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The College of Science and Technology welcomed a distinguished former faculty member at its 2011 Open House — Alumni and Partnership Luncheon. Dr. Naomi Ledé gave the keynote address, but not before a standing ovation was given her by all present. She is a distinguished professor emeritus and founder of transportation thrust of programs in the College.
Dean Lei Yu gave a summary of the State of the College including highlights of the past year. He noted particularly the award to the College from the National Science Foundation of a $5 million dollar grant from the Centers for Research Excellence in Science and Technology (CREST) program. The Award is for establishment for a Center for Research on Complex Networks, Dr. Wei Wayne Li, Dr. C.J. Tymczak, and Dr. Lei Yu are the Co-PIs. Dr. Oscar Criner is the Director of Education and Outreach and Dr. David Olowokere is the director if Technology Transfer for the Center.
The COST theme for 2011 is “Fulfilling the Communities for STEM Professionals” and COST is endeavoring to significantly raise the number of students who study of science and technology.
The contemporary thrust into cutting edge areas was highlighted by Dr. C. J. Tymczak, who discussed the benefits of simulation science and the use of high performance computers to model complex phenomena. Dr. Tymczak manages the COST high performance computer center, which houses two parallel machines.
Student presentations were given by Jon Metyko, a physics student, who talked on radiation control in a medical setting. He is in the health physics program. Ceyhun Mestanzade, a student in computer science, discussed high performance computing and data mining, and lastly, Justin Shanks, a biology student, who discussed research on the effects of microgravity on bacteria.
Mr. Paul Simmons, the new chair of the Board of Advisors, gave the perspective from the COST Board of Advisors. Mr. Simmons states that, “Our charge is to bring to the students of the college the strongest educational experience possible and prepare them to fully participate in what we all know will drive the economies of the world into the future – science and technology.”
The “COST Partner of the Year Award” was presented to Mr. Joseph Flowers by Mr. Simmons assisted by Dean Yu.
Our Partner of the Year Speaks:
Four things have inspired our interest in the TSU College of Science and Technology. First and foremost, theopportunity to help students achieve their full potential in a supportive environment would, by itself, be inspiration enough. The fields of study in the College encompass a wide range of learning and opportunity for these students to achieve, while helping our world move forward.
Our desire to support t he Houston community has also been an important consideration. We love the city of Houston, and appreciate that citizens must create and maintain a healthy environment for Houston to continue to thrive and grow. The College is a part of that thriving environment, and in turn it supports its own community through outreach and K-12 programs. Students that are attracted to TSU are attracted in part because it is in Houston. Some have a history (such as growing up) in Houston; others are happy to move here. Either way, they are in a prime position to become committed and productive members of the Houston community. Another consideration is the desire f or knowledge. Incubators of research and development must be built and fueled, and our experience has shown that t hey will not always be housed in the “top ranked” institutions. A certain portion of this innovation we require will always come from emerging stars, and our vision is for TSU COST to be one of those emerging stars.
In my capacity as an Engineering Manager at Schlumberger, I am acutely aware of the value of relationships, built over time, between firms and universities. Local firms can have a huge impact on the priorities and environment of the curricula at a partner school. Everything from high-level priorities (such as major offerings and program decisions) down to lab projects and independent study assignments can be coordinated to the firm’s and the school’s mutual benefit. It is t his type of relationship I would like t o see established between the College of Science and Technology and many private and public institutions in the Houston area such as Schlumberger.
For these reasons we have chosen to support the school, and we wish all the best for the TSU College of Science and Technology as it moves forward into the future. We appreciate the opportunity to participate.
The distinguished alumni are role models for younger students to emulate. They are recognized for their professional accomplishments and inspiration they provide to current students.
Our Homecoming Queen and King are Ms. Shamail Allen and Mr. Jonathan Jolivette ; and both are biology majors.
Our appreciation goes to all those who helped make this event successful, including the COST Student Ambassadors, the COST Student Advisory Council, the COST Research Committee, the Open House and Events , and our staff and faculty.
