NewsLetter March 2006



EVENTS March 16, 2006 HTS Brown Bag Professor Larry Foster - Reconsidering the 'Twin Relics of Barbarism': The Historical Memory of American Slavery and Mormon Polygamy DM Smith, Room 107 11:00-12:00pm Workshop on Original Policy Research Michael Waschak - A Revised Model of Partnership: Results from an e-Delphi Study of Math and Science Education Partnerships DM Smith, Room 011 3:05-4:25pm March 22, 2006 WST Learning Community Event Professor Rukmini Nair Stories of Flood and Floods of Stories: Postcoloniality and the Discourse of Disaster Emory University, White Hall 110 5:00-7:00pm March 27, 2006 Sam Nunn Policy Forum The Impact of Information and Communications Technologies on Economic Development, National Competitiveness, and Social Justice Global Learning Center 7:30am - 4:45pm March 30, 2006 STS Seminar Series Knight Professor Mark Johnson - Human Moral Thinking Wesley New Media Center, Skiles, Room 2 3:30-5:00pm Philip Auslander @ GT Barnes and Noble Bookstore Performing Glam Rock: Gender and Theatricality in Popular Music Presentation and book signing 5:30pm - 7:00pm April 5-8, 2006 CIBER Business Language Conference Matters of Perspective: Culture, Communication and Commerce Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center April 9-10, 2006 Connect with Tech - 8 Campus wide April 11, 2006 WST Learning Community Event Patty Sobecky, Biology Stein House study lounge, 4th St. Apts. April 12, 2006 Faculty/Staff Honors Luncheon Student Center Ballroom 11:00-1:00pm April 13, 2006 SPP Research Seminar Dr. Susan Cozzens DM Smith Building, Room 303 11:00-12:00pm April 14, 2006 Preview Georgia Tech Campus wide 8:00am-5:00pm DramaTech Rendition of Shakespeare's final play directed by Greg Abbott DramaTech 8:00-10:00pm E-Letter Archives Faculty Quotes Faculty/Staff Resources Gazette Calendar of Events Ivan Allen College Website
	Founder's Day 2006 Offers Full Day of Events On Wednesday, March 15, Ivan Allen College Founders Day 2006 will feature a full day of events at The Biltmore in midtown Atlanta. Activities begin at 9 am with the debut of the “The Legacy of Ivan Allen, Jr.”, a new traveling exhibit on the life and contributions of Mayor Allen. The morning seminar presents “The Allen Legacy: Teaching Civic Leadership in the South”, a traveling exhibit and essay contest. At noon, the Founder's Day luncheon will include an address by Ivan Allen Jr. Prize Winner, Jesse Hill, Jr. The afternoon symposium, in honor of Mr. Hill, beginning at 2pm, is entitled "Who's On Board? Changing Times, Changing Strategies in the Civic Leadership of Atlanta," will be followed by a reception.
	Sam Nunn Bank of America Policy Forum Scheduled for March 27 The Sam Nunn School of International Affairs is presenting their annual policy forum, March 27, at the Global Learning Center. The topic this year is "The Impact of Information and Communications Technologies on Economic Development, National Competitiveness, and Social Justice." The Sam Nunn Bank of America Policy Forum is a policy meeting that brings together noted academic, government, and private-sector experts on technology, public policy, and international affairs to address issues of immediate importance to the nation. Introductions and welcoming remarks will be presented by Dr. Sue Rosser, Dean, Ivan Allen College, and Senator Sam Nunn, Distinguished Professor, Sam Nunn School of International Affairs. The keynote address will be presented by Charles Kenny, Senior Economist at the World Bank entitled, "Two Visions of the Future: Global Information and Communications Technologies (ICT's) Potential and Potential Costs".
	Modern Languages Accepting Registrations The School of Modern Languages, organizers of the 2006 Centers for International Business Education and Research (CIBER) Business Language Conference, are accepting registration through March 20. The conference theme this year is “Matters of Perspective: Culture, Communication and Commerce.” Proposals and participation from K-12 teachers are especially encouraged. Organizers encourage a variety of papers and workshops across languages, instructional levels, topics and audiences.
	Will Wright Returns for Living Game Worlds 2006 During his speech at the second Living Game Worlds symposium at Tech, Will Wright, the famed designer of The Sims, said, "To be a good game designer, first you have to be a good designer. Period." Wright went on to relate game design to such fields as architecture, industrial design, and automotive design, and quoted books on everything from Japanese gardening to a human behavior study of shopping habits. This was Wright's second appearance on campus to deliver a keynote speech at this symposium. At the inaugural event at Tech last year, he was awarded the 2005 Ivan Allen Prize for Progress and Service.
	African-American Ph.D.'s Overcame Discrimination to Build Careers Willie Pearson, Jr., Professor and Chair, History, Technology, and Society, conducted a study of career experiences among African-American Ph.D. chemists. The study, funded by the National Science Foundation, shows how these scientists dealt with discriminatory practices and attitudes to build careers in academia, industry and government. While seven out of ten respondents felt they had been hindered by discrimination, less than a handful regretted choosing a career in chemistry. "Regardless of the experiences they had, these people had remarkably positive feelings about chemistry," said Pearson. "If they had it to do all over again, they would still see chemistry as an attractive field."
	Public Policy Mock Trial Team Competes in National Tournament Georgia Tech's Mock Trial team 944, sponsored by the Pre-law Program of the School of Public Policy, took third place in the regional competition in Tallahassee and will compete in the national tournament at Stetson University, March 10-12. Members of team 944 include Saira Amir, Shalini Bumb, Casey Doyle, Dennis Matovu, Peggy Perry, and Kyle Thomason. Several students won individual awards: Saira Amir, Michael Bleigh, and Morgan Willard won Outstanding Attorney awards; Alex Thomas and Dennis Matovu were recognized as Outstanding Witnesses.
	Modern Languages Professor Elected to Board Nora Cottille-Foley, Associate Professor, School of Modern Languages, has been elected board member of the national organization Société des Professeurs Français et Francophones d'Amérique (SPFFA). SPFFA is a national organization of Anglo-French scholars with a board of 25. SPFFA sponsors a colloquium on French and Francophone literature every two years and three major scholarships: the Bourse Dufrenoy for students in sciences, the Bourses Marandon for students and scholars in literature, social sciences or the arts, and the Bourses du Québec which allow students to take summer classes in Quebec. It also publishes the scholarly journal, Francographies.
	International House Will Be Moving The International House (I-House) will be moving to the 14th Street Apartments in the Fall '06, allowing enrollment to increase from 20 residents to 40 residents. The program is currently accepting applications for the Fall term. The I-House is a new, on-campus residence option, consisting of US and international students living together to promote cultural exchange and awareness. Kirk Bowman, Associate Professor of International Affairs (INTA) and Director of I-House, says "I-House contributes to a healthy and dynamic living community, and explores the global dynamics of politics, current events, economics, and culture. It is full of students who are enthusiastic about the world and open to ideas and conversations about how the world works." The mission of the I-House is to build networks with other international organizations and clubs on campus and off, enhancing the international activities, lectures, and film festivals.
	Economics Professors Analyze Pulp and Paper Industry Vivek Ghosal and Usha Nair-Reichert, Associate Professors, School of Economics, are Co-PI's working together on an interdisciplinary project, "The Role and Innovation in the Pulp and Paper Industry", in conjunction with the Center for Paper Business and Industry Studies (CPBIS). The goals of the project are to analyze innovations and adoption of new technologies in the pulp and paper industry. A secondary aim of the project is to compare the twin strategies of innovation and mergers and acquisitions, quantify their relative impacts, and shed light on which strategy may provide a bigger return. The data and information compiled and analyzed so far show stark differences across companies in their rates of new capital investments, propensities to patent, adoption of new equipment and technologies, and productivity growth over time.
	Model European Union Competes The Georgia Tech team competed at the Model European Union (EU) at the University of Pittsburgh. The Model EU is a simulation of the European Commission Summits (ECS) which are held annually at the University of Pittsburgh. Normally six or more universities are invited to participate with the students representing the 25 EU member states. The agenda of the simulation is set by the actual agenda from a previous EC summit (selected by the host institution). The goal of the simulation is the same as the real life summits and that is to create successful resolution for the agenda topics.
	CACP Becomes a New Center of the School of Public Policy The Center for Advanced Communications Policy (CACP) has a new academic home within the Ivan Allen College's School of Public Policy, as well as a new physical home at 500 10th Street, 3rd floor, enabling synergistic collaborations in public policy, economics, technology, communications, and international affairs. CACP, formerly GCATT's Office of Technology Policy and Programs, has expanded from an office to become one of the newest centers at Georgia Tech. This change in status reflects CACP's concentration on its core competency in advanced communications technology and its growth as a regional, state, and national resource for timely advice on advanced and emerging communications and technology policy. CACP continues to operate as a neutral authority, monitoring and assessing related legislative and regulatory issues, identifying future technology, and promoting a clearer understanding of the ever changing technology landscape.