Candice McGriff
Staff Writer
clmcgriff@valdosta.edu 

President Patrick J. Schloss acknowledged that despite a $15 million budget reduction, VSU’s faculty and staff continues to provide opportunities, in such that VSU received $2,607,292 in new grants and contracts during the 2008-2009 academic year.�
 In recognizing Ernest Duncan, one of VSU’s chefs in his 40 years of service, in a letter, Dr. Schloss also acknowledged eight of VSU’s faculty members for receiving grants, funds, or awards in their continuing research, projects, or programs.
 “I am humbled to know that Ernie, like many of our faculty and staff, find meaning in their service far deeper than an hour’s work for an hour’s pay,” Dr. Schloss said.
 “I recognize this when I see faculty joining students in labs on Saturday mornings [and] ensembles traveling throughout the night on uncomfortable buses.”
 Although there were eight that received funds or awards, two explained their study in detail, and one explained the purpose of their program.
 Dr. Cliff Lipscomb for the Langdale College of Business Administration received a grant from the Department of Transportation-Federal Highway Administration, Georgia Department of Transportation, and the Southern Georgia Regional Commission in order to conduct a forecasting study of population and economical variables through 2035.
 Dr. Lipscomb and Dr. Attila Cseh completed the study between August and October of this year.
 According to Dr. Lipscomb, this study started due to The Southern Georgia Regional
Commission (SGRC) contacting VSU’s Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) and the two putting together a scope of work and a budget.
 “The purpose of the study is to provide quality information to the SGRC that can be used to inform their Transportation Master Plan for the Valdosta Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA),” Dr. Lipscomb said.
  “Using our forecast, the SGRC will plan for increased traffic flows in certain areas within the MSA, plan for water and sewer system extensions, plan for future school locations, etc.”
 The population and economical variables include population, per capita income, school enrollments, and employment by sector, according to Dr. Lipscomb.    The details of the report will soon be posted on the CBER website in the next week or so at www.valdosta.edu/lcoba/cber.
 Dr. Brian Ring from the Biology Department received an award from the National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Development for research to understand gonadal development using a fish hermaphroditic model.�
 Data generated from this study will contribute to the general knowledge of reproductive biology of vertebrates.
 According to Dr. Ring, the grant started Aug. 24 and extends to July 31, 2012.
  The research started when he began working as a tenure track professor in Fall 2006.
 “The purpose of this research is to better understand the hormonal and genetic factors that regulate the determination of gonadal sex determination in vertebrates,” Dr. Ring said.
  “This research is relevant because gonad development is critical to our understanding of reproductive health early in development.”
 “I am very excited about receiving this award, I now have resources to support a research program at VSU which currently involves three undergraduates and two MS graduate students,” Dr. Ring said.
 Dr. Frank Barnas and Mike Savoie for Communication Arts received funds from the City of Valdosta to continue operating Mediacom channel 17, which is a governmental access channel that provides information to the Valdosta-Lowndes community.
  “We’ve been working with the city for several years on their government access channel,” Dr. Barnas said.
 “It provides informative programming for Valdosta and is
an excellent venue for Mass Media students to work on professional productions.”