College of Arts & Sciences News @ FVSU

Tuck composition moves Founder's Day audience

clinem — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 16:43:50 -0500

“Fort Valley State University’s founders are smiling. It was one of the most moving moments of the ceremony,” says Dorothy Crumbly, retired FVSU interim vice president of advancement and research, who described the impact of a song she heard for the first time during the 2008 Founders’ Day ceremony. FVSU Concert Choir Director Alvin Tuck quietly stepped away from television coverage after President-elect Barack Obama won the presidential election on Tuesday, Nov. 4. Tuck took a seat at his computer and began writing an original composition titled, “I Have a Dream”.

“I taught it to the students Wednesday. We rehearsed it only twice,” he said. The song, performed in three verses flows in a moderate tempo.

The dream is still alive. The dream is still alive. The dream that God gave to Martin is burning in my heart. The love of people for each other not for the color of their skin. God made us all to live together, to live together as friends. Grasp this dream. Make it live. Let’s keep the dream alive.

“It means all the work of Martin Luther King is alive. Not only King’s, but the dream of Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman and the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who shed tears during Barack Obama’s acceptance speech,” said Rickey Porter, FVSU sophomore and a music major.

“The program acknowledged our family with a sense of pride. The song made our family’s dream relative to students and encourage them to press on and have dreams,” said Marcy Hunt-Harris after a wreath was laid at the gravesite of her great grandfather Henry Alexander Hunt.

The choir heads to Chicago and Detroit later this month to perform concerts at churches, high schools and Rev. Jackson’s Operation Push headquarters during a Saturday morning service. The new song will be featured in their 10-song repertoire. Last year, the chorale presented 30 concerts including a performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.

Since Tuck’s tenure at FVSU, the public profile of the group has increased. Now the 70-member ensemble is in demand.

Biology department receives NSF grant

clinem — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 08:22:29 -0400

Aphids, grasshoppers, potato beetles and squash bugs are annoying infestations that farmers battle year-round using deadly insecticides. But soon, agriculturalists will have a less-poisonous, more eco-friendly way to control the common pests. Fort Valley State University’s biology department received a $146,947 grant from the National Science Foundation to upgrade its entomology program which studies insects, their chemical ecology and pathology.

Drs. George N. Mbata, Dwayne Daniels and Melinda Davis, are the principal grant writers. The team believes the grant will accomplish two milestones: 1) produce research that results in environmentally-friendly, chemical-free methods to eliminate bugs and 2) increase the number of minority students interested in becoming entomologists.

“Usually, farms spend more than $30 billion annually on pesticides to protect their crops and endure $5 billion in losses to insect damage,” said Mbata. “The current trend is to reduce the use of pesticides in integrated pest management (IPM). In the laboratory, we will teach students how to deploy chemical ecology tools in the management of insect populations. Students will also gain experiences in the use of natural enemies such as insects and nematodes in the regulation of pest populations.”

Currently, only 2 percent of American entomologists are minorities. According to Mbata, the department of biology is updating its program to boost the academic preparation of students majoring in the course. The objectives include: developing course reforms that include laboratory experiments in insect semiochemicals (chemicals used for communication) and pathology (natural enemies of insects), enhancing and broadening faculty research, enhancing the quality of research for entomology students, partnering with entomology scientists in research facilities such as the USDA facility in Byron and Auburn University, and enhancing transitional activities to get students into graduate school.

Two to represent FVSU at Kennedy Center

clinem — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 09:26:08 -0400

The best vocalists from the nation’s Historically Black College and University choirs will gather Sunday, Sept. 7 at the Kennedy Center for an unforgettable performance celebrating the musical virtuosity of African-American conductors: “105 Voices of History.” Chorale Director Alvin Tuck, the event’s national festival chairperson, and senior choir member Lateshia Scott will represent Fort Valley State University at the concert. Tony-Award Winning actress Phylicia Rashad will serve as mistress of ceremonies.

“105 Voices in History” is a White House initiative designed to showcase the talents of African-American composers and the nation’s HBCUs. FVSU was one of 20 universities chosen to lay the groundwork for the Kennedy Center performance. Tuck was also responsible for the conductor and choir selection for the event.

“I am extremely excited to represent FVSU at such a stellar performance with some of the nation’s best musicians,” said Tuck. “It is a White House initiative for the preservation of HBCU choirs. This is the first time that conductors and students from all the black colleges in America will be coming together for a national concert.”

The 105 Voices Choir will perform songs composed by Chaney University professor Damon Dandridge, Norfolk State Choir Director Dr. Carl Haywood and Howard University’s Dr. James Weldon Norris.

A conductor’s summit will precede the concert on Sept. 4 and 5. Participants will discuss how to recruit and retain students for music programs, how to build collaboration between the nation’s HBCUs and how to enhance performance opportunities for multiple HBCUs.

To watch the performance by live Web cast, visit http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/millennium.

FVSU’s Mathematics, Computer Science and Computer Technology Program welcomes new chair

clinem — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:49:33 -0400

Don’t let the quiet, unassuming demeanor of Dr. James E. Glover fool you. The math scholar’s curriculum vita is packed with credentials and a rich background in computer programming. Glover attended Ivy League schools, worked for the nation’s top aerospace firms and through his designs, skills and knowledge assisted in facilitating safe space shuttle launches for the National Aeronautics and Space Agency. This month, he was hired as a professor and chair of Fort Valley State University’s Mathematics, Computer Science and Computer Information Systems Department.

“I hope to increase the level of enthusiasm for mathematics and the sciences which has followed me over the years,” said Glover. “I bring a wide range of technical experience to the teaching arena, as well.”

Glover earned a Ph.D. from Auburn University in combinatorial analysis; a M.A.T. in Mathematics from Harvard University and a master’s degree from State University of New York at Stony Brook. He received a Bachelor of Science at Langston University in mathematics with a minor in chemistry.

Glover has more than 20 years of experience in mathematical sciences, engineering and teaching at several universities, most recently Palm Beach Atlantic University. He taught differential equations, the calculus sequence, discrete mathematics, probability theory, number theory, statistics, matrix theory, linear and abstract algebra. Glover has expertise in VS-FORTRAN and C computer languages. He continually develops statistical applications and reliability analysis software.

The mathematician has worked in climatology: studying the effects of weather and lightning, stress facture mechanics: examining the effects of cracks on airplane parts, finite element structural analysis: analyzing different stresses on finite structures like buildings, and aerospace engineering: which studies the launching of aerospace vehicles. Several of the nation’s top engineering firms such as McDonnell Douglas (Boeing) Corporation, Richard J. Bigda and Associates (Chemical Engineering Consultants), The Aerospace Corporation, and Brookhaven National Laboratory (Fast Reactor Safety Division) are Glover’s past employers. He has also worked for NASA’s Langley Research Center Structures and Dynamics Division, the Goddard Institute for Space Studies, the John F. Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and the San Diego Naval Research and Development Laboratory (NRAD/SPAWR).

In addition to helping students on campus, Glover plans outreach activities to assist young people attending Middle Georgia secondary schools. He has also served with the Youth Motivational Task Force in Los Angeles.

FVSU gains Bioinformatics Laboratory

clinem — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:54:44 -0400

Bioinformatics, a cutting-edge field which integrates biology and computer science, has enabled scientists to analyze the structure of DNA, develop new treatments for terminal diseases and grow insect-resistant crops. FVSU’s Department of Mathematics and Computer Science has received a $198,404 grant from the U.S. Department of Defense’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities/Minority Institutions program to create a state-of-the-art bioinformatics laboratory housed in the W.W.E. Blanchet Computer, Technology and Mathematics Building.

“Bioinformatics is used for human, plant and animal genome mapping to understand diseases and to identify new molecular targets for drug discovery, gene therapy and economic production of healthy food items,” said principal investigator Dr. Ramana Gosukonda, a FVSU professor of mathematics and computer science.

The bioinformatics laboratory includes a powerful server and computers equipped with industry-standard data acquisition and analysis systems such as Genetics Computer Group software, Matlab and Oracle. The lab is equipped with interactive learning and teaching technologies, wireless networking and audio-video systems. It is designed to provide technological support for courses in biology, chemistry, mathematics and physics.

Gosukonda worked closely with Dr. Deepa Arora, professor of biology, Dr. Masoud Naghedollfeizi, professor of computer science, Dr. Josephine Davis, professor of mathematics, and Dr. Sanjeev Arora, professor of physics, to establish the facility.

Bioinformatics and computational biology use applied mathematics, informatics, statistics, computer science, artificial intelligence, chemistry and biochemistry to develop cures for diseases on a molecular level. Computers are often used to solve the large equations associated with such applications. Other areas of research often include sequence alignment, gene finding, genome assembly and protein structure alignment and prediction.

An official open house will be held in the fall, when the majority of students and staff return on campus.

Forensic society holds spring competition

clinem — Wed, 28 May 2008 13:36:52 -0400

The blockbuster hit, “The Great Debaters,” shined a spotlight on forensic teams at Historically Black Colleges and Universities who excelled in spite of exceptional odds. Recently, six of Fort Valley State University’s best orators followed in the legendary footsteps of Henry Lowe and James Farmer Jr. of the 1935 Wiley College Debating Team during the J.C. Hill Forensic Inaugural Spring Semester Invitational Competition held in the C. W. Pettigrew Center. Competitors presented their best persuasive arguments to wow judges and win over the audience.

According to Dr. Andrew Lee, advisor to FVSU’s debate team, the competition is a tribute to J.C. Hill, who was the award-winning director of forensics at the university for more than 28 years. Hill died in 2003.

For the competition, FVSU professors were asked to nominate students from their classes to compete. From the nominations, six were selected to advance. Three judges – Dr. Berlethia Pitts, Alecia Livatt and Jeraldine Walker – decided the winners. Trophy winners this year were Brian Hill who placed first, and won the coveted $300 cash award. Second-place winner Toni Rucker won $100; third place winner Stephanie Jefferson, $100.

According to Lee, the purpose of the competition is to encourage critical thinking. “Through this competition, we are reaching out to inspire young people. Our motto is to pursue intellectual genius and oratorical excellence,” Lee said. “Our university wants to sharpen the critical thinking skills of students, and enhance their marketability and employability. Great writing and speaking skills make the difference between those who get employed or not.”

Three members of the J.C. Forensic Society Debate Team presented scenes from “The Great Debaters” during the competition. The program also featured a video presentation of Professor Hill’s last known interview. A posthumous award was presented to Hill’s family. All competitors were awarded certificates.

College of Arts and Sciences names associate dean

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 08:48:36 -0400

Fort Valley State University’s College of Arts and Sciences recently named Dr. B. Keith Murphy as its permanent associate dean. Murphy has served as the interim associate dean since Oct. 2006.

“I really enjoy this opportunity,” said Murphy. “Everyday is a new challenge.”

Murphy began at FVSU as an associate professor of English. He earned a bachelor’s degree in radio and television from Morehead State University, a master’s degree in communications from Miami University and a Ph.D. in Rhetoric from Ohio University in 1988.

He served for seven years as the director of forensics at Indiana University – Perdue at Fort Wayne. While serving in that capacity, he began working at FVSU in 1995 and won Georgia Coach of the Year in 2001 – the National Forensics Association’s top award for service.

FVSU College of Arts and Sciences Dean Dr. Joyce Jenkins is thrilled that Murphy brings technological and web design expertise to the department. “Dr. Murphy is an ideal match for the College of Arts and Sciences. He brings many needed skills to this position,” she said. “I’m pleased with his ability to mediate conflicts that arise and his rapport with students and the faculty.”

Murphy will be presenting a paper on Internet security before the Oxford Round Table in England beginning Sunday, March 23.