University Relations Tip Sheet - May 8, 2007

Rebates at the heart of political impasse
A division between the governor's office and the House of Representatives over a proposed $142 million property tax rebate has led to an impasse that's produced a budget veto and may cause the governor to call for a special session of the General Assembly. Beyond the politics, the tax proposal would have a far-reaching fiscal impact on the state, one that few people can authoritatively speak to. David Sjoquist directs the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies Fiscal Research Center and is one of the most knowledgeable experts on Georgia tax law. Sjoquist is available to talk about how the size of the rebates will differ across the state. To schedule an interview with Sjoquist, contact Michael Wall at 404-651-3572 or mtwall@gsu.edu.

Early intervention helps students read
More than 35,000 children at risk of failure for learning to read and write in Georgia have improved through Georgia State University's Reading Recovery Program. Reading Recovery, a short-term intervention program in Georgia State's College of Education, helps low-achieving first graders catch up with their class in a matter of weeks through one-on-one tutoring with highly trained teachers. The program, which recently celebrated its 15th anniversary, has provided teacher training for more than 25 local school districts. For more information, contact Leah Harris at 404-651-3575 or lvh@gsu.edu.

Pursuing perfect motion
Physical therapy professor Tai Wang is using centuries of Chinese martial arts technique to ease the aches, pains and injuries of elderly wheelchair users. Wang, a former Chinese professional basketball player with a flair for shooting 3-pointers, is himself a practiced student of martial arts. For decades, Wang has taught Tai Chi to wheelchair athletes on the basketball court to help them perfect their games. More recently, Wang has been researching Tai Chi for elderly wheelchair users in assisted living centers. Wang believes Tai Chi's pursuit of perfect, fluid motion will ease jerky, tense and irregular movements that commonly produce injury and muscle strain for wheelchair users. Wang has completed a six-month study using Tai Chi to help residents in Atlanta's A.G. Rhodes center and says the results look promising. For more information, contact Aaron Baca at 404-651-1444 or abaca@gsu.edu.

¿Habla espanol?
Foreign language classes could become a thing of the past if a team of Georgia State University computer science students has its way. The team has designed a tiny computer to rapidly teach foreign languages to non-native speakers using traditional immersion techniques for the Microsoft Corp.-sponsored Imagine Cup competition that ends in August. The Georgia State computer permits users to interact with their environment and receive real-time feedback in a foreign language to help them build language skills. It uses an embedded computer system that allows users to hear the words for everyday objects in the foreign language of their choice. The team was one of 200 to advance to the competition's second round. Finalists will be announced in June. For more information, contact Aaron Baca at 404-651-1444 or abaca@gsu.edu.

Capitol chronicle
Students in every one of Georgia's public middle and secondary schools will soon be able to thumb through a new book that chronicles the history of their state's famous Capitol building. And inside of each will be a cover letter by Governor Sonny Purdue. Democracy Restored: A History of the Georgia Capitol, by Georgia State professor of history Tim Crimmins, not only pays tribute to a grand old edifice, but also vividly recounts the history that was made - and that continues to be made - in and out of its walls. The book and its distribution to the schools are made possible by a grant from the General Assembly that went to the Georgia Humanities Council. Crimmins and co-author Anne Farrisee, a graduate of Georgia State's Heritage Preservation Program, will also deliver the annual Humanities Lecture before the Governor's Awards in the Humanities, at 10 a.m. Thursday (May 10) at the Georgia Railroad Freight Depot. Governor Purdue will be presented with the first copy of the book at the luncheon. To speak with Crimmins, contact Andria Simmons at 404-651-3579 or asimmons@gsu.edu.

Happenings at Georgia State:

International computer symposium runs through May 10
Georgia State University's Department of Computer Sciences is hosting a four-day symposium on bioinformatics through Thursday (May 10). The symposium features the latest breakthroughs in computer-assisted biological research. The symposium includes seminars, poster sessions and keynote addresses by distinguished scientists from the University of Waterloo in Canada, the National Human Genome Research Institute and the Georgia Institute of Technology. A detailed program is available at www.cs.edu/ISBRA. For more information, contact Aaron Baca at 404-651-1444 or abaca@gsu.edu.

Business Hall of Fame to induct four leaders
The J. Mack Robinson College will induct into its Business Hall of Fame Sandra E. Bergeron, chairman of the board for TraceSecurity, Inc.; Richard Lenny, chairman, president and CEO of The Hershey Company; Parker H. "Pete" Petit, chairman and CEO of Matria Healthcare, Inc.; and Alexis Scott, publisher of The Atlanta Daily World. The induction ceremony will take place from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday (May 9) at the Intercontinental Hotel in Buckhead. The Business Hall of Fame provides the highest recognition given by the college to business leaders for their efforts in advancing the principles of the free market system while serving Atlanta's national and international business communities. For more information, please visit http://robinson.gsu.edu/corporate/hof/2007/index.html.

Teacher professional development workshops
Applications from teachers are being accepted to participate in the annual animal behavior workshop at Zoo Atlanta, June 4-8. The five-day workshop gives local K-12 teachers a chance to brush up on their biology and learn about potential study topics they can use in their classrooms that incorporate animals at the zoo. Participants in the workshop will be awarded four staff development units upon completion. For more information, contact Aaron Baca at 404-651-1444 or abaca@gsu.edu.

 

What is Georgia State Leads? Leads is designed and published by Georgia State's Department of University Relations to provide journalists with ideas for stories and experts to flesh them out.

Don't see what you're looking for? Call University Relations at 404-413-1354 or visit our award-winning online Experts Guide at http://www.gsu.edu/experts/