Dialog, UA Faculty and Staff News

Tanya Gille Appointed Director of UA School of Music
Visiting Math Education Scholar Announced
Alabama Hispanic Community Examined in Documentary
UA School of Social Work Colloquium Series Begins
UA's Alabama Museum of Natural History to Host Smithsonian Caves Exhibit
2003 Hultgren Solo Cello Works Biennial Scheduled
Quality Forum 6 Scheduled

Tanya Gille Appointed Director of UA School of Music

Tanya Gille

Pianist and university administrator Tanya L. Gille has been appointed director of the School of Music, within the College of Arts and Sciences, at UA. Gille comes to the school from the University of Colorado at Boulder where she taught for 14 years. While at the UC, she served as associate dean of the College of Music and also taught piano and piano pedagogy.

"Dr. Gille comes to The University of Alabama with significant administrative experience at a major school of music as well as with commendable work as a musician and teacher," said Dr. Robert Olin, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. "She understands that an excellent school of music must support pedagogical rigor, unconstrained creative expression, and exacting performance standards in its students and faculty.

"This is the kind of sensibility that will serve our School of Music well as she works to continue and advance its strong national reputation. We are enthusiastic about Dr. Gille joining our music faculty and administrative staff," said Olin.

"I was greatly impressed by the accomplishments of the music faculty and their commitment to move the school forward," said Gille.

A frequent performer of contemporary music, Gille has played most of the chamber music of Pulitzer Prize winning musician George Crumb, teaching seminars with the composer in this country and abroad, and performing his works in tours of Eastern Europe. This has included recitals for the Prague Spring International Music Festival and the European Month of Culture in Ljubljana, Slovenija. Her recordings include "New Music for Saxophone and Piano," on compact disk with saxophonist Tom Myer, and published by Albany Records. Her performances have been featured on National Public Radio and European radio broadcasts.

Gille has degrees in piano performance including a doctor of musical arts degree from Eastman School of Music, a master of music degree with highest distinction and a bachelor of music degree with high distinction from Indiana University, where she studied with renowned Cuban pianist Jorge Bolet. In researching piano technique, she has worked extensively with such well-known musicians as Barbara Lister-Sink and John Bloomfield, assistant to noted pianist Dorothy Taubman.

Visiting Math Education Scholar Announced

Dr. Seonyu Kim will be visiting scholar in mathematics education in the department of elementary education programs in the College of Education through Aug. 9, 2004. Kim comes to UA as an associate professor from the department of mathematics education at Chinju National University of Education in Jinju, Gyongnam, Korea. His stay at UA is sponsored by the Republic of Korea.

Kim will be working with the mathematics education group in the college: Dr. C. J. Daane, Dr. Cristina Gomez, Dr. Vivian Moody and Dr. Anthony Thompson. An initial area of joint interest is textual analysis to investigate how and when measurement concepts are developed. Their investigation may compare/contrast how measurement is taught or presented in different countries using their curriculum guides/texts as a basis for analysis. Another proposed research investigation will involve studying how students learn various measurement concepts.

Kim's office will be in 302 A Graves. College faculty and graduate students may set up an initial conversation with Kim by contacting Thompson at athompso@bamaed.ua.edu or Dr. Cynthia Sunal at cvsunal@bama.ua.edu. Kim is expected to be available as a guest speaker in addition to his interests in joint research with faculty and graduate students.

Among Kim's recent publications are the following titles: The Existence Fuzzy Optimal Control for the Nonlinear Fuzzy Differential System with Nonlocal Initial Condition; An Analysis of a Textbook's Contents Through Change of Curriculum; The Effects of Fraction Learning Problems Composed of Various Meaning; Development of Teaching-Learning Model and Instructional Process Based on the Viewpoint of Constructivism; The Understanding of Mathematics, and others.

Alabama Hispanic Community Examined in Documentary

Coming To A Crossroads, a new documentary on Alabama Public Television produced by Michael Letcher for the UA Center for Public Television, examines how people from Mexico and other Central American countries are finding security and opportunities in this old-fashioned Alabama community in the Appalachian foothills. Coming To A Crossroads airs at 7 p.m., Sept. 23, and at 10 p.m., Sept. 24, on Alabama Public Television.

The growing Hispanic community has helped revitalize downtown Collinsville, where abandoned buildings have been reclaimed to serve as shops and restaurants for the new residents. Coming To A Crossroads profiles several people who have immigrated to Collinsville and examines the opportunities they've found, the challenges they face, and the friendships they've formed with longtime residents. Among those featured are a retired Mexican soldier who, after years of work, brought his extended family to live with him; a young woman who earned a college scholarship just five years after arriving in Alabama, unable to speak English; and a soccer-playing El Salvadoran who became the leading high-school tackler in Dekalb County. For more information, contact Brent Davis at 348-8629.

UA School of Social Work Colloquium Series Begins

The UA School of Social Work starts its 2003-04 Colloquium Series with a public lecture Sept. 15 from noon-1 p.m. in 104 Little Hall. Guest lecturer Diane DePanfilis will discuss "Working with Families to Prevent Neglect." DePanfilis is an associate professor and director of the Institute for Human Service Policy and co-director of the Center for Families at the University of Maryland School of Social Work. For more information concerning the Colloquium Series, contact the UA School of Social Work, 348-3924.

UA's Alabama Museum of Natural History to Host Smithsonian Caves Exhibit

UA's Alabama Museum of Natural History is hosting a new Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibit, "Caves: A Fragile Wilderness," through Jan. 25, 2004, in Smith Hall. Those interested in exploring caves first hand are invited to join Museum experts on Friday, Oct. 17, from 8 a.m.-4 p.m., for a caving trip to Bear Creek. Meet at Smith Hall with a packed lunch. Equipment will be provided, or participants may bring their own. The cost is $25. For more information, call 348-9473 or e- mail programs@bama.ua.edu. Other October day trips include hiking, fossil collecting, and canoeing.

Featuring 39 color photographs of the world's most remote and fragile caves from Alaska to Malaysia, "Caves: A Fragile Wilderness" includes spectacular shots of cave entrances, passages, formations, and life, including unique plants and animals, some of which spend their entire lives in the dark. With their intricate passageways and dramatic formations, no two caves are alike.

Whether underground, underwater, or within ice, caves have intrigued explorers since the days of early man. Adventurers have entered these hidden chambers seeking the thrill of exploring an unknown world and finding water-sculpted stone, crystalline formations, and unusual wildlife. Contemporary cavers often combine spelunking skills with photographic expertise to bring these extraordinary places to light.

2003 Hultgren Solo Cello Works Biennial Scheduled

Cellist Craig Hultgren will present the 2003 third Hultgren Solo Cello Works Biennial, a special competition program of contemporary music, on Tuesday, Sept. 16, at 7:30 pm in the Huey Recital Hall of the Moody Music Building. Seven works by living composers on the program are finalists selected from 137 submissions from 33 different countries. Hultgren will play the seven pieces, and the audience in attendance at the conclusion of the performance will vote to decide the winner of the $500 Tuscaloosa Prize. A review panel from the Birmingham Art Music Alliance chose the finalists earlier this summer. The seven finalists for the 2003 Biennial are:

Tessarae II fantasy for cello by Brian Fennelly (Kingston, N.Y.)
Fantasy for solo cello by Monroe Golden (Birmingham, Ala.)
Materials for a cellist by Shintaro Imai (Karlsruhe, Germany)
Zones d'accord for solo violoncello by Keeril Makan (Paris, France)
Spring Song for solo cello by Augusta Read Thomas (Chicago, Ill.)
oddjob for cello & electronics by Jukka Tiensuu (Helsinki, Finland)
The Ninth Wave for cello & computer generated tape by Robert Scott Thompson (Atlanta, Ga.)

For more information about the finalists and their compositions, go to the Birmingham Art Music Alliance web site at: http://artmusic.org/Biennial03.html.

Quality Forum 6 Scheduled

The University of Alabama will host its sixth annual Quality Forum on Friday, Sept. 19, from 2-4 p.m. at the Ferguson Center. Everyone is encouraged to attend, as this is an excellent opportunity to learn about effective methods to improve office operations, the use of focus groups to understand stakeholder needs, and the use of collaborative approaches to problem solving and process improvement.

This year's Quality Forum is being conducted in cooperation with Family Weekend and will focus on improvements to processes and services for our students. The forum will feature table-top displays from the Student Health Center, the Student Recreation Center, Admissions, Financial Aid, Action Card, Supply Store, University Police, the Classroom Resource Center, the Registrar, the Office of Disability Services, the Center for Teaching and Learning, Residential Life, Ferguson Center, the Math Labs, the Women's Resource Center, the Office of Student Media, and Bama Dining. The Alabama Environmental Council will host a table sharing information about student involvement in campus recycling efforts. For more information, contact John Dew at 348-9831.