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TO THE FINISH: Barb Figurski, an assistant
director at the Rec/IM, finishes strong at the
Whirlpool Steelhead Half Ironman Aug. 5 in
Benton Harbor. By virtue of her finish in her age
division, Figurski qualified for the Half Ironman
World Championships in Clearwater, Fla., Nov. 11. |
Barb Figurski,
an assistant director at the Rec/IM, recently qualified
for the Half Ironman 70.3 Series World Championships, scheduled
Nov. 11 at Clearwater, Fla. Figurski qualified after finishing
20th of 80 in the women's 35-39 age division at the Whirlpool
Steelhead 70.3 Series Half Ironman Aug. 5 in Benton Harbor.
Through the roll-down process of athletes declaring to
compete at Worlds, Figurski earned a slot. She completed
the half-marathon — 1.2-mile swim, 56 miles on the
bike and a 13.1-mile run — in 5 hours, 30 minutes
and 50 seconds. Her goal is to run a similar time due to
a more challenging course at the World Championships.
Lolita Cummings
Hendrix,
professor of English language and literature, has co-authored
a story that will appear in the 2006 edition of "Chicken
Soup for the African American Woman's Soul." The story,
entitled "The
Wisdom of Motherhood," was co-written
with her daughter, Briana.
Janae Reneaud,
an EMU graduate student, was awarded a one-year fellowship
to work on projects common to MAC's Greater Detroit American
Heritage River Initiative and the Detroit River International
Wildlife Refuge. Reneaud's fellowship responsibilities
will include working with partners to develop a bird-driving
tour for the refuge, coordinating volunteers to build a
wildlife observation deck at the refuge's Humbug March,
and helping further a regional ecotourism or nature tourism
strategy.
This is a unique fellowship opportunity because it gives
a student an opportunity to work on North America's only
International Heritage System and only International Wildlife
Refuge.
"Eastern is very proud that one of its graduate students
has been selected for this prestigious fellowship," said
EMU President John Fallon. "This is an excellent example
of our commitment to educational excellence and our commitment
beyond the campus boundaries to the wider community through
service initiatives and partnerships."
Antonio Saranillo,
an undergraduate student in EMU's Polymer and Coatings
Technology program, was recently named the winner of the
A.L. Hendry Award Competition for his paper, "Film Formation
Process Monitoring of Coatings by Adaptive Speckle Imaging
Interferometry." Saranillo receives a $1,000 cash award
and round-trip coach airfare/hotel expenses to attend the
FSCT FutureCoat! and International Coatings Expo in New
Orleans Nov. 1-3. He will present his paper Nov. 2.
The competition, sponsored by the Southern Society of
Coatings Technology, commemorates the industry contributions
of the late Alfred L. Hendry, president of the A.L. Hendry
Co. in Tampa, Fla., and past president of the Southern
Society of Coatings Technology.
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Rufe |
Philip Rufe,
an instructor in EMU's School of Engineering Technology
and who is part of EMU Center for Product Research and
Development, was part of a Detroit Free Press story about
Janet Brown-Smith. Brown-Smith was cutting hair when she
asked Rufe about an idea she had for a pet exercise toy.
Rufe helped her design the toy and it soon will be featured
on QVC. That was just the beginning of what is now known
as the Chase-It. The toy consists of a heavy-duty stuffed
animal that hangs from a strong nylon rope attached to
a 4-foot-long flexible rod. The person using Chase-It can
be seated, so people with limited mobility can play with
their dogs.
A study by Mansoor
Moaddel, professor of sociology, was
part of a column in The Washington Post. The study cited
states that an overwhelming majority of Iraqis wouldn't
want an American to move in next door to them even though
they are becoming increasingly secular.
Nine in 10 Iraqis questioned said they would not want an
American as a neighbor, up slightly from 87 percent in
a 2004 survey.
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Beard |
Betty Beard,
professor of nursing education, presented her abstract, "Outcome
of Community-Based Orphan Care Programs in Malawi," at
the XVI International Conference of HIV/AIDS Aug. 14-18
in Toronto, Ontario.
Marilyn Wedenoja,
professor of social work, was featured in the July issue
of "Network News," a publication from the Washtenaw
Community Health Organization. Wedenoja conducted a workshop
in May that dealt with person-centered planning (PCP).
The PCP process teaches families, friends and professionals
how to help mentally-ill persons become more proactive
in creating a life. Michigan was the first state in the
country to require the PCP process for persons with severe
and persistent mental illness, and who receive services
in the public mental health system.
