Florida Institute of Technology

MELBOURNE, FLA.—See the video and read the text about Bob Taylor’s views on political messages on the Internet at http://realtime.vmsinfo.com/guest?key=RoDhV%2Bf%2Bl5ogcKWujW9z1pVtqvphKgQI%0A&permissions=Se4YReDgSC4%3D%0A

MELBOURNE, FLA.—"19th century Costume History: Critical Approaches to Humanities and Social Sciences,” a fall Florida Tech seminar course, is open to the community. 

The course will take participants through 19th century fashion, culture and history. Topics will include the history of the empire style, court dress, the Parisian influence, romantic period, crinoline bustle craze and the women’s suffrage movement. The virtues and value of clothing will take on new meaning with a look at actual historic costumes, lectures and fun class discussions and projects. 

Instructor Cressie Murphy-David was educated in the United States fashion capital. She has a bachelor of fine arts degree from the New School of Social Research in New York City, a certificate in fashion design from Parsons School of Design and a master’s degree in costume studies from New York University. She was an intern at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute for two years and has taught in the textile department at the University of Rhode Island. Murphy-David has also been curator for the Historical Society of Rockland County, N.Y. 

The course meets Mondays and Wednesdays, from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m., starting Aug. 18, on campus. Classes will be held in the Crawford Building, Room 610. The audit tuition rate is $375. To register, call the Department of Humanities and Communication at (321) 674-8082.

MELBOURNE, FLA.—Heidi Hatfield Edwards, Florida Tech associate professor of humanities and communication, was selected to the 2008-2009 Journalism and Mass Communication Leadership Institute for Diversity (JLID). Only nine professors nationwide will be part of this annual program, which is funded by the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation. 

The experience, which starts with a December meeting in Louisville, Ky., includes three days of workshops covering a variety of administrative issues, a mentor program and resource networking. The JLID was created to provide training and mentoring for people of color and women interested in becoming deans, directors or chairs in the field of journalism and mass communication. 

Prior to joining the Florida Tech faculty, Edwards taught public relations at Pennsylvania State University. She is experienced in communication, public relations and marketing, and has worked in television, radio and print media. She earned a doctoral degree in mass communication from the University of Georgia in 2002. 

The JLID award is made by the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. Founded in Chicago in 1912, the organization is a non-profit, educational association of journalism and mass communication faculty, administrators, students and media professionals.

MELBOURNE, FLA.—By popular demand, Florida Tech’s Funk Textiles Gallery will extend its current exhibit, “The Art of Fashion,” to July 3. The gallery is in Room 405 of the Crawford Building, which is the tallest building at Florida Tech, located on University Boulevard. Admission is free. 

The exhibit features clothing, textiles and artifacts. These include whimsical creations inspired by the wearable art movement, jewelry by the gallery’s namesake, Ruth Funk, and coats by Washington state weaver Anita Luvera Mayer. 

The gallery is open Monday through Friday 9-11:30 a.m. and 1-5 p.m. For more information, contact the Department of Humanities at (321) 674-8073.

MELBOURNE, FLA.—Three Florida Institute of Technology faculty members earned the university’s 2008 Faculty Excellence Awards for outstanding performance. They are Lisa K. Perdigao, assistant professor of humanities and communication, Kerry Bruce Clark Award for Excellence in Teaching; Michael S. Grace associate professor of biological sciences, Andrew W. Revay Jr. Award for Excellence in Service; and Virender K. Sharma, professor of chemistry, Award for Excellence in Research. 

Perdigao has been a Florida Tech faculty member for four years. Previously, she taught at Boston College, Northeastern University and Merrimack College. While at Florida Tech she has developed successful models for composition, literature and cultural studies and has supported students on senior capstone projects, independent studies on globalization and thesis defenses. The more unusual courses she has taught include Fantasy Literature, Latin American Literature, John Irving and Postmodernism, Adolescent Literature and Literary Theory. 

Recommendations for the teaching award include one from former student Bayly White. She said, “Dr. Perdigao can easily be described as one who is extremely motivated, driven and dedicated toward the success of her students. She embraces each student’s individuality and unique potential while maintaining high expectations for her entire class.” Perdigao earned a doctoral degree at Northeastern University and master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Boston College. 

Grace is director of Florida Tech’s High Resolution Microscopy and Imaging Center, which he developed. It includes state-of-the-art electron microscopes, a laser-scanning confocal microscope and other research instruments, obtained through grants and contracts valued at nearly $3 million. 

He is also faculty adviser to Florida Tech’s Sigma Psi chapter of Tri-Beta, the biological sciences honor society. The chapter regularly wins top awards at regional and national conferences. Grace organized and hosted the last Tri-Beta national convention. 

A strong proponent of public outreach, he frequently lectures to school groups, and to audiences at zoos, science centers and designated natural environments. He is a member of the Brevard Zoo conservation committee and organizes the zoo’s annual Reptile Weekend. He is a judge for regional science fairs, a coach for Odyssey of the Mind and an adviser to the nature club at Educational Horizons Charter School.
Grace earned doctoral and master’s degrees at the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta and a bachelor’s degree from Georgia Tech in applied biology. 

Sharma’s research is on the chemistry and application of ferrates in water and wastewater treatment. Active in developing innovative and cost-effective methods for reducing the level of contaminants in the aquatic and coastal environments, he has published more than 100 peer-reviewed journal articles. Considered an expert, he has been invited to give seminars on this topic at many prestigious institutions around the world. His studies have earned him research grants from the National Science Foundation, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, and North Atlantic Treaty Organization, among others. He has succeeded in receiving external funds of more than $1 million for his research. 

Sharma earned a doctoral degree from the University of Miami, a master’s degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, and another master’s and bachelor’s degree from the University of Delhi, India. 

The three, selected by the Faculty Excellence Committee, were honored at Florida Tech’s Spring 2008 Honors Convocation in April. 

PHOTO: From left, Florida Tech Provost T. Dwayne McCay; Virender K. Sharma, professor of chemistry; Lisa K. Perdigao, assistant professor of humanities and communication; and Florida Tech President Anthony J. Catanese. Not pictured: Michael S. Grace, associate professor of biological sciences.

MELBOURNE, FLA.—Robert Taylor, Ph.D., Florida Institute of Technology head of the Department of Humanities and Communication, will speak at Barnes & Noble Booksellers, on Thursday, May 1, from 5 to 7 p.m. The event, an educator’s reception, will be at the store located at 1955 West New Haven Avenue in West Melbourne. 

Taylor will discuss his most recent book, Florida: An Illustrated History, and another of his seven books, Rebel Storehouse: Florida in the Confederacy. He will conduct a book signing following his presentation. Most of Taylor’s books are available online at www.barnesandnoble.com. 

One of Taylor’s books, Florida in the Civil War, earned him the 2002 Charlton Tebeau Award for the Best Book on Florida History. A Florida historian for nearly 25 years, he resides in Palm Bay.

MELBOURNE, FLA.—The public is invited to attend the much-anticipated start of construction on Florida Tech’s Ruth Funk Center for Textile Arts— groundbreaking ceremonies on April 25 at 1 p.m. The center, the only textiles museum in the state of Florida, will be situated adjacent to Evans Library in the heart of campus. It is expected to open in 2009. 

Ruth Funk, artist, teacher, collector and philanthropist, has supported textile arts exhibits, symposia and curriculum on campus since 2004. It was her $1.25 million gift that provided the impetus to make the museum a reality. 

The two-story center will feature 3,000 square feet of exhibition space, 2,500 square feet of storage and work space, 700 square feet for a mezzanine library and 600 square feet for a lobby and grand stairway. Holeman Suman Architects Inc. of Melbourne designed the center. 

The center’s mission is to preserve and display an international collection of textiles through rotating public exhibitions and educational programs. Highlighting the collection are traditional handmade textiles, embroidery, garments and related accessories from many nations; European and North American embroidery, lace and samplers from the 17th through 20th centuries; and contemporary wearable art. 

For more information about the center and groundbreaking, contact Carla Funk at (321) 674-6129, cfunk@fit.edu.

MELBOURNE, FLA.—As part of Florida Tech’s Humanities Lecture Series, Florida Tech Trustee Edward Scott will present “The Challenge of Being Our Brother’s Keeper: Poverty and Disease in a Global Perspective” on April 10 at 7 p.m. The presentation will be in the Denius Student Center’s Hartley Room, second floor. 

Scott is co-founder of the Center for Global Development in Washington, D.C., a highly regarded think tank dedicated to reducing global poverty and inequality. Prior to a career in the high-technology industry, he was an executive in the U.S. government for 17 years. His two last assignments in this capacity were as deputy assistant attorney general and assistant secretary for administration in the Department of Transportation. 

He is also a co-founder, with Bill Gates and George Soros, of DATA (Debt AIDS Trade Africa). This advocacy organization is dedicated to building public and political awareness about development problems in Africa, most notably the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Scott also is the founder and chairman of Friends of the Global Fight. Assisted by the Gates Foundation, this organization provides support in the United States for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. 

The presentation is open and free to the public. For more information, call (321) 674-8082.

MELBOURNE, FLA.—In April Francophiles will once again crowd into Florida Tech’s Gleason Performing Arts Center for a showing of recent French films. The university won its third annual Tournées Festival Grant from the French American Cultural Exchange for a showcase of contemporary, critically acclaimed French cinema. Support from the Cultural Services of the French Embassy and the French Ministry of Culture also make the annual festival possible. 

Admission is free. Films will be shown in the original French language with English subtitles. This and all films will be followed by discussions led by Florida Tech humanities faculty. 

The festival begins Friday, April 11, with 8 Femmes (8 Women) at 7 p.m. 8 Femmes (2002), a murder-mystery musical, is a spoof of 1950s melodramas featuring star turns by three generations of France’s finest actresses. Among these icons are Fanny Ardant, Emmanuele Béart, Danielle Darrieux, Catherine Deneuve and Isabelle Huppert. Gathered for the holidays in a snowbound mansion, family members discover the man of the house murdered in his bed. Clearly the murderer is among them, but who is it? The film won a Best Actress Award for the ensemble cast at the European Film Awards. 

Screenings will continue on Wednesday, April 16, at 7 p.m. with Indigénes (Days of Glory). This drama-historical film of 2007 shows a little-known side to the 1944-’45 liberation of Italy; Provence; the Alps; Rhone Valley; and Vosges, Alsace. About 150,000
recruits from Africa fought to liberate France, a country they had never seen before. Days of Glory relates this forgotten story through four of these courageous men. The film took Best Screenplay, Lumiére Awards; Best Writing, César Awards; and Best Actor for male ensemble cast at the Cannes Film Festival. 

The drama Gabrielle will show on Sunday, April 20, at 4 p.m. Based on Joseph Conrad’s classic novel, The Return, Gabrielle tells the story of the stormy breakup of a wealthy, socially prominent couple’s loveless marriage during La Belle Epoch, from the husband’s and wife’s point of view. Starring Isabelle Huppert and Pascal Greggory, the 2006 film took César Awards for Best Costume Design and Best Production Design, and a Best Actress Lumiére Award for Huppert. 

Next up is Fauteuil d’Orchestre (Avenue Montaigne) on Friday, April 25 at 7 p.m. In this 2006 comedy, the naïve and beautiful Jessica, from provincial France, finds a job at a café in one of the wealthy sections of Paris. She becomes intertwined in the lives and personal dramas of her rich and famous customers, which emphasizes the social and financial gap between her and the patrons. But, because of her innocence, she forges a rewarding and profound link with them. The film won a Best Supporting Actress César Award. 

The festival finale on April 30, at 7 p.m., is L’Ivresse du Pouvoir (Comedy of Power), a drama directed by Claude Chabrol. Starring Isabelle Huppert, who plays a magistrate, or lawyer, preparing for a major court case, the film asks the questions, “Until what point can one continue to become more powerful without clashing with a power greater than one’s own?” and “Until when can human nature resist the intoxication of power?” The film was inspired by the Elf Aquitane scandal that rocked France in the 1990s. At the time, the scandal exposed extensive corruption in France’s giant state-owned gas company. 

Carla Funk, director of the Fine Arts Program, Florida Tech Department of Humanities and Communication, and Gordon Patterson, professor of humanities, successfully applied for the grant, which pays for rental fees and rights to screen the films. For more information, contact Funk at (321) 674-6129. Bienvenu!

MELBOURNE, FLA.—Longtime faculty member in Florida Tech’s Department of Humanities and Communication, Robert Shearer, Ph.D., has self-published the novel, “The Beethoven Years.” The work of fiction is about a schizophrenic street person to whom God speaks in musical code through electrical outlets, and who is visited by a Martian who lectures him on music and French grammar, among other subjects. The man takes himself to be Beethoven, suffering the delusion of having found his “Immortal Beloved” when he falls in love with the wife in the couple who run the halfway house where he stays. 

The book, said Shearer, “is philosophical, theological, blasphemous, reverent, irreverent, bawdy, erudite and, in places, creatively obscene.” He adds that the work “manifests a wide-ranging postmodern aesthetic, with the rants and ravings of the mentally ill.” Because of that, he said he heeded the advice given to an apparently mad Hamlet to put his “discourse into some frame,” and provided a plot involving a supposed letter of Beethoven’s. 

Additionally, he describes the book as offering a discussion of the conflict between 19th Century compositional practices and the 20th century’s embrace of atonality and unresolved dissonance. “But not presented in a dry and academic manner.” 

Shearer chose self-publishing after undergoing the travails of attempting to publish traditionally as an unknown novelist. “I decided to go with self-publishing and send copies to critics in the hope that a decent review would take the novel beyond my initial endeavor. I’ve attempted an art novel, what I think is best described as poetry with a plot. Just having it out there is enough.” 

The book was published through iUniverse Inc. and Barnes and Noble. For more information iUniverse can be reached at 1-800-288-4677 or at iUniverse.com, and Barnes and Noble can be accessed at barnesandnoble.com.