Eberly News

WVU communication studies students recruiting donors for June 20 American Red Cross Blood Donation Drive

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 11:40:00 EST

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Communication studies students in a senior capstone course at West Virginia University are combining communication studies and sociology classes by initiating a recruitment plan to draw donors to the American Red Cross Blood Donation Drives on June 20 at the WVU Student Recreation Center and July 2 at the WVU Mountainlair.

The students are promoting the blood drives as part of a summer service learning project that aims to raise awareness in the community. The students have created a media kit complete with a project overview, email contacts, social media strategies and suggestions, and a resource contact list.

“I was really impressed with how quickly they embraced this project. Their enthusiasm for helping out the community and their creativity with the project itself greatly exceeded my expectations,” said Andrea Weber, professor of the course.

Now they need the donors.

Students enrolled in COMM 404, a summer persuasive communication course will set up tables in local “hotspots” around campus where they’ll answer questions and help donors register in advance for the blood drives to avoid long waits.

Students in COMM 100, Principles of Human Communication and COMM 102, Human Communication in the Interpersonal Context will assist the persuasive students as well.

An introductory sociology class will execute awareness and recruitment plans for additional blood drives this summer.

The WVU baseball team is onboard to help recruit donors for the drive. The baseball team is back in Morgantown after finishing third in the Big 12 baseball tournament, finishing just one game short of the Big 12 Championship game.

In May, the team was recognized for its efforts in supporting victims of an EF5 tornado that devastated Moore, Oklahoma.

To register to participate in a blood drive, go to http://www.redcrossblood.org/make-donation or come to the July 2 drive at the WVU Mountainlair.

For more information contact Alex Lancaster at 304-293-3905 or allancaster@mix.wvu.edu.

-WVU-

ma/06/06/13

Check http://wvutoday.wvu.edu/ daily for the latest news from the University. Follow @WVUToday on Twitter.

Apply for WVU Innovation Awards to win $5,000 for research development

Fri, 24 May 2013 16:04:00 EST

West Virginia University Office of Research & Economic Development announces the Innovation Awards, which recognize WVU faculty, administrators or staff members for their contribution to innovation and/or the commercialization of ideas that benefit the public’s well-being.

For these awards, innovation includes all forms of discovery, creation and production of inventive and progressive ideas, methods, and products that promote society’s growth.

The awards are:

• Early Career Innovator Award honors a WVU faculty member who has been employed with the University for six years or less and whose work exemplifies the spirit of innovation, commercialization and entrepreneurship.
• Established Innovator Award recognizes a WVU faculty member who has been employed here for more than six years and whose recent work has actively contributed to innovation, commercialization and entrepreneurship.
• Presidential Innovation Service Award honors an administrator, faculty or staff member who has shared expertise and/or mentored faculty members in their pursuit of innovation, commercialization and entrepreneurship.

For the application instructions and other award guidelines, click on the following link: http://www.innovation.research.wvu.edu/events/wvu-innovation-awards-guidelines. All applications are due by the close of business July 1.

The winners will each receive $5,000 to support their continuing innovative work. The winners will be recognized at the WVU Innovation Awards Ceremony from 6-8 p.m. Sept. 17 at the Waterfront Place Hotel.

WVU Department of Communication Studies receives top paper honors at national conference

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 10:02:00 EST

Research on dating anxiety, lying in romantic relationships and an examination of moral decision-making by gamers took top honors at the recent National Communication Association’s national conference in New Orleans.

Receiving honors in the Communication Apprehension Division were authors Colleen C. Malachowski, a WVU doctoral candidate, and Peggy Rardin McConnell Chair in Communication Studies Melanie Booth-Butterfield. Their paper, “Diminishing Dating Distress to Increase Voice: An Experimental Examination of the Effects of Visualization on Dating Anxiety,” examined the effects of visualization on dating anxiety. Visualization has previously been shown to reduce anxiety in other situations, such as before athletic events or job interviews.

“If a person was practicing visualization, he or she would picture the progression of the date and all of the emotions and sensations that go along with it,” said Malachowski. “By picturing each of the things associated with the date going well, people may reduce the amount of anxiety they feel toward the event.”

Malachowski and Booth-Butterfield’s results show visualization as a valid technique for interpersonal communication to reduce dating anxiety.

Professor Booth-Butterfield also took top paper honors in the Interpersonal Communication Division along with co-author and WVU alumnus Sean M. Horan, assistant professor of communication studies at DePaul University. Their paper entitled, “Understanding the Routine Expression of Deceptive Affection in Romantic Relationships,” provides a clearer picture of how lying may support and maintain romantic relationships.

Current studies suggest that individuals regularly communicate inauthentic affectionate messages to their romantic partners. Yet most studies do not describe this process, what constitutes deceptive affection, and the functions involved. The study reported on in the paper involved a seven-day diary in which participants recorded what they lied about, why they lied, and how they used affection to deceive their romantic partners. Results indicate that participants lied about their own feelings, feelings about their partners or feelings about the situation. They communicated deceptive affection using verbal messages of confirmation or avoidance, and also incorporated nonverbal cues. Motives for the deception included face-saving, conflict management or avoidance and emotion management.

Assistant Professor of Communication Studies Nicholas David Bowman along with two German colleagues, Leyla Dogruel (Free University of Berlin) and Sven Joeckel (Universitat Erfurt) received top paper in the Mass Communication Division. Their research, “Adolescents, Morality and Interactive Entertainment: The Influence of Moral Salience on Actions and Entertainment Experience in Interactive Media,” examined the moral decision making of US and German adolescents using interactive media. In an experimental design, participants from the two countries used a computer simulation where they were confronted with the decision to violate or uphold various aspects of morality.

“Games encourage the internalization and psychological merging of a player’s and a character’s mind, a multidimensional concept known as character attachment. Data from our study suggest that dimensions of character attachment are useful in understanding both pro- and anti-social gaming motivations,” said Bowman.

The group reports that pro-social gamers feel a greater sense of control over their characters, while anti-social gamers are more likely to suspend their disbelief of the game environment and not take responsibility for their virtual actions. Pro-social gaming was more prevalent in older gamers, and younger male game characters were motivated by anti-social reasons.

Over 5,200 people participated in the National Communication Association’s annual national conference.

For more information, contact Nicholas Bowman at Nicholas.Bowman@mail.wvu.edu.

Martin Hall Agency creates opportunity for students to 'Power Up Their Professional Network'

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 14:41:00 EST

The Martin Hall Agency will host Tom Marchese, the vice president of marketing for Bob Evans Restaurants, at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in Martin Hall Room 205.

Marchese will give a talk, “Breakthrough Thinking,” followed by a reception in Martin Hall room 101 at 7:30 P.M. The event will cost $5 at the door and will be open to all WVU students.

“This event is an excellent opportunity for our advertising students to make professional connections and learn about career opportunities in their chosen field,” said Maryanne Reed, dean of the Perley Isaac Reed School of Journalism at WVU.

Marchese’s presentation is the first in the “Power Up Your Professional Network” speakers series sponsored by the School’s student-run advertising firm, the Martin Hall Agency.

Since taking the vice president position at the restaurant chain’s headquarters in 2008, Marchese has been responsible for the marketing of Bob Evans Restaurants’ 570 locations with the goal of reaching a younger family audience.

Marchese has an extensive background in marketing and communications, specializing in advertising, digital communication, brand positioning and strategy. Prior to joining Bob Evans Restaurants, Marchese’s previous posts included chief marketing officer at Yum Brands, vice president of innovation at Elmer’s Products, and the director of brand marketing for Wendy’s International.

In April, he participated in the Professional Speakers Series at Northwestern University, where he gave journalism students real-world advice.

Contact:

For more information or questions, contact Amy Bruzgo at (215) 595-3046 or email amy.bruzgo@gmail.com, or contact Sara Cottle at (304) 578-3924 or email scottle2@mix.wvu.edu.

Seminar offered for students to learn more about Semester at Sea study abroad program

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 11:23:00 EST

The West Virginia University Geography Program and the International Studies Program are offering a seminar on study abroad at sea with the Semester at Sea. Interested students should attend a presentation on the 2012-2013 programs by Dr. Robert W. Smith, retired, US Department of State, and geographic consultant and instructor for the Semester at Sea. The event is on Tuesday, November 15 at 3:00 p.m., in room 325 Brooks Hall. All undergraduate student majors are welcome to attend.

The Semester at Sea visits numerous international locations in spring, summer and fall semesters. Participants travel on the MV Explorer, a modern and safe passenger ship that circumnavigates the globe and explores the world. The ship is both a traveling university and residential home to more than 2,000 participants each year; complete with a student union, wireless Internet, 8,000-volume library, and many of the amenities you’d find on a land-based campus. Credits for the semester are awarded by the University of Virginia.
For more information, visit semesteratsea.org or contact Professor Ken Martis at ken.martis@mail.wvu.edu.

WVU Eberly College of Arts and Sciences: 2020 Strategic Plan for the Future

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 14:39:00 EST

The Eberly College of Arts and Sciences is developing a vision for the year 2020, and creating a road map to lead us there.

This plan will consist of strategic thinking with special attention the College’s unique capabilities to serve the needs of our state, region, nation and world.

Eberly is planning to focus on substantial goals that will resonate strongly with our current strengths, meet the important challenges of the next decade and generate excitement.

“I am thrilled with the goals that are being generated by our strategic planning teams,” said Robert Jones, Dean of the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences.

“We will use the final goals and vision to guide our investments and strategies over the coming decade,” he added

By defining and adopting a limited number of major goals, we can keep our focus on the things that are most important. To chart our progress, we will periodically collect and analyze key data.

To start our planning, five major goals have been proposed dealing with (1) undergraduate learning, (2) graduate learning, (3) research, (4) outreach, and (5) operations.

Each goal will be examined, rewritten or replaced by a team comprised of faculty, staff, students and/or external partners. An executive team will gather input from these five teams and create a cohesive, comprehensive plan.

The Eberly College will also consider how to meet three overarching imperatives – diversity, global perspectives and social relevance – that will be infused into all corners of the college’s culture.

“To maximize our chances for success, we have included broad participation from staff, faculty, students and alumni in our planning process. Each person has been asked to think about what we should look like in 2020,” Jones said.

WVU Communications Professor John Shibley wins Gabriel Brothers Award

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 15:29:00 EST

A teacher for 42 years at West Virginia University, Associate Professor of Communication Studies John Shibley has won the Gabriel Brothers Award.

Shibley conducts several communications courses, such as Appreciation of Motion Pictures, The Effects of Media, and Presentational Speaking.

He said that receiving this award was both an honor and a surprise.

“It’s not something that you think about, but it’s gratifying to learn that what you are doing is being acknowledged,” he said.
Shibley said his favorite part of teaching is really reaching students and making them grasp the issues that he teaches.

“I want them to be aware of world issues and maybe see things differently than they did when they entered my class,” he added.
He received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Bowling Green State University in Ohio. He went on to earn his PhD from Ohio State.

Shibley will be presented with his award at the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences Award Ceremony and Luncheon in the Mountainlair Ballrooms on Saturday, April 16, at 10:30 a.m.

The Gabriel Brothers Inc. Faculty Award Program was created in 2003 by James and Arthur Gabriel, founding partners of Gabriel Brothers Inc., a Morgantown-based discount clothing business. The Gabriels, both of whom earned WVU degrees, created the prize to encourage, support, and reward faculty endeavors, especially teaching, that focus on America and American society and culture.

"Science on Tap" a causual atmosphere for serious science everyone can enjoy

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 15:58:00 EST

The West Virginia University professor wound up his talk as a faint wisp of French fries hovered in the room and the strains of an old Elton John song drifted in from the piped-in music in the room next door. As he took a question from the audience that gathered around small candle-lit tables, a waitress made her rounds. Before he answered the question, he took a sip from a newly-filled pint of stout.

Obviously, it wasn’t in a lecture hall and the occasion wasn’t a technical lecture in an academic building. It happened in the Morgantown version of what is called a science café – an approach to talking about science that is growing in popularity in college towns across America.

A science café is a casual meeting in a relaxed atmosphere with food and drink where researchers and experts engage in conversations about science in plain language with people who have a curiosity about the topic.

The trend started in the United Kingdom in the late 1990s, caught on in the US and is now a fixture with growing popularity at West Virginia University.

In Morgantown, the café is known as “Science on Tap” where professors rub elbows with people interested in learning about their work in a non-traditional setting. The next event is set for 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 26 at the Morgantown Brewing Company. Jim Belanger, associate professor of biology at WVU will talk about “Scents of Direction: What Moths Taught the US Navy about Finding Things by Smell.”

The idea for “Science on Tap” arose during Belanger’s graduate course on communicating science to the public.

“It is a trend that presents a great opportunity for people to learn about scientific topics from some of our best professors in an atmosphere that is quite different from the classroom, Belanger explained.

“You don’t have to be a student, staff or faculty member at the University to attend. You just have to have a desire to learn and enjoy informal discussion.”

The events are traditionally held monthly and a growing number of Morgantown residents are gathering for lectures, food, drink and talk about topics from physics and ecology to forensics and energy research.

Bea Vianna, a graduate student in the Belanger’s class, proposed the idea and helps organize “Science on Tap” events.

“Each meeting is organized around an interesting topic, she said.

“A scientist usually gives a brief presentation that could even include a video to kick off discussion and then the open talk begins. And, unlike a classroom, you can come and go as you please.”

WVU has been emphasizing effective science communication and recently concluded a day-long symposium dedicated to the practice. The “Science on Tap” approach is a monthly continuation of that effort.

The next event, “More Than a Game: Using video games in stroke recovery,” is on Wednesday, July 27 at 6:30 p.m., at the Mountain State Brewing Company.

Contact Bea Vianna at bvianna@mix.wvu.edu for more information and future event dates. Become a member of the Science on Tap-West Virginia group on Facebook for regular updates.

CIA employee, influential policy analyst during Cold War to be recognized with WVU Eberly College Alumni Recognition Award

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 16:36:00 EST

The Eberly College of Arts & Sciences at West Virginia University has named Joan Bird the newest recipient of its Alumni Recognition Award.

Bird’s career with the Central Intelligence Agency spanned three decades and placed her in key positions during the Cold War. She will accept her award in Morgantown at the Eberly College Awards and Honors Recognition Ceremony and Luncheon on April 16.

After obtaining a foreign languages degree in French from WVU, Bird pursued her graduate education in English literature at George Washington University while working at the CIA. She went on to have an extensive career at the CIA after completing her studies and became an influential member of the decision-making and analysis community during the Cold War.

“I majored in French and had one year of Russian at WVU,” Bird said. “Both languages were valuable tools during my career, which is how I believe foreign language students should view their language(s) skills in approaching a career, aside from a career in teaching.”

Bird began her career as an analyst for the CIA and went on to hold many influential positions. She served as the advisor to the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Conference on Disarmament, the chief intelligence advisor to the U.S. ambassador and U.S. delegation to the Defense and Space Talks, and a member of the U.S. intelligence and policy committee to formulate issues for the Conference on Disarmament. She also wrote the National Intelligence Memorandum on Soviet Commercial Space Policy and the National Intelligence Estimate on Soviet Policy relative to the U.S. Strategic Defense Initiative and developed intelligence support to the Naval War College annual global war games.

Drawing from her experiences with the CIA, Bird also co-authored the book “History of CIA Intelligence on the Warsaw Pact.” She currently works as an independent contractor for the agency, writing background essays for contextual purposes to accompany the release of historical documents.

Her trip to Morgantown this month will be only her second visit to the area since her graduation in 1959.

“I have many memories of WVU: football weekends; basketball games featuring either “Hot Rod” Hundley or Jerry West; Spring Spree weekend, the only time women could wear Bermuda shorts on campus—we didn’t wear slacks then at all,” said Bird.

“I also remember meeting friends at “Jimmy’s” between classes where Cokes were 5 cents in the bottle, 7 cents in a glass and a few more pennies for ice; hamburgers were 15 cents for one on a bun and 25 cents for two hamburgers on the same bun.”

For more information, contact Brenda Riggle, project coordinator for the Dean’s Office, at (304) 293-4611 ext: 5200 or briggle@wvu.edu.

WVU researchers look at cyberbullying victimization among college students

Thu, 31 Mar 2011 13:53:00 EST

The West Virginia University Department of Psychology has conducted the second survey in the world to date about college students who are bullied by someone via technology.

The findings were reported in March 2011 at the American Psychology and Law Society international conference in Miami, Fl.

Cyberbullying is repeated and intentional bullying using mediums of technology, such as the Internet and cell phones. Psychology Professor William Fremouw has been overseeing research done by one of his graduate students, Allison Schenk.

Schenk is doing her master’s thesis on the impact of cyberbullying among college students.

Schenk conducted an online survey on if and how undergraduate students at WVU were cyberbullied and she received 799 responses, 572 females and 227 males ranging in age from 18-24.

Of those 799, 69 said they were a victim of cyberbullying on more than one occasion. To get to that point, those 69 said they had both experienced cyberbullying at WVU and endorsed personally being the victim of at least one form of cyberbullying victimization four or more times. In addition, of those who have been cyberbullied four of them have attempted suicide.

The 69 students had higher occurrences of depression, anxiety and paranoia than the control group.

“It is easy for these bullies to hide behind a computer screen,” Schenk said.

There is current legislation being discussed on victims of cyberbullying. The Jason Flatt Act has been created to help people recognize suicide signs and increase prevention and education methods. The legislation was developed in memory of Jason Flatt, a young man who committing suicide after experiencing cyberbullying.

The West Virginia House of Delegates recently passed an Anti-Bullying Bill earlier this month. Now it is waiting to be approved by the state Senate.

The bill will give West Virginia schools authority to strengthen and enforce rules on bullying in schools and on buses. It also covers cyberbullying.

The next portion of Schenk’s research is going to look at the perpetrators of cyberbullying, as well as the people in their lives. Schenk said the parents, peers and partners of those who cyberbully will give some insight to their destructive and dangerous behavior. So far, there is no research on this subject.

WVU Week of Engagement to kick off Saturday, April 9

Tue, 29 Mar 2011 16:13:00 EST

The Week of Engagement takes place every April and is designed to showcase service and engagement on campus. During the week, students and student organizations participate in large scale service projects to benefit the community.

The week is sponsored by the Center for Civic Engagement. The co-sponsors are: the Student Government Association, WE CAN Recycling, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, WVU Student Affairs, and Coca-Cola.

Schedule of Events:

Saturday, April 9
ENGAGE Service Project – 12:00-3:00 p.m

Annual Heart Walk – 3:00-5:00 p.m.- Hazel Ruby McQuain Park

WVU Families and students are encouraged to participate in a 5K Heart Walk sponsored by the Student Government Association (SGA), with support from the Mountaineer Parents Club and the Center for Civic Engagement. The walk will begin at the Hazel Ruby McQuain Park and will proceed on the Rail Trail. The entry fee is $20 per participant and $10 for WVU students. Each participant will receive an official WVU Heart Walk t-shirt and pedometer. All proceeds support the Student Memorial Scholarship. Register here.

Tuesday, April 12

ENGAGE Service Project – 5:00-8:00 p.m.

Thursday, April 14

Engagement Celebration – 7:00-9:00 p.m.- Lakeview Golf Resort & Spa

Recipients of the Excellence in Civic Engagement Awards will be recognized at this special event. The Center for Civic Engagement staff will also highlight accomplishments from the past year. Event is by invitation only.

Friday, April 15

ENGAGE Service Project – 2:00-5:00 p.m.

For more information, visit: http://cce.wvu.edu/woe

Center for Civic Engagement accepting Excellence in Civic Engagement Award nominations

Mon, 28 Mar 2011 11:55:00 EST

The Center for Civic Engagement is accepting nominations for the Excellence in Civic Engagement Awards for the 2010-2011 academic year. Awards will be presented to one exemplary student, faculty/staff member, and community partner for demonstration of commitment to civic engagement and service. Recipients will be recognized at a special Engagement Celebration during the Week of Engagement, which takes place April 9-15, 2011.

We hope you will consider nominating some of your exemplary faculty or students.

For more information or to fill out the nomination form, please visit http://cce.wvu.edu/ceawards.

The nomination deadline is 5:00 p.m. on Friday, April 1st. For more information, contact Brett White at 304-293-8761 or by email at brett.white@mail.wvu.edu.

Social Work student coordinating clothing drive

Mon, 28 Mar 2011 11:19:00 EST

Amanda Friend, a master’s student in the Division of Social Work, is collecting women’s, children, and men’s clothing to donate to Christian Help until April 15. Clothing is being collected at Knapp Hall lounge, Health Science Center (in the cafeteria by the recycle bins and lobbies at the Evansdale Residential Complexl, Lincoln Hall, Pierpont Apartments, and the Honors Hall. Each location will have a box provided.
Christian Help is a non-profit organization that provides essential services of free clothing, food and emergency financial assistance for all sorts of emergency needs to the poor of Monongalia, Preston, and Marion counties.

WVU Leadership Studies scholarship applications now available for 2011-12

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 11:07:00 EST

The Leadership Studies Program at West Virginia University is now accepting applications for 2011-12 leadership scholarships.

Applications for the Milan Puskar Leadership Scholarship, for students enrolled in the leadership minor; West Virginia Roundtable David C. and Susan Hardesty Leadership Scholarship, for undergraduate students from West Virginia who have completed coursework in leadership; and the West Virginia Roundtable Robert R. Simpson, Jr. Leadership Scholarship, for alumni of the leadership minor who have been accepted to a graduate program, are available.

A complete list of criteria for each scholarship, and online applications are available on the Leadership Studies Web page: http://leadershipstudies.wvu.edu.

For any further questions, please contact the Leadership Studies Program office in Honors Hall at 304-293-8781.

WVU's Native American Studies Program announces 2011 Elder-in-Residence and symposium

Tue, 08 Mar 2011 15:54:00 EST

Gerard A. Baker, a full-blood member of the Mandan-Hidatsa Tribe of the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in Mandaree, North Dakota, will be the 2011 Elder-in-Residence for the Native American Studies Program at West Virginia University. Many recognize Baker from his appearance in a number of documentaries, including Ken Burns’ award-winning 2010 PBS series, “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea,” and “Lewis and Clark: the Journey of the Corps of Discovery.”

Baker will be in Morgantown from April 10 through 15, providing guest lectures to classes, a luncheon colloquium in the College of Human Resources and Education, attending a student meet-and-greet in the Division of Forestry and presenting a free, public lecture. The lecture is set for Tuesday, April 12 at 5:00 p.m. in Room G15 Life Sciences Building on the downtown campus. A reception in his honor begins at 4:30.

“Thanks to support from the West Virginia Division of Culture and History and others, this year’s elder-in-residence activities include a one-day symposium that’s an exciting regional outreach program for cultural resource management and public history professionals,” said Native American Studies Program Coordinator Bonnie Brown.

Baker will also take part in a one-day symposium, “Telling the Stories: American Indian Interpretation in the Trans-Allegheny Region,” on April 13th at the Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex auditorium in Moundsville, W.Va. The others presenters and their discussion topics for the symposium will be:

• John Boback, Director of Education at Southwest Pennsylvania’s Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village – “Interpreting the Domestic Side of American Indian Daily Life as a Corrective to the Warlike Brute Stereotype”

• Joe Candillo, (enrolled member, Pascua Yaqui Tribe of Arizona) Cultural Educator, artist and former Interpretive National Park Ranger – “Leaving the Indian Out: The Absence of Native Americans as Primary Educators at Native American-themed State Historic and Sacred Sites throughout the Eastern United States”

• Marti Chaatsmith, (Comanche Nation Citizen) Program Director, Ohio State University-Newark Earthworks Program – “The Newark Earthworks: Stakeholders, Interpretation, and Public History”

• Travis Henline, Site Manager for West Virginia’s Independence Hall and former Coordinator of Colonial Williamsburg Foundation’s American Indian Initiative – “A New Face at a Mythic Place: The American Indian Initiative at Colonial Williamsburg.”

• Mary Ellen Snyder, Chief of Visitor Services and Interpretation at Fort Necessity National Battlefield and Friendship Hill National Historical Site – “The Odawa Warriors’ Journey to Fort Necessity: Collaboration and Exhibit Development with the Little Traverse Bay Band of the Odawa”

There is no fee to attend the Moundsville symposium, but registration is required. To register for the symposium, please visit: http://simpleforms.scripts.wvu.edu/eberly/NAS_SymposiumRegistration/

At 2:00 p.m. the auditorium will open to the public for Baker’s keynote address.

Baker worked for the National Park Service for 31 of his 34 years with the federal government. He spent a three year stint with the United States Forest Service, during which time he served as an assistant district ranger. With the National Park Service, he worked as Superintendent of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail from 2000 to 2004. In that position, he managed the trails across 19 states and the traveling exhibit “Corps of Discovery II: 200 Years to the Future.”

Baker was also the Superintendent of Mount Rushmore National Memorial from 2004 until his retirement in 2010. There, he managed more than 1200 acres of land that attract almost three million visitors, annually. For three months, from April to July 2010, he also served as the Assistant Director for American Indian Relations of the National Park Service in Washington, D.C.

Now retired, he lives in the Black Hills of North Dakota with his wife, Mary Kay. He now has more time to focus on his hobbies, which include researching Northern Plains trade, American Indian history, studying the oral history of the Northern Plains and traditional crafts such as brain tanning.

The following have generously helped sponsor the 2011 Elder-in-Residence activities:
West Virginia University’s Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, the Carolyn Reyer Endowment for Native American Studies, the WVU Division of Forestry-Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Resources Program, the WVU Department of History-Cultural Resource Management Program, the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, Fort Necessity National Battlefield, and the WVU College of Human Resources and Education-Office for Diversity and Global Initiatives.

The lecture and reception are free and open to the public; however, the Moundsville Symposium requires advance registration, available at:
http://simpleforms.scripts.wvu.edu/eberly/NAS_SymposiumRegistration/

For more information, contact Bonnie M. Brown, coordinator of the Native American Studies Program, at (304) 293-4626 or bonniem.brown@mail.wvu.edu.

WVU's Department of English to host first annual gathering for alumni and friends

Wed, 23 Feb 2011 12:07:00 EST

West Virginia University alumni who have fond memories of discussing the literature, plays and structure that have made English great can now continue to do so at a yearly event.

The first English Gathering, or reunion, will be held March 5 for alumni and friends of the WVU Department of English.

“I am very excited about this event because it is the first time we have held a celebration for our alumni, retired faculty, and supporters,” said Donald Hall, chair of the WVU Department of English. “We strive hard to stay in contact with our many friends, but this gives us an opportunity to thank them face-to-face for their friendship and loyalty.”

A highlight of the gathering will be a presentation by Dr. Bill French, professor emeritus, who was a longtime teacher of Shakespeare’s plays. Dr. French’s talk on “Julius Caesar” will coincide with the College of Creative Arts’ current production of the play.

The gathering will be held in Colson Hall, the new home for the Department of English. The event begins at 12:30 p.m. on March 5 with the opportunity for participants to meet department faculty who are involved in special projects to give them a sense of what’s currently happening in the department.

Information on the Appalachian Prison Book project, the London Theatre Tour, and study abroad opportunities will be available that day. The Center for Literary Computing will be open as well as the Writing Center. At the Writing Center, graduate students will talk about their experiences teaching writing to freshmen and sophomores.

The gathering will also include information on professional writing and editing, Native American studies, and the upcoming Summer Seminar in Appalachian Folk and Fairy Tales. WVU Press will also have a display.

The department’s creative writers will perform at 2:15 p.m., and Dr. French’s talk will begin at 3 p.m. in 130 Colson Hall, followed by a reception to conclude the afternoon. All are welcome to the gathering, especially former students of Dr. French.

To R.S.V.P., please contact Marsha Bissett at Marsha.Bissett@mail.wvu.edu or call 304-293-9699. Also, those interested can visit http://english.wvu.edu and link to the Facebook page.

A Flock of Dodos comes to Morgantown: Humorous film analyses the debate over evolution and intelligent design

Fri, 18 Feb 2011 16:40:00 EST

If asked to describe what a dodo bird looked like, back when they existed, most people would draw a blank. The one thing people might know is that they were not very bright and they no longer exist.

In the documentary “A Flock of Dodos,” Randy Olson compares his fellow biologists to this breed of extinct bird. For a group of people that should be well equipped to learn from the mistakes of extinct species, Olson believes that they have done a dismal job in adapting to the current-day media hype surrounding the debate over evolution and intelligent design/creationism.

The documentary covers the need for scientists to be more concise, less arrogant and more humorous in dealing with the media and those who dispute the theory of evolution, lest they go the way of the dodo and wind up extinct.

The documentary will be screened at West Virginia University on Tuesday, February 22 in the Mountainlair’s Gluck Theatre at 7:00 pm.

Olson will be present to discuss the film and his take on the subject the following day on Wednesday, February 23. He will lecture in the Mountainlair’s Blue Ballroom at 6:00 pm.

Randy Olson is a scientist-turned-filmmaker. He is the writer-director of the feature films, Flock of Dodos: The Evolution-Intelligent Design Circus, and Sizzle: A Global Warming Comedy, and the author of “Don’t Be Such a Scientist: Talking Substance in an Age of Style.”

He earned his PhD in biology from Harvard in 1984 and was a tenured professor of marine biology at the University of New Hampshire until 1994, when he jokingly says he lost his mind and moved to Hollywood where he obtained his MFA in cinema from the University of Southern California in 1997. In 2002, he founded the Shifting Baselines Ocean Media Project, which partners with celebrities to bring more attention to the problem of ocean decline and to foster support for conservation efforts.

For more information about the lecture, contact Hawley Montgomery-Downs, assistant professor of psychology and coordinator of the behavioral neuroscience program, at (304) 293-2001 or Hawley.Montgomery-Downs@mail.wvu.edu.

Randall Kenan will be the 2010-11 Sturm Writer-in-Residence

Wed, 16 Feb 2011 11:43:00 EST

Randall Kenan, an award-winning author and professor of English at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, will read at 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 7, in the Gold Ballroom at the WVU Mountainlair.

Kenan has been chosen as the 2010-11 Sturm Writer in Residence. In addition to this public reading, Kenan will work with 12 WVU creative writing students for the remainder of the week.

Randall Kenan is the author of “Let the Dead Bury Their Dead,” a collection of short stories published in 1992 by Harcourt, Brace. It was nominated for the Los Angeles Times Book Award for Fiction, was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, and was among
The New York Times Notable Books of 1992.

He is also the author of A Visitation of Spirits, a novel published by Grove Press in 1989; a young adult biography of James Baldwin published in 1993; and “The Fire This Time,” a work of nonfiction, published in July 2007. He wrote the text for Norman Mauskoff ’s book of photographs, A Time Not Here: The Mississippi Delta (1997). Walking on Water: Black American Lives at the Turn of the Twenty-First Century was published by Alfred A. Knopf in 1999, and was nominated for the Southern Book Award.

“We are extraordinarily fortunate to have Randall Kenan come to WVU as our Sturm Writer-in-Residence,” said Mark Brazaitis, an associate professor of English and the director of the Creative Writing Program. “He is a superb craftsman who writes beautifully in a number of genres. I also understand he is a mesmerizing reader of his work.”

From 1985 to 1989, Kenan worked on the editorial staff of Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. In 1989 he began teaching writing at Sarah Lawrence College and Columbia University. He was the first William Blackburn Visiting Professor of Creative Writing at Duke University in the fall of 1994, and the Edourd Morot-Sir Visiting Professor of Creating Writing at UNC-Chapel Hill in 1995. He was the John and Renee Grisham Writer-in-Residence at the University of Mississippi, Oxford, Visiting Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Memphis, and held the Lehman Brady Professorship at the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University. He has also taught urban literature at Vassar College.

He is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Whiting Writers Award, the Sherwood Anderson Award, the John Dos Passos Award and was the 1997 Rome Prize winner from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He was awarded the North Carolina Award for Literature in 2005.

Students are selected for the Sturm Workshop on the basis of a campus-wide writing competition. Any student may submit a sample of writing for consideration. Those selected are among the University’s finest creative writers.

The reading, which will be followed by a reception and book signing, is free and open to the public.

For more information, contact Mark Brazaitis, director of Creative Writing, at (304) 293-9707. Mark.Brazaitis@mail.wvu.edu.

West Virginia University Press announces Regards Croisés: Perspectives on Digital Literature

Tue, 11 Jan 2011 16:07:00 EST

West Virginia University Press is pleased to announce the publication of Regards Croisés: Perspectives on Digital Literature. This collection of cutting-edge critical essays on literature gone digital is an important addition to existing research on digital literature, and will appeal to scholars of electronic writing, digital art, humanities computing, media and communication, and others interested in the field.

Co-edited by West Virginia University Associate Professor of English Sandy Baldwin and University of Paris 8 Assistant Professor of Hypermedia and Multimedia Philippe Bootz, this book offers a significant advance in the field through its wide-angle perspective that globalizes digital literature and diversifies the current critical paradigms.

Regards Croisés shows how digital literature connects with traditions and future directions of reading and writing communities all over the world. With contributions by authors from eight countries and three continents, the collection presents points of view on a transcontinental practice of digital literature. It also opens dialogues with expanded critical paradigms of digital literature, beyond earlier critical concern with the aesthetics of the screen as a space of hypertext links. Many of the essays recognize a rich history and ongoing literary practice engaged with the basic fact of the computer as a programmable device. Other essays explore the latest developments in social media and Web 2.0 as venues for digital literature. Regards Croisés shows the vibrant engagement of writers and readers with literary practice in a digital world.

Sandy Baldwin is Associate Professor of English and Director of the Center for Literary Computing at West Virginia University. As coordinator of the Center for Literary Computing at West Virginia University, he facilitates interdisciplinary research projects in the poetics of new media and the media ecology of literary institutions, using web-technologies, multimedia, hypertext, audio/video, and virtual environments. He publishes on the poetics and philosophy of digital writing and his solo and collaborative creative work is widely published and performed.

Philippe Bootz is Assistant Professor of Hypermedia and Multimedia at the University of Paris 8. Bootz holds PhDs in Physics and Sciences of Information and Communication and is the cofounder of L.A.I.R.E, a French collective in digital literature and Transitoire Observable, an international collective in programmed poetry.

Contributors Include: Shuen-Shing Lee, Alckmar Luiz dos Santos, Camille Paloque-Bergès, Eugenio Tisselli, Janez Strehovec, and Alexandra Saemmer, Sandy Baldwin, Philippe Bootz.

December 2010 • 128pp
PB ISBN 978-1-933202-47-1: $19.95
eBook ISBN 978-1-933202-48-8: $19.95

To learn more about this book or to purchase a copy, visit wvupress.com

For more information or to arrange an interview or appearance with the editors, contact Abby Freeland, Marketing Manager of WVU Press, at (304) 293-8400 ext. 33508 or abby.freeland@mail.wvu.edu.

West Virginia University Press/139 Stansbury Hall/Morgantown, WV 26506 USA www.wvupress.com.

Can grown-up siblings learn to get along?

Mon, 10 Jan 2011 11:26:00 EST

The sibling relationship is a love-hate affair from the get-go. But with effort, brothers and sisters of any age can shed old patterns and forge new bonds.

We consciously work to improve friendships and romantic relationships. But we take siblings – people whom we didn’t choose to be around, after all – for granted, says Scott Myers, associate professor of communication studies at West Virginia University.

Read more about sibling relationships in Psychology Today .