the invited lecture, “Religion and Secularization from a Western Perspective” at the School of Shariah and Law at the National Islamic University Syarif Hidyatullah in Jakarta in June. Lukens-Bull alsopresented the invited lecture “Linguistic Modeling of Variation in Islam” at the National Islamic Institute Sunan Ampel in Surabaya in June.

Dr. Krista Paulsen published “Introduction to Cities: How Place and Space Shape Human Experience” with Xiangming Chen and Anthony M. Orum.   

 

Dr.David Jaffee published the article “The General Education Initiative in Hong Kong: Organized Contradictions and Emerging Tensions.”

 

Dr. Ronald Kephart delivered a presentation titled “TMA, Negation, and Stress in Carriacou Creole English” at the meetings of the Society for Caribbean Linguistics in Nassau, Bahamas, in July.

 

Dr. Gordon Rakita presented a paper entitled: “The Longue Durée of Mortuary Ritual in Chihuahua, Mexico” at the 54th International Congress of Americanists in Vienna, Austria.

 

College of Computing, Engineering & Construction 

  

Computing: Dr. Ken Martin has been selected to chair a Computing Accreditation Commission/ABET accreditation visit to evaluate a computer science program at an American university. He has also been selected to be a member of a CAC/ABET accreditation visit to evaluate two information systems' programs at a Southeast Asian university. 

 

Dr. Charles Winton, an invited attendee to the July 2012 Global Conference on Educational Robotics, was appointed President for KISS Institute for Practical Robotics beginning in 2013.  

 

Dr. Robert Roggio, Tetiana Bilyayeva and James R. Comer presented and published their paper, “Everyday Cloud Computing with SaaS” at the 2012 Software Engineering Research and Practice Conference in July.

 

Construction Management: Drs. David Lambert and Pat Welsh recently received a $5,000 grant from NOAA for the "Development of a Real-time, Location-based Learning System Model for RABOB in GTMNERR.”  The EMMAPS Lab team, which includes Terry Smith and Robert Richardson, will be developing and evaluating an innovative STEM education approach that will leverage the real-time data from the team's water quality buoys. Partners in the project include the St. Johns County Water Quality Science Academy and the Southeast Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association.

 

Engineering: B. Poiencot and Dr. Chris Brown published their paper, “Evaluation of Carbon Dioxide Transportation Deployment Alternatives for Florida, USA,” in Florida Scientist in July.

  

College of Education & Human Services 

  

Childhood Education, Literacy and TESOL: Dr. Katrina Hall was on the planning team and Dr. Gigi Morales David presented information and hands-on activities focused on the academic value associated with block play for the Early Learning Institute this summer. There were 90 people from many early childhood agencies in Jacksonville that serve young children including JCC, ECS, ELCand the main library downtown in attendance at Bethesda Park for the block play explorations. 

  

Dr. Chris Weber presented a workshop with W.A. Behrens titled “Enhancing professional development using case studies” and a paper with W.A. Behrens titled “Decision making strategies in professional development” at the 12th Asia-Pacific Conference for Giftedness, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. 

 

Dr. Katie Monnin chaired and presented at San Diego Comic Con in July. Her panel, which focused on transitioning young graphic novel readers into graphic novel writers, included Joe Kelly (creator of Cartoon Network's “Ben 10,” “Generator Rex,” Disney's “The New Ultimate Spiderman,” “I Kill Giants” and “Four Eyes”), Jenni and Matt Holm (graphic novelists of “Babymouse” and “Squish”), Dr. Meryl Jaffe (Dr. Monnin's co-author on her fourth book, “Teaching Content Area Graphic Novels”), Dr. James Bucky Carter (author of “Building Literacy Connections with Graphic Novels”), John Hogen (Executive Editor and Director of graphicnovelreporter.com) and Jimmy Gownley (graphic novelist of “Amelia Rules!”).  

 

Over the summer, Monnin also reported twice on her monthly Action News segment Katie's Korner. Her June and July segments are online. Her monthly graphic novel review column, Katie's Korner: Graphic Novel Reviews for Your School and Library also appeared in various publications from Diamond Comic Book Distributors monthly newsletter. Monnin also was invited to be a featured speaker at the following upcoming events: Panama City’s Creative Con, Rhode Island’s National Literacy for All Conference and Florida Reading Association's annual conference. In August, Monnin presented twice at the St. John's county High Impact Literacy Conference. Her topics included “Teaching Early Reader Comics and Graphic Novels” and “Teaching Secondary Content Area Graphic Novels.”

 

Leadership, School Counseling and Sport Management: Drs. Terry Cavanaugh, Marcia Lamkin and Helen Hu had an article published in the Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks. They based their research on the effectiveness of using checklists for better submission completion and on-time submission in online classes. They found that there was a significant improvement in submission times when a generalized checklist of online elements was emailed to students on a weekly basis.

 

Dr. Rebecca Schumacher recently participated in the American Counseling Association Leadership Institute in July in Washington, D.C. In addition to attending the Leadership Institute training, one day was devoted to advocacy efforts on Capitol Hill where she met with Florida’s representatives to request support for the Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Program, authorized as part of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. This is a critical grant awarded to school districts to increase school based counseling programs to improve student achievement in persistently low-achieving schools. 

 

Two UNF Sport Management students, Jesy Rose and Kacey Sims, are taking part in a Global Sport Management international learning experience provided by Florida State University's Sport Management program. As part of this experience, the two students are involved in a variety of sport experiences throughout the summer, including the London Olympic Games.

  

Exceptional, Deaf and Interpreter Education: Dr. Debbie Reed and graduate student Kelsey Alderfer presented at the Gulf South Summit conference on Service Learning in Hattiesburg, Miss. They presented “Service Learning and Transformational Experiences with Students with Moderate and Severe Disabilities,” based on service learning work completed by students at Lakeshore Middle School.

 

Reed also gave three presentations in June at the National Association for Persons Supporting Employment conference in Washington, D.C. Reed also gave a presentation with her father, Ron Inlow, and daughter Caitlynn on family disability advocacy. Reed’s father hired several adults with intellectual disabilities to work at the University of Richmond and earn competitive wages upon their exit from institutions in the early ’80s.  

 

 

Maira Martelo, assessment assistant in the dean’s office and doctoral candidate of the Educational Leadership program, recently published her article titled “Use of Bibliographic Systems and Concept Maps: Innovative Tools to Complete a Literature Review.”  The article was published in Research in the Schools, a peer-reviewed journal of the Mid-South Educational Research Association. This article presents a process for utilizing a bibliographic system built with Microsoft Excel as well as concept maps to organize and synthesize information that can be included in a literature review. A review of the conceptual framework behind these tools is included, as well as a detailed description about how to build the system in Excel. Also discussed in this article is the importance of the literature review as a dynamic component of any scholarly work.

Dateline

Milestone anniversaries 
Congratulations to the following employees who will celebrate a milestone anniversary at UNF in September:

 

35 years 
Verna Urbanski, University Librarian, Thomas G. Carpenter Library

20 years 
Bruce Herring, Instructional Specialist, Training and Services Institute

Pansy Tapper, Associate Director of TSI Accounting, Training and Services Institute

15 years 
Philip Geist, Associate Director, Small Business Development Center

Cathy O'Farrell, Director, Field Experiences Education and Human Services

10 years  

Elizabeth Hardy, Admissions Evaluator, Enrollment Services Processing Office

Angela Gibson, Contracts Grants Accounts Coordinator, Office of Research and Sponsored Programs

Sandra Gupton, Professor, Leadership, School Counseling and Sport Management  

Five years 
Keith Ashley, Research Program Services Coordinator, Sociology and Anthropology

Christianne Brown, Mental Health Counselor, Counseling Center

James Shoemaker, Senior Engineer Techical Designer, Physical Facilities

DeeAnne Crookham, Assistant Director of Student Affairs, Student Affairs

Stephen Keels, Accountant, Controller

Lily Wang, Accounting Coordinator, Controller

Tiffany Winemiller, Associate Director of Development, Major Gifts

Kathryn Macinnes, Assistant Director, Admissions

Lilith Reigger, Assistant Director, Graduate School

Welcome 
The following employees were either hired by UNF or were promoted from OPS positions from mid-July to early-August:

Peter Bacopoulos, Assistant Professor, Taylor Engineering Research Institute 

Sarah Bloom, Admissions Marketing Coordinator, Admissions

Stephan Boka, Instructor, English

Alexis Branaman, Coordinator, Student Affairs Center for International Education

Theresa Buchs, Office Assistant, Student Affairs

Kim Cheek, Assistant Professor, Childhood Education, Literacy and TESOL

Michele Covington, Instructor, Criminology

Malgorzata Czerwinska, Instructor, Mathematics

Todd DelGiudice, Instructor, Music

Ashley Earles-Bennett, Marketing and Publications Coordinator, Music

Jermaine Edwards, Maintenance Mechanic, Student Union-Maintenance and Energy Management

Kelly Gates, Assistant Director of Special Events, Public Relations

Stephen Gosden, Instructor, Music

Elizabeth Gregg, Instructor, Leadership

Christal Hoskins, Faculty Administrator, CIRT

Jerry Johnson, Assistant Professor, Leadership

Bryan Knuckley, Assistant Professor, Chemistry

Corinne Labyak, Assistant Professor, Nutrition and Dietetics

Ricky Law, Instructor, History

Joshua LeGros, Groundskeeper, Student Union Groundskeeper

Jennifer Lieberman, Assistant Professor, English

Joseph Lucca, Instructor, Clinical and Applied Movement Science

Ghulam Maharvi, Instructor, Chemistry

Joshia Mitchell, Custodial Worker, Physical Facilities

Mark Milton, Law Enforcement Officer, University Police Department

Kacie McFate, Student Affairs Coordinator, Recreation

James Mckoy, Irrigation Technician, Grounds

Jody Nicholson, Assistant Professor, Psychology

Jeffrey Pigg, Head Athletic Coach, Athletics

Sherry Pinkstaff, Assistant Professor, Health Daniel Santavicca, Instructor, Physics

Walter Schuller, Computer Systems Coordinator, Computing Engineering 

Melissa Simmons, Custodial Worker, Physical Facilities

Latherrah Slater, Custodial Worker, Physical Facilities

Aaron Spalding, Instructor, Public Health 

Heather Truelove, Assistant Professor, Psychology

Shehadeh Warrah, Groundskeeper, Grounds

Tamar Wiley, Custodial Worker, Physical Facilities Joseph Wilkins, Custodial Worker, Custodial Services

Hope Wilson, Assistant Professor, Foundations and Secondary Education

 

Great job 
The following employees were promoted from mid-July to early-August.

Kent Grandy, Facilities and Operations Assistant, Stadium-Sports Complex

Angela Lee, Training Coordinator, Financial Systems Department

Jean Leone, Office Manager, Educational Field Experiences

Sonia Moyeno, Senior Custodial Worker, University Housing

Daniel Pitts, Facilities & Operations Assistant, Intercollegiate Athletics

Joyce Smith, Office Assistant, Academic Center for Excellence

Erin Soles, Senior Instructional Designer, Distance Center for Instruction and Research Technology

Leanne Thomas, Accounts Payable Manager, Controller

 

The following faculty members were approved for tenure and promoted to associate professor during the recent Board of Trustees meeting.

 

Approved for tenure and promoted to associate professor  

Chris Janson, Leadership, School Counseling and Sport Management, Education and Human Services
Peter Magyari, CAMS, Brooks College of Health
Connie Roush, Nursing, Brooks College of Health

 

Goodbye 
Heartfelt well wishes in their new endeavors for the following employees, who left UNF from mid-July to early-August: 
  
Margaret Armstrong, Assistant Director of ELP, Student Affairs

Teresa Campbell, Senior University Union Programming Specialist, Student Government

Heather Carty, Student Affairs Coordinator, Recreation

Peter Durr, Admissions Coordinator, Admissions

Justin Gaudry, Senior Instructor, School of Computing

Vernice Green, Professor, Music

Robert Hansell, Admissions Coordinator, Admissions

Dervisa Hurem, Custodial Worker, Physical Facilities

Frederick Nelson, Assistant Professor, Foundations and Secondary Education 

John “Pat” Plumlee, Associate Professor Emeritus, Political Science and Public Administration

Douglas Short, Manager Accounts Payable Receiving, Controller

Ann Marie Sindt, Student Union Coordinator, Student Government

Richard Stanford, Assistant Director, Fine Arts Center

Abdoulaye Sy, Custodial Worker, Physical Facilities 

Kenneth Wilburn, Associate Professor, Leadership, School Counseling and Sport Management

 

 

The Goods

The truth about Kiwi

The Goods: The truth about kiwi 

Kiwi fruit are relative newcomers to the United States and give us another exotic fruit choice to include in our daily diets. Dr. Judy Perkin, professor in the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics Flagship Program, discusses myths and facts about this furry fruit that is packed with nutrients. To help you use it in your diet, a recipe is provided. 

  

Myth:Kiwi fruit have relatively little nutritional value.  

Fact: Published nutritional analyses of the kiwi fruit indicate that kiwi is a good source of many nutrients, and it’s a particularly excellent food source of Vitamin C. Kiwi has also been found to contribute to dietary needs for potassium, magnesium and fiber.

  

Myth:Kiwi fruit originated in New Zealand. 

Fact: Although food production data indicates that New Zealand is a kiwi producer, food history experts tell us that the kiwi plant first originated in China and was given the name Chinese gooseberry. They add that it was only in relatively recent history that the name kiwi fruit was used because of the outer fruit’s resemblance to a New Zealand bird called a kiwi. Kiwi fruits are also grown in the United States, with California being a major producer.

  

Myth:You should always peel kiwi fruit and not eat the skin. 

Fact: The “Fruits & Veggies: More Matters” health campaign says it’s fine to eat kiwi with or without the skin. If the fruit is to be eaten with the skin, they recommend both washing and drying the skin before consumption.

  

Myth:Kiwi should always be eaten raw. 

Fact: Although for many, eating or using raw kiwi in recipes is common, other recipes can be found that call for kiwi to be baked in a food product. For example, there are recipes for cobbler, muffins and other baked good products containing kiwi available on the Internet.

  

Myth:Kiwi’s only culinary value is as a fruit. 

Fact: Food encyclopedias and numerous fact sheets confirm that kiwi fruit can also be used as a tenderizing agent. They relate this use to the specific types of acid found in the fruit.

 

Kiwi Fruit Cobbler 

 

Ingredients:
 

12 large kiwi fruit, peeled and cut into three-quarter-inch cubes

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon grated lemon peel

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ package (3.2 ounces) prepared corn muffin mix

1 tablespoon additional brown sugar

½ one teaspoon ground nutmeg

Vanilla ice cream or cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place cubed kiwi fruit in well-greased baking casserole. Combine brown sugar, lemon peel and flour. Sprinkle on top of fruit. Mix lightly and place in hot oven for 25 minutes. Prepare one-half package muffin mix as directed. When fruit mixture is hot and bubbling, spoon on prepared mix. Mix the extra brown sugar and nutmeg. Sprinkle on top. Return cobbler to oven for another 18 to 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown and done. Remove and allow to cool. Serve warm, with ice cream or cream, if desired.

 

Preparation time:30 minutes plus baking time.

 

Serves: six

Nutritional information per serving
Calories: 195 Carbohydrates: 43 g Total Fat: 2.5 grams
Cholesterol: 2 milligrams Dietary Fiber: 6 grams
Saturated Fat: 0.5 grams
Percentage of Calories from fat: 11 percent Sodium: 132 milligrams
Protein: 3 grams

*Optional ingredients are not included in dietary analysis.

 

Recipe and nutritional analysis used with permission by the Produce for Better Health Foundation and “Fruits & Veggies—More Matters” website at www.FruitsAndVeggiesMoreMatters.org.

 

The Goods is a monthly column about food myths and facts by faculty members in the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics Flagship Program and runs in The Florida Times-Union’s “Taste” section. Have a question about kiwi? Contact Dr. Perkin at jperkin@unf.edu.