From the Dean's Desk -- March 29, 2012

Math Faculty Manizade Awarded $221,953 Grant from Va. Department of Education

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The College of Science and Technology is closer to its grant submissions and awards goal thanks to mathematics faculty member Agida Manizade and College of Education and Human Development faculty member Laura Jacobsen.  The pair recently received a $221,953 grant from the Virginia Department of Education for their project Secondary Mathematics Professional Development Center.

In this project, Radford takes the lead and collaborates with Virginia Commonwealth University, Roanoke Higher Education Center, Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center, New College Institute, and the MathScience Innovation Center to offer distance education graduate courses for 130 high school teachers in Southwest, Southside and Richmond regions.

The college's goal for grant submissions is 30 by July 1, 2012, and faculty have submitted 19 to date.  Its goal for awards is 16 with 10 awards to date since July 1, 2011. 

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Biology Student Newmyer Wins 2012 David S. Bruce Outstanding Undergraduate Abstract Award

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Biology senior Brandon Newmyer won the 2012 David S. Bruce Outstanding Undergraduate Abstract Award by the American Physiological Society (APS). Out of the 26 awardees across the nation, Newmyer was the only student from Virginia. To receive the award, Newmyer submitted a research abstract, letter of application, and letter of support from his research host --  faculty mentor Mark Cline.

The David S. Bruce Outstanding Undergraduate Abstract Awards provide a two-year complimentary membership with The American Physiological Society to undergraduate students who are presenting their research at the Experimental Biology meeting. -- JF

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Biology Professor Mark Cline Earns Outstanding Alumni Award from Virginia Tech

Biology faculty member Mark Cline recently received the 2011-2012 Outstanding Recent Alumnus Award from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech.

 This award is presented to a recent alumnus who has achieved great success since graduation.
Cline graduated in 1999 from Virginia Tech's College of Animal and Poultry Sciences with a bachelors degree in animal and poultry sciences. In 2002, he earned his Masters of Science Degree in reproductive physiology and in 2005 earned his Ph.D., both from Virginia Tech. 

Since beginning his career at RU in 2002, Cline’s success is evidenced through his grant writing, multiple awards and student mentoring of RU's first Goldwater Scholar Brandon Newmyer, more than a dozen students who have published in peer reviewed journals and national research award recipients. 

 In 2011, Cline received the CSAT Outstanding Teaching Award.  And in 2008, he received the university-wide Radford University Distinguished Creative Scholar Award and the Virginia Academy of Science's J. Shelton Horsley Research Award.

Cline has more than 40 published articles in peer-reviewed research journals since 2005, and has been awarded close to $600,000 in research and teaching grants.

His students have made close to 150 professional presentations and earned close to $6,000 in student authored grant proposal awards under his tutelage. --JF




Students Spend Spring Break Engaged in Research in "Polar Opposite" Climates

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During spring break, students in biology faculty member Jeremy Wojdak's Tropical Field Biology course studied land and marine animals in St. John, US Virgin Islands.

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Physics faculty members Rhett Herman and Mythianne Shelton and their students joined Southwest Virginia Governor's School students and teachers in researching polar sea ice in Barrow, Alaska during their spring break.

Museum Lecture Discusses the Effect of Land Formations on Four American Civil War Battles

Robert C. Whisonant, Professor Emeritus of Geology, will discuss how rocks and terrain were factors in some of the important battles of the American Civil War on Tuesday, April 3 at 7 p.m. in the Hurlburt Auditorium.

Whisonant says, since the begining of warfare, military commanders have appreciated the importance of terrain to the sucess of their campaigns and battles.  His presentation looks at how distinctly different kinds of rocks or sediments created very dissimilar landforms where four important battles of the American Civil War were fought.

RU Wildlife Society Hosts Bioblitz at Selu Conservancy

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The Radford University Wildlife Society will host a Bioblitz on Saturday, April 14 from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Selu Conservancy.  The event will include bird watching, small mammal trapping and handling presentations, mushroom walk and wilflower walk, in addition to stations about radiotelemetry, bear trapping and immobilization, and bat capture and measuring techniques.

For more information, contact biology faculty member Karen Francl at kfrancl@radford.edu.

Math Faculty and Students Celebrate Pi Day

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Math faculty member John McGee gets "pied" during the Mathletes and Mathematics and Statistics Department Pi Day celebration.

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Math faculty member Neil Sigmon is "pied" during the Pi Day celebration in front of The Bonnie Student Center on March 14.

CSAT STEM Club News

By Jasmine Jackson, Secretary of the CSAT STEM Club

CSAT STEM Club would like to thank everyone who came to Dr. Jarrod Burks's talk and joined us for the Asheboro, N.C., zoo trip. We all had a great time and enjoyed seeing everyone’s pictures on Wednesday, March 21 during our meeting.

Nominations for club officers were submitted Wednesday, March 21. The current nominees are:
President- Charnele & Jonathan Pingilley
Vice President: Hollyn, Stephanie, & Alec
Treasurer- Hollyn & Stephanie
Secretary-Jasmine
Webmaster-Josh & Jonathan Gautney


On April 19, Jonathan Gautney will organize a table for Earth Day for the CSAT STEM Club.He will begin collecting bottles at the beginning of April for club members to make bird feeders for the event.