Oct. 23  11 AM Eckburg Auditorium, Savannah Campus

 Although they are from separate worlds, Thomas Swanson and Amber Cronk have more in common than might first be obvious. He’s from New York City; she’s from Effingham County, Georgia. Both left high school early without graduating, both struggled, both found their way to the Gateway to College program at Savannah Technical College where they both excelled – earning straight As in their foundation courses (a sequence of four classes required for Gateway students in their first quarter) and now, both will be celebrated on Friday, Oct. 23 at 11 a.m. as the first Gateway to College graduates from Savannah Technical College.

Thomas, a mature 19-year-old from New York, found that the Gateway to College brought the stability he needed to finish high school. He had moved a lot during his time in middle and senior high school and never graduated. He attended the Savannah Gateway Academy for three quarters and is now living with family members in New York and planning to continue his education.

When 20-year-old Amber Cronk came to the Gateway to College program in January, she had survived a car accident in her senior year of high school and a long, difficult recovery that had left her unable to graduate with her classmates. She had tried living on her own but was unable to support herself with limited skills and education. “Gateway was the first program that allowed me to get a high school diploma rather than a GED,” says Amber. “It was better for me – more convenient and the people were very understanding and helpful. They helped me to finish.”  Amber attended the Effingham Gateway Academy and plans to continue her education by enrolling in the nursing program at Savannah Technical College with the ultimate goal of becoming a pediatric nurse.

Gateway to College is part of a national network (www.gatewaytocollege.org) of programs for 16-20 year olds who have either dropped out of high school or on the verge of dropping out and are interested in returning to school and completing their high school diploma. Students simultaneously accumulate high school and college credits, earning their high school diploma while progressing toward a certificate, diploma or associate degree.

Through a partnership with Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools and Effingham County Public Schools, Savannah Technical College has initiated two charter high schools for Gateway participants— Savannah Gateway Academy and Effingham Gateway Academy. Through these academies, students will take all of the classes needed to complete their high school graduation requirements on the Savannah Technical College campus.

The Gateway to College program began at Savannah Technical College in fall of 2008 and currently enrolls 97 students. The next enrollment period will be in January 2010 for the winter quarter (applications are available now). For information, please call 912-443-5777 or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
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Derrek B. Dunn, Ph.D., has been named dean of the College of Sciences and Technology and a professor of engineering technology and mathematics at Savannah State University.
As dean of COST, Dunn will oversee the departments responsible for eight undergraduate degree majors and one graduate degree program; the Georgia Tech Regional Engineering Program (GTREP) and related components; and both the Naval and Army Reserve Officers Training programs.  
Previously, Dunn was a professor and chairperson of the Department of Electronics, Computer and Information Technology in the School of Technology at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, N.C., where he taught courses in such areas as wireless communication systems, wireless local area networks, telecommunication management, global positioning systems and optical systems. Dunn brings approximately 11 years of experience in teaching and research best practices for student learning, including distance learning, as well as international experience on the use of distance education in technology and engineering.  
Dunn received bachelor’s degrees in electrical engineering and mathematics from North Carolina A&T State University. He later attended Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University where he earned master’s degrees in electrical eengineering and mathematics and a doctorate degree in electrical engineering.
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Armstrong Atlantic State University has been awarded a $308,000 National Science Foundation-Major Research Instrumentation grant to purchase a liquid chromatography mass spectrometer-time of flight (LCMS), a specialized laboratory instrument.
Brent Feske, AASU assistant professor of chemistry and the principal investigator for the grant, explained that the LCMS is capable of determining the “fingerprints” of most chemical compounds. Scientists use these fingerprints, or patterns, to assist with compound identification and verification.
AASU will become the only university in the southeast Georgia region that has an LCMS available for both teaching and research.
“This instrument will become a very important part of our teaching and research activity at AASU,” Feske said. “Students will be able to use it in many upper-level chemistry and biology courses to enhance learning outcomes in the curriculum. It will also be a valuable tool in supporting many undergraduate research projects carried out by the faculty in collaboration with their students.  It will allow for significant research advances that were not possible prior to this.”
The co-principal investigators on the grant are Richard Wallace, Delana Nivens and Will Lynch, all faculty members in chemistry; Alex Collier and Scott Mateer, both biology faculty; and Karla-Sue Marriott, a faculty member in chemistry at Savannah State University. They all have research projects planned:
• Feske and Mateer will use the instrumentation to support their NSF-funded project that focuses on novel methods to synthesize pharmaceuticals. Similarly, Marriott will use it to assist her work to synthesize obesity drugs.
• Nivens will study the binding of metals and pollutants to organic matter, using the LCMS to learn about the processes that the environment uses to manage pollution.
• Lynch will investigate plant decomposition as well as the DNA and protein damage caused by light.
• Wallace will study plant “hormones” in roses, grapes and bananas. He is looking for the compounds that serve as natural pesticides in plants that make them resistant to nematodes.
• Collier will study compounds released in the environment that form an “early warning system” for prey such as tadpoles swimming with predator bass.
Feske added, “This instrument is designed to study large molecules that are often difficult to analyze.  It is a very precise instrument, and there are only a few of them in the state of Georgia. We are the only university in the southeast Georgia region that has an LCMS available for both teaching and research.”
Once installed in AASU’s chemistry instrumentation lab—in the late fall or early next year—the LCMS will be made available for use by other colleges and universities in the area.
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The 2009-2010 Armstrong Atlantic State University Robert I. Strozier Faculty Lecture Series will kick off at 12:10 p.m. Friday, September 11 in University Hall 156 on the AASU campus, 11935 Abercorn Street. All lectures are free and open to the public.
This year’s series dishes up lectures on topics ranging from the current economic downturn, to the revolutionary role of the chili pepper in Chinese cuisine, to stained glass, and banana cultivation in south Georgia.
The series will continue throughout the 2009-2010 academic year. All lectures will be held at 12:10 p.m. in University Hall 156 on the AASU campus. The schedule is as follows:
October 16
Richard Wallace, professor of chemistry, will present “Development and Evaluation of Bananas for Non-tropical Climates.” Wallace will summarize some of his findings during his decade-long research to grow edible and ornamental banana trees in south Georgia.
For further information on the 2009-2010 Robert I. Strozier Faculty Lecture Series, e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
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