NEWS BRIEFS

New liver transplant option being tested
People with liver disease awaiting transplant have a new option that is being tested at U.Va., thanks to a $1.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health. Drs. Carl Berg and Tim Pruett of the Digestive Health Center will track the risks and benefits of transplanting part of a living donor’s liver into patients with diseases such as hepatitis C. Although the procedure is still controversial, it could help address the transplant shortage. Unlike most organs, the liver regenerates itself, so the donor’s and recipient’s livers will regrow.

Sustainable development from Johannesburg to U.Va.
Global environmental problems and their social impact on communities around the world fueled the World Summit on Sustainable Development that convened in Johannesburg, South Africa, in August. Recognizing that local action and planning are essential to successfully tackle these issues, the School of Architecture will host a symposium Nov. 15. Timothy Beatley, a professor in urban and environmental planning who attended the global summit, is organizing the event. The symposium, free and open to the public, will be held 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Campbell Hall, Room 153. For details, call or e-mail Bettie Hall at 924-1339 or bhh@virginia.edu.

Center to help bring American history to Southwest Va.
Several departments and programs at the University will team with the Scott and Russell County school systems and a consortium of 14 other school districts to improve American history education. The U.S. Department of Education awarded the school districts a three-year, $1 million grant that will fund mentoring programs, professional education and training seminars. The Virginia Center for Digital History will receive $256,208 to develop teaching materials and a Web site. Other partners include U.Va.’s College at Wise, history departments at Virginia Tech and Emory and Henry College, regional history museums and the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities.

Interdisciplinary symposium to focus on Karl Popper’s influence
Philosophers and scientists still wrestle with questions such as “How does one evaluate the quality and validity of results and theories?” Karl Popper, one of the 20th century’s most influential philosophers, developed concepts to analyze whether practices were scientific or non-scientific. Also interested in governance, he ultimately rejected communism in favor of an “open society” of free citizens. A Nov. 22-23 symposium, sponsored by the Forum of Contemporary Thought, will bring together leading thinkers to consider these issues. Discussions will be held in the Rotunda Dome Room Nov. 22 and in Minor Hall 225 on Nov. 23.
For details, e-mail Bob Kretsinger at rhk5i@virginia.edu.

Research opportunities for undergrads
Spread the word to second- and third-year undergraduates interested in research — the Harrison Awards will still be available this year, despite state budget cuts. Forty awards of up to $3,000 each will be granted to outstanding undergraduate research projects in the summer of 2003.

Previous Harrison Award recipients will present their research projects at a Nov. 21 symposium in Newcomb Hall. Information on the awards, whose proposals are due Feb. 21, also will be available there. For details, contact Nicole Hurd, director of the Center for Undergraduate Excellence, at 924-7727 or njf5w@virginia.edu.

SCHEV reduces schools’ paperwork
The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia decided to eliminate for this year two “time-consuming” reports required of state colleges and universities, those on space utilization data and institutional effectiveness.

In a memo to schools, director Phyllis Palmiero said, “In these difficult fiscal times, we can alleviate some of your burdens by reducing workloads and allowing institutions and agencies to concentrate on their core missions.” The institutional effectiveness report will be biennial rather than annual — a permanent change — and next due in July 2004.

U.Va.-Wise gets gift for business professorship
The Napoleon Hill Foundation has given U.Va.’s College at Wise $250,000 to establish an endowed professorship of business. It will be the college’s sixth endowed chair.

Napoleon Hill, a native of Pound, overcame an impoverished upbringing to become a business adviser to presidents and a best-selling author of books such as “Think and Grow Rich.”

Problems of the working poor to be discussed
Two U.Va. professors will join a progressive author Nov. 11 to examine the modern economy and the limits on low-wage workers. Barbara Ehrenreich, author of “Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America,” will participate in a panel on “Poverty, Power and Politics: Workers in the New Economy” with English professor Susan Fraiman and economics professor Sanjay Jain. The forum, sponsored by the Carter G. Woodson Institute and the Studies in Women and Gender Program, will be held at 4 p.m. in Room 225 of Minor Hall.

Lincoln author awarded
William Lee Miller, a retired U.Va. professor of political and social thought, has received the 2002 Award of Achievement for his book, Lincoln’s Virtues: An Ethical Biography, from the Lincoln Group of New York, an organization dedicated to studying the life and times of the 16th president. Miller, who is now a scholar at the Miller Center of Public Affairs, said he chose Lincoln for his most recent research because “Lincoln’s presidency is a case study in political ethics that applies continuously.”

Three steps to career success
What's your ETA for career success? For the Employee Career Services office, ETA stands for Explore-Think-Act, the three stages of career planning. In the free workshops, faculty and staff can explore their personal interests, abilities and career options; think strategically about their career plan and develop goals; and act to achieve their career goals.

Upcoming workshops — “Exploring What You Like, Doing What You Love: Using the Strong Interest Explorer for Career Planning,” Nov. 13, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
“Choices: Creating a Structured Career Plan for Satisfying Work,” Nov. 20, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

“Write-On: How to Write Great U.Va. Applications,” Nov. 21, 8:30-noon. Workshops are held at 2400 Old Ivy Rd. For details, call 924-4343.

Bond honored for civil rights activism
From leading sit-ins at lunch counters to teaching history at U.Va., Julian Bond has championed civil rights. For these and other contributions, he has received the Freedom Award, given annually by the National Civil Rights Museum. Previous recipients include Rosa Parks, Coretta Scott King, Nelson Mandela and Colin Powell. "I am immensely honored to receive this award, and do so in the names, memories and unfinished works of thousands of the nameless and anonymous brothers and sisters who made the movement," Bond said.

Reading for art’s sake
Artist Tim Rollins founded Kids of Survival — KOS — while working with learning-disadvantaged youth in the South Bronx and has given similar workshops around the country. Students in the program create a collaborative mural with images inspired by various books. On display at Fayerweather Gallery until Dec. 3 is the exhibit “After,” based on Ovid’s “Metamorphoses.” Rollins will be at U.Va. for a year and a half residency.

Nurses awarded
Ann Marie Hamric recently received the Distinguished Professor Award and Carolyn Eddins the Excellence in Teaching Award from the Nursing Alumni Association. Hamric was honored as an outstanding researcher, teacher and colleague in the field of ethics. Eddins was recognized for her outstanding teaching and clinical training of undergraduates.

Make the holidays happier
Beginning Nov. 12, offices can start collecting food and gifts for the Madison House Holiday Sharing Program, which provides packages to needy families in the Charlottesville/Albemarle area. To sponsor a family or make donations, call 977-7051.

OFFScreen features movie alternatives
The University’s independent, foreign and classic film society, OFFScreen, will present the latest Cannes Film Festival Grand Prize winner, “The Piano Teacher,” on Nov. 10. Next, Fritz Lang’s 1927 classic, “Metropolis,” will be shown Nov. 17 in a fully restored, digitally enhanced and longer version. Two of Michelangelo Antonioni’s films bring Italian neo-realism to the screen: “Il Grido,” coming Nov. 24, and ”L’Avventura,” on Dec. 4. Films are shown at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. in Newcomb Hall Theater.

Need muscle? Call Rent-a-Rower
Each year, the U.Va. men’s crew club offers to lend their rowing muscles to help people with chores. The athletes are available all day Nov. 17 for $120 per man. If you need help moving furniture or raking leaves and would like to contribute to this fund-raiser, contact Tony Kilbridge at 982-5681 or aek3f@virginia.edu.

Only bibliophiles need apply
For anyone interested in the history of books and printing, the Rare Book School located in Alderman Library offers specialized five-day short courses on a broad range of topics, from book illustration in the 19th century to encoded archival descriptions. Some spots remain open for the Jan. 6-10 session. For tuition and other information, see http://www.virginia.edu/oldbooks/

Climate change and policy-making in Africa
“Scientists should translate and communicate their findings to the communities in the areas where they are doing their research,” said Rejoice Mabudafhasi, South Africa’s deputy minister of environmental affairs and tourism, during a visit to U.Va. last month. She participated in meetings about the large-scale international effort U.Va. environmental sciences researcher Bob Swap began two years ago, the Southern Africa Regional Science Initiative, or SAFARI 2000. More than 100 scientists and government officials attended the workshop. The project’s purpose is to understand climate change to better help governments prepare for disasters, such as flooding or drought or disease epidemics.

Have you had your flu shot?
U.Va. employees can fight influenza by getting their free flu vaccination at any of several clinics scheduled for November. Just show up with an ID in hand. This year’s formula guards against two new strains expected to circulate this winter.

Schedule:
Nov. 11, noon-3 p.m., Newcomb Hall 168
Nov. 12, 1:30-3 p.m., Darden Conference Room 145
Nov. 13, 1:30-4 p.m., Physics 120
Nov. 15, 8 a.m.-noon, 1-4:30 p.m., Occupational Health Services, Hospital West
Nov. 18, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Republic Plaza, Conference Room 3
Nov. 19, 9-10:30 a.m., Stacey Hall, Patient Financial Services Conference Room
Nov. 20, 7-9 a.m., Facilities Management Lunch Room
Nov. 20, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m., University Hall Press Room
Nov. 20, 2-3:30 p.m., Printing Services Conference Room, Old Ivy Rd.

U.Va. faculty put art in place
Michael Bednar, associate professor of architecture, recently installed his steel sculpture, "Juxtaposition," on Fifth Street as part of Charlottesville’s “Art In Place” project. Associated Steel Products created the sculpture for him based on a model he made.

"It's just an abstract kind of idea about moving along the road," Bednar said about the two orange and red steel plates.

Dr. Richard Whitehill, an orthopedic surgeon, has had two works displayed, “The Tennis Players” and “The Biker.”

Notable achievements
Dr. Christopher Holstege, assistant professor of emergency medicine at the Health System and medical director for the Health System’s Blue Ridge Poison Center, has been awarded the American College of Emergency Physicians 2002 National Teaching Award. Dr. Bruce Schirmer, professor of surgery at the Health System, was elected president of the Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons. Linda Watson, director of the Claude Moore Health Sciences Library, was named president of the Medical Library Association at the association's 102nd annual meeting in Dallas. Natalie O. Kononenko, professor of Slavic languages and literature, recently received a $1,250 award from the Stephania Bukachevska-Pastushenko Archival Endowment Fund to collect and analyze the folklore and ethnography of Ukraine. Warren T. Byrd, professor of landscape architecture, won three national American Society of Landscape Architects awards. Paul Walker, director of the Ensemble for Early Music and on the music department faculty where he teaches harpsichord and organ, was awarded the William H. Scheide Prize by the American Bach Society for his book, “Theories of Fugue from the Age of Josquin to the Age of Bach.”

Meaty topics on TV programs
UVA NewsMakers will air a talk by author Helena Cobban on “Israel and Palestine: The Continuing Crisis” Nov. 14 and 15. It will be broadcast Thursdays at 9 p.m. and Fridays at 11 a.m. on Adelphia Public Access Ch. 13.

Upcoming “Ethically Speaking” programs include a debate on physician-assisted suicide with ethicist John Fletcher and Dr. Carlos Gomez, both from U.Va., and Mary Faith Marshall from the University of Kansas Medical Center, airing Nov. 10 at 11 a.m. Environmental protection is the topic of the next show, on Nov. 14 at 8:30 p.m. and Nov. 17 at 11 a.m. with Trip Pollard, from the Southern Environmental Law Center in Charlottesville, and Darden professor R. Edward Freeman. On Nov. 21 and 24 (same times), Darden professor Patricia Werhane and Robert Solomon, of the University of Texas, will examine intellectual property rights. The program, produced by the Institute for Practical Ethics and Charlottesville PBS, is hosted by U.Va. Law Dean John Jeffries and broadcast on WHTJ-TV.

For nature-loving kids
U.Va.’s branch of the Virginia Museum of Natural History will feature endangered species in desert and prairie habitats this month. Rick Reynolds, of the Virginia Dept. of Game and Inland Fisheries, will lead Science Saturday Nov. 9 at 10 a.m. The Nature Time program, with activities for children ages 3-5, will be Nov. 12 at 10:30 a.m. and Nov. 13 at 1:30 p.m. Cost: $3 for museum members; $4 for nonmembers. The Nature Explorers club, open to children ages 6-11, meets Nov. 18 at 4 p.m. Call 982-4605 to pre-register.

Employee suggestion box
Gov. Mark Warner has approved a new employee suggestion program, the “Ask Why” campaign, as another way to cut costs and improve services. “Ask Why” ideas could qualify for the Employee Suggestion Program, which offers cash rewards and paid leave to employees whose suggestions result in significant cost savings. See www.governor.state.va.us/ or the Va. Gov’t Employees’ Assoc. at www.vgea.org, or e-mail suggestions to webmaster@dhrm.state.va.us.

IN MEMORIAM
• Tom Cichon, 55, of Crozet, died Nov. 2. He worked for ITC as a senior programmer/analyst, specializing in Macintosh computers.
• Doris Page Loving, 51, of Faber, died Oct. 14. She was employed as assistant manager in the printing and copying center from 1974 until her death.
• Bob Neal Woodrum, 77, of Charlottesville, died Oct. 10. He worked as an office service assistant in transportation services from 1966 until 1987.
• Annie Jones Locker, 87, of Charlottesville, died Oct. 4. She worked at U.Va. in several different jobs during the 1960s and ’70s.
• Betty B. Pittman, 69, of Charlottesville, died Oct. 3. She worked in the summer session office from 1956 until 1991.