Meet Virginia`s - Norfolk State University

January 2013, issue 14
nORFOlK stAte UniveRsity
®
MAKinG
WAVES
Dr. tony Atwater, President • A semi-Monthly newsletter for Faculty, staff, Alumni and Friends of norfolk state University
Achieving Excellence. Success Beyond Measure.
Meet Virginia’s
Outstanding Faculty
Award Recipient
D
r. Frances Williams, NSU associate professor
of engineering, is among the recipients of
the 2013 Outstanding Faculty Award presented
by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia
and Dominion Resources.
The Outstanding Faculty Award is the
Commonwealth's highest honor for faculty at
Virginia's public and private colleges and
universities and recognizes superior
accomplishments in teaching, research
and public service. Dr. Williams is one of
12 recognized statewide. This is the
second consecutive year that a Norfolk
State University faculty member
received the award.
“To be recognized in consecutive
years with this honor speaks to the
exemplary quality of faculty at NSU,”
said President Tony Atwater. “Dr.
Williams is an innovator and has
been instrumental in leading our
efforts in providing researchers
throughout the region with a
state-of-the-art user friendly
cleanroom.”
Continued on page 2
Dr. Frances Williams
UniveRsity KiCKs OFF the
‘i AM nsU’ AnnUAl FUnD
M
ichael Rooks, a business major with a marketing concentration, was
struggling to pay for his senior year at Norfolk State. He’d saved enough
money to buy a car—but now he was thinking about getting a title loan on
it so he could finance his last year of school. When he couldn’t do that, he asked
his parents. They were tapped out. His options were narrowing. Then he heard
about help offered through University scholarships. Thanks to those
who have given to NSU, Rooks is now on track to walk across the
stage in May to receive his diploma. “I would like to thank each
and every one of you,” he said at the kick-off of the I AM NSU
Annual Fund. Rooks didn’t just go to school—he took advantage
of what NSU had to offer. During his time here, he obtained
internships at the Port Authority, Apple Computer and
Hertz. Because of his experiences here, he is glad
to say, “I am NSU!”
The I AM NSU Annual Fund is a six-month
campaign with a $2 million goal. It will end June 30.
“This is about making a direct impact on the quality
of life of our students, campus and the community,”
said Danielle Smith Jones,’00, the campaign’s
general chair. “I am NSU because of the education
and support I received here and the push I received
from my professors who said quitting was not
an option.”
to give to the i AM nsU Annual Fund,
go to www.nsu.edu/giving
Michael Rooks
Rev. Dr. Richard W. Wills sr.
Civil Rights Require
Civil Responsibilities
T
he Rev. Dr. Richard W. Wills Sr., the keynote speaker at the University’s
Martin Luther King Jr. program, told those in attendance that civil rights
come with certain responsibilities. Wills, the pastor of First Baptist Church,
Hampton, said that Dr. King had the belief that African Americans had the right to
be in America.
“That was a bold position to take at the time,” said Wills. “Dr. King understood
that our rights as a citizen didn’t originate from the Constitution. He understood
that our rights come from God.”
Even though Dr. King held that belief, Wills told the audience that the civil rights
leader also knew that rights come with responsibilities. Those responsibilities, he
said, are preparation, partnership and posterity. “The rights are in place, but they
require sweat equity, a work ethic and preparation to be the best that I can be,”
Wills instructed.
The responsibility of partnership is important because as the world has become
more interconnected and interdependent, the projects are more complicated and
complex. To work with those situations requires partnership.
Finally, Wills said there is a responsibility to our posterity. “Dr. King understood
that if our dreams, our hope and our destiny were not bigger than us, then they
were not big enough. That the good fight that we are fighting is not just for us but
for our great-grandchildren…for generations unborn.”
OUtstAnDinG FACUlty AWARD ReCiPient Continued from page 1
Dr. Frances Williams (center) talks with students
in the $6.5 million cleanroom.
MAKinG
WAVES
Making Waves is published
semi-monthly by the Office of
Communicationsand Marketing.
(757) 823-8373
Tony Atwater, Ph.D.
President
Stephen McDaniel
Interim VP for University Advancement
Cheryl Bates-Lee
AVP of University Relations
Stevalynn Adams
Regina Lightfoot
Christopher Setzer
submit articles to
marketing@nsu.edu
2
Dr. Williams has conducted extensive
research in the area of acoustic
microsensors, microelectromechanical
systems (MEMS) devices and
processes. In 2010, she was granted
a patent that is expected to save the
semiconductor industry money.
Dr. Williams is interim director of the
Center for Materials Research and
director of the Micro- and Nanotechnology Center (MiNaC), a $6.5
million state-of-the-art cleanroom. She is
also the diversity director for the Center
for Integrated Access Networks (CIAN)
Engineering Research Center (ERC), a
multi-university center that is funded by
the National Science Foundation. Since
coming to Norfolk State in 2004, Dr.
Williams has been awarded grants
that total more than $12 million.
She has been recognized for her
research and innovation. Dr. Williams
was named an Emerging Scholar by
Diverse: Issues in Higher Education in
January 2012. She was recognized by
Norfolk State University in 2010 with a
Distinguished Faculty Award, receiving
the University Award of Excellence—the
highest University faculty award at that
time. In 2012, Dr. Williams was
recognized by the NSU Board
of Visitors for her innovation.
She received the B.S. and M.S.
degrees in electrical engineering from
North Carolina Agricultural & Technical
State University and earned the Ph.D.
degree in electrical and computer
engineering from the Georgia Institute
of Technology where she was a National
Science Foundation Graduate Fellow,
Office of Naval Research HBCU Future
Engineering Faculty Fellow, Facilitating
Academic Careers in Engineering and
Science Fellow, and an Alfred P. Sloan
Foundation Scholar.
Making Waves
Pepsi Campus
A global food and beverage leader with a diverse product portfolio
will now have a place on the Norfolk State University campus.
T
hrough a competitive Request for Proposal
process, the Pepsi Beverages Company
(PBC) was recently awarded a five-year
beverage contract at NSU valued at $1.9 million.
The NSU/PBC partnership makes PBC the
exclusive beverage provider on campus for all
fountain machines, vending machines and sales of
bottles and cans on campus. Pepsi-Cola beverages
include carbonated soft drinks, Aquafina bottled
water, SoBe, Gatorade, AMP, Rockstar, Ocean
Spray fruit juices, Lipton Brisk iced tea and
Starbucks Frappuccino. Installation of the new
vending and fountain dispensing machines has
occurred. PBC will provide and maintain all vending
and fountain dispensing equipment throughout the
duration of the contract.
PepsiCo was founded in 1965. In early 2010,
PepsiCo acquired the Pepsi Bottling Group and
Pepsi Americas to form the world’s largest
manufacturer and distributor, Pepsi Beverages Company.
Scott to be honored at
BEYA STEM Conference
M
aureen Scott, assistant professor of biology, will receive the Science
Spectrum Trailblazer Award at the 27th Black Engineer of the Year (BEYA)
and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)
conference. The conference takes place Feb. 7-9 in Washington, D.C.
Trailblazers are men and women who are demonstrating outstanding
performance that will shape the future course of science and technology. “You and
the other science leaders are individuals whose stories of phenomenal success
merit national recognition,” Tyrone D. Taborn, publisher and CEO of Career
Communications Group, wrote in the congratulatory letter to Scott.
She will receive a certificate of recognition at the Trailblazers’ Luncheon. “We
hope this certificate will validate what you must already know,” Taborn continued,
“that you are a special and gifted person.”
CAMPUs Briefs
Cheryl D. Nottingham, ’83,’03, assistant
coordinator for the Title III Program,
received her master of business
administration with a concentration
in public administration from Strayer
University in October 2012. She
graduated with a 4.0 GPA and was
listed among the honor graduates
for the class.
Reggie Garrett, ’12,
a former member
of the Spartan
football team, was
nominated for and
accepted into the
NCAA Future
Reggie Garrett
Football Coaches
Academy, which ran January 6-8 in
Nashville, Tenn. Garrett, who earned
his bachelor’s degree in building
construction in December, was one
of 30 college players nationwide who
participated in the academy, which is
an educational forum for individuals
who have recently completed their
collegiate eligibility and have a
desire to enter the college football
coaching profession.
The NSU-American Association of
University Women collegiate chapter
participated in the President’s
Inaugural 2013 National Day of
Service on January 19 at the Trinity
Washington University (TWU) project
site in Washington, D.C. The
students packed food for families
in need. They were escorted by
chapter advisor Dr. Amelia RossHammond, professor of music and
director of service-learning and
civic engagement.
Carol Pretlow, associate professor
of political science, has accepted
the invitation to write and author
publications in the magazine “The
Diplomat” (http://the-diplomat.com),
the premier international currentaffairs magazine for the Asia-Pacific
region. She also represented Norfolk
State University at the World Affairs
Council of Greater Hampton Roads
on Tuesday, January 8, at Norfolk
Waterside Marriott. The topic was
“From the Cuban Missile Crisis to
Iran: Confronting the Nuclear
Threat.” The council covers a broad
Continued on page 4
Making Waves
3
CAMPUs Briefs Continued from page 3
range of issues most pressing and
time urgent before the international
community today.
“Cloud Pot,” can be viewed at
http://www.virginiamoca.org/newwaves-2013.
Dr. Donald J. Reaves, Chancellor,
has recommended Janella Melius, a
Ph.D. graduate from the Ethelyn R.
Strong School of Social Work, to the
Board of Trustees of Winston-Salem
State University for tenure and
promotion to associate professor
in the Department of Behavioral
Sciences and Social Work.
Dr. Danny Adams, professor and
associate dean
of liberal arts,
reviewed “Trading
Zones and
Interactional
Expertise: Creating
New Kinds of
Dr. Danny Adams
Collaboration,” by
Michael E. Gorman, ed., (2010) The
MIT Press, Cambridge, MA ISBN:
978-0-262-514835. The review is
published in “Integrative Pathways,”
of the Association for Integrative
Studies, Vol. 34, No. 4 (December
2012) ISSN 1081 647X.
A presentation by Shellye Sledge, a
doctoral student in the Ethelyn R.
Strong School of Social Work, titled
“H.E.L.P.! A Humanistic EfficacyBased Learning Paradigm Designed
to Cultivate Potential in Marginalized
African American Women with
Health and Socio-Economic
Challenges,” has been accepted for
presentation at the Eleventh Annual
Mississippi Child Welfare Institute
Conference in Jackson, Miss.
Dr. Colita Nichols Fairfax, associate
professor of social
work, co-authored
the article, “A
change has come:
the Obamas and
the culture of black
marriage in
Dr. Colita nichols Fairfax America,” with
Cassandra Chaney in “Ethnicities,”
http://etn.sagepub.com/content/early/
2012/11/29/1468796812463546. Dr.
Fairfax’s poster, “Teaching African
Philosophy in Mezzo Practice,” has
been accepted for presentation at
the National Association of Black
Social Workers 45th National
Conference to be held in
Jacksonville, Fla., April 12.
The Lyman Beecher Brooks Library
hosted the quarterly meeting of
the Virginia Tidewater Consortium
Collections Subcommittee
Thursday, December 6, 2012.
Acquisition and Collection
Development Librarians meet to
discuss joint projects as well as
individual library collection efforts
at their institutions. The library
also hosted the Virginia Tidewater
Consortium Library Director’s
meeting on January 17. The training
session focused on e-books and
the use of Kindles in an
academic environment.
Dr. Cassandra Newby-Alexander,
professor of history and project
director, received $69,529 from
National Endowment for the
Humanities for “Observing 1619:
The African Diaspora in American
History and Culture.” This project
consists of two symposia, several
teacher workshops, and the
development of educational
resources on the African diaspora
in the New World, with a focus on
the arrival of 20 Africans at Old
Point Comfort (Fort Monroe, Va.)
in August 1619.
Daniel Goodwin, a visual studies
student in the Department of Fine
Arts, received acceptance of his
sculpture to the “New Waves” juried
show at the Virginia Museum of
Contemporary Art (MOCA), January
25–April 28. MOCA presents its
annual juried exhibition, New Waves
2013, for the 18th year. Over 180
artists from across Virginia submitted
work to this exhibition of diverse
materials and approaches that are
used in contemporary art today.
Goodwin’s work, titled
4
Under the direction of Paul I. Adams,
interim director of bands, NSU Spartan
Legion Marching Band made its debut
performance at the 29th Annual
Dominion Power Christmas Parade
on December 2, in Richmond, Va.
The band was awarded the trophy
(Silver Platter) for "Best Marching
Band" in the 2012 Norfolk Grand
Illumination Parade, held
November 17, 2012.
Dr. Suely M. Black, chemistry professor
and a member
of the Center
for Materials
Research, has
been named a
member of the
External Advisory
Dr. suely M. Black
Board for the
Indiana Louis-Stokes Alliance
for Minority Participation. The
nomination reflects the close
collaborative ties that have developed
between Purdue University, the
project lead institution, and the Center
for Materials Research. NSU and
Purdue currently collaborate on
two funded projects which combined
bring $1.2 million per year
to campus.
Dr. Black also presented the
seminar "The Brave New World of
Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology"
to more than 120 students, parents
and teachers. The event was held
November 13 at Ocean Lakes High
School as part of their Math and
Science Academy Lecture Series.
Technical seminars to local, broad
audiences contribute to the goals of
the Partnership for Research and
Education in Materials, a National
Science Foundation-funded project
in the Center for Materials Research
led by Dr. Mikhail Noginov.
In December, Mohammad Mayy,
Thejaswi Tumkur and Oluwakayode
Bamiduro, three Ph.D. students in
materials science and engineering,
joined a select group of international
researchers at the weeklong
workshop in Trieste, Italy, for
nanophotonics offered by the
Abdus Salam International Centre
for Theoretical Physics. Dr. Mikhail
Noginov, professor of physics and a
member of the Center for Materials
Research, was an invited speaker
at the workshop.
Introduction to University Life (IUL)
computer science students Ernest
Thomas, Kenneth Davis, Alexaye Geeter
and Gregory Henderson Jr. (Team 1),
and Woodrow Conklin, Jamari Jones,
JaJuan Hoke, Tyrell Hite and Craig
Eddings (Team 2) won 1st place in
the first IUL-101 Service Learning
Fair. The students presented
Making Waves
their recycling projects in a poster
competition. The winning team
proposed two very ingenious
projects. Both teams were advised
by Dr. Cheryl V. Hinds, instructor
of computer science.
Dr. Aswini Pradhan,
professor in
the Center for
Materials Research
and Department of
Engineering, and
his group members
Dr. Aswini Pradhan
attended the MRS
Fall meeting on November 26, 2012,
in Boston, Mass. The group
presented several papers. Sha’La
Fletcher presented “Mechanical
properties of multi-layer ultra-thin
films of BTO/LSMO on STO and
LaO." Brandon Walker presented
on “Nanostructure patterning of
functional oxide thin films by electron
beam lithography with HSQ
patterned templates.” Olu Bamiduro
presented “The effects of varying the
thickness of Mo thin films for solar
cell applications." Dr. Pradhan
presented “One dimensional ZnO
nanoarray using electron beam
lithography.” Rajeh Mundle presented
“Optoelectronic properties of
Aluminum doped ZnO films with
varying carrier concentration for
multifunctional applications.”
Rajini Konda presented “Impact
of Aluminum Oxide Inter-layer as
self-cleaning processors of various
oxygen sources on the Interface
properties of Zirconium oxide
on GaAs." Dr. Bo Xiao presented
“Structural and electrical properties
of functional dielectrics on GaN
and ZnO.”
Sandra Olanitori, instructor, advisor,
recruiter in the Department of
Nursing and Allied Health, and
the students in her Introduction
to University Life 101-ST 7, 8, and
9 won second place in the Service
Learning Fair held November 29,
2012. Their recycling projects were
on "Nurses Shoes, Plastic Bottles
and Candy Wrappers". They
received a 2nd place trophy
and certificates.
Camilla Major, health services
management-December 2012
graduate, received the Parsons
Honors College Medallion at the
Honors College Public Speaking
Contest and Medallion Ceremony
for December graduates on
November 27, 2012.
Margaret Pemberton,
a 1959 School
of Nursing
graduate, attended
the Nursing and
Allied Health
Classroom Building
Margaret Pemberton
groundbreaking
ceremony on December 6, 2012.
She sponsors the Margaret
Pemberton endowment fund at NSU.
The PREM project, led by Dr. Mikhail
Noginov, professor of physics and
member of the Center for Materials
Research, offered the “Materials
Science Day” at NSU on December
5, 2012. About 45 selected students
and teachers from Booker T.
Washington, Princess Anne and
Ocean Lakes High Schools spent
five hours in the Center for Materials
Research. The program included
seminars by professors and graduate
students about materials science
and related careers, tours of the
laboratories and exposure to
opportunities for enrollment
and research.
Dr. Carray Banks,
chair of the
Department
of Technology,
won the Virginia
Building and Code
Official Association
Dr. Carray Banks
(VBCOA) 2012
Citizens Award in recognition of
his outstanding work with the
association’s student membership
initiative. NSU is the first college or
university in the Commonwealth of
Virginia to have student members of
VBCOA. The award was presented
to Dr. Banks at VBCOA’s 84th Annual
Conference in October.
Dr. Arletha McSwain, interim dean
of the School of Extended Learning,
recently completed the Quality
Matters Certification for Institutional
Representatives. Quality Matters is
a National Benchmark for Online
Course Design and provides
quality assurance through faculty
development and course design.
submit articles to
marketing@nsu.edu
nsU and tidewater Community College (The TCC/NSU Links Scholars)
have a new partnership that has just accepted 25 students. A kick-off
reception is scheduled for February 7, from 2-4 p.m. on the second floor
of the Lyman Beecher Brooks Library. NSU President Tony Atwater,
TCC President Edna Baehre-Kolovani and the Links Incorporated
representatives will be in attendance.
The NSU TransferMation Center, which will provide the necessary
one-stop shop infrastructure and staff support to enhance resources
currently devoted to transfer students, will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony
on March 7 from 2-4 p.m. on the second floor of the Student Center.
Making Waves
5
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Monday, FEBRUARY 4
Movies Everyone Should See in College Series:
ROOts Marathon followed by discussion.
location: Student Center (SC), Room 149.
time: 5-10 p.m. Contact: Honors College
(757) 823-8208.
Tuesday, FEBRUARY 5
SIGNATURE/THEME EVENT
150 years of the emancipation
Proclamation: What does it mean?
A panel discussion featuring NSU
professors: Dr. Stephanie Richmond,
Dr. Cassandra Newby-Alexander, Dr. Colita
Nichols Fairfax. location: SC, Room 138.
time: 6 p.m. Contact: Dr. Khadijah Miller
or Dr. Stephanie Richmond (757) 823-8828.
Wednesday, FEBRUARY 6
SIGNATURE/THEME EVENT
Conversations in the Kitchen, Part ii:
Black Women talking about 150 years after
emancipation, the March on Washington and
Black Women today, featuring NSU faculty
members. location: Brown Theatre,
Brown Memorial Hall (BMH). time: 6 p.m.
Contact: Dr. Khadijah Miller (757) 823-2864.
Black history and the struggle for equality
in Cuba featuring Dr. Tomas Fernandez
Robaina, Archivist, Cuban National Library
and Dr. Geoffroy de Laforcade. NSU student
screening of “1912: Breaking the Silence,”
a film by Gloria Rolando. location: NSU
Archives Activity Room, Library, 2nd floor.
time: 4 p.m. Contact: Dr. Geoffroy de
Laforcade (757) 823-2819.
Thursday, FEBRUARY 7
Mid-day Concert featuring Afro-Cuban Jazz.
location: SC, Room 138. time: 12:30-2 p.m.
Contact: Professor Gwendolyn Pharr
(757) 823-8828.
SIGNATURE/THEME EVENT
and OPENING RECEPTION
novel Release, Discussion and signing of
the treason of Mary louvestre, by My Haley
(Alex Haley’s widow). location: SC, Room 149.
time: 6:30 p.m. with book signing afterwards.
Contact: Honors College or Dr. Khadijah Miller
(757) 823-2864.
Fri./saT./sun.,
FEBRUARY 8, 9, 10
nsU Players, King hedley ii by August Wilson.
time: 8 p.m., Fri. & Sat.; 6 p.m., Sunday.
location: Brown Theatre, BMH.
Contact: Dr. Clarence Murray (757) 823-8891.
Monday, FEBRUARY 11
Walter Rodney, honoring a legacy of African
Diaspora and Black Consciousness featuring
Dr. Patricia Rodney, widow of Guyanese scholar
and Pan-African activist Walter Rodney.
location: SC. time: 6 p.m.
Contact: Dr. Geoffroy de Laforcade
(757) 823-2819.
Tuesday, FEBRUARY 12
Black Men’s health Forum/Discussion.
location: SC, Room 138. time: 12:30 p.m.
Contact: Professor Gwendolyn Pharr
(757) 823-8828.
Wednesday, FEBRUARY 13
African American health Fair including
screenings, information dissemination, and
more sponsored by NSU Nursing Department.
location: SC, Room 138. time: 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Contact: Dr. Jessica Parrott (757) 823-9013.
SIGNATURE/THEME EVENT
the Crossroads of social Justice: Pioneering
Black social Workers Post emancipation,
sponsored by the School of Social Work.
location: SC, Room 138. time: 5 p.m.
Contact: Dr. Colita N. Fairfax (757) 823-9593.
Thursday, FEBRUARY 14
SIGNATURE/THEME EVENT
nsU’s Civil Rights Activism: A panel
discussion featuring NSU alumni, faculty, and
staff. location: NSU Archives, 2nd floor, LBB
Library. time: 12:30 p.m. Contact: Professor
Gwendolyn Pharr (757) 823-8828.
Fri./saT./sun.,
FEBRUARY 15, 16, 17
nsU Players, King hedley ii by August Wilson.
time: 8 p.m., Fri. & Sat.; 6 p.m., Sunday.
location: Brown Theatre, BMH. Contact:
Dr. Clarence Murray (757) 823-8891.
sunday, FEBRUARY 17
My Black is Beautiful talent show.
location: SC. time: 7 p.m.
Contact: Student Activities
(757) 823-8200.
Monday, FEBRUARY 18
Black history for Peace in West Africa,
featuring Ana Edwards, president, Virginia
Friends of Mali “The African Heritage of Cultural
Diversity: Lessons from the History of Mali,”
& Dr. Geoffroy de Laforcade, NSU.
location: NSU Archives, 2nd floor, LBB Library.
time: 6:30 p.m. Contact: Dr. Geoffroy de
Laforcade (757) 823-2819.
Tuesday, FEBRUARY 19
Movies Everyone Should See in College Series:
BelOveD followed by discussion.
location: SC, Room 149. time: 7-10 p.m.
Contact: Honors College (757) 823-8208.
Thursday, FEBRUARY
21
*:0<0:0,9
Obama’s second term Presidency:
the state of the Black Union: a panel
discussion featuring national and local
politicians, community activists, media
perspectives and national organizations.
location: SC, Room 149. time: 12:30-4 p.m.
Contact: Professor Carol Pretlow
(757) 823-8999 or (757) 823-8192.
sunday, FEBRUARY 24
Generation X. Location: SC. time: 6 p.m.,
Contact: Student Activities (757) 823-8200.
Monday, FEBRUARY 25
SIGNATURE/THEME EVENT
Movies Everyone Should See in College:
Steven Spielberg’s linCOln (2012) followed
by discussion. Location: SC, Room 149.
time: 7-10 p.m. Contact: Honors College
and Student Activities (757) 823-8200.
Tuesday, FEBRUARY 26
Presentation, lessons and Discussions on
African American Jazz. Location: SC, Room
138. time: 12:30 p.m. Contact: Professor
Gwendolyn Pharr (757) 823-8828.
Wednesday, FEBRUARY 27
SIGNATURE/THEME EVENT
Remembering Dr. Martin luther King, Jr.
& the March on Washington: how Do We
Preserve his legacy? A panel discussion
featuring NSU professors. location: SC.
time: 6 p.m. Contact: Student Activities
(757) 823-8200.
Thurs., FEBRUARY 28
AND Fri., MARCH 1
Annual local Writers Festival.
Contact: Professor Daniel Pearlman
(757) 823-8891.