Web program to offer access to Va. black history
A collection of black-history artifacts
from Virginia soon will be going
online.
To increase access to its trove of
African-American items, the Virginia
Historical Society is launching a Webbased
educational program. “Linking
to Our Past: Documenting the African
American Experience in Virginia” is
designed as a research tool for both
students and educators.
Each of the dozen items included
on the Web site enables users to access
an image of the original document or a
translation, if necessary. The site also
includes sections to explain the context
of the items and their significance
and shares ways the items can be
incorporated into lessons, suggestions
for further readings and how the items
relate to the commonwealth’s Standards
of Learning objectives.
Brief by the Associated Press
Four VCU students awarded Goldwater Scholarship
Four VCU students have been named
Goldwater Scholars. The scholarship
is the premier national scholarship
for undergraduate math, science and
engineering students.
Only eight schools in the United
States claimed four Goldwater Scholars
among this year’s group of recipients.
VCU’s Goldwater Scholars are
Jeannette Aiken, a sophomore from
Gainesville, Va., majoring in forensic
sciences and biochemistry; John
Bajacan, a junior from Springfield,
Va., majoring in chemistry; Mary Beth
Bird, a sophomore from Lexington, Va.,
majoring in biomedical engineering;
and Allison de Groot, a sophomore
from Washington, D.C., also majoring
in biomedical engineering.
Goldwater Scholars are selected on
the basis of academic merit. This year,
321 scholarships were awarded to
sophomores and juniors from a field
of more than 1,000 applicants.
Staff report; information provided by
the VCU News Center
One day of increased patrol on I-95 yields no crashes
There were no crashes during a oneday
increased patrol along a 13-mile
stretch of Interstate 95 in the capital
region, Virginia state police said.
Troopers conducted “saturation”
patrols in the Highway Safety Corridor
around Richmond on Thursday. The
effort aimed to promote traffic safety in
an area that experiences a high volume
of traffic and numerous interchanges.
There were 759 traffic crashes in the
corridor in 2007. Of these, 196 resulted
in injury, and there were four deaths.
Police issued 236 summonses for traffic
violations during Thursday’s operation,
including 72 for speeding, 18 for reckless
driving and 13 for safety-belt and
child-restraint violations.
Brief by the Associated Press
Origins of mysterious James River foam still unknown
A mysterious foam of unknown
origin that has resurfaced on the James
River still has scientists guessing.
James River Park officials say the
foam appeared near the Huguenot
Bridge in Richmond Friday. Ralph
White, manager of Richmond’s James
River Park system, said it was some
of the worst foam seen in several
months.Virginia scientists have been
investigating the foam for a year but
have not determined a cause.
Officials at the Virginia Department
of Environmental Quality say the
foam is not harmful to the river or its
inhabitants.
Brief by the Associated Press
Recipients of professional achievement awards in science, dentistry, medicine recognized
Two VCU faculty members have
been presented the Women in Science,
Dentistry and Medicine (WISDM)
Professional Achievement Award for
their special accomplishments in the
schools of medicine and dentistry.
Recognized during the 16th Annual
Pathways to Leadership conference
on VCU’s Medical College of Virginia
campus, these honorees were Ellen
Brock, M.D., associate professor of
obstetrics and gynecology in the School
of Medicine, and Bridget Ellen Byrne,
D.D.S., Ph.D., professor in the School
of Dentistry.
Recipient of the School of Medicine
award, Brock is the section head in
general obstetrics and gynecology.
She recently created a yearlong instructional-
simulation training course
teaching residents minimally invasive
surgery.
Brock recently was named the first
medical director of the Center for
Human Simulation and Patient Safety
for the VCU School of Medicine.
Byrne, the recipient of the School
of Dentistry award, has taken on
numerous teaching and administrative
responsibilities at VCU serving as a
teacher, interim department chair and
assistant dean.
In addition to honoring the Professional
Achievement Award recipients,
the VCU School of Medicine recognized
50 women faculty members with full
professor status.
The WISDM Professional Achievement
Award is presented annually by
the Women in Science, Dentistry, and
Medicine Faculty Organization in the
VCU School of Medicine on the MCV
Campus.
Staff report; information provided by
the VCU News Center