College of Medicine hires first dean of academic affairs
College of Medicine officials have hired Dr. Joe Leigh Simpson as the College's first associate executive dean of academic affairs. Simpson, 63, who has done substantial research in the genetics field, will be responsible for the hiring of faculty and helping to lead the nascent College of Medicine's accreditation process. He assumed his responsibilities on Feb. 23.

"For the past 30 years I've had a wonderful and productive career, but I've never had the honor of being called upon to help start something new," Simpson said. "I'm looking forward to all the opportunities and challenges ahead."

Simpson comes to FIU from Baylor College of Medicine, where he taught in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, of which he is a former chairman. He has been a member of the National Academy of Sciences' (NAS) Institute of Medicine since 1994. He received his medical degree from Duke University and completed post-graduate work at several institutions, including Cornell University.

From 1975-1986, Simpson was the head of the Section of Human Genetics at the Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago. He was also chair at the University of Tennessee's Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology from 1986 to 1994 before working at Baylor, where he held the same position until last year.

The College of Medicine is expected to admit its first class in the fall of 2009.

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Iraqi ambassador and colleagues to discuss geopolitics at FIU
Hamad al-Bayati, the Iraqi ambassador to the United Nations, and five other U.N. ambassadors will participate in a panel discussion and forum that will address collective security and globalization issues, on Monday, March 5, at 2 p.m., in the Graham Center Ballroom at University Park.

The event is sponsored by the Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy and Citizenship Studies' Program in National Security Studies. The panel also will feature Robert Hill, Australia's ambassador to the U.N.; Z.D. Muburi-Muita, Kenya's ambassador to the U.N.; Lauro L. Baja, the Philippines' ambassador to the U.N.; Lublin Dilja, Albania's deputy ambassador to the U.N.; and Gulzara Tuyunbayeva, Uzbekistan's deputy ambassador to the U.N.

Admission is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Carolina Farfan at 305-348-2977 or mfar001@fiu.edu.

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Noted journalist to deliver Hearst lecture
Samuel Freedman, author of Letters to a Young Journalist and five other books, will deliver a lecture titled “Journalism and Democracy,” on Tuesday, March 13, at 6:30 p.m., in the Mary Ann Wolfe Theater on the Biscayne Bay Campus.

Freedman, a professor of journalism at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism and staff reporter for The New York Times from 1981-1987, will deliver the lecture as part of the Hearst Lecture Series and in observance of Sunshine Week 2007, an annual national initiative stressing the importance of open government and freedom of information.

“This is a critical and troubled moment for the traditional media. It's under attack not only from the political flanks of right and left, but in certain ways by technology itself, which allows anyone to become a publisher,” Freedman said. “I think there's an important case to be made for a journalism that arises from reporting rather than opinion and that believes a journalist can actually set aside his or her personal biases.”

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Prepare for new Daylight Saving Time dates
UTS has published instructions for the FIU community to prepare their computers and electronic devices for the new star and end dates of Daylight Saving Time, which will begin on Sunday, March 11, and end on Sunday, Nov. 4.

Everyone is encouraged to visit the UTS web site from time to time in order to stay informed on Daylight Saving Time and other technology-related updates.

For more information, please call 305-348-2284 or visit http://uts.fiu.edu.

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2007 Kauffman Professor Awards announced
The Eugenio Pino & Family Global Entrepreneurship Center has announced the 2007 Kauffman Professor Award recipients, all whom will be trained to engage in entrepreneurial research and develop entrepreneurial teaching skills, material and activities that can be incorporated into their academic disciplines.

The 2007 Kauffman Professors are:

Irma Becerra-Fernandez, College of Business Administration
Peggy Maisel, College of Law
DeEtta Mills, College of Arts and Sciences
Kathleen Rein, College of Arts and Sciences
Chin-Sheng Chen, College of Engineering & Computing
Ibrahim Tansel, College of Engineering & Computing
Yong Tao, College of Engineering & Computing
M.O. Thirunarayanan, College of Education
Peter Thompson, College of Arts and Sciences

Under the provisions of the Kauffman Campuses gift from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation to the Pino Center, 25 FIU full-time faculty (tenure-earning, tenured or non-tenured) will be selected by 2009, to receive awards of up to $15,000 to foster research entrepreneurial activities and courses within their home disciplines. For more information, visit www.entrepreneurship.fiu.edu.

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FIU and Florida Crystals Corporation receive $1M for ethanol research
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has awarded FIU's Applied Research Center (ARC) and Florida Crystals Corporation (FCC) a $1 million grant to develop cellulosic ethanol technology under the Florida Renewable Energy Technologies Grant Program.

The grant, the product of a unique partnership between ARC and FCC, will identify a pretreatment process that can cost-effectively convert sugarcane bagasse (the by-product of sugar extraction from sugarcane) to ethanol. The study will determine the feasibility of using Florida bagasse as a feedstock for a future large-scale bioenergy plant in Florida.

The grant will be matched with in-kind donations by FCC, the largest sugar producer in the United States, and marks the first time that a major commercial company (FCC) and a leading technology development institute (FIU) are jointly performing pilot development to take cellulosic ethanol to full commercial scale.

"This public-private partnership is an important first step in developing alternative fuel sources in Florida," ARC Executive Director Harlan Sands said. "Improving the biomass to ethanol process is critical."

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Consider this Fair warning
It's that time of year again: the Miami-Dade County Youth Fair will be in town from March 15-April 1. Due to contractual obligations with the fair, University Park's Parking Lot 5 will be closed to the FIU community from Monday, March 5, until April 8. Alternate parking is available in the Blue Garage as well as in Parking Lot 7. If you have any questions about this closure, please call the Department of Parking & Transportation at 305-348-3616.

On a related note, you can join the fun by purchasing tickets to the fair at PC 120 at UP until March 14 and at ACI at BBC until March 13. Admission on opening day will be $1 for everyone at the gate. The fair opens at 3 p.m. on weekdays and noon on weekends.

Tickets are still available and will be on sale at PC 120 at UP until March 14 and at AC I at BBC until March 13. Admission on opening day will be $1 for everyone at the gate.

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Baseball: Junior left fielder James McOwen was named the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week on Feb. 27 for his performance in a four-game series against Rhode Island. McOwen hit .733 (11-for-15) in the Rhode Island series to up his season average to .608.

He tied a school record with eight-consecutive hits, including a 5-for-5 effort in the third game of the series to help tie Mark Panther's 1992 record. In addition, he extended his hitting streak to 12 games, tied a career high with four runs scored in the series finale and was intentionally walked twice in the second game of the series.

McOwen currently leads the Conference in batting average and has a league-best 31 hits. He also was named to the Collegiate Baseball Foundation National Honor Roll.

Men's Basketball: Few people gave FIU much of a chance in the opening round of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament on Feb. 28 at Florida Atlantic, but the Golden Panthers (12-17) gave the Owls all they could handle before falling in overtime, 91-88.

FIU had five players end with double-digit scoring, led by Johwen Villegas' 19 points in his last game with the Golden Panthers. Other notable contributions came from freshmen Erick Nsangou and Nikola Gacesa, who soared with career-highs of 17 and 11 points, respectively. Mike James, who has grown in his role as point guard and team quarterback over the last two months, continued his progress with a career-high 11 assists - two short of the school record.

Alas, FIU will have until next year to take another shot in the tournament.

Women’s Basketball: Senior Lasma Jekabsone scored a game-high 23 points to lead FIU past Troy, 61-49, in first-round action of the 2007 Sun Belt Conference Women's Basketball Championships on Feb. 28 at the Pharmed Arena at University Park.

The win was FIU's third in as many games this season over Troy after a pair of five-point victories during the regular season.

In addition to her 23 points, Jekabsone grabbed a game-high eight rebounds and had three blocks, bringing her to within one of FIU's career blocks record. Junior LaQuetta Ferguson also scored in double digits for the 13th straight game with 11 points.

Football: Several FIU sports teams and student-athletes made appearances at local elementary schools on Feb. 23 in support of students and their preparation for the upcoming Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). Nearly 20 football student-athletes showed up at a surprise pep rally at Hialeah Gardens Elementary Friday.

"We want you to know that just how thousands of people cheer for us when we play, the FIU football team is going to be cheering for you when you take the FCAT," freshman offensive lineman Andy Leavine said.

Several members of the FIU volleyball team went to Shenandoah Elementary School to spread cheer. In addition, student-athletes from the baseball, golf and swimming & diving teams went to an FCAT pep rally at Carlos Finlay Elementary just off University Park.

Golf: Washington State fired the first sub-300 round of the competition and pulled away for a five-shot team victory over host FIU at the two-day 29th annual Pat Bradley Women’s Golf Championship at the par 72, 6,020-yard Miccosukee Golf & Country Club last month.

Freshman Golden Panther Therese Wackenstedt, who entered the day four strokes behind second-round leader Kelly Calkin from Maryland, carded a collegiate best, three-under 69 to win top medalist honors with an overall five-over par, 221.

Wackenstedt finished three shots better than Washington State’s Amy Eneroth (224), with Calkin ending third (226).

Washington State, ranked No. 63 in the latest Golfstat rankings, saw all five of its golfers shoot sub-79 final rounds en route to a 298 team total and a 54-hole, 912. FIU, which had gone into the final round tied with the Cougars, recorded a team total, 303, to finish in second place. The University of Maryland (940) placed third, while Division II Barry (963) was fourth and Florida Atlantic (965) was fifth in the eight-team field.

“I’m very proud of the way the team performed,” said FIU head coach Joe Vogel. “They improved a little bit each day. Therese is an extremely hard worker and well deserving of this personal accomplishment.”

The Golden Panthers will hit the links next at the Sun Trust Lady Gator Invitational, March 10-11, at the University of Florida Golf Course in Gainesville, Fla.

Swimming & Diving: Junior diver Lindsay Lowell was named the Sun Belt Conference (SBC) Women's Diver of the Year on Feb.17 after winning the women's three-meter competition and placing second in the one-meter event at the SBC Swimming and Diving Championships.

Lowell won the three-meter competition with a score of 270.20 after placing second in the one-meter competition. Her performances were complemented by several other Golden Panthers to help the team to a fifth-place finish with 278 points in the three-day event, held at Western Kentucky University's Tracy Caulkins Aquatic Center.

Senior Zita Zalai broke her own SBC Championship record in the 100-yard fly to take home her fourth-consecutive Sun Belt title in the event. If there is such a thing as an individual dynasty, Zalai embodied it in the 100 fly, winning two titles while at Louisiana-Monroe before transferring to FIU to win two more. She broke her own SBC Championship record with a time of 55.84.

Sophomore Sara Giovannoni used an outstanding individual effort to post three second-place finishes at the meet. She bested her own school record in the finals of the 200 IM, touching the wall in 2:04.81. She also came in second in the 100 breaststroke in 1:04.34 and replicated that finish with a time of 2:16.84 in the 200 breaststroke.

Tennis: Senior Shilla D'Armas was named the Sun Belt Conference's Women's Tennis Player of the Week on Feb. 28 in a vote of league coaches and sports information directors. D'Armas helped the No. 28 Golden Panthers win two of three matches against ranked opponents the previous weekend in Las Vegas. She won three singles matches against opponents from No. 18 Fresno State, No. 21 Long Beach State and No. 39 UNLV. All three match victories came in straight sets.

D'Armas also partnered with freshman Maria Dolores Pazo to win a pair of doubles matches including an 8-2 victory over UNLV's No. 56-nationally ranked Alisa Razina and Claire Smith in Feb. 25's 5-2 win over the Rebels.

This is the first career Player of the Week honor for D'Armas, who is tied for the team lead with a 6-2 singles record on the year. She is the second Golden Panther to receive the honor this season. Teammate Egle Petrauskaite was the league's Player of the Week on Feb. 7.

Track & Field: The men's and women's track & field teams captured two titles apiece and moved up one spot in the team standings on the final day of Sun Belt Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships action on Feb. 25 in Jonesboro, Ark.

The women's team moved from third into second with a score of 98.75, while the men's team moved from seventh to sixth and finished with a score of 53.50. Arkansas State and South Alabama were declared co-champions after scoring 129 points apiece.

The Golden Panthers captured first and second in the women's 200 meters. Senior Maneka Maxwell won the event with a personal best time of 24.56, while juniors Brittney Boston and Naim Yisrael crossed the line at a time of 24.74 and came in eighth with a time of 25.01, respectively.

Sophomore Thomas Sikus won the title in the triple jump for the second-straight year with a distance of 14.61 meters (47'11.25"), while senior Ronald Forbes won the men's 55 hurdles, crossing the line at a personal-best time of 7.41.

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ARTS/CULTURE:

Tues., March 6, 8 p.m. - Student Composition Recital: The School of Music presents this performance directed by Orlando Jacinto Garcia. Admission is free and open to the public. For more information, call 305-348-1998 or visit www.fiu.edu/~music. In the Wertheim Performing Arts Center Concert Hall at UP.

Wed., March 7, 8 p.m. - Percussion Ensemble: The School of Music presents this performance led by Coordinator Michael Launius. In the Wertheim Performing Arts Center Concert Hall at UP.

Fri., March 9, 7 p.m. - The Wolfsonian-FIU Book Club: Join The Wolfsonian-FIU Book Club and explore literary works whose subjects are relevant to current exhibitions and collection themes in the museum. Tonight's book is Henry Hobhouse's Seeds of Changes: Six Plants that Transformed Mankind. For more information, call 305-531-1001 or visit www.wolfsonian.org. At The Wolfsonian-FIU (1001 Washington Ave., Miami Beach).

Sat., March 10, 8 p.m. – Piano Recital: The School of Music presents this performance, featuring adjunct professors in the Keyboard Studies Program. In the Wertheim Performing Arts Center Concert Hall at UP.

Sun., March 11, 4 p.m. – “Different Voices, Different Movements”: The Department of Dance presents this faculty concert, featuring choreographers Katherine Kramer, Heather Maloney, Augusto Soledade and special guest artist Gelan Lambert. Tickets are $15 for general admission, $12 for faculty/staff and seniors and $8 for students with proper ID. For more information, call 305-348-0511 or visit www.fiu.edu/~thedan. In the Wertheim Performing Arts Center Main Theater at UP.

Tues., March 13, 8 p.m. – Chamber Music Concert: The School of Music presents this performance, featuring artists in residence Javier Arias in cello, Robert Davidovici in violin and Kemal Gekic in piano. In the Wertheim Performing Arts Center Concert Hall at UP.

Wed., March 14, 8 p.m. – Wind Ensemble: The School of Music presents this performance led by Conductor Roby George. In the Wertheim Performing Arts Center Concert Hall at UP.

Thurs., March 15, 8 p.m. – Barnes & Noble Writers on the Bay Reading Series: This evening, presented by the Biscayne Bay Campus, features authors Catherine Bowman and Peter Meinke. Admission is free and open to the public. For more information, call 305-919-5857 or visit http://w3.fiu.edu/crwriting. In WUC 155 at BBC.

Fri., March 16, 8 p.m. - FIU Big Band & Nestor Torres: The School of Music presents this performance directed by Sam Lussier. For more information, call 305-348-1998. At the City of Hollywood Artspark (U.S. 1 and Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood; 954-921-3404).

ATHLETICS/RECREATION:

Tues., March 6, 7 p.m. - Baseball: FIU plays against Boston College. For tickets and information, call the FIU Ticket Office toll free at 1-866-FIU-GAME or 305-348-4263 in Miami-Dade County. At Baseball Stadium at UP.

Wed., March 7, 2 p.m. – Women’s Tennis: FIU vs. East Tennessee State. At the tennis courts at UP.

Thurs., March 8, 2 p.m. - Women's Tennis: FIU vs. Michigan State. At the tennis courts at UP.

Fri., March 9, 7 p.m. – Baseball: FIU plays against Rutgers. At the Baseball Stadium at UP.

Sat.-Sun., March 10-11, 1 p.m. – Baseball: FIU plays against Rutgers. At the Baseball Stadium at UP.

Tues.-Wed., March 13-14, 7 p.m. – Baseball: FIU plays against Manhattan. At the Baseball Stadium at UP.

Thurs., March 15, 2 p.m. – Women’s Tennis: FIU vs. Miami (Ohio). At the tennis courts at UP.

Fri., March 16, 7 p.m. – Baseball: FIU plays against Western Kentucky in a Sun Belt Conference game. At the Baseball Stadium at UP.

Sat., March 17, 11 a.m. – Women’s Tennis: FIU vs. Harvard. At the tennis courts at UP.

Sat.-Sun., March 17-18, 1 p.m. – Baseball: FIU plays against Western Kentucky in a Sun Belt Conference game. At the Baseball Stadium at UP.

Sun., March 18, 11 a.m. – Women’s Tennis: FIU vs. Dartmouth. At the tennis courts at UP.

EMPLOYEE TRAINING/WORKSHOPS:

Mon., March 5, noon-2 p.m. – “From Waterbeds to Quality Home Furniture: Lessons Learned Along the Way”: The College of Business Administration invites you to the first lecture of the Spring 2007 Herbert A. Wertheim Lecture Series, featuring Keith Koenig, president of City Furniture. To RSVP or for more information, call 305-348-0098. In the MARC Pavilion at UP.

Fri., March 9, 9 a.m.-noon & 1-4 p.m. – “Fundamentals of Financials” & “Legal Issues”: The Eugenio Pino and Family Global Entrepreneurship Center presents these sessions, featuring Ed Arista, Esq., of Arista Law and Steve Greenberg, Esq., of Carey, Rodriguez, Greenberg and Paul LLC, respectively. Admission is $20 for each session, $30 for the full day (fees are waived for New Venture Challenge team). For more information or to register, call 305-348-7526 or visit http://entrepreneurship.fiu.edu/rsvp_list.php. In MARC 125 at UP.

LECTURES/FORUMS:

Mon., March 5, 12:30-1:15 p.m. – “The Role of Pilgrimage in Japan”: The Institute for Asian Studies presents this lecture, featuring Ian Reader, professor of religious studies at the University of Manchester. For more information, call 305-348-1914 or visit http://asian.fiu.edu. In CP 101 at UP.

Tues., March 6, 7:30 p.m. – “Is There Room at the Inn?”: The Center for the Study of Spirituality, the Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Affairs and Policy Studies and the Florida Humanities Council present this forum on the “The Torah, the Qur’an and their commentaries on a place for ‘the Other’ in the Holy Land,” featuring Professor Rabbi David Novak of the University of Toronto and Professor Imam Khaleel Mohammed of San Diego State University. The forum, co-sponsored by a number of FIU departments and institutes, will be moderated by James Howe, executive director of the Miami Coalition of Christians and Jews, and will include responses by Nasir Ahmed of Masjid al-Ansar and Rabbi Mitchel Chefitz of Temple Israel of Greater Miami. Admission is free and open to the public. For more information, e-mail spirituality@fiu.edu. In WUC 244 at BBC.

Wed., March 7, noon – “The Layering of Scripture”: The Center for the Study of Spirituality, the Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Affairs and Policy Studies and the Florida Humanities Council present this forum on the “the exegetical traditions in Judaism and Islam on a place for ‘the Other’ in the Holy Land.” David Novak of the University of Toronto, Khaleel Mohammed of San Diego State University and FIU’s Nathan Katz and Aisha Musa will speak at this event, which is co-sponsored by a number of FIU departments and institute. Admission is free and open to the public. In GC 150 at UP.

Thurs., March 8, 7 p.m. – “Higher Education and Black Empowerment in the Age of Globalization”: African New World Studies presents this Malcolm X/Ella Baker Civil Rights Lecture, featuring James Johnson, Jr., a William Rand Kenan Jr. Distinguished Professor of Management at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In the Wolfe University Ballroom at BBC.

Thurs., March 8, 7:30 p.m. – “The New Congress and U.S.-Cuba Policy”: The Cuban Research Institute presents this lecture, featuring Daniel Erikson, senior associate for U.S. policy and director of Caribbean Programs, Inter-American Dialogue, in Washington D.C., and comments from FIU Professor Nicol Rae, chair of the Department of Political Science. To RSVP and for more information, call 305-348-1991. In the MARC Pavilion at UP.

Tues., March 13, 6:30 p.m. – “Journalism and Democracy”: The School of Journalism and Mass Communication presents this lecture, featuring Samuel Freedman, author of Letters to a Young Journalist and five other books, as part of the Hearst Lecture Series and in observance of Sunshine Week 2007. In the Mary Ann Wolfe Theater at BBC.

Tues., March 13, 11 a.m. – “Water Management and Development in Kenya/Tanzania”: African New World Studies presents this lecture, featuring Michael McClain, director of the Global Water for Sustainability Program at FIU. In GL 220 at UP.

MISCL:

Thurs., March 15, 7-8:30 p.m. – Wine Tasting: The Graham Center at UP presents this event, featuring School of Hospitality and Tourism Management alumna Fernanda Rivera ‘98, who will discuss and teach participants the fine art of wine appreciation. Admission is $10 (you must be at least 21 years old to participate in this class). For more information, call 305-348-3919. In the GC Panther Suite at UP.

For more events listings, visit the FIU Events Calendar.

For previous issues of ThisWeek@FIU, vist our newsletter archive.

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