Around the College
This article was originally published in the September 1999 issue of CLASnotes.
Department News
Anthropology
Brian du Toit delivered a paper entitled "Ethnicity, Substance Abuse and AIDS in South Africa" at the 38th International Congress on Alcohol, Drugs, and other Dependencies held July 29 in Vienna, Austria. He also presented a workshop paper on "Drug Abuse and HIV/AIDS in Cultural Settings" at the University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa in March.
English
Andrew Gordon spoke June 24 on "Close Encounters: Unidentified Flying Object Relations" to the Department of Psychology, University of Bialystok, Poland.
Geography
In May, Cesar Caviedes was an invited panelist at the Harvard University seminar "Agricultural Research in Africa: Technological Opportunities and Institutional Challenges" organized by Professor Jeffrey Sachs, Director of Harvard's Center for International Development. The only geographer on the panel, Caviedes shared the stage with top authorities in international development from organizations such as the World Bank and the Rockefeller Foundation. His talk, entitled "Agricultural Potential of the Humid Tropics: Realities and Mirages" set the tone for discussion on the environmental constraints that impede the development of the agricultural sector in Africa.
Germanic and Slavic Studies
Keith Bullivant and Siegfried Mews (UNC-Chapel Hill) have received a grant of $100,000 in support of a summer seminar in 2000, to be held in Berlin, on the topic of "Berlin 2000."
Sociology
In June, Richard Hollinger closed the general session of the National Retail Federation's Loss Prevention Conference in Philadelphia with a talk entitled "Suspect, Witness or Victim: Promoting Cooperation and Truthfulness." In April Hollinger gave a speech simultaneously translated into Portuguese entitled, "Results of the 1998 National Retail Security Survey" at the Retail Loss Prevention Program "PROVAR" sponsored by the business school of the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. He also gave an invited lecture to Sao Paulo MBA students on the subject of crime in the retail store.
Zoology
Jane Brockmann gave the plenary address to the International Ethological [animal behavior] Conference in Bangalore, India on August 9. Her talk was entitled "Evolution of Alternative Strategies and Tactics."
Statistic Students Win National Championship
A team of graduate students from UF's Department of Statistics became the 1999 College Bowl Champions at the International Joint Statistics Meetings held in Baltimore, August 8-12. The competition was sponsored by the American Statistical Association and Mu Sigma Rho, the national statistics honor society. Pictured above, left to right, are team members Angel Novikov, Brian Caffo, Ziyad Mahfoud, Philip McGoff and Galin Jones. The faculty advisor for Mu Sigma Rho is CLAS statistics professor Dennis Wackerly.
New Initiative Funded in Humanities
Political Scientist Philip Williams is the Principle Investigator on a new Rockefeller grant which provides up to $250,000 over a four-year period toward the costs of a program of Resident Fellowships in the Humanities at the Center for Latin American Studies. The program is entitled "Religion in the Americas: Constructing Self, Community, and Nation in the Age of Globalization." Anna Peterson and Manuel Vasquez (Religion) are co-PIs.
Physics Professor Has "Nobel" Lineage
Raymond Andrew was joint winner of the Centennial contest of the American Physical Society held this year for the most distinguished PhD lineage, with four Nobel Laureates in his "family tree." His PhD supervisor in Cambridge, England, was David Shoenberg, who was a student of Pyotr Kapitza, in turn a student of Ernest B. Rutherford, who was a student of Joseph J. Thomson, discoverer of the electron. Kapitza, Rutherford and Thomson were all Nobel Laureates. Andrew's postdoctoral mentor at Harvard was Edward Purcell, another Nobel Laureate. The winner in a parallel contest for the longest lineage traced his academic ancestry in 22 steps back to a medieval scientist in Padua in 1453.
Fall Academic Convocation
The Ninth Annual Fall Academic Convocation of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences will be held Thursday, September 23 at 4:00 PM. Over 700 outstanding students and faculty members will be recognized. Earl Lewis, Dean of the Graduate School and Vice Provost for Academic Affairs-Graduate Studies at the University of Michigan will deliver the featured address entitled, "A Conversation With My Friend About the Mind of a Scholar."
Born and raised in the Virginia tidewater area, Dr. Lewis earned his bachelors in history and psychology from Concordia College in Minnesota, and his PhD in American history with a minor in African history from the University of Minnesota. He is the author of In Their Own Interests: Race, Class and Power in Twentieth-Century Norfolk and the co-editor of both African Americans in the Industrial Age: A Documentary History and the eleven-volume Young Oxford History of African Americans.
Fall Convocation is an annual CLAS tradition designed to bring faculty and students together to celebrate the opening of the new academic year. The ceremony will be held in the University Auditorium and followed by a reception on the west lawn. All CLAS faculty and students and their guests are invited to attend.
Anthropology Graduate Student Wins Florida Academy of Sciences Award
Anthropology graduate student Sybil DioNe was presented the Florida Academy of Sciences 1999 Outstanding Anthropology Paper Award on April 30, 1999. Her winning paper is entitled "No Nubian Knots or Nappy Locks: Discussing the Politics of Hair Among African-American Women." The award included the FAS's Anthropology plaque and a book gift from the University Press of Florida. DioNe is pictured above (center) with her graduate advisors Allan Burns, Department of Anthropology Chair, and Irma McClaurin, also of the Anthropology Department.
Summer Bridge Writing Program Hosts First Awards Ceremony
As part of the Achievement in Main-streaming Program (AIM), 375 new UF students enrolled in a Summer B "Bridge" curriculum. At an awards ceremony held on August 4 for Bridge Program writing students, new UF freshmen Candace Wilson and Jason Milner (center, above) were two of 36 students honored for excellence in autobiographical writing, research or overall performance. Pictured with the awardees are Bridge instructor Marcus Casal (English PhD student, right) and Bridge Director Diane Stevenson (left). See article "AIM-ing For Student Success" in this issue for more on AIM.
