Noteworthy

New Program Funds Faculty Research Fellowships

A $1 million pledge from Gerald J. Ford of Dallas, alumnus and chair of the SMU Board of Trustees, has established a research fellowship program that will help SMU continue to attract and retain outstanding faculty members.

The new program comprises the Gerald J. Ford Early Career Research Fellowships and the Gerald J. Ford Research Fellowships.

The Ford Early Career Research Fellowships will enable SMU to offer young scholars the additional incentive of summer research grants or regular semester research support to help establish their research programs. Up to four newly appointed faculty members at a time will hold these fellowships, which will provide each recipient at least $10,000 a year for two years.

The Ford Research Fellowships will be available to continuing faculty members on a competitive basis. They will help the University retain and reward outstanding research scholars by providing summer stipends of $15,000 each for up to four faculty members each year. The first Ford Research Fellows will be appointed in summer 2003.

Two Anthropology Students Receive NSF Graduate Fellowships

Two SMU anthropology doctoral students have received three-year research fellowships from the National Science Foundation to study anthropology. Michelle Rich and Catrina Whitely have received fellowships that carry a stipend of $21,500 per year and cover the full tuition cost at SMU.

Rich is working on her Ph.D. in archaeology under the direction of David Freidel, focusing on Mayan culture. She also received a $1,000 travel grant from the NSF, which will be used for her dissertation work in Guatemala.

Whitely is working on her Ph.D. in archaeology under the direction of Michael Adler, focusing on human skeletal remains and burial practices in the Southwest.

Stimulating Science Conversations

Dallas-area residents can learn more about the research of SMU professors and other leading scientists by participating in the Collegium da Vinci lecture series sponsored by SMU's Dedman College.

Collegium da Vinci allows a limited number of participants to meet and hear some of today's leading scientists in a small setting. Dinners and lectures are held monthly on Sunday evenings October through April.

"Collegium da Vinci is the most stimulating, challenging conversation about science in Dallas," says Jasper Neel, dean of Dedman College.

Collegium da Vinci limits its series memberships to 30. Tickets for individual lectures also may be purchased. For more information on Collegium da Vinci, call 214-768-2103. Membership in Collegium da Vinci supports science programs in SMU's Dedman College.

The new Jerry R. Junkins Electrical Engineering Building, which opened in August 2002, symbolizes SMU's commitment to expanding its engineering programs.

Engineering: A 50-50 Proposition

The SMU School of Engineering has announced a new initiative designed to make it the first engineering school in the country to reach an equal enrollment of male and female students. The school plans to reach gender parity within five years by developing innovative programs that will interest a broad range of students.

"Medical and law schools have already reached gender parity, so why not engineering schools?" says Stephen Szygenda, dean of the SMU School of Engineering. SMU is the ideal location to become the first engineering school in the nation with gender parity, Szygenda says, because it already has nearly 30 percent female students, one of the highest percentages of female enrollment in the country.

Betsy Willis, director of student programs and outreach for the SMU School of Engineering, is leading the new initiative. The School plans to further enhance its curriculum by adding new classes that combine engineering and the arts, Willis says. It also will offer service learning courses that allow students to apply engineering skills earlier in their academic careers, and will encourage engineering students to participate in alternative spring break projects in which they can use their skills to help society.

"Women are very interested in the service component of engineering," Willis says. "Curriculum enhancements such as service learning courses and alternative spring break will let students see how their engineering skills can impact people's lives."

For more information: Betsy Willis
bwillis@engr.smu.edu

Music Laureates

Sayako Kusaka, a student at SMU's Meadows School of the Arts, won first prize in the 21st Rodolfo Lipizer International Violin Competition held in Gorizia, Italy. Kusaka also won six special prizes – the maximum for which she was eligible – including awards for best performances of Bach, Mozart, contemporary compositions, and more.

The top prize in the competition, which is considered one of the most prestigious in the world, was awarded by a distinguished seven-member international jury. It includes an award of $8,000 and a medal from the president of Italy.

Kusaka is a student of Eduard Schmieder, the Algur H. Meadows Distinguished Professor of Violin and Chamber Music at SMU and a renowned concert violinist. Another of Schmieder's students, Vadim Tchijik, placed fifth in the Lipizer competition and was offered a teaching appointment at the Paris Conservatory.

Kusaka is one of 17 of Schmieder's students who have been prizewinners and laureates at major international violin competitions within the past decade, including the Queen Elizabeth, Premio Paganini, and Jacques Thibaud International Violin Competitions.