Faculty and Staff Notes

Klaenhammer Named AAAS Fellow

Dr. Todd R. Klaenhammer, distinguished university professor, has been elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences (AAAS), the world’s largest scientific society and publisher of the journal Science.

Klaenhammer, the William Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor in the Department of Food, Bioprocessing and Nutrition Sciences, the Department of Microbiology and the Department of Genetics, is among 531 scientists to be honored as an AAAS fellow in 2009. He will be recognized at the association’s February meeting in San Diego.

Klaenhammer was honored for “distinguished international contributions to research and for leadership in the fields of microbiology and genomics of lactic acid bacteria used beneficially in bioprocessing and health.”

Klaenhammer studies genetic approaches to improving lactic acid bacteria, the “good” bacteria used as starter cultures and probiotics in fermented food and dairy products, like yogurt. His recent research efforts have investigated the molecular mechanisms responsible for the survival and activity of probiotic bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract and then used that information to develop live bacterial delivery systems for oral vaccines. Klaenhammer also directs the Southeast Dairy Foods Research Center, which develops and applies new technologies for processing milk and its components into products with improved qualities.

Flu Shots Offered Today

Get your H1N1 or seasonal flu shot today at the final scheduled campus clinic from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Talley Student Center ballroom.

The clinic is for covered employees, dependents and retirees. For more information, visit http://www.fis.ncsu.edu/hr/benefits/enrollment/flushots/.

Wolfram Honored

The Linguistic Society of America honored Dr. Walt Wolfram with its prestigious Linguistics, Language and the Public Award at its 84th annual meeting in Baltimore, Md. The award is given for a body of work that has had a demonstrable impact on the public awareness of language and/or linguistics. Wolfram's North Carolina Language and Life Project models sociolinguistic engagement and public outreach about the value and beauty of linguistic diversity through documentaries, museum exhibits, and dialect awareness curricula. The Linguistic Society of America is the largest national professional society representing the field of linguistics.

They paved paradise but saved the trees.

Tall Task: Transplanting Trees

Facilities Services employees transplanted nine large trees to new locations on campus last week. Seven of the trees, which are 30 to 35 feet tall, were moved from the West Lot to Bragaw Hall. Syme Hall and Western Manor each received a new tree.

Employees Organize Holiday Food Drives

The staff at the NCSU Libraries helped make it possible for the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina to deliver more than 14,000 meals to people in need in the state. Debbie Currie and Troy Hurteau, representing the professionals who work at the libraries, presented the food bank with a check for $3,500, funds that normally would have gone toward the libraries’ traditional holiday celebration.

The Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina serves 34 counties and more than 400,000 people in North Carolina. Eleven percent of those are elderly, 38 percent live in households with one or more working adults, and 34 percent are children. Allen Reep, vice president of development at the food bank, says that the libraries’ donation will be channeled to support children’s nutrition programs in the state.

Greg Deleruyelle, an administrative and human resources specialist at the Science House, organized a food drive that gathered 371 pounds of food for the Urban Ministries health clinic. The food drive took the place of the Science House's usual holiday potluck.

Nonwovens Director Honored

Dr. Behnam Pourdeyhimi, executive director of the Nonwovens Institute,  received an award for lifetime technical achievement from INDA, the association of the nonwoven fabrics industry.

Pourdeyhimi is the associate dean for industry research and extension and the William A. Klopman Distinguished Endowed Professor. His work is frequently published in nonwovens and textile industry publications. He speaks at INDA events and is active with the Fiber Society and Journal of Engineered Fibers and Fabrics.

Renowned civil rights attorney Lani Guinier spoke Wednesday in Stewart Theatre as part of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Campus Commemoration. Guinier was the first tenured black female professor at Harvard Law School.

Accessibility Map Updated

Facilities Services has printed an updated campus accessibility map, noting the locations of handrails, elevators, handicapped parking and other mobility information. Copies are available at the information booth on Stinson Drive, the Transportation Office, Public Safety Office, D.H. Hill Library, McKimmon Center and Talley Student Center. For printed copies, please contact David Wynne at david_wynne@ncsu.edu.

The online version of the map is frequently updated to show construction projects. Users can help keep the information up to date by using the “report a problem" link on the page.

Enter Human Rights Day Competition by Feb. 1

Monday, Feb. 1, is the new deadline to submit an essay or video for the Human Rights Day competition sponsored by the Office for Diversity and Inclusion. Students, staff, faculty, alumni and emeritus faculty may submit essays of no more than 1,000 words or videos up to 90 seconds long. The essay or video should address the question: What rights are involved in cases of hate speech against women, gay people, or members of racial or ethnic minorities, and how can they be protected? In addition, entrants can comment on how the Universal Declaration of Human Rights provides guidance on this issue. A panel of judges will award $200 cash prizes for first place in each category. Detailed instructions for submitting entries are available online.

Faculty/Staff Ticket Discounts Offered

Take advantage of reduced prices for men’s basketball tickets during Faculty/Staff Appreciation Days. Attend one of these ACC games for $15:

• Virginia Tech: 9 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 10
• Maryland: 9 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 17

Purchase tickets online at http://www.gopack.com/promo, using STAFF as the promotional code. Or avoid the service fee by paying in person with cash at the ticket office (university ID required).

In Memoriam

Dr. Mark Sosower

Dr. Mark Sosower, distinguished professor of classics, passed away on Dec. 27 following a heart attack. Dr. Ruth Gross and the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures will organize a memorial service on campus in late January. More details will be provided as they become available.

Sosower was a specialist in late medieval and early Renaissance Greek palaeography and codicology. He was born in Teaneck, N.J., on April 26, 1949, to Lee and Evelyn Sosower. He attended the University of Rochester, where he studied history (A.B., 1971; M.A., 1972) and classics (M.A. 1975). He received a Ph.D. in classical studies from New York University in 1981. After two years at Seton Hall he joined the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures at NC State in 1981, rising from visiting lecturer to professor in 1998 and distinguished professor in 2008. He received numerous research awards from Yale University, NC State, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Sosower is survived by his wife, Mary Julia Linehan; their children, Deborah and Robert Sosower; a brother, Jeff Sosower of Australia; and a sister, Nancy Sosower of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, gifts be made to the Mark Lawrence Sosower Scholarship, directed to the Office of Gift Planning, Campus Box 7501, NC State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7501.