A Guide to Arts and Sciences' News, Events and People

October 2010

Kudos
Adm. Thad Allen, MPA '86, received the Colin Powell Service Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions to public service by the GW community.

Professors Jeffrey Brand-Ballard (Philosophy), Takae Tsujioka (Japanese), and John Sides (Political Science) received Bender Awards for outstanding teaching.

Alumna Claudia Chapline, BA '53, published her fifth book of poetry, Sea Glass.

Religious Upbringing and the Costs of Freedom, edited by Professor of Philosophy and Human Sciences Peter Caws and alumna Stefani Jones, MA '02, PhD '04, was published.

Professors of Speech and Hearing Science Adrienne Hancock and Shelley Brundage received the J. Warren Perry Distinguished Author Award for their article, "Formative Feedback, Rubrics, and Assessment of Professional Competency through a Speech-Language Pathology Graduate Program," recently published in the Journal of Allied Health.

Professor of Mathematics Valentina Harizanov co-published "Simple Structures with Complex Symmetry" in Algebra and Logic, and "Spaces of Orders and Their Turing Degree Spectra" in Annals of Pure and Applied Logic.

Art Therapy and Counseling graduate student Lauren Hayes received the Alexandria Partnership Fellowship.

Slumming: Sexual and Racial Encounters in American Nightlife, 1885-1940, by Chair of the American Studies Department Chad Heap, was a finalist for the 2010 Randy Shilts Award for Gay Non-fiction.

Professor of Religion and History Alf Hiltebeitel published Dharma, a book offering a new perspective on the ancient Indian practice.

The Judaic Studies' new blog was picked up by the nation's leading Jewish newspaper, The Forward.

Stephanie Ricker Schult, PhD '08, received the 2010 Dissertation Award from the Society for Cinema and Media Studies and an honorable mention in the American Journalism Historians Association's Annual Margaret Blanchard Doctoral Dissertation Prize competition.

East Asian Calligraphy Professor John Wang was awarded the Global Chinese Culture and Arts Award in Taiwan.

American Studies doctoral candidate Amber Wiley received an American Educational Research Association Minority Dissertation Fellowship.

GW Capitol Archaeological Institute Launched
A new research institute was launched last week within Columbian College to preserve, facilitate, and promote cultural heritage around the world. Headed by Eric Cline, chair of the Department of Classical and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, the institute was made possible thanks to a generous gift from Deborah Lehr, MA '89 and John. F.W. Rogers, BA '78. The GW Capitol Archaeological Institute draws on the expertise of GW archaeologists and scholars specializing in ancient Israel and Egypt, Jordan, China, Africa, Mesoamerica, Greece, and Italy. Read more.


Interior Design Student Makes an Impact
Architecture, design, planning, drafting, lighting, furniture . . . there's plenty to think about when creating a space. How does it all come together? Just ask MFA graduate student Stephen Ramos, the 2010 recipient of one of the most coveted prizes awarded to students studying interior design: the Gensler Brinkmann Academic Scholarship.

 "The whole experience has been very intense and really exciting for me," said Ramos. "In the design industry, Gensler is widely recognized as one of the best architecture and design firms in the world, a firm where design is business, profession, and art. This award is a huge honor."  Read more.


GW's Acclaimed Documentary Center Turns 20!
It began back in 1990 with a little seed money, a handful of students, and a mandate from the University: Launch a center to teach documentary filmmaking and explore the integration of history in the media. Twenty years and one name change later, GW's Documentary Center can claim credit for a successful roster of nearly 400 alumni and several award-winning documentaries. Read more.


Who is Dean Schulz?
This month, we caught up with Geralyn Schulz and discovered that her role as associate dean of research at Columbian College is a natural extension of her insatiable curiosity. Since arriving at GW in 2000, Schulz has been chair of the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, traveled to Australia on a Fulbright Scholarship, and published myriad articles on Parkinson's disease and other adult neuromotor disorders. An accomplished, passionate scholar, it follows that she extends her enthusiasm and determination to her fellow faculty members. Read more.


MPA Professor Instrumental in Bringing Jack Anderson's Collection to GW
The Jack Anderson Collection-featuring the notes, research, and correspondence of the Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist-is now housed in GW's Gelman Library thanks to the efforts of Columbian College's Professor of Media and Public Affairs Mark Feldstein. A former aid of Anderson, Feldstein recently released a new book Poisoning the Press: Richard Nixon, Jack Anderson, and the Rise of Washington's Scandal Culture, which chronicles Anderson's notorious feud with Nixon. Read more.


A Weekend to Remember
Alumni Weekend 2010 brought 2,000 GW alumni and their families to campus to enjoy what one alumnus characterized as "the best alumni weekend ever!" Among the graduates returning to campus was Columbian College National Council Member Susan Smirnoff, BA '74, who shared a hotel room with her former Thurston Hall dorm-mate Barbara Mark, BA '75.

"No visit to Washington is complete without walking to campus, visiting the old sorority house, visiting the Marvin Center, visiting the bookstore, and enjoying the outdoor space," noted Smirnoff. Read more.


Vertes' LAESI Technology Treats Virally-Infected Cells
Protea Biosciences has entered into a licensing agreement with GW for commercial rights to Laser Ablation Elctro Spray Ionization (LAESI), which was developed by Professor of Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Molecular Biology Akos Vertes. LAESI technology can be used to map three dimensional biomolecules, identify virally-infected human cells, and understand their molecular mechanisms in order to create new treatment strategies. Read more.


From Null to Infinity
A new exhibit at GW's Luther W. Brady Art Gallery spotlights the work of alumnus John Safer, AA '42, BA '47, PhD '09.  Safer has three permanent sculptures on campus, including Gelman Library's Golden Quill (1996), which depicts a larger-than-life-sized quill; and Null Space (1979), a tall, twisted and highly polished work that Safer recently donated to GW. It was installed at the F Street House, the University president's home, on July 29 and unveiled in a private ceremony in late September. Read more.


English's Judith Plotz Retires after 44 Years
Judith Plotz, a beloved member of the English Department since 1965, has retired. A noted author, Plotz won the Columbian College Dean's Teaching Excellence Award in 1990 and the Trachtenberg Award for University Service in 2000. The English Department will honor Plotz with a one-day Conference on 19-Century Studies on October 22 in the Marvin Center. Read more.


Congratulations, Statistics!
Alumni, faculty, students and friends helped celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Department of Statistics at a day-long symposium and reception hosted by the department and the GW Alumni Association. Founded in 1935, the department was one of the first of its kind in the country, and its alumni represent some of the top statisticians in the field. Read more.


In Memoriam: Edward R. Weismiller
We note with regret the passing of Professor Emeritus of English Edward R. Weismiller. A gifted writer and Rhodes scholar, Weismiller enjoyed a long and distinguished career, receiving numerous awards and accolades during his lifetime. These included the Yale poetry prize, a Guggenheim Fellowship, a National Endowment for the Humanities grant, a Rockefeller Foundation grant, and the 2001 Robert Fitzgerald Award for lifetime contribution to the study of metrics and versification.


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