Women and Minority Artists and Scholars Lecture Series Grants announced

Recipients of the 2004-05 Women and Minority Artists and Scholars Lecture Series Grants, which provide funding of up to $500 to supplement departmental or college funds in support of selected events and visits, have been announced by the Office of the Provost at Virginia Tech.

"The grant program was established to increase the diversity of perspectives and creative expression available on campus and to increase the number of women and minority role models for our students," said Patricia B. Hyer, associate provost for academic affairs.

Recipients of the grants, speakers, topics, and scheduled presentations include the following:

==> Susan Daniels, member of Amnesty International, Argentina Autonomista Fall Tour: Movements for Social Change in Argentina Today: The Central Role of Women, Nov. 17, 2004.

==> Zulia Mena, community organizer and first Afro-Colombian Congresswoman in Colombia, Impacts of Globalization on Communities of Color in Colombia (Latin America) and the New River Valley (Virginia), Oct. 4, 2004.

==> Linsey Marr, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech, for Debbie Niemeier, professor, University of California, Davis: Identifying Vehicles with High Tailpipe Emissions: Trying to Set Policy with Conflicting Science, Oct. 15, 2004.

==> Jesus M. de la Garza, professor of civil and environmental engineering in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech, for Patricia D. Galloway, ASCE national president and CEO of the Nielsen-Wurster Group: The Mission of the Civil Engineer in the Movement of Globalization, Oct. 15, 2004.

==> Michael Saffle, professor of interdisciplinary studies at Virginia Tech, for Inna Golovakha-Hicks, professor, Ukrainian Academy of Sciences, Kyiv, Ukraine: Death and the Life of Fairy Tales in Contemporary Ukrainian Mountain and Plains Villages, Oct. 29, 2004.

==> Bruce Goldstein, assistant professor of urban affairs and planning in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies at Virginia Tech, for Judy Layzer, assistant professor, MIT: Measuring the Effectiveness of Collaborative Ecosystem Management, Nov. 2004

==> Bevlee Watford, associate dean for academic affairs, Virginia Tech's College of Engineering, for Kristina Johnson, dean of engineering, Duke University: 1) Center for Interdisciplinary Engineering, 2) Starting Your Own Company, 3) The Path to Becoming a Dean, Nov. 11-12, 2004.

==> Chishamiso T. Rowley, assistant professor of sociology at in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Virginia Tech, for M. Scott Johnson, artist, Schomberg Center for Research in Black Culture: From the Pyramids to Mozambique: The Role of the Atavistic Imagination in an African Artistic Production, spring 2005.

==> Marie C. Paretti, assistant professor of engineering education at in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech, for Dorothy Winsor, professor, of English, Iowa State University: How Engineers Use Writing to Create Knowledge in the Work Place, spring 2005.

==> Tremayne O. Waller, Center for Enhancement of Engineering Diversity at Virginia Tech, for Jabbar R. Bennett, research specialist, Harvard Medial School's Office for Diversity and Community Partnership: Who Counts? Diversity in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), Feb. 20, 2005.

==> Fred D'Aguiar, professor of English and co-director of Creative Writing at Virginia Tech, for Diana Abu-Jaber, professor at Portland State University, author, and NPR commentator: Women and Islam, Feb. 24, 2005.

==> Mary Grace Campos, program coordinator for Virginia Tech's Women's Center; Mary Taylor, president, RYKA: Leading a Niche Business in the Corporate Sector, March 2005.

==> Bernice Hausman, associate professor of English in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Virginia Tech, for Farzaneh Milani, professor of Persian and women's studies, University of Virginia: Women and Modernity in Iran, March 2005.

==> Anne Margaret Baxley, assistant professor of philosophy in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Virginia Tech, for Karen Stohr, assistant professor of philosophy, Georgetown University: The Importance of Being Proper: Manners as a Manifestation of Practical Wisdom, April 8, 2005.

==> Terry W. Burcin, president of Virginia Tech's History Graduate Student Association, for Madeline Zilfi, associate professor, University of Maryland: Women in the Middle East, April 8, 2004.