Graduate and Professional Student Association (GPSA) Phoenix Awards
The Graduate and Professional Student Association (GPSA) of OSU presented
its Phoenix Awards April 13. The Phoenix Award is the highest award
conferred by the GPSA; it honors outstanding members of the University
graduate and professional community who embody leadership, scholarship, and
involvement with, and concern for, the University and the community. One
Award is given annually in each of the following categories: master’s
student, doctoral student, and graduate faculty member. Recipients are
selected from applicants nominated by other graduate students or by graduate
faculty.
Winners are:
-
Master’s Student: Laurence
Pallez, Horticulture
-
Doctoral Student: Matthew
Tueth, Environmental
Sciences
-
Graduate Faculty: Dr. Francis
Epplin, Agricultural
Economics
Profiles of the winners follow.
Laurence Pallez
Ms. Pallez served as president of the Horticulture Club and was
instrumental in creating a warm and productive environment for fellow
students. Under her leadership, the Club developed an excellent working
relationship with the Department.
Pallez has worked closely with international students to help them adjust
to life at OSU, and has served also as a volunteer with the Study Abroad
Office. She has worked with incoming exchange students to facilitate their
adaptation to Stillwater, drawing on her own experience as an exchange
student. Other activities include the "I Wonder" Fair, the Human
Society, and the Worldwide Fund for Nature.
Matthew Tueth
Mr.Tueth was an Illinois state park superintendent prior to beginning his
Ph.D. work at OSU. He has taught a wide variety of courses for the Geography
Department and has twice co-organized and led a two-week field course on
natural resource management in the western states. He loves teaching and
helping students find new ways of viewing and respecting cultures from other
parts of the world.
Tueth is investigating factors that sustained three pre-Columbus
societies in Central and South America and is looking for applications for
those factors in contemporary society. He is an active member of the North
American Association for Environmental Education and the Society of
Environmental Scientists.
Francis M. Epplin
Dr. Epplin has been a member of the faculty of the Department of
Agricultural Economics since 1979, following receipt of his Ph.D. from Iowa
State University. He teaches courses in mathematical economics and
application of mathematical programming. He was honored four consecutive
years by the Agricultural Economics Graduate Student Association for
contributions to the graduate program. He has been nominated three times by
Ag Econ graduate students for the Graduate Student Council’s graduate
teaching award.
Epplin’s commitment to students shines through his involvement with
them: He has served as faculty adviser for the Agricultural Economics
Graduate Student Association since 1990. He was instrumental in the
initiation of an annual internal potluck dinner for all Ag Econ graduate
students, faculty, and their families. It has been so successful that it has
become a fall tradition.
He is major adviser to 1 master’s student and 5 Ph.D. students, and he
is a committee member for 9 other graduate students. He has served as on the
Department’s admission committee for 6 years, and as chairman twice. He
has served on the Department’s graduate examinations committee 12 years,
and as chairman 4 years.
Tech Transfer 2000
Oklahoma State University, the University of Oklahoma, and the University
of Tulsa, in conjunction with state agencies and industry, are sponsoring a
statewide conference to familiarize industry with university technologies
and to provide a forum for exploring additional avenues of cooperation
between industry and academia.
University administrators, leaders from industry, venture capital
experts, startup veterans, and government officials will speak about
technology transfer and economic development in Oklahoma. Dr. Ralph Hardy,
President of the National Agricultural Biotechnology Council, will also
address the conference. Dr. William A. Sibley, newly-installed president of
the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology, will
deliver the keynote address.
Tech Transfer 2000 will be held March 2, at the Marriott, 3233 NW
Expressway, Oklahoma City. Registration will begin at 8:00 a.m., and the
program will commence at 9:00. The day’s activities will conclude with a
reception, barbecue dinner, and keynote address in the evening.
The registration fee is $85 if registration is received by February 22,
and $100 thereafter. For further information, contact Shari Dunn, conference
coordinator, at 405-744-5827, or by e-mail at sharid@okstate.edu.
Internet2 Day
At Internet2 Day, you can learn information on global research, teaching,
and learning through the cutting edge virtual laboratory and
classroom. Additionally, a number of vendors will have products
available for demonstration. These have been selected because they are
representative of technologies which can facilitate and enhance distance
education and research collaborations.
Internet2 Day is scheduled for March 7 from 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. and is
sponsored by the Oklahoma EPSCoR. All faculty, administrators,
and other colleagues are encouraged to attend.
Center for Research in Information and Telecommunications Technology (CRIT2)
The College of Business Administration has recently established the Center
for Research in Information and Telecommunications Technology (CRIT2). Under
the direction of Dr. Ramesh Sharda, Conoco Chair and Regents Professor of Management
Science and Information Systems, CRIT2 will provide a forum for
interdisciplinary research and foster the development of a critical mass in information
technology (IT) research at OSU, leading to greater visibility and prominence in the
field. Sharda stated that the goal for CRIT2 is to enable OSU to become a
national leader in IT.
CRIT2 will engender and enhance collaboration between researchers from a
wide range of disciplines, including, telecommunications, information systems, computer
science, electrical and computer engineering, industrial engineering, finance, accounting,
economics, marketing, and management. The establishment of CRIT2 will
strengthen linkage with industry through an industry advisory board to encourage dialog
between practicing business leaders, researchers, and educators.
The new center will provide research and teaching fellowships, feature a distinguished
lecture series, and focus on publication in top journals and other activities to emphasize
OSU’s high-quality research. Initial research conducted through CRIT2 is
expected to focus on data mining, e-commerce, telecommunications management, knowledge
management, enterprise resource planning, and strategic and organizational impacts of
information technology.
Celebrating 6 Million Patents
To celebrate the issuance of the sixth millionth patent by the United
States Patent Office, the OSU Patent and Trademark Library is sponsoring a
conference on February 8 and 9, 2000. Scheduled in the Wes Watkins Center
for International Trade Development, the conference is designed to be of
interest to attorneys, agents, faculty, students, and inventors.
Experts from the US Patent Office will provide insights about patent
searches, the patent process, operations and career opportunities at the
USPO, and future trends. Dr. Mindy Fleisher of Columbia University and Dr.
Guven Yalcintas, director of Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer
at OSU, will discuss AFaculty as
Inventors.@ Sessions of interest
to the private inventor are also scheduled. A reception will be held to
honor OSU personnel who were issued patents in 1999.
Attend all or selected sessions. The conference and reception are
free, but you must register. Call 744-7086 to register or for more
information.
The conference agenda can be viewed at http://www.library.okstate.edu/dept/patents/6million.htm.