DURHAM -- N.C. Central University will observe Hunger Awareness Week beginning today with a series of events designed to draw attention to hunger and food insufficiency in the state.
Students will take part today in a human art installation titled "Flash Freeze for Hunger." They also will hear from individuals and experts in a panel discussion and tour local agencies that fight hunger, including Urban Ministries of Durham, the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina and South Eastern Efforts Developing Sustainable Spaces (SEEDS).
Staff also can participate in a weeklong food drive. All foods collected will be passed along to students at the N.C. School of Science and Mathematics; they will be attempting to set a world record for the most food collected in a single day at a single location by a non-charitable organization.
The week will conclude Sunday with NCCU's participation in the Durham CROP Walk. Decked out in the university's maroon and grey colors, 100 volunteers -- one for each year NCCU has existed -- will represent the university.
Teacher symposium to be held Saturday
DURHAM -- "Saving Our Children Through Focused School Interventions" is the second annual teacher education symposium hosted by the N.C. Central University School of Education.
The symposium is scheduled for Saturday, starting at 8:30 a.m., in the H.M. Michaux Jr. School of Education building. The keynote speaker is author and CNN Education contributor Steve Perry.
In 1998, Perry founded ConnCAP, the Connecticut Collegiate Awareness Program at Capital Community College. Over the next six years, the program sent 100 percent of its low-income, first-generation graduates to four-year colleges.
Other symposium participants include Minnie Forte-Brown, Durham school board chairwoman; Dennis Bega, senior policy analyst, U.S. Department of Education; C.P. Gause, associate professor, Educational Leadership and Cultural Foundations, UNC-Greensboro; and Sharon Spencer, director of Teacher Education, NCCU.
After lunch in the Pearson Cafeteria, a series of workshops will complete the day.
Registration is $30 for education professionals and $15 for students. For more information, contact the NCCU School of Education at 530-6677.
DTCC to host new JobsNOW sessions
DURHAM -- Durham Technical Community College will host free orientation sessions for a new round of JobsNOW short-term training that can be completed in six months or less.
The school recently received additional funding for JobsNOW, a collaborative effort by the state's community colleges and the N.C. Department of Commerce that is funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Two orientation sessions will be held on Wednesday and next Monday, from 6 to 9 p.m. in the Education Resource Center auditorium on Durham Tech's main campus. The sessions focus on nine training programs, as well as the Career Readiness Certificate assessment and other job readiness resources.
Financial assistance opportunities exist for those who are unemployed or underemployed and will be addressed at the information sessions. A question and answer session is included. For general program information, contact Jim Fleming at 536-7222, ext. 4021. For specific questions regarding application status, contact Kelly King at 536-7222, ext. 4003.
Symposium on biotechnology, law
DURHAM -- The Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Law Review and the Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Law Institute at the N.C. Central University School of Law will host the fourth Symposium on Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Law Friday.
David Cade, acting General Counsel for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the keynote speaker at the event from 8:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the North Carolina Biotechnology Center.
Cade is the highest-ranking career official in the Office of General Counsel and supervises all regional legal activity as well as personnel matters, budget formulation and budget execution for the Office.
The symposium is designed to address both policy considerations and business perspectives. Practicing attorneys and scholars who are active in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical arenas will serve as panelists discussing patient-focused care, public health and issues related to developments within science and intellectual property.
Advance registration is required. To register and for more information visit web.nccu.edu/law/biotech/Symposium/index.html.
Reporter to speak on U.S. tax battle
DURHAM -- The New York Times reporter and columnist David Leonhardt will discuss the looming political battle over how to pay for health care reform, wars, the recession and more Thursday at Duke University's Sanford School of Public Policy.
Leonhardt's talk, "Read My Lips: The Coming Battle Over Taxes," begins at 5 p.m. and will address growing deficits and sinking revenues that are on a collision course in the federal budget.
The talk, which is free and open to the public, takes place in Room 04 at Sanford on Duke's West Campus. Duke President Richard Brodhead will introduce Leonhardt, with a question and answer session to follow.
Students honored by Elon
ELON -- Several local students have been named to the president's list and dean's list for the 2009 fall semester at Elon University.
To qualify for the president's list, students must have no grade below an A-minus. To qualify for the dean's list, students must earn a grade-point average of at least 3.50.
Named to the dean's list were Kristin Hilgartner and Christine Smith, both of Mebane; Tameika Sizoo of Pittsboro; Kaila Robertson of Durham; Wendy Robertson of Carrboro; and Sophia Bauers and Jacob Chitwood, both of Chapel Hill.
Making the president's list were Jessica Glasser, Lauren Stranahan, Michael Belden and Charles Loeser, all of Chapel Hill.
Conference preps for census
DURHAM -- U.S. residents are receiving in the mail this month the short-form 2010 census, a 10-question survey that asks recipients to, among other things, identify his or her race.
A one-day conference at Duke University will explore the reasons behind such questions, namely how are racial categories developed and who determines them?
"Counting Race: Racial Categories and the 2010 Census" will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday in the Von Canon Room at Duke's Bryan Center. The event is free and open to the public, though registration is required.
Two separate panels will address why it is important for the U.S. to have demographic information, why the racial categories have changed, and the problems associated with census-taking.
Panelists include former Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke, now dean of the Howard University School of Law. The keynote speaker is Margo Anderson of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, a professor of history and urban studies who has researched the history of the U.S. census.
For a complete schedule and list of presenters and to register, visit regss.ssri.duke.edu/counting_race.php.
Nye to speak on 'soft power'
DURHAM -- Joseph Nye Jr. -- the former U.S. assistant secretary of defense who pioneered the concept of "soft power" or the power of influence in international relations -- will speak at Duke University next Tuesday.
Nye, a Harvard University professor, will talk about "Soft Power and Obama's Grand Strategy," at 5:30 p.m. at the Sanford School of Public Policy. The lecture will be held in Fleishman Commons. It is part of the Karl von der Heyden Distinguished Lecture series and is free and open to the public.
Nye, the former dean of the Harvard Kennedy School, served as assistant secretary of defense for the International Security Affairs in 1994. He also chaired the National Intelligence Council, and was deputy to the under secretary of state for security assistance, science and technology.
Rouse passes RHIA exam
DURHAM -- Donald "Nick" Rouse, program director and an instructor in the Health Information Technology program at Durham Technical Community College, recently passed the Registered Health Information Administrator exam.
The exam covered health data management; health statistics and research support; information technology and systems, organization and management; privacy, security, and confidentiality; and legal and regulatory standards. Durham Tech is the only community college in the state whose Health Information Technology program is led by an administrator with a doctorate and RHIA certification.
Students make Barton dean's list
WILSON -- Seven students from Durham have been named to the dean's list at Barton College for the fall semester.
The students included David Allison, Wesley Clark, James Duncan, Ashley Maamari, Saybah Reed, Christina Roberds and Dominique Rogers.
To make the list, students must have a minimum grade-point average of 3.5.
Athlete makes honor roll at Centre College
DANVILLE, Ky. -- The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference has named Centre College freshman Barbara Parks of Chapel Hill to its Student-Athlete Academic Honor Roll for the 2009 fall term.
To qualify, an athlete must maintain a minimum grade-point average of 3.25 for the term and be a regular member of a varsity athletic team in sports sponsored by the conference.
Parks competed on the field hockey team at Centre.
Gannon names local student to dean's list
ERIE, Pa. -- Tiffany Crocker of Durham has been named to the dean's list at Gannon University for the fall semester.
To make the list, a student must have a minimum grade-point average of 3.5.
Grant will help evaluate vouchers
DURHAM -- Manoj Mohanan, a professor at Duke University's Global Health Institute, has been awarded $1.2 million grant to conduct an evaluation of state-run voucher programs in India that provide access to obstetric care to women living below the poverty line.
Mohanan, who leads DGHI's health systems strengthening research initiative, will work in the Indian states of Gujarat and Karnataka, where new programs have been developed that encourage pregnant women to deliver their babies in medical facilities rather than at home.
Pregnant women will be able to use Below Poverty Line cards as vouchers to receive free maternity care at designated maternity hospitals.
Emory College names dean's list
ATLANTA, Ga. -- Several local students have been named to the dean's list of Emory College, the undergraduate, liberal arts college of Emory University, for the 2009 fall semester.
The students include Tonia Davis, Cameron Oddone and Ashlyn Winkler, all of Durham, and Margaret Shaffer of Chapel Hill.
Students must be in the top 20 percent of Emory College or have about a 3.850 grade-point average or higher to be named to receive the honor.
The college also named Wesley Painter of Chapel Hill to the honor list. Students must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher to be named to the list.
DTCC offering lab assistant courses
DURHAM -- Durham Technical Community College now offers new as well as existing Laboratory Assistant courses through the Corporate and Continuing Education division.
The courses are taught in a newly-created laboratory with cutting-edge equipment. Upon completion of the courses, students will be prepared to find employment at biotechnology companies, pharmaceutical labs, clinics and hospitals.
The courses are for those starting their career, looking for a career change or wanting to refresh their skills. This program will soon offer a co-operative "externship" for students to obtain more experience in this field.
To find out more about the Laboratory Assistant curriculum, visit www.durhamtech.edu/html/current/noncredit/biopharma.htm#labasst or call 536-7252. Company officials who are interested in partnering with Durham Tech in to offer student externships can contact Ingrid Charles at 536-7252 or charlesi@durhamtech.edu.
Local student named to Marymount dean's list
ARLINGTON, Va. -- Leslie Aefsky of Durham has been named to the fall 2009 dean's list at Marymount University.
To be named to the list, students must have a minimum grade-point average of 3.4.
-- Compiled by Neil Offen. Contact him at noffen@heraldsun.com.
