New Briefs for April 21

The Southern University Mathematics Department will hold its 43rd Annual Mathematics Festival on Thursday, April 23, beginning at 8:45 a.m., in the Felton G. Clark Activity Center.
Middle and high school students from East and West Baton Rouge, Ascension, East and West Feliciana, Iberville, Lafayette, Livingston and St. Landry parishes are participating in the event. Schools can send a maximum of 15 students.
Participants in the festival will compete by completing a written examination in seven categories. Areas of competition include: general mathematics 6-8, algebra I, algebra II, geometry, pre-calculus, advanced mathematics and calculus.
Registration for the program will he held from 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. The test will be administered from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. A teachers’ seminar will also be held.
Awards will be presented to the top three test scorers at the ceremony, and is scheduled to begin at 12:30 p.m.
For more information on the 43rd Annual Mathematics Festival, contact Southern’s Associate Mathematics Professor and Mathematics Fair Committee Chair, Dr. Jung-Soon K. Lee, or Southern’s Mathematics Department Chair, Dr. Lawrence Couvillion, at 225.771.5180.
Foreign Language Week begins Wednesday
Southern University’s Department of Foreign Languages will celebrate Foreign Language Week, April 22-27, with exciting programs featuring speakers and dance performances. This year’s theme is, “Many Hands, Many Voices, One World.”
The events will kick-off on Wednesday, April 22 at 10 a.m. in the Recital Hall of the Debose Music Building, with the presentations, “What is ‘Global’ Education?” by Jose’ Noguera.
Sylviane Greensword, French instructor at Southern University Laboratory School will present, “Political Motives behind Popular Dance in Francophone Africa: Focus on the Ivory Coast and the Democratic Republic of the Congo,” and her students will perform “A French and Spanish Odyssey.”
Keynote speaker, Claudio DeVizcarra, will speak on “Latin American Music throughout the Centuries,” at 11 a.m. DeVizcarra will use modern technology to share early Pre-Colombian music with today’s musical advancements and styles. He will also offer a look at how romantic music in Latin America has evolved to inspire generations.
There will be a music performance by Professor Harry Anderson, Director of Jazz Studies at Southern and the Jazzy Jags at 1 p.m. The French film, “The Class,” will be shown at 2 p.m. in room 320 of T.T. Allain Hall.
On Thursday, April 23, Dr. Maria Zalduondo from Tulane University’s Department of Spanish and Portuguese will speak on the “Dance of Resistance: Afro-Colombian History and Heritage in the ‘Palenque de San Basilio,'” and Tango Langniappe will present “The Argentinian Tango,” a musical and dance performance in room 320 of the T.T. Allain Hall. The events begin at 9:30 a.m.
There will be a Midday Music Mix at noon featuring music and dance performances by DeVizcarra, the group”21st Century,” Dr. Humberto Muñoz and Dr. Ernest Pierre. The film “Sugar,” spoken in Spanish and English, will be shown, at 2 p.m., in room 320 of T.T. Allain Hall.
The celebration will conclude with World Languages Day, Monday, April 27 at 10 a.m., in the Royal Cotillion Ballroom of the Smith-Brown Memorial Union with readings, songs and dance performances by Southern’s Foreign Language students and Southern Lab, Baker and Central High Schools’ Foreign Language students. Attendees will also be taught to speak French, Spanish, German, Arabic, Chinese, Wolof, Yoruba and Urdu by visiting the languages’ booth.
For more information, contact Dr. Linda Lassiter at 225.771.3030.
Taylor selected as national nursing ambassador
Southern University School of Nursing Professor and Director of Nursing Research Dr. Cheryl Taylor was recently selected to serve as an Ambassador for the National League for Nursing (NLN) and Nurse Educators.
Taylor’s responsibilities as an ambassador will be to keep the School of Nursing faculty and administration informed about the initiatives, grant opportunities, conferences, publications, workshops and NLN-member benefits that are available.
NLN CEO Dr. Beverly Malone said, “We expect the Ambassadors to communicate to NLN professional staff and the board what issues and challenges are of greatest concern to nurse educators in the field so that we can maximize the effectiveness of our programming and services.”
Taylor received her B.S.N. degree from Dillard University in New Orleans. She earned her Masters Degree in Systems Oriented Community Mental Health Nursing from the University of Washington in Seattle and her Ph.D. in Nursing from Texas Woman’s University.
The National League for Nursing and Nurse Educators Ambassador Program began in 2006 with 126 members, who teach in various nursing programs – practical nurse, associate degree, diploma, baccalaureate, master’s and doctoral. Currently, there are more than 700 Ambassadors throughout the U.S.
For more information about the NLN Ambassador Program, contact Tish Hess, at 212.812.0374.