Jason T. Spratt

Jason T. Spratt will join the IUPUI Division of Student Life as the new assistant dean of students, effective August 18, 2008, division officials announced recently.

Spratt comes to IUPUI from the University of South Florida where he currently serves as the director of student rights and responsibilities in the Office of Student Judicial Services.

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Sarah S. Baker has been named associate dean of University College at IUPUI. This appointment was announced today by Scott Evenbeck, dean of University College.

Baker has been serving as interim associate dean for the past year after the previous associate dean, Barbara Jackson, retired in 2007. Evenbeck appointed a 10-member advisory search committee that sought out and interviewed candidates from across campus. Baker, who will be reporting to Evenbeck, brings leadership and distinguished experience to the school.

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The IU School of Informatics has promoted Barbara M. Hayes to a newly created position, Director of Strategic Planning and Research Initiatives.

A long-time member of the informatics faculty on the IUPUI campus, Hayes will be responsible for short- and long-term planning and analysis relating to the school's strategic directions and general operation.

A member of the School-wide and IUPUI Informatics Leadership Councils, Hayes provides liaison services to internal and external groups seeking various kinds of collaborative research projects.

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Wade Lange says he knew just the place to look for a creative solution to a complex marketing challenge facing his life sciences start-up firm - the IU School of Informatics at IUPUI. Lange is president and CEO of ImmuneWorks, Inc., an Indianapolis-based developer of new treatments for serious diseases of the lung.

Leveraging recent discoveries made by IU School of Medicine researchers, ImmuneWorks is targeting Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF), a chronic lung disease that is often fatal. To explain ImmuneWorks' proposed medical treatment, Lange needed a computer animation that would visualize what IPF is, and how to attack the autoimmune disease.

"This is a groundbreaking discovery, which means that many scientists and venture capitalists don't accept or understand what we're proposing," explained Lange. "We needed to visually show the disease and treatment mechanism."

Albert William, a research associate with the Informatics Research Institute, was tapped to create the IPF computer animation. Lange says it was an easy choice, not only because of William's skill as a 3D animator, but also because of his biology background and commitment to maintaining the integrity of the science involved.

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A proposal by Indiana University School of Social Work Professor Robert Vernon and several colleagues from around the globe, is among three projects that have been awarded grants from the University of California Annenberg School of Communication as part of its "Second Life and the Public Good Community Challenge."

This working group came up with the concept of "Ability Commons," a virtual world to assist small and emerging support groups for people with disabilities and chronic health issues. The purpose of Ability Commons is to provide a space for educating people about a wide range of disabilities, and to provide a common safe place for discussion and socialization.

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Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) is among the 13 recipients of a new federal grant to help universities and colleges implement plans to prevent and respond to campus emergencies.

IUPUI will receive a $448,890 Emergency Management for Higher Education (EMHE) grant. The U.S. Department of Education awarded EMHE grants totaling $5.2 million to 13 universities and colleges nationwide.

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Three Indiana college students, including two Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) students, will spend one semester of the 2008-09 school year in China as students in a new program designed to educate American students in Chinese language (Mandarin) and Chinese culture.

The students are the first to receive full scholarships for a study-abroad program coordinated by the Confucius Institute in Indianapolis, part of the School of Liberal Arts at IUPUI.

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Woodruff: Fowl Impressions

Herron School of Art and Design is pleased to announce that "Freak Parade," 32 works of art by renowned artist Thomas Woodruff, will be on exhibit at the Eleanor Prest Reese and Robert B. Berkshire Galleries from Aug. 8 through Oct. 4, 2008.

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Three new scholars have joined the School of Informatics faculty, effective Aug. 1. The trio will teach classes and lead research in the areas of media arts and science, human computer interaction and health informatics.

Davide Bolchini, assistant professor, will join the faculty of Human-Computer Interaction. Bolchini received his Ph.D. in communication sciences, University of Lugano, TI, Switzerland (2003).

Bolchini's research interests include the intersection between new media communication, human-computer interaction design, and requirements engineering and usability, with a particular focus on modeling the user experience for hypermedia and Web content-intensive applications.

Mark Pfaff, assistant professor, will join the faculty of Media Arts and Science. Pfaff received his Ph.D. from the College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) at the Pennsylvania State University (2008).

His research explores the intersections of people, information, and technology in computer-supported cooperative work environments through the use of experimental simulations and mixed-methodological approaches.

Hadi Kharrazi, assistant professor, will join the faculty of Health Informatics. Dr. Hadi Kharrazi is an interdisciplinary medical informatics Ph.D. candidate between the faculty of computer sciences and the faculty of medicine at Dalhousie University, Canada. He holds a M.D from Iran University of Medical Sciences and Health Services.

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Indianapolis and Marion County officials must take a more aggressive approach to preventing crime, according to a trio of area experts in criminal justice, law and public health who have spent the past year researching the issue.

The experts unveiled a comprehensive package of proposed reforms that they said could provide solutions immediately, as well as in the long term. The reforms, which carry a projected price tag of $38 million, could be financed through local savings, state and federal funding and support from the private sector.

Appearing were David Orentlicher, an Indiana state representative from Indianapolis and a professor of law and co-director of the Center for Law and Health at the IU School of Law-Indianapolis; Roger Jarjoura, professor and director of criminal justice programs from the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at IUPUI; and Gregg Keesling, president of Workforce, Inc., a non-profit group that creates transitional jobs for at-risk workers, including fathers who have been released from prison.

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Patricia A. Martin, PhD, RN, Dean and Professor, College of Nursing and Health, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio will make the keynote address entitled "Reviewing the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Baccalaureate Essentials: Journey toward a preferred future" during the Indiana University School of Nursing's (IUSON) Mary E. Culbertson Symposium. Nursing faculty from all eight IUSON campuses around the state will convene on Monday, August 18, 2008, 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m., at the University Place Conference Center and Hotel on the campus of IUPUI to learn more about the educational framework for the preparation of professional nurses.

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The African Community International will host the 2008 Tastes of Africa at 6 p.m. Saturday, August 9, at the IUPUI Campus Center, 420 University Boulevard.Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard will deliver the welcome address.Tickets are $10 each. For additional information, call 317-927-9777 or visit the Website: www.africancommunity.net