Collaboration Success

The moment the Illinois “stay at home” order went into effect on March 21, the wheels were turning in Bruce Sommer’s head. Sommer, UIS’ Director of Economic Development and Innovation knew businesses would have questions on how to handle the temporary shutdown, so he gathered a team of experts to field those questions online.

“In the beginning, there were so many questions and so many things going on,” Sommer said. “People were concerned, so our first webinars were about the relief programs for businesses, how to take your business online and the economic impact of a shutdown. No one was providing them that information.”

Sommer used his own personal Zoom account for the first free webinar which limited his capacity to 100 attendees. Those spots filled within the first minute. The next week he used a UIS Zoom account, and attendance surpassed 100.

Since that time, Sommer and his rotating team of experts have hosted nearly 1,500 attendees with weekly webinars on business, education, health and the economy. Some topics came about as suggestions from frequent flier attendees.

“The amazing thing is that, for many of the panelists, I’ve asked them to participate on very short notice and no one has turned me down. We typically have five panelists each week. The collective collaboration around this has been my greatest reward,” Sommer said.

The weekly webinars are a collaboration between the UIS Office of Economic Development and Innovation, Innovate Springfield, and the UIS colleges of Business and Management and Public Affairs and Administration. Community partners include The Community Health Round Table, SIU School of Medicine, local businesses and state and local government officials.

“When I moved back to Springfield, people in social impact circles within the community felt like UIS was an underutilized resource,” Sommer said. “Through these webinars, we have inserted UIS into the conversations. We have incredible researchers and teachers and the community is craving that leadership."

Sommer said the success of the webinars is directly attributable to the layers of knowledge around the Springfield community and UIS campus. That is what Innovate Springfield, the first hub in the Illinois Innovation Network is about, bringing local resources and collaboration together.

“People came together in a time of crisis,” Sommer said. “It’s a great example of IIN’s goal of working collaboratively at all times.”

Moving forward, webinars will alternate between a business and health focus. Older webinars can be accessed on the UIS Academic Affairs website.

UIS graduate student to guest curate major exhibit at Harry S. Truman Library and Museum

Claire Jerry, a graduate history major at the University of Illinois Springfield will be the guest curator for a major exhibit opening March 9, 2012 at the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum in Independence, Mo. The exhibit is part of her graduate closure project.

“I am extremely excited to have had this experience,” said Jerry. “I have had the opportunity to work with and learn from nationally recognized conservators, curators, mount makers, exhibit specialists, and archivists.”

The exhibit, “Tracing the Trumans: An American Story” focuses on two famous families--The Trumans and the Wallaces. Drawing upon the Library's rich collection of correspondence and memorabilia from the two families and displaying, for the first time, newly released materials from Bess Truman and Margaret Truman Daniel, the exhibition traces the families over their more than 150 years in the Independence area.

“Claire has managed a major professional exhibition that probably will be reviewed in national publications,” said William Siles, her project adviser and UIS associate professor of History. “This project reflects the talent of our students and the strength of preparation students receive from our history faculty at UIS.”

Jerry has always wanted to work for a presidential museum and got that chance in the summer of 2010 when she landed an internship at the Truman Library and Museum. She returned this past summer as a volunteer and given the opportunity to help plan the temporary exhibit.

“I was here full time in June and July, part time September through December, and have been here full time since early January,” said Jerry. “I will have worked somewhere between 800 and 1000 hours on the exhibit by the time my work is completed.”

As a guest curator, she was responsible for selecting objects and documents for the exhibit. She researched the family and objects histories using documents in the library archives, developed the narrative themes of the exhibit, and wrote the initial drafts for text panels and labels.

“I have participated in the decisions regarding graphic identity, gallery layout, case design, video supplements, and educational interactives,” said Jerry. “I have been instrumental in developing a touchscreen interactive program featuring Truman family photographs.”

Jerry worked under the supervision of Truman staff and was guided by their professional standards. The Jacksonville, Ill. resident will use the exhibit as her final project, allowing her to soon graduate from UIS with a master’s degree in history.

“The Truman staff knew that Claire had the knowledge, preparation and judgment to put this exhibition together, and she did,” said Siles.

As part of the museum's regular monthly feature "Talkin' Truman," Jerry will be presenting a talk on Saturday, March 10, called "Tracing the Trumans: The Making of an Exhibit.”

The temporary exhibition, “Tracing the Trumans: An American Story” will be on display at the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum from March 9 through December 31, 2012. Several objects from the Harry S. Truman National Historic Site, including a double barreled shotgun which belonged to President Truman's mother will be on display. Learn more about the exhibition online, at www.trumanlibrary.org/tracing/index.html.

UIS faculty member awarded second Fulbright grant to study in Bangladesh

Mohammed Shahidullah, an adjunct faculty member of Sociology and Environmental Studies at the University of Illinois Springfield, has received a Fulbright Specialist grant in Sociology to teach and offer seminars at Mawlana Bhashani Science & Technology University, Bangladesh.

Shahidullah, who also works as a state demographer for the Illinois Department of Public Health, will spend six weeks in the country starting Oct. 1, 2011. During the trip, he will teach students and faculty members, lead workshops, and assist in developing a new population/demography course in the Department of Criminology and Police Science. He will also offer talks in Dhaka on public health informatics and health needs assessment.

“Part of the trip will involve training faculty and graduate students in using online methods to conduct population studies,” said Shahidullah. “I will also be organizing workshops for faculty members on social research methods.”

Shahidullah was previously awarded a Fulbright Scholar grant to teach and do research with BRAC University in Dhaka, Bangladesh in 2006. He spent six months teaching biostatistics face-to-face and an online course in marriage and families as a collaborative course on global learning between UIS and BRAC University.

The Fulbright Specialist grant is sponsored by the United States Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and is managed by the Council for International Exchange of Scholars. For further information on the program, visit the CIES website at www.cies.org.

UIS Computer Science professor a finalist for a World Technology Award in Ethics

Dr. Keith Miller, University of Illinois Springfield professor of computer science, has been named a finalist for a prestigious World Technology Award for Ethics, presented by The World Technology Network (WTN) in association with TIME, Fortune, CNN, Science/AAAS, and Technology Review.

He joins a roster of organizations and individuals from over 60 countries around the world deemed to be doing the most innovative and impactful work. The awards have been presented by the WTN since 2000, as a way to honor those in 20 different categories of science and technology and related fields doing “the innovative work of the greatest likely long-term significance.”

Miller’s research focuses on robot ethics and professional ethics for computing professionals. He is currently the principal investigator for a National Science Foundation award to study the effect of ethics instruction on the technical skills of computer science undergraduates. During his career, Miller has authored or co-authored over 300 papers and presentations.

Nominees for the 2011 World Technology Awards were selected through an intense global process by the WTN Fellows lasting many months. Winners will be announced during a ceremony at the United Nations on October 26, 2011 at the close of the World Technology Summit, a two-day “thought leadership” conference held at the TIME & LIFE Building and presented by the World Technology Network in association with TIME magazine, Fortune, CNN, Science/AAAS, Technology Review, and others.

The WTN is a curated membership community comprised of the world’s most innovative individuals and organizations in science, technology, and related fields. The WTN and its members – those creating the 21st century -- are focused on exploring what is imminent, possible, and important in and around emerging technologies.

Miller has been teaching in the UIS Computer Science Department since 1993. He earned a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Iowa, his M.S. in Mathematics from the College of William and Mary, and his B.S. in Education from Concordia Teachers College.

Scannell receives Malone Fellowship

Nancy Scannell, associate professor of Business Administration at the University of Illinois Springfield was honored this summer with a Joseph J. Malone Fellowship in Arab and Islamic Studies.

As part of the fellowship, Scannell spent 10 days in Morocco (June 24 to July 04, 2011) visiting Rabat, Fez, Erfoud, Ouarzazate, Marrakesh, and other sites of cultural and historical interest. She also visited parliament, the U.S. Embassy, and the University of Mohammed V.

The trip was organized by the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations (NCUSAR), which sponsors the Model Arab League (MAL) program. The council’s mission is to enhance American awareness, knowledge, and understanding of the Arab countries, the Mideast, and the Islamic world.

According to the council’s website, “The Fellowship projects its participants into the dynamics of Arab-U.S. relations and provides first-hand exposure to the region's considerable cultural, economic, political, and social diversity pursuant to increased knowledge and understanding.”

The Malone Fellowship is available to qualified American professionals in academia, government, and business. Applicants must be U.S. citizens. Students are not eligible.

UIS names new director of Graduate Public Service Internship program

Rance Carpenter has been selected to become the Director of the Graduate Public Service Internship (GPSI) program in the Center for State Policy and Leadership at the University of Illinois Springfield effective September 1.

“Mr. Carpenter brings the right blend of experience to the leadership of the GPSI program,” said Dr. David Racine, interim executive director of the Center for State Policy and Leadership. “He is familiar with state and local government in Illinois, knows the program first-hand, as both a former intern and a supervisor of interns, and has an extensive management background.”

Carpenter comes to the position from a career in the field of services for the aging. Starting in the local area agency on aging based in Springfield, he subsequently moved to the Illinois Department on Aging and rose through the ranks there to chief of its community operations bureau. The bureau administers federal grants to Illinois’ 13 area agencies, manages the state program that employs seniors in community service work, and the state’s community care program. Carpenter has direct experience with the GPSI program, having been one of its interns and a supervisor of interns during his time with the Illinois Department on Aging. Carpenter holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Illinois State University and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Illinois Springfield.

For nearly four decades, GPSI has partnered with state and local government agencies and major nonprofit organizations to provide part-time internships for UIS graduate students. The internships allow students to gain practical, professional experience while earning a master’s degree in their chosen field. GPSI is regarded as one of the premier graduate internship programs in Illinois. In fiscal year 2011, the program placed 152 graduate students in internships with 18 different agencies.

Carpenter succeeds Kim Hayden, who retired in 2010 after serving as director of GPSI since 2001. For more information, contact David Racine at 217/206-8417 or email draci2@uis.edu.

Four UIS faculty members participate in undergrad research conference

COPLAC workshop participants (Courtesy COPLAC)

Four faculty members from the University of Illinois Springfield attended the “Institutionalizing Undergraduate Research for State Systems and Consortia” conference at the University of North Carolina – Asheville on June 28-30, 2011. Teams from 22 other Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges (COPLAC) member institutions participated in the workshop. The collaboration was made possible by a National Science Foundation grant awarded to COPLAC, and administered by the Council on Undergraduate Research.

Prior to attending the meeting, the faculty from UIS – Hei-Chi Chan (Mathematics), Rebecca Landsberg (Biology), Dennis Ruez (Team Leader; Environmental Studies), and Carrie Switzer (Psychology) – completed an institutional assessment on the extent, culture, and campus support of undergraduate research efforts, scholarly products, and creative works. While the conference was focused specifically on undergraduate research in STEM disciplines (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), the UIS team approached the task with a broader perspective to include undergraduate students of all majors as well as graduate students.

“The conference provided much information on the transformative potential of incorporating student research within curricula, student assessment, faculty evaluations, and campus marketing,” said Ruez.

The UIS team has created a set of goals and strategies along those lines, and will initiate efforts at informing the campus community about the benefits of student research, not only to students, but to faculty, alumni, and our community.

There are 26 COPLAC colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada. UIS is the only one in Illinois. COPLAC institutions have several core values in common:

• Faculty are dedicated to teaching undergraduates
• Classes are small and students receive personal attention and mentoring
• Students work with professors, not graduate assistants
• Leadership and co-curricular opportunities abound
• Emphasis is on civic engagement and service learning
  

For more information, visit www.coplac.org.

Two UIS faculty members publish new books

Two University of Illinois Springfield faculty members have published books with London connections.

Richard Gilman-Opalsky, assistant professor of Political Philosophy in the Department of Political Science has written a book entitled “Spectacular Capitalism: Guy Debord and the Practice of Radical Philosophy”. A book launch celebration will be held in London on Saturday, June 25.

Over the past forty years the ideas and practices of Guy Debord and the Situationist International have become a constant reference point for those involved in radical politics, the arts, and cultural theory. Despite this ubiquity Debord’s work has been reduced to a palatable cliché rather than being used as a tool for crafting an ongoing practice of critique and engagement.

Drawing on the work of Guy Debord, Gilman-Opalsky argues that the theory of practice and practice of theory are superseded by upheavals that do the work of philosophy. Spectacular Capitalism makes the case not only for a new philosophy of praxis, but for praxis itself as the delivery mechanism for philosophy – for the field of human action, of contestation and conflict, to raise directly the most irresistible questions about the truth and morality of the existing state of affairs.

For more information, visit http://www.minorcompositions.info/spectacularcapitalism.html.

Adjunct Philosophy Instructor Boria Sax also has a new book coming out entitled “City of Ravens: The True History of the Legendary Birds in the Tower of London”.

The book solves the century-old mystery of how and when ravens came to the Tower of London, and traces the origin of the legend that "Britain will fall" if they leave. For over a century, the ravens have been symbols of cruelty, avatars of fate — and cuddly national pets. But ravens have come to represent British natural heritage. This informing and reflective volume addresses the need to connect with animals and the natural world and shows the human need for wonder at nature.

Boria Sax has been awarded numerous awards for his articles on human-animal relations. He has been a human rights activist and the founder of the organization Nature in Legend and Story.

For more information, visit http://www.ducknet.co.uk/general/title.php?titleissue_id=563