October 1, 2008

Awards and Honors

Paula Duncan, clinical professor of pediatrics and youth health director of the Vermont Child Health Improvement Program (VCHIP), is the recipient of the American Academy of Pediatrics' (AAP) 2008 Clifford Grulee Award. Sponsored by the AAP Executive Committee and established in 1951, this award recognizes outstanding service to AAP beyond that required of the elected leadership. Duncan will be presented with the award at the Annual Business Meeting at the AAP National Conference and Exhibition in Boston, Mass., on October 13.

The Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease Network for Research and Improvement (PIBDNet) Trailblazer Improvement Collaborative, led by Richard Colletti, professor and vice chair of pediatrics, has been selected as an Improve First initiative by the Alliance for Pediatric Quality (Alliance). Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is a serious chronic condition affecting 100,000 children and adolescents. This collaborative of PIBDNet will develop a guideline and algorithms for Model IBD Treatment, as well as measures to track performance and outcomes. The Trailblazer Improvement Collaborative was selected from more than 50 improvement initiatives associated with priorities identified by the Alliance’s expert task force. The priorities are based on the Alliance’s Improve First philosophy: Spreading well-designed, well-run improvement initiatives with demonstrated results is one of the most important first steps the pediatric community can take to measurably improve children’s health outcomes and transform how care is delivered. To date, the Trailblazer Collaborative has enrolled more than 1700 patients, creating the largest pediatric IBD registry in the country.

September 24, 2008

Awards and Honors

Edwin Bovill, professor and chair of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine; Naomi Fukagawa, professor of medicine; and Judith Van Houten, Perkins Professor of Biology, Director of the VT EPSCoR, Vermont Genetics Network and HELiX Programs, were inducted into the Vermont Academy of Science and Engineering (VASE) on September 23, 2008.

Charles MacLean, associate professor of medicine, was named interim associate dean for primary care at the College of Medicine. MacLean will replace Dr. John Fogarty, who left UVM to become dean at Florida State University College of Medicine. MacLean will maintain his faculty appointment and role as research director for the Office of Primary Care, and continue his teaching, research and clinical practice within the Primary Care Internal Medicine division.

The Horticultural Research Center's rain garden won first place in Chittenden County in a statewide contest of gardens designed to aid in stormwater management. Rain gardens are designed to divert runoff from storm drains, reducing pollution while nourishing plants and flowers.

UVM's Vermont Institute for Artisan Cheese has been awarded a $99,000 grant to work on-site with 20 Vermont cheesemakers to develop protocols to help manage food safety issues. The well-timed grant follows a recent recall in Quebec after consumer illnesses and deaths linked to cheese consumption. “We hope this proactive approach,” said Catherine Donnelly, professor and co-director of VIAC, “will help foster the growth of future successful cheesemaking enterprises in Vermont.”

September 17, 2008

Awards and Honors

The department of medical laboratory and radiation sciences was one of seven university- and college-based programs to receive new state-of-the-art equipment through the Abbott Labs Are Vital® Equipment Donation Program. Recipients were selected from 225 grant applicants from 29 states across the United States. Christine Griffin, lecturer of medical laboratory and radiation sciences, submitted the grant application, which resulted in a donation of a HEMO Analyzer CD1800 valued at $38,000 with three years of full service and supplies. Recipients were announced July 30 at the American Association of Clinical Chemistry Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

Ödul "Laurie" Amburgey, a maternal-fetal medicine fellow in the department of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences, was selected as one of four recipients of a 2008 Vision Grant from the Preeclampsia Foundation for her study of brain vessel function in preeclamptic women. Preeclampsia, a condition characterized by high blood pressure, protein in the urine, as well as swelling in the hands and face during the second half of pregnancy, is responsible for at least 76,000 maternal deaths each year. Amburgey's research seeks to determine if some women have certain blood factors that make them more susceptible to brain swelling.

Bradley Palmer, research assistant professor of molecular physiology and biophysics, received a five-year, $1.25 million grant from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute to support his research on the role of zinc in the relaxation processes of individual heart muscle cells known as cardiomyocytes. An essential mineral found in almost every cell of the human body, zinc stimulates the activity of dozens of enzymes responsible for critical chemical reactions. Palmer's research will specifically address the role of protein-bound zinc and free zinc ion in the heart's relaxation process. Relaxation plays a significant part in heart function, because it permits the chambers to fill with blood before the next contraction.

September 10, 2008

Publications and Presentations

Kevin McKenna, professor of Russian, published "Didactics and the Proverb: The Case of Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s Literary Memoir, The Oak and the Calf." McKenna examines how Solzhenitsyn uses proverbs to illustrate and underscore the message of his five-hundred page memoir about his experiences as a writer in the Soviet Union during the tumultuous period from 1962 to 1974.

David Jones, assistant professor of business administration, and his coauthors, Drs. Neil Fassina and Krista Uggerslev (Asper School of Business, University of Manitoba) had an article published in the most recent issue of the Journal of Organizational Behavior. Their meta-analytic findings challenged accepted wisdom on the structure of cooperative work behaviors, and showed that employees tend to target the performance or withdrawal of these behaviors towards the sources of perceived fair and unfair treatment. They also showed that these cooperative behaviors are simultaneously influenced by gestalt perceptions of fairness based on treatment from both immediate supervisors and the larger organization. Also this September, David and his co-author, Dr. Martin Martens (John Molson School of Business, Concordia), presented a paper at the annual meeting of the British Academy of Management in Harrogate, England, titled “Justice, overall fairness, and employee attitudes: Using qualitative data to understand how context affects quantitative findings.”

Wolfgang Mieder, professor of German and Russian, who stepped down as chairperson after 31 years, is the editor of the English translation of Lutz Röhrich’s seminal work on fairytales titled, "And They Are Still Living Happily Ever After: Anthropology, Cultural History, and Interpretation of Fairy Tales." Mieder also edited the 25th volume of "Proverbium: Yearbook of International Proverb Scholarship." The volume contains Mieder’s article “Let Us Have Faith that ‘Right Makes Might’: Proverbial Rhetoric in Decisive Moments of American Politics,” an examination of proverbs in American political discourse. He traces the use of proverbs in the political speeches of American presidents from Abraham Lincoln to George W. Bush as well as in those of political activists like Frederic Douglass, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Martin Luther King Jr. In addition, Mieder is the author of “Don’t Swap Horses in the Middle of the Stream: An Intercultural and Historical Study of Abraham Lincoln’s Apocryphal Proverb," which traces the origin of the proverb and documents its subsequent use throughout different centuries and cultures.

Jane Okech, assistant professor, Department of Integrated Professional Studies is the author of a September 2008 article in the Journal for Specialists in Group Work titled “Reflective practice in group co-leadership.” She is also the lead author of a September 2008 article in the International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling titled “Informing culturally competent practice through cross-racial friendships.” Her co-author on the paper is Julia Champe, assistant professor, Department of Educational Psychology and Special Education, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.

Helga Schreckenberger, professor of German and Russian, published "Joseph Hahn: Kunst als Ehrfurcht vor dem Leben," illustrating the influence of the exile experience on Joseph Hahn’s poetry. Hahn, a refugee from Nazi Germany, lived in Middlebury for the past eighteen years. He died on October 31, 2007. Schreckenberger argues that the experience of exile impacted not only the thematic aspect of Hahn’s work but also its language.

Awards and Honors

Dr. Richard Colletti, professor of pediatrics, received the 2008 Distinguished Service Award from the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (NASPGHAN) in recognition of his excellence and service to the field. Colletti will be presented with the award at a ceremony during the NASPGHAN and Children’s Digestive Health and Nutrition Foundation joint annual conference in San Diego on Saturday, November 15.

Dr. Roger Young, professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences, was elected to the national Board of Trustees of the March of Dimes Foundation. March of Dimes trustees, who serve as volunteers, represent the public in governing the organization and advancing its mission and serve five-year terms. Young has reviewed scientific grant applications for the March of Dimes for six years, and served as a member of the organization's Scientific Advisory Committee since 2006. He is a recognized leader in the field of uterine physiology of pregnancy, and has a long-range goal of decreasing the rising rate of prematurity in the United States, which is consistent with a component of the mission of the March of Dimes.

Karen Richardson-Nassif, associate dean for faculty and staff development and diversity in the College of Medicine, and colleagues will be receiving the Best Paper Award for 2007 from the Research In Medical Education Committee of the Association of American Medical Colleges at the organization's annual meeting in San Antonio on November 4. The group is being recognized for their joint paper titled "Crafting Successful Relationships with the IRB, which was presented at the AAMC annual meeting in 2007.

September 3, 2008

Publications and Presentations

Representatives of the UVM Area Health Education Center (AHEC) Program Office delivered a poster presentation and a workshop at the National AHEC Association (NAO) 2008 Conference in Denver, Colorado June 28 to July 1. Dr. Richard Pinckney, assistant professor of medicine, presented a workshop titled "Teaching health professionals about pharmaceutical advertising: experience from the Program in Wise Prescribing." Laurie Hurowitz, research assistant professor of medicine, delivered a poster presentation titled "Promoting Healthier Weight in Adult Primary Care in Vermont – A Public Health and AHEC Partnership." The NAO national conference takes place every two years and represents a nationwide sharing of successful efforts to connect students to careers, professionals to communities, and communities to better health.

Awards and Honors

Betsy Greene, associate professor of animal science, received the 2008 Communication Award in recognition of Excellence in Use of Communications Media from the National Association of County Agricultural Agents. Greene was the national winner for her work with eXtension's HorseQuest website. Greene is also co-chair of the "HorseQuest Community of Practice" which includes over fifty national equine experts throughout the country.

Dr. Ted James, assistant professor of surgery, received the Cancer Liaison Physician Outstanding Performance Award from the Commission on Cancer (CoC) for his leadership and guidance as a physician champion. This national award recognizes physicians who go above and beyond expectations to improve and provide direction to their cancer program. James is among 55 recipients nationwide to achieve this recognition.

Rex Forehand, Heinz and Rowena Ansbacher Professor of Psychology and director of the University’s clinical training program, received the American Psychology Association’s 2008 Award for Distinguished Career Contributions to Education and Training at their annual meeting on August 15.

Adam Lock, assistant professor of animal Science, received the 2008 Young Scientist Award for Research for the Northeast by the American Dairy Science Association and the American Society for Animal Science. Lock is noted for his research on the role of fats and lipids in animal and human nutrition as well as studies with ruminant nutrition.

Lee Nelson, clinical professor of rehabilitation and movement science, received Massachusetts General Hospital's Institute of Health Professions Distinguished Alumni Award at their commencement on May 3, 2008. This award recognizes individuals who have worked to expand and refine the scientific basis for clinical practice through research and scholarship; contributed to new models of practice to foster provision of effective, affordable and ethical care; and contributed significantly to advancing the mission, reputation and standards of the Institute.

Monica Patton is one of fifteen fourth-year medical students to receive an American Medical Association Foundation Physicians of Tomorrow Scholarship. Recipients were nominated by their medical school dean and chosen by a selection committee based upon their academic standing and financial status, as well as community involvement, letters of recommendation and personal statement. Each student will receive a $10,000 scholarship to help defray medical school expenses. Currently participating in a clinical rotation at Maine Medical Center, Patton recently completed "The CDC Experience: Applied Epidemiology Fellowship at CDC," a competitive fellowship program that selects eight medical students from around the country each year to spend 10 to 12 months at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Students in the Department of Animal Science won awards at the national meetings of the American Dairy Science Association and the American Society for Animal Science in Indianapolis. Emma Wall, a doctoral student also in the Vermont Genetics Network Bioinformatics Core was the sole recipient of the H. Allen Tucker National Appreciation Award for travel to the American Society of Animal Science's annual meeting in Indianapolis last week. She presented two papers of significance to the Vermont dairy industry with her advisor, Thomas McFadden, as coauthor. They were, "The acute response to milk removal and the long-term response to frequent milking treatment involve distinct mechanisms" and "The persistent milk yield response to frequent milking during early lactation is associated with persistent changes in mammary gene expression." She was presented with a check and plaque at the awards dinner. Lindsay Lord, a master of science candidate won second place in the Northeast Graduate Student Competition for her presentation, "Photoperiod regulates diurnal expression patterns of genes related to immune function in PBMC of heifers." Jennifer Scudder, also a master of science candidate, placed third in the Northeast Graduate Student Competition with her presentation, "Colicin E1 and EDTA have additive antimicrobial effects against E. coli isolates in bovine milk.”

Denise Youngblood's book Russian War Films: On the Cinema Front, 1914-2005 was named a Choice Outstanding Academic Title. Youngblood, professor of history, has also received a grant from the Kennan Institute for Advanced Russian Studies to support her current project, "Double Vision: Soviet and American Films during the Cold War" (with Tony Shaw).

July 16, 2008

Publications and Presentations

Christopher W. Allen, emeritus professor of chemistry and interim director of the Vermont Advanced Computing Center presented a paper entitled “Cyclo- and Polyalkynylphosphazenes” at the International Conference on the Chemistry of phosphorus Compounds (ICCPC XV) in St Petersburg Russia in May. He also presented two invited papers, “Polyester: You wear it, you love it but do you know it” and “Cyclo-and Polyalkynyl phosphazenes” at the 35th Northeast Regional American Society Meeting in Burlington in June. He published an article on “The Mechanism of the Reaction of Alkali Metal Phenoxides with Hexahalocyclotrtiphosphazenes “in Phosphorus, Sulfur, Silicon and the Related Elements in 2008.

Frank Bryan, professor of political science, presented the address, “New England Democracy and America: The Road Not Taken” at a conference on "The State of New England: People, Politics, and Policies" at the Joseph Martin Institute for Law and Society, Stonehill College, Easton, Mass. on March 28, 2008.

Garrison Nelson, professor of political science, also presented a paper at the Stonehill Conference, “Running from New England: Will It Ever Lead the Nation Again.” He also presented papers, “Party Leadership Selection in Congress: A Century of Change,” to the Annual Meeting of the New England Political Science Association on April 25, 2008 in Providence, Rhode Island with Douglas B. Harris, Loyola College of Maryland and “Democracy, Diversity, and the 2008 Presidential Election: Mapping State Electoral Votes by Diversity Propensity,” a paper for the Eighth International Conference on Diversity in Organisations, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on June 20, 2008. An excerpt of Nelson’s speech, “Democracy and Diversity in 2008,” delivered to the New York Regional Board of the Alumni of the University of Vermont on May 7, 2008 was published in the April, 2008 issue of Vermont Woman as “Mapping a Path for a Woman President,” with maps by Geography senior Michael J. Oldham. Nelson conducted a number of interviews recently with Channel 3 on Vermont’s congressional delegation; Channel 5 and Fox 44 on the 2008 presidential election and upcoming contests in Vermont. National interviews have appeared in the Boston Globe and for the Cox Newspapers in the Atlanta Constitution and the Kansas City Star.

Several Dana Medical Library faculty and staff members presented posters at the Medical Library Association Annual Meeting in Chicago in May 2008. Donna O’Malley, library associate professor, presented a poster titled “A Medline Station in the Clerkship Clinical Skills Exam.” Nancy Bianchi, library associate professor, presented a posted titled "An Analysis of Clinical Questions Asked at Professor Rounds: a Retrospective Review" at the Medical Library Association Annual Meeting in May 2008. Shiela Phillippe, library assistant professor, Christina Kussey, library assistant professor, Lesley Boucher, head of circulation/reserves, Marianne Burke, library associate professor and director, Dana Medical Library, and Colin McClung, library support assistant, presented a poster titled “Academic Medical Center to Rural Clinic: Ensuring Fair and Accurate Representation in Go Local.” Laura Haines, library assistant professor, presented a poster titled “Measuring the Effectiveness of Community Outreach: The Community Medical School Project.” Dr. Peggy Carey, assistant professor of family medicine, and Laura Haines also co-presented a poster titled “Information Rx As Patient-Physician Communication Tool and Community Health Information Program." Haines received one of four 2008 EBSCO Information Services/MLA Annual Meeting Grants, which are designed to cover conference-related expenses.

Donna O'Malley and Christina Kussey presented a poster titled "Benefits of Integrating the Library Reserve Function With Blackboard,” at the Association of American Medical Colleges Northeastern Group on Educational Affairs Annual Meeting in April 2008. O'Malley also co-authored another poster at the meeting, which was titled “Teaching Evidence-Based Literature Retrieval to Medical Students and Residents." O'Malley is the author of a Winter 2008 Clinical Laboratory Science article titled “A Survey of Scholarly Literature Databases for Clinical Laboratory Science.”

Susan Lowey, professor of molecular physiology and biophysics, is lead author of a July 18 Journal of Biological Chemistry article titled "Functional Effects of the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy R403Q Mutation Are Different in an α- or β-Myosin Heavy Chain Backbone." Co-authors on the article include Alex Hodges, postdoctoral associate in molecular physiology and biophysics, Sheryl White, research assistant professor of anatomy and neurobiology, Robert Low, professor emeritus of molecular physiology and biophysics, and Mercedes Rincon, associate professor of medicine.

Judith Shaw, research assistant professor of pediatrics and director of the Vermont Child Health Improvement Program, and Sharon Henry, associate professor of rehabilitation and movement science, have been selected to participate in the 2008-09 Management Institute for Women in Higher Education, an integrated series of five seminars offering women administrators and faculty professional leadership and management training, sponsored by the New England branch of Higher Education Resource Services (HERS) and held at Wellesley College.

Kathleen Trybus, professor of molecular physiology and biophysics, is senior author of a July 11 Journal of Biological Chemistry article titled "Functional Effects of Nemaline Myopathy Mutations on Human Skeletal α-Actin." Becky Miller, postdoctoral fellow in molecular physiology and biophysics is first author on the paper.

Dann Van Der Vliet had an editorial titled "'The Art of Business' in Vermont – Where benefits are for the dogs and the pizzas are flat" published in the August issue of Vermont Business magazine. The piece focused on how Vermonters and their businesses have long been innovative, creative, thrifty, and artful as Vermont people and businesses continue to lead their respective industries. On May 21, a rare assembly of seven business leaders gathered to discuss what “the art of business” means to them today and why it matters. Brought together by the popular 7X7X7 panel at the Vermont Business and Industry Expo, each panelist shared a tip that demonstrated how they incorporate creativity in the workplace and what the tangible benefits were. These business owners and leaders each shared one common trait: passion for their fellow employees.

Curt Ventriss, professor of public policy, Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, and adjunct professor, Institute for Policy Studies, Johns Hopkins University, was invited to give the keynote policy lecture at the international forum entitled "New Direction in Policy Research" in Brazil. The forum was sponsored by the Federal University of Bahia, Federal University of Santa Catarina, and State University of Santa Catarina. Professor Ventriss's keynote lecture was entitled "The Implications of Participatory Policy Analysis: A Reexamination." The lecture was presented to doctoral students in policy and to the faculty of the sponsoring universities in Brazil.

Awards and Honors

Gayle Belin, clinical associate professor in the Department of Communication Sciences has recently become president of the Vermont Speech Language and Hearing Association (VSHA). Her term runs from 2008 through 2010. She was also one of 20 participants selected from a nationwide pool to take part in a Leadership Development Program through the American Speech Language and Hearing Association (ASHA).

Mark Nelson, professor and chair of pharmacology, has received a prestigious MERIT (Method to Extend Research in Time) award from the National Institutes of Health National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. The ten-year, $3.39 million grant provides continued funding for Nelson's research on urinary disorders, such as overactive bladder and incontinence, as well as for additional investigation on the underlying causes and potential therapies for erectile dysfunction. This award, which recognizes Nelson's superior grant performance, research competence and productivity throughout his career, will provide 10 years of continued funding support without the typical competitive review required by most grants. The MERIT award program is intended to foster continued creativity and reduce the administrative burdens associated with the preparation and submission of research grant applications.

May 21, 2008

Publications and Presentations

Dr. Richard Zubarik, associate professor of medicine and chief of endoscopy at Fletcher Allen, presented an abstract titled "Pancreatic Cancer Screening in a High-Risk Population: Preliminary Data of a Multi-Center Trial Employing Carbohydrate Antigen (CA) 19-9 and Endoscopic Ultrasound" at Digestive Disease Week® 2008 in San Diego on May 19. With support from the Vermont Cancer Center and the Lake Champlain Cancer Research Organization, Zubarik examined the effectiveness of a new screening method for pancreatic cancer using CA 19-9, a tumor marker that is most often used to monitor disease progress as well as predict survival rates, with endoscopic ultrasound. He found that Stage 1 pancreatic cancers were more likely to be detected using this protocol. The finding is significant because a nationally-accepted screening tool for pancreatic cancer does not exist.

Barbara Arel, assistant professor of Business Administration, published an article entitled “The Influence of Auditor Experience on the Persuasiveness of Information Provided by Management,” in Auditing: A Journal of Practice & Theory (Volume 27, Number 1, May 2008.) The paper is co-authored with Ed O’ Donnell, from The University of Kansas and Steven Kaplan, from Arizona State University. The study investigates whether experience limits auditors’ reliance on management-provided information when that information is more favorable than an objective benchmark. The findings suggest that as auditors gain experience, they also gain persuasion knowledge, which allows them to deflect management’s persuasion attempts.

Brooke Mossman, professor of pathology and director of the environmental pathology program, is a coauthor on a May 2 Science article titled "Innate Immune Activation Through Nalp3 Inflammasome Sensing of Asbestos and Silica." These research findings identified the role of the Nalp3 inflammasome in particulate matter-related pulmonary diseases and support its role as a major proinflammatory "danger" receptor.

Mercedes Rincon, associate professor of medicine, was the lead author of a May 2 Science article titled "Phosphorylation by p38 MAPK as an Alternative Pathway for GSK3β Inactivation." Coauthors on the paper include Dwight Matthews, professor and chair of chemistry, and postdoctoral associates Tina Thornton and C. David Wood, as well as Alexander Aronshtam, a lab research technician in the immunobiology division of medicine. The p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) is a key intracellular protein that regulates inflammatory cytokine production and modulates T cell function. Rincon and colleagues' research identified an alternative pathway for the inactivation of GSK3β, which is involved in metabolism, neurodegeneration and cancer.

Marilyn Cipolla, associate professor of neurology, presented a study at the International Stroke Conference in February 2008 that was published in a special April supplement to the journal Hypertension. Titled "Pregnancy Reverses Hypertensive Remodeling of Cerebral Arteries," the article reports on Cipolla's findings that pregnancy reverses hypertensive remodeling of cerebral arteries. Though the mechanism behind hypertensive remodeling was previously fairly unknown, Cipolla's research found evidence of a protective mechanism that prevents damaging pressure from getting to the microcirculation and causing edema formation. Pregnancy reverses this circumstance, thereby predisposing women to eclampsia, a serious complication of pregnancy.

Awards and Honors

Trina Magi, library associate professor, was presented with the 2008 Vermont School Library Association Award on May 13, 2008 at the Vermont Library Conference in recognition of her "dedication, leadership, and collaboration with the Vermont School Library Community.” Trina was specifically recognized for her work this past year as chair of the Vermont Library Association's Intellectual Freedom Committee, which successfully worked with school, public, and academic librarians, the state library, parents groups, and state lawmakers to introduce legislation that would strengthen Vermont state law regarding the confidentiality of library records. Gov. Jim Douglas signed the legislation into law this week. The new law (S. 220, “An Act Relating to the Confidentiality of Library Patron Records") will take effect on July 1, 2008. The law specifies that only a court order from a judge could force the release of a library patron's records. The previous law allowed librarians to release the records on their own volition.

Nicole B. Chittenden, assistant dean/business operations administrator of the School of Business Administration, was presented with a “Rising Star Award” at the Vermont Council for Quality’s Annual Recognition and Award Ceremony on May 14, 2008. The award is granted to those individuals who are newly affiliated with Vermont Council for Quality and who have been hugely supportive of the program. Nicole completed VCQ's 3-tiered Baldrige training--approximately 50 hours--to be certified as a Vermont Council of Quality Performance Examiner. She then volunteered to be a member of the team that conducted the three-day site visit that resulted in Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Vermont earning this year's Governor's Award. The site visit takes countless hours, not only on site, but also driving to and from and working after hours to complete the necessary work. Nicole was one of six people on the Site Visit Team. Nicole was also instrumental in the School of Business Administration becoming a Bronze Sponsor of Vermont Council for Quality.

Lee Nelson, a physical therapist and clinical professor of rehabilitation and movement science, received MGH's Institute of Health Professions Distinguished Alumni Award at their commencement on May 3, 2008. The criteria for the award include: expanding and refining the scientific basis for clinical practice through research and scholarship; contributing to new models of practice to foster provision of effective, affordable and ethical care; and contributing significantly to advancing the mission, reputation and standards of the Institute. The MGH Institute of Health Professions is an independent affiliate of Massachusetts General Hospital, which operates within the Partners HealthCare System – the nation's second largest integrated health care system.

Dr. Melody Brown Burkins, associate dean in the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, has been appointed to the National Academy of Sciences U.S. National Committee for the Geological Sciences (USNC/GS). Managed by the National Academies’ Board on International Scientific Organizations (BISO) in the National Research Council Policy and Global Affairs division, the USNC/GS is composed of a diversity of earth systems scientists from academia, research, government, and industry who have received honors in their field and support the promotion of earth systems science and policy issues in the U.S. and throughout the international community. "I am extremely pleased to see one of our newest colleagues recognized by the National Academies for her earth and environmental research experience as well as her skill connecting the world of science and policy," said Domenico Grasso, Dean of the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences (CEMS). "Melody's enthusiasm for promoting scientific excellence and applications beyond the walls of academe will be an asset to U.S. National Committee efforts, just as it is for UVM and Vermont." As one of 20 U.S. National Committees coordinated by the National Academies, the USNC/GS represents U.S. interests to the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS), a member union of the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU). The USNC/GS also acts as the adhering body to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) International Geoscience Programme (IGCP). In August, a USNC member detail will represent U.S. geoscience interests to the 33rd International Geological Congress “Earth System Science: Foundation for Sustainable Development” meeting in Oslo, Norway.

Dr. Virginia L. Hood, professor of medicine and a nephrologist at Fletcher Allen, has been re-elected to serve a second three-year term with the Board of Regents of the American College of Physicians (ACP), the main policymaking body of the nation's second-largest physician organization. She began her second term during Internal Medicine 2008 -- the ACP annual scientific meeting held in Washington, D.C., May 15 through 17. Dr. Hood is the incoming 2008-2010 chair of the national ACP Ethics, Professionalism, and Human Rights Committee, chair of the ACP International Subcommittee for 2007-2009 and an ex officio member of the ACP Membership Committee. She has held numerous leadership roles at both the national and statewide levels of ACP over the past 17 years.

Judy Cohen, professor of nursing, was appointed Faculty Nurse Scientist at the Yvonne L. Munn Center for Nursing Research at Massachusetts General Hospital. The Munn Center was established in 2003 to provide nurses an opportunity to identify new ways to reshape, influence and improve the delivery of patient care and nursing practice.

April 30, 2008

Publications and Presentations

Several members of the department of pharmacology contributed to an April 30 PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Science) Early Edition paper titled "High blood pressure arising from a defect in vascular function." Among the co-authors are Mark Nelson, professor and chair of pharmacology, Adrian Bonev, research assistant professor of pharmacology, and Michael Wilkerson, postdoctoral associate in pharmacology.

Jan Carney, research professor of medicine and associate dean for public health, co-authored a "Brief Communication" titled "Community-Academic Partnerships: A "Community-First" Model to Teach Public Health" in the open-access e-Journal Education for Health on April 21.

April 23, 2008

Publications and Presentations

Wolfgang Mieder, professor and chairperson of the department of German and Russian, is the author of the book “Hänsel und Gretel: Das Märchen in Kunst, Musik, Literatur, Medien und Karikaturen,” which deals with the origin, meaning, and modern survvial of one of the best known fairy tales. The book includes 145 illustrations depicting the use of various motifs of this tale in art, advertising, and cartoons. He also published a series of articles on fairy tales and advertising, aphorisms, cartoons, comics, poems, proverbs, stamps, etc. in the three-volume “Encyclopedia of Folktales and Fairy Tales.” His article on “`God Helps Them Who Help Themselves: Proverbial Rhetoric in the Letters of Abigail Adams” appeared in an essay volume in Bulgaria, and another article on anti-proverbs with the title “Phrasenkritik durch Antisprichwörter im 19. Jahrhundert” appeared in another volume in Austria.

Dennis Mahoney, professor and director of the department of German and Russian, has published an article on “Apt Pupil: The Making of a ‘Bogeyboy’” in a volume on “The Films of Stephen King. From “Carrie” to “Secret Window” (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008) edited by Tony Magistrale, professor in the department of English. Mahoney presents a detailed comparison of King’s original novella “Apt Pupil”and its subsequent film adaptation, showing similarities and differences in these two versions of the same plot. While the novella shows how crimes of the Nazi era influence a high school pupil to commit atrocities, Mahoney also refers to actual occurrences today that show this as well, to wit the recent shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado. King’s invented tale of horror unfortunately proves to be only too realistic when compared with modern crimes.

Lesley-Ann Dupigny-Giroux, associate professor of geography and Vermont state climatologist, and CO-PI Regina Toolin, assistant professor of education, have received a $149,466 grant from the National Science Foundation: Satellites, Weather and Climate to implement a two-year pilot project to increase climate education and literacy in public schools. Vermont's education department is one of 15 across the US that has signed up to integrate climate issues into their science curricula.

Edwin Bovill, professor and chair of pathology, authored an editorial in the March 19 Journal of the American Medical Association. Titled "Gene Discovery in Venous Thrombosis: progress and promise," Bovill's paper responded to an article titled "Gene Variants Associated With Deep Vein Thrombosis" (Bezemer et. al) in the March 19 JAMA.

Charles Irvin, professor of medicine and director of the Vermont Lung Center, is a co-author of an article in the April 21 Online Early Edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Science titled, "Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase in lung dendritic cells promotes Th2 responses and allergic inflammation."

Gary Margolis, UVM’s chief of police, gave a presentation at a conference at Princeton University on April 18 marking the one-year anniversary of the fatal shooting at Virginia tech that explored the progress and continuing questions related to campus security. The event, titled "Campus Safety in Focus: Advances and Ongoing Challenges One Year Later," featured the release of a "Blueprint for Safer Campuses" by the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA). Steven Healy, Princeton's director of public safety and immediate past president of IACLEA, was joined by Margolis and Dolores Stafford, chief of police at George Washington University. Katherine Newman, Princeton's Malcolm Stevenson Forbes, Class of 1941, Professor of Sociology and Public Affairs, delivered the keynote address. Newman is the author of "Rampage: The Social Roots of School Shootings," which examines the rash of school shootings in the 1990s, the roots of school violence and the repercussions for the affected communities. Campus safety professionals and other experts also participated in panel discussions on the best practices and model policies in threat assessment, the growing complexities in liability analysis and the state of campus safety in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.

April 16, 2008

Publications and Presentations

The March 2008 issue of NIDA Notes from the National Institute on Drug Abuse featured an article titled "Combination Treatment Extends Marijuana Abstinence" focused on research by Stephen Higgins, professor of psychiatry and psychology and co-director of the Human Behavioral Pharmacology Lab and Substance Abuse Treatment Center, and colleagues. The research team found that using a combination of vouchers and cognitive-behavioral therapy may be more effective in keeping marijuana abusers abstinent in the longer term than vouchers-only and CBT-only programs.

Rick Vanden Bergh, professor of business administration and expert on corporate strategy in the political environment, was featured in an article on CFO.com about how the accounting profession still gives most of its campaign contributions to Republicans, but that the portion going to Democrats is growing. Vanden Bergh tells CFO.com that proving the exact motivation behind corporate political donations is a difficult feat, adding that contributions to congressional representatives and senators are more effective for firms in a regulated profession (such as accounting) because those legislators play a more pivotal role than the president in policy making and in the oversight of regulatory institutions such as the SEC. CFO.com notes that in a recent paper called "Targeting Corporate Political Strategy: Theory and Evidence from the U.S. Accounting Industry," Vanden Bergh analyzed the corporate strategy of the accounting profession when Democrats took over in 1992, following Bill Clinton's election. His paper argues that firms in the early 1990s made their donations with the intent of directly influencing policy decisions, though he acknowledges another theory that says firms simply shift their donations to the party with the most influence. "It could easily be that the shift in power is driving the shift in contributions," he says. "If Obama or Clinton wins, it will be the first time in eight years that Democrats control all three branches and it would likely [cause] a major shift."

Awards and Honors Three members of the department of pediatrics will serve in national editorial leadership roles as part of an upcoming change at Pediatrics, the peer-reviewed journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and preeminent journal in the world in its field. Dr. Jerold Lucey, Wallace Professor of Neonatology and Pediatrics editor-in-chief for the past 34 years, will step down as of January 2009 and become editor-in-chief emeritus. Stepping up as the new deputy editor will be Dr. Lewis First, professor and chair of pediatrics and senior associate dean for medical education. In addition, Dr. Jeffrey Horbar, Lucey Chair of Neonatal Medicine, will become one of three new associate editors for the journal.

Robert Karp, associate professor in the department of medicine and a leader and innovator in clinical care and education with a specialty in geriatrics, has been named a 2009-20010 Frymoyer Scholar for his project titled, “Improving Basic Medical Student Competencies in Clinical Geriatrics.”

April 9, 2008

Publications and Presentations

Dr. Magdalena Naylor, associate professor of psychiatry and director of the MindBody Medicine Clinic, is lead author of a February 2008 article in the journal Pain titled "Therapeutic Interactive Voice Response for chronic pain reduction and relapse prevention." Co-authors on the paper include Dr. John Helzer, professor of psychiatry and director of the Health Behavior Research Center, and Shelly Naud, researcher/analyst in the department of medical biostatistics.

Kevin C. H. Chiang, associate professor of business administration, co-authored an article with Kirill Kozhevnikov, Ming-Long Lee and Craig Wisen that was published in the spring, 2008 issue of Real Estate Economics. The article is titled "Further Evidence on the Performance of Funds of Funds: The Case of Real Estate Mutual Funds." The study examines funds of funds that are created when investment companies invest in other investment companies. Although the additional layer of fees incurred by funds of funds has a negative effect on returns, there is empirical evidence that real estate funds of funds generate superior performance net of fees and risk adjustments. The evidence is inconsistent with a growing consensus that most actively managed mutual funds do not, on average, generate excess returns after adjusting for fees and risk. This study explains this apparent contradiction and finds that most real estate funds of funds do not outperform their benchmarks under alternative risk adjustment specifications.

The March 2008 issue of NIDA Notes from the National Institute on Drug Abuse featured an article titled "Combination Treatment Extends Marijuana Abstinence" that focused on research by Stephen Higgins, professor of psychiatry and psychology and co-director of the Human Behavioral Pharmacology Lab and Substance Abuse Treatment Center, and colleagues. The research team found that using a combination of vouchers and cognitive-behavioral therapy may be more effective in keeping marijuana abusers abstinent in the longer term than vouchers-only and CBT-only programs.

Awards and Honors

Valerie Esposito, a doctoral student in natural resources and ecological economics, has been selected to participate in the Advanced Graduate Workshop on Poverty, Development and Globalization, organized jointly by Columbia University's Initiative for Policy Dialogue (IPD) and University of Manchester's Brooks World Poverty Institute (BWPI). The highly selective, all-expense paid workshop (10 percent acceptance rate) will be held in the summer of 2008. The acceptance letter was signed by Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz.

Tian Xia, assistant professor in engineering, is one of 17 faculty from universities around the world including Singapore, Toronto, Gosudarstvennyi Upravlenija, Georgia, California, Illinois, Michigan, Iowa, Massachusetts, Colorado, and New York, who received the prestigious 2008 IBM Faculty Award. This competitive worldwide program is intended to foster collaboration between researchers at leading worldwide universities with IBM research, development and services organizations. The IBM Faculty Awards recognize full-time professors at accredited universities with Ph.D or MBA programs promoting courseware and curriculum innovation to stimulate growth in disciplines and geographies that are strategic to IBM. Xia received this award for his extensive research on mixed signal VLSI circuit design and test, adaptive and multifunctional VLSI Design, and Reconfigurable FPGA Design and Testing. He is a member of IEEE- Computer Society and IEEE- Solid State Circuits Society. “This internationally competitive award highlights the importance of industry alliances with education,” says Domenico Grasso, Dean of the UVM College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences.

April 2, 2008

Publications and Presentations

Jane Okech, assistant professor in the Graduate Counseling Program, is scheduled to present two papers at the Annual American Counseling Association Conference in Honolulu, Hawaii on March 27-31. Both papers are based on empirical studies: “ Doctoral Research Training of Counselor Education Faculty” and “The experiences of expert group work supervisors: An exploratory study.”

Russell Tracy, professor of pathology and biochemistry and senior associate dean for research and academic affairs at the College of Medicine, is a co-author on an article in the March 27 New England Journal of Medicine titled "Coronary Calcium as a Predictor of Coronary Events in Four Racial or Ethnic Groups." Tracy heads up the central laboratory for the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), which is a long-term, multicenter study designed to locate and identify genes contributing to the genetic risk of subclinical cardiovascular disease (CVD) and evaluate the impact of lifestyle and environment on the expression of these genetic components of CVD.

Kathleen Liang, associate professor of community development and applied economics has given presentations at multiple conferences around the country in 2008. She started by presenting on “Are Entrepreneurs Optimistic, Realistic, Both or Fuzzy? The Relationship Between Entrepreneurial Traits and Entrepreneurial Learning” at Academy of Entrepreneurship, Allied Academies where she won the Outstanding Research Award. She gave also presented at the National Collegiate Inventors & Innovators Alliance (NCIIA) annual conference in Dallas in March on “An Interactive Workshop: Thinking Outside The Box, But Where Is The Box?” She also gave presentations at the U.S. Association of Small Business and Entrepreneurship Annual Meeting in San Antonio titled “A Life Case: Growing Vermont: The Student-Run Retail Shop on UVM Campus” and “Interactive Workshop: Who And Where Are Entrepreneurship Professors?”

Faculty members in the School of Business Administration will be presenting papers at the annual meeting of the Academy of Management in Anaheim, California in August, 2008. David Jones, assistant professor, is presenting a study in which he found that Business Administration majors who received training in business ethics demonstrated advancements in their stages of cognitive-moral development relative to a control group. In a second paper, Jones and his co-authors (Joseph Schmidt and Derek Chapman, University of Calgary) conducted a field experiment in which they manipulated the wording of on-line job advertisements to emphasize different aspects of employee-organization fit. Results showed that certain kinds of fit-information significantly increased the size and quality of the applicant pool for engineering and other professional positions. Mark Youndt, associate professor, and his co-authors (Caroline D’Abate, Skidmore College, and Kathryn Wenzel, Vitale, Caturano, and Company) will present a study in which they examined the influence of job characteristics, work environment characteristics, and other contextual factors on the satisfaction and learning of student interns in a broad array of for-profit and not-for-profit organizations.

March 26, 2008

Publications and Presentations

David Jones, assistant professor of business administration, and his coauthors, Drs. Neil Fassina and Krista Uggerslev (Asper School of Business, University of Manitoba) had an article published in the most recent issue of the Journal of Management. The article was titled: “Relationship Clean-up Time: Using Meta-analysis and Path Analysis to Clarify the Relationships among Job Satisfaction, Perceived Fairness, and Citizenship Behaviors.” The authors tested competing theoretical frameworks to explain the pattern of relationships among employees’ perceptions of fairness, job satisfaction, and five types of job behaviors that can be collectively described as “going above and beyond the call of duty.” The authors found greatest support for an independent effects model, which suggests that managers can promote cooperative work behavior by fostering three separate types of perceived fairness as well as general job satisfaction.

Garrison Nelson, professor of political science, was interviewed during the Vermont presidential primary by CNN, Associated Press, TIME Magazine, the Wall Street Journal, National Public Radio, La Presse (Que.), Vermont Public Radio, New England Cable News three times, WPTZ-TV (4), Fox 44 News (3), the Boston Globe twice, the Providence Journal, the Burlington Free Press, the Bennington Banner, and Vermont Woman.

A number of faculty from the department of radiology received awards for their educational posters at the 93rd Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America held November 25-30, 2007 in Chicago. The following poster presentations won awards: "Imaging Findings of Adipose Tissue in and around the Heart: A Matter of Fat" received a Cum Laude award in the category of educational exhibit. Co-authors included Dr. Diego Lemos, clinical instructor in radiology, Dr. Julio Lemos, clinical instructor in radiology, Dr. Jeffrey Klein, professor of radiology, Dr. Curtis Green, professor of radiology, Dr. George Gentchos, clinical assistant professor of radiology, and Dr. Peter Dietrich, professor of radiology; "CT Findings of Grown-Up Congenital Heart Disease" received a Cum Laude award in the category of educational exhibit. Co-authors included Dr. Julio Lemos, Dr. Diego Lemos, Dr. Curtis Green, Dr. George Gentchos, Dr. Peter Dietrich, and Dr. Jeffrey Klein; "Fetus in Fetu: Reality and Myth" received a Cum Laude award in the category of educational exhibit. Co-authors included Dr. Diego Lemos; "The Suprapatellar Region: Anatomy, Pathology, and Imaging Findings" received a Certificate of Merit award in the category of educational exhibit. Co-authors included Dr. Diego Lemos and Dr. Evelyne Fliszar, associate professor of radiology; "The Patella Revisited" received a Certificate of Merit award in the category of educational exhibit. Co-authors included Dr. Diego Lemos, Dr. Julio Lemos, and Dr. Evelyne Fliszar.

March 19, 2008

Publications and Presentations

Dr. James J. Hudziak, professor of psychiatry, medicine and pediatrics and director of the Vermont Center for Children, Youth and Families, is editor of a new book published March 1 by American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc. (APPI). Titled "Developmental Psychopathology and Wellness: Genetic and Environmental Influences," the book features work from a team of 22 international authorities on psychiatric illness in children and adolescents, including Hudziak and Thomas Achenbach, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry and psychology. According to APPI, "Developmental Psychopathology and Wellness shows that these psychopathologies are not a matter of nature versus nurture or genes versus environment, but rather an intertwining web of them all." Hudziak is also co-editor of Psychopathology in the 21st Century: DSM-V and Beyond (American Psychiatric Publishing, 2002). His research focuses on using twin, family and molecular genetic approaches in order to understand genetic and environmental influences on a wide variety of child psychiatric conditions.

Rebecca Evans, a second-year medical student, has been invited to compete in the Medical Student Poster Competition at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center as part of the American College of Physicians national meeting, Internal Medicine 2008, in Washington, DC on May 17, 2008. Evans' poster abstract, titled "Impact Of Mixed Mode Simulation Based Training On Performance Of Central Venous Line Placement In Cardiac Surgical Patients," was one of only 70 abstracts chosen from the 225 submissions received for the 2008 competition. The poster will be included in the Quality Improvement-Patient Safety category.

March 5, 2008

Publications and Presentations

Several members of the Vermont Center for Children, Youth and Families in the department of psychiatry recently published two important journal articles. Dr. David Rettew, assistant professor of psychiatry, is lead author and Dr. Robert Althoff, assistant professor of psychiatry, Dr. James Hudziak, professor of psychiatry, medicine and pediatrics, and Linsay Ayer, graduate student in psychiatry, are co-authors of an article titled "Latent profiles analysis of child temperament and their relations to psychopathology and wellness" in the Jan. 22, 2008 epub edition of the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Rettew and Hudziak are also co-authors on an article in the Feb. 1, 2008 epub edition of Behavior Genetics titled "Non-additive and additive genetic effects on extraversion in 3314 Dutch adolescent twins and their parents."

Awards and Honors

Jennifer Kenyan, graduate student in the Master of Public Administration Program (MPA), will participate in the ENO Leadership Development Conference in Washington D.C. this May. The ENO Transportation Foundation selects 20 outstanding graduate students from throughout the country to participate in this conference. Kenyan is a graduate fellow at the Snelling Center for Government working on research sponsored by the University Transportation Center. Her research focuses on how states and nations are preparing themselves for a post gas tax world, maintaining and growing transportation infrastructure, and what the lessons are for Vermont. As an Eno Fellow, Kenyan will meet with leaders from key transportation organizations and institutions including US Department of Transportation, congressional committees, industry associations and advocacy groups. She will also become a part of the Eno Alumni Network which includes transportation leaders from throughout the country.

February 27, 2008

Publications and Presentations

Marilyn Lucas, assistant professor of business administration, published an article titled, "Tracking the Relationship between Environmental Management and Financial Performance in the Service Industry," in Service Business: An International Journal. The paper, co-authored with M. A. Wilson, from Arcadis, Inc., investigates the relationship between the implementation of environmental management practices and financial performance in the context of the service industry. The findings support the hypothesis that it pays for service sector firms to have "clean-running facilities" in addition to running facilities in a "cleaner service industry."

Garrison Nelson, professor of political science, wrote an op-ed article in the Jan. 4 issue of the Boston Globe titled "Success for one Kennedy, but not the other." Nelson writes about the significance of the New Hampshire primary using Jack and Ted Kennedy's bids for the Democratic ticket as evidence. He was also quoted in a Feb. 22 Boston Globe article on the appeal of the presidential candidates to moderates. Nelson co-authored an article in January appearing in Political Science & Politics. His article, "Middlemen No More? Emergent Patterns in Congressional Leadership Selection," explores a possible shift in the political profile of party leaders — from "middlemen" to politicians from the ideological extremes.

Awards and Honors

Heather Cairl, senior film and television studies major, recently presented a solo dance, "Dirthead," for adjudication at the New England regional conference of the American College Dance Festival Association at Connecticut College. Her work was selected as one of the best in the conference to be performed again in a closing gala concert. “Heather performed with works from universities with much more developed dance programs,” says Paul Besaw, assistant professor of dance. “This was a major honor for (her), and for our new dance program.”

Jeanine Carr, associate professor of nursing, was appointed by Governor Jim Douglas to the Vermont Board of Nursing for a four-year term, beginning in January 2008. She is the first faculty member from the UVM department of nursing to be appointed to this board.

Ahmad Chaudry, assistant professor of medical laboratory and radiation sciences, has been awarded a $50,000 research grant from the Vermont Cancer Center for his project "Regulation of gene expression in radiation-treated cells." The project will examine the molecular events (specifically the mechanism of gene regulation) in human cells treated with radiation. The long-term goal of this research is to gain a better understanding of how best to manage radiation therapy patients.

David Jones, assistant professor of business administration, has been elected to serve as chair of the board of directors for the New Sudan Education Initiative, an organization founded and directed by UVM alums with the goal of building 20 secondary accelerated learning and leadership academies throughout southern Sudan by 2015.

Burton Wilcke, chair of medical laboratory and radiation sciences, was invited by the Association of Public Health Laboratories and Centers for Disease Control to lead a one-week PEPFAR-funded lab leadership workshop in Tanzania last week.

February 20, 2008

Publications and Presentations

Jamie Shaw, lecturer in the Department of Animal Science, is featured in this month’s edition of Business People-Vermont magazine. The article describes her activities as a highly successful dog trainer. Shaw teaches the UVM course "Dog Training and Behavior," which is one of the most popular in the department. The article describes Shaw's work as an expert in dog behavior and as the operator of the dog training facility, The Dog School, in Williston. She is also author of the book “Dog to Dog Communication: The Right Way to Socialize Your Dog."

February 13, 2008

Publications and Presentations

David Novak, assistant professor of business administration, had a paper accepted for publication in Decision Support Systems titled “Managing Bandwidth Allocations between Competing Recreational and Non-Recreational Traffic on Campus Networks.” The paper demonstrates a decision support methodology to set optimal bandwidth allocations for competing recreational peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing traffic and non-recreational traffic (non-P2P) with respect to minimizing the total cost of network operations. Total costs include the explicit costs to the Internet provider associated with network management, as well as the implicit costs resulting from unsatisfied users under various bandwidth allocation scenarios. Management decisions include bandwidth allocations for P2P and non-P2P traffic during specific time periods, as well as the number of allocation changes made during the day. A goal program (GP) is used to estimate both P2P capacity demand and P2P user demand at different time periods and bandwidth allocations. A Markov Decision Process (MDP) is used to solve the cost minimization problem. A real-world example for optimizing bandwidth allocations between competing P2P and non-P2P interests is provided using empirical data from a large university.

Carolyn Bonifield, assistant professor, and Amy Tomas, lecturer, both of the School of Business Administration, had a paper titled “A Different Reality: Considering Possible Selves in Virtual Worlds,” accepted for the 2008 Advertising and Consumer Psychology Conference on Virtual Social Identity and Consumer Behavior. The conference will take place in Philadelphia in May. Bonifield and Tomas are currently working on a program of research focused on marketers' and consumers' behaviors in virtual worlds. These virtual worlds, among them the very popular Second Life, present a number of unique challenges and opportunities for promoting, selling and buying goods and services. The paper proposes an alternative version of the self-concept, referred to as the possible self, as a means to better understand the motivations behind consumers' willingness to spend significant sums of real currency on virtual goods and services. In addition to this paper, Bonifield and Tomas are working on several pieces of research related to marketing in the virtual world, including two independent study research projects with Business Administration seniors, Megan Piro and Jamie Webber.