Today's Stories:
RU Professor Develops Augmented Reality Curricula for Schools
Bethany Bodo Elected to Professional Development Organization
Family Weekend and Highlanders Festival Information
Environmental Lecture Series Begins Today; Geology Lecture Oct. 8
Banner Implementation Updates and eVA Information
RU Receives One of Three Voter Registration Grants in State
RUPD Publishes Annual Security Report
Highlander Sports Update
Alumni News: Criminal Justice Grad Publishes Article on Familial DNA
Kudos: Susan Woodward, Bernd Kuennecke and Richard Roth
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Today's Top News

RU Professor Develops Augmented Reality Curricula for Schools
The National Science Foundation has awarded Radford University School of Teacher Education and Leadership professor Matt Dunleavy a $500,000 grant to research "augmented reality" for use in K-12 learning.

Working with Harvard University, MIT and Hewlett Packard Labs, Dunleavey will use the three-year grant to support his work with this emerging technology that is akin to the multi-user virtual environments, or MUVEs, found in video games in which multiple players using different computers can compete in a virtual environment.

To learn more, see the RU News Release.

Campus News

Bethany Bodo Elected to Professional Development Organization
Bethany Bodo, director of Academic Assessment, was recently elected to the Southern Association for Institutional Research (SAIR) board as a member-at-large. SAIR is a professional development organization that is dedicated to advancing research to improve planning and operation of post-secondary institutions in the south.

Bodo has been at RU for more than six years. Prior to that, she served as the assistant director of assessment at Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. She has served on a number of SAIR conference committees, including as chair of the SAIR Conference Evaluation Committee. Newly elected SAIR officers will assume office during the upcoming 2008 conference in Nashville, Tenn.

Family Weekend and Highlanders Festival Information
This year's Family Weekend, set for Friday, Oct. 10 - Sunday, Oct. 12, provides families the opportunity to relax, have fun and enjoy spending time on campus with their RU student. Activities will include the president's opening reception, free admission to the RU Highlanders' volleyball match vs. UNC Asheville, a dance performance by RU's Department of Dance, a 5K run and the Beatrice Covington Walk for Cancer, and tours and presentations by RU students and faculty.

For those who want to add a Celtic-Appalachian flair to their weekend, the public is invited to the 13th annual Radford Highlanders Festival on Saturday, Oct. 11. The festival will include concerts by Seven Nations and Scythian, the Highlanders Festival Parade, and the ever-popular sheep dog herding demonstration.

For more information on Family Weekend, see the RU News Release or visit the Family Weekend website. To learn more about the Radford Highlanders Festival, including ticket information, visit the Festival's website or contact Bonnie Roberts Erickson at 540-831-5804 or broberts@radford.edu.

RU Environmental Lecture Series Begins Today;
Geology Lecture on October 8
Global warming, domestic and foreign energy sources and science's impact on today's world have taken center stage in this year's presidential election. RU's Environmental Lecture Series, which promises to enhance awareness of these issues, begins today with "Appalachian Elements: Preserving Land, Water, Air and Community for a Sustainable Mountain Future," and the opening of Gary Braasch's "Climate Change" photo exhibition at the Bondurant Center for the Arts, 1129 East Main St., Radford.

On Monday, Oct. 6, featured speakers Patty Sebok and Matt Noerpel will present "Appalachian Water: More Valuable Than Coal?" in Cook Hall 107 at 7 p.m. To learn more about the Environmental Lecture Series, see the RU News Release.

Other lecture events on campus include "Forensic Geology: Sherlock Holmes Had it Right" with speaker Skip Watts on Wednesday, Oct. 8. The event, hosted by the RU Geology Department, will begin at 7 p.m. in the Hurlburt Auditorium.

Banner Implementation Updates and eVA Information
Two major milestones for the Banner Administrative System implementation were met in July 2008. The finance and advancement project teams both celebrated their hard work and accomplishments as Phase I of their respective implementations moved into production. Both have advanced into Phase II activities.

For many on campus, the Banner finance module and Virginia's Total e-Procurement Solution (eVA) are the first view of the new administrative systems. Many have asked if eVA is part of Banner. While eVA is integrated with Banner, it is a separate, web-based purchasing system implemented by the Department of General Services and is used by all Virginia state agencies, colleges, universities and many local governments to announce bid opportunities, invite bidders, receive quotes, and place orders for goods and services. To learn more about the Banner implementation progress and eVA, see the RU News Release.

RU Receives One of Three Voter Registration Grants in the
Commonwealth, Voices Support of Student Voter Rights
In the midst of a political campaign that has tremendous historical implications, and with all eyes on Virginia, a key battleground state for the presidential nominees, organizations across the Commonwealth are working diligently to register voters, particularly young voters.

Wanting to locally promote the importance of voter registration, Jordan Draper, the legislative vice president for Radford University's Student Government Association (SGA), applied for and was recently awarded one of the first Youth Service America (YSA) 2008 Virginia Campus Vote Initiative Mini-Grants. To learn more, see the RU News Release.

RUPD Publishes Annual Security Report
In compliance with the 1990 Campus Security Act, the RU Police Department publishes an Annual Security Report to inform the public of reported criminal activity on or near the RU campus. This report includes statistics for the previous three years concerning reported crimes that occurred on campus, in certain off-campus buildings on property owned or controlled by RU, and on public property within, or immediately adjacent to and accessible from the campus.

The report also includes institutional policies concerning campus security, such as sexual assault policies, and other matters. You may obtain a copy of this report by contacting the Radford University Police Department at (540) 831-5500 or by email at police@radford.edu. A copy of the report will be sent to you at no charge. The complete 2008-2009 Annual Security Report is also available online.

Highlander Sports Update
The RU New River Valley Alumni and Friends Chapter invites Highlander Fans to a "Meet the Coaches Reception" on Thursday, Oct. 2, from 5 to 7 p.m. at The River Company Restaurant and Brewery in Fairlawn. Price of admission is $10 per person or $15 per couple. To learn more, see the RU Sports News Release.

The men's and women's soccer teams and the women's volleyball and field hockey teams all will be in action at the Dedmon Center starting tonight and continuing through the weekend. The women's soccer team kicks things off with a home match tonight at 7 p.m. against Longwood, while the men's soccer team follows up with a match Friday evening, at 6 p.m., against Presbyterian. The men's team also faces an important match on Tuesday, Oct. 7, when they travel to Blacksburg to take on rival Virginia Tech.

Saturday, the volleyball team takes on Gardner-Webb at 2 p.m. in Peters Hall gym on campus, while the field hockey squad plays Davidson Saturday at 3 p.m. and Longwood Sunday at 3 p.m. The Highlanders' volleyball team also has a home match Tuesday night, Oct. 7, at 7 p.m. against in-state and Big South rival Liberty.

For more sports information, visit the Radford Athletics website.

Alumni News

Criminal Justice Graduate Publishes Article on Familial DNA
RU graduate Courtney Lerch is the primary author of a research article that was published in the July issue of Police and Security News. Lerch, a criminal justice major who graduated in the spring, penned the article along with RU professors Tod Burke and Stephen Owen as part of her Honor's Academy capstone research project. The article focuses on the examination of familial DNA and its impact on law enforcement and criminal investigations, the potential benefits and limitations of familial DNA, and practical concerns about implementing familial DNA policy. Police and Security News is published bimonthly and is read by middle and upper law enforcement management and top administrative personnel.

Kudos

RU Geography Professors Introduce Students to Biomes
Biome is a word scientists use to describe communities of nature that share similar climate, plant and animal life. Three RU geography professors have contributed their expertise on the subject to an eight-volume reference book set, "Greenwood Guides to Biomes of the World," published by Greenwood Press.

Geography professor emeritus Susan Woodward served as general editor of the volumes aimed to educate advanced high school and college undergraduate students. Woodward authored three of the volumes, including the recently released Grasslands Biomes, Marine Biomes and Introduction to Biomes.

Geography chair Bernd Kuennecke contributed to the project by writing Temperate Forest Biomes and creating maps for all the books. Richard Roth wrote Freshwater Aquatic Biomes.

The Back Page

Periodically, the Back Page section of RU Today will include an unusual photograph of a place or scene on campus.

Can you guess where or what it is? The location will be revealed in the next RU Today.

Photo answer from the Sept. 25 edition of RU Today: The Beta Gamma Sigma sculpture in front of Whitt Hall.

RU in the News

Richmond Times-Dispatch
Registrar Asks for Voter Clarification
Radford's voter registrar -- the latest to irk students seeking to register to vote in their college town -- is calling on state lawmakers to clarify election laws.

Roanoke Times
Making It Her Own
Colleen Roberts takes over as the new Chief of Police at RU.

Roanoke Times
Setting Up a More Promising Future
RU volleyball has new life under first-year coach Marci Jenkins.

WSLS-TV 10
Wachovia Bank Buyout, Impact on Customers
Radford University Finance Professor Steven Beach weighs in on the sale of Wachovia to Citigroup.

Recent Releases from University Relations

Covington Center Opening Events Announced >>Story

A Hairy Herd Is on Its Way to the Radford Highlanders Festival >>Story

Coming Up at RU

10/2, WSOC vs. Longwood
10/3, MSOC vs. Presbyterian
10/4, XC at Haganstone Park Invit.
10/4, VB vs. Gardner-Webb
10/4/ FH vs. Davidson
10/4, Men's Rugby vs. Maryland
10/5, FH vs. Longwood
10/6, Employer/Alumni Networking Reception, Bondurant Center
10/6-7, WGOLF at Marshall Tourn.
10/7, VB vs. Liberty
10/7, MSOC at Va. Tech
10/8, WSOC at VMI
10/10-12, Family Weekend at RU
10/11, Radford Highlanders Festival
(See RU Calendar for more listings)

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