Dr. Hodges awarded NSF BRIGE grant
Dr. Deidra Hodges, an assistant professor of Electrical Engineering in the Division of Engineering, was recently awarded a competitive National Science Foundation (NSF) Broadening Participation Research Initiation Grant in Engineering (BRIGE).

She received a two-year grant of $175,000 for her proposal, “CZTS Thin-Films and Solar Cells by Liquid-Based Techniques.”

The BRIGE program provides research funding to beginning engineers with the goal of increasing the diversity of researchers in the engineering disciplines.

Dr. Hodges, who completed her doctorate in December 2009 at the University of South Florida, is doing research that could lead to lowering the cost of fabricating high-efficiency solar cell devices through the use of abundant, low-cost, nontoxic elements such as copper, zinc, tin and sulfur (CZTS).

SPSU students collect awards at PSLSAMP National Research Conference
Several members of the SPSU Peach State Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (PSLSAMP) returned home from the 6th Annual PSLSAMP National Symposium and Research Conference in October with awards for the work they presented.

The National Science Foundation-funded Peach State Alliance is a collaborative effort sustained by several higher education institutions: SPSU, Fort Valley State University, Georgia Perimeter College, Georgia Tech, Kennesaw State, Savannah State University and the University of Georgia. The alliance’s goal is to increase statewide the number of underrepresented minority students completing undergraduate degrees and pursuing graduate degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Savannah State hosted this year’s conference on Oct. 14-15 that attracted approximately 300 students from Georgia, Connecticut, Florida and New York. More than 40 SPSU students and faculty and staff members attended; 14 SPSU students presented research.

• Joshua Gober, a senior chemistry major, took home second place for his oral presentation in the Chemistry Section.

• Nekeshia Griffin, a senior biology major, won first place for her oral presentation in the Environmental Biology/Microbiology/ Mathematics/Physics Section.

• Sonia Vanegas, a senior mechanical engineering technology (MET) major, and Davis Hsu, a junior mechanical engineering major, came in second in the Technology and Engineering oral presentations.

• Ukaku Kalu, a junior in Electrical Engineering Technology, and Eddie Pulliam, a junior in Mechatronics Engineering, took third place in the Technology and Engineering oral presentations.

The students’ research mentors were: Dr. Peter Sakaris, assistant professor of biology; Dr. Mir Atiquallah, associate professor of MET; Dr. Kai Qian, professor of computer science; and Dr. Vincent P. Conticello of Emory University.

Design II building nets more kudos
In addition to the Gold Brick award from the national Brick Industry Association earned in July by Cooper Cary Inc., architect of SPSU’s Design II building, the company has now been honored by the Georgia chapter of the American Institute of Architecture (AIA) for the innovative design.

At the AIA Georgia Design Awards banquet on Oct. 15 in Athens, officials from Cooper Cary – accompanied by their invited guests, Dr. Zvi Szafran, SPSU’s vice president for Academic Affairs, and Dr. Ameen Farooq, chair of the Architecture Department – collected a 2011 AIA Georgia Design Merit Award and the 2011 Brick President’s Award for Design II, also known as Building I-2 or the Architectural Studio Addition.

The Merit Award recognizes projects that display a high standard of architectural quality and design. The Brick President’s Award – which includes a check for $2,000 – recognizes design achievements by Georgia-based architectural firms. The Design II building was chosen based on the skill and creativeness the architectural firm used in designing the brick exterior.

Cooper Cary donated the prize money to the SPSU Architecture Department for student scholarships.

President on panel for Nov. 7 Chamber breakfast
SPSU President Lisa A. Rossbacher will take part in a panel discussion on higher education at the Cobb Chamber’s First Monday Breakfast on Nov. 7.

Dr. Rossbacher will be joined on the panel by Dr. Ken Harmon, interim provost of Kennesaw State University; Dr. Ron Newcomb, interim president of Chattahoochee Technical College; and Dr. Guy Riekeman, president of Life University.

The event begins at 7:30 a.m. at the Atlanta Marriott Northwest located at 200 Interstate North Parkway. General admission is $50. For more details, go to the Cobb Chamber website.

State Charitable Contributions Program launches
Please give generously to the 2011-12 campaign of the State Charitable Contributions Program (SCCP), which got under way this week.

SCCP makes it easy for SPSU employees to contribute to the charities of their choice through payroll deductions or a one-time donation. This past year, employees of the State of Georgia – including the University System of Georgia – pledged more than $2 million to a wide variety of nonprofit charitable organizations through the program.

Coordinating SPSU’s participation in the SCCP – as he has done on an annual basis since 2001 – is Dr. Ron Koger, vice president for Student and Enrollment Services.

“In the early years of my presidency, this responsibility rotated among the members of my senior staff, but Ron has volunteered to manage this program for multiple consecutive campaigns, and I am very appreciative of his willingness to serve,” said SPSU President Dr. Lisa A. Rossbacher.

SCCP materials have been distributed to SPSU employees, who have until Nov. 30 to use the SCCP’s online Give at the Office site to pledge to whichever charities they choose.

For more information, contact Dr. Koger at ext. 3720 or rkoger@spsu.edu.

Jammin’ Jambalaya wins Soup Cook-Off
The eatin’ was outstanding at the Social and Community Building Committee’s Fourth Annual Soup Cook-Off last week, but when spoons were laid down and crock pots had cooled, the first-place winner was a first-time entrant – Kelli Tracy, secretary to the president.

Tracy, who arrived on campus about a year ago, won a $60 gift card for her tasty “Jammin’ Jambalaya,” which she noted she never makes the same way twice.

A panel of esteemed judges was assembled for the occasion: Dr. Bill Prigge, vice president for Business and Finance; Dr. Thomas Nelson, dean of the School of Arts and Sciences; and Dr. Mark Nunes, chair of the English, Technical Communication and Media Arts Department. In addition to Tracy’s award: they handed out the following kudos:

Second Place: Kenneth Shelton, Facilities Department, for his “Mexican Bow Wow Soup;”

Third Place: Susan Vande-Ven, program coordinator for the WebBSIT, for “Light My Fire Taco Soup;”

Honorable Mention: Dr. Rajnish Singh, Department of Biology, Chemistry and Physics, for “Chowder Singh: Soup with a Personality;” and Leigh Ann Soublis, manager of scheduling and logistics, for “Corn Chow Down.”

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 42
Nov. 2, 2011