Congratulations to Dr. Hideya Koizumi, associate professor of chemistry, who has secured a patent for his "Sequential Differential Mobility Analyzer" and its use. The analyzer will classify, by size and shape, and concentrate nano-particles floating in air. The concentration of these particles should be 50-300 times more than what one can get from commercially available classifiers. It should be helpful to researchers who study nano-sized particles that include biopolymer.

Dr. Sarah Jones-Hayes, instructor in music, will be guest violin soloist with the Delta Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Tchaikovsky's "Violin Concerto in D Major," Sunday afternoon at Fowler Center. DSO will present "A Classically Romantic Concert: Spanning Generations — Side by Side," in observance of Valentines Day. In her second year teaching violin and viola at A-State, she also serves associate concertmaster for DSO.

Heather Walker-Clark, deputy director of the Delta Center for Economic Development, prepared a successful grant application to the federal Economic Development Administration's Regional Innovation Strategies Program. Shawnie Carrier, director of the Delta Center, said A-State will utilize funding from the i6 program and matching support to create and launch the East Arkansas Regional Innovation System (EARIS). Details are in a university news release.

Chocoletta Simpson is the new Title IX/Affirmative Action officer for A-State, assistant vice chancellor for human resources Lori Winn announced. A graduate of A-State’s MPA program, Simpson will oversee the university Affirmative Action and Title IX programs, serving as the campus resource for faculty and staff.  She also will guide educational and outreach programs for the Human Resources Office. Details are in a news release.

Dr. Cherisse Jones-Branch, associate professor of history, presented the Angus Gilbert Memorial Lecture at Laurentian University in Ontario as part of Black History Month. Her presentation, " 'To Raise Standards Among the Negroes': African American Women's Activism in Rural Arkansas," refers to a 1913 article in The Southern Workman and the uplift work in which black women engaged to improve conditions in rural black communities.