SPSU student wins statewide co-op/internship award
Andrew Warren, a senior mechanical engineering student, has been awarded the Georgia Association of Colleges & Employers’ (GACE) Jack Mangham Award.

The award is given annually to students who exemplify outstanding characteristics in experiential learning programs. GACE receives nominations from colleges throughout the state and presents one student in each of four different categories with the award. Warren was recognized in the Engineering and Technology category.

Warren is in his sixth term as a co-op student at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI). His direct supervisor assigned him to a team working on a critical project for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). The project was recognized by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) as one of the Top 10 Technologies for 2012 for the entire National Intelligence and Department of Defense communities.

“Warren not only consistently excels academically, he also maximizes his co-op experience by demonstrating professionalism and a work ethic that has earned the respect of seasoned colleagues and his supervisor,” said Eileen O’Laughlin, assistant director of Career Services.

He was also the recipient of the Career & Counseling Center’s Co-op of the Year Award presented at the 2012 SPSU Student Awards Banquet.

Students, professor present paper at ACM Conference
Five students and Dr. Kai Qian, professor of computer science and software engineering, attended the recent 50th annual Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Southeast Conference held at the University of Alabama.

Under Dr. Qian’s direction, Li Zhengzhe, Teng Zhao, Dong Ren, Yang Zhang and Lei Wang wrote and presented a paper titled “Learning Applications of Multi-tasking Signal Analysis of Fourier Transform Based on Smart Mobile Devices.” In the paper, the students outlined the development of mobile applications on an Android platform.

Dr. Jeff Orr leads student group to China
Dr. Jeff Orr, director of Advising, Tutoring, Testing Disability Services, Multicultural Affairs and International Student Center (ATTIC), accompanied eight students to China earlier this month for a 10-day study-abroad program at Ningbo University in Ningbo city, Zhejiang province, China.

Two of the students – English major Toby Pope and political science major Tyler Maran – are staying an additional two weeks to provide tutoring in English for Chinese students.

A third member of the SPSU delegation, computer science major Joshua Roberts, will stay through the fall semester to take culture and language-related courses while also taking two online SPSU courses. He has received a scholarship from the Chinese government and hopes to take more courses at Ningbo University as the Chinese program develops.

The other students who participated in the trip were: Teyanna Henry (international studies), Tracey Thornton-Grigs (psychology), Yen Nguyen (architecture), Courtney Heard (health information technology) and Leah Taylor (MBA).

SPSU has long-standing partnerships with a number of universities in China for student exchange, including Ningbo, and regularly welcomes students from China. Having completed the first two years of their undergraduate program in China, these students come to SPSU for their final two years of study.

Roberts is the second American student to go to China after completing two years at SPSU. Stephen Lasseter, who is working on a degree in information technology, was the first to do so in 2008.

“I have no doubt that Joshua will benefit tremendously from this experience,” said Dr. Han Reichgelt, dean of the School of Computing and Software Engineering. “I am pleased that we may be getting closer to arranging with the various universities in China for a real student exchange, and I want to thank Joshua for his willingness to be a trail blazer.”

Recent faculty activities
• Dr. Don Ariail, coordinator of the Master of Science in Accounting program, had two articles published in peer-reviewed journals. The first one, “Avondale Estates: A Case Study in Governmental Accounting and Auditing – A Historical Approach,” appeared in Issues in Accounting Education. The second one, co-authored with Dr. Sandra Vasa-Sideris, coordinator of the MBA program, is titled “Courage: The Key to Ethical Behavior.” It was published in the May/June issue of Today’s CPA, the journal of The Texas Society of CPAs. In an unusual move, this article is scheduled to be reprinted by both The Accountant, the journal of the Oregon Society of CPAs, and The Washington CPA Magazine, the journal of the Washington Society of CPAs.

• Dr. Chih Cheng Hung, coordinator of the Master of Science in Computer Science program, recently joined the editorial board of the International Journal on Advances in Intelligent Systems, which is dedicated to topics related to automation, static and mobile agents, decision systems, special computational paradigms, advances in computer-human interaction, human-oriented modeling, and human-centric service and applications.

• Dr. Pavan Meadati, an assistant professor in the Construction Management department, had a paper published in the International Journal of Construction Education and Research. “Exploring Applications of Building Information Modeling for Enhancing Visualization and Information Access in Engineering and Construction Education” was co-authored with Dr. Wasim Barham, assistant professor of civil engineering.

SPSU welcomes new Career/Counseling Center staffer
Zach Claxton is the new administrative assistant/career services specialist in the Career and Counseling Center.

In his new role, he will primarily provide administrative support for the co-op/internship program.

Claxton grew up in Commerce, Ga., and graduated from Berry College in Rome, Ga., with a degree in public relations in 2010. He has interned for 11th District Congressman Phil Gingrey and Duffey Communications in Atlanta.

Send us your tag photo
There’s still time to post a photo of yourself on the SPSU Alumni Facebook page (facebook/spsualumni) with the new SPSU tag on your vehicle. The first 100 people to do so will be entered into a drawing to win an iPad. So go get your tag, and then say cheese!

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 5, Issue 26
July 18, 2012