Senior biology major Kristen Timmons will be recognized as the Academic Recognition Day Scholar, which is a University System of Georgia (USG) honor to the student of highest academic achievement selected at each USG institution. She will join the representatives from other USG institutions in being recognized by the state legislature for her academic accomplishment.

The 2010 Co-op Student of the Year, Johnathan Wiggins, will also be recognized that evening. Mr. Wiggins, an accounting major in the Hull College of Business, is performing his co-op experience at Serotta, Maddocks, Evans, & Co.

For more information, call ASU’s Office of Admissions at 706-737-1632.
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The conference will kick off with a keynote address by poet and author Kimiko Hahn at 11 a.m. on Thursday, March 18, in Galloway Hall. Her work often explores desire and death, and the intersections of conflicting identities. A distinguished professor in the English department at Queens College/CUNY, Ms. Hahn is the recipient of fellowships from the National and New York Endowments for the Arts. She is a recipient of the Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Writers’ Award, the Theodore Roethke Memorial Poetry Prize, and an Association of Asian American Studies’ Literature Award. Ms. Hahn received bachelor degrees in English and East Asian studies from the University of Iowa and a master’s degree in Japanese literature from Columbia University.

Singer and songwriter Caroline Aiken will perform live that afternoon at 2:45 p.m. Immediately following the concert, she will participate in a question/answer session with the audience. In 2006, Ms. Aiken received a Grammy nomination for Contemporary Folk CD and has played thousands of shows in the United States and abroad. She has also recorded and shared stages with artists such as The Indigo Girls, Bonnie Raitt, Taj Mahal, and Dan Fogelberg.

Other writers and speakers include literary agent Brandi Bowles and literature evaluators Joshilyn Jackson, Nathaniel Lachenmeyer, and David Starkey. The conference will conclude with an awards presentation at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 20, in Galloway Hall. The Morgan Fitz-George Kuhl Student Writer Award also will be presented, and manuscripts taking first place awards will be published on the conference web site.

For more information, call Anthony Kellman, conference director and professor in the Department of Communications and Professional Writing, at 706-667-4437.

For more information, call Danielle Harris, media relations specialist, in ASU’s Office of Public Relations and Publications at706-737-1876.
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“This has been generating increasing interest in the developed world for about three decades.  This interest has two aspects: first, the agricultural benefits, and second, the possibility of sequestering carbon in the soil long-term,” says Charlotte Christy, associate professor in the Department of Biology. Dr. Christy and Hauke Busch, assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Physics, are the students’ supervisors for this project.

The device, now in its experimental stage, will make fine particles of charcoal from partly burnt vegetation, which will then be incorporated into the soil. “Charcoal decays very slowly and improves the soil’s ability to support plant life,” says Dr. Christy.

With the home-use-size BioChar device, homeowners who may have a lot of sand or clay will be able to use the device to add the charcoal to their yards. Dr. Christy states that by adding the charcoal, it increases the ability of sandy soil to hold water and mineral fertilizers, improving the oxygen levels in the clay.

“If Alexander’s device proves workable and efficient, I hope that either he or another student will be able to use it to generate enough biochar for a small demonstration project on campus,” says Dr. Christy.

Mr. Bauer will be presenting his findings during the Phi Kappa Phi Student Research and Fine Arts Conference on Wednesday, March 10, from 11:15 a.m.-1:30 p.m. in ASU’s Jaguar Student Activities Center Ballroom. For more information, call ASU’s Office of Public Relations and Publications at 706-737-1444.
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Curtis Fease, Augusta State University psychology and criminal justice major, discusses the presence of the KKK and other hate groups in the South in his research, When is hate allowed to prosper? The ASU senior based his research on data collected from the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-defamation League that shows the South having more hate groups, less hate crime training for police, and more people living in areas with no hate crime laws than other regions in America.

His presentation is just one of four to be featured during the Violence, hate, and aggression session of the 11th Annual Phi Kappa Phi Student Research and Fine Arts Conference on Wednesday, March 10, beginning at noon until 4:30 p.m., at ASU. Other topics in this session include Comparing southerner’s and northerner’s attitudes about violence and gun ownership, A regional analysis of policing methods in policing domestic violence, and Sticks and stones: perceptions of physical and psychological aggression.

The conference is sponsored by ASU’s chapter of the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi. This event is free and the public is invited. If you are interested in pursuing this story, contact Danielle Harris, media relations specialist, in ASU’s Office of Public Relations and Publications at 706-737-1876.
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Dr. Randazzo, an assistant professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of South Carolina, recently published a book, Defenders of Liberty or Champions of Security? Federal Courts, the Hierarchy of Justice and U.S. Foreign Policy. In his book, he provides an analysis of the Supreme Court decisions concerning Guantanamo Bay post-September 11.

Dr. Randazzo has published numerous articles in the Journal of Politics, Justice System Journal, American Politics Research, Experimental Economics, Democracy and Security, Australian Journal of Political Science, Southern Illinois University Law Review, and the Kentucky Law Journal. He currently serves as director of USC’s Judicial Research Initiative.

He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of South Carolina, master’s degrees from Michigan State University and the University of South Carolina, and doctorate from Michigan State University.

For more information, call ASU’s Department of Political Science at 706-737-1710.
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Life of the Mind events include:

March 9 – Small group discussions with author Adam Shepard.
March 13 – Field trip to Phinizy Swamp.
April 1 – The American Voice. Performance and music focusing on political activity and the Harlem Renaissance, Beat, and Slam poets. 5:30 p.m., 170 University Hall.
April 13 – Film and discussion. A Civil Action. 7 p.m., 170 University Hall.
April 16 – Film. The Augusta Commons.  6 p.m., Barnard Amphitheatre.

For more information about the Life of the Mind series and its events, call Dr. Peggy Ruth Geren in ASU’s Department of Educational Leadership, Counseling, and Special Education at 706-737-1497.
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The conference, sponsored by ASU’s chapter of the National Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, will be held Wednesday, March 10, from noon to 4:30 p.m. in the Jaguar Student Activities Center. The conference will open with a performance in the ballroom by the Augusta State Chamber Choir, and conference presentations will follow in designated locations in the JSAC.

The Student Research and Fine Arts Conference is an opportunity for all students at Augusta State University, regardless of discipline, to showcase their scholarly and artistic endeavors. The conference is free and open to the public.

For more information, contact ASU’s Office of Public Relations and Publications at 706-737-1444 or view a complete conference schedule at www.aug.edu/pkp.

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Senior biology major, Kristen Timmons will be recognized as the Academic Recognition Day Scholar, which is a University System of Georgia honor to the student of highest academic achievement selected to represent Augusta State. She will join the representatives from other USG institutions in being recognized by the state legislature.  Ms. Timmons is a member of the Honors Program and the university’s chapter of the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, and she is the recipient of the Scholastic Achievement Award, the Urban Student Research Award, and the McCrary Science Research Award.

The 2010 Co-op Student of the Year, Johnathan Wiggins, will also be recognized that evening. Mr. Wiggins is an accounting major in the Hull College of Business.

For more information, call ASU’s Office of Admissions at 706-737-1632.
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