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Wakefield Dort Jr., professor emeritus of geology, was the principal speaker at the annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology on March 29. His speech was titled "15,000-Year Record: Laminated Sediment Fill with Ice-Wedge Inter-Zones, Owl Cave, Eastern Snake River Plain, Idaho."

John Hachmeister, professor of sculpture, participated in a residency March 4-10 at the University of Costa Rica. During his residency, he gave lectures, conducted a master class and evaluated the university's metal casting facilities. His visit coincided with the 50th anniversary of the KU/University of Costa Rica exchange protocols.

Rathnam Chaguturu, director of KU's High Throughput Screening Laboratory, was the focus of an article in the April issue of Genome Technology. Chaguturu, who arrived at KU last fall, has been working to make KU's High Throughput Screening Laboratory a top source for drug discovery and to receive a cancer center designation from the NIH.

Paul Mirecki, associate professor of religious studies, read the two papers titled "Coptic Christian Scorpion Amulets in the Egyptian Museum, Berlin" and "Ancient Invisibility Rituals in the Papyri Graecae Magicae and Acts 12:1-19 (Peter's Prison Escape)" at the annual regional meetings of the American Schools of Oriental Research and the Society of Biblical Literature March 30-31 in St. Louis, Mo.

Jimmy Gentry, professor of journalism, conducted a workshop titled "Improving Your Writing" for the communications staff of Bayer CropSciences in Raleigh, N.C. on April 1. He also is featured on IABC Cafe2Go, a podcast of the International Association of Business Communicators, where he discusses the importance of communicators understanding the numbers of business. Maryemma Graham, professor of English, was the moderator at a panel discussion that aired on C-SPAN Book TV, called Richard Wright: Looking Back, Looking Forward. The panel was hosted by the Organization of American Historians and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture that marked the 100th birthday of novelist, nonfiction writer and social critic Richard Wright.

Charles Marsh, associate professor of journalism, has had his essay, "Battle for the Soul of Ignorance: Rhetoric and Philosophy in Classical Athens," published in "The Virtues of Ignorance: Complexity, Sustainability, and the Limits of Knowledge," a University Press of Kentucky book. Marsh is also a finalist for the Del Shankel Teaching Excellence Award, sponsored by the KU athletics department.

Susanne Shaw, professor of journalism, was in Seoul, South Korea to speak to classes and advise on accreditation at Korea University during the week of March 31. Shaw also met with Jong-Woo Han, former sponsor of the Sungkok Foundation fellowships at KU for Korean journalists for several years, and current chair of the Kookmin University Foundation.

Toni Dixon, director of communications for the School of Business, and the School of Business Communications Office won three Bronze Quill Awards of Excellence from the International Association of Business Communicators for their publications. "Invest in Their Success" received two Bronze Quill Awards of Excellence in the category of Publications and in the category of Design and Photography in a Brochure. "Dean's Report 2007" received a Bronze Quill Award of Excellence in the category of Annual Reports.

RESEARCH MATTERS:

A KU professor's research has shown that a quality music program can boost a school's performance on standardized tests. Christopher Johnson, professor of music and dance, performed a study comparing results with similar demographics but with varying quality music programs. He found jumps of 22 percent in English test scores and 20 percent in math scores at elementary schools with good music programs. One theory holds that scores improved because music helps develop attentiveness. For more, or to listen to the original broadcast, visit www.researchmatters.ku.edu.