SHSU
Update For Week Of July 22
Ward Discusses Student Roles
In Information Collection
Richard Ward, associate vice president for Research and Special
Programs, discussed the role of universities in conducting
research on terrorism as a featured speaker for a conference
held last week in Washington, D.C.
The conference on open source intelligence, which was broadcast
on C-SPAN, was sponsored by the Directorate of National Intelligence.
Ward discussed one of the “underutilized resources in
higher education” that could serve as a “cost-effective
method” for collecting materials that would aid in turning
information into intelligence for the U.S. government: students,
especially graduate students.
“Collecting open source information on more than 1,100
groups and 1,400 subgroups throughout the world, these students
focus on the minutia that would normally be too costly, or
too time-consuming, for intelligence professionals to analyze,”
Ward said.
“These students, at any one time, bring language skills
in as many as 20-30 areas, making it possible to explore foreign
language Web sites, news media and other documentation—such
as court records, financial statements and open-source official
reports.”
He also discussed SHSU’s Institute for the Study of
Violent Groups and how the institute’s work is mutually
beneficial to the U.S. government, the countries from which
SHSU’s 20-30 students working for the institute come
and the students themselves, as they are preparing for careers
within the U.S. government.
“Currently, through mutual agreements, the institute
employs graduate students from other countries who are serving
as police officers,” he said. “Students from Turkey,
Thailand, China, Korea, Taiwan, Egypt, Botswana, Lebanon,
Sri Lanka, India, Colombia, and Mexico have worked in the
collection part of the institute.”
Ward, who is also a professor of criminal justice, is a coauthor
of a recent book on Homeland Security, written with former
adjunct professor at SHSU and retired assistant director of
the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Kathleen Kiernan,
and SHSU doctoral graduate and director of the Institute for
the Study of Violent Groups Daniel Mabrey.
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Student Posters To Be
Displayed In LSC
Posters depicting the summer research of eight biology students
from across the country who are participating in SHSU’s
Research Experience for Undergraduates program will be on
display on Thursday (Aug. 2) in the Lowman Student Center.
The presenters for 5th Annual REU Student Poster Conference
will be in the LSC from 1-3 p.m. to discuss their research
and experiences during the 10-week REU program.
Associate professors of biological sciences Diane Neudorf
and William Lutterschmidt host the event and the REU program,
held annually through a grant awarded to the professors by
the National Science Foundation.
Neudorf and Lutterschmidt were awarded a three-year, $290,000
grant this year from the NSF, which will allow a total of
32 students to visit SHSU and conduct field research during
the summer.
This year’s REU participants include Jeffrey Ackley,
from Eckerd College in Florida; Kevin Hudson, from Bloomsburg
University in Pennsylvania; James Cureton, from SHSU; Connie
Larsson, from the University of Houston-Downtown; Julia Stutzman,
from Bridgewater College in Virginia; Phillip Torres, from
Cornell University in New York; Hannah Turner, from Clarion
University in Pennsylvania; and Gregory Zychowski, from Baylor
University.
The poster conference is one of the academic activities outlined
in the National Science Foundation program which helps students
gain research experience over the summer, according to Lutterschmidt.
"This program helps foster an interest and enthusiasm
for pursuing graduate studies in biology and ultimately future
careers in science and research," he said.
For more information on the NSF program, visit www.shsu.edu/reu
or contact Lutterschmidt at lutterschmidt@shsu.edu
or 936.294.1556.
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ABC To Cast Call For Game
Contestants In Houston
The American Broadcasting Company is seeking “enthusiastic
people and colorful characters who are ready to win a lot
of cash and prizes,” as well as “trivia buffs
and pop culture junkies” to serve as contestants on
the network’s “National Bingo Night.”
An open casting call will be held on Saturday (July 29) from
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Doubletree Hotel by the Galleria,
located at 5353 Westheimer Road in Houston.
Hosted by “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” design
team contributor Ed Sanders, “National Bingo Night”
is a high-energy game of luck in which a contestant races
against the studio audience as balls numbered from 1-75 are
randomly selected from a giant sphere set in a high-tech "Bingo
Plex" arena, according to the ABC Web site.
“The studio audience will track the numbers on their
own Bingo cards for a chance to win cash and prizes and send
the contestant home empty-handed,” the Web site said.
In each episode, which airs at 8 p.m. on Fridays, three Bingo
games are played in-studio, with the viewing public invited
to play along for a chance to win tens of thousands of prizes.
Those who don’t want to wait in line may submit information
about themselves early by e-mailing contact information, picture
and a short biography, including “something interesting
about yourself that most people don’t know,” to
abcbingo4@gmail.com.
“You really only need to be high energy and fun to get
on,” said casting producer Shari Ast.
Contestants must be at least 21 years of age and a legal U.S.
resident.
For more information, call 323.845.3015.
University employees who are seriously interested in participating
on the show may also contact the Public Relations Office,
at 936.294.4406, for more information.
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SAM Center Offers Grad School
Advice
The Student Advising and Mentoring Center will give students
considering graduate school all of the information they need
with an informational seminar on Tuesday (July 31).
The presentation, which will include a question-and-answer
session, will be held from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the SAM Center.
Among the topics that will be discussed are financial aid,
organizing applications and the grad school timeline.
Space is limited, and students should call or stop by the
SAM Center to sign up.
For more information, contact Amanda at stdama20@shsu.edu
or 936.294.4444 or visit the SAM
Center, located in Academic Building 4 Room 210.
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All Spring School
Psychology Grads Pass Exam
All nine of the SHSU psychology and philosophy department’s
school psychology spring 2007 graduates have passed the National
School Psychology examination.
A passing score on this exam does three things, according
to psychology professor Tom Wood.
“First, it allows the student to be awarded the master's
degree at SHSU; second, it qualifies the student to acquire
a Texas state license to practice called ‘Licensed Specialist
in School Psychology’ offered through the Texas Board
of Examiners of Psychologists; and third, the student can
obtain the highly prestigious Nationally Certified School
Psychologist credential,” he said.
Having the NCSP allows students to move from state to state
with minimal effort in obtaining a license and often involves
a salary supplement.
Most of the students who completed the three-year graduate
program, which includes a year of full-time internship in
the public schools, are already employed, Wood said, adding
that several were employed by their internship sites.
“With the extreme shortage of school psychologists in
the United States, it is unlikely that any of SHSU's school
psychology graduates will ever be without a position,”
he said. “Salaries tend to be significantly above other
human service fields at the master's level.”
The SHSU program attracts students from all over the country,
has a high retention rate and has a nearly perfect passing
rate on the national exam since the inception of the program.
In addition, the school psychology training program is accredited
by the National Association of School Psychologists, the highest
accreditation in the nation available to pre-doctoral training
programs.
For more information on the program, contact Wood at 936.294.4662
or twood@shsu.edu.
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Send Update Items Here
Please send information for the SHSU Update to the Office
of Public Relations at SHSU. For electronic access to SHSU
news see the public relations Web page Today@Sam.
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- END -
SHSU Media Contacts: Frank
Krystyniak, Julia May,
Jennifer Gauntt
July 20, 2007
Please send comments, corrections, news tips to Today@Sam.edu
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