FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday June 18, 2013
Contact: Ginny Painter, Communications Director, Marshall University Research Corporation, 304-746-1964

University announces hydroelectric demonstration and education project at Morris Creek Watershed

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Marshall University's Center for Environmental, Geotechnical and Applied Sciences and the West Virginia Brownfields Assistance Center at Marshall University have announced the installation of a hydro generator to be used as a demonstration and education project in the Morris Creek Watershed near Montgomery.

Installed in conjunction with the Morris Creek Watershed Association, the hydro generator is using acid mine drainage discharge as its water source. It is the latest in a series of projects the university is conducting in partnership with the West Virginia Division of Energy's Office of Coalfield Community Development to demonstrate renewable energy applications on former surface-mined properties.

The Morris Creek Watershed is located in an extensively mined area of Kanawha and Fayette counties. According to George Carico, director of the West Virginia Brownfields Assistance Center, mining has not occurred in the watershed since the late 1980s but acid mine drainage discharges are present.

He says water from a discharge has been diverted to provide the water source for the generator. After the water passes through the generator, it is directed back into the main stream for treatment before entering Morris Creek.

Power generated from the 1.3 kilowatt system is being used to charge the Morris Creek Watershed Association's stream monitoring equipment and meeting facility. The association is monitoring the generator's performance and will be offering informational tours of the system as part of its ongoing educational program.

Carico worked with the West Virginia Division of Energy to find a suitable site to demonstrate this type of renewable energy. He says that while the project provides renewable energy to the watershed association, it also has a great deal of educational value.

"We're seeing an increasing interest in various types of renewable energy all around the state," he adds. "Electricity generated from hydropower is definitely not new, but using mine water discharge as a power source is.

"This system, though quite small in terms of electrical generation capacity, will help people better understand this particular type of renewable energy. With the Morris Creek Watershed Association providing educational outreach programs, members of the local community and students and teachers, as well as other watershed groups, will get to see close up how hydropower in the right setting can provide a reliable power supply."

A total of $14,000 in federal and local funding was provided for the project, including $7,000 from the Appalachian Regional Commission and $7,000 in cash and in-kind funding from the Morris Creek Watershed Association. The association's match included engineering expertise and support from the West Virginia University Institute of Technology and Bridgemont Community and Technical College.

For more information about the project, contact Carico at 304-696-5456 or carico@marshall.edu. To schedule a site tour, contact Mike King of the Morris Creek Watershed Association at 304-442-4185 or mikewvoa@suddenlink.net.

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Friday June 14, 2013
Contact: Dave Wellman, Director of Communications, (304) 696-7153

Application process begins for Fall Graduate Scholarship Tuition Waivers

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Applications are now being accepted for the Marshall University Graduate Scholarship Tuition Waiver program for the fall 2013 semester, according to Dr. Donna Spindel, dean of the Graduate College. The program provides tuition assistance for a limited number of Marshall University graduate students and Marshall University full-time faculty and staff employees.

Applicants must be currently admitted and enrolled in a graduate degree-granting or certificate program at Marshall University.  Up to three hours of waiver for graduate coursework will be awarded to qualified applicants. The waiver does not cover online courses.

The awarding of waivers is competitive and is made on the basis of academic achievement and promise, Spindel said. Beginning with the fall semester of 2013, students are eligible for one award in three consecutive semesters (i.e., a student who receives an award in fall 2013 is not eligible for another award until fall 2014; a student who receives an award in spring 2014 is not eligible for another award until Spring 2015; a student who receives an award in summer 2014 is not eligible for another award until summer 2015). In addition, beginning with the fall 2013 scholarship waiver period, students are limited to a maximum of four awards. (Past awards do not apply.)

Deadline for the applications is Friday, July 26. Applicants who are awarded waivers will be notified by e-mail. Waivers are posted to student accounts within 10 business days of approval and registration. Award recipients are responsible for any amount not covered by the waiver. Balances must be paid by the tuition/fee due date noted on the Bursar website at www.marshall.edu/bursar.

Applicants must be registered for graduate courses for fall 2013 by Friday, Aug. 9, in order to receive a waiver. Spindel said applicants are encouraged to register for classes at the same time they submit a waiver application. Waivers for students who are not registered by Aug. 9 will be assigned to other qualified applicants.

Applications are available in the Graduate College office (Old Main 113) on the Huntington campus, through a student's academic department office on the South Charleston campus, or online at http://www.marshall.edu/graduate/forms/tuitionwaiverapplication.pdf. Completed waiver applications may be mailed, emailed, faxed or submitted in person.

For complete information please see: www.marshall.edu/graduate/graduate-scholarship-tuition-waiver/ or contact the Graduate College office at 304-696-6606.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday June 13, 2013
Contact: Christine Anderson, Director of Communications, (304) 696-7153

Ohio Valley Bank establishes scholarship for students served by Point Pleasant center

POINT PLEASANT, W.Va. - Full-time students at Marshall University's Mid-Ohio Valley Center (MOVC) will benefit from a new scholarship fund established by the Ohio Valley Bank.

"As a locally based business, Ohio Valley Bank is a longtime partner of the Mid-Ohio Valley Center as it works toward academic excellence," said Homer Preece, director of the center. "We are pleased to get this scholarship program under way."

The scholarship agreement was announced yesterday at the bank's Point Pleasant location by Mario Liberatore, president of Ohio Valley Bank Point Pleasant and a longtime member of the MOVC Board of Advisors; Marshall President Stephen J. Kopp; and Dr. Ronald G. Area, chief executive officer of the Marshall University Foundation Inc., which will administer the fund. "

"I am very happy to be a part of a community bank like Ohio Valley Bank, who takes great pride in helping the youth in our area," Liberatore said. "This scholarship is an example of many ways that we help Mason County and all the other communities that we serve."

Plans call for each recipient of the scholarship to be a full-time sophomore, junior or senior at MOVC, with a minimum 2.5 grade point average. Priority will be given to students in Mason County first, then Gallia and Meigs counties in Ohio. The award will be renewable for up to four years if the recipient remains in good academic standing with a 2.5 grade point average. Recipients will be selected by the director of the center, with assistance from the Board of Advisors and Marshall's Office of Student Financial Assistance. The first scholarship is expected to be awarded during the 2014-2015 academic year.

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Photo: Mario Liberatore, president, Ohio Valley Bank Point Pleasant, presents a copy of the guidelines for a scholarship fund for students of Marshall University's Mid-Ohio Valley Center, to Marshall President Stephen J. Kopp. From left: Jeffrey E. Smith, chairman, Ohio Valley Bank; Tom Wiseman, president and CEO, Ohio Valley Bank; Kopp; Liberatore; Christine Anderson, assistant vice president for development, Marshall University Foundation; Dr. Ronald Area, CEO of the Marshall University Foundation; and Homer Preece, director of Marshall's Mid-Ohio Valley Center. Photo by Tyler Kes.

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Wednesday June 12, 2013
Contact: Dave Wellman, Director of Communications, (304) 696-7153

First session of orientation set for June 18 at Marshall University

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - The first of three New Student Orientation sessions at Marshall University this summer will take place June 18-21 on the Huntington campus. Orientation also is planned July 9-12 and Aug 1-2.

Students who have been admitted for fall 2013 and have paid their $100 enrollment deposit are eligible to register for a New Student Orientation session. The sessions are designed to get students started on the path to success as Marshall students.

"It's really their first day as Marshall University students, their first day on campus," said Beth Wolfe, director of recruitment at Marshall. "The most valuable part is the time they spend with their advisers to go over their schedules, and really the whole four-year plan."

A program specifically designed for parents also is available, Wolfe said.

"Whether it's their first child or their fifth child going to college, they will receive some valuable information on how to support their son or daughter and help him or her to be successful," she said.

Here are the dates for orientation:

June 18 - (Honors College students only)
June 19, 20, 21 (registration for all three days is closed)
July 9, 10, 11, 12 (registration for July 9 is closed.
Aug. 1,2

Wolfe said each orientation session is a busy, half-day program that includes many activities. A maximum of 225 students may attend each session, with an estimated 180-200 attending the Honors College session. At orientation, students can:

• register for fall classes and discuss their schedule with an adviserlearn about campus housing or the resources available to commuter students
• get their pictures taken for their student I.D.'s
• learn about campus IT resources
• take a tour of campus
• attend a financial aid workshop

Call the orientation office at 304-696-2354 for more information or visit http://muwww-new.marshall.edu/recruitment/orientation.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday June 11, 2013
Contact: Ginny Painter, Communications Director, Marshall University Research Corporation, 304-746-1964

Cancer researcher presents technology developed to help personalize chemotherapy

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Marshall University biomedical sciences researcher Dr. Pier Paolo Claudio traveled to a national medical meeting in Chicago earlier this month to present a technology he and his colleagues think will help physicians personalize chemotherapy for cancer treatment.

Claudio's presentation at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology focused on ChemoID, a system he has developed with Marshall biology professor Dr. Jagan Valluri to measure the sensitivity of patients' tumors to chemotherapy drugs.

"Oncologists every day face many challenges in determining the best course of therapy for an individual cancer patient," says Claudio. "The basic problem is that patients with similar diagnoses don't always respond to the same chemotherapy. This technology we have developed could help physicians select the appropriate chemotherapy for an individual patient giving them an edge in the fight against cancer."

He says ChemoID is the first chemosensitivity test for both cancer stem-like cells and bulk tumor cells.

According to Claudio, cancer stem-like cells are a small, resilient subset of cells found in tumors. Current anticancer therapies are imperfect because they target the tumor without treating the root of the cancer the small subpopulation of these tumor-initiating cancer stem cells thought to be responsible for recurrences. The result is that the tumor often shrinks but soon grows back. In addition, the stem-like cells appear to be preferentially resistant to both standard chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

He says more evaluation of the technology is needed, but a clinical trial on a small number of patients found ChemoID 100 percent accurate in predicting which drug is more effective in treating patients affected by brain cancer if the cancer stem-like cells are evaluated.

The upshot for a cancer patient, he says, is that ChemoID may make possible personalized treatment by predicting the most effective drug combination to successfully target that specific patient's cancer increasing the chance the drugs will work and perhaps reducing side effects by helping the patient avoid unnecessary drugs.

Claudio acknowledged the contributions of Dr. Anthony Alberico, chairman of the Department of Neuroscience at the university's Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, for providing the clinical samples, as well as his co-investigators at the school of medicine, McKown Translational Genomics Research Institute and Edwards Comprehensive Cancer Center.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday June 11, 2013
Contact: Dave Wellman, Director of Communications, (304) 696-7153

MU board approves tobacco ban, 2013-2014 operating budget

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Marshall University's Board of Governors today approved a policy banning tobacco products on campus and approved the university's proposed budget for operating expenses for Fiscal Year 2013-2014 today in a meeting on the Huntington campus.

The tobacco policy applies to any and all indoor and outdoor locations. However, events that attract a large number of off-campus visitors to Marshall's campus may be exempted on a case-by-case basis, provided that all smoking be restricted to designated outdoor smoking areas.

The tobacco policy goes into effect Monday, July 1.

"We are so happy that our campus is making this move to improve the health of our students, faculty and staff," said Amy Saunders, director of Marshall's student health programs. "We are joining more than 800 colleges and universities across the nation that have taken this stance against tobacco use."

Saunders said her organization will soon be setting up programs to help students, faculty and staff with cessation efforts.

Also in today's meeting, the Board of Governors unanimously approved the university's proposed budget for operating expenses of $196,434,905 for Fiscal Year 2013-2014.  Marshall President Stephen J. Kopp praised the recently-formed budget working group, consisting of faculty, deans, staff and student representatives, for its role in preparing the balanced budget. The group will continue with additional constituent representatives.

"We worked very diligently together in solving the problem that was presented to us as a result of reductions in state appropriations and increased projections of expenditures," President Kopp said. "We started out with a $6.8 million deficit and tailored that down to a balanced budget with about a $43,000 projected surplus.

"We did it through a great deal of give and take and sharing of information. It's a reflection of what happens when folks can work together and do work together."

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday June 10, 2013
Contact: Jaye Ike, College of Fine Arts, 304-696-3296

Marshall music alumnus McCoy to participate in Longwood Gardens International Organ Competition

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. -- Yuri McCoy, a Huntington native and Marshall University music alumnus, has been invited to participate in the Longwood Gardens International Organ Competition beginning Tuesday, June 18, and continuing through Saturday, June 22.

The competition features Longwood's 10,010-pipe Aeolian organ, a panel of distinguished judges and live performances by young organists from countries such as South Korea, Bulgaria, France, Russia and New Zealand.  The winner receives a prize of $40,000.

Longwood Gardens is the former weekend home of Pierre S. du Pont, founder of  E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company.

McCoy received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree magna cum laude from Marshall in 2008. While living in Huntington, he held several organ posts in and around the city, most recently at St. John's Episcopal Church, and played violin with both the Huntington Symphony and the Marshall University Orchestra. He received his Master of Music degree in the fall of 2010 from the University of Hawai'i at Manoa, and is now studying at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University in Texas.

While an undergraduate, he attended the Cortona Contemporary Music Festival (now soundSCAPE) in Cortona, Italy. He studied with Thomas Rosenkranz and Nathanael May during the week-long festival. At Marshall, he was the winner of the Concert of Soloists Competition, the West Virginia Music Teachers Association's Mountain State Collegiate Piano Competition and the Belle and Lynum Jackson Competion. While pursuing his master's degree, he was the only pianist from the University of Hawai'i selected to perform in a master class given by the legendary pianist Leon Fleisher in 2008.

McCoy's fifth-grade grade music teacher in Huntington, Harriet Tucker, said she is thrilled that he has been chosen for this competition. "He is very, very talented," Tucker said. "I think Patricia Green taught him in third grade, and saw it even before me, that he was very talented. He worked with me through high school, and by the time he was a junior, he gave a recital by himself."

Further information on the competition is available online at www.longwoodgardens.org/OrganCompetition.html.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday June 10, 2013
Contact: Pat Dickson, University Communications, 304-746-1971

Project makes Glenwood Estate more publicly accessible

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - The Marshall University Graduate Humanities Program is hosting another installment of the Glenwood Project, a three-part initiative now in its final phase that seeks to make the Glenwood Estate on Charleston's West Side more publicly accessible through archaeological and historical analysis.

The stately Georgian-style mansion sits on the corner of Orchard Street and Park Avenue, just a short distance from Stonewall Jackson Middle School. It is a rich repository of the history of Charleston and the Kanawha Valley as well as of the estate's early owners, whose names would become familiar to Charlestonians through the streets that today bear their names.

On June 30, the public can get a glimpse into the colorful past of the estate, learn about its rich history and share his or her memories through Glenwood Memories/Histories, a presentation of the Glenwood Project which will take place at the pre-Civil War estate. The program is free and open to the public and will include:

-  1 p.m. - The Glenwood Project, Dr. Luke Eric Lassiter, program director of the Graduate Humanities Program;

-  1:15 p.m. - Oral Histories of Glenwood, Dr. Elizabeth Campbell, faculty member in the Marshall University Graduate School of Education and Professional Development;

-  1:30 p.m. - Historic Glenwood: Window on the West Side, Dr. Billy Joe Peyton of West Virginia State University and the MU Graduate Humanities Program;

-  2:15 p.m. - Landscape Archeology, Glenwood and the Road to Urbanization, Dr. Robert Maslowski of the Marshall University Graduate Humanities Program;

-  3 p.m. - Sharing Memories of Glenwood

Glenwood was built in 1852 by James Laidley on a vast 366-acre tract that stretched from the current Delaware Avenue, Somerset Drive and the Chandler Branch Drive of Edgewood Hills to the Kanawha River.

Laidley, the founder of the Charleston newspaper, The Western Register, was forced by financial reverses to sell the home in 1857 to George W. Summers.

Portions of the estate were sold off as it was passed down through generations until 1978 when the final owner, Summers' great-granddaughter, Lucy Quarrier, deeded it to the West Virginia College of Graduate Studies, which later became part of Marshall University.

Glenwood is now owned and maintained by the Historic Glenwood Foundation, which formerly was the Marshall University Graduate College Foundation.

"It provides a unique history into the complex history of Charleston, the Kanawha Valley and West Virginia," Lassiter said. "Much of the estate's history is contained in the documents and materials at Glenwood."

An objective of the Glenwood Project is to facilitate public engagement in a variety of ways, including an archival database, public workshops and seminars such as this one, development of the Marshall University Graduate Humanities curriculum, and other activities.

The Glenwood Project is funded through a partnership with the West Virginia Humanities Council, Council of West Virginia Archaeology, Kanawha Valley Historical and Preservation Society, Historic Glenwood Foundation, Marshall University Graduate School of Education and Professional Development and Marshall University College of Liberal Arts.

For additional information, call 304-746-1923 or e-mail lassiter@marshall.edu.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday June 6, 2013
Contact: Ginny Painter, Communications Director, Marshall University Research Corporation, 304-746-1964

Nomination deadline extended to June 28 for Miners' Celebration 'Because of You' awards

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - The deadline to submit nominations for "Because of You" awards to honor people who have made significant contributions to West Virginia's coal mining enterprise and the state's mining heritage has been extended to June 28.
 
Awards in nearly a dozen categories will be presented at a gala dinner and awards ceremony planned as part of this year's "Spirit of the Coalfields" Miners' Celebration to be held Oct. 3 at Tamarack in Beckley.
 
According to event organizers, representatives of the state's mining industry and community leaders will gather at the event to recognize miners, engineers, safety and environmental professionals and community members.
 
"Many of our engineering graduates find employment in West Virginia's mining industry, which depends upon thousands of individuals in a number of different roles," said Dr. Tony Szwilski, chairman of the event planning committee and director of Marshall University's Center for Environmental, Geotechnical and Applied Sciences. "Every person who works in the industry whether they are a safety engineer, miner, environmental professional or equipment supplier contributes to each ton of coal produced, as do countless community leaders, educators and mining families.
 
"It is because of every one of them that the mining industry is successful. This event is intended to honor and recognize the contributions of everyone involved. Last year's celebration was a rousing success and we look forward to this year's program being even bigger and better."
 
According to Szwilski, "Because of You" awards will be presented in the following categories:  Equipment Innovation, Safety Professional, Women in Mining, Community Investment, Environmental Professional, Engineering Professional, Community Involvement, Management Professional and Educator of the Year. In addition, the Homer Hickam Collier Award and Spirit of the Coalfields Award will be presented.
 
Representatives of the Coal Heritage Highway Authority/National Coal Heritage Area will be on hand to present several of that organization's top awards, including the Nick Joe Rahall Award for Outstanding Achievements in Coal Heritage Preservation, the Coal Heritage Award for Excellence in the Arts, the Coal Heritage Marketing Award and the Coal Heritage Research and Documentation Award.
 
The "Spirit of the Coalfields" Miners' Celebration gala dinner and awards ceremony is a ticketed event and will begin at 6 p.m. Szwilski added that the program also will feature exhibits and presentations focusing on a variety of aspects of the mining industry, beginning at 1 p.m.
 
To nominate someone for the "Because of You" awards or for more information about the Miners' Celebration, visit http://muwww-new.marshall.edu/cegas/events/mcc/ or contact Teresa Buckland at 304-696-3568 or buckland@marshall.edu.
 
For more information about the Coal Heritage Highway Authority/National Coal Heritage Area awards, call 304-465-3720 or e-mail info@coalheritage.org.
 
The Miners' Celebration is a cooperative project of the Center for Environmental, Geotechnical and Applied Sciences at Marshall University; the National Coal Heritage Area; the United Mine Workers of America; the West Virginia Coal Association; Strategic Solutions LLC; and the West Virginia Division of Energy, Office of Coalfield Community Development.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday May 31, 2013
Contact: Leah C. Payne, Public Affairs Director, Schools of Medicine and Pharmacy, 304-791-1713

Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine physician authors book on medical poetry

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Dr. Aaron M. McGuffin, senior associate dean for medical education at the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, has published a new poetry book titled Common Illness that showcases creative writings from his experiences as a physician.
 
McGuffin, who is board certified in internal medicine and pediatrics, credits his mother, an English teacher, for stoking his passion for creative writing.

"My mom inspired me to write and express my feelings in a way that isn't always synonymous with the medical profession," McGuffin said. "Writing provides a release for me and in some ways has helped me become a better doctor by improving my observation skills and developing a heightened sense of empathy."

He said he hopes his poetry provides insight into physicians' perspectives on providing patient care and will allow the reader to laugh and cry through related personal experiences.
 
In addition to Common Illness, McGuffin has authored several poems that have been published in medical journals.  Common Illness is available on Amazon and Kindle beginning in June. 

McGuffin is a Huntington native who graduated from the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine in 1999.  He also completed a residency in Internal Medicine/Pediatrics at Marshall.

 

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday May 31, 2013
Contact: Susan Tams, Director of Editorial Services, 304-746-2038

Marshall engineering seniors achieve perfect passing rate in Fundamentals of Engineering exam

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Seniors in Marshall University's Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree program, a total of 23, have all passed the Fundamentals of Engineering examination (FE) administered by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying in April.

"This is an impressive result," said Dr. Wael Zatar, dean of the College of Information Technology and Engineering. "I am proud to say that I personally have not heard of another school of Marshall's size and situation reporting such an achievement. Congratulations to the B.S.E. Class of 2013 on their success."

"Passing the FE is a huge accomplishment for anyone; it takes a ton of studying and preparing for weeks up to months and even a little meditation during the last few days before the exam," said Kristen Bobuk, a senior who will graduate in December. She is a double major in engineering and music. "But to have 100 percent of the senior class pass the exam goes beyond that. It's a true testament to the hard work and dedication we've put in for the past four years, and shows that the teachers went above and beyond to make sure not only did we learn the material the first time around, but also that we retained it for years before taking this test. It's a true job well done!"

Those who have passed the Fundamentals of Engineering exam are known as Engineer Interns and are eligible to sit for the Professional Engineer exam in West Virginia after four years of work experience following graduation.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday May 31, 2013
Contact: Dave Wellman, Director of Communications, (304) 696-7153

Marshall hosting students from eight institutions for biomedical research internships

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Twelve undergraduate students from eight institutions are spending their summer doing biomedical research in Marshall University's laboratories. The students are participating in nine-week programs sponsored by the West Virginia IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (WV-INBRE) and the university's Summer Research Internship for Minority Students (SRIMS) program.

Dr. Elsa I. Mangiarua, a professor in the Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Toxicology at Marshall's Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, directs the WV-INBRE summer program. She said both programs give participants the opportunity to do meaningful research and much more.

"Over the summer, these students will gain valuable, hands-on experience doing graduate-level research in the labs of some of Marshall's finest scientists," she said. "We also teach them how to share their findings at a scientific meeting and to network, all of which helps them build academic competitiveness for graduate school."

Diana R. Maue, who coordinates the SRIMS program, agreed, adding, "It's exciting that we are able to provide these in-depth, mentored research opportunities for very talented undergraduates, and it's equally important that these programs promote awareness of graduate degree programs and careers in biomedical research. We are helping to develop a pipeline for training tomorrow's scientists."While at Marshall, the interns are working in state-of-the-art facilities on research projects related to cancer, cardiovascular disease, obesity and diabetes, neuroscience, toxicology and environmental health, infectious diseases and bioinformatics. The students will present their research results at a symposium on July 29 at the university's Memorial Student Center
.
In addition to the formal research training they each receive from their Marshall faculty mentors, the interns are taking part in workshops and seminars about a variety of topics related to research and graduate education. Students in the two programs attend many of the same seminars and interact socially through a bowling outing, ice cream socials and other special events intended to help them get to know one another outside of the laboratory environment.

Students participating in the WV-INBRE summer program include:

• Jaya Ale, University of Charleston (Dr. Eric Blough, mentor)
• Joshua Easterling, University of Charleston (Dr. Elaine Hardman, mentor)
• Bishnu Kafley, Berea College (Dr. Travis Salisbury and Dr. Jim Denvir, mentors)
• Rebecca Martin, Davis and Elkins College (Dr. Piyali Dasgupta, mentor)
• Hajer Mazagri, University of Charleston (Dr. Richard Egleton, mentor)
• Noah Mitchell, Bluefield State College (Dr. Nalini Santanam, mentor)
• Rishi Reddy, West Virginia State University (Dr. Larry Grover, mentor)
• Anthony Schnelle, Wheeling Jesuit University (Dr. Monica Valentovic, mentor)
• Linh Vu, University of Charleston (Dr. Gary Rankin, mentor)

The WV-INBRE program also sponsors summer fellowships for instructors. This year's fellowship recipients are science teacher Olivia Boskovic of Huntington High School and Dr. Sobha Goraguntula, an assistant professor of chemistry at Alderson-Broaddus College. Boskovic is working in the lab of Dr. Emine Koc. Goraguntula's mentor is Dr. Travis Salisbury.

WV-INBRE is funded through a $16 million grant from the National Institutes of Health. Marshall in partnership with researchers at West Virginia University received the award to help build expertise in biomedical research.

Students in this year's SRIMS program are:

• Annesha King, University of the Virgin Islands (Dr. Emine Koc, mentor)
•  Ashlea Hendrikson, Oakwood University (Dr. Hongwei Yu, mentor)
• Emmanuel Rosas, University of Texas at Brownsville (Dr. Richard Egleton, mentor)

Support for the SRIMS program comes from the university's Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program and the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission's Division of Science and Research.

Each student receives a stipend. Depending on the program in which they are participating, they may also receive room and board, lab fees, and reimbursement for travel to and from Marshall.

For more information about the WV-INBRE program, visit www.wv-inbre.org or contact Mangiarua at mangiaru@marshall.edu or 304-696-6211. For more information about the SRIMS program, visit www.marshall.edu/bms/future-students/summer-research-internship or contact Maue at maue1@marshall.edu or 304-696-3365.

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Photos: (Above) Ashlea Hendrikson, shown at left with her mentor Dr. Hongwei Yu, is one of 12 undergraduate students spending this summer as a biomedical research intern at Marshall University. A student at Oakwood University in Huntsville, Ala., Hendrikson is participating in Marshall's Summer Research Internship for Minority Students (SRIMS) program. Photo by Rick Haye/Marshall University. (Below) Emmanuel "Manny" Rosas, left, and Hajer Mazagri are working this summer as biomedical research interns in the lab of Dr. Richard Egleton at Marshall University. Their internships were made possible through the university's Summer Research Internship for Minority Students (SRIMS) program and the West Virginia IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence. Rosas attends the University of Texas at Brownsville. Mazagri is enrolled at the University of Charleston. Photo by Rick Haye/Marshall University.

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Thursday May 30, 2013
Contact: Leah C. Payne, Public Affairs Director, Schools of Medicine and Pharmacy, (304) 696-7153

School of Medicine expands clinical research operations with appointment of new personnel

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine officials today announced the appointment of Dr. Todd H. Davies as the new director of research development and translation for the Marshall Clinical Research Center. He also has a faculty appointment as research clinical associate professor in the Department of Internal Medicine.

Davies, who previously served as the chief executive officer for ADS Biotechnologies in Toledo, Ohio, is responsible for developing and maintaining a plan for long-term, sustained research growth, including building a framework for accelerating the clinical trial process; developing administrative policies and procedures; working with the university's Technology Transfer Office to develop patenting and licensing strategies for the School of Medicine; and verifying compliance with state and federal guidelines.

"We are thrilled to have Dr. Davies here at Marshall as we expand our footprint in the biomedical research arena," said Dr. Todd W. Gress, assistant dean, clinical research.  "He is first and foremost a scientist who understands the processes of research, but more importantly in this position, he understands the business development aspect of taking research from the bench to the bedside.  His business acumen is stellar and we couldn't be more pleased to have him on our team. "

Davies' experience ranges from serving the city of Toledo in the department of development to identifying new bioscience technologies for commercial market value through his work as business development manager for Rocket Ventures in Toledo.

"I am excited to be part of the research renaissance happening here at Marshall," Davies said.  "Every investigator has to balance maintaining the research process with their regular duties.  I am here to help develop and organize the resources to make that possible.  The people here have been wonderful and I anticipate a great working relationship."

Davies earned his bachelor's degree in biology from Wesley College in Dover, Del., and then completed his Ph.D. in medical science from the University of Toledo in 2003.  He also served in the United States Air Force.

Assisting Davies in the Marshall Clinical Research Center is Patricia "Trish" H. Sacconi, a 20-plus year employee of the School of Medicine and Marshall Health. Sacconi serves as administrator for the center. She previously held several administrative positions with Marshall, including department administrator for University Eye Surgeons.

Sacconi will graduate from Marshall University in December with a Regents Bachelor of Arts degree. She also holds several educational and medical certificates.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday May 30, 2013
Contact: Dave Wellman, Director of Communications, (304) 696-7153

'New roadmap of world history' provided in book written by Marshall associate professor Dr. Christopher M. White

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Dr. Christopher M. White, an associate professor of Latin American history and director of graduate studies in the history department at Marshall University, has written a book that provides the reader with a new roadmap of world history, according to one reviewer.

A Global History of the Developing World is a 288-page book that will be released in both paperback and hardback Sept. 18 by Routledge.  The book has 12 chapters and is organized into four thematic units, each containing one chapter on Asia, Latin America and Africa.

According to the book description on the Routledge website, these units cover different commonly-experienced phenomena among the peoples of the developing world: imperialism, nationalism, globalization and development. 

The first three are chronological, while the last surveys and analyzes the scholarly debates over the causes of development and underdevelopment. Through these chapters White presents a wide-ranging study of the major themes in studies of the developing world, including slavery, imperialism, religion, free and fair trade, democratization and economic development.

"The book provides a comprehensive history of the developing world based on the author's profound knowledge of economic and social history over the last six centuries," said Katsushi Imai, a well-known economic development specialist from the University of Manchester in the UK. "The reader is not only provided with a new roadmap of World History but also with an alternative way of understanding key contemporary issues, such as global poverty or inequality. This book is highly recommended for students and their teachers in both social science and history."

According to the book description, A Global History of the Developing World centralizes the struggle for self-determination in an attempt to understand how the current nation-states have been formed and what their future may hold. Although concentrating on the modern era, its scope is broad: it covers geography, ancient and modern history, economics, politics and recent events.

White said it took about two years to actually write the book, but many years of research based on travel to mostly Latin America, including places such as Peru, Mexico, Cuba and Central America.

"But  also based on teaching a class for the past seven years at Marshall," he said. "I have taken lots of notes down through the years and added to my lectures and kind of built the class up into the foundation of what the book became."

The book includes detailed profiles of key figures as well as maps and illustrations.

At Marshall, White teaches courses on Latin America, the developing world and U.S. foreign relations. He also is the author of Creating a Third World: Mexico, Cuba, and the United States during the Castro Era  (New Mexico, 2007), as well as  The History of El Salvador (Greenwood, 2008).

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday May 30, 2013
Contact: Griffin Talbott, Director of Annual Giving, (304) 696-7153

Marshall Foundation to kick off 30-day donor challenge

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Marshall University's Office of Development will kick off "MU Challenge: 630 by 6/30" beginning Saturday, June 1, and continuing through Thursday, June 30.

"We want 630 donors to the annual fund by June 30 in order to have a strong closing for our fiscal year," said Griffin Talbott, director of annual giving at Marshall. "It's an ambitious goal, but Marshall has the most generous alumni, friends and family. Any gift, no matter what amount, will help us reach it."

In addition, Dr. Greg Crews and Dr. Dallas Nibert, who have a family dentistry practice in Huntington, have agreed to contribute $10,000 to the annual fund when the goal of 630 donors is reached, Talbott said. Nibert is a 2003 Marshall alumnus with a B.S. in biological sciences.

"Marshall alumni in particular should watch their e-mails for the announcement of this campaign," said Christine Anderson, associate vice president for development at Marshall. "We encourage anyone to take part and be counted, whether they've attended Marshall or not."

Talbot said that in addition to e-mails to alumni, the campaign will include Web (www.marshall.edu/muchallenge) and social media presences.

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