Nominations sought for Excellence in Performance Award

Institute on Race and Ethnicity newsletter available online

Nanotechnology drug delivery systems to be seminar focus

Faculty/Academic Staff Forums

Economics

Learning and Technology Services

Philosophy and Religious Studies

Condolences

Nominations sought for Excellence in Performance Award
The Administrative and/or Professional Academic Staff Awards Committee invites nominations for the annual Excellence in Performance Award to be given in fall 2008. The UW-Eau Claire Foundation will present $1,500 to the recipient. Any administrative and/or professional member of the academic staff with a 50 percent or greater appointment may be nominated for the award. And, any member of the faculty, academic or classified staffs, administration or student body is welcome to nominate someone.

The Administrative and/or Professional Academic Staff Awards Committee will review all nominations and forward a recommendation to Chancellor Brian Levin-Stankevich. Nominees will be considered for three years.

For more information about the award, feel free to contact members of the Administrative and/or Professional Academic Staff Awards Committee: Liz Wolf Green, News Bureau, greenew@uwec.edu; Erik Rotvold, Advising/New Student Initiatives, rotvolep@uwec.edu; Earl Shoemaker, Student Support Services, shoemaea@uwec.edu; Juelie Sires, University Centers, siresjj@uwec.edu; or Jeanne Skoug, Career Services, skougjm@uwec.edu.

Additional information about the award and the nomination form are available online. The nomination deadline is April 4.

Institute on Race and Ethnicity newsletter available online
The March 2008 E-Bulletin of the UW System Institute on Race and Ethnicity is available online. The issue includes important information on upcoming grant submission deadlines.

Nanotechnology drug delivery systems to be seminar focus
Gretchen Unger, founder and chief scientific officer for GeneSegues Inc. in Minneapolis, will present "Sub-50 Nanometer Capsules for Targeted Delivery of Nucleic-Acid Based Therapies and Diagnostics" at 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 27, in Phillips Hall 104. An informal meeting with Unger will precede the seminar at 3:30 p.m. in Phillips Hall 224.

Unger will discuss the fundamental principles behind the synthesis and initial application of sub-50 nanometer nanocapsules in medicine. Based on these principles, scientists have developed a scalable process for producing nanocapsules capable of delivering large molecules intact into target cells. The abilities to direct nanocapsules to different target cells and to deliver the nucleic acids intact to the nucleus of the cell opens a potentially attractive approach for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, nonviral gene therapy and other applications.

Faculty/Academic Staff Forums
The Office of Research and Sponsored Programs will present Faculty/Academic Staff Forums this semester. The programs will be held from 12:10 to 12:50 p.m. Wednesdays in the Presidents Room of Davies Center unless otherwise noted. Attendees are welcome to bring a brown bag lunch or tray.

        • April 2: Matthew Waters, foreign languages/history, "The First World Empire: Genesis of a Superpower."
        • April 9: Stephen Hill, political science, "Discerning the Effects of the Growth of Paramilitary Policing in U.S. Domestic and Foreign Policy."

A schedule of the Spring 2008 Faculty/Academic Staff Forums can be viewed online.

Economics
Maria DaCosta presented a paper titled "The Rise of Chinese Multinationals" at the Eastern Economic Association Meetings March 7-9 in Boston, Mass. The paper was co-authored with Meenakshi Dalal of Wayne State College.

Learning and Technology Services
A slideshow created by Rick Mickelson, which features UW-Eau Claire students volunteering at Longfellow Elementary School, was shown during the March 24 Eau Claire school board meeting.

Philosophy and Religious Studies
Charlene Burns presented a paper titled “God is Good, Evil Exists: An ‘Ecumenical’ Monotheistic Interpretation” at the International Conference on Evil and Human Wickedness March 11 in Salzburg, Austria.

Condolences
Condolences to the family of Harvey Christianson. Christianson, a retired member of the UW-Eau Claire custodial staff, died March 10 in Eau Claire. Full obituary.

Condolences to the family of Mildred Frank. Frank, a retired Davies Center employee, died March 13 in Eau Claire. Full obituary.

Condolences to Carl Searing II, a retired member of the Facilities Planning and Management staff, whose son, Carl Searing III, died March 22 in Fort Atkinson. Full obituary.

Condolences to Ronda Swansen, University Recreation & Sport Facilities, whose mother, Viola Jorgensen, died March 17 in Eau Claire. Full obituary.