HIGH POINT, N.C., March 8, 2017 – High Point University faculty and students recently received the following academic and professional awards and recognitions.
Interior Design Students Earn LEED Green Associate Designation
Aria Real, Hayley Clarke and Hannah Grau, senior interior design majors at HPU, recently earned the LEED Green Associate designation. This credential allows designers to work on LEED accredited projects and commercial or residential projects where sustainability is a goal. The students prepared for the LEED Green Associate exam by taking an independent study course with Dr. Jane Nichols, associate professor of interior design. Nichols says these students will be uniquely qualified to work for a commercial design firm that is a sustainability leader, or for firms that specialize in government, public, educational or institutional buildings, which are generally required to be LEED Certified. A fourth student in the course, Anna McAuley, is scheduled to take the exam later this spring.
“Preparing for this exam requires a specialized course of study, which would be outside of the standard curriculum at any school,” says Nichols. “The students expressed an interest, and so I created an opportunity for them to pursue it. It speaks to their commitment that they invested the time and effort to study, and that all three who took it passed it on the first attempt.”
Music Faculty Perform in Piedmont Artists Concert Series
Dr. Robert Hallquist, adjunct instructor of piano at HPU, Dr. Laura Stevens, instructor of flute, and Dr. Scott MacLeod, assistant professor of voice, will perform together for the second concert of the 2017 Piedmont Artists Concert Series. The event will be held at 4 p.m. on March 26 at First Presbyterian Church in High Point. The concert is free to the public.
“I am thrilled to be joined in this recital by favorite friends and musical collaborators Scott MacLeod and Laura Stevens,” says Hallquist. “I will lead off the program with two short piano solos, Mozart’s playful ‘Rondo in D Major’ and Toru Takemitsu’s evocative ‘Rain Tree Sketch II.’ Scott and I will then perform Robert Schumann’s extended dramatic song ‘The Lion’s Bride,’ and Laura and I will finish up with Sergey Prokofiev’s masterful ‘Sonata in D Major for Flute and Piano.’ The audience will be treated to a wide variety of sounds as we journey through musical space and time to Austria, Japan, Germany and Russia.”
Honors Students Take Third Place in Big South Quiz Bowl Tournament
Students in the Honors Scholar program at HPU competed in the 2017 Big South Quiz Bowl Tournament on Feb. 24-25 at Radford University. The team of seven students from various academic backgrounds placed third overall in the competition. Sophomore John Henry Jackson, team captain, was recognized as the highest scoring individual for the tournament. Bradley Taylor, student success coach, and Dr. Jacob Paul, assistant professor of English, served as coaches for the team.
“I was very pleased with the team’s overall performance,” says Taylor. “This was a young team that just formed in January at the start of the semester. I can’t be more proud of their hard work and their dedication to spending several hours preparing even outside of team practices. They went up against several other competitive teams, and their performance has set the track for a promising future.”
Physical Therapy Professor Selected as Chair of Scientific Advisory Board
Dr. James Smoliga, associate professor in the Department of Physical Therapy, will serve as chair of a new Scientific and Clinical Advisory Board for Ace Laboratories Inc. of Seattle. Smoliga was selected for his globally recognized expertise and research experience on resveratrol, an antioxidant found in red wine. He will oversee a team of internationally acclaimed scientific experts that will advise Ace Laboratories as it develops a proprietary oral-transmucosal dosage form of resveratrol, which has already been awarded a U.S. patent. This product has the potential to be helpful to patients with a variety of chronic conditions associated with aging.
“It is exciting to be involved in a project which will translate years of basic science into clinical practice,” says Smoliga. “The leadership team at Ace Laboratories is truly innovative and talented, and it is an honor to be part of this venture.”
Pharmacy Professor Appointed to National Advisory Panel
Dr. Julie Cooper, associate professor of clinical sciences in the Fred Wilson School of Pharmacy at HPU, was appointed as an American Pharmacists Association representative to the Pharmacy Quality Alliance Stakeholder Advisory Panel C – Safe and Appropriate Medication Use. As a member of the panel, she helps oversee the development of new measures to improve the quality of medication use.
“Quality measures are one factor we use to determine the value of health care for our patients,” says Cooper. “Measuring safe medication use is particularly important as we work together toward harm-free care. It is a privilege to be able to represent the American Pharmacists Association and the community of pharmacists in High Point in this important conversation.”
Voice Professor Participates in Two Opera Productions
Dr. Scott MacLeod, assistant professor of voice at HPU, is performing in two opera productions in March. From March 17-21, he will perform the role of “Taddeo” in Rossini’s “The Italian Girl in Algiers” with Piedmont Opera at the Stevens Center in Winston-Salem. This month, he also was chorus master for North Carolina Opera’s production of Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro” at A.J. Fletcher Opera Theater in Raleigh.
“Although I have performed in ‘The Marriage of Figaro’ a number of times, ‘The Italian Girl in Algiers’ is a new opera for me,” says MacLeod. “Learning repertoire for the first time can be difficult, but it is a perfect opportunity to apply a growth mindset, just as we encourage our students to do.”