NOTEWORTHY

Dr. Moeness Amin, electrical and computer engineering, was appointed to serve on the Franklin Institute’s Committee on Science and the Arts. Founded in 1834, the committee promotes and recognizes scientific inquiry and achievement, serves as part of the Institute’s Bower Science Awards selection committee and considers candidates for the 17 other medal awards administered by the Institute.

Dr. Joan D. Lynch, communication, published an article titled "Therapeutic Discourse and Acoa Films of the ‘80s and ‘90s" in the Fall-Winter 1999 issue of Journal of Film and Video.

AWARDS RECEIVED FOR APRIL 2000

Dr. William Fleishman, professor of computer science, has been awarded a grant for Teacher Enhancement – Teacher and Student Development through Research Experience with the NSF in the amount of $186,000. This Villanova Teacher & Student Development Project will provide inter-disciplinary research experiences involving mathematical modeling and computational analysis of biological systems for 15 10^th and 11^th grade students with high potential.

Dr. Michael Brown, professor of psychology, has been awarded $71,867 to participate in the Remote Biological Olfactory Sensing project. The project will study and experimentally test and demonstrate the concept of using rats to remotely sense, find and alert to chemical and biological agents.

Dr. Charlene Mires, professor of history, has been awarded a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities that will enable her to examine the history and symbolism of Independence Hall from the time of its construction in the 1730s until the recent past.

AWARDS RECEIVED FOR MAY 2000

Dr. Joseph Rucker, professor of chemistry, has been awarded a grant to sponsor the Undergraduate Summer Internship Program in Chemistry which will permit him to conduct research in the field of bio-organic, biophysical, or bio-analytical chemistry with a student researcher, Michele Crisuoli.

Dr. Randy Weinstein, professor of chemical engineering, was awarded a grant from Lucent Technologies in the amount of $5,850 to research the transient thermal management of portable electronic devices. Lucent has also donated $5,000 worth of various items of equipment for his laboratory, which include handset mock-ups, phase change materials, thermocouples and electronics.

Susan Markley, head of the Periodical Department, and Merrill Stein, head of Access Services, Falvey Library, made a presentation at the Pennsylvania Library Association, College and Research Division’s annual conference, Sept. 24 in Lancaster, Pa. Their talk, "Blueprint of a Successful Collaborative Approach to Information Literacy," reported on the Quest program involving Core Humanities and Falvey Library, specifically its assessment through pre- and post-tests indicating the program’s positive effects.

Rev. Joseph Ryan, OSA, assistant professor of history, was inducted into the Equestrian order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. Archbishop Edward M. Egan of New York, grand prior for the Eastern Lieutenancy of the United States, officiated at the ceremony in the Cathedral of St. Patrick, New York City.

AWARDS RECEIVED FOR JUNE 2000

Edward Sion, Astronomy & Astrophysics, Summer Space Astrophysics Research Project, NASA, $4,500. This NASA sponsored/University of Delaware Space Grant ConsortiumJBartol Research Institute will support the undergraduate Summer Space Astrophysics Research Project conducted under the direction of Dr. Edward Sion

Dr. Edward Sion, Astronomy & Astrophysics, Probing An Ancient Thermonuclear Runaway on a White Dwarf in aDwarfNova, NASAMST, $48,888. In this program, ranked 2°d highest by grade on the Binary Stars Panel, time-resolved and orbital-phase resolved STIS UV spectra of the dwarf nova VW Hydri following a superoutburst will be obtained. The study is directed at the poorly known physics of accretion in the boundary layer and into the envelope of the exposed white dwarf in this system.

Dr. Kelman Wieder, Biology, Research in Undergraduate Institutions: High precision, Finescale Depth Resolution Dating of Recently Accumulate Sphagnum Peat: Cross-corroboration of Techniques and Development of a Novel Approach, NSF, $49,940. This new approach to dating of peat will involve quantification of the cosmogenically produced isotopes lOBe and 26A1 in peat, which can then be used to estimate dates. Success of this proposed work should greatly advance our ability to model and predict C cycling responses.

Dr. Crystal Lucky, English, LindbackMinority Junior Faculty Award, Christian R. & Mary F. Lindback Foundation, $12,740. The methods and the messages of African-American preachers which have proved to be an invaluable heuristic tool for understanding the cultural, political and religious fabrics that constitute American society over the last 150 years are enhanced by this exploration.

Dr. Crystal Lucky, English, Lindback Minority Junior Faculty Award, Christian R. & Mary F. Lindback Foundation, $12,740. The methods and the messages of African-American preachers which have proved to be an invaluable heuristic tool for understanding the cultural, political and religious fabrics that constitute American society over the last 150 years are enhanced by this exploration.

Dr. Georgia Papaefthymiou-Davis, Physics, Studies in Nanoscale Magnetism: Biomimetic Processes and Nanocomposite Materials Development, NSF, $74,999. The proposed integrated activity will advance fundametal knowledge in the behavior of magnetic nanolattices, elucidate biomineralization in ferritin, facilitate the synthesis of advanced nanocomposite materials, and enhance the infrastructure for research and education at VU.

Dr. Mark Jupina, Center for Advanced Communication, CAC Support, DuPont, $10,000. Funding from the DuPont Office of Education supports promising students and faculty in science and mathematics.

Dr. William Kelly, Chemical Engineering, Donation of Equipment, Merck Institute for Science Education, $25,450. This donation of analytical equipment supports the Chemical Engineering Department and includes pipette aid, peristaltic pump, pH meter, electrophoresis power supply, water bath, orbital shaker, microcentrifuge and spectrophotometer.

Dr. William Kelly, Chemical Engineering, Donation of Equipment, APV Corporation, $23,140.This donation of a 'homogenizer' will support the biotech research of the Chemical Engineering Department.

Dr. Randy Weinstein, Chemical Engineering, Feasibility Study Using Hydrolysis Reactions: Part 2, Halocarbon, $20,000. Additional experiments will be performed to further characterize the reaction of hydrothermal hydrolysis of Rl33a in 316 stainless steel reactors as well as sapphire lined reactors.

Dr. Robert Traver, and Dr. Ronald Chadderton, Institute of Environmental Engineering Research, Villanova Stormwater Best Management Practice Demonstration Park - Phase I - Planning, DEP, $10,120. This proposal builds a Best Management Practice Demonstration "Park" to allay fears of the practicality, worth, design and "good neighbor" status of water resource community tools that are radically different in design concept, and to educate the water resource professionals as well as the public of their worth and practicality.

Frank Falcone, Institute of Environmental Engineering Research, TAG/St. Lawrence Cement, $6,441. The Villanova IEER will be involved as a member of a Technical Advisory Group (TAG), which is currently under formation for the industrial development involving the St. Lawrence Cement GBFS Grinding Facility in Camden, N.J., and will provide technical oversight review regarding the water resources.

Dr. Robert Caverly, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Establishing a Large and Small Signal Model for Alpha Industries PINDiodes, Alpha Industries, $11,000. This work will assist Alpha Industries in moving the current microwave semiconductor device research into the commercial realm with this Massachusetts-based company, a leader in microwave device fabrication. This research will focus on modifying the current model with their microwave device product line.

Dr. Pritpal Singh, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Fuzzy Logic Based State of Condition Meter for Portable Defibrillator Batteries, NIH/Nanocorp, $49,216. This project will assist U.S. Nanocorp in the development of fuzzy logic models for State-of-Charge for lead acid cells based on impedance measurements, measuring impedance of lead acid cells, evaluating the integration of fuzzy logic models into hardware compatible with portable defibrillators and in the preparation of a final project report.

Dr. S. S. Rao, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Porting of Voice Compression Algorithms to Digital Signal Processors, ADT, $3,000. Develop methodologies for porting voice compression algorithms either already written in "c" code or conceptualized algorithms to DSP devices.

Dr. Gerald Long, Graduate School, Jacob J. Javits Fellowship, $25,500. The U.S. Department of Education has awarded this Fellowship to Michael J. Brogan who is pursuing a Ph.D. in Philosophy. This award has been received through the Graduate Studies Department, and is a fouryear award totaling $101,500.

Dr. Janie Brown, Nursing, Advanced Education Nurse Traineeship, DHHS/HRSA, $51,160. The MSN program prepares adult nurse practitioners, nurse educations (in academic and practice settings), nurse anesthetists, clinical case managers, and health care administrators for acute and community based settings for culturally diverse populations.

AWARDS RECEIVED FOR JULY 2000

Dr. Edward Collymore, Multicultural Affairs, Manners and Modems Summer Program, Philadelphia Future, $9,480. This program is designed to enhance the educational opportunities for `at risk' youth at Overbrook High School.

Dr. George McCook and Dr. Edward Guinan, Astronomy & Astrophysics, Research in Undergraduate Institutions: Undergraduate Research at a Four-College Consortium Utilizing an Automatic Photometric Telescope for Research, NSF/Charle, $18,834. Astronomers at four primarily undergraduate institutions will continue to work on a series of problems requiring extensive photometric observations. Undergraduate students will be able to participate directly in valuable research.

Dr. Edward Sion and Dr. George McCook, Astronomy & Astrophysics, An Electronic Database of the White Dwarf Stars, NASA/UAriz, $29,370. Dr. Sion and Dr. McCook working with an Investigator Working Group, will participate in a program of workshops and symposiums to further the interdisciplinary goals of the program.

Joseph DiGiacomo, Center for Advanced Communications, Systems Engineering for Miniature Devices, Concurrent Technologies Corp., $2,000,000. This work covers the continuation of research program to develop technology for the next generation of micro-miniature, semiautonomous mobile devices.

Joseph DiGiacomo, Center for Advanced Communications, Centers of Excellence Service Network, Ben Franklin, $35,000. The CAC provides comprehensive resources to small and medium sized companies of the area. Services include regional participation in Federal Contracts and Grants, New Product Development, New Process Implementation, Problem Solving, Technical Assistance, Marketing and Proposal Assistance, Advanced Training and Development, Software Development, and Feasibility Testing of Prototypes.

Frank Falcone, Institute for Environmental Engineering Service Network: BFTP Centers of Excellence, Ben Franklin, $25,000. The IEER has eleven professional individuals contributing their expertise in projects for major industry, state, regional and federal agencies, and provides a full range of applied research and environmental services

Dean Louise Fitzpatrick and Dr. Clair Manfredi, Nursing, Nurse Anesthesia Program, DHHS, $274,226. This is the third and final year of this grant which develops, implements, and evaluates the Nurse Anesthesia Program at VU.

Dr. Edward Collymore, Multicultural Affairs, Academic Advancement Program, Pa. Dept. of Education, $85,626. This support is for undergraduates in institutions of higher learning whose cultural, economic and educational disadvantages impair their initial ability as students to pursue successfully higher education opportunities.