Dominion Awards HU J-School Grant to Increase Energy Awareness

Dominion Awards HU J-School Grant to Increase Energy Awareness Professor Joy McDonald and Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communication Interim Dean Rosalynne Whitaker-Heck, grant co-principal investigators, accept the award. Hampton University’s Scripps Howard School of Journalism and Communications has been awarded a $40,000 grant from the Dominion Foundation to implement student-produced multimedia energy-related projects. The grant funding will support the creation of student-produced journalism and public relations projects aimed towards increasing the public’s energy awareness. Topics will include natural resource exploration, energy transportation and storage, power generation and energy delivery, renewable power projects and energy conservation efforts in the Hampton Roads region. The information campaign will be disseminated via web-based multimedia platforms. The grant will also support a series of training workshops for students and faculty and software upgrades. “Through this project, our students will be able to produce relevant content for people to make informed decisions about energy use and consumption,” said Rosalynne Whitaker-Heck, interim dean of the Scripps Howard School and co-principal investigator for the grant. Assistant Professor and internship coordinator Joy McDonald will also serve as co-principal investigator. The award is one of five to be presented to area universities Oct. 20 at a luncheon hosted by the foundation at The Founders Inn in Virginia Beach, Va. Old Dominion University, Norfolk State University, Thomas Nelson Community College and Tidewater Community College also received grants ranging from $10,000 to $40,000. The grants total $150,000 and will support various programs in business, skilled craft, engineering, environmental and technical studies, and for student-led conservation programs. The Dominion Foundation is the charitable arm of Dominion Virginia Power. "This new program was created specifically for higher education," said Bill Hall, vice president for corporate communications and community affairs with Dominion Virginia Power and president of the Dominion Foundation. "We see the importance in funding and cultivating the innovative studies that are happening at our colleges and universities and their potential for the future." - Alison L. Phillips

HU Announces Musical Arts Society Season

HU Announces Musical Arts Society Season

Leon Bates Handel's Messiah Project TRIO Derrick Gardner The Hampton University Musical Arts Society has announced its 2010-2011 season featuring internationally renowned musicians Leon Bates, PROJECT Trio, and Derrick Gardner and the Jazz Prophets. All performances will be held in HU’s Ogden Hall, widely known for being one of the premier acoustical settings on the East Coast. “The Musical Arts Society continues its legacy of presenting exceptional artists and cultural events for the campus and the Hampton Roads region. This year is sure to be a memorable one,” said Dr. Shelia Maye, chair of the Musical Arts Society and the HU Department of Music. Leon Bates, Nov. 13 at 8 p.m. Admission: $30; As one of America’s leading pianists, Leon Bates has earned a place on the international concert circuit, performing with the New York Pops, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Boston Symphony. And as a disciplined body builder, he cannot only play the piano, he can lift one! HU Choirs & Orchestra present Handel's “Messiah, ” Dec. 5 at 4 p.m. Admission is complimentary, donations are appreciated. Celebrate the season with HU’s Department of Music as the University Choirs and Orchestra present George Frederic Handel’s timeless holiday classic. PROJECT Trio, Feb. 20, 2011 at 4 p.m. Admission: $20; Hailing from Brooklyn, N.Y., the three-man ensemble known as PROJECT Trio offers a musical experience defining a new level of entertainment for all ages. From hip-hop to chamber music, PROJECT Trio is sure to give a high-energy musical experience not to be missed. Derrick Gardner & the Jazz Prophets, April 8, 2011 at 8 p.m. Admission: $20; Inspired by the hard-blowing funky bop bands of the 1960s, jazz trumpeter Derrick Gardner returns to his alma mater for a performance with his band, The Jazz Prophets. Gardner has traveled the world playing top-flight jazz with the likes of the Count Basie Orchestra, Frank Foster’s Loud Minority Band, and Harry Connick Jr.’s Big Band. For more information, visit mas.hamptonu.edu. Tickets are available online throughTicketmaster.com or call the HU Convocation Center box office at (757) 728-6800, Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. -Alison L. Phillips

Students Give Back through Entrepreneurship

While most students attended last week’s Career Fair in the hope of gaining employment, other students were busy working on their own businesses. Through hard-work, passion, research, legal paperwork, financial investments and plenty of patience, a few Hampton University students have already spun their dreams of entrepreneurship into realities.

For Kevin Matthews, owner and CEO of BuildingBread, LLC (a company that educates and informs on financial literacy), it was no easy task.

“I’ve been researching for years,” said Matthews, a junior economics major from Tulsa, Okla. “I’ve created my own library of books, called friends for help, got legal and professional advice from professors and took a chance.”

Matthews was drawn to start his business after learning the value of money from his father. As a child, he saved enough of his weekly allowance to buy video games. As a teenager, he saved enough to buy his first car…and then his second…and then his third- which he fixed up and sold at auctions. By the time he was 18, he bought his first house. With his personal experience, an internship at ING Investment Management last summer and personal research, Matthews is trying to give back by sharing his knowledge of financial literacy with others.

Also with dreams of giving back, sophomore business major Megan Schmidt (better known as ‘Cupcake Meg’) is the creator of the Brooklyn Capital for the Children Foundation. Schmidt, who is preparing to celebrate the one-year anniversary of selling cupcakes at Hampton on October 11, says that the cupcakes are the least of her story.

“All I wanted to do was raise money for my foundation so that I could provide for the communities that I am trying to help,” said Schmidt. “Selling cupcakes and t-shirts is how I’m feeding my foundation.”

The communities Schmidt has set her sights on are no easy fix. The first, in Belize City, Belize, is a community ravaged with youth violence. Schmidt is hoping to help by giving assistance to the Dorothy Menzie’s Childcare Home for orphans. Schmidt also visited Togo, West Africa; where, after seeing the state of the country’s youth education programs, she was inspired to build a school. Schmidt’s limitless dreams and ability to network has allowed her to shake hands with people such as the CEO of Pepsi, Pharrell, Jeremih and Ecko Red fashion designer Lee Wilke. With the help of her mother, her “street team” and numerous supporters, Schmidt is inspiring many by trying to “make the world sweeter,” one cupcake and one community at a time.

Junior Sydnee Mack, a public relations major from Las Vegas, began her non-profit business (Tee it Up Golf), in partnership with her older sister. Mack, a member of the University’s golf team and a nationally-ranked player decided to begin the organization to give back to a community to which golf is not an easily-accessible sport.

“The goal of my organization is to expose underprivileged children and teenagers to the sport and make them comfortable on the course,” Mack said. “Golf is one of the languages of business and my business helps kids understand the game and also encourages them academically and socially.”

With such a noble venture, it is not surprising that Mack was presented with the Special Benefactor Award, last year. The award is a grant given to a student to provide an international experience. With the help of Professor Erica Woods-Warrior, Mack won the award and has been given the chance to continue her business abroad. Mack has chosen to open her business in Germany; the site will launch in May 2011.

These young entrepreneurs are only a few of the many around Hampton’s campus, but a striking similarity exists in their giving spirits. As for advice to others who would like to start their own ventures, they offer these words of wisdom:

1. Know your market.
2. Become an expert in your field.
3. Use your resources (professors on campus have a wealth of knowledge).
4. Be patient.
5. Know what you can realistically accomplish.
6. Be professional; as young as we all are, no one will take us seriously if we do not take ourselves seriously.
7. Realize how and where you’ll get your money and be prepared to spend just as much.
8. Have a thorough plan.
9. Be brave.

- Jessica Moore

HU Receives Grant to Establish Biochemistry Program

Dr. Shanthi R. Paranawithana

Dr. Isai T. Urasa

The Hampton University Department of Chemistry recently received a $293,853 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to establish the new Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry degree program.

The grant will assist the department in procuring essential equipment and other resources needed to help the program grow. The curriculum for the program has been carefully designed to combine topics in biological, chemical, mathematical, and other key science concepts.

HU is one of four Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) that offer an undergraduate biochemistry degree. The program gives HU students interested in medical careers a chance to become more competitive in the industry.

“The program will place Hampton University in a rather unique position,” stated Dr. Isai T. Urasa, chair of the Department of Chemistry and principal investigator of the NSF grant. “We will be one of very few institutions that offer an undergraduate degree in biochemistry, it will promote our visibility for student recruitment and also enhance our competitiveness for research and other programmatic grants.”

Biochemistry is the study of the chemical processes in living organisms. It deals with the structure and functions of cellular components, such as proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids and other biomolecules. Biochemistry combines biology with organic and physical chemistry to reveal the mechanisms by which living things obtain energy from food; the chemical basis of heredity; and biological changes related to disease.

“It is widely understood that as in all science and engineering fields, minorities are acutely underrepresented in biochemistry and the biomedical workforce,” stated Urasa. “The newly established biochemistry program will provide chemistry and other science students with an expanded field of career options.”

Dr. Shanthi R. Paranawithana, assistant professor and coordinator of the newly established Biochemistry program, is also Co-PI of the grant. In addition to serving as coordinator of the biochemistry program, she is also teaching and mentoring students in this area. She has established a journal club, which she uses as a mentoring tool to reinforce critical thinking and responsible conduct in science and scientific research. Her mentoring activity extends to students in the Department of Biological Sciences as well.

Naima A. Gethers

Ruffin Commends HU for Addressing Health Disparities

Ruffin Commends HU for Addressing Health Disparities

Dr. John Ruffin, director of the National Institute for Minority Health and Health Disparities, addresses the audience at the Hampton University Convocation Ceremony.

Dr. Ruffin poses with HU President Dr. William R. Harvey after the ceremony.

Dr. Harvey poses with HU seniors.

HU Senior Class President Misha Lawrence charges her classmates.

At the 68th Annual Hampton University Opening Convocation Ceremony today, Dr. John Ruffin, director of the National Institute for Minority Health and Health Disparities, commended Hampton University for its many programs and initiatives that address health disparities.

Ruffin said the Hampton University Proton Therapy Institute has the ability to change the results of prostate cancer in America. Prostate cancer remains the most common cancer in American men. African-American men continue to have higher prostate cancer prevalence and mortality rates compared to men in other populations. African-American men are 40 percent more likely to have prostate cancer and twice as likely as white men to die of the disease.

“I know of no other university without a medical school with the capability to change the affect of prostate cancer,” Ruffin said. “I will do all that I can to make sure that the proton center you have is not Hampton University’s best kept secret.”

Ruffin also mentioned other HU programs, the Hampton-Penn Center to Reduce Health Disparities and the Minority Health International Research Training, which has taken students to Tanzania, Kenya and Nigeria to study natural products and environmental health.

Ruffin said that while life expectancy in the United States inches up every year “progress in medicine and public health are increasingly uneven.

“The more wealthy you are the healthier you are, and that is true all over the world,” Ruffin said. He went on to explain that access to health care is only part of what causes health disparities. Other factors including the environment, disparities in the workplace, and access to services like stores that sell fresh fruits and vegetables and safe places to play and exercise outdoors also contribute to health disparities.

Ruffin urged the students of all disciplines to become involved in the fight against health disparities by taking advantage of the National Institutes for Health Loan Repayment Program (LRP). LRPs encourage promising researchers and scientists to pursue research careers by repaying up to $35,000 of their qualified student loan debt each year.

“We need to be as interested in health disparities globally as we are in this country,” Ruffin said.

The Hampton University Opening Convocation marks the official beginning of the school year and the first time the graduating seniors don their caps and gowns. HU President Dr. William R. Harvey urged the seniors to make the most of their last undergraduate year and take advantage of all Hampton University has to offer them.

Senior Class President Misha Lawrence also charged her classmates to choose wisely and make good decisions. Lawrence said that once they leave Hampton University and enter the boardrooms, they will stand tall and say, “Hampton made me this way.”

- Yuri Rodgers Milligan

HU Professor Featured on NPR's "Tell Me More"

HU Professor Featured on NPR's "Tell Me More"

Hampton University's Dr. Linda Malone-Colon, chair of the Department of Psychology and director of the National Center on African American Marriages and Parenting (NCAAMP), was featured on NPR's "Tell Me More" on Sept. 22. Click here to listen to the interview or view the transcript:

Activists Unite For 'No Wedding, No Womb'

NPR "Tell Me More" | September 22, 2010

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130047875

The out-of-wedlock birth rate for African-Americans at 72 percent is the highest of any race and ethnic group in the U.S. In response "100 bloggers" will join forces for "No Wedding, No Womb" to force a dialogue in the black community about why this is happening and how we turn the corner on solutions. Host Michel Martin speaks with Christelyn Karazin, founder of the No Wedding, No Womb movement, and Hampton University's chair of psychology Dr. Linda Malone-Colon.

HU Army ROTC Chair, Alumnus Promoted

HU Army ROTC Chair, Alumnus Promoted

On. Sept. 17, the Hampton University Department of Military Science held a ceremony to honor Maj. Kenneth B. Smedley, department chair and HU alumnus, who has been promoted to lieutenant colonel. Ft. Monroe Garrison Commander Col. Anthony D. Reyes ‘84 led the ceremony.

"This is a special day in his life and to ask me to be a part of this, well, I couldn't be more honored," said Reyes.

The ceremony was held outside the HU Marine Science Building.

Col. Reyes and Smedley's wife partake in the pinning ceremony.

Smedley graduated as a distinguished military graduate from HU in December 1993 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in aviation. In 1998, he served as executive officer of the Aviation Intermediate Maintenance Company in support of Operation Joint Endeavor (Bosnia-Herzegovina). In 2000, he commanded Q Troop, 4th Squadron, 3rd ACR, one of only two AH-64A Apache Troops in the Regiment. In 2003, Smedley was assigned to 1-337th Aviation, 4th Brigade (TS), in Ft. Knox, Ky., where he served as the attack team chief and battalion executive officer. In 2006, he once again served as battalion executive officer when he joined the 3rd Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 12th Combat Aviation Brigade in Illesheim, Germany. In July 2008, MAJ Smedley deployed with 3-159th ARB in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom 08-10, where he served 13 months as the battalion operations officer, split between Joint Base Balad and Contingency Operating Base Basra, Iraq.

Several cadets in the HU Army ROTC Pirate Batallion were present to witness their department's professor of military science advance in his career. Reyes spoke to them, pointing out all of Smedley's military accomplishments and charging them to follow suit. "Cadets, please hear what I am saying because you have in front of you a blueprint," he said.

HU military alumni stationed at Ft. Eustis, Ft. Monroe and the Pentagon also returned to their alma mater for the ceremony.

“I couldn’t be happier to be here at Hampton University to continue my career,” said Smedley following his pinning.

-Alison L. Phillips

(L to R): Retired Maj. Gen. Wallace Arnold, Norfolk State University Professor of Military Science Lt. Col. Nicholas M. Anthony Jr., Ft. Monroe Garrison Commander Col. Anthony Reyes, Lt. Col. Kenneth B. Smedley and retired Lt. Col. Claude Vann.