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SHSU Update For Week Of Jan. 30
- Biology Lecture To Trace Dinosaur-Bird Lineage
- Department Seeks SHSU’s Finest For Sammy Nominations
- Job Fair To Bring Agricultural Agencies To Campus
- Art Profs To Discuss Their Works
- SAM Center To Give Study Tips
- Money Management Center Earns National Recognition
- Alumni Club Earns Second In Arbor Day Competition
- Calendar Information Sought For Spring
- Send Update Items Here
Biology Lecture To Trace Dinosaur-Bird Lineage
Bhart-Anjan Bhullar, a doctoral student in Harvard University’s organismic and evolutionary biology department, will discuss his research on "The deep evolution and development of the bird face" on Thursday (Feb. 3).
The Biological Sciences Department Seminar Series lecture will begin at 4 p.m. in Lee Drain Building Room 214.
Bhullar’s lecture will focus on “the biology of one of the most compelling evolutionary stories of all, the dinosaur-bird transition,” he said.
“Birds are living dinosaurs, and I will first discuss the deep history of the bird face and its sequential, gradual assembly along the ‘ruling reptile,’ or archosaur lineage, using paleontology and comparative anatomy,” he said. “I will then discuss how each of these evolutionary steps can be dissected using the tools of modern molecular developmental biology, using comparative molecular data from alligators and lizards as well as mutant phenotypes and direct experimental manipulation to replicate ancestral conditions in chickens.
“I will cover the anatomical and developmental evolution of the distinctive bird ‘beak’ or bill from the nonavian reptilian condition,” he said. “Adaptations of the bill have been a major factor in the great radiation of modern birds—it is a key evolutionary innovation.”
Bhullar said his discussion will stress the importance of taking an interdisciplinary approach to biological studies.
“Students will see evidence that they need not be limited to a single field of biological inquiry,” he said. “Indeed, addressing the big questions always requires input from multiple fields.”
Bhullar earned his bachelor’s degree from Yale University and his master’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin. He anticipates receiving his doctorate in 2013.
Held each Thursday, the Biological Sciences Department Seminar Series is intended for the public and addresses current research being conducted by a guest professor in a way that the general public can understand. All lectures are open to the public.
For more information, contact Madhu Choudhary, assistant professor of biological sciences, at 936.294.4850.
Department Seeks SHSU’s Finest For Sammy Nominations
The Student Activities Department is seeking SHSU’s outstanding students, organizations and advisers for the 17th Annual Sammy Awards.
“The Sammys serve as the official student award ceremony and really showcases our amazing student accomplishments,” said Brandon Cooper, Student Activities assistant director. “The awards are a way for the university to recognize the outstanding students and organizations that we have.”
Sammy awards will be given to 18 individuals and organizations, nominated by the university community at large, as well as four individual graduating students and faculty/staff members, who are recognized for their “outstanding contributions and service to the university,” Cooper said.
In addition, five awards representing excellent service from a student in each of SHSU’s colleges will be awarded, nominated strictly by members of the SHSU faculty within each student’s college.
Students nominated for individual awards must have a minimum overall grade point average of 2.5 and meet the minimum hours required for the class standings in which they are nominated.
Nomination forms, available online through the Student Activities Web site, should be returned to the Department of Student Activities, located in the Lowman Student Center Suite 328; through campus mail to SHSU Box 2507; or faxed to 936.294.3652.
Nominations for Sammy Awards are due by 5 p.m. on Feb. 10. College “Excellence in Service” nominations are due by 5 p.m. on Feb. 18.
"This is such a great time of year, when we are able to seek out those individual students and student organizations who have gone above and beyond for their university,” Cooper said.
“We encourage your participation and support of the Sammys,” he said. “It is a wonderful opportunity for all to recognize the amazing people SHSU has to offer.”
This year’s Sammy Awards ceremony will be held at 6 p.m. on April 13 in the James and Nancy Gaertner Performing Arts Center Concert Hall. Emcees were announced Thursday (Jan. 27) night to be senior Ashly Poyer and junior Cody Wall, and the announcer will be sophomore Erik Johnson.
For more information, call 936.294.3861 or e-mail sammyawards@shsu.edu.
Job Fair To Bring Agricultural Agencies To Campus
Representatives from 13 different agricultural-related entities will be on campus Tuesday (Feb. 1) to speak with students about full-time jobs and internships during the Agricultural and Industrial Sciences Career Fair.
The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Lowman Student Center Ballroom.
Among the agencies scheduled to attend are Bayer Crop Science; Consolidated Electrical Distributors, Inc.; Fastenal Company; H-E-B; Hertz Corporation; Texas AgriLife Extension Service; the Texas Department of Agriculture’s pesticide program; Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s game warden training academy; The Brickman Group; Valleycrest Landscape Maintenance; and Wabash Antiques and Feed.
In addition, SHSU’s agricultural and industrial sciences department and Texas Christian University’s ranch management program will be on hand to discuss further educational opportunities.
The event is open to students from all academic backgrounds, with employees being sought for positions in management and accounting, retail, advertising and communications, manufacturing, travel and tourism and law enforcement and security, as well as other agricultural-related jobs.
Students who are registered on Jobs 4 Kats can get a jumpstart on finding a job or internship by logging on, at https://www.myinterfase.com/shsu/student/, to find a complete list of participating agencies, as well as position descriptions of positions they are hiring for, according to Paige Loft, job fair and special events coordinator.
For more information, contact Career Services at 936.294.1713 or careerservices@shsu.edu.
Art Profs To Discuss Their Works
In conjunction with the 51st Annual Art Faculty Exhibit, two visiting professors will discuss their work in a new series designed to introduce the SHSU and Huntsville communities to the faculty and their work.
Visiting assistant professor Bill Davenport will speak as part of the Art Visiting Faculty Lecture Series on Thursday (Feb. 3) at 5 p.m. in the Art Auditorium, located in Art Building E Room 108.
Davenport teaches in the department’s Workshop in Art Studio History program, a two-part, introduction course that includes both studio and lecture components.
On Feb. 8, visiting assistant professor of painting and drawing Tudor Mitroi will talk about his artwork “in connection to my background—I got my Master of Fine Arts degree in the United States, but I grew up in Romania—and my interest in maps,” he said. Mitroi joined the art faculty in the fall.
This lecture will also be held at 5 p.m. in the Art Auditorium.
The Art Visiting Faculty Lecture Series was designed as “a way for our students, faculty and community to become familiar with their works and ideas,” said Annie Strader, assistant professor of art.
The 51st Annual Art Faculty Exhibit, currently on display in the Gaddis Geeslin Gallery, located in Art Building F, will close on Feb. 10.
For more information, contact Debbie Harper, audio/visual librarian for the art department, at 936.294.1317.
SAM Center To Give Study Tips
The Student Advising and Mentoring Center will kick off the spring semester by teaching students to “study smart” during its workshop series beginning on Monday (Jan. 31).
The Study Skills Workshop Series comprises six one-hour sessions that focus on studying smart, procrastination, time management, reading textbooks and note taking, test taking strategies and stress management.
Sessions will be held on a variety of days and times to accommodate student schedules.
A second series will begin March 21.
All sessions will be held in the SAM Center, located in College of Humanities and Social Sciences Building Suite 170.
Space is limited, and students are encouraged to call or stop by the SAM Center to sign up.
For more information, call 936.294.4444, e-mail samcenter@shsu.edu or visit the SAM Center, in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences Building Suites 170 and 190.
Money Management Center Earns National Recognition
Sam Houston State University’s Student Money Management Center has been selected as a bronze medal honoree by the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators Foundation.
The center will be formally recognized in the Student Health, Wellness, Counseling, and Related category at the NASPA Annual Conference in Philadelphia, Pa., in March.
“The NASPA Excellence Award is designed to recognize the contributions of members who are actively improving higher education by implementing exceptional programs, innovative services, and successful administration,” said Kristy Vienne, assistant vice president for Student Services.
“From what I understand it is highly competitive and a national level award, as NASPA has a national membership of more than 11,000 student affairs professionals, including over 3,000 senior decision makers at the director level and above,” she said. “NASPA represents a full array of two- and four-year institutions in the U.S. and abroad and offers over 40 high quality professional development and training programs on critical issues facing higher education today.”
The program, "An Innovative Approach to Address Financial Literacy on Campus: The SHSU Student Money Management Center," was selected after an extensive application process that required several letters of recommendation and nominations from other administrators.
Entries within each category were reviewed by a cross-section of experienced NASPA members who evaluated the program on the positive impact on student learning, transitions, retention, and success of the program; demonstration of success in addressing student needs and/or critical campus issues; collaboration with other departments; originality and creativity; innovative practical use of research and/or assessment and linking to learning outcomes; and quality of program description and submission, among others.
The money management center also will be recognized through the NASPA Forum and showcased on the NASPA Excellence Awards web resource center.
Alumni Club Earns Second In Arbor Day Competition
A team of volunteers from the Sam Houston State University Alumni Association’s North Harris/Montgomery County Alumni Club were rewarded for their kindness to the planet when the group earned second place at the Houston Area Urban Forestry Council’s 2011 Regional Tree Planting Competition.
The team planted 100 five-gallon trees in one hour and two minutes to earn second place in the amateur category, just six minutes behind the first place team, alumni from the University of Florida. The Louisiana State University Alumni Team received third place with a time of one hour and five minutes.
Teams were judged not only on time but on correct hole depth/width, mulching and planting techniques.
More than 2,500 volunteers from all over the Houston region participated in the event, held in celebration of Arbor Day, braving “the chilly temperatures and muddy conditions to participate in this great cause,” said Debbie Nelms, NHMC club president.
A total of 16 teams competed in professional, amateur and student categories for the titles of “regional champions.”
Team SHSU included captain Walter Hambrick, Nelms, Robin House, Margaret McManis, Chad Cryer, Rebecca Biasotti and Di Tubbs, as well as Stephen F. Austin alumna Samantha Baker, Texas A&M alumna Dana Cote' and Regi Wallace, from BIO Landscape and Maintenance, Inc.
The NHMC Alumni Team was awarded a trophy during the 25th Anniversary Celebration Party held at Hermann Brown Park immediately following the planting event.
The competition was held on Jan. 22 along Wallisville Road from 610 to Maxey Road and “was designed to plant 25,000 trees, over 40 esplanades to add to Houston’s forest canopy, while providing cleaner air, shade, and a beautiful landscape for tomorrow,” Nelms said.
“The NHMC Alumni Club plans to participate in other social causes such as this, and we encourage fellow alumni and friends of Sam Houston State University to become involved,” she said.
“This endeavor was spearheaded by club leaders in North Harris/Montgomery County and is indicative of the kinds of activities all of our alumni club members are participating in,” said Charlie Vienne, director for SHSU’s Alumni Relations Office. “These kinds of events not only provide alumni with opportunities to meet and network in their respective areas but are also beneficial to the communities in which they live.”
For more information on alumni clubs or upcoming events, contact Donna Gilbert, SHSU Alumni Relations assistant director for membership and marketing, at 936.294.3924 or dgilbert@shsu.edu.
Calendar Information Sought For Spring
The University Communications Office is currently collecting information on campus events for its spring calendar pages.
Send your departmental calendars or events to today@sam.edu or jenniferg@shsu.edu, or by fax to 294.1834. Please include the date, location and time of the event, as well as a brief description and a contact person.
Information collected for the Today@Sam calendar pages, at /calendars/, is used by various media outlets, as well as our own office for news stories and releases.
It is requested that information be sent to the office (to Julia, Jennifer or through the e-mail link on Today@Sam) a minimum of a full week in advance in order to make necessary contacts and write a story.
For more information, call 936.294.1836.
Send Update Items Here
Information for the SHSU Update can be sent to the Office of Communications electronically at Today@Sam.edu or to any of the media contacts listed below.
Please include the date, location and time of the event, as well as a brief description and a contact person.
All information for news stories should be sent to the office at least a week in advance to give the staff ample time to make necessary contacts and write the story.
For electronic access to SHSU news see the Communications Web page Today@Sam.
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SHSU Media Contacts: Bruce Erickson, Julia May, Jennifer Gauntt
Jan. 28, 2011
Please send comments, corrections, news tips to Today@Sam.edu
This page maintained by SHSU's Communications Office
Director: Bruce Erickson
Assistant Director: Julia May
Writer: Jennifer Gauntt
Located in the 115 Administration Building
Telephone: 936.294.1836; Fax: 936.294.1834
Please send comments, corrections, news tips to Today@Sam.edu.
