SPSU’s economic impact estimated at $192M
SPSU’s economic impact on Georgia and, most significantly, Cobb County, totaled more than $192 million in fiscal year 2010, according to a newly released study by the Board of Regents.

The previous report, based on fiscal year 2009 data, placed SPSU’s economic impact at $165 million. This year’s data represent a growth of more than 15 percent in the university’s impact over the last 12 months and an 18 percent increase in the last 24 months.

The report’s numbers were calculated from sales, gross regional product, income and full- or part-time jobs. SPSU provides a sizeable economic influence on its surrounding community, contributing 1,813 jobs and adding millions of dollars to the local and regional economy in personal services, construction expenditures and student spending.

The study determined that the economic impact to the state of Georgia by all 35 institutions in the University System totaled $12.6 billion in fiscal year 2010.

The study also indicated that Georgia’s public higher education system was responsible for 130,738 full- and part-time jobs. Approximately 34 percent of these positions were on-campus jobs and 66 percent were positions created by vendors and other businesses who rely on University System of Georgia faculty, staff and students.

A mighty noise: two professors research volume of stadium-horn racket
The growing popularity of vuvuzelas, those long, crazy-loud, plastic stadium horns heard blaring at soccer events worldwide, has raised concerns about noise levels among players, spectators and even broadcast viewers since the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

The controversy surrounding these noisemakers piqued the interest of Dr. Richard Ruhala, an associate professor in the Division of Engineering, who has a doctorate in acoustics, and his wife, Dr. Laura Ruhala, also an associate professor in the Division of Engineering with a doctorate in mechanics. They quickly saw the need for scientific documentation of the noise levels achieved by enthusiastic vuvuzela players.

“My concern is that vuvuzelas may become more prevalent at U.S. sporting events beyond soccer such as football and basketball games,” Dr. Richard Ruhala said. “Should they be banned in stadiums? The Olympic Organizing Committee is considering whether or not to allow them to be used at the 2012 Olympics. We need scientific studies to determine if these noise levels are causing hearing loss in vuvuzela players and nearby spectators or are just a nuisance that is causing communication difficulties among players on the field.”

The Ruhalas teamed up with Dr. Kenneth Cunefare of Georgia Tech to devise a study.

For two days in April, the team staged a series of experiments in a Georgia Tech hemi-anechoic (non-echoing) chamber and conducted standard acoustical measurements, such as sound power and directivity on eight different vuvuzelas. A number of SPSU student volunteers took turns producing sounds from the horns inside the chamber as the team collected and recorded data.

They subsequently published a paper on their initial findings, “Acoustic Characterization of Vuvuzelas,” in the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

In the next phase of research, Dr. Tina Ortkiese of
Georgia Tech will construct a computer model of the sound field created by one vuvuzela player sitting in various sections of different-sized stadiums and compare it to the sound fields produced by multiple vuvuzela players.

STEM education pilot project with Marietta Middle School
SPSU and Marietta Middle School recently collaborated to give students at the middle school an introductory course in computer science to spur their interest in computing programs and computer game design. This project is part of a pilot program exploring the extent to which science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) enrichment opportunities influence middle school students to choose related college coursework and careers.

For six weeks, Dr. Orlando Karam, a professor of computer software at SPSU, visited the school weekly to teach two classes on how to use the program Game Maker. Although designed to be used by middle school students, Game Maker is a complex program, Karam noted.

With his instruction, the students were able to create their own video games. He also gave the students some instruction in programming during the classes.

Dr. Tim Jones, principal of Marietta Middle School, commented that through this program youths were exposed to a variety of options based on their interests.

SPSU master’s in CS is tradition for one family
Last month’s 100th commencement ceremony was special for many graduating students and their families, but for the Kowdeed family of India, the event marked the continuation of a family tradition. Lalitha Kowdeed earned a Master of Science in Computer Science this spring, becoming the fourth member of her family to do so.

Kowdeeds have been earning this degree from SPSU since 2002, when Lalitha’s brother-in-law, Sudhindra Purohit, collected his diploma. Other family members include Purohit’s wife, Haritha Kowdeed (Lalitha’s sister), who earned hers in 2007, and another sister, Vanitha Kowdeed, who received her degree in 2008.

One professor who knew the family members during their SPSU journey was Dr. Venu Dasigi, chair of the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering.

“I am not aware of any other family, let alone among our international students, from which four members of a family graduated from SPSU during the course of a decade, and all with master's degrees from the same department,” he said. “We may have other such families in the making, and we should wait to see when this record will be broken!”

Lalitha is the youngest member of her family to earn this degree and was thrilled to land a job as a junior Java developer for her “dream company,” Verizon, immediately following graduation.

Lalitha said the SPSU experience has been “a wonderful journey for me and my family members” and that the technical experience the university provides was “very helpful in finding a job in this competitive job market.”

Hornets pitcher picked up by Colorado Rockies
Hornets pitcher William Rankin, a senior, has been selected through the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft to play for the Colorado Rockies.

The Colorado Rockies picked up 51 players in 50 rounds of the 2011 draft, visiting two- and four-year colleges and various high schools around the country. The team chose Rankin in the 17th round of selections. Overall, Rankin became the 528th player to be drafted in 2011.

He finished the current season with a 9-2 record and a 1.94 earned run average (ERA). These stats earned Rankin a ranking of 24th in Division 1 and 28th for his ERA.

Rankin is the sixth Hornets player to be drafted into the major leagues since the team has been coached by Matt Griffin. Rankin joins:
• pitcher Mark Doll (Philadelphia Phillies, 2009)
• pitcher Dustin Carder (Baltimore Orioles, 2009)
• pitcher Sean Teague (Florida Marlins, 2009)
• pitcher Stephen Flake (Florida Marlins, 2007)
• catcher Joe Billick (Kansas City Royals, 2007)

Soccer alum earns recognition from MLS
Former SPSU soccer standout Mamadou “Futty” Danso, who now plays for the Portland Timbers, was recently named to the Major League Soccer (MLS) Team of the Week and was also nominated for MLS Goal of the Week.

Danso has taken the position of center back to new heights – literally. He is known for launching himself into the air to prevent an opposing team from scoring whenever the ball travels into his penalty area.

Danso added the MLS Team of the Week honor to a long list of achievements, including being named NAIA All-American, Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) Newcomer of the Year, SSAC Player of the Year and many more.

“He is really coming into his own as a professional player,” said SPSU head soccer coach Kom Momeni. “He is a huge fan favorite in Portland, and he is representing SPSU and the SSAC very well.”

Have news to share?
If your department has an upcoming event or other news to share with the campus community, please send an e-mail with all the pertinent information to Diane Payne (dpayne@spsu.edu). To be considered for use in a specific issue of the SPSU Hornet’s Nest, a news item must be submitted no less than four weeks before the date of the issue.

Volume 4, Issue 24
June 29, 2011