Spectrum - Volume 17 Issue 29 April 20, 1995 - Achievers

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Achievers

Spectrum Volume 17 Issue 29 - April 20, 1995

Howard Feiertag, a lecturer in the Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management, was honored as the Hospitality Industry Professional of the Year by the Chapter of the Virginias of the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International, during a meeting at Wintergreen Resort. Feiertag, who has 30 years experience in the travel industry, teaches the hotel-management and sales and marketing classes at the university. He has been the director of the Center for Hospitality Research and Service, a fellow of the Educational Institute of the American Hotel and Motel Association, and on the faculty for the Meeting Planners Institute. He is active in or has served on the executive boards of the American Society of Travel Agents, Bahamas Tourism Institute, and other industry-related associations. He is also a columnist for several trade magazines.

Clifford W. Randall, the C.P. Lunsford professor of environmental engineering, presented two invited lectures at the Universidade Nova de Lisboa , Portugal. The lecture topics were "Estuarine Water Pollution Control" and "Principles and Practices of Biological Nutrient Removal Wastewater Treatment."

Randall also served as a wastewater treatment and water-pollution control consultant to the commission for EXPO'98 LISBOA, the World Exposition scheduled for Lisbon in 1998. The consultation resulted in development of a design to upgrade the Beirolas Wastewater Treatment Plant, the largest in Portugal, to meet the European Community standards for nutrient removal, and recommendations for in-stream methods that could be used to restore an urban river near the EXPO'98 site before 1998.

Randall also attended BIO-P Hannover 95, an international conference held at the universitat hannover in Hannover, Germany, and delivered an invited presentation on the state of the art of biological phosphorus-removal wastewater treatment in the USA, entitled, "BIO-P in the USA." He served as a featured discusser throughout the conference, evaluated pilot-plant studies and full-scale operation at Hannover's largest wastewater-treatment plant, and provided advice for modifications.

Kriton K. Hatzios, professor of plant physiology and weed science, recently received the 1995 Fellow Award from the Weed Science Society of America. The Fellow Award is the highest honor the society bestows to its members for meritorious service to the field of weed science and the WSSA. This is the latest in a long list of awards Hatzios has earned. Last year, he was awarded the Weed Science Society's Outstanding Research Award and in 1986, he received the society's Outstanding Young Scientist Award.

Joe Marcy, associate professor of food science and technology, recently taught a Better Process School at Ross Labs, Altavista. This school, which is approved by the Food and Drug Administration, allowed 31 of their employees to qualify as retort operators. Faculty members from University of Maryland and the National Food Processors Association also attended.

Regina Smick-Attisan, coordinating counselor and instructor in the Agriculture Technology program in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, has received the Teaching Award of Merit from the National Association of Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture. The national award was in recognition of her meritorious efforts in college teaching.

Andy Swiger, dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, has been elected president of the Southern Association of Agricultural Scientists, which has more than 4,000 scientists from throughout the southern United States. As president of the 106-year-old organization, Swiger will preside over next year's annual meeting in Greensboro, N.C.

John A. Barden , professor of horticulture, has been elected chair of the American Society for Horticultural Sciences' publication committee. He also will serve as a non-voting member of the group's board of directors

Bonnie Appleton, associate professor of horticulture at the Hampton Roads Agricultural Research and Extension Center, has received a President's Award from the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture for her work with arborist certification. She also has been elected vice president--the first woman officer--of the International Society of Arborists' Arboricultural Research and Education Academy.

Joseph L. Scarpaci, associate professor of urban affairs in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies, recently coauthored the following current journal articles and book chapter: "Decentralizing a Centralized State: Local Government Finance in Chile Within the Latin American Context," Public Budgeting and Finance ; "A Decade of HMOs in Chile: Market, Consumption, and the Role of the State," Journal of Health and Place ; and "The Caring Sector: Health and Education in Latin America," Latin American Development, David Preston, ed., 1995. Scarpaci also authored the articles "The Role of Physicians in Shaping National Health Insurance in Argentina and Uruguay," Studies in Third World Societies , and "Social Policy in Poor Countries: Strategies and Trends in the Metropolis," Urban Geography .

Dean Greg Brown of the College of Forestry and Wildlife Resources is president-elect of the National Association of Professional Forestry Schools and Colleges, an organization of all the heads of forestry programs. Brown will be responsible for shepherding the schools' interests in the 1995 Congressional Farm Bill. He will take over as president of NAPFSC in 1996 for a two-year term.

Joe Loferski, associate professor, and George Stern, professor emeritus, in the Department of Wood Science and Forest Products are the principal coordinators of a project funded by the U.S. Information Agency on wood's impact on the rejuvenation of Russian economy and life. Ten Russian students and one faculty member of Vyatka State Technical University in Kirov will spend a year the College of Forestry and Wildlife Resources' wood-science department. The project is one result of Virginia Tech's agreement of cooperation with Vyatka State, signed by late President James McComas and the chancellor of Vyatka State in 1993. Loferski served as a consultant to the Russian Ministry of Culture and Vyatka State in January, when he inspected the wood on the famous multi-towered Transfiguration Church on Kizhi Island in Karelia and then assisted in the evaluation of the proposed restoration. He also lectured at the university and, in English, oriented the 20 students who were selected to spend the year at Virginia Tech. Stern has been made an honorary member of the Scientific Council of Vyatka State as a result of his activities on behalf of that university.

Assistant professors in wood science and forest products Bob Smith , Bob Bush, and Dan Schmoldt had a paper accepted for publication in Wood and Fiber Science. The paper deals with "A Hierarchical Model and Analysis of Factors Affecting the Adoption of Timber as a Bridge Material."

Schmoldt, Smith, and David Peterson , a colleague at the University of Washington, presented a paper titled "The Analytic Hierarchy Process and Participatory Decision Making" at the 1994 Research Technology Symposium, Decision Support 2001, in Toronto, Canada. It will be published in the symposium's proceedings.

Dan Dolan, assistant professor in the Department of Wood Science and Forest Products, presented research results on cyclic connection response at the Building Code Revision meeting for the International Conference of Building Officials. The upcoming building code will be revised to reflect the good seismic performance of wood connections. Dolan was installed as chairman of the Wood Construction Technical Committee of the Building Seismic Safety Council under the auspices of the Federal Emergency Management Administration.

Sandra Hodge , who teaches a special course on social forestry, is president of the Virginia Partners of the Americas, a volunteer organization that provides an opportunity for schools, civic groups, and citizens to work together on self-help projects in Santa Catarina, Brazil. The organization is affiliated with National Partners of the America, which receives funding from the Agency for International Development and the U.S. Information Agency, as well as from the private sector.

Robert H. Giles , professor in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, presented a lecture at the annual meeting in February of the Oregon Chapter of The Wildlife Society. He spoke on futuristic planning for natural resources. Also in February, Giles gave the banquet address to the Virginia Chapter of The Wildlife Society in Richmond. His topic was "The Future of Wildlife and Fisheries Information Management in Virginia."

Harry Haney, the Garland Gray professor of forestry, has been named an at-large member to the Forest Farmers Association (FFA) board of directors. President Ronald Bost called Haney "one of the most talented and knowledgeable forestry professionals in the country, who has made important contributions to the forestry community." Haney is a long-time supporter of Forest Farmers Association and one if its "most popular speakers," according to Bost. The association is made up of forestland owners and managers involved with advancing the interests of the forest economy, particularly in the south. For the seventh year in a row, Haney led a "Timber Income Tax" workshop at the Southern Forestry Annual Conference, sponsored by FFA and held in Asheville in March. At the annual meeting, Haney also served, for the fourth year, as one of the panelists for the Tax Panel session.