Outlook / the University of Maryland, College Park (2002)

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Outstanding
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Page 4

THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND FACULTY AND STAFF WEEKLY NEWSPAPER

Vo I U HI f If

Number 9 'April 9 , 2002

National Rankings
Again Favor Maryland

National recognition
of Maryland's aca-
demic programs
continued to
expand with the publication
this week of the new U.S. News
and World Report rankings of
graduate schools nationwide.
Several programs made signifi-
cant gains, and others ranked
high in new categories. Prior to
these new rankings, the univer-
sity boasted of having 61 aca-
demic programs in the top 25
nationally. It appears that at
least 63 programs will now fit
that category.

The College of Education
moved from 22nd to a tie for
21st with Boston College. In
the education subspecialties,
Counseling and Personnel Ser-
vices remained ranked number
one, Special Education jumped
from 10th to 5th, and Higher
Education Administration
jumped from 14th to a tie for
8th with Columbia and Arizona.

The printed edition of the
magazine lists only the top 10
schools in each subcategory,
but expanded lists will be avail-
able on the U.S. News Web site.
Last year, Education had 1 1 sub-
specialties in the top 25.

U.S. News issued new rank-
ings in the sciences for the first
time in several years, including
several new categories in
which Maryland did well. Math
jumped from 21st to 16th, in a
tie with Rutgers. In the new
category of Applied Mathemat-
ics, the university tied for 1 1th
with Carnegie Mellon and
Texas. Physics moved from
1 4 th to 13th, and the subspe-
cialty of Condensed Matter/
Low Temperature Physics has
Maryland 10th. The subspecial-
ty of Non-linear dynamics/
chaos physics did not get a
new ranking, so Maryland
remains ranked first. Computer
Science went from 1 1th to a tie
for 12th with Georgia Tech.
Maryland ended up in a nine-
way tie for 45th in Biological
Sciences and a four-way tie for
43rd in Chemistry. The univer-
sity is not in the top 10s of any
of the subspecialties.

The rankings for social set
ences and humanities were not
updated this year. The most
recent rankings are published in
the April 8 issue, but they range
from one to four years old.

See RANKINGS, page 2

University Names
New Vice President

The University of Mary-
land named J. Dennis
O'Connor, currently
undersecretary for science at
the Smithsonian Institution, to
be vice president for research
and dean of the graduate
school.

O'Connor brings a broad
background in higher educa-
tion and science to the posi-
tion, having served as chancel-
lor of the University of Pitts-
burgh and as vice chancellor of
research, vice chancellor of aca-
demic affairs and provost at the
University of North Carolina,
Chapel Hill. He has held his cur-
rent position at the Smithson-
ian for two years, and was
provost of the institution for
four years prior. He will start his
new position at Maryland by

Juiyi.

"I am delighted that Dr.
O'Connor has agreed to join
our leadership team," said Mary-
land President Dan Mote in
announcing the appointment.
"His extraordinary experience
in higher education, particularly
in distinguished research insti-
tutions, and his knowledge of

federal science enterprises sup-
port perfectly the university's
strategic plans for developing
its research enterprise."

A biologist, O'Connor was on
the biology faculty at the Uni-
versity of California, Los Angeles
and there served as dean of the
life sciences for six years and
chair of the Department of Biol-
ogy for two years.

"The University of Maryland
is poised to markedly enhance
its reputation as one of the
great research universities in
the nation," said O'Connor. "It is
an honor to have the chance to
contribute to its continuing
development.With its outstand-
ing faculty, a history of highly
respected scholarship and its
location in the heart of the fed-
eral research endeavor, Mary-
land is the place to be right
now."

The university received more
than $300 million in funding
last year for sponsored research
and training activity, much of it
from the federal government.
Total research expenditures

See O'CONNOR, page 3

U.S.-China Science and Technology Park Inaugurated

PHOTO BY CYNTHIA MITCHEL

On April 2, the University of Maryland and the People's Republic of China's
Ministry of Science and Technology officially announced their initiation of
preparations to establish the U.S.-China Science and Technology Park in
Maryland. This is the first collaborative research park venture between the two coun-
tries, and is also China's first overseas science and technology innovation park.
Following the signing of the agreement, a ceremony and reception was held in the
lobby of the Main Administration Building.

Above, President Dan Mote distributes NCAA championship T-shirts to each
speaker {1 to r: the Ministry's Secretary General Shi Dinghuan; Daniel Gunderson,
assistant secretary of the Department of Economic and Business Development of the
State of Maryland; BenWu, Deputy Undersecretary for Technology at the U.S.
Department of Commerce; and Jin Xiaomin, Minister Counselor for Science and
Technology at the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C.). The speakers were intro-
duced by Institute for Global Chinese Affairs Director Chuan Sheng Liu.

Alumna Turns
Love of University,
Skills into Career

During the summer of her
last year in college, Lisa Press
found herself in the command
center of an international com-
petition being hosted by the
university. It was a hectic, need-
to know-it-all situation involv-
ing hundreds of people and
countless details. She loved it.

Press turned that love into a
career. She is the newly appoin-
ted assistant director of meet-
ing planning with Conferences
and Visitor Services (CVS), pro-
viding consultation services,
coordination and planning for
conferences and meetings on
and off campus. Though it was-
n't what she envisioned for her-
self upon graduation from the
University of Maryland in 1993,
she is happy she "fell into" it.

"I was undecided, but leaning
toward child psychology. Then
psychology became a limited
enrollment major and I would
have needed so many classes to
even get into the pool, that I

See PRESS, page 3

Unlocking the Secrets of the
Past for a Greater Future

A key to humanity's inter-
connectedness, and
genetic diversity, comes from
a burial ground in New York
City. A freezer in a campus lab
holds this key and scientist
Fatimah Jackson can't wait to
show people how it works.
Jackson, with the Depart-
ment of Anthropology and an
affiliate with the biology
department, is the genetics
group leader for the African
Burial Ground Project in New
York. Uncovered in 1991 dur-
ing construction of a govern-
ment building in lower Man-
hattan, the area holds the
remains of thousands of
Africans and those of African
descent buried between 1712
and 1790.After much public
outcry, construction was halt-
ed and plans were made to
preserve and study the find-
ings. Once research is com-
plete, the bones will be rein-
t erred and a memorial built.

Several research groups
were created around areas of
study such as origins, life and
the ancestors. Jackson's team

is extracting DNA from some
of the bones in an attempt to
link the dead with regions in
Africa. It is a complex task for
which there are many
expected outcomes, not all of
which are realistic. Jackson
says many people would like
to be able to connect the
remains with particular coun-
tries, or trace their own
ancestry back to specific
tribes through DNA matches,

"It seems like a simple
request, but we can't do that
exactly," says Jackson. "It's
very difficult to take some-
one back to a particular vil-
lage. There were prisoners of
war taken to different nation
states and regions and a great
deal of social destruction, and
this was going on before
enslavement."

What Jackson and her team
of geneticists can do is work
to find regional genetic mark-
ers and match them with that
of modem day Africans. The
process begins by contacting

See JACKSON, page 3

APRIL 9, 2002

dateline
Maryland

YOUR GUIDE TO UNIVERSITY EVENTS: APRIL 9-15

april 9

7:30-8:45 p.m.. An Evening
with Langston and Martin
Kay Theatre, Clarice Smith Per-
forming Arts Center. Actors
Danny Glovet and Felix Justice
offer critically acclaimed por-
trayals, and readings of die
works of, Martin Luther King
Jr. and Langston Hughes. The
cost is $10 for students, $30
general audience. For more
information, contact Beth Work-
man at 5-5722 or bworkman®
bsos.umd.edu.'

12 p.m., Xinjiang: China
and Political Islam in the
Post-Taliban Era 0105 St.
Marys Hall. With Justin Rudel-
son, executive director, IGCA;
George Quester, professor; and
Graham Fuller, scholar and
author. Sponsored by the Insti-
tute for Global Chinese Affairs.

12 p.m., Investors Group
Meeting 6137 McKeldin
Library. Authors John May and
Cal Simmons ("Every Business
Needs an Angei") will discuss a
new form of funding for start-
up companies — angel invest-
ing. The meeting is free and
everyone is welcome. For
more information, call Frank
Boches at 5-9126.

12:30-2 p.m.. Political Vio-
lence Seminar Maryland

Room, Marie Mount Hall. The
Center for Historical Studies
presents author and journalist
Tome Segev and Madeline Zilf
speaking on "Post-Zionism and
Israel's New Historians." For
more information, call 5-8739-

4:15-6 p.m.. Perspectives
on Minority Achievement

1121 Benjamin. The Institute
for Minority Achievement and
Urban Education (MIMAUE)
will host "Professional Devel-
opment for Teachers." Panelists
include: David Stofa, principal,
Bladensburg High School;
Kathy Volk, Maryland State
Department of Education; and
Richelle Patterson, American
Federation ofTeachers. For
more information, contact
Martin L.Johnson at mjl3@
umail.umd.edu, or visit www.
education.umd.edu/MIMAUE.

EUNESOnr

april 10

7:30 a.m.-9 p.m., Com-
muter Appreciation Day

See For Your
Interest, page 4.

8:45 a.m.-4
p.m., OIT Short-
course Training:
Introduction to
MS Access 4404
Computer &
Space Science.
Intended for
those with some
experience using
spreadsheets, but
no experience
creating or manip-
ulating databases. Participants
will learn to; understand data-
base concepts and terminolo-
gy; design and create tables;
create data forms for viewing
and inputting data; summarize
and group data, and more. The
fee is $90. For more informa-
tion or to register, contact the
OITTraining Services Coordi-
nator at 5-0443 or oit-training®
umail.umd.edu, or visit
www.oit.umd.edu/sc.*

12-1 p.m.. Research and
Development Presentation

0114 Counseling Center, Shoe-
maker Building. Topic:"Help-
ing Academically Dismissed
Students Succeed." With Marcia
Fallon, director, Learning Assis-
tant Service. For more informa-
tion, call 4-7651.

7:30 p.m.. Spring Jazz
Showcase Concert Hall,
Clarice Smith Performing Arts
Center. Featuring UM 'Monster"
Jazz Lab Band and UM Jazz
Combos led by Chris Vadala,
one of the country's premier
woodwind artists and director
of UM Jazz Studies. For more
information, call (301) 405-
ARTS or visit www.umd.edu/
music/calendar.

PHOTO 8V CYNTHIA MITCHEL

With Adrian Dragulescu speak-
ing on "Beyond Black-Scholes:
Probability Distribution of
Stock Price Changes in a Model
with .Stochastic Volatility." For
more information, contact Ben
Kedem at 5-5061 or bnk®math.
umd.edu, or visit www.math.
umd.edu/stat/seminar.html.

3:30-5:30 p.m.. Images of
Renaissance Art in Victori-
an Fiction & Poetry 3215
Art-Sociology Building. With
Leonee Ormond, professor of
Victorian studies at King's Col-
lege, University of London, who
has written widely on the rela-
tionship between literature and
the fine arts in the Victorian
period Ormond is the author
of books on George du Mauri-
er, Frederick Leighton and J.M.
Barrie. For more information,
contact Adele Seeff, 5-6830 or
asl8@umail.umd.edu.

8 p.m.. Graduate Concert
by Connie Fink Dance The-
atre, Clarice Smith Performing
Arts Center. The ticket price is
$10. For more information, call
(301) 405-ARTS or visit www.
claricesmithcenter.umd.edu.*

Rankings:

Continued Jrotn page 1

Engineering moved from
18th to 19th overall, while
Business was tied for 43rd
with Penn State and Florida.
Management Information
Systems maintained its rank-
ing of 9th.

Gains Made

Oudook will publish a full
analysis of the U.S. News and
World Report graduate school
rankings and die meaning of
such rankings as a measure of
the university's progress and
quality in a future issue.

and an introduction to its soft-
ware Super Decisions. For more
information, contact Gabby at
5-4905 or itv@eng.umd.edu.

12-1:15 p.m.. Department
of Communication Series

0200 Skinner. Edward Schiap-
pa, University of Minnesota,
presents "Beyond Representa-
tional Correctness: Thoughts
on Evaluating Representations
in Popular Culture "For more
information, contact Trevor
Parry-Giles at 5-8947 or
tp54@umail.umd.edu, or visit
www.comm.umd.edLi.

8 p.m.. Graduate Concert
by Connie Fink Dance The-
atre, Clarice Smith Performing
Arts Center, See April 1 1 .

8 p.m., Guest Recital: Harry
Sparnaay, Bass Clarinet

Gildenhorn Recital Hall,
Clarice Smith Performing Arts
Center. Dutch virtuoso Harry
Sparnaay in a concert of music
for solo bass clarinet. For more
information, call (301) 405-
ARTS or visit www.umd.edu/
music/calendar.

april 13

8 p.m.. Trio Fontenay Gild-
enhorn Recital Hall, Clarice
Smith Performing Arts Center.
Germany's most eminent piano
trio in a program featuring
Richard Strauss, An tonin Dvo-
rak and Felix Mendelssohn. Sin-
gle ticket price is $25. For
more information, call (301)
405-ARTS or visit wwwclarice-
smithcenter. umd.edu.*

april 12

april 11

april 14

9 a.m. -4 p.m., Personnel
Services Seminar: New
Approaches for Effective
Projects 1 101U Chesapeake.
A workshop intended for proj-
ect leaders, team members for
research projects and grant
applications, or anyone inter-
ested in improving their proj-
ect management skills. The
cost is $100. For more informa-
tion, contact Natalie Torres at
5-5651 or traindev@accmail.
umd.edu, or visit www.
personnel.umd.edu.*

3:30-4:30 p.m.. Statistics
Seminar 1313 Math Building.

9 a.m. -3:30 p.m.. Graduate
Symposium: Languages
Connect Cultures Multipur-
pose Room, St. Mary's Hall.
Keynote speaker Sara Lennox,
University of Massachusetts,
will explore the intersections
of language, culture and litera-
ture beyond the boundaries of
tradition. Lunch will be pro-
vided. For more information,
contact Roxane Riegler at
riegier@wam.umd.edu.

11 a.m. -5 p.m.. Decision
Making In Complex Envi-
ronments 1 100 ITV Building.
The seminar is about advanced
decision making with the Ana-
lytic Network Process (ANP),

7:30 p.m.. Student Conduc-
tor's Concert Concert Hall,
Clarice Smith Performing Arts
Center. Graduate students of
the orchestral conducting pro-
gram lead the University of
Maryland Symphony Orches-
tra. For more information, call
(301) 405-ARTS or visit www.
umd . edu/music/c alcndar.

15

1-2 p.m.. Entomology Col-
loquium 1 140 Plant Sciences.
With Joel Kingsolver, Depart-
ment of Biology, University of

North Carolina, Chapel Hill. For
more information, call 5-391 1
or visit www.entm.umd.edu.

4 p.m.. Center for Histori-
cal Studies Seminar on the
Role of Women and Femi-
ninity in the European
Enlightenment 1 102 Francis
Scott Key Hall. Refreshments
served at 3:30 p.m. Kontier's
paper will be distributed in
advance. For more information,
contact Stephen Johnson at 5-
8739 or historvcenter@umail.
umd.edu.

8 p.m.. Women in Theatre:
Magdelena Gomez, Marty
Pottenger, Alva Rogers

Gildenhorn Recital Hall, Clarice
Smith Performing Arts Center.
Three women artists reveal
their diverse perspectives in
an evening of vignettes about
culture, wealth, gender and
slavery. Single ticket price is
$20. For more information, call
(301) 405-ARTS or visit www.
clarice smtiheente r. umd . ed u . *

For additional event list-
ings, visit www.college
publisher.com/outlook.

calendar guide

Calendar phone numbers listed as 4-xxxx or 5-wtx stand for the prefix 314 or 405. Calendar information for Outlook Is compiled from a combination of infonVTs master
calendar and submissions to the Outlook office. Submissions are due two weeks prior to the date of publication. To reach the calendar editor, call 405-7615 or e-mail to
outlook@accmail.umd.edu. 'Events are free and open to the public unless noted by an asterisk (*),

Outlook

Oulbok is the weekly faculty-staff
newspaper serving the University of
Maryland campus community.

Brodie Remington 'Vice
President for University Relations

Teresa Flannery « Executive

Director, University

Com muni cations and Marketing

George Ca (heart * Executive
Editor

Monette Austin Bailey • Editor

Cynthia Mitchel • Art Director

Laura Lee ■ Graduate Assistant

Robert K. Gardner * Editorial
Assistant & Contribu ting Writer

Letters to the editor, story sugges-
tions and campus information are
welcome. Please submit all material
two weeks before the Tuesday of
publication.

Send material to Editor. Omtook.
2101 Turner Hall. College Park,
MD 207+2

Telephone -(301) 405-4629
Fax -{301) 314-9344
E-mail • outlook@accmad.umd.edu
www.cbllegep ublishcr.com/oudook

OUTLOOK

Hard Work and Planning Pay Off

Continued from page 1

said forget it," says Press. She
settled into sociology easily
because it required some of
the core courses she had
already taken, though she was
still unsure about what to do
with the degree.

"I knew 1 didn't want to do
social work and I didn't want
to be a teacher."

Still undecided, she
answered an ad in the Dia-
mondback for temporary sum-
mer workers. It was the uni-
versity's turn to host Odyssey
of the Mind, a program that
brings students from aU grade
levels to a college campus for
a week of creative competi-
tion. Press felt being in die
command center was the per-
fect place for her and told Pat
Perfetto, director of CVS, and
Associate Director Sue Warren
after the competition to keep
her in mind for future jobs. A
stint working to help coordi-
nate the national history day
contest, another large event
the campus hosts annually,
grew into a full-time summer
student employee position
with CVS. Upon graduation,
Press took a contract confer-
ence coordinator position
planning meetings.

A complete restructuring of
the office in 1998 resulted in a
position as senior program
manager and a gradual shift
from summer conferences to
meeting planning. Press was
recently promoted to assistant
director. Under the new Regis-
tration and Meeting Planning
Services, Press offers the cam-
pus community assistance
with the logistics of confer-
ence and meeting planning,
primarily at off campus venues
(including the Inn and Confer-
ence Center). Services might
include such things as site
selection, contract negotiation
and management of meetings
at off-campus hotels, assistance
in developing a conference
budget, coordinating mailings,
contracting with outside ven-
dors for exhibits, and trans-
portation, audio visual and
other services tailored to meet
the specific needs of the par-
ticular conference. She has

Smith School, Naval Post-
graduate School to Offer
Defense-Focused MBA

PHOTO BY MONETTE AUSTIN BAILEY

Lisa Press, sitting outside Annapolis Hall where Conferences and Visitor
Services is based, fell into the perfect job.

worked on events such as the
Fowler Colloquium sponsored
by the Performing Arts Library
and the International Leader-
ship Association sponsored by
the James MacGregor Burns
Academy of Leadership. Press
also has a regular, ongoing rela-
tionship with the Joint Insti-
tute for Food Safety and Nutri-
tion, assisting with its many
events. Her offsite work has
taken her around the country
and will also include some
international travel.

"I've always liked planning
things. My friends say that I'm
not spontaneous. I am working
on it, but when we get togedier
I often make the plans, call
everyone and coordinate. My
mom liked to plan parties, I
guess tiiat's where I get it,"
explains Press. "I guess you
could say I'm a perfectionist
and a control freak."

Whatever personality traits
Press may possess, they work
in her and the university's
favor. She receives high praise
from Warren and clients.
"Throughout her career with
Conferences and Visitor Ser-
vices, she has been a dedicat-
ed, committed and tireless
worker," says Warren. "She has
received praise from just about
every faculty, staff or other
client who she has provided
service for."

Written evaluations offer
comments such as "Your spe-
cial attention to so many

details really made the event
go well. . . " and "Lisa Press was
an invaluable resource to us. . .
She demonstrated unending
dedication, professionalism,
flexibility, patience and a great
sense of humor. She was avail-
able to us virtually 24 hours a
day."

Press admits that she gives a
lot of hours to her job, work-
ing until everything for which
she is responsible is right. "My
friends tease me that I'll never
meet that someone special
because I work so much, but I
meet a lot of interesting peo-
ple through my work I like
what I do and I do what I need
to be happy with the output."

Not that Press sits home and
watches TV during her off
hours. She regularly sees plays
and concerts, goes out with
friends and takes a cruise
every year. When a friend's
mom's travel agency had two
fan cruises booked simultane-
ously, guess whom the agency
asked to help run one of them?

It's a good life, she says, that
is made so in part by where
she works and with whom she
works. A Maryland native —
who applied only to the uni-
versity when considering col-
lege — Press also didn't consid-
er taking her planning skills to
Washington, D.C., where she
may make more money or
work in a large firm. "This is a
beautiful campus and a great
place to work "she says.

O'Connor:

Continued from page 1

doubled over the past five
years at Maryland;

"One of the great things
about Maryland is that it has
significant research activity
across the board in all disci-
plines," O'Connor said.

"I am confident that Dr.
O'Connor will help increase
the impact of Maryland's
research on the region, the
nation and the world," Mote
said. "We are very excited
about our future."

In his current position,
O'Connor oversees a number
of museum and research insti-

Smithsonian Yields Candidate

tutes at the Smithsonian,
including the National Muse-
um of Natural History, the
National Zoological Park and
Conservation Research Center,
the Smithsonian Astrophysical
Observatory, the Smithsonian
Tropical Research Institute in
Panama, die Environmental
Research Center near the
Chesapeake Bay, the National
Science Resources Center and
other organizations devoted to
scientific research or support
for research activities.

The Chicago native has his
bachelor's degree from Loyola

University, a master's from
DePaul and a doctorate from
Northwestern University. His
own research activities have
included more than 80 pub-
lished papers and more than
three dozen invited lectures.
He has taken an active leader-
ship role in numerous profes-
sional and community organi-
zations as well.

O'Connor is married to
Anne O'Connor, a distin-
guished specialist in oncology
nursing.They have three mar-
ried children and four grand-
children.

The Robert H. Smith
School of Business, Uni-
versity of Maryland has
teamed up with the Naval Post-
graduate School (NPS) in Mon-
terey, Calif, to deliver a unique
defense-focused Master of Busi-
ness Administration (MBA)
degree. The combined MBA pro-
gram, which begins in fall 2002,
is open to military officers and
Department of Defense (DoD)
civilians. It is the nation's first
program of its kind.

"The U.S. military is the
largest, most complex business
in the world, and therefore all of
its senior executives should pos-
sess an advanced understanding
of commercial practices and
procedures," said Howard Frank,
dean of the Smith School and
former director of the Informa-
tion Technology Office of the
Defense Advanced Research
Projects Agency (DARPA) at
DoD. "By combining the Smith
School's world-leading core
business curriculum with the
defense expertise of NPS, we
can provide defense personnel
with the unique skills they need
to make the military the more
efficient and business-oriented
institution it strives to be."

The combined MBA program
will provide students with core
management and leadership
skills in key business areas such
as e<:ommerce, supply chain
management, strategy and mar-
keting, as well as a unique
understanding of business oper-
ations within the federal gov-

ernment and the U.S. Depart-
ment of Defense. Smith School
faculty will teach the first "core"
business courses comprising 27
credit hours, with the remaining
"defense-focused" courses, also
comprising 27 credit hours,
taught by NPS.The typical stu-
dent will complete the program
in 33 mondis. Classes will be
held on alternate weekends at
the Ronald Reagan Building in
Washington, D.C., on a schedule
similar to the Smith School's
regular weekend part-time MBA
program.

"We've felt a great need to
offer an MBA program in Wash-
ington, D.C., because of the
area's large population of mili-
tary officers and civilian DoD
employees interested in seeking
defense-focused graduate
degrees," said Douglas Brook,
dean of die Graduate School of
Business and Public Policy at
NPS. "The Smith School partner-
ship is a big win for both the
military and these personnel,
who cannot leave their posts
and relocate to California to
pursue graduate educations."

Prospective students must
apply to and meet the admis-
sions requirements of both the
Smith School and NPS.The
degree awarded to students
who successfully complete the
program will be a combined
MBA degree, granted by the
Robert H. Smith School of Busi-
ness at the University of Mary-
land and the Naval Postgraduate
School.

Jackson: Genetic Links

Continued front page 1

African governments and their
scientific communities to ask
for cooperation in collecting
gene samples. Jackson stresses
that any such endeavor must be
collaborative. Genetic databases
will be set up — and left — in
Africa with workshops held to
provide training on their use.

"Ethics is paramount in our
research," she says. "We are not
going in, grabbing genes and
running out.

"Cameroon is the first place
we're going to work. It's known
as Africa in microcosm. It has a
lot of physical and ecological
diversity" that is mirrored in its
inhabitants.

These genetic variations can
also provide valuable medical
information. A biotech company
working with the project is help-
ing scientists to evaluate thou-
sands of genes simultaneously.
They will be able to find markers
for hypertension, diabetes, sickle
cell; as well as pinpoint particu-
lar genes that protect against
disease. "We hope to learn about
genetic susceptibility to diseases
so that people can modify their
diets and other aspects of their
lives to improve survival. We
have a chance to intervene with
knowledge," says Jackson.

For all of her work to show
genetic diversity and its impor-
tancejackson hopes her
research shows how similar
humanity is, that "social cate-
gories are not meaningful in a
genetic sense. Genes don't care
what body they're in. We've
found a Benin version of sickle
cell in southern Italy and it's not
all explained by some enslaved
person.

"This is the 21st century. We
have no more time for fantasy.
The ancestral homeland of
humanity is Africa. Humans have
inhabited Africa longer than any
place."

She understands the psycho-
logical desire many African
Americans have to connect with
Africa, much like the connection
that was made after the nation
viewed Alex Haley's "Roots."
However, she wants to stress
that from a genetic perspective,
a person's African ancestors are
"no more or less valuable than
that ancestor you have from
Europe or Asia or anywhere else.
Everyone really is everyone
else's relative.We're all mixed
up.We have biological lineages
titat fold into each other. This is
a way to reunite people, to show
our commonality."

APRIL 9, 2002

Scholnik Named Outstanding
Woman of the Year

PHOTO SV LAURA LEE

The President s Commission on Women's Issues
presented this year's Outstanding Woman of the
Year Award to Ellin K. Schobiick, Associate
Provost for Faculty Affairs and professor of psychology,
on April 2, Scholnick, who has done much of her aca-
demic work in developmental psychology since first
coming to the university in 1967 as an assistant profes-
sor, accepted her award with a brief talk on liberal
feminism in the university. The award was presented by
President Dan Mote.

Remembering Vietnam

Historian Lewis Sorley, drawing
from his book "A Better War;
The Unexamined Victories and
Final Tragedy of America's Last
Years in Vietnam" and from his
biographies of Generals
Creighton Abrams and Harold
K.Johnson, will compare and
contrast the earlier and later
years of American involvement
in the war, discuss major U.S.
and Vietnamese personalities,
evaluate the impact of technol-
ogy on conduct of the war,
document the true nature and
accomplishments of the Viet-
nam veteran, and appraise the
contributions of expatriate
Vietnamese to America's econ-
omy and culture.

The lecture and book signing
will take place Tuesday, April 30
at 12 p.m. in Lecture Room D at
the National Archives at College
Park, 8601 Adelphi Road, Col-
lege Park. Copies of the books
will be available for sale and
there is parking on site. Call
(202) 208-7345 for reservations
or more information.

To Your Health, Strength

Learn about the benefits of
incorporating strength training
into your workout plan from
5:30-6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April
9 at the Center for Health and
Wellbeing. At noon on April 10,
come hear the latest research
on the various fad diets, and
from 5:30-6:30 p.m. on April
16, join others for "Let's Talk
About it: Drugs and Alcohol."
All programs take place at

the Center for Health and Well-
being, a satellite office of the
University Health Center locat-
ed in room 0121 of theCRC.
You do not have to be a mem-
ber of the CRC to attend pro-
grams. Call (301) 314-1493 or
email treger@health.umd.edu
for more information.

To Be A Muslim Woman

On Wednesday, April 10 Muslim
women on campus will gather
at the Nyumburu Amphitheatre
from 12 to 3 p.m. to share their
life experiences and dispell the
sterotypes of Muslim women
around the world.

The amphitheater will be
filled with women from all over
the world, including the United
States, Turkey, Bosnia, Pakistan,
Syria and Afghanistan who
believe that modesty is a
strength and that Islam gives
them the ultimate freedom.

For more information, con-
tact dnaa@wam.umd.edu.

Standard First Aid and
Infant/Child CPR

Learn how to act in emergency
situations and to recognize and
handle life-threatening emer-
gencies, such as respiratory or
cardiac problems, illnesses and
injuries. This nine-hour course
includes CPR and First Aid for
adults, infants and children.

Campus Recreation Services
will be offering this two-day
course on Saturday, April 20 (9
a.m. to 1:30 p.m.) and Sunday,
April 21 (12:30 to 5 p.m.). Reg-
ister online, www.crs.umd.edu;

payment can be made by credit
card. The cost is $50. The last
day to register Is April 13.

For more information, con-
tact Laura Sutter at (301) 405-
PLAY or ls220@umail.nmd.edu,
or visit www.crs.umd.edu.

Appreciating Commuters

Commuter Appreciation Day,
held this year on Wednesday,
April 10, is a campus-wide pro-
gram sponsored by Commuter
Affairs and Community Service
with the support of numerous
other campus departments and
groups. The day honors com-
muter students with activities,
information, food and prizes.

With several panels, presenta-
tions and services, Stamp Stu-
dent Union will be the center
of much of the activity on Com-
muter Appreciation Day. Many
locations are offering discounts
or giveaways to students who
wear their "Proud to be a Com-
muter" button. Button-wearers
can receive:

• 20 percent discounts on all
Terrapin Shop, General Books
and Supplies merchandise at
the University Book Center

• A prize from Chevy Chase
Bank (while supplies last) and

• Free Washington Post with
any purchase at the Union
Shop (while supplies last).

Button spotters will be look-
ing for button wearers in the
Union and across campus.

Buttons are available at the
Union Information Desk, Com-
muter Affairs and Community
Service (1 150 Stamp Student
Union), and at various locations
across campus prior to and on
the day of the event. A detailed
schedule of the day's events is
available on the Commuter
Affairs and Community Service
Web site (www.umdedu/CACS).
For more information, contact
Leslie Perkins, (301) 314-7250,

Textual to Spatial
Analysis Using ArcView

The Libraries will offer a free,
hands-on workshop on the con-
version of text information to
geographic information.
Geocoding and conversion of
latitude and longitude will be
covered. Familiarity with
ArcView is a prerequisite.
Advance registration is also
required; visit www.hb.umd.
edu/UES/gis.html.

The workshop will be held
twice, in 2109 McKeldin Library,
on Thursday, April 1 8 from 10
a.m. to noon and on Tuesday,
April 30 from 3 to 5 p.m.

For more information, contact
User Education Services at (301)
405-9070 or ue6@umail.umd.
edu, or visit www.lib.umd.edu/
UES/gis.html.

Coast Guard's Role In
Homeland Security

Admiral James M. Loy, Comman-
dant of the U.S. Coast Guard,
will speak on the role of the
Coast Guard in homeland secu-
rity on Thursday, April 18 at

4:30 p.m. in 1410 Physics Lec-
ture Hall.

Commandant of the Coast
Guard since May 1998, Loy has
focused his leadership on
restoring Coast Guard readiness
and shaping the future of the
Coast Guard. Loy served as the
Coast Guard Chief of Staff from
1 996-98 and Commandar of the
Atlantic Area from 1994-96. A
career seagoing officer, Loy has
served tours aboard six Coast
Guard cutters, including com-
mands of a patrol boat in com-
bat during the Vietnam War and
of major cutters in both the
Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

The lecture is sponsored by
the Council for Security and
Counter-Terrorism Studies and
the Center for American Poli-
tics and Citizenship in coopera-
tion with the National Defense
University. RSVP to lmadison®
umresearch . urn d .ed u .

CPR for the Rescue Pro

Learn the specialized skills and
techniques to professionally
respond to emergency situa-
tions. Campus Recreation Ser-
vices will offer this two-day
course Wednesday, April 1 and
Thursday, April 1 1 from 5 to 9
p.m. Registration can be done
online at www.crs.umd.edu
and payment can be made via
credit card. The cost is $65.

For more information, con-
tact Laura Sutter at (301) 405-
PLAY or ls220@umail.umd.edu,
or visit www.crs.umd.edu.

mnjMHpj

What a Family Reads

"Diverse Bookes of Diverse
Sorts: A Gentry Family and Its
Reading in Early Seventeenth-
Century England," presented by
Eric Lindquist, Libraries, Tues-
day, April 16 from 12:30-2 p.m.
in room 0l35Taliaferro Hall.
Sponsored by the Center for
Renaissance & Baroque Studies.
The Works-in-Progress series,
begun in 1 998, enables scholars
who study the early modern
period to share their latest
research and to benefit from an
informal roundtable discussion
of their current projects.

For more information, con-
tact Karen Nelson at (301) 405-
6830 orknl5@umail.umd.edu,
or visit www.inform.umd.edu/
crbs/calendar.

Volunteering Vacation

The Chalfonte, known as "Cape
May's Most Historic Bed and
Breakfast Hotel," has volunteer
work weekends from April
through October. Since 1979
the Chalfonte has been affiliat-
ed with the University of Mary-
land School of Architecture
graduate program. Volunteers
work 10 hours, usually six on
Saturday and four on Sunday,
and mingle with adults dedicat-
ed to the preservation of a
national historic landmark.

The Chalfonte is located at
301 Howard Street, Cape May,
NJ. For more information, call
(609) 884-8409.