Dialog, UA Faculty and Staff News

UA's "Discovering Alabama" Receives Foundation Gift
Sox Named to Manufacturing Management Chair
UA Professor Awarded $500,000 for Physics Research

UA's 'Discovering Alabama' Receives Foundation Gift

The Solon and Martha Dixon Foundation has given "Discovering Alabama," a public television series produced by the Alabama Museum of Natural History at UA, a $100,000 gift. The funds will be used to support production of new programs in the series.

"This contribution will help us continue providing Alabama with a vitally important educational resource," said Dr. Doug Phillips, originator, producer and host of the series.

"It is a very timely gift that also enables us to establish an in-house editing capability," Phillips said. "We are very appreciative to the Solon and Martha Dixon Foundation representatives for their interest and generosity."

The funds will also be used to add space to house the show's videotape archive. "Discovering Alabama" is an award-winning nature series created in 1985. The program aims to promote appreciation for the natural history and environmental resources of Alabama.

Solon Dixon, who died in 1986, was a forestry leader, conservationist and farmer and was known for his dedication to education. He and his brother, Charles, developed and managed Dixon Lumber Co. in Andalusia. His wife, Martha, and the Foundation's board members, have continued his philanthropic support of education through the Foundation.

Book cover - Discovering Alabama Wetlands The University of Alabama Press will release Phillips' new book Discovering Alabama Wetlands this fall. The book is a visually stunning presentation of Alabama's diverse wetlands. Phillips collaborated with photographer Robert P. Falls to combine beauty and ecology in calling for a proactive effort to protect this rare environment.

Teacher guides and videos of each episode of "Discovering Alabama" are available from the Alabama Museum of Natural History. For more information, call 348-2039. To order Discovering Alabama Wetlands, contact Priscilla McWilliams at 348-9534.

Sox Named to Manufacturing Management Chair

Dr. Charles Sox

When Dr. Charles Sox was approached about filling the newly created University of Alabama Chair of Manufacturing Management position in the Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration, he was not interested in the job. He was happy at Auburn, where he had worked since he earned his doctorate from Cornell University 10 years ago.

But Dr. Edward Mansfield, head of the department of management science and statistics, believed Sox was the best man for the job, and he wouldn't take no for an answer.

"We looked around the country for candidates with the talent we were looking for and who would fit with our needs," Mansfield said. "He's definitely the person who's the best fit for us, so we went after him."

Although Sox, formerly an associate professor of industrial engineering at Auburn University, was not planning a move, he could not deny the benefits of the job he was being offered in C&BA.

"Basically, they made me an offer I couldn't turn down," Sox said. He was made a full professor, a step up from his position at Auburn, and given responsibility for helping improve manufacturing management at Alabama.

"I liked the emphasis on research quality," Sox said. "It seemed like the program is really focused on improving its reputation and research."

Mansfield said there were many reasons Sox was the best pick for the position. He has been successful at getting research grants in the past, and he has published in top-level journals. He currently serves as associate editor for both Management Science and IIE Transactions and is on the editorial board of Manufacturing & Service Operations Management.

Also, Sox's interpersonal skills are outstanding, Mansfield said, and all evidence suggests he will be an excellent classroom professor.

As chair, Sox will be working with the faculty, government agencies and corporations to create research opportunities and build up the strength of manufacturing management at the University.

Sox received his bachelor's degree, summa cum laude, in mathematics from Furman University in his home state of South Carolina in 1988. He earned his master's in 1991 and doctorate in 1992, both in operations research, from Cornell University.

A technical engineering background is one of the assets Sox brings to the University.

"We're delighted to have someone with a technical engineering background," Mansfield said. "He will bring a new dimension to our already-strong faculty."

UA Professor Awarded $500,000 for Physics Research

Dr. Gary J. Mankey

Dr. Gary J. Mankey, associate professor of physics in UA's College of Arts and Sciences, recently was awarded $500,000 in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy for research involving neutron scattering, which will contribute to the miniaturization of electronic circuits. The funding will be allotted over a three-year period through DOE's Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research and will include collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tenn.

Mankey's studies under the grant will focus on improving the efficiency of triple-axis spectrometers to enable the study of magnetic films with neutron scattering. These magnetic films have applications in spin-electronic or "spintronic" devices.

Spintronic devices operate by manipulating the spin of electrons rather than their charge, as in conventional electronics. Spin is a quantum mechanical phenomenon that is the origin of magnetism in solids. Spintronic devices can be made much smaller than conventional charge-based electronics because their energy density is smaller. The research project is timely, since the development of spintronic devices was the cover story in the June 2002 issue of Scientific American.

Along with a handful of other research groups, Mankey and his team of collaborators are making contributions toward miniaturizing electronic circuits. Developments in this area will lead to smaller, faster and higher capacity computers.

Mankey received his doctorate in physics from Penn State. He has participated in research projects at Penn State, Louisiana State University, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Stanford University, the University of California-Berkeley, the University of Wisconsin, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Max Plank Institute for Plasmaphysics in Munich, Germany.