Spectrum - Volume 19 Issue 16 January 16, 1997 - ACHIEVERS

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ACHIEVERS

Spectrum Volume 19 Issue 16 - January 16, 1997

Karen Hult , associate professor of political science, has been elected to the Executive Council of the Southern Political Science Association. Hult also was an invited participant at a conference, "Presidential Power: Forging the Presidency for the Twenty-First Century," held at Columbia University.

Charles Walcott , associate professor of political science, has been named to the editorial board of H-TEACHPOL, a discussion list/electronic journal dedicated to examining the role of political-science teaching within post-secondary institutions, including especially innovations related to technology and experiential education. The list is co-sponsored by the American Political Science Association Organized Sections on Computers and Multimediaand Undergraduate Education.

Ilja A. Luciak of the Department of Political Science gave an invited seminar on "Gender Equality, Democratization, and Development in Central America" to the Swedish International Cooperation Agency (Sida). While in Sweden for a month, he served as resident scholar for Central America at the Latin America Institute of Stockholm University. He also gave several public lectures and presented a paper at the international conference on "A World in Transition: Feminist Perspectives on International Relations," held at Lund University. Recently, he has been selected to join a team of researchers that will conduct a 10-country study on "Reproductive Health, Empowerment andPopulation Policy," funded by the United Nations.

Richard Nance and James Arthur of the Department of Computer Science attended the 1996 Winter Simulation Conference in San Diego, Cal. Arthur presented the paper "Independent Verification and Validation: A Missing Link in Simulation Methodology?" co-authored by Nance. While at the conference, Nance attended a meeting of the 1997 Winter Simulation Conference program committee and served as an ad hoc member of the INFORMS College on Simulation that recommended a new award, the Lifetime Professional Achievement Award, be established. The college voted to establish the award following the group's report. At the 1996 Winter Simulation Conference, Nance chaired a session on Model Specification. He also served as track coordinator for Modeling Methodology for the 1997 Winter Simulation Conference Program Committee.

Stephen Baehr , professor in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, has been named to the editorial board of Slavic and East European Journal , the research publication of the American Association of Teachers of Slavic and East European Languages and Literatures. Baehr was awarded the 1995 Sturm Award for Excellence in Faculty Research by Phi Beta Kappa, Mu Chapter of Virginia. He also presented a paper on "2x2=4: Studies in the History of a Dystopian Image" at the national conference of the American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies in Boston.

Arnold Schuetz , head of the International Studies program, co-chaired the International Studies Association South annual conference in Roanoke. Schuetz also chaired a session on "Social and Political Change in Germany" and presented a paper on "Britain, the U.S. and the Revival of German Labor Unions After 1945." Other Virginia Tech participants were James Allan , a paper on "Structure and Agency in Comparative Politics: A Framework for a Study of Social Democratic Parties in Opposition"; Derek McCormack , a paper on "Reworking the City: Capital, Cultural and Commodity Flows in the Changing Urban Landscape of Dublin"; Doug Borer , chair of a session on "Issues in Strategic Studies" and a paper on "Clausewitz is Dead: Strategic Lessons of Vietnam and Afghanistan"; Steve Twing , a paper on "The Paradox of Presidential Power in the Making of U.S. Foreign Policy"; Ilja Luciak , discussant in the session on "Issues in International Development"; Robert Walsh , a paper on "Catholic Social Theory and the Death of Socialism: The Papacy's Reaction to the Ñew 'New Things'"; Timothy Luke , chair of a session on "Information Dynamics in the International System"; and Christopher Couples , a paper on "The Internet as a War-Machine: Deleuzian and Virilian Approaches."

Jenifer L. Kittle , secretary senior in the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, has been named the December recipient of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences' Employee Recognition Award. She has been with the department for two-and-a-half years.

The award is part of CALS's ongoing program to recognize the contributions of classified staff employees to the college's success. It is presented to a college staff member who has made exceptional contributions to his/her department and to the college.

Kittle took over the duties of departmental fiscal technician on an interim basis when that position became vacant. In addition to her normal work load, she worked to meet the very demanding and complex tasks associated with maintaining the department's accounts.

She is credited with prioritizing her time to meet the constant demand and interruptions associated with the bookkeeping and other duties of the fiscal technician, often arriving at work early and staying well past normal quitting time. According to her supervisor, Kittle saved the department from a fiscal missteps by performing these interim responsibilities. She recently relinquished the job of interim fiscal technician.

Kittle also was recognized for outstanding performance as a secretary in her normal work, with the capacity to turn around manuscripts, correspondence, class assignment sheets, and other assignments quickly and with minimal errors.

Faculty and staff members and students in the department commented on Kittle's pleasant attitude and her cheerful, professional response to their inquiries. As documented by the 29 departmental members who signed her letter of support, Kittle clearly demonstrated exceptional dedication to the department, the college, and the university in filling the role of interim fiscal technician.

Several members of the Entomology Department recently presented papers at the national meeting of the Entomological Society of America in Louisville, Ky. Faculty members were Loke Kok , Michael Kosztarab , Curt Laub , Tim Mack , Sally Paulson , Douglas Pfeiffer , Peter Schultz , Nick Stone , Reese Voshell , and Roger Youngman . Participating staff members were Stephen Hiner , Judy Mollet , and Keith Tignor . Students were Prabhakar Bhogaraju , Thomas Kuhar and Jarrod Leland . Donald Mullins helped as a moderator for the student-paper competition.

Horticulture Professor P. Diane Relf has been recognized with two national awards from the American Society for Horticultural Science. She received the society's Outstanding Extension Educator Award. The award recognizes her contributions through innovative Extension programs, especially her role as an international leader in human issues in horticulture, her help in forming the multi-disciplinary People-Plant Council, and her international prominence in horticulture therapy.

Relf also received the society's Extension Division Consumer Horticulture Distinguished Achievement Award. It was presented for her nationally recognized consumer horticulture program, The Virginia Gardener.

Kriton K. Hatzios , professor of plant pathology, physiology and weed science, will receive the Southern Weed Science Society's 1997 Scientist of the Year Award during the 50th annual meeting of the Society in Houston next week.

Michael Kosztarab , professor emeritus of entomology, is author of a book that has been nominated to be recognized in the "Notable Documents" list of the American Library Association's Government Documents Roundtable. The Documents Team of the Library of Virginia nominated Kosztarab's book, Scale Insects of Northeastern North America: Identification, Biology, and Distribution . The book was published last year by the Virginia Museum of Natural History.

Kosztarab was inducted as an external member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences last summer, making him the first entomologist in Virginia to be elected to membership by a foreign national academy of sciences.

Julie Sina , director of scholarships and financial aid, and Karen Torgersen , interim director, Undergraduate Admissions, presented "Can this Marriage Be Saved? The Relationship between Admissions and Financial Aid" at the 67th annual meeting of Virginia Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (VACRAO), in December.

At the same meeting, Kelly Queijo , admissions public relations officer, presented "Life on the Learning Curve-Where We've Been, Where We're Going," an overview of the use of information technology used by Virginia Tech in undergraduate recruitment.

Vickie L. Burris , a master's-degree candidate in civil engineering(CE), received the Best Student Paper Award during the recent annual conference of the Virginia Section of the American Water Works Association in Norfolk. Burris presented Aeration of Norfolk's Western Lakes: Characterizing Aerator Performance, a paper co-authored by John C. Little , assistant professor of CE.

Zachary R. Adams , has completed all requirements for certification as a certified safety professional (CSP). This certification is awarded to individuals who meet academic and professional safety experience requirements to include passing two examinations at seven hours per exam. The examinations cover engineering and management aspects of safety, applied sciences, legal and regulatory matters, professional affairs and ethics, and other safety related topics. Certified safety professionals specialize in protecting workers, the public, property, and the environment by identifying, evaluating and controlling hazards. The CSP manages programs aimed at compliance with safety principles and federal, state, and local laws and regulations. The CSP must be recertified every five years to maintain the designation.

The Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) is governed by a board of 13 directors representing sponsoring organizations, the profession at large, and the public. The six sponsoring organizations include the American Society of Safety Engineers, American Industrial Hygiene Association, National Safety Council, System Safety Society, Society of Fire Protection Engineers, and Institute of Industrial Engineers. BCSP meets the national standards for certifying programs of the National Commission for Certifying Agencies and the Council of Engineering Specialty Boards.