1 00:00:19,660 --> 00:00:19,994 [music playing]. 2 00:00:19,994 --> 00:00:23,338 Welcome to the 32nd annual fall convocation. 3 00:00:26,080 --> 00:00:27,852 It's an important day 4 00:00:27,852 --> 00:00:31,530 to recognize the achievements of many of our faculty. 5 00:00:32,399 --> 00:00:33,603 I'm going to 6 00:00:34,171 --> 00:00:37,281 begin by introducing our president. 7 00:00:37,281 --> 00:00:39,856 John Delaney is the fifth permanent president 8 00:00:39,989 --> 00:00:42,865 of the University of North Florida. 9 00:00:42,865 --> 00:00:46,075 Given that we work in Jacksonville, we know him, of course, 10 00:00:46,443 --> 00:00:49,184 as the previous mayor of our city. 11 00:00:49,184 --> 00:00:52,394 He began his career in city government in 1981 12 00:00:53,029 --> 00:00:55,838 after receiving a law degree from the University of Florida. 13 00:00:57,176 --> 00:00:59,516 He was chief assistant state attorney 14 00:00:59,516 --> 00:01:02,258 and later general counsel for the city. 15 00:01:02,258 --> 00:01:05,468 From 1992 to 1994, 16 00:01:06,137 --> 00:01:08,678 he served as chief of staff for Mayor Ed Austin. 17 00:01:09,614 --> 00:01:13,058 In 1995, John Delaney became mayor of Jacksonville. 18 00:01:13,626 --> 00:01:17,739 He ran unopposed for a second term in 1999. 19 00:01:17,739 --> 00:01:19,845 As mayor, Mr. 20 00:01:19,845 --> 00:01:23,858 Delaney improved social services, children's programs, 21 00:01:23,858 --> 00:01:28,873 the environment, including land preservation and strengthen the arts. 22 00:01:29,977 --> 00:01:32,250 He found the resources for this 23 00:01:32,250 --> 00:01:36,329 and tax cuts by ensuring that the government was run efficiently. 24 00:01:36,329 --> 00:01:39,740 He is identified with the preservation project. 25 00:01:40,409 --> 00:01:42,816 The intensive care neighborhood's program 26 00:01:43,385 --> 00:01:46,427 and of course, the better Jacksonville plan. 27 00:01:46,427 --> 00:01:51,443 If Florida is to continue to flourish, its growth must be managed wisely. 28 00:01:51,443 --> 00:01:58,264 Through the skill and energy, John Delaney, these initiatives were led. 29 00:01:58,264 --> 00:02:01,875 Initiatives that will dramatically improve the quality of life 30 00:02:01,875 --> 00:02:04,015 for everyone in Northeast Florida. 31 00:02:05,085 --> 00:02:08,261 I'm happy to add that John is a graduate of Terry Parker High School. 32 00:02:09,130 --> 00:02:12,842 He and his wife, Jenna, have four children, and they live in Neptune Beach. 33 00:02:13,878 --> 00:02:18,359 Please join me in welcoming President John Delaney. 34 00:02:18,359 --> 00:02:22,773 [audience clapping]. 35 00:02:22,773 --> 00:02:26,116 Thank you, David, I appreciate that, 36 00:02:26,116 --> 00:02:29,192 and it's an honor to be among you and with you here today. 37 00:02:30,028 --> 00:02:33,071 You mentioned at the closing there that my wife and I have four children. 38 00:02:33,071 --> 00:02:34,475 I just came back. 39 00:02:34,475 --> 00:02:38,354 I'm very honored to receive an award from the Nature Conservancy, 40 00:02:38,387 --> 00:02:41,430 the International Nature Conservancy, and they had their annual meeting 41 00:02:41,430 --> 00:02:42,968 down in Costa Rica. 42 00:02:42,968 --> 00:02:46,579 And we decided to go ahead and take our two youngest children with us 43 00:02:46,613 --> 00:02:50,592 because the two oldest were off at school and uh Costa Rica almost inherited 44 00:02:50,592 --> 00:02:51,661 my two youngest children. 45 00:02:51,661 --> 00:02:52,899 We got to left them behind there, 46 00:02:52,899 --> 00:02:55,206 and so he would have had introduced me with two children. 47 00:02:55,206 --> 00:02:58,951 Four days and six hours in an airplane 48 00:02:58,951 --> 00:03:02,629 with a seven year old and a 14 year old squabbling is not a whole lot of fun. 49 00:03:02,662 --> 00:03:04,401 As you may well know. 50 00:03:04,401 --> 00:03:10,285 I tell you the, the welcome that I've received here over the last 90 51 00:03:10,285 --> 00:03:14,733 to 100 days has really made the transition very, very easy and comfortable here. 52 00:03:15,769 --> 00:03:18,544 This is a very embracing campus and a warm campus, 53 00:03:18,544 --> 00:03:22,991 and President Adam Herbert and President Ian Hopkins both told me that 54 00:03:22,991 --> 00:03:24,596 that after the process, 55 00:03:24,596 --> 00:03:25,967 the selection process had gone through 56 00:03:25,967 --> 00:03:27,973 that you'd feel comfortable on this particular campus. 57 00:03:28,441 --> 00:03:31,083 About ten years ago, Dan Rather 58 00:03:31,083 --> 00:03:33,657 came to Jacksonville and gave a speech 59 00:03:33,657 --> 00:03:36,466 where he said that Jacksonville was on the cusp of a golden age. 60 00:03:37,603 --> 00:03:40,545 And I think he actually had some foresight at that point in time. 61 00:03:40,980 --> 00:03:43,588 And I have the same feeling, quite frankly, here at the University 62 00:03:43,588 --> 00:03:47,266 of North Florida, that we're on that same kind of a cusp of a golden age 63 00:03:47,868 --> 00:03:50,041 that we have incredible opportunities ahead of us. 64 00:03:50,242 --> 00:03:52,917 We're in a portion of the state that's going to continue to grow. 65 00:03:53,786 --> 00:03:58,467 That is now I believe we can start to get the attention and the fundraising 66 00:03:58,467 --> 00:04:01,410 capital over in Tallahassee, the funding capital of Tallahassee. 67 00:04:02,279 --> 00:04:04,553 Obviously, we know that we are not without issues 68 00:04:04,553 --> 00:04:07,027 and without problems that we have to address. 69 00:04:07,027 --> 00:04:10,471 A large part of that is going to be, to a certain extent, limited by funding. 70 00:04:10,471 --> 00:04:13,881 The two things that it's become very apparent to me that will not limit 71 00:04:14,149 --> 00:04:15,419 the future of this university. 72 00:04:15,419 --> 00:04:18,362 One is the students, the quality of the students, 73 00:04:18,596 --> 00:04:22,742 the the incoming SATs and the grade point average is continue to go up. 74 00:04:23,076 --> 00:04:24,013 And I hear this 75 00:04:24,013 --> 00:04:27,523 consistently from the faculty as I've gone around over the last 90 days, 76 00:04:27,523 --> 00:04:33,642 how happy and satisfied with the quality of the high school graduates and of those 77 00:04:33,642 --> 00:04:36,718 that are entering the university at a later stage in their life. 78 00:04:37,120 --> 00:04:38,457 But the second thing that clearly isn't 79 00:04:38,457 --> 00:04:40,898 going to hold this university back is the quality of the faculty, 80 00:04:41,466 --> 00:04:46,114 the commitment and love and affection for this, this university is just apparent. 81 00:04:46,114 --> 00:04:47,451 It just jumps out at you. 82 00:04:47,451 --> 00:04:48,555 The people care. 83 00:04:48,555 --> 00:04:50,561 People want this place to do well. 84 00:04:50,561 --> 00:04:52,433 They want to be able to teach. 85 00:04:52,433 --> 00:04:56,011 They're excited about being able to add to the body of knowledge, 86 00:04:56,011 --> 00:04:59,188 as well as to pass that that knowledge on to the students here 87 00:04:59,188 --> 00:05:02,331 in our community and that come from across the world to Jacksonville. 88 00:05:02,732 --> 00:05:04,905 And I think that's that's quite a compliment. 89 00:05:04,905 --> 00:05:09,118 Today, obviously the faculty association is going to recognize a number 90 00:05:09,118 --> 00:05:11,893 of the members that that have acted in that fashion, and 91 00:05:12,428 --> 00:05:14,334 I know they and their families should be very proud. 92 00:05:14,334 --> 00:05:18,079 And I know that the campus is very proud of what they've tried to do to contribute 93 00:05:18,079 --> 00:05:21,757 to make this a better community and a better, a better academy. 94 00:05:21,757 --> 00:05:25,134 Then I'm going to turn it over to Steve Shapiro, who's, of course, 95 00:05:25,134 --> 00:05:25,803 the vice president 96 00:05:25,803 --> 00:05:28,812 of the Faculty Association to run the ball for the rest of the program. 97 00:05:28,846 --> 00:05:31,253 Steve. 98 00:05:31,253 --> 00:05:38,509 [audience clapping]. Dr. 99 00:05:38,509 --> 00:05:41,585 Salado wasn't able to be here today, and she asked me to fill in 100 00:05:41,585 --> 00:05:45,865 and in my past life as past president of the association, one of the 101 00:05:46,935 --> 00:05:48,172 best parts of being president 102 00:05:48,172 --> 00:05:51,181 is always being able to present awards to my colleagues. 103 00:05:51,983 --> 00:05:54,056 I, as I look out, I 104 00:05:54,056 --> 00:05:55,929 this is the second time I think I've been in this facility. 105 00:05:55,929 --> 00:05:59,339 The last time, Mikhail Gorbachev is sitting on the stage 106 00:05:59,908 --> 00:06:03,352 and that was an interesting phenomenon for Jacksonville and for the university. 107 00:06:04,923 --> 00:06:07,933 It's my privilege to present the outstanding undergraduate 108 00:06:07,933 --> 00:06:12,112 teaching awards, and the first award goes to Dr. 109 00:06:12,112 --> 00:06:13,851 Sanjay Ahuja. Dr. 110 00:06:13,851 --> 00:06:15,656 Ahuja is an associate professor 111 00:06:15,656 --> 00:06:17,863 in the Computer and Information Sciences department. 112 00:06:17,897 --> 00:06:20,839 He's been at UNF since August of '99. 113 00:06:21,608 --> 00:06:24,316 He was voted the Students Choice Outstanding Professor 114 00:06:24,617 --> 00:06:26,991 in the Department of Computer and Information Sciences 115 00:06:27,326 --> 00:06:29,967 and received the award from the Student Government Association 116 00:06:30,235 --> 00:06:34,815 in December. 117 00:06:34,815 --> 00:06:39,195 [audience 118 00:06:39,195 --> 00:06:43,576 clapping]. 119 00:06:43,576 --> 00:06:49,561 Continue with the outstanding undergraduate teaching 120 00:06:49,561 --> 00:06:51,199 awards, Homer Bates. 121 00:06:51,199 --> 00:06:54,877 Dr Bates is a professor in Accounting and Department of Accounting and Finance. 122 00:06:54,877 --> 00:06:57,552 He's been at UNF since 1984. 123 00:06:58,221 --> 00:07:01,899 He received the Outstanding Accounting Teacher Award from Alpha Sigma Pi, 124 00:07:02,333 --> 00:07:05,610 the Student Accounting Club, four times in 1995, 125 00:07:05,610 --> 00:07:08,553 1998, 2000, 2002. 126 00:07:08,987 --> 00:07:13,301 He was also a recipient of the UNF Student Government Student Choice Award as 127 00:07:13,301 --> 00:07:16,811 the outstanding teacher in the Department of Accounting and Finance in 2001. 128 00:07:17,380 --> 00:07:19,453 Homer's doing what he does very well. 129 00:07:19,453 --> 00:07:22,696 He's in class teaching today. 130 00:07:22,696 --> 00:07:27,143 [audience clapping]. 131 00:07:27,143 --> 00:07:30,320 The third 132 00:07:31,824 --> 00:07:33,563 undergraduate teaching award, 133 00:07:33,563 --> 00:07:37,776 not necessarily third and third, but third person is Dr. 134 00:07:37,776 --> 00:07:39,214 Peter Braza. 135 00:07:39,648 --> 00:07:41,889 Peter has been at UNF since 1988. 136 00:07:42,290 --> 00:07:44,931 He's an associate professor of Mathematics and Statistics 137 00:07:44,931 --> 00:07:47,807 and is currently the associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences. 138 00:07:49,010 --> 00:07:51,518 He especially enjoys teaching differential equations, 139 00:07:52,120 --> 00:07:54,227 which is interesting [audience laughing] but 140 00:07:55,297 --> 00:07:56,534 may say something about him. 141 00:07:56,534 --> 00:07:57,771 I'm not sure. 142 00:07:57,771 --> 00:08:01,348 He's most proud of the UNF mathematical modeling team. 143 00:08:01,348 --> 00:08:04,692 The team, which he coached, achieve the same meritorious distinction 144 00:08:04,692 --> 00:08:09,440 as the team from Harvard University here. 145 00:08:09,440 --> 00:08:15,291 [audience clapping]. 146 00:08:15,291 --> 00:08:20,073 The next award is a little more difficult for me. 147 00:08:20,608 --> 00:08:24,654 Dr. Cory Fine was a colleague who passed away last year. 148 00:08:25,088 --> 00:08:27,897 He was a member of the Department of Management, Marketing and Logistics, 149 00:08:29,034 --> 00:08:33,347 and Fine had not only been at UNF for a couple of years, 150 00:08:33,347 --> 00:08:37,593 but he also had served as a staff member of the National Labor Relations Board 151 00:08:37,894 --> 00:08:41,505 and also for many years, was an adviser to the American Federation 152 00:08:41,505 --> 00:08:44,715 of State County Municipal Employees, The AFL CIO. 153 00:08:44,715 --> 00:08:52,907 Cory's missed very much by the college. 154 00:08:52,907 --> 00:08:56,652 [audience clapping]. 155 00:08:56,652 --> 00:08:59,093 Len Roberson. 156 00:09:00,364 --> 00:09:01,166 Dr. Roberson 157 00:09:01,166 --> 00:09:03,774 has been at UNF for a little over five years. 158 00:09:04,376 --> 00:09:06,783 He's the program director for Deaf Education. 159 00:09:07,987 --> 00:09:10,027 He believes that all he does here 160 00:09:10,027 --> 00:09:12,568 at UNF more than anything, he's a teacher 161 00:09:13,237 --> 00:09:13,772 and the materials 162 00:09:13,772 --> 00:09:17,550 he submitted for this award, he stated, "I believe that teaching is a gift 163 00:09:17,550 --> 00:09:20,893 that allows me to affect and influence the lives of so many people. 164 00:09:21,596 --> 00:09:26,511 Teaching goes beyond the simple equation of the students and me in a given class. 165 00:09:26,511 --> 00:09:30,991 As a teacher, I not only teach my students but I touch the lives of those 166 00:09:30,991 --> 00:09:34,836 my students teach." 167 00:09:34,836 --> 00:09:39,952 [audience clapping]. 168 00:09:39,952 --> 00:09:46,104 Behrooz Seyed-Abbasi, Dr. 169 00:09:46,104 --> 00:09:50,083 Abbas Seyed-Abbasi has been at the University of North Florida since 1987. 170 00:09:50,919 --> 00:09:53,460 He teaches courses related to database systems 171 00:09:53,460 --> 00:09:55,901 and the Department of Computer and Information Sciences. 172 00:09:56,537 --> 00:09:59,713 Over the past several years, his teaching activities have, 173 00:09:59,713 --> 00:10:01,886 including receiving teaching grants. 174 00:10:02,722 --> 00:10:06,099 He has participated in curriculum revisions, developed course supplements 175 00:10:06,333 --> 00:10:10,814 and published articles about CIS education. 176 00:10:10,814 --> 00:10:15,829 [audience clapping]. 177 00:10:15,829 --> 00:10:21,714 Continuing with the undergraduate teaching awards, Diane Tanner. 178 00:10:23,787 --> 00:10:26,128 This is a little special because Diane was one of my students 179 00:10:26,128 --> 00:10:29,906 that gives you some idea how long I've been around. 180 00:10:30,140 --> 00:10:32,848 Diane Tanner has been an instructor in the Department of Accounting 181 00:10:32,848 --> 00:10:37,897 and Finance since 1984, teaching primarily financial and management accounting. 182 00:10:38,533 --> 00:10:41,976 Since 1997, she has been awarded five academic affairs 183 00:10:41,976 --> 00:10:45,153 summer teaching grants, which have been used to develop online 184 00:10:45,153 --> 00:10:47,861 study guides, tutorials and simulations for her classes. 185 00:10:48,530 --> 00:10:50,904 This is Diane's fourth University Outstanding 186 00:10:50,904 --> 00:10:54,448 Teaching Award. 187 00:10:54,448 --> 00:10:57,625 [audience 188 00:10:57,625 --> 00:11:00,801 clapping]. 189 00:11:00,801 --> 00:11:05,415 We now move to the Outstanding 190 00:11:05,415 --> 00:11:07,990 Faculty Service Awards. 191 00:11:09,093 --> 00:11:12,002 And as my colleagues who have no media 192 00:11:13,407 --> 00:11:16,483 service tends to be an important part of my life here at the university 193 00:11:16,917 --> 00:11:21,364 and these people who received the awards today outshine me by a great deal. 194 00:11:22,167 --> 00:11:24,106 First award goes to Dr. 195 00:11:24,106 --> 00:11:26,480 Lipkin, who will not be here today. 196 00:11:26,948 --> 00:11:27,851 Many of you know Dr. 197 00:11:27,851 --> 00:11:29,356 Lipkin, he's professor of mathematics. 198 00:11:29,356 --> 00:11:33,067 He is a charter member of the UNF family. 199 00:11:34,104 --> 00:11:35,541 He has served on a variety 200 00:11:35,541 --> 00:11:38,183 of department, college and university committees. 201 00:11:39,320 --> 00:11:43,265 He chaired the first bylaws committee that created the university's 202 00:11:43,265 --> 00:11:46,174 faculty association many, many years ago. 203 00:11:46,475 --> 00:11:51,123 He also chaired the committee that created our general education program 204 00:11:51,123 --> 00:11:55,570 for the first undergraduate here it first two years undergraduates 205 00:11:55,570 --> 00:11:57,843 here at the University of North Florida. 206 00:11:58,913 --> 00:12:03,695 Lipkin received the UNF Outstanding Teacher Award and Len, as many of you 207 00:12:03,695 --> 00:12:07,941 know, was one of our awardees of the Distinguished Professor Award. 208 00:12:07,941 --> 00:12:12,188 Len as I said, could not be here. 209 00:12:12,188 --> 00:12:16,200 [audience clapping]. 210 00:12:16,200 --> 00:12:19,610 The other service award 211 00:12:19,610 --> 00:12:21,717 goes to B.Jay Coleman. 212 00:12:22,687 --> 00:12:25,295 Jay and I go back about 15 years 213 00:12:25,830 --> 00:12:30,711 and I'm going to keep Jay up on the stage because he's getting two awards. 214 00:12:30,878 --> 00:12:35,727 He gets not only the outstanding service award, but he's also is going 215 00:12:35,727 --> 00:12:39,204 to receive the Outstanding Faculty Service Scholarship Award. 216 00:12:39,204 --> 00:12:40,073 Excuse me. 217 00:12:40,508 --> 00:12:43,484 Jay is the Richard KIPP Professor of operations 218 00:12:43,484 --> 00:12:46,393 management and Quantitative Methods in the Coggin College of Business. 219 00:12:46,928 --> 00:12:49,436 He's been here since 1988. 220 00:12:49,436 --> 00:12:52,746 His research has been ranked among the top 75 in his field. 221 00:12:54,016 --> 00:12:55,019 He has 222 00:12:55,019 --> 00:12:57,527 served on over 50 different committees 223 00:12:57,928 --> 00:13:01,372 and other assignments here at UNF, including 15 leadership positions. 224 00:13:02,108 --> 00:13:04,649 He received the University Undergraduate Teaching Awards 225 00:13:04,649 --> 00:13:07,257 both in 1991 and 2000. 226 00:13:07,826 --> 00:13:10,567 And I believe and if I'm wrong, somebody can correct me, 227 00:13:10,567 --> 00:13:14,178 that Jay is the first professor to win a teaching award, the Service Award 228 00:13:14,446 --> 00:13:15,817 and the Scholarship Award. 229 00:13:15,817 --> 00:13:21,200 Jay has coauthored many papers, but the one that I like the best is, 230 00:13:21,668 --> 00:13:25,881 he coauthored a paper with a one of my former students 231 00:13:26,149 --> 00:13:29,960 in which they can accurately predict which are the college 232 00:13:29,960 --> 00:13:34,073 teams will be in midnight in March Madness, the NCAA 233 00:13:34,341 --> 00:13:38,554 basketball tournament. 234 00:13:38,554 --> 00:13:42,232 [audience 235 00:13:42,232 --> 00:13:45,943 clapping]. 236 00:13:45,943 --> 00:13:52,363 The other Outstanding Faculty Scholarship Award goes to Dan Schafer. 237 00:13:52,363 --> 00:13:54,770 Dan is on sabbatical, could not be here today. 238 00:13:55,472 --> 00:13:58,248 Dan is a founding faculty member here at UNF. 239 00:13:58,983 --> 00:14:01,625 He spent many years as chairman of Department of History. 240 00:14:01,959 --> 00:14:06,506 He wrote the first history of the UNF campus, the early years of the campus. 241 00:14:07,376 --> 00:14:09,783 He was chosen as a distinguished professor. 242 00:14:10,351 --> 00:14:13,695 He has authored and coauthored a number of books and articles. 243 00:14:13,996 --> 00:14:17,774 As I said, Dan could not be here today. 244 00:14:17,774 --> 00:14:21,519 [audience clapping]. 245 00:14:21,519 --> 00:14:26,367 It's also my privilege to present the outstanding undergraduate 246 00:14:26,367 --> 00:14:30,748 advising award, and that award goes to Miss Angela Garcia. 247 00:14:32,185 --> 00:14:33,356 Angie is a graduate of 248 00:14:33,356 --> 00:14:37,569 NYU, received her master's in education here at UNF 249 00:14:37,569 --> 00:14:41,213 and is currently a doctoral student here at UNF. 250 00:14:41,949 --> 00:14:44,691 She was an academic advisor in the College of Education. 251 00:14:44,824 --> 00:14:46,229 She attributes her. 252 00:14:46,229 --> 00:14:47,600 The recognition is outstanding 253 00:14:47,600 --> 00:14:50,943 advisor to the student body and the Department of Special Education. 254 00:14:51,812 --> 00:14:54,354 Angela is currently an assistant director of advancement 255 00:14:54,354 --> 00:14:57,497 in International Students in the Division of Student Affairs. 256 00:14:57,497 --> 00:14:58,032 [audience clapping]. 257 00:15:13,245 --> 00:15:15,084 We established a Distinguished Professor Award 258 00:15:15,084 --> 00:15:17,993 in the early years of the university, and 259 00:15:19,063 --> 00:15:21,437 it was interesting as I 260 00:15:21,437 --> 00:15:23,610 talked about two of the people who just received awards, 261 00:15:23,610 --> 00:15:26,720 two of those individuals who are still very active on campus 262 00:15:27,222 --> 00:15:29,261 or past distinguished professor winners, 263 00:15:29,830 --> 00:15:32,906 one of them being Dan Schaefer, the other being Len Lipkin. 264 00:15:33,441 --> 00:15:37,119 It's my honor now to present the runner up to that award. 265 00:15:37,252 --> 00:15:38,322 And that's Bill Wilson. 266 00:15:39,927 --> 00:15:40,797 Bill is a professor of 267 00:15:40,797 --> 00:15:43,538 statistics in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. 268 00:15:43,940 --> 00:15:47,484 He currently serves as interim associate vice president for academic affairs. 269 00:15:48,487 --> 00:15:50,995 He's been on the faculty since 1975. 270 00:15:51,898 --> 00:15:54,372 He received the university's outstanding teaching award 271 00:15:54,372 --> 00:15:56,846 twice in 1998 and 1994. 272 00:15:57,582 --> 00:15:59,220 He was awarded the H.O. 273 00:15:59,220 --> 00:16:03,667 Hartley Award for Distinguished Service to the Discipline of Statistics in 1994. 274 00:16:04,236 --> 00:16:07,646 He is the author, a coauthor of two books and over 20 research articles. 275 00:16:07,646 --> 00:16:08,248 [audience clapping]. 276 00:16:16,707 --> 00:16:23,562 It's my pleasure now to introduce 277 00:16:23,562 --> 00:16:26,939 the distinguished professor 2003 278 00:16:26,939 --> 00:16:31,152 and that is Venkat. 279 00:16:31,152 --> 00:16:35,231 I've known Venkat for a long time, and so if he expects me to, 280 00:16:35,733 --> 00:16:38,675 I can pronounce Venkatasubban. 281 00:16:38,675 --> 00:16:41,617 Venkat and I spend a lot of time together in public. 282 00:16:45,763 --> 00:16:48,906 Venkat is the 26th faculty member to hold the title 283 00:16:48,906 --> 00:16:52,150 of Distinguished Professor at UNF He earned his Ph.D. 284 00:16:52,150 --> 00:16:54,490 in 1974 from the University of Kansas. 285 00:16:54,925 --> 00:16:57,332 He came to UNF in 1980. 286 00:16:57,332 --> 00:17:00,576 His teaching experience includes organic and general 287 00:17:00,576 --> 00:17:03,217 chemistry, enzyme structure and chemical research. 288 00:17:04,020 --> 00:17:07,363 He was the recipient of the 1991 Outstanding Teaching Award. 289 00:17:08,199 --> 00:17:11,476 He won the TIPP award, and he also has...[inaudible] 290 00:17:12,579 --> 00:17:14,218 actually won the teaching award twice. 291 00:17:14,218 --> 00:17:18,598 For those of you who are new TIPP and PEP were methods of providing 292 00:17:18,598 --> 00:17:21,607 a few of us with some extra money in the nineties 293 00:17:21,607 --> 00:17:23,045 when there was very little money, 294 00:17:23,045 --> 00:17:25,787 which of course, is not unusual in the state of Florida. 295 00:17:25,787 --> 00:17:30,568 Since 1994, Venkat has chair of the Department of Natural Sciences 296 00:17:30,802 --> 00:17:33,544 and then the Department of Chemistry and Physics. 297 00:17:33,544 --> 00:17:37,456 He designed and oversaw an undergraduate research effort that resulted 298 00:17:37,456 --> 00:17:40,733 in many students gaining experience and serious scientific research. 299 00:17:41,535 --> 00:17:43,775 Venkat has contributed to many organizations 300 00:17:43,775 --> 00:17:47,554 and held appointments on numerous professional and local boards, including 301 00:17:47,921 --> 00:17:51,499 coordinating the Jacksonville chapter of the International Chemistry Olympiad 302 00:17:52,101 --> 00:17:55,211 and has refereed for the journals of American Chemical Society 303 00:17:55,478 --> 00:17:59,056 and the Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry and Spectroscopy Letters. 304 00:18:01,263 --> 00:18:02,266 Venkat has devoted 305 00:18:02,266 --> 00:18:05,108 his academic career to both his students and his research. 306 00:18:05,442 --> 00:18:08,953 He believes that teaching and research go hand in hand and fosters 307 00:18:08,953 --> 00:18:11,026 an environment where excellence 308 00:18:11,026 --> 00:18:14,436 and undergraduate teaching and faculty scholarship enhance each other. 309 00:18:15,005 --> 00:18:18,984 He believes that being involved in research makes him a better teacher. 310 00:18:18,984 --> 00:18:19,352 Venkat. 311 00:18:19,352 --> 00:18:20,722 [audience clapping]. 312 00:18:22,896 --> 00:18:23,531 Well. 313 00:18:24,902 --> 00:18:28,446 I'm looking down there for you. 314 00:18:55,463 --> 00:18:57,101 As is our custom, 315 00:18:57,101 --> 00:18:59,642 a distinguished professor will address the faculty. 316 00:19:01,715 --> 00:19:02,852 I've asked him to violate 317 00:19:02,852 --> 00:19:06,965 a custom of bashing the administration [audience 318 00:19:06,965 --> 00:19:10,208 laughing] but he's made no promises, 319 00:19:10,208 --> 00:19:13,217 Venkat. 320 00:19:13,217 --> 00:19:16,227 [audience 321 00:19:16,227 --> 00:19:19,236 clapping]. 322 00:19:19,236 --> 00:19:22,212 Good morning. 323 00:19:23,984 --> 00:19:25,656 President Delaney. 324 00:19:25,790 --> 00:19:27,963 Dr. Kline, Dr. 325 00:19:27,963 --> 00:19:31,173 Shapiro, colleagues and friends. 326 00:19:31,173 --> 00:19:35,185 As David pointed out, you asked me whether I'm going to bash 327 00:19:35,553 --> 00:19:38,629 the administration and I want to tell him 328 00:19:39,298 --> 00:19:41,839 I'm going to speak the truth and nothing but the truth. 329 00:19:45,818 --> 00:19:48,727 It's a great honor to receive this award, 330 00:19:49,696 --> 00:19:54,110 and to a certain extent, I feel overwhelmed by this occasion. 331 00:19:55,715 --> 00:19:57,989 I was not sure what I could say 332 00:19:58,557 --> 00:20:01,734 at this convocation that would interest you all. 333 00:20:03,472 --> 00:20:04,877 My initial thought 334 00:20:04,877 --> 00:20:09,892 was to talk about my own research, which deals with some fundamental 335 00:20:09,892 --> 00:20:14,372 esoteric issues in mechanistic, organic and biochemistry. 336 00:20:16,312 --> 00:20:17,950 That would be a real audio, 337 00:20:17,950 --> 00:20:20,659 both for you and for me. 338 00:20:21,428 --> 00:20:24,938 Instead, I chose to speak about the Sciences 339 00:20:25,172 --> 00:20:28,014 at UNF and personal history. 340 00:20:28,014 --> 00:20:31,091 While I do that, I'll briefly 341 00:20:31,091 --> 00:20:35,872 touch upon some aspects of my research, minus the details 342 00:20:36,541 --> 00:20:38,547 to give you a flavor of what I do. 343 00:20:40,453 --> 00:20:42,593 It was 1980 344 00:20:42,593 --> 00:20:44,967 when I first visited Jacksonville, 345 00:20:44,967 --> 00:20:48,110 a clear and crisp Friday 346 00:20:48,110 --> 00:20:49,180 in autumn. 347 00:20:49,982 --> 00:20:53,225 I came to interview for a visiting faculty position 348 00:20:53,861 --> 00:20:57,539 in organic chemistry in the Department of Natural Sciences. 349 00:20:58,910 --> 00:21:01,250 All organic chemists hired at UNF. 350 00:21:01,885 --> 00:21:05,731 But in 1972 and 1980, I left, 351 00:21:06,700 --> 00:21:09,275 prompting concern among faculty in the department. 352 00:21:10,412 --> 00:21:12,552 I must confess that I too 353 00:21:13,020 --> 00:21:15,828 was apprehensive about the turnover in the position. 354 00:21:17,667 --> 00:21:19,139 After receiving a PhD 355 00:21:19,139 --> 00:21:21,914 in organic chemistry from the University of Kansas, 356 00:21:22,750 --> 00:21:28,033 I had worked as a postdoctoral fellow at Emory University and lecturer at Texas 357 00:21:28,033 --> 00:21:31,008 A&M University and a research associate 358 00:21:31,309 --> 00:21:34,352 at the University of Florida, 359 00:21:34,352 --> 00:21:38,866 all before interviewing at UNF. 360 00:21:40,103 --> 00:21:44,951 Some of my friends joked 361 00:21:45,152 --> 00:21:47,192 that I was really working my way down. 362 00:21:50,535 --> 00:21:51,839 But there was 363 00:21:51,839 --> 00:21:54,314 there are significant attractions 364 00:21:54,314 --> 00:21:56,754 about the eight year old university in Jacksonville, 365 00:21:58,125 --> 00:22:01,302 beginning with average class size 366 00:22:02,940 --> 00:22:05,080 of 25 students in organic chemistry. 367 00:22:09,594 --> 00:22:11,400 At Texas A&M, 368 00:22:11,400 --> 00:22:13,707 my classes had 150 students. 369 00:22:15,044 --> 00:22:17,786 I well remember walking into a large class 370 00:22:17,786 --> 00:22:21,196 of veterinary medicine majors, all Texans. 371 00:22:23,838 --> 00:22:26,446 At five feet and five inches 372 00:22:26,446 --> 00:22:31,461 tall and weighing barely 100 lbs, 373 00:22:32,999 --> 00:22:35,173 I was easily the smallest person in the room. 374 00:22:37,446 --> 00:22:40,222 I told them I was probably the first Indian 375 00:22:40,957 --> 00:22:43,866 crazy enough to attempt to teach organic chemistry. 376 00:22:44,301 --> 00:22:46,675 You know, a bunch of cowboys, cowboys. 377 00:22:46,675 --> 00:22:51,590 [audience clapping and laughing]. 378 00:22:51,590 --> 00:22:55,569 Then I told them to take off the Stetsons 379 00:22:56,104 --> 00:23:00,083 and pull up their boots because this was going to be one war. 380 00:23:00,651 --> 00:23:04,329 The Indian would win. 381 00:23:04,329 --> 00:23:06,436 [audience laugihng]. 382 00:23:06,436 --> 00:23:10,114 After that, I never had a problem with Texans. 383 00:23:14,159 --> 00:23:15,530 One of the other things 384 00:23:15,530 --> 00:23:20,479 that initially attracted me to UNF was the natural science faculty's 385 00:23:20,512 --> 00:23:23,054 dedication to excellence in teaching. 386 00:23:24,558 --> 00:23:26,865 Jay Huebner was chosen 387 00:23:26,865 --> 00:23:29,440 as a UNF distinguished professor last year 388 00:23:30,142 --> 00:23:34,121 because of his commitment to teaching as well as the research. 389 00:23:39,905 --> 00:23:40,975 Through the years 390 00:23:40,975 --> 00:23:43,483 since 1980, I'm happy to report 391 00:23:44,018 --> 00:23:46,593 that faculty in the sciences are kept alive 392 00:23:47,061 --> 00:23:50,873 the commitment of founding faculty to excellence in teaching. 393 00:23:52,411 --> 00:23:54,617 One of my main concerns in 1980, 394 00:23:55,620 --> 00:23:58,362 and one that has continued to worry me since then 395 00:23:59,198 --> 00:24:02,709 was the lack of infrastructure and resources 396 00:24:02,809 --> 00:24:05,785 for doing scientific research at UNF. 397 00:24:10,399 --> 00:24:12,907 In 1980, UNF provided 398 00:24:13,542 --> 00:24:17,220 no start of funds for new faculty in the sciences 399 00:24:17,722 --> 00:24:19,795 to set up research labs. 400 00:24:21,901 --> 00:24:23,205 In fact, 401 00:24:23,540 --> 00:24:28,321 no startup funds were available for faculty at UNF until 1980. 402 00:24:28,689 --> 00:24:31,932 '95 a year after I became chair, 403 00:24:32,668 --> 00:24:34,908 and then the university only offered 404 00:24:35,510 --> 00:24:38,452 $10,000 per person maximum. 405 00:24:40,258 --> 00:24:42,498 Other colleges roughly the same size 406 00:24:42,498 --> 00:24:45,942 as UNF currently provide on average 407 00:24:46,511 --> 00:24:48,684 $100,000 in startup funds. 408 00:24:50,489 --> 00:24:54,401 Working around these limitations as required resourcefulness, 409 00:24:55,605 --> 00:24:56,541 Jay Geithner 410 00:24:56,541 --> 00:25:00,621 was able to establish a productive research program 411 00:25:01,156 --> 00:25:03,897 involving undergraduate students, 412 00:25:03,897 --> 00:25:06,104 published papers in peer reviewed journals 413 00:25:06,806 --> 00:25:10,551 and secured grants from the National Institutes of Health 414 00:25:11,120 --> 00:25:13,159 to promote his research. 415 00:25:13,159 --> 00:25:16,169 But the secret of his success was his early training 416 00:25:16,536 --> 00:25:19,312 in electronics as an engineer. 417 00:25:19,312 --> 00:25:24,327 He had special skills and was able to build his own research instruments. 418 00:25:24,327 --> 00:25:29,643 That resourceful tradition has continued among our new hires. 419 00:25:30,747 --> 00:25:33,254 Tom Pekarek, for example, 420 00:25:33,622 --> 00:25:37,066 brought his own scientific instruments from Purdue. 421 00:25:37,066 --> 00:25:40,945 He established a well-funded research program at UNF. 422 00:25:40,945 --> 00:25:41,680 In the 423 00:25:42,951 --> 00:25:46,729 same way, it is the same resourcefulness that motivated 424 00:25:47,298 --> 00:25:49,672 another young faculty member, Stuart Jörg, 425 00:25:50,407 --> 00:25:53,015 to seek the first ever patent for UNF. 426 00:25:54,721 --> 00:25:56,025 A second happened 427 00:25:56,025 --> 00:25:58,098 this time by Jay Hebner is pending. 428 00:25:59,368 --> 00:26:02,010 Still, the lack of infrastructure 429 00:26:02,143 --> 00:26:06,089 and resources for scientific research is a serious problem. 430 00:26:07,861 --> 00:26:08,530 In addition to 431 00:26:08,530 --> 00:26:11,773 resourcefulness, a great degree of persistence 432 00:26:12,509 --> 00:26:15,685 more than you can imagine, is also needed 433 00:26:15,953 --> 00:26:18,928 to complete publishable experimental projects. 434 00:26:20,400 --> 00:26:24,445 Undergraduate students do not stay as long as graduate students, 435 00:26:25,482 --> 00:26:27,221 and therefore 436 00:26:27,488 --> 00:26:29,327 our projects take longer 437 00:26:29,327 --> 00:26:32,403 periods of time to complete. 438 00:26:32,403 --> 00:26:34,075 Successive sets of students 439 00:26:34,075 --> 00:26:37,486 have to be trained to complete the projects. 440 00:26:37,486 --> 00:26:41,799 A project I started in the mid-eighties 441 00:26:42,300 --> 00:26:45,310 was completed and published in 1998 442 00:26:45,912 --> 00:26:49,824 with four undergraduate students as co-authers. 443 00:26:49,824 --> 00:26:54,371 One of these students is currently a lab instructor in chemistry at UNF 444 00:26:54,872 --> 00:26:57,915 and very possibly the best one we have. 445 00:26:59,988 --> 00:27:03,365 This project provided an experimental evidence 446 00:27:03,900 --> 00:27:09,049 for a mechanism proposed by Nobel Laureate Eigen in 1960 447 00:27:09,350 --> 00:27:12,493 about proton transfers in chemical reactions. 448 00:27:12,928 --> 00:27:16,238 Sorry for the technicality there. 449 00:27:16,940 --> 00:27:20,150 The paper was published in the Journal of Organic Chemistry. 450 00:27:20,150 --> 00:27:24,430 In the same vein, my colleague Bob [inaudible] 451 00:27:24,430 --> 00:27:30,282 at work for four years to complete the project and published in the Journal 452 00:27:30,282 --> 00:27:35,029 of the American Chemical Society, the Premiere Journal in all of Chemistry. 453 00:27:35,029 --> 00:27:40,981 He to had to train the successive students to complete this project. 454 00:27:41,917 --> 00:27:44,325 This paper is just published this week. 455 00:27:45,930 --> 00:27:49,541 Sometimes faculty have modified the research projects 456 00:27:49,541 --> 00:27:52,517 to utilize the instruments available at UNF. 457 00:27:53,720 --> 00:27:55,961 This is what I did in the 1990s 458 00:27:56,596 --> 00:27:58,903 when the department brought bought 459 00:27:59,338 --> 00:28:03,216 a nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer, NMR 460 00:28:04,119 --> 00:28:06,192 used as an acronym for that 461 00:28:06,627 --> 00:28:09,402 for instructional purposes. 462 00:28:09,402 --> 00:28:11,442 Magnetic resonance imaging 463 00:28:11,442 --> 00:28:14,284 is used by doctors for diagnostic purposes 464 00:28:14,852 --> 00:28:18,229 and works on the same principle as the NMR's spectrometer. 465 00:28:19,333 --> 00:28:21,272 Both the NMR spectrometer 466 00:28:21,272 --> 00:28:25,953 and the Mac and magnetic resonance imaging instruments use radio waves, 467 00:28:26,455 --> 00:28:28,862 not nuclear radiation, 468 00:28:29,330 --> 00:28:31,971 along with powerful magnets. 469 00:28:31,971 --> 00:28:34,680 Recognizing the opportunity for later research, 470 00:28:35,382 --> 00:28:37,856 I designed an undergraduate research project 471 00:28:38,358 --> 00:28:41,133 utilizing the new instrument. 472 00:28:41,401 --> 00:28:43,440 With the advent of personal computers 473 00:28:43,440 --> 00:28:47,954 and fax machines, complicated information could be exchanged 474 00:28:47,954 --> 00:28:51,900 rapidly, with colleagues at other institutions. 475 00:28:51,900 --> 00:28:55,176 Collaborating with scientists at other universities 476 00:28:56,012 --> 00:28:58,186 has enabled UNF science faculty 477 00:28:58,854 --> 00:29:02,064 to adapt to advance the research agendas. 478 00:29:02,064 --> 00:29:05,508 In my own case, such collaboration 479 00:29:06,077 --> 00:29:11,059 with a colleague at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City, 480 00:29:11,059 --> 00:29:13,901 has resulted in a dozen publications 481 00:29:14,235 --> 00:29:18,916 in the last ten years from the NMR project and has involved 482 00:29:18,916 --> 00:29:23,898 a number of undergraduate students at UNF in serious scientific research. 483 00:29:25,637 --> 00:29:26,774 Our NMR project 484 00:29:26,774 --> 00:29:30,284 essentially showed how the NMR instrument can be used 485 00:29:30,953 --> 00:29:34,832 as an analytical tool to determine the amount 486 00:29:34,832 --> 00:29:38,677 of real drug molecules in a mixture containing the drug 487 00:29:39,078 --> 00:29:41,853 and other structurally similar but 488 00:29:41,853 --> 00:29:44,662 pharmacologically inactive compounds. 489 00:29:45,699 --> 00:29:49,377 Pharmaceutical companies donated the experimental drug molecules 490 00:29:49,677 --> 00:29:51,450 for this project. 491 00:29:51,550 --> 00:29:54,091 Students involved in this project actually determined 492 00:29:54,091 --> 00:29:57,301 the NMR characteristics of these drug molecules 493 00:29:57,736 --> 00:30:01,180 and applied them to the NMR concept they learned in the classroom. 494 00:30:02,651 --> 00:30:04,289 This work also enabled me 495 00:30:04,289 --> 00:30:07,232 to provide good examples from my own research 496 00:30:07,867 --> 00:30:10,508 when I discussed NMR concepts in the classroom. 497 00:30:13,283 --> 00:30:14,989 The arrival of Mayo Clinic, 498 00:30:14,989 --> 00:30:18,934 Jacksonville, located so close to our campus, raised 499 00:30:18,934 --> 00:30:24,919 the possibility of expanding the number of collaborative research projects. 500 00:30:24,919 --> 00:30:30,470 Because I hold a visiting science scientist position at the Mayo Clinic, 501 00:30:30,971 --> 00:30:34,482 I've been able to work in Professor Terrone Rosenberry's lab. 502 00:30:35,719 --> 00:30:36,890 Professor Rosenberry 503 00:30:36,890 --> 00:30:41,504 is a leading expert on the chemistry of acetylcholinesterase, 504 00:30:41,905 --> 00:30:45,616 an enzyme that plays a key role in nerve impulses. 505 00:30:46,553 --> 00:30:51,334 My own project at Mayo involves studying interaction of this enzyme 506 00:30:51,769 --> 00:30:55,179 with rivastigmine, a drug used to relieve 507 00:30:55,514 --> 00:30:58,255 early symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. 508 00:30:59,292 --> 00:31:02,301 In addition, and this is very important 509 00:31:02,535 --> 00:31:04,809 for a teaching institution like UNF, 510 00:31:05,411 --> 00:31:08,855 I been able to involve my students in the research at Mayo, 511 00:31:09,423 --> 00:31:13,268 where they had been able to use the state of the art instruments. 512 00:31:14,940 --> 00:31:16,612 UNF is a different school 513 00:31:16,612 --> 00:31:18,651 than the one I joined in 1980. 514 00:31:19,688 --> 00:31:22,196 Our class sizes have become much larger 515 00:31:23,232 --> 00:31:25,941 than a class grows from 25 to 100 students. 516 00:31:26,944 --> 00:31:29,986 The workload of the faculty member increases tremendously. 517 00:31:31,056 --> 00:31:34,333 And yet we teach the same number of courses every semester. 518 00:31:35,570 --> 00:31:38,212 The additional time that goes into preparation, 519 00:31:38,847 --> 00:31:41,622 grading examinations and other rewards 520 00:31:42,191 --> 00:31:44,999 cuts into the faculty research time. 521 00:31:44,999 --> 00:31:49,279 Graders can be hired to do some of this work, but not all of it. 522 00:31:50,148 --> 00:31:52,823 And despite our resourcefulness, 523 00:31:53,325 --> 00:31:57,137 research productivity is again in danger of being curtailed. 524 00:31:57,839 --> 00:32:01,249 This is true for all faculty, not only for science faculty. 525 00:32:02,119 --> 00:32:05,061 This problem needs to be addressed before too long. 526 00:32:06,532 --> 00:32:08,739 Another problem is a space crunch, 527 00:32:09,742 --> 00:32:13,520 which is tied to the rapid enrollment growth of the 1990s. 528 00:32:14,724 --> 00:32:19,305 While we are able to add faculty lines, we suffer further strain 529 00:32:19,639 --> 00:32:23,484 on our infrastructure, particularly in terms of physical space. 530 00:32:24,621 --> 00:32:27,664 The lack of research lab space has been a real problem, 531 00:32:28,132 --> 00:32:32,847 sometimes even preventing us from hiring top notch faculty. 532 00:32:34,017 --> 00:32:36,826 We expect the new science and engineering building 533 00:32:37,294 --> 00:32:39,300 will alleviate the space problem. 534 00:32:40,336 --> 00:32:40,771 This new 535 00:32:40,771 --> 00:32:44,516 building will have approximately 40,000 square feet 536 00:32:44,917 --> 00:32:47,325 for UNF's chemistry and physics programs. 537 00:32:49,331 --> 00:32:53,142 Starting in the mid 1990s, the UNF administration. 538 00:32:53,644 --> 00:32:56,787 David, I want you to take note of this. 539 00:32:56,787 --> 00:33:00,766 The UNF administration showed a genuine commitment 540 00:33:00,933 --> 00:33:04,243 to improving science programs and science facilities. 541 00:33:05,180 --> 00:33:09,392 Tthe availability of annual travel and instrumentation funds 542 00:33:09,994 --> 00:33:12,803 along with faculty, some research awards, 543 00:33:12,803 --> 00:33:15,411 some research stipends for science students, 544 00:33:15,913 --> 00:33:18,119 a new environmental lab facilities 545 00:33:18,454 --> 00:33:20,794 and the Golf Management Learning Center. 546 00:33:21,363 --> 00:33:24,907 All have the science faculty. 547 00:33:25,074 --> 00:33:27,381 Let me raise an important and important. 548 00:33:28,083 --> 00:33:30,691 Let me raise a question that is often asked 549 00:33:31,460 --> 00:33:35,573 Is research important at a teaching institution like UNF? 550 00:33:36,342 --> 00:33:37,813 I think it is. 551 00:33:37,813 --> 00:33:43,096 Teaching, particularly at the college level and research go hand in hand. 552 00:33:43,096 --> 00:33:47,911 In science, research is a natural extension of the skills 553 00:33:47,911 --> 00:33:51,422 students learn in the classroom, and the laboratory. 554 00:33:51,422 --> 00:33:54,732 Faculty are obligated to involve themselves 555 00:33:55,100 --> 00:33:59,179 and their students in research as part of the continuing education. 556 00:34:00,115 --> 00:34:04,462 I believe that being involved in research makes me a better teacher. 557 00:34:05,465 --> 00:34:07,939 UNF's primary mission for the foreseeable 558 00:34:07,939 --> 00:34:10,915 future will be excellent undergraduate teaching, 559 00:34:11,785 --> 00:34:15,496 but research is essential to enhance one's teaching skills. 560 00:34:16,332 --> 00:34:20,578 Fostering, teaching and research requires that we hire faculty 561 00:34:20,946 --> 00:34:23,420 that are great potential for excellent teaching 562 00:34:23,755 --> 00:34:27,299 and have a deep commitment in their hearts to do research. 563 00:34:28,102 --> 00:34:31,010 We must also provide them the necessary facilities, 564 00:34:31,378 --> 00:34:35,056 startup funds and encouragement to guarantee their success. 565 00:34:37,330 --> 00:34:39,971 Where do the sciences at UNF go from here? 566 00:34:40,941 --> 00:34:45,020 I have seen us grow from offering a single combined B.A. 567 00:34:45,020 --> 00:34:49,601 degree in natural sciences to offering multiple degrees in sciences. 568 00:34:50,604 --> 00:34:54,550 Soon we'll be graduating Masters Students in biology. 569 00:34:55,419 --> 00:34:58,261 The natural extension is perhaps to offer 570 00:34:58,829 --> 00:35:02,976 master's degrees in fields that combine different disciplines. 571 00:35:03,912 --> 00:35:07,556 A master's degree in the chemistry and physics of materials 572 00:35:07,991 --> 00:35:12,137 combines chemistry, physics and possibly electrical engineering. 573 00:35:12,137 --> 00:35:17,219 A master's degree in molecular biology combines chemistry and biology. 574 00:35:18,289 --> 00:35:21,031 Master's degrees and science disciplines are becoming 575 00:35:21,366 --> 00:35:25,612 more and more popular as industries like to hire master 576 00:35:25,612 --> 00:35:29,959 level students rather than Bachelor or Ph.D., those students. 577 00:35:29,959 --> 00:35:35,409 With the engineering and science programs moving to the same facility, more 578 00:35:35,409 --> 00:35:38,084 and more interactions between the various disciplines 579 00:35:38,518 --> 00:35:41,360 will be a natural evolution. 580 00:35:41,360 --> 00:35:46,175 Finally, I've enjoyed my tenure at UNF for the most part. 581 00:35:46,175 --> 00:35:50,455 I thank my students for contributing to my research productivity, 582 00:35:51,024 --> 00:35:53,632 and I thank my colleagues for the support 583 00:35:53,632 --> 00:35:57,945 they've giving me over the last 22 years, and I thank you for your attention. 584 00:35:57,945 --> 00:35:58,680 [audience clapping.] 585 00:36:33,320 --> 00:36:35,962 Thank you, Venkat, and 586 00:36:35,962 --> 00:36:38,202 the others that have received 587 00:36:38,202 --> 00:36:42,449 recognition today are models of of what we value at UNF 588 00:36:42,449 --> 00:36:47,966 and please join me in congratulating the whole group again. 589 00:36:47,966 --> 00:36:52,814 [audience clapping]. 590 00:36:52,814 --> 00:36:56,860 I want to thank you all for attending 591 00:36:57,361 --> 00:37:00,237 and celebrating the success of your colleagues. 592 00:37:01,106 --> 00:37:05,453 Every one of you are most welcome to a picnic on the lawn right now. 593 00:37:06,289 --> 00:37:06,824 Thank you all.