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East St. Louis Calendars and Events

The media machine that is alt.news 26:46, SIUC’s student-produced alternative TV news magazine, just keeps turning out winners.  The award-winning half-hour news program earned five regional Emmy Awards Saturday, Oct. 3, at the 2009 National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Mid-America Chapter Professional Emmy Awards.  The 33rd annual awards ceremony was at the Renaissance Grand St. Louis.  In March, the show earned its fourth national college Emmy in the last eight years when it received the award for best collegiate television magazine show in the nation.  Since 2001, the program has now earned 28 regional professional Emmys; 26 from NATAS’ Mid-America chapter in St. Louis, and two from the Chicago Midwest Chapter.  The Mid-America chapter is comprised of television markets primarily in Arkansas, Illinois and Missouri, and surrounding designated market areas, or DMAs, according to event organizers.

Another chapter in SIUC’s heralded aviation program will unfold Oct. 10 when an American Airlines MD-80 jet touches down at Southern Illinois Airport.  The annual SIUC-American Airlines Aviation Career Day will again bring former, current and potential future students together to showcase one of the nation’s premier programs.  Organizers expect to bring about 120 Chicago-area high school and community college students to campus.  Students will fly from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport to learn more about the aviation program and have the opportunity to talk with American Airlines personnel who are SIUC graduates.  This is the fifth consecutive year Chicago-area students are flying American Airlines to visit the University’s aviation program in the fall.  Aviation career days also take place each spring.

The SIUE School of Pharmacy has launched a new Web site: www.pharmacypainsummit.com.  The site was designed to encourage thought sharing and learning among practitioners in pain and palliative care pharmacy.  Structured as a blog with comment sections, the site enables ongoing discussion among those involved with and interested in health care, pain management, palliative care and related pharmacy topics.  Launched to coincide with the Strategic Planning Summit for the Advancement of Pain and Palliative Care Pharmacy, it will allow for further discussion following the summit, which took place early this month through the SIUE School of Pharmacy.

The SIUC debate team proved in the first two debates of the 2009-2010 season that success is here to stay.  The team bounded into this year’s season with a first place and a second place in national tournaments.  The first tournament of the year was at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Wash. Brandon Merrell, a junior dual major in political science and economics from Snohomish, Wash. and Michael Selck, a freshman from Blue Springs, Mo., majoring in speech communication, finished second, going undefeated until the final round.  The next debate tournament was at William Jewell College in Liberty, Mo.  The duo of Merrell and Kevin Calderwood of Chesterfield, Mo. went undefeated in the tournament.  SIUC finished first in the nation at the National Parliamentary Tournament of Excellence in the 2007-2008 season, and second in the nation for the 2008-2009 season.

A scholarship established to honor Mike Lawrence, the former director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at SIUC, will assist students in the institute’s “Student Ambassador Program.”  A fundraising reception and event is set for 6 to 9 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 27, at The Warehouse at 17th Street Barbecue in Murphysboro.  A brief program will begin at 7:30 p.m.  Lawrence retired as institute director in November.  The veteran newsman, press secretary and political analyst joined the institute in 1997 as associate director, and became director in 2004 following the death of founder and former U.S. Sen. Paul Simon.  Prior to joining SIUC, Lawrence was a press secretary and senior policy adviser to former Gov. Jim Edgar for more than six years.  He also was press secretary to Edgar for more than three years while Edgar was Illinois’ secretary of state.  Lawrence’s 25-year journalism career focused on Illinois state government and politics, and included a syndicated political column to more than 40 newspapers in Illinois.

Two SIUE students have made it possible for visitors of a popular Web site to choreograph tours of the Universe.  Software written by SIUE School of Engineering juniors Jarod Luebbert and Mark Sands gives nearly 250,000 users of Galaxy Zoo the chance to fly through Microsoft's WorldWide Telescope from galaxy to galaxy.  Galaxy Zoo invites anyone with an internet connection to help astronomers explore the Universe.  The site's visitors are asked to classify galaxies drawn from the robotic Sloan Digital Sky Survey, dividing those with beautiful spiral arms from the rest.  With more than 100 million classifications received to date, many users have built up stunning personal collections.  Microsoft Research's WorldWide Telescope (WWT) is an interactive virtual observatory that allows users to browse the results from some of the world's best telescopes, including the 1 million galaxies of the Sloan survey.  The WWT team identifies galaxies as elliptical and spiral.  Individuals have been able to use Galaxy Zoo to make these classifications.

“Déjà Vu: The Past is the Present” is the theme of the October observance of GLBT History Month at SIUC.  GLBT History Month explores the past, present and future of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people and their quest for acceptance and equal rights.  Film, guest speakers and presentations, a vigil, forums, panel discussions and much more are on the schedule with students, faculty, staff and the public welcome.  or more information about GLBT History Month or any of the other programs, call (618)453-5714 or visit the Web site at www.stddev.siu.edu.

Community college students who are interested in an environmental career still have the opportunity to take advantage of a special scholarship at SIUC.  The University still has two “green scholarships” available to qualified students.  The scholarships, which provide up to $9,000 a year for two years, target economically disadvantaged students who are finishing up their general studies at community college but cannot afford to complete a four-year education.  To qualify, students must meet financial guidelines, have at least a 3.0 GPA and plan to major in an environmentally related field.  SIUC is administering the four-year, $600,000 scholarship program with funds provided by the National Science Foundation.  For more information and to apply, go to http://www.green.siu.edu/.

A new book by SIUE Assistant Professor of Sociology Lisa Welch analyzes scholarly discussions about persistent poverty, social welfare policies and the efficacy of traditional theories of political economy.  What Welfare Reform Says About the United States of America: Values, Government Bureaucracy, and the Expansion of the Working Poor, Welch's publication, examines "work-first" Welfare-to-Work grants in a state that provides generous subsidies to low-income workers.  "The results of Prof. Welch's research make it quite clear that there are no easy policy solutions to this problem of integrating the underclass as there are deep structural factors behind its persistence...In short, the results of Prof. Welch's research suggest that it is only within such a political and theoretical framework that positive movement on the problem of the underclass will be realized," said Prof. Paget Henry from Brown University, one of the book's reviewers.  Welch is the graduate program director of the sociology program at SIUE.

Psychiatrists in Springfield at the SIU School of Medicine are the first in downstate Illinois to use a new non-invasive treatment device for treating depression.  Cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2008 for the treatment of major depressive disorders, transcranial magnetic stimulation therapy may help adults who have not had successful treatment results from anti-depressant medications.  The SIU School of Medicine’s mission is to assist the people of central and southern Illinois in meeting their health needs through education, service, research and community service.  The school has more than 220 full-time physicians as well as other medical professionals, offering both primary care and specialized treatment services.  For information, call SIU’s Call Center, (217)545-8000 or 1-800-342-5748.

The sixth-ranked SIUC Salukis host Illinois State in its 2009 Homecoming game Saturday, Oct. 10, at McAndrew Stadium.  Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.  Southern Illinois is seeking its ninth-straight Missouri Valley Football Conference victory and its eighth-consecutive win in its final Homecoming at McAndrew Stadium.  This is just the second afternoon game for the Salukis, as the past three have all kicked off at 6 p.m.  Last season the Dawgs had a 7-3 record in day games.  SIUC jumped up to No. 6 in both the Coaches and Sports Network Polls, which is its highest ranking since the final 2007 poll when the Salukis reached the Final Four.  After the Illinois State game, the Salukis play four of their last six games on the road.