MITCHELSON'S MEMO
When ECU has a problem, I feel like I have a problem. According to the recent UNC Employee Engagement Survey, ECU has a “distant” senior leadership that needs to communicate more effectively in order to build trusting teams that can collaborate on key initiatives. I’ve packed a lot of results together to arrive at that summary statement (when compared to benchmarks). We could quibble about the details, but the general problem is real, and I own part of it.
The Chancellor’s newly formed Administrative Council met for the first time last week. It was an impressive room full of ECU leaders and it was made vividly clear by that assembly that this University needs -craves- authentic dialogue. One ECU leader characterized the volume and approaches to institutional communication as “pollution.” At first the statement made me giggle, but I can certainly understand the equation and the issue deserves serious consideration.
I know that I sit and compose a First Monday message (like this one) each month with hopes of saying something meaningful. I know that I average six to seven face-to-face meetings per day involving a variety of faculty, staff, and students. I know that I convene monthly meetings with all deans/directors, with deans in my division, and I have monthly one-on-one meetings with my direct reports (15). We convene larger assemblies to deal with promotion/tenure processes and a summer workshop to focus on diversity initiatives. There is more interaction, but …
These communication platforms (and others not listed) do not address the expressed need or desire for more inclusive and intimate dialogue. For example, I am aware that chairs, faculty, and staff within academic units have too little direct access to the Provost’s Office. I cannot fix all of that organizational distance and the resulting accessibility issue—it’s just not feasible. I do feel that some of the trust issues expressed in the Engagement Survey would be mitigated if I were in front of you hearing your comments, taking your questions, and forming responses in your presence. I have done that from time to time, but I need to invest at greater levels and certainly in a more systematic fashion.
So, I’ll be coming to see you at your place. This is what I am thinking. I will attend dean/chair meetings within colleges twice per year—once in the fall and once in the spring. That will involve 16 one-hour meetings. Chairs will have the dialogue with me that they deserve. Departmental faculty meetings with the Provost will require a great deal of effort. There are over 50 departments within the Academic Affairs division. I already know that you will want that series compressed into fall and spring semesters. I would anticipate doing at least three per month and establishing a two-year cycle of visits. Faculty and staff (at the unit level) will have the dialogue with me that they deserve.
If these are the irrational thoughts of a Provost who is feeling a bit guilty over survey results, please let me know (mitchelsonr@ecu.edu). You might have some good ideas that would address the need in a more effective manner.
Finally, we inaugurated Coffee with the Provost last month, and I enjoyed chatting with a number of you. Our next coffee event is scheduled for November 16 from 9:30-10:30 at the Faculty Quarters (Office of Faculty Excellence, Joyner 1001). Please stop by to enjoy coffee and some conversation. You deserve it.
Regards,
RonM
EFFECTIVE INSTITUTIONAL PRACTICES
Students told College STAR that they appreciate the way some ECU faculty provide multiple means of action and expression to increase student opportunities for learning. Check out the comment submitted by a former student of Dr. Blake Hutsell in the Department of Psychology.
"Dr. Hutsell provides second chance quizzes. There is a quiz every week, but the second week is the same information as the first. Only the highest score of the two weeks is recorded. The quizzes are graded immediately in class, so I know exactly what I need to work on in preparation for the next week. There are no "tests" only quizzes. This helps reduce test anxiety. This style of testing worked extremely well. Not only did I get good grades, but I genuinely learned and remembered the material. The most effective part was being graded immediately because I retained the information when I immediately learned from my mistakes. The second chance quiz motivates me to do well.”
GLOBAL AFFAIRS
In October, ECU's Office of Global Affairs was awarded a $188,000 two-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education's Undergraduate International Studies and Foreign Language Program. The project, titled Building Global Understanding in Business, Education, Environment, and Health International Virtual Exchange (Global BEEHIVE) and led by Jami Leibowitz, will expand and diversify ECU's award-winning global classroom offerings. Collaborators include Chris Brighton, Biwu Yang, and Jon Rezek from Global Affairs, and ECU faculty Kim Larson, Tope Bello, Allen Guidry, and Thad Wasklewicz. Faculty from Global Partners in Education partner institutions will also be involved in course development.
ECU recently completed an articulation agreement with Bermuda College in Paget Parish, Bermuda. The agreement will allow students of the two-year school, the only institution of higher education in Bermuda, an opportunity to seamlessly transition into various degree programs at ECU. The relationship between BC and ECU stems from a long-running collaboration between the College and ECU's Maritime Studies Program.
During summer 2019, students at ECU will have the opportunity to study on one of 52 proposed ECU-Led study abroad programs. This is an 8.3% increase from the 48 programs proposed last year and includes 11 new study abroad opportunities. Students will be able to choose from programs in 40 academic disciplines going to a combined total of 37 countries including shipwreck archaeology in Greece and sustainable urbanism in South Korea. To see the full list of study abroad opportunities available this summer, CLICK HERE.
International Education Week (IEW) 2018 is November 10 to November 16. This joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education celebrates international education and exchange and highlights the value of a global education. The Office of Global Affairs, in collaboration with various groups throughout campus has coordinated a number of events for this week. Highlights include a Moroccan Tea, and the International Awards Ceremony. Event information can be found HERE. If you have an international event that you would like to include in IEW or have any questions, please contact Bill Mallett at 328-1939 or mallettw@ecu.edu.
CONTINUING STUDIES
The Lifelong Learning Program has been in full swing this semester with both course offerings and trips. On October 18, with support from SpringShire Retirement Community, Lifelong Learning took a motor coach to the North Carolina State Fair, where individuals enjoyed rides, exhibits and fair food!
On Thursday, October 25, the Lifelong Learning Program set out towards Atlantic Beach and Historic Beaufort. The day started with a tour of Fort Macon followed by a musket firing demonstration. Lifelong Learners enjoyed a presentation by park staff on the history of the fort including the fact that construction required over nine million bricks and spanned over eight years. Upon arriving in Historic Beaufort, the group enjoyed waterfront dining followed by a double decker bus tour of the area. The double decker bus was purchased and brought to Beaufort from England in 2007 and provides visitors a phenomenal opportunity to learn more about the town with the best views possible.
To learn more about the Lifelong Learning Program and its exciting courses and trips, click HERE or contact Andrew Ross, Coordinator for Lifelong Learning Programs at rossa16@ecu.edu.
COLLEGE UPDATES
COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES
The Department of History is pleased to announce that ECU’s Lambda-Eta chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, the national history honor society, has won Best Chapter Award for 2018 in division VI. This is the ninth consecutive year the ECU chapter has received the Best Chapter Award. 2018 officers include President Eric Walls, Vice President Austin Croom, Treasurer Tess Will, Secretary Dylan Courtney, and Historian Josh Vestal. Dr. Wade Dudley is the faculty advisor.
Dr. Margaret Bauer, professor of English, received the 2018 John Tyler Caldwell Award for the Humanities, presented from the North Carolina Humanities Council, on October 5 in Chapel Hill. Bauer received the award for her lifelong achievements as a professor, editor, scholar, author and supporter of literature in North Carolina. Alex Albright, founding editor of the NC Literary Review, led remarks about Bauer before Amanda Tilley, a former student of Bauer’s, presented her with the medal.
Dr. Ernest Marshburn, from the Department of Geography, Planning and Environment who has been serving as chair of the National Boating Safety Council, was honored in Cape May, NJ, by Vice Admiral Dan Abel with the Public Service Meritorious Award. The award recognizes Marshburn’s work on the U.S. Coast Guard's Strategic Plan for recreational boating and for his role as chairman of NBSAC. “The award is well deserved and speaks volumes about the contributions that Dr. Marshburn has made at a national level related to the Department of Homeland Security and the broader recreational boating community,” said Dr. Thad Wasklewicz, chair of the Department of Geography, Planning and Environment.
Tosin Ayinde, an undergraduate student in the Department of Chemistry, has received the Laura Marie Leary Elliot Memorial Scholarship from the ECU Alumni Association’s Black Alumni Chapter. The scholarship, which is named for Laura Marie Elliott, the first full-time African American student at ECU who graduated with a bachelor of science degree in business administration in 1966, benefits undergraduates pursuing careers in fields historically underrepresented by minority populations. “Tosin is a strong student and is very active around the department, including undergraduate research with Dr. Adam Offenbacher and working as an undergraduate teaching assistant,” said Dr. Andrew Morehead, chair of chemistry.
Dr. Andrew Morehead, chair of the Department of Chemistry, has received the Ledonia S. Wright Outstanding Faculty/Staff Award from the ECU Alumni Association’s Black Alumni Chapter. The award, named for the founder and first director of the Afro-American Cultural Center at ECU, now the Ledonia Wright Cultural Center, recognizes faculty or staff who have made outstanding contributions to educating ECU students. “I was very honored to be selected, and view my selection (primarily for the work with moving the Aycock name to Heritage Hall, which I conceived of as a way to keep and contextualize the history of the naming of the dorm) as being representative of all the people who worked so hard to make that happen,” Morehead said. “The university leadership team, and particularly the students and alumni who so passionately advocated for the move, clearly deserve a great deal of credit as well.”
Dr. Steve Culver, chair of the Department of Geological Sciences, has been selected as the 2018 recipient of the Achievement in International Research and Creative Activity Award. Culver has been invited to attend ECU’s International Award Ceremony on November 15. “It is clear from your application packet that you are among a select group of faculty working to expand ECU’s global impact and establish ECU as America’s Next Great National University,” said Jon Rezek, assistant vice chancellor for global affairs and professor of economics. “The activities you are engaging in as a teacher, researcher and leader are critical to building ECU’s national and international reputation. Our students, our constituents in Eastern North Carolina, communities abroad, and the scientific and academic community worldwide benefit substantially from your endeavors. I thank you for your contributions.”
Dr. Charles Ewen, professor of anthropology, received the North Carolina Literary and Historical Association's Christopher Crittenden Memorial Award on October 26. The award recognizes significant contributions by an individual or organization to the preservation of North Carolina history and is one of their highest honors.
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS
Recruiters from Marriott International recently were on campus to interview and recruit the School of Hospitality Leadership seniors and graduates for the Marriott Voyage program. To help the students, they hosted information and interview sessions.
Dr. Brad Karl, associate professor and IIANC-NCSLA W. Kurt Fickling Distinguished Scholar in Risk Management & Insurance, recently was elected to be the Secretary-Treasurer of the Southern Risk and Insurance Association (SRIA). SRIA is an academic organization that promotes and encourages research and education in the field of risk and insurance.
Gamma Iota Sigma (GIS) Beta Theta Chapter was recently recognized with the 2017-18 Well-rounded Chapter Award. Chapter Awards are given based on information submitted on monthly chapter reports, and communication between the chapters and the Grand Chapter. This year’s awards were presented at the Annual International Awards Dinner Friday, October 5, 2018, during the 47th Annual International Conference in Chicago, Illinois. Gamma Iota Sigma is the only international business fraternity for students of insurance, risk management and actuarial science.
The second Pirate Entrepreneurship Challenge, the signature pitch competition of ECU and the Miller School of Entrepreneurship (MSOE), wrapped up its first round Tuesday, October 23. Thirteen teams, seven voted on by students and six voted on by ECU judges, will move to the second round, scheduled for November 15 from 6-8 p.m. at ECU’s Heart Institute. Ninety-one ECU student-led teams representing 10 colleges participated in the open-air trade show event. More than 2,000 votes were cast in this year’s competition.
The College of Business will host a lunch and learn for ECU Faculty and Staff November 30, 2018, at 11:30 a.m. Dr. Kevin Lobdell, UNC-Charlotte Clinical professor, will discuss a new pilot program of the Sanger Heart and Vascular Institute that aims to improve patient access and education, as well as eliminate disparities in follow-up cardiac care after surgery. Lunch will be provided and starts at 11 a.m. in Bate 1200. Please RSVP to Hanna Garrell at garrellh18@ecu.edu.
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
Recently, 14 junior education majors went to the Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta. All 14 students are four-year scholarship recipients in the college’s Education Community of Scholars. Ron Clark, founder of The Ron Clark Academy, was a Teaching Fellow at ECU and graduated in Elementary Education in 1994. Clark taught in rural North Carolina and New York City before founding the Ron Clark Academy in 2007. The Ron Clark Academy is a nationally recognized, nonprofit middle school located in Southeast Atlanta. The Academy has received both national and international recognition for its success in educating students of vast multi-cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. For many students, this trip was a dream come true.
The Rural Education Institute is pleased to introduce the Institute’s 2018-19 inaugural group of Research and Innovation Associates. University faculty were selected based upon their particular expertise and are working on various projects to improve educational outcomes for students and families in rural communities. The new Research and Innovation Associates are: Dr. Laura Levi Altstaedter, Dr. Jessica Chittum, Dr. Loni Crumb, Dr. Lori Flint, Dr. Martin Reardon, and Dr. Christina Tschida.
As the Educational Support Counselor in Student Development at Wilson Community College (WCC), Kate Kehayes connects students with the resources to support their academic and personal goals. Kehayes began working at WCC as an intern while completing her Masters in Counselor Education at ECU. Working with at-risk students helped Kehayes identify common challenges faced by community college students such as: transportation, hunger, financial insecurity, and mental health. Establishing the Wellness Infusion Initiative (WII) is Kehayes’ way of helping students at WCC overcome some of these challenges. The WII includes a food pantry and a recreation library. Wellness workshops and online wellness resources are also available. Since it opened in March 2018, the WII Food Pantry has served 110 unique students, with several students being served multiple times. Many more students have been served through the recreation library and other programs. Kehayes credits her COE professors, Dr. Steve Schmidt, Dr. Allison Crowe and Dr. Phyllis Broughton for helping her discover a career in higher education.
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY
Students representing the Association for Computing Machinery and Women in Computer Science organizations recently participated in HackNC, a 24-hour hackathon at UNC-CH. Eleven students participated in the event, which for many of the students represented their first experience at a hackathon. During the hackathon, two ECU students developed separate blockchain applications.
Representatives from Red Hat recently spoke with the information and computer technology (networking) classes about internships and other work opportunities at Red Hat. The representatives also spoke about the importance of professional development and getting involved outside of class with various professional organizations.
The Department of Engineering recently celebrated the 10-year anniversary of its first graduating class at the Greenville Convention Center. Alumni from as far away as Washington, D.C. joined current administration, faculty, staff and students and celebrated the donors and department friends who helped raise almost $25,000 in scholarship funds by attending the reunion.
In preparation for the spring Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition, 13 students from the Information and Computer Technology program recently traveled to Woodward Hall at UNC Charlotte to learn about the latest next-generation of firewall technologies. Palo Alto Networks academy training engineer, Guy Bass, led the day-long session that covered the knowledge areas required for the Palo Alto Networks Cybersecurity Associate (PCCSA) certification exam. The trip was organized by Alex Hardt, the captain for the student team preparing for the competition.
Students and faculty from the Industrial Distribution and Logistics (IDIS) program recently spent an afternoon boxing care packages, which included basic hygiene items and first-aid supplies that will be sent to 300 service members in Afghanistan. According to NCPacks4Patriots Director, Barbara Whitehead, “The organization was formed with the mission to support troops and their family members by providing care and comfort items and expressions of appreciation for their service and sacrifices.”
The Department of Technology Systems and the Center for Sustainability and Environmental Engineering are collaborating on a three-year $177,000 grant from Burroughs Wellcome. The grant will fund a two week-long, residential summer academy focused on renewable energy and green manufacturing. Open to middle school students from eastern North Carolina, the academy will specifically look at solar, wind and hydrokinetics. The Coastal Studies Institute will also partner on this grant.
Dr. Janet Sanders from the Department of Technology Systems was one of 11 academics chosen from a nationwide pool to participate in this past summer’s Faculty Fellowship at NASA Glenn Research Center. While there, she worked with NASA administrators and engineers on process improvements related to the innovative technology NASA needs for its aeronautics and space exploration missions.
COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS & COMMUNICATION
School of Communication professors assembled 67 hygiene bags for Hurricane Florence victims on September 26. They followed the event with a Mellow Mushroom outing to benefit Vidant Home Health and Hospice.
Rebecca Dumlao’s (Communication) book, “A Guide to Collaborative Communication for Service-Learning Engagement Partners” is now available, from Stylus Publishing.
Emanuel Gruber (cello) performed two Bach cello suites at Cypress Glen Retirement Community on October 6 and at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Bath, NC on October 7.
In October, Stephen Ivany (trombone) performed in duo recital at the NACWPI Conference in Vancouver, BC and offered masterclasses and performed while in residence at Memorial University in St. John’s, Newfoundland.
Jocelyn Nelson (music history) presented “Non-Tenure Track Faculty in Academia” as a part of the College Music Society national conference. She’s a member of the CMS Academic Citizenship Committee. As such, she was a collaborator-member of a roundtable discussion entitled “Academic Civility in the University Music Program.” The conference was held October 11-13 in Vancouver.
Jami Rhodes (voice) conducted the ECU Concert Choir in invited performance at the NC American Choral Directors Association conference last month. The ensemble was selected for performance through a blind adjudication process. Transportation to the performance was funded by the Fine Arts Funding Board.
Lisa Beth Robinson (art foundations) presented “Conceptualizing the Ocean” at the international “Society and the Sea: Investinblue-The Values of The Ocean and Coasts for Sustainable Development” conference, hosted by the Greenwich Maritime Centre at the Old Royal Naval College at the University of Greenwich, U.K. Robinson outlined a project executed with John McCord at ECU CSI in Manteo using photogrammetry to capture live waves—a task she and collaborators found to be surprisingly challenging. The captured datapoints will become a 3-D print that the artists will create in glass so that future audiences can experience figurative rising seas as a part of a climate change awareness project.
Andrew Scanlon (organ) performed a solo recital on the world’s largest church-bound pipe organ on October 7. He played works by Elgar, Dupre, Tournemire, Bach, Billy Strayhorn and Percy Whitlock on the instrument housed at the US. Military Academy Cadet Chapel in West Point, NY. The instrument has 874 stops and more than 23,000 pipes.
Kwan Yi (piano) performed for the People’s Symphony Concerts Series and at the Tuesday Matinee Series in Merkin Hall, both in New York, NY.
COLLEGE OF HEALTH & HUMAN PERFORMANCE
Dr. Angela Lamson, Associate Dean for Research and professor of Human Development and Family Science, was recognized by the national Collaborative Family Healthcare Association as a Wingspread Honoree. This honor is given to those who have made considerable contributions to the field of collaborative care. The association is a multidisciplinary community of practitioners, mentors, researchers and innovators who are passionate about advancing the field of integrated, collaborative health care.
Dr. Sheresa Blanchard, assistant professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Science, received the Merle B. Karnes Award for Service on October 26. The award is presented to a member of the Division for Early Childhood, a part of the Council for Exceptional Children, the largest professional organization dedicated to improving the educational success of individuals with disabilities and/or gifts and talents. Blanchard accepted the award, which recognizes significant contribution in areas of leadership, service, research, advocacy or publications, at the 34th annual International Conference on Young Children with Special Needs and Their Families in Orlando, Florida.
Wyatt Bunner, a master’s student in the kinesiology-exercise physiology concentration, was awarded the Best Graduate Student Poster Award at the 20th East Carolina Neuroscience Symposium on October 22. Bunner’s faculty mentor is Dr. Hu Huang.
Anisa Zvonkovic, dean of the College of Health and Human Performance and president of the National Council on Family Relations, will preside over the annual meeting of the council on November 6. The organization is the largest and longest-standing professional association in the field. For more info, click HERE.
Samantha Barbour, Vanessa Del Carmen, Vanessa Holley, Jessie Jefferys, Katoya Jordan and Brittaney Ratzlaff, graduate students enrolled in the Substance Abuse Certificate Program in the School of Social Work, each received $2,000 scholarships from the Governors Institute on Substance Abuse in an effort to increase the number of licensed clinical addictions specialists in rural areas.
Chris Egan, a 1989 MSW graduate and vice-chair of the ECU School of Social Work Advisory Board, has been appointed senior director of employment services with the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. In this role, Egan will assume responsibility for the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services, Division of Services for the Deaf and the Hard of Hearing, Disability Determination Services and the Division of Services for the Blind.
HONORS COLLEGE
Sophomore EC Scholar Taylor Malachowski (right) was named Grand Champion at Capture 180, an ECU undergraduate challenge in which students must share their research and creative projects in only 3-minutes to a lay audience. Senior EC Scholar Jocelyn Bayles (left) won the People’s Choice Award for her presentation "More PEAS Please: Can Food-Based Learning Improve Preschoolers Vegetable Intake?"
As the Pirate Entrepreneurship Challenge rolls on, ECU Honors represents in 3 of the 13 groups selected to move on to the second round: freshman EC Scholar Grace Krell (SweetSip), junior Christina Larkins (Books for Better Outlooks), and junior EC Scholar Pranaya Pakala (Health4Pine).
Members of Association for Computation Machinery (ACM) and Women in Computer Science (WiCS), groups led by junior EC Scholar Tiffany Nguyen competed and earned 1st place in two categories at HackNC 2018, a weekend for students to make an awesome project in just 24 hours.
INTEGRATED COASTAL PROGRAMS
Integrated Coastal Programs has appointed the founding chair for the new Department of Coastal Studies. Dr. David Griffith, a longtime faculty of ECU’s Department of Anthropology, has been a leader across campus. He has conducted ethnographic research on labor, migration, and small-scale fisheries and farming in coastal systems since the early 1980s through a well-funded research program. Most recently, Dr. Griffith led ECU’s Institute of Coastal Science & Policy, working with faculty across campus to further develop the coastal enterprise. Congratulations to Dr. Griffith!
Drs. Sid Mitra (Geological Sciences, Director of Coastal Resources Management), Erin Field (Biology) and Reide Corbett (Coastal Studies) were recently funded through a $101,532 grant from NSF’s RAPID program to evaluate changes to the carbon cycle (rates, budget, etc.) offshore of NC. The study, entitled “2018 Hurricane Season-Associated Priming of Carbon in the Albemarle-Pamlico Estuarine System (APES), the Mid-Atlantic Bight and Gulf Stream” explores the overarching hypothesis that extreme precipitation from the 2018 Hurricane Season exported terrigenous dissolved organic carbon and microbes into the North Atlantic through the OBX inlets leading to shifts in the carbon cycle and the microbial population. The researchers are actively collecting samples from the Sound to the Gulf Stream to address the questions.
Dr. Rachel Gittman was funded by NSF to study the “Resilience of Shoreline Protection Methods to Hurricane Florence” in collaboration with Devon Eulie and Huili Hao at UNCW. The award is through the Humans, Disasters and the Built Environment Program for $43,317. This RAPID project seeks to assess the resilience of coastal communities and developed shorelines to a major storm event (Hurricane Florence) and how that varies as a function of shoreline management decisions and socio-environmental conditions.
Dr. Rachel Gittman also co-authored a paper in Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. The study tested the concept that large predatory fishes, capable of traveling great distances, can facilitate energy flow linkages among spatially separated habitat patches via extended foraging behaviors over expansive areas by tracking the movement of a large mobile estuarine fish, red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus). Results suggest high residency and limited seascape-scale linkages via red drum movement behaviors. These data highlight potential within-estuary spatial structure for mobile fishes and could inform subsequent efforts to track energy flows in coastal food webs, predict the footprint of local habitat restoration benefits, and enhance the design of survey regimes to quantify overall population demography.
Drs. Steven Moysey (Geological Sciences & HCAS Water Resources Center), Hannah Cooper (Geography, Planning & Environment), Mike O’Driscoll (Coastal Studies) and Charlie Humphrey (Health Education & Promotion) were also funded through a $50,000 NSF RAPID award entitled Acquisition of Critical Data for the Validation of Watershed Response Models in Eastern North Carolina. This project is focusing on the Hurricane Florence water flow and quality response of 3 major coastal plain river systems - the Tar, Neuse, and Cape Fear. The group will collect water quality, flow, and flood inundation data to address the accuracy of current flood inundation models, evaluate the landscape recovery following this perturbation and consider whether changes in development practice and management can reduce risks of major impacts on infrastructure associated with major flooding events.
The Coastal Studies Institute (CSI) has partnered with Duke University, the South East Zoo Alliance for Reproduction and Conservation (SEZARC) and the North Carolina Aquariums on a citizen science-based research and education project aimed at better understanding the movement and migrations of sand tiger sharks off the North Carolina coast. Through targeted outreach and education efforts to dive shops, dive clubs and the general public, the Spot-a-shark program is encouraging divers, snorkelers and ocean enthusiasts to take photographs of sand tiger sharks and submit them to the Spot-a-Shark USA website. Scientists and project partners can use software built into the website to identify individual sharks through their spot patterns and markings found along the shark’s body. The information gained by the project can be used to track shark movement and behavior over time, and the coastal habitats they use throughout their lives.
Each year, CSI provides real world research experiences for high school students in northeastern North Carolina through a competitive internship program. For the 2018 Fall semester, CSI has accepted five high school interns into the program. High school interns will work alongside CSI and ECU scientists on research and education projects, providing them with valuable experience in STEM fields.
Coastal Studies Institute (CSI) is hosting a lecture on managing wastewater as part of its “Science on the Sound” lecture series. This series, held monthly, highlights information on coastal topics and issues in northeast North Carolina. This month, the program will feature Lora Harris, Associate Professor at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Chesapeake Biological Laboratory. Harris’ presentation, entitled “A Passion for Dirty Water: Septic Detectives, Wastewater Treatment Plants, and a Story of Human Impact & Ingenuity in Coastal Ecosystems” will highlight her research on wastewater and its impact on local receiving waters. The program will be held at 6:00PM on Wednesday, November 7 at the Coastal Studies Institute located on the ECU Outer Banks Campus. The presentation is free, and the public is welcomed and encouraged to attend. This program will be streamed live HERE and the online viewing audience will be able to ask the presenter questions via an online chat room. This event is co-sponsored by the UNC Institute for the Environment’s Outer Banks Field Site.
Matt Harrup had a paper, "Archaeology at Brunswick Town: New Insights of a Colonial Port," accepted at the N.C. Maritime Council conference in Beaufort November 8-10. Archaeology returned to colonial Brunswick Town in 2011 after a four-decade hiatus. Following a research initiative with the North Carolina Office of State Archaeology, ECU has conducted an annual field school at Brunswick Town aimed at building on the work Stanley South undertook in the 1960’s. Recent excavations, the growth of material culture studies, advances in technology, and the re-visitation of documentary evidence have provided new data which are being synthesized with South’s initial investigations.
Matt Harrup was also in the news related to a 100-yr old mystery, looking for clues among old graves. Click HERE to watch the clip.
Eugene Frimpong received a Summer School Fellowship on Sustainable Climate Risk Management at Penn State University this past summer. He also recently had an abstract accepted at the Southern Economic Association 88th Annual Meeting, which will be held November 18-20 in Washington, D.C. The title of his paper is, "Government Buyout of Flood prone Structures: Does Price Offered Matter?"
Robbie Munroe has an article about to be published entitled, "Getting More Out of Storm Surge Forecasts: Emergency Support Personnel Needs in North Carolina," to be published in Weather, Climate, and Society (an AMS journal). Dr. Burrell Montz and Dr. Scott Curtis are the co-authors on the article.
Sarah Watkins Kenney has been busy publishing several articles related to Queen Anne’s Revenge, a subject of one of her dissertation chapters. She has also produced several articles along with coauthors Farrell Erik, Kimberly Kenyon, Kay Smith, and Ruth Brown.
CSI and ECU have partnered with Americorps on a Roanoke Island trails project aimed at adding interpretive educational thematic elements to existing and future Roanoke Island trails. Beginning in September, CSI will host an Americorps employee to coordinate the project, and its associated volunteers and community stakeholders.
Guy Iverson has had a talk accepted at the Onsite Water Protection Conference, titled, "Nutrient Attenuation by an In-stream Bioreactor Receiving Drainage from Onsite Wastewater Systems," and has also published several coauthored articles recently.
Ian Conery just published an article, titled, "Hurricane Overwash and Decadal-Scale Evolution of a Narrowing Barrier Island, Ocracoke Island, NC," which is about the geomorphic evolution of Ocracoke Island.
Farisal Bagsit and Tara Van Niekerk, donned Tyvek suits and respirators all day in 90 degree and above 85% humid weather, helping to clean up flood affected homes in New Bern. Their efforts were part of Dr. David Collier’s team of BSOM students doing what they do best, being undaunted Pirates, helping people!
ACADEMIC LIBRARY SERVICES
The kickoff for the Sycamore Hill Gateway Plaza at Town Common project was held on October 28. Joyner Library’s Beyond Bricks & Mortar program, funded in part by a 2016 grant from the NC Arts Council, was cited as instrumental in the City of Greenville’s planning for the Gateway project. Heather M. White, assistant director for assessment and engagement, is a member of the Sycamore Hill Advisory Group. She plans to extend the original work with the assistance of a just-awarded NC Humanities Council grant, Beyond Bricks & Mortar: Urban Renewal & the African American Community in Greenville, NC.
GRANTS AND CONTRACTS
SEPTEMBER 2018
Award Title: Increased access to authentic research for undergraduate Chemistry students through Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences
Principal Investigator: Joi Walker, College of Arts & Sciences, Chemistry
Sponsor: National Science Foundation (NSF)
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Award Title: Greene County Community Advancement Program (CAP)
Principal Investigator: Jean Golden, College of Arts & Sciences, Psychology
Sponsor: Greene County
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Award Title: CITE # 483, BCCC - Metrics - Nutrien
Principal Investigator: Jimmy Lin, College of Engineering & Technology, Center for Innovation in Technology & Engineering
Sponsor: Beaufort County Community College
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Award Title: North Carolina Space Grant Affiliate Program; Beam me up Scotty
Principal Investigator: Tarek Abdel-Salem, College of Engineering & Technology, Engineering
Sponsor: North Carolina Space Grant Consortium (NC Space Grant)
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Award Title: Renewable Energy and Green Manufacturing Academy for Rural Middle School Students in Eastern North Carolina
Principal Investigator: Ranjeet Agarwala, College of Engineering & Technology, Technology Systems
Sponsor: Burroughs Wellcome Fund
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Award Title: High Bay Lab for Advanced Manufacturing Education and Workforce Development
Principal Investigator: Tijjani Mohammed, College of Engineering & Technology, Technology Systems
Sponsor: Wells Fargo Foundation
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Award Title: NC New Teacher Support Program & ENC New Teacher Support Project
Principal Investigator: Bryan Zugelder, College of Education, Elementary and Middle Grades Education
Sponsor: University of North Carolina General Administration (UNC GA)
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Award Title: ECU SPED SIP/IHE Partnership
Principal Investigator: Stacy Weiss, College of Education, Special Education, Foundations and Research
Sponsor: North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI)
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Award Title: The Prescribed Exercise to Reduce Recidivism After Weight Loss pilot (PREVAIL-P)
Principal Investigator: Damon Swift, College of Health & Human Performance, Kinesiology
Sponsor: National Institutes of Health (NIH)
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Award Title: Molecular Transducers of the Health Benefits of Exercise Intensity and Mode.
Principal Investigator: Joseph Houmard, College of Health & Human Performance, Kinesiology
Sponsor: Duke University
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Award Title: Quantifying the geomorphic, ecological, and socioeconomic impacts of shoreline management strategies: a multi-disciplinary approach
Principal Investigator: Rachel Gittman, Integrated Coastal Programs, Department of Coastal Studies
Sponsor: University of North Carolina at Wilmington (UNCW)