Dr. Deidra Hodges named SPSU Teacher of the Year
Dr. Deidra Hodges, an assistant professor of electrical engineering in the School of Engineering, has been named SPSU’s 2012 Teacher of the Year.

Each year, the Cobb Chamber of Commerce honors Cobb County teachers and recognizes their good work educating students in the region, and Dr. Hodges will represent SPSU. As Teacher of the Year, she will deliver a presentation on campus during the spring semester.

Dr. Hodges holds a Ph.D. from the University of South Florida in Tampa, and bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Columbia University in New York, all in electrical engineering. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in physics from Dillard University in New Orleans. From 1988-96, she served as an officer in the Engineering Field Division of the U.S. Navy Reserves in Houston.

Dr. Hodges worked for IBM’s Federal Systems Division in Houston and was assigned to onboard space shuttle systems and avionics flight software for the NASA Space Shuttle Program. She also worked for Martin Marietta Manned Space Systems on the proposed unmanned launch vehicle called Shuttle C.

She joined the SPSU faculty in 2009. In August 2011, Dr. Hodges was awarded a competitive National Science Foundation (NSF) Broadening Participation Research Initiation Grant in Engineering (BRIGE). She received a two-year grant of $175,000 to develop copper, zinc, tin and sulfur (CZTS) thin films and solar cells. Her research could lead to lowering the cost of fabricating high-efficiency solar-cell devices through the use of these abundant, low-cost, non-toxic elements.

Science Channel sitcom to film on campus
A new Science Channel program called “Stuff You Should Know” (SYSK) will be filming scenes for the cable television show on campus next week.

Although disruption to classes and other academic operations will be minimal, parts of the Recreation and Wellness Center, the Engineering Technology Center, and the commons between Norton and Howell halls will be used as a production crew shoots footage from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Oct. 16-17.

At present, SYSK is a free 30-minute podcast published by Discovery Communications via HowStuffWorks.com. The sitcom based on the podcast is set to debut on The Science Channel (owned by Discovery) in January 2013.

SYSK educates listeners on a wide variety of topics (e.g., “Do zombies exist?” “How tickling works”) as it chronicles the daily experiences of two scientists. The podcast is hosted by Josh Clark and Charles W. “Chuckers” Bryant, both writers at HowStuffWorks.com. It has been released every Tuesday and Thursday since 2008 and is one of the top downloaded podcasts in the iTunes Store and Zune Marketplace.

NSLS chapter president wins regional award
The SPSU chapter of the National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS), launched in 2011, already has 300 members. On Sept. 15-16, three members accompanied Dr. Beth Stutzmann of the English, Technical Communication and Media Arts department to the NSLS Regional Conference in Atlanta, where chapter President Alex Kramer, a mechatronics major, won the award for Most Personable and Most Spirited.

The NSLS honor society is open to students with a GPA of 3.0 or better. Operating under the philosophy that better leaders make a better world, NSLS teaches students to achieve their goals by building leadership skills through community service and networking.

In addition to Kramer, the students who accompanied Dr. Stutzmann to the conference were Felicia Baker, an architecture major, and Matthew Lawrence, a mechatronics major.

Faculty and students to present panel at GPSA conference
Dr. Thomas Nisley, associate professor of international studies and political science, and four students will present papers and Dr. Nisley will take part in a panel discussion at the Georgia Political Science Association (GPSA) Conference, Nov. 9-10 in Savannah, Ga.

Dr. Nisley will chair the panel on “The international relations of the Americas.” He will present a paper titled “The popular perception of the United States in Latin America and the role of the Peace Corps and economic and military aid.”

The following SPSU students will also present papers:

• Andrew Hansen (international studies), “Forgetting the ditch: A constructivist analysis of the transfer of the Panama Canal”;

• Patrick Sumner (political science), “Realism and anarchy, structuralism and institutionalism”;

• Elizabeth Lehner (international studies), “Venezuelan foreign policy: Hugo Chavez and the enlightenment of the Bolivarian dream”; and

• Andrew J. Gifford (political science) “China in Latin America: A new threat in the Western Hemisphere?”

“It is truly gratifying to see the scholarship of our faculty and students recognized in this manner,” said Dr. Tom Nelson, dean of the School of Arts and Sciences.

The GPSA is a professional association for political science practitioners and educators in Georgia.

SPSU launches new Graduate Student Association
The Graduate Student Association (GSA), approved in August, is one of SPSU’s newest student organizations.

The GSA consists of an executive staff and officers who are known as the Graduate Student Council, along with a representative for each graduate program.

All SPSU graduate students are officially represented by the GSA, which will maintain communication with the graduate student body and the rest of the SPSU community. The group will provide an official forum for discussion of graduate student concerns, a social networking channel and a way to foster unity among graduate students by sponsoring social and professional development activities.

GSA Officers
Joseph Rounseville, master of science in construction management, president

James Freedle, master of science in computer science, vice president

Jessica McNally, master of science in information technology, secretary

GSA Representatives
Adasi Beckles, master of science in information design and communication

Erica Bradley, master of science in accounting

Christopher Hawkins, master of business administration

Franklin Hungerford, master of science in quality assurance

Brett Lewis, master of science in quality assurance

Angelique Mosley, master of science in ET/EL

Luke Warren, master of science in software engineering

The GSA faculty advisor is Nikki Palamiotis, director of the Office of Graduate Studies.

Find out about Fulbright funding opportunities
The Office of Academic Affairs/International Programs will host a visit from an ambassador of the Institute of International Education’s Fulbright programs on Oct. 15-17 for those interested in pursuing Fulbright funding opportunities.

Dr. Mushtaq Memon, a faculty member at Washington State University in Pullman, will provide tips and information on how to prepare Fulbright applications, how to deal with timeline constraints and what should be emphasized in the application. He will also talk about the application review process and the personal and professional opportunities and challenges associated with accepting a Fulbright scholarship.

On Mon., Oct 15, Dr. Memon will be available for one-on-one consultations from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1-3:30 p.m. in the Architecture Faculty Lounge.

That evening, Dr. Memon will give a presentation geared specifically toward students from 6-7 p.m. in N-175 to ensure they know that Fulbright grants are available not only to faculty members, but also to graduate students and undergraduate students in their final year.

On Tues., Oct. 16, he will give a general presentation for faculty and staff from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. in J-220. Depending on the needs that develop during his stay, Dr. Memon may also be available from 8:30-11:30 a.m. on Wed., Oct. 17.

Those interested in attending any of the sessions are asked to contact Cathy Smith in the Department of Architecture at csmith46@spsu.edu or ext. 7523 on or before Fri., Oct. 12.

’78 alum talks about doing business in Saudi Arabia
Students in Dr. Mark Hiatt’s Management 3105 course recently had the opportunity to gain insight into what it’s like to do business in Saudi Arabia from a visiting SPSU alumnus with decades of experience.

Dave Cantrell graduated in 1978 from what was then Southern Technical Institute with a degree in industrial engineering technology. Now an executive with three related Saudi Arabian companies and the president of the American Business Association in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, the Alabama native volunteered to stop by his alma mater to speak to students while back in town on business.

Cantrell, originally from Birmingham, Ala., painted a picture for the students of the business opportunities available to them in his adopted, oil-rich country, where companies from Exxon-Mobil and Shell to Alcoa and Dow Chemical have major operations.

“Once you’re in the job market, you never know where it’s going to take you,” he said of his journey from industrial engineer to general manager of the Khalifa Algosaibi Trading Company and the Algosaibi Oilfield Services Company and business development manager of the Khalifa Algosaibi Holding Company.

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 38
Oct. 10, 2012