May 23, 2008

Appointments, honors and activities

— Gary Bertoline, assistant dean for graduate studies in the College of Technology, has been promoted to associate dean for graduate programs and research in the College of Technology, effective July 1. Bertoline will assume the research dean duties from Melissa Dark, who will be involved in the Study in a Second Discipline project in 2008-09.

—  Christian Reiner has been appointed the campus director of assessment in the Office of the Provost. Reiner was previously with the Purdue Center for Instructional Excellence as an assessment and evaluation specialist as well as an instructional specialist. He did his graduate work at Brigham Young University and has worked for the center since 2002. Prior to taking the position with the Office of the Provost, Reiner was consulting across campus with colleges and academic units regarding their learning outcomes and learning outcomes assessment.

— Laura Edwards will begin duties as director of development for mechanical engineering effective June 17. Edwards, who holds a bachelor's degree in history, most recently worked as director of development for WBAA public radio at Purdue.

— Kyle Bymaster is the new director of development for the College of Agriculture. Bymaster previously served as the director of development for student services and as associate director of annual giving.

— Lauren Hale is the new director of corporate development. Hale earned a bachelor's degree in communications from Purdue and worked previously with the Lafayette-West Lafayette Chamber of Commerce and Development.

— Rebecca Fry will begin duties as director of development for engineering education on June 2. Fry previously served as executive director of the Colorado 4-H Foundation at Colorado State University. She was an associate director of development research services at Purdue prior to that. Fry, originally from Terre Haute, Ind., earned her bachelor's degree from Purdue in 1994.

— Garet Turner will begin duties as the director of development for the President's Council on June 2. Turner, a recent graduate of Purdue, has interned in the development office during the past two years.

Campus activities:

— Salt and Light Christian Fellowship, a student organization, is sponsoring a charity coed volleyball and Ultimate Frisbee tournament June 21 to support Trinity Mission, a regional nonprofit center that helps people with issues including drug and alcohol dependency. Registration will run from 8:10-8:30 a.m. at Third Street and McCormick Road in West Lafayette. The volleyball tournament will be split into two skill levels, intermediate and competitive. Participants can sign up as a team of four to six people or register as an individual and be assigned to a team the day of the tournament. Teams must contain an equal number of men and women. People interested in Ultimate Frisbee can register as teams of two to four people or as individuals. The cost is $5 per player. For information, contact faculty adviser Allan Schinckel at (765) 494-4836 or visit https://web.ics.purdue.edu/~aschinck/Project1/index.html 

Faculty and staff honors:

— A Purdue serious gaming team won first place in the "Educational Contribution to Technology – Department/Program/Team" category at the TechPoint Mira Awards held May 16 in Indianapolis. The team was led by Gary Bertoline, assistant dean for graduate studies in the College of Technology, co-director of the Envision Center and a distinguished professor of computer graphics technology; Christopher Hoffman, a professor of computer science; and Beverly Davenport Sypher, associate provost for special initiatives. The awards recognize those who have made outstanding contributions to technology in Indiana.

Student honors:

— Vukica Jovanovic, a graduate student in mechanical engineering technology, received a full fellowship from the National Center for Telecommunications Technologies to attend the SAME-TEC Advanced Technological Education Conference in Austin, Texas, from July 28-31. The National Science Foundation-funded fellowship includes registration for the conference, registration for up to two days of preconference workshops and lodging. The fellowship is valued at more than $1,400.

— Soungjin Wou, a Purdue graduate student, has been awarded the 2008 Indy 500 Louis Schwitzer Engineering Excellence Award for developing the Bishop Variable Ratio Rack and Pinion steering system. Wou, a Bishop Steering Technology Research engineer, is currently working on his doctorate degree in mechanical engineering. The Indiana section of SAE International will give a $10,000 award to Wou and a $1,000 scholarship to the Purdue's School of Mechanical Engineering.

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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