Community News 16-39

Khateb wins poster award

The winner of the second Canadian College of Microbiologists Poster Award is Aiah Khateb with her abstract, “Replacing the Staphylococcal Protein A (spa) Gene Alters its Biological Characteristics, Behavior and Virulence in a High-Virulence Community-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) Strain USA3.
The award was presented to her by Marc Desjardins, President of CCM.

Erum Syed receives award

Erum Syed, the Chief Administrative Officer of the “Green Cluster” in the Division of Social Sciences at UC Davis, received the Dean’s Staff Accomplishment Award.  She  provides leadership and oversight for the administration of the business affairs of the Departments of Anthropology and Sociology. Working closely with the chairs of the departments and with colleagues in the DSS Dean’s Office, Syed executes policy and strategic direction of the Cluster.

Syed organizes, manages, and directs long-range and short-range plans in the areas of finance, academic and staff personnel, instruction, equipment/space administration, policy and procedure development and research.

New reflection center opens at UVU

Utah Valley University opened its new prayer/reflection center in a ceremony which was attended by local and national figures including noted interfaith activist Eboo Patel. The center has been in the planning process for 15 years by Brian Birch, director of the Center for the Study of Ethics and the Religious Studies Program. When UVU President Matthew Holland came to the campus five years ago, he also gave his support to the center as part of his inclusion initiative.

President Holland said the space reflects a commitment to inclusiveness and human spirituality, as well as a civic obligation.

“We have this space for our students to not only pray, meditate and have solace and contribute to their wellness, we also wanted a space that would contribute to dialogue, interaction and cooperative enterprises,” said Birch.

Alexis Palmer, senior director of community and continuing education, told a story of some Muslim students who previously had to pray in bathroom stalls.

“That’s unacceptable and I’m thrilled that we have a place now for our students to go to meditate, to reflect and to have prayer and experience their religious expression in a way that is appropriate for them,” said Palmer.

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