Names in the News Around the Southern University System

Stephen C. McGuire, chair of the Department of Physics, Southern University, Baton Rouge, delivered the Percy L. Julian Luncheon Address at the 2007 Annual Conference of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE) April 1-7 in Orlando, Florida.

McGuire’s address focused on the recent outcomes from the National Science Foundation funded collaboration in optical materials research and science teacher preparation between Southern University and A&M College and the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) Project.
 
McGuire was also presented with the ceremonial NOBCChE Kente Cloth in recognition of his service as a featured conference speaker.

The Luncheon Address is given each year to conference attendees in honor of Percy L. Julian, one of the most prolific scientists, inventors, and entrepreneurs of the 20th century.

NOBCChE was founded in 1974 by seven African-American chemists and chemical engineers.  Today it is a major international organization of scientists and engineers committed to the discovery, transmittal, and application of knowledge in the fields of science and engineering.
 
 McGuire is the Southern University delegate to the LIGO Scientific Collaboration and also serves on the Executive Committee of the LIGO Science Education Center (SEC) Project.

Rachel L. Emanuel, director, Publications and Electronic Media, Southern University Law Center, was one of two recipients of the 14th Annual YWCA Racial
Justice Awards. The prestigious awards recognize exceptional and creative contributions toward the elimination of racism.
 
Emanuel and City Constable Reginald R. Brown Sr. were recognized at the Racial Justice Breakfast on Friday, May 11, at Juban’s Restaurant in Baton Rouge. Guest speaker was past award recipient Maxine Crump.

Emanuel is most known for her documentaries that highlight the achievements and struggles of African Americans. She has devoted much of her time and her career to producing documentaries that bring to light the struggle for civil rights in Louisiana.  She recently produced “Taking a Seat for Justice:  The 1960 Baton Rouge Sit-Ins.”

Emanuel also has been selected to be among the reviewers for films and filmmakers for the upcoming tour of the 2007-08 Southern Circuit-Tour of Independent Filmmakers.  Manship Theatre will host the 2007-2008 Southern Circuit-Tour this fall. Southern Circuit is the nation’s only regional tour of independent filmmakers, providing communities with an interactive way of experiencing independent film.

Donald Tibbs, director of the Civil Rights and Justice Institute, Southern University Law Center, has been awarded an advanced book contract from the University of Georgia Press for his forthcoming manuscript tentatively titled, Black Power, Prison Power: Law, Race, and Punishment in the Moderate South. The manuscript will be completed in September 2008 with an expected release date of September 2009. Additionally, this project was also awarded a 2007 Harry S. Golden Fellowship at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte.

Southern University Law Center student Monica L. Smith was selected by the Louisiana
State Bar Association’s (LSBA) Board of Directors as one of four recipients of the LSBA’s first Law Student Pro Bono Awards. The awards are given to a graduating senior at each of the law schools in the state.

The American Bar Institute (ABI) awarded its 2007 Medal of Excellence to SULC student Kavitha Akula in recognition of her outstanding performance in bankruptcy coursework.

Akula received a medal, a certificate, and an application for a complimentary one-year membership in the ABI.

Pictured at right: Chancellor Freddie Pitcher Jr. presents the 2007 American Bankruptcy Institute Medal of Excellence to Kavitha Akula.

Southern University Ag Center video production specialist Dexter Newman was chosen along with four other mass communications graduate students to participate in the Broadcast and Education Association (BEA) festival in Las Vegas in April.

Newman’s research paper, “The Impact of Music Videos of Heavy Metal and Rap Music on the Behavior of Adolescents,” was selected by the BEA board. The festival is conducted in conjunction with the annual BEA Convention in association with the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) and sponsored exhibitions.
The NAB exposes attendees to opportunities for networking, discovering new technologies, and interacting with the sharpest minds in the industry. The convention presented a lineup of major networking events, luncheons, and receptions that put the participants in touch with some of electronic media’s most prominent visionaries.

Center for Rural and Small Business Development director Gloria D. London has been appointed to serve as a member of Community Development Initiative Committee for the State of Louisiana. The group is developing a comprehensive strategy for rural and community development.

Carolyn Robinson, extension agent, East and West Carroll parishes, received the Maxine Reeves Award at the Louisiana Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences Annual Conference. The award was given for excellence in professional development.

Beverly Wade, dean, Honors College, received a Thurgood Marshall HBCU Outstanding Scholarship Coordinator Award for her work as a scholarship coordinator for Thurgood Marshall Scholarship funds and for coordinating all SU scholarship funds at the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund Annual Leadership Institute, March 24-28, in San Francisco.