Georgia State University News & Events

University Relations Tip Sheet - July 22, 2008

Roping a job in a rough market
With Georgia’s unemployment rate exceeding the national average, and the metro area’s jobless numbers on the rise, staying competitive in the job market is as important as ever. Whether it’s impressing an interviewer or landing a promotion, knowing the rules of the workplace road can give you a lead over your competition, says Georgia State business communications program chief Beverly Langford, the author of a 2005 book “The Etiquette Edge: the Unspoken Rules for Business Success.” “Whether it’s an interview or a networking event, get there early and be able to scope out the situation,” she says. When interviewing for a job, she has the same advice for students seeking part-time work as she does for career-minded job seekers. “It doesn’t matter whether you’re looking for a job at McDonald’s or something in your career field: You need to approach it from the perspective of what you can add to the company.” To speak with Langford, contact Leah Harris at 404-413-1354 or lvh@gsu.edu.

Developing better assessments for tomorrow’s youth
Georgia State’s College of Education is launching a prestigious program to train the next generation of measurement scientists who will develop new testing and assessment systems. Thanks to a four year, $596,000 federal grant, Georgia State is now recruiting post-doctoral fellows with backgrounds in statistics or clinical assessment for this unique program. Fellows will learn how to create new tests that meet the needs of schools by providing better information about children in special education and the regulatory requirements of No Child Left Behind. For two years, fellows will cycle through research labs at Georgia State and the University of Georgia – the subcontractor on the grant – working on ongoing state and federally-funded projects in assessment and measurement. The experience will prepare fellows for careers in government, universities or the testing industry. “We all want our children tested fairly and accurately,” College of Education Dean Randy Kamphaus said. “We need to continually improve our assessment systems, and the only way we’re going to that is with cutting-edge talent.” For more information, contact Liz Babiarz at 404-413-1356 or lbabiarz@gsu.edu.

Georgia State expert: FDA should regulate smokes
As the U.S. Senate takes up legislation passed by the House last week to give the Food and Drug Administration the authority to regulate tobacco products, a Georgia State public health expert says Congress is moving in the right direction. “The underlying premise of regulating tobacco I think everybody’s in favor of,” said Michael Eriksen, director of Georgia State’s Institute of Public Health and the former director of the Centers for Disease Control’s Office on Smoking and Health. But “the devil is in the details,” he says. “There will be a lot of controversy, and a clear change in how cigarettes are marketed,” he predicts. To speak with Eriksen, contact Leah Harris at 404-413-1354 or lvh@gsu.edu.

Georgia State students receive a record three Fulbrights
Georgia State University has set a new record this year, with three current and former students receiving prestigious Fulbright fellowships for travel abroad. A fourth Georgia State student was named as an alternate for the program. Recent graduates Nakisha McNeal (B.A. Sociology, 2005) and Andrew Flippo (B.A. German, December 2007) have been accepted as English Teaching Assistants. McNeal will work in South Korea for the year, and Flippo in Germany. Vanja Petricevic, a Ph.D. student in political science, will use her Fulbright to work as an invited Visiting Research at the Center for European Policy Studies in Brussels, Belgium. Emma Lacey-Bordeaux (B.A., Interdisciplinary Affairs, 2008) was named as an alternate for the English Teaching Assistant program in Turkey. For more information, contact Lisa Spires at 404-413-1353 or lspires@gsu.edu.

Georgia State creates Neuroscience Institute
Georgia State has long been at the cutting edge of research into the brain and its functions. Now, the university is building on its strong foundation by creating a new Neuroscience Institute in the College of Arts and Sciences. “This allows us to take the next step in strategic planning,” said Walter Wilczynski, who has been appointed the institute’s first director. The university already has a Brains and Behavior initiative, which brings together faculty from biology, psychology and several other departments to study how nervous systems produce behavior. The Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, which brings together researchers from seven universities in the Atlanta area, is also currently housed on Georgia State’s campus. The Neuroscience Institute will not replace these other programs, but rather enhance them through providing an institutional home for neuroscientists on campus. The institute will also allow the university to offer neuroscience degree programs, Wilczynski said. For more information, contact Lisa Spires at 404-413-1353 or lspires@gsu.edu.

Happenings at Georgia State University

Andrew Young School to host second trauma forum
The Andrew Young School of Policy Studies will host the second of three forums on trauma care in Georgia from 7 to 9:30 a.m. Aug. 6 at the Andrew Young School, 14 Marietta Street. The forum will address building an effective trauma care network through coordination and regionalization. Speakers will include the chair of the Georgia Trauma Network Commission and the Maryland state trauma coordinator. For more information, contact Beth Hawks at 404-814-1015.

History Channel design challenge winners featured in exhibition
Georgia State’s Ernest G. Welch School of Art and Design Gallery will host an exhibition showcasing winners from the History Channel’s City of the Future/Atlanta competition. Architects, engineers and students will display visual works that conceptualize Atlanta 100 years from now. City of the Future/Atlanta runs Aug. 12 through Sept. 4, with an opening reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Aug. 12. For more information, call 404-413-5221.

Forecasting conference examines challenges facing economy
This quarter’s Georgia State University Economic Forecasting Center conference will examine the challenges, both internal and external, facing the nation’s slumping economy. The conference will be held from 8 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Aug. 27 in the speaker’s auditorium of the Georgia State Student Center, 44 Courtland Street. For more information, visit http://robinson.gsu.edu/efc/conferences/upcoming_conference.html.

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