Video message from Chancellor Ringeisen

Chancellor Richard D. Ringeisen has a video message about the U of I Board of Trustees’ visit to the UIS campus and the latest on the search for a new U of I President.

UIS team places in Cisco NetRiders competition

University of Illinois Springfield students Steve Fischer and Ryan Stalets competed in the 2009 Cisco NetRiders Skills Challenge in Chicago, Illinois on Wednesday, November 4, 2009. They advanced from the Statewide Qualifier placing first in the top 10 highest-scoring teams from across the state of Illinois.

Fischer and Stalets were invited to the Stage Two Competition at the Cisco Systems office where they placed third. Ken Gaines, Cisco Area Vice President, presented the awards as well as an invitation for both Fischer and Stalets to spend a day with a Cisco Systems Engineer.

The Stage Two competition held at Cisco included a theoretical session, answering 100 questions in 60 minutes, followed by a hands-on session, troubleshooting a five router network scenario.

Fischer is a senior from Springfield, Illinois majoring in Computer Science at UIS and is completing an Internship at Archer Daniels Midland. Team Captain Ryan Stalets from Riverton, Illinois is currently a UIS freshman majoring in Computer Science and is employed by the Ball-Chatham School District.

“This is an exciting opportunity to visit a leading-edge global industry leader with state-of-the-art technology, meet with IT professionals, and compete with peers in an interactive environment,” said Janis Rose, instructor of Computer Science at UIS.

Cisco is playing a critical role in the US economic recovery by preparing students for the sustainable jobs that government, education and industry all agree will fuel America’s ability to innovate and compete, not just today, but in the future. As the focus turns to infrastructure, Cisco’s Networking Academy provides students with critical networking skills to design, build and maintain the infrastructure highway that both the public and private sector now depend on for sustainability.

For more information about the awards contact Janis Rose, instructor of Computer Science at rose.janis@uis.edu or 217/206-8246.

UIS shows off research and achievement using Pecha Kucha presentation style

UIS faculty and students used the groundbreaking presentation style known as Pecha Kucha to show members of the University of Illinois Board of Trustees their accomplishments during a reception on Wednesday, November 10, 2009.

Pecha Kucha, pronounced "pe-chak-cha" started in Japan in 2003 and when translated into English means “chit-chat”. During a Pecha Kucha event, speakers use images that match the topic they are discussing. The presenters are often limited to five minutes a piece or less to discuss their topic. The format allows for a “mixer” like style where people are often standing and moving around, but still listening to the message.

The Board of Trustees Pecha Kucha presentation featured a variety of topics with the goals of engagement, enlightenment, and energy in mind.

The following faculty and students spoke at the event:

“Building the Brainstem” – Rebecca Landsberg, Assistant Professor of Biology

“From UIS to the Real World” – Sarah M. Hartwick, UIS Graduate Student and Illinois Legislative Staff Intern through the Center for State Policy & Leadership

“Remembering Rickets” – Deborah Kuhn McGregor, Professor of History and Women & Gender Studies

“Re-Thinking Education” – Ray Schroeder, Professor Emeritus / Director of the Center for Online Learning, Research & Service and Shari McCurdy Smith, Associate Director of the Center for Online Learning, Research & Service

“Sustainability in Mind” – Tih-Fen Ting, Associate Professor of Environmental Studies

“Global Scholarship and the UIS Music Classroom” – Sharon Graf, Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology

“Ancient Peru Study Abroad” – Stanislaw Adam Lipski, UIS Capital Scholars Honors Undergraduate Student, double-majoring in sociology/anthropology and political science

“Civic Engagement at UIS” – Kelly Thompson, Director of the UIS Volunteer Center, Division of Student Affairs

“Nanotechnology in Central Illinois” – Keenan Dungey, Associate Professor of Chemistry

“UIS’ Therkildsen Field Station at Emiquon” – Michael Lemke, Associate Professor of Biology and Director of the UIS Emiquon Field Station and Michael Purnell, Emiquon Advisory Board Member and UIS Alumnus

UIS Outstanding Master's Thesis Award

The University of Illinois Springfield Research Board has awarded Communication master’s student Kelsi Megan Kerns with the UIS Outstanding Master’s Thesis Award for the 2008-2009 academic year. Kerns wrote her thesis on the topic of Does Hannah Montana Really Do Homework? A Content Analysis on the Portrayal of School in the Popular Disney Channel Series.

Eight graduate programs nominated finalists for the award. Each of the submitted thesis/projects have, thus, already received departmental recognition for excellence and will be publicly honored at a reception on January 25, 2010.

The Research Board was impressed with the high quality of all these scholarly works. Determining which among them should be singled out for special recognition was a challenging task.

Outstanding Master’s Thesis/Projects: 2008-2009

The thesis/projects of the following students received their departments’ Outstanding Thesis or Project Awards for 2008-2009.

Communication - UIS Outstanding Master’s Thesis Award for 2008-2009
Kelsi Megan Kerns
Committee Chair: Kathy Jamison
Does Hannah Montana Really Do Homework? A Content Analysis on the Portrayal of School in the Popular Disney Channel Series

Biology
Jaclyn Michelle Negor
Committee Chair: Michael Lemke
Review of Secondary Production Concepts and Benthic Macroinvertebrate Production Estimates from Two Illinois River, IL Wetlands

History
Nicole Louis
Committee Chair: Deborah McGregor
The Healthiest City in the World: Chicago and the Spanish Influenza Epidemic of 1918

English
Erin Tepen
Committee Chair: Sara Cordell
Beyond the Masquerade: The Hysteric's Discourse in Edith Wharton's House of Mirth and the Age of Innocence

Environmental Studies
Abby Hahne
Committee Chair: Tih-Fen Ting
Communicating Risk through Use of an Interactive Mapping Application: Designing and Publishing Illinois Superfund Risk Information for the Federal Site Remediation Section of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency

Human Services
Kristen Bein
Committee Chair: Denise Sommers
Harnessing Our Collective Power: Research on the Creation of a Feminist Management Model

Liberal and Integrative Stuides
Michael J. Kim
Committee Chair: Karen Kirkendall
Skills Coaches as Part of the Educational Team: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Teaching of a Basic Surgical Skill in the Laboratory Setting

Management Information Systems
Isaac Lee Abbs
Committee Chair: Yifeng Zhang
A Web-Enabled Data Mart for the City of Tucson Election Data

WUIS statehouse reporter selected for International Berlin Capital Program

WUIS/Illinois Public Radio statehouse reporter Amanda Vinicky has been selected by the German-American Fulbright Commission to spend one week learning about media and politics in Germany. Vinicky is one of only 15 young journalists from the United States to be selected for the Berlin Capital Program, and will be leaving Springfield on November 13th. The award includes all program costs, round-trip transportation from the U.S. to Germany, health insurance during the seminar and a per diem allowance for meals, lodging, and local travel.

“Just as the media landscape is changing in the U.S., the shape of news in Germany is also evolving,” Vinicky said. “I’ll have the opportunity learn first-hand about similarities and differences in each country’s journalistic culture through meetings with German reporters and visits to some of the country’s top tier newspaper, TV and radio stations – including a stop at a public broadcasting studio. As a statehouse reporter, I’m sure I will enjoy the scheduled seminars on German politics and a visit to Parliament’s press office. It’s also the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, so it’s a particularly exciting and dynamic time to be in the city.”

Vinicky has been reporting for WUIS public radio for nearly 4 years out of its bureau in the state capitol press room. During that time, Vinicky has got to cover major events like the impeachment of former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. She’s a 2003 graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she majored in Journalism and Political Science. In 2005 she earned her master’s degree through the UIS Public Affairs Reporting program.

In Germany Vinicky will explore how political, economic and cultural factors shape German society, and how they affect German-American relations and public opinions. The journalists will also study the changing media landscape in the country and how journalists are preparing to work in tradition and new media. The trip includes several tours of German media outlets as well as some free time to explore the country.

The Berlin Capital Program is administered annually by the German-American Fulbright Commission on behalf of the German Foreign Office, which provides the funds for the seminar. The one-week program is conducted in English.

UIS Computer Science Professor speaks at International conference

Dr. Keith Miller, the Louise Hartman Schewe and Karl Schewe Professor of Computer Science at the University of Illinois Springfield recently spoke at the Unmanned Systems Canada Conference in Victoria, British Columbia.

The annual conference was about “unmanned vehicle systems,” which include remote controlled tanks, the Mars rovers, and Predator missile launchers, and was attended by military, industry and academic experts.

“I was speaking on the ethics of UVS design, development, and deployment. The session was well attended, and the discussion was lively, spilling over after my time was up,” said Miller. “People at this meeting are making life and death decisions about robotics and munitions, and they seemed open, even eager, to explore the issues. I was told that ethics questions were raised in other sessions, but that my session was the one that tackled the issues most directly.”

The trip was made possible by funds from Schewe Professorship that Miller received in September, 2009.

“A year ago, I would have said ‘no’ to this invitation. They didn't offer to pay my way, and it wasn't a cheap trip. But with the Schewe money, and with my goal of involving different global voices in a book project, this was a natural,” said Miller.

Miller has been invited back to speak at next year’s meeting in 2010, possibly in an expanded format.

Third annual Dr. Matthew Holden, Jr. Symposium Lecture held at Jackson State University

University of Illinois Springfield Professor of Political Science Dr. Matthew Holden, Jr. was recently honored during the annual symposium and lecture that bears his name. The event was held on Thursday, November 5, 2009 at Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi.

Dr. Holden is the first Wepner Distinguished Professor in Political Science at UIS and is a nationally recognized expert on public administration, politics and law, urban politics and racial and ethnic relations.

"I had never expected to have a lecture named for me, and at first would not agree. But it has happened and frankly is wonderful. It is greatly encouraging that others perceive one’s own work as an example to be cited. The lecture is an effort to disseminate knowledge on a broad basis, not merely inside the classroom but to a public and community outside," said Dr. Holden.

The Symposium Lecture was given by Dr. Glenn Loury, Merton P. Stoltz Professor of the Social Sciences and Economics at Brown University. The title of the lecture was “Barack Obama and the Future of the Black Prophetic Tradition”.

“The first three lecturers—Ira Katznelson, Theda Sokocpol, and now Glenn Loury ---are all persons of such caliber that they outrank oneself by a long mile,” said Dr. Holden. “Next year’s invited lecturer, Dianne Pinderhughes, will equally enrich the list. Her work on African American participation, and the Voting Rights Act, will also be relevant to the course I am going to offer on “The Changing Regime".

Dr. Holden was not able to attend this year’s lecture, due to teaching commitments at UIS, but his wife, Dorothy, was able to represent them both at the symposium.

In 2004, Dr. and Mrs. Holden donated their personal library of more than 4,000 volumes to the Jackson State University Center for University Scholars. The Center facilitates faculty research productivity and encourages academic discourse. It hosts an annual symposium for recipients of summer research grants. In recognition of Professor Holden’s accomplishments and his generous donation to JSU, the Center has named a reading room and this lecture in his honor.

Priyanka Deo honored with Student Laureate Award

University of Illinois Springfield senior Priyanka Deo will be honored with the Student Laureate Award during a ceremony at the Old State Capitol in Springfield on November 7, 2009. Deo is the only recipient chosen to speak at the ceremony out of a group of more than 50 students.

Each year an outstanding senior from each of the four-year degree-granting institutions of higher learning in Illinois is awarded the Student Lincoln Academy Medallion and thereby becomes a Student Laureate of The Lincoln Academy of Illinois. Student Laureates are honored for their overall excellence in curricular and extracurricular activities.

“Coming from India, it is personally a great honor for me to be recognized as an Illinoisan for my academic and extracurricular career. Winning this award makes me more determined to do great things and contribute to the betterment of our world in the future,” said Deo.

Deo is now a U.S. citizen and preparing for a career in law. Since her freshman year, Priyanka has held an internship with the Downstate Illinois Innocence Project. She has been involved in several extra-curricular activities, including forensics team and women’s varsity tennis team. Ms. Deo serves as a peer tutor and mentor for UIS’ Capital Scholars Honor Program, and as the Chairperson of the Housing Residence Council. She recently chaired National Model United Nations and won best delegate out of 400 students from competing universities. That honor presented her an invitation to the Global United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland this past summer.

Priyanka has been recognized in front page articles by the Chicago Tribune and State Journal-Register for her work with the Innocence Project, and has won a national tournament in parliamentary debate. She is trained in classical Indian dancing and does choreographing for various international festivals and off-campus shows in the Springfield area.

Priyanka is majoring in Political Science in the College of Public Affairs and Administration and Anthropology in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. With all of her interests and activities, Priyanka has still maintained a 3.98 GPA at UIS, and is currently a resident assistant on campus. She plans to pursue a JD/PhD in international criminal law.

In addition to receiving the Student Laureate Medallion Priyanka will also receive a certificate of achievement and a check for $150 to cover travel and other expenses.

For more information contact Blake Wood, UIS Public Relations at 217/206-6716 or bwood8@uis.edu.