Carbondale Calendars and Events
Edwardsville Calendars and Events
East St. Louis Calendars and Events

A local construction firm, a labor union and a workforce training program are undertaking a major repaving project at SIUC that will not only help the campus and community enjoy one its natural features, but also save the University a large amount of money.  E.T. Simonds Construction Co., in partnership with Laborers Local 773 and Laborers-Employers Cooperation and Education Trust, have begun work on repaving the path around campus lake. Laborers apprentices and journeypersons are completing the work through an asphalt class offered by the Illinois Laborers and Contractors Joint Apprenticeship and Training Fund, of which Bill Simonds of E. T. Simonds Co. is a management trustee.  The path, a popular recreation and exercise area that encircles the lake, was in need of general repair.  Small areas damaged by the May 8, 2009, derecho, which knocked down thousands of trees and damaged buildings and infrastructure around the campus, were previously repaired.  E.T. Simonds is providing the material and equipment for the project, while the Laborers Union is providing labor as part of a training initiative with LECET.  The project is the culmination of talks that began a year ago among Chancellor Rita Cheng and the partners now involved.

A team of researchers headed by Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Engineering Assistant Professor of Computer Science Gary Mayer has been awarded a $900,000 National Science Foundation Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) grant to study the effects of mentoring related to student interest in pursuing science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers. The effort is a collaborative enterprise between SIUE and the University of Southern California (USC), with support from the KISS Institute for Practical Robotics (KIPR). Mayer will work with Sharon Locke, director of the SIUE Center for STEM Research, Education and Outreach and Brad White, senior researcher with the Illinois Education Research Council (IERC). Introducing the popular Botball robotics competition, managed by KIPR, to communities unfamiliar with the program from the Southern Illinois and Southern California areas, 50 middle-school teachers will be prepared as mentors using four different training techniques. Approximately 500 middle school students from diverse backgrounds will be coached by mentors. Student participants’ expectations of success and desire to take STEM courses and pursue STEM careers will be surveyed before and after the program and the results, along with feedback from the mentors, will enable researchers to examine the effectiveness of the different mentoring techniques. Mayer said the latest grant funding was made possible thanks to work conducted by SIUE Acting Associate Provost for Research and Dean of the Graduate School Jerry Weinberg, who also is a professor of Computer Science, and SIUE Associate Provost for Academic Planning and Program Development Sue Thomas, who also is a professor of Psychology. He will collaborate on the project with Stephen Marlett, SIUE associate professor of Curriculum and Instruction in the School of Education, Maja Mataric, professor of Computer Science, Neuroscience and Pediatrics at USC, and director of USC’s Center for Robotics and Embedded Systems, and Ross Mead, SIUE School of Engineering alumnus and NSF graduate research fellow at USC. The USC location in multicultural Los Angeles and the diverse population around SIUE’s own campus will allow the team to investigate the role of ethnicity in mentoring for STEM education.

The Southern Illinois University Alumni Association will honor three prominent SIUC graduates during Homecoming festivities.  The SIU Alumni Association will honor the trio on Friday, Oct. 14, during a public reception and photo unveiling in the Alumni Lounge in the Student Recreation Center.  The framed photos will become part of the University’s Distinguished Alumni Wall there.  The reception is at 4 p.m.  The public is welcome to attend.  The 2011 SIU Distinguished Alumni are: William A. Fenwick, ‘64, a founding partner of Fenwick and West LLP, a law firm that has been litigating technology, online commerce, and communications cases for more than 35 years; James P. Hamilton, ‘71 who recently retired after serving as the first president of Milestone Inc., a not-for-profit corporation founded in 1973 to provide residential and supportive services to persons with developmental disabilities; and Mark E. Keim ‘87, M.D. ‘91, the senior science advisor at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Ga., and adjunct professor at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health.

Helping people take innovation research and technology to the next level is the focus of an upcoming event at SIUC.  A Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Workshop will take place Oct. 14 from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Dunn-Richmond Economic Development Center, 150 E. Pleasant Hill Road in Carbondale.  The programs are federal initiatives providing more than $2 billion in grants and contracts annually to new or small companies developing new or enhanced products and services based on advanced technologies.  The upcoming program offers an overview of SBIR and STTR and provides information about the value these programs could hold for business.  To register for the program or for more information about the various innovation and technology assistance programs at SIU Carbondale, look online at www.researchpark.siuc.edu, call (618)453-3427 or email harfst@siu.edu.

Memory loss is the topic of a conference for family and caregivers to be presented by the Center for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders in Springfield.  The conference will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, November 7, at the Crowne Plaza, 3000 S. Dirksen Parkway.  The sponsors are the SIU School of Medicine, the Illinois Department on Aging, St. John’s Hospital and the Alzheimer’s Association.  The conference will provide general information about the disease and offer care-giving strategies to persons with memory loss and their family members and caregivers.  The conference will feature experts in the fields of memory loss and care giving, as well as useful products and services.  The registration fee for Monday’s conference is $30 before October 25 and $35 after October 25.  Registration can be made online or by mail.  For more information about either day of the conference, call (217)545-7711 weekdays or see the conference flyer at www.siumed.edu/alz.

Telling the story of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s route to national recognition through its important achievements and milestones, SIUE Chancellor Vaughn Vandegrift delivered his annual address September 28th and ended it by announcing his intent to retire at the end of the 2011-2012 fiscal year.  Though many are surprised by this announcement, SIU President Dr. Glenn Poshard pointed out that Chancellor Vandegrift has accomplished much of what he was hired to do, including achieving national recognition for the University, moving Intercollegiate Athletics to NCAA Division I in the Ohio Valley Conference, and numerous construction and infrastructure projects improving the current campus climate and paving the way for the future at SIUE. In addition to prestigious recognitions by U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges of 2012 listing SIUE as a top 15 master’s comprehensive public institution in the Midwest region and one of 46 “up-and-coming” institutions in the entire country for innovative changes in academics, faculty, student life, campus and facilities, the University has gained national recognition through many rankings and acknowledgments — among them the 2011 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with distinction by the Corporation for National and Community Service; and a ranking among the Top 50 by Washington Monthly among 553 master’s universities nationally.  The University will now embark on the difficult challenge of finding a new chancellor to continue the quest for excellence. Vandegrift indicated his retirement will be effective July 1.

Rainbow’s End Child Development Center at SIUC recently earned accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the country’s leading organization for early childhood professionals.  To earn the accreditation, a program must meet a minimum of 80 percent of all of the criteria in each of 10 NAEYC standards.  Rainbow’s End not only achieved that goal, but also went above and beyond.  The University’s program earned 100 percent-plus ranks in health, families, community relationships and leadership and management, along with 100 percent ratings for relationships, assessment and physical environment.   The center earned a 96 percent for teaching and also well exceeded the 80 percent minimum accreditation standard for curriculum and teachers.  Rainbow’s End, located at 650 S. State St. in Carbondale, provides childcare for the children of University students, staff and faculty.

“Looking Back and Moving Forward” is the theme for SIUC’s GLBT History Month.  Special activities throughout the month of October celebrate the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender population and its history.  There are panel discussions, movies, an open house, socials, guest speakers and even the popular “Divas of Diversity” and accompanying workshop.  GLBT History Month is one of the many initiatives of Student Life and Intercultural Relations-Multicultural Programs and Services.  The office also hosts Latino Heritage Month, Native American Heritage Month, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Remembrance, Women’s History Month, Asian American Heritage Month and other activities and events promoting cultural competency at the University.  For more information about any of the events or the GLBT Resource Center, visit at Room 326/327 in C Wing of Woody Hall, email glbtrc@siu.edu, or call (618)453-5627.

Making a good impression when dining out takes a little expertise and focus.  University Housing’s Fall 2011 Professional Etiquette Dinner is a good way to prepare.  The popular semi-annual event at Southern Illinois University Carbondale is set for 5-7:30 p.m. on Oct. 19 in Lenz Hall, Dining Room #5.  University students will dine on a five-course meal from the acclaimed Chef Bill and his team.  As participants enjoy their food they’ll learn how to best present themselves when dining out at business meetings, interviews, seminars or even during social occasions.  Tickets are $15 and available at the Residence Hall Dining Office on the lower level of Grinnell Hall.  Ticket sales are only in advance and purchase is required no later than Oct. 14.  Participants should wear office/professional attire to the dinner.  For more information, call (618)453-2649.

Vicky Dean, assistant director of Residence Life for Residential Education at SIUE, was awarded the regional National Residence Hall Honorary (NRHH) Faculty/Staff Of The Month award for August. Dean was nominated by Zachary Sanderson, a University Housing resident assistant (RA). After being recognized as the campus winner, a second nomination was submitted regionally. The region includes campus winners from Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio. The nomination will now be submitted at the national level. The NRHH is the recognition branch of the National Association of College and University Residence Halls. NRHH supports monthly recognition of student staff, programs, professional staff, faculty and more through “Of The Month” (OTM) awards. Sanderson’s nomination focused on Dean’s leadership among various academic initiatives within housing; involvement with Safe Zone, a campus organization; and overall dedication to the department throughout the month of August. “Vicky Dean is always giving her best not only to the housing community, but our campus as a whole,” Sanderson said. “August is easily one of the busiest times of the year and she accomplished so much during this time. Vicky’s commitment to student success and her spunky personality easily qualify her for the Faculty/Staff of the Month award.”

The SIUC football Salukis host North Dakota State on Saturday, Oct. 8. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. It is also Military Appreciation Day.  The Salukis are second in the Missouri Valley Football Conference in total offense and second in total defense. The home team in the SIU-NDSU series is 5-0. This marks the seventh game against a top-10 opponent in the Coach Lennon era.  SIUC is 3-3 in the last three years against top 10 teams. The program is ranked for the 104th time in 109 weeks. The 2011 season marks the 99th year of football at Southern Illinois and the 96 season fielding a team.