June 2002
U. Ledzewicz Is Recipient Of Hoppe Research Award
Urszula Ledzewicz, a professor of Mathematics and Statistics, is the fourth recipient of the Hoppe Research Professor Award, announced by Stephen Hansen, dean of the Graduate School.
Ledzewicz received the professorship for her research on the application of optimal control theory to chemotherapy treatments for cancer and for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
The third Hoppe Research Professor, whose work will continue this fiscal year, is Ronald P. Schaefer, professor of English Language and Literature, for his research in Northern Edo language studies. The first two Hoppe Research Professors, whose professorships end June 30th, are Biological Sciences Professor F. Marian Smith and Allison Funk, associate professor of English Language and Literature.
The Hoppe award is a program to support faculty members of SIUE and to support individual agendas of research or creative activities. The program is funded by the Hoppe Faculty Research Endowment; the Graduate School; the SIUE schools of Business, Dental Medicine, Education, Engineering, and Nursing; and the SIUE College of Arts and Sciences.
The Hoppe Award recognizes faculty members on continuing, full-time appointments whose research or creative activities have the promise of making significant contributions to their fields of study. Recipients are expected to produce published scholarly works and to submit externally-sponsored grants.
The award is made possible in part through an endowment established by the late Joseph W. Hoppe, who was originally from Carlinville. He created this endowment through the SIUE Foundation because he believed in SIUE's mission, including the value of faculty research.
Optimal control theory is a discipline born in the 1950s out of the military needs of the cold war. It has now joined other sciences in a war against a variety of diseases.
One of the important developments in mathematical biology has been the construction and analysis of models for the chemotherapy of diseases with strong cell proliferation aspects, such as cancer or HIV. Ledzewicz plans to construct a complete solution to the chemotherapy models in the form of a synthesis of optimal controls. The analytical results obtained for the model will help in the analysis of existing chemotherapy protocols, i.e., what drug dose has to be administered at what time with what length of rest periods in between to achieve the goal: maintain the highest possible level of healthy cells, while at the same time minimizing negative effects and the cost of the chemotherapy.
Overall, Ledzewicz's proposed research promises to shed light on the analysis of existing chemotherapy protocols, indicate directions for possible improvements, and contribute to the design of optimal chemotherapy protocols for these diseases in real life. The design of long-term strategies for treatment is particularly important for HIV patients since the drug treatment does not cure the disease but rather provides a kind of maintenance program, which is expected to prolong the life of the patients.
Ledzewicz said that the Hoppe Research Professor Award will lay a solid foundation for long-term research. "I am honored to receive this prestigious award and I want to thank the Graduate School for this recognition and for years of their support and encouragement in my research throughout my whole career at SIUE," Professor Ledzewicz said.
"I expect that the research under the Hoppe Award will lead to more external funding and result in publications which will shed more light on the design of chemotherapy protocols for these deadly diseases."
The Hoppe Professorship is unlike any other award within the university, Hansen said. "It is designed to support a significant portion of a faculty member's larger research agenda. As a Hoppe Research Professor, Professor Ledzewicz has been appointed for a two-year period, during which time she will receive 50 percent assigned time for research each academic year, the services of a one-quarter time graduate assistant for nine months per year, and a $1,000 budget."
21 Faculty Members To Receive Promotions July 1
Chancellor David Werner has recommended promotions for the following faculty, effective July 1. Their names and recommended ranks are listed by school affiliations below:
Arts and Sciences: Belinda Carstens-Wickham, professor; Anthony Cheeseboro, associate professor; Darryl Coan, associate professor; Renee Eaton, associate professor; Elizabeth Esselman, associate professor; Kevin Johnson, associate professor; David Kauzlarich, associate professor; Asha Tickoo, associate professor; and Prince A. Wells III, associate professor.
Business: Linda Lovata, professor, and Jo Ellen Moore, associate professor.
Education: Ellen Lavelle, associate professor; Cynthia Nordstrom, associate professor; Andrew Pomerantz, associate professor; and Bryce Sullivan, associate professor.
Engineering: Keqin Gu, professor; Susan Morgan, associate professor; Jerry Weinberg, associate professor; and Xudong "William" Yu, associate professor.
Nursing: Marjorie Baier and Gladys Mabunda, both associate professors.
Marketer Tells New SDM Graduates To Be Aware
Shelia Thorne, president of the multicultural healthcare marketing group of Torre Lazur/McCann Healthcare Worldwide, gave the commencement address to the graduating class of the SIU School of Dental Medicine at its spring commencement ceremony in early June.
It was conducted in the Hatheway Cultural Center at Lewis and Clark Community College in Godfrey. SDM's commencement usually takes place in Meridian Ballroom, but renovations at the Morris University Center forced the move to LCCC.
Forty-six new doctors received degrees as the Class of 2002, which earned a fourth-place national ranking recently in test scores on the National Board Dental Part II Exams. The SIU/SDM students were ranked against others at 52 dental schools across the country.
Thorne has been recognized by Forbes Magazine as the nation's leading expert in multi-ethnic healthcare marketing, and she has spent more than 20 years designing and implementing health education and promotional programs to reach multicultural communities, both in the United States and abroad.
Prior to joining MHMG, she served as president and CEO for Minority Health Communications Inc./Marketing Services Group. Before MHC, she served as managing director of multi-ethnic healthcare marketing for Stedman Graham & Partners, a True North Communications company. She was the first African-American vice president and director of medical communications for Edelman Public Relations Worldwide.
Among her many affiliations, Thorne is vice president of the Northern New Jersey Chapter of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and Oral Health America, a public benefit corporation. She was also invited to serve on the U.S. Surgeon General's Healthy People 2010 Leadership Coalition, and is a member of the advisory board of the National Center on Cultural Competence in Primary Care, an interagency collaboration between the Bureau of Primary Healthcare and the Health Resources Services Administration. She is past president of the Manhattan Chapter of the Coalition of 100 Black Women.
Thorne is the 1999 recipient of the National Black Leadership Initiative on Cancer "Unsung Heroes" award for her innovative marketing strategies to reach people of color. She is also published in Pharmaceutical Executive and Medical, Media and Marketing.
Fairytale Comes To Life In Comedic Style For Summer
A series of arches, the largest being 19-by-11 feet, will move the scenery and the story along during the Summer Showbiz production of Once Upon A Mattress, which begins July 11, as part of the university's SummerArts program.
The story is based on the fairytale, The Princess and The Pea, and is probably best known as the first starring vehicle for a young Carol Burnett, according to director Peter Cocuzza, associate professor of Theater and Dance.
Cocuzza's 24-member cast represents eight communities from both sides of the river: Edwardsville, Glen Carbon, Granite City, Highland, Jerseyville and Troy, as well as Florissant, Mo., and St. Louis. "It's one of the most interesting and challenging shows I've done," the director says, "and the cast is pretty diverse and very talented. And, the sets Jim Dorethy has put together are great," he adds.
The director is referring to a series of arches. "There are 18 separate scenes," explains Assistant Professor Jim Dorethy, set designer for the production. "The play goes from big scenes to small scenes and it's the small scenes that carry the plot of the play," he says. The play is set in a storybook castle. "When I looked at this play, (I noted) a lot of scenes are in a corridor in the castle. I really wanted to use that corridor and make it interesting.
"We're using the arches and curtains for variety in the scenes," Dorethy said.
One of the reasons for the creative effort toward set designs is the design of the stage area itself. According to Dorethy, most professional theaters and many large university theaters have "fly systems" or lofts that rise several hundred feet above the stage area the audience sees.
"You can pull scenes up and whisk them away," Dorethy said. "Anything taller than eight feet we can't hide. So, scene changes have to become part of the show," he said. That also explains why the arches move on tracks.
For this production, the audience gets to see more details. As an example, Cocuzza explained that he wanted to do something different during the overture: "I wanted it to look like last minute staging as if we're seeing what's happening when the curtain is down." Cast and crew will be putting on the finishing touches as the overture plays. Another area where the crew will be moving scenery will be the bedroom scene in which the princess is counting mobile, cut-out sheep with numbers on them à la Serta.
Once Upon A Mattress runs at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, July 11-13 and 18-20, and at 2 p.m. Sunday, July 14 and 21. For ticket information, call the SIUE Fine Arts box office, (618) 650-2774.
Changes Under Way In Morris University Center
Big changes are occurring in the Morris University Center as the $19.3 million renovation project progresses. The Food Court re-opened recenty with limited seating in the Cougar Den, and as summer term continues we will see a number of closings, relocations and other related modifications to daily life in the MUC.
In fact, the entire building will be closed July 5 because the plumbing will be shut down for construction.
"We're minimizing inconveniences as much as we can," said Mary Robinson, director of the center. "Work will progress as quickly as possible to restore some semblance of normality, but a little patience and a little advanced knowledge will smooth things out greatly."
"With the start of the fall semester, the construction walls will come down and everyone will be able to enjoy the first phase of the new and improved seating," said Robinson. "Sometime in early fall the new food court will open in the southeast area of the dining area and the current servery will be closed to make way for additional seating."
As Phase I renovation wraps up, work will begin on a number of other Phase II projects, including renovation of the University Restaurant's exterior patio that will eventually allow for outdoor dining, as well as renovations to the Alestle offices, Cougar Lanes, the Kimmel Leadership Center offices, the copy center, and the hair salon. "We anticipate completing Phase II by early November," said Robinson.
Completion of the improvements to the center is scheduled for the summer of 2003. For up-to-the-minute information on the project, click here.
Coach Booker Benford filled some holes in his lineup with the addition of three student-athletes for the 2002-2003 season.
The list includes Shawn Diltz (Mexico, Mo.), Joe Rujawitz (Belleville) and Mike Ciabattoni (Belleville).
Diltz figures to be a 197-pounder for Benford next season after winning the Missouri state title as a senior at Mexico High School. He won his state title at the 215-pound weight class for Mexico with a 41-1 record.
Rujawitz, of Belleville West High School, is a 141-pound wrestler who became the first four-time champion ever at the prestigious Granite City Holiday Tournament. Rujawitz also is a four-time state qualifier with his best finish being fifth as a freshman. He also has enjoyed success at AAU meets in freestyle and Greco-Roman events.
Ciabattoni, also from Belleville West, was a three-time state qualifier and hopes to work into SIUE's lineup at 165 pounds. Ciabattoni placed sixth in a 44-man bracket at the 2001 AAU National Folkstyle Tournament in Pontiac, Mich.
Opel Signed By Baltimore Orioles Organization
Cougar Baseball's Chad Opel of Edwardsville, the seventh player in NCAA Division II baseball history to record more than 300 career hits, has been signed by the Baltimore Orioles as a free agent.
Opel is expected to report to Sarasota, Fla., where he will join the Gulf Coast Orioles of the Gulf Coast League, a league of rookie players.
Opel batted .420 in his final season as a Cougar and was named to the first team All-Region. The shortstop completed his career with 302 hits. He also ranks fifth in the NCAA in runs scored with 229 and at bats with 850. He helped the Cougars to a 30-24 record and a third-place finish in the GLVC Tournament this past season as well as fifth-place national finish during the 2001 season.
"I'm happy to see Chad get this opportunity," said SIUE Coach Gary Collins. "He certainly deserves it."
Opel holds career records at SIUE in runs scored and doubles with 59. He also is second all-time at SIUE in hits and at bats. He also holds single season records for at bats (274) and runs scored (82) in 2001. He played in 229 games as a Cougar and completed his career with a batting average of .355, mostly with wood bats.
He is listed as a third baseman on the depth chart provided by an unofficial web site which follows the Baltimore Orioles (www.orioleshangout.com).
Jones Signs With SIUE Men's Basketball
Ron Jones, a 6-foot-3-inch shooting guard from Kankakee, has been signed to a national letter of intent to play men's basketball for the SIUE Cougars.
Jones is the second official recruit of new Coach Marty Simmons, who earlier tabbed Logan Glossier (Mt. Zion) as his first signee.
Jones will have two years of eligibility at SIUE after having played two seasons at Kankakee Community College. He was a National Junior College Region IV All-Tournament team member and a junior college Academic All-American at Kankakee. Jones helped his team to a Region IV championship at the NJCAA Division I level as well as a 22-12 record.
"He's solid all-around," Simmons said. "His best attribute is that he can light it up from the field."
Jones averaged 14 points per game and hit 175 three-pointers in two seasons, which is second best all-time at Kankakee. His three-point shooting percentage also is an impressive 44 percent along with a free throw percentage of 85 percent.
Simmons said Jones will not have any trouble making the transition to playing for the Cougars after his experiences in junior college.
"Kankakee, year in and year out, is one of the best junior college programs in the country," said Simmons.
Cougars Named To Winter/Spring All-Academic Teams
The Great Lakes Valley Conference released its list of student-athletes who gained honors as members of All-Academic teams for winter and spring sports.
Each sport's GLVC Academic All-Conference team consists of all student-athletes who meet the following conditions: a freshman or first-year transfer who attained a grade point average of 3.40 or higher during the fall semester or has completed at least two semesters at the institution and has a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 or has attained a GPA of at least 3.40 in each of the preceding two semesters.
Below is the list of 36 SIUE student-athletes, listed by hometown, who have earned the honor.
ILLINOIS
ALTAMONT: Amber Kroening, Women's Track and Field
CARLYLE: Jessica Robert, Women's Basketball
CARPENTERSVILLE: William Wolfe, Men's Track and Field**
CARROLLTON: Liz Deshaiser, Women's Basketball***
CENTRALIA: Kevin Koller, Men's Track and Field
CHARLESTON: Nick Campbell, Men's Track and Field
CHATHAM: Sarah Schweers, Women's Basketball***
COLUMBIA: Amanda Farmer, Softball; Dawn Farmer, Softball****
DANVILLE: Jennifer Butler, Women's Track and Field
FRANKFORT: Melissa Lindgren, Softball**
HIGHLAND: Jill Johnson, Women's Basketball****
JERSEYVILLE: Justin Baecht, Baseball
MAPLETON: Melissa Koenig, Softball**
METROPOLIS: Amanda Buldtman, Women's Basketball****
MOLINE: Brenne Steffens, Women's Track and Field
NASHVILLE: Andy Gajewski, Men's Basketball**; David Droege, Men's Track and Field**
NORMAL: Mary Witte, Women's Track and Field
PEORIA: Katie Waldo, Softball***
PINCKNEYVILLE: Tim Bauersachs, Men's Basketball
QUINCY: Heather Hillebrenner, Women's Basketball****; Ruth Kipping, Women's Basketball*
RANTOUL: Koree Claxton, Softball***
ROCHELLE: Megan Lindmark, Softball
ROCKFORD: Ben Hilby, Men's Track and Field***
ROSEWOOD HEIGHTS: Todd Haug, Baseball
SALEM: Megan Grizzle, Women's Basketball***
STEELEVILLE: Jennifer Esker, Softball**
INDIANA
VALPARAISO: Kathy Ostrander, Women's Track and Field****
MISSOURI
IMPERIAL: Josh Cate, Baseball
KIRKWOOD: Josh Hanewinkel, Baseball
MADISON: Sarah Unterbrink, Women's Basketball
ST. PAUL: Maria Ewersmann, Women's Track and Field**
KENTUCKY
MADISONVILLE: Rob Baumgardner, Men's Basketball
OHIO
POWELL: Carrie Carducci, Women's Track and Field
*indicates number of times on GLVC All-Academic List
Esker Earns Second Team Academic All-America Honors
SIUE's Jenny Esker, the Great Lakes Valley Conference's Player of the Year, has been named a College Division second team Verizon Academic All-America in softball.
The Verizon Academic All-American Team is selected by a vote of the members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). The "College Division" includes all non-NCAA Division I schools in the country.
The sophomore outfielder holds a 3.984 grade point average with a major in physics. She helped the Cougars advance to the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive season behind a school-record 51 victories and led SIUE with a .395 batting average.
Esker broke the school record for hits in a season with 83, including a team-leading 12 home runs. She also led the Cougars in doubles (22), at bats (210), runs (56) and stolen bases (30).
Caron Signs With Baseball Cougars
Jeff Caron, a 6-foot-3-inch left-handed pitcher from Chester, has signed a national letter of intent to play baseball for SIUE next season.
Caron, an all-Conference selection and Most Valuable Player for Chester High School this past season, helped Coach Jeff Kordy's team to the sectional semifinals.
"We think he is going to have a great future," said SIUE Coach Gary Collins. "We expect him to be able to pitch for us right away."
Caron tossed three shutouts in his senior season, including a no-hitter against Red Bud. In that game, Caron, who ended the season with an 8-4 record, struck out 16 batters against Red Bud. In his next outing, the southpaw fanned 18 St. Genevieve (Mo.) batters.
"We're excited to get him here at SIUE," said Collins.
Doing Something 'Concrete' In A Third World Nation
For a burgeoning underdeveloped nation, the most widely used construction material in the world-concrete-is a valuable asset. But in Mongolia-that landlocked Asiatic country wedged between Russia and the People's Republic of China-knowledge of concrete is, at best, rudimentary.
This is why, in part, SIUE Engineering Professor Luke Snell and his wife, Billie, traveled to Mongolia-to lead the first Mongolian concrete conference in mid-May, where they served as "good will ambassadors" for concrete as they toured the country. The Snells departed for Ulaanbaatar-the Mongolian capitol-on May 14 for a 14-day visit that was packed full of activities promoting and providing information about concrete.
One of the most sparsely populated nations in the world, the country is emerging from a modern history of political turmoil and looking to the west for assistance in its development. Mongolia is Asia's seventh largest country in area but with a population of less than 2.5 million.
"Mongolia is on the verge of a construction boom," said Snell. "There is a great deal of need for the building of basic infrastructures, and the population has migrated to the cities, such as they are."
A colleague from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, who is spending a year teaching at the Mongolian University of Science and Technology, invited Snell to organize the conference. As director of the Concrete Construction Resource Unit at SIUE, Snell's expertise was valuable in its formation.
"The conference covered everything from the basics of concrete to discussions of why concrete cracks, and testing of concrete quality," said Snell.
Following the one-day conference, the Snells traveled throughout Mongolia, visiting factories, government offices and schools.
"We took a supply of our 'floating concrete' kits with us to teach Mongolian teachers how to teach this learning kit to their students," said Snell. "Somewhere between toddler age and sixth grade, children appear to lose their natural curiosity about the world. By sixth grade, children view science and math as boring and too hard. We've been using the 'floating concrete' unit to demonstrate otherwise."
Established in 2001, the Concrete Construction Resource Unit (CCRU) is an extension of the Department of Construction within the School of Engineering. The CCRU unites the knowledge and experience of faculty from civil engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, industrial engineering, and mechanical engineering, as well as construction. One of its primary missions is to develop, promote and implement programs that create awareness of the concrete construction industry, as well as encourage children to explore the possibility of a career in construction or engineering.
The Snells travel and participation in the Mongolian concrete conference was sponsored by the American Concrete Institute (ACI), the Missouri chapter of the ACI, and SIUE's School of Engineering.
Two Area Directors Join University Housing Staff
University Housing has announced the appointment of two new area directors. Ken Grcich and Kathleen Gardner joined the staff June 1.
"Our area directors serve an important role in our residence hall program," said Housing Director Michael Schultz. "While overseeing hall/residence directors, they are involved in university community development, the maintenance of community standards, special projects to aid individual student development, and the training of hall/residence directors, assistant hall/residence directors, and resident assistant staff members."
Grcich previously was employed at Washington University in St. Louis as a residential college director. He earned a master's in Social Work at the University of Pennsylvania.
Gardner also served as a residential college director at Washington University after earning a master's in Education from the University of Maryland.