Both OSU students and students from universities in Africa participate. “Our students get extensive experiences in the geosciences as well as an international research experience,” she says. So far, seven OSU students have had the opportunity to travel to Botswana and Zambia to acquire that hands-on experience. “The nature of the Atekwanas’ research is essential, not just to the mission of the center, but more importantly it is potentially critical to the survival of many of the world’s citizens beyond the couple’s specific efforts in Africa,” says Jason F. Kirksey, interim associate vice president for institutional diversity and Hannah D. Atkins Endowed Chair associate professor of political science. Since its beginnings, the center has hosted several programs including a lecture by Paula Giddings, an expert on journalist and Civil Rights Movement leader Ida B. Wells; an African-American Art Expo that included black artists, authors and musicians from throughout Oklahoma; and a screening and panel discussion of the documentary, Invisible Children. The center also sponsored OSU’s first annual Africa Week celebration. One of Kirksey’s long-range plans is to host an annual research symposium on Africa and its Diaspora. The forum will allow faculty and students in Oklahoma to share research efforts with the global community, as well as relay information on the center’s website. “The ultimate goal of the center is to be recognized as a premier scholastic resource on Africa and its Diaspora,” Kirksey says. Center for Application of Remote Sensing Coordinator: Bruce L. Battles CARS was established in the mid-1970s and is a one-of-a-kind center in Oklahoma because it uses space-based sensing. And what does that mean? The center gets information about the Earth from an aerial view vs. a ground approach. Computer manipulation of the aerial images allows faculty and students to research environments and natural resources. From there, they can map geographical features and identify patterns. CARS and the researchers associated with the lab conduct research in a wide range of areas. A recent example of this research is in the field of crop science. Researchers used remotely sensed data to evaluate the health of a crop and pinpoint problem areas. They can also use the information to initiate selective chemical application, which means lower costs for the producer and less environmental impact on the ecosystem. CARS clients include the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, Grand River Dam Authority, Conoco Pipe Line Company, Grand Gateway Economic Development Association, Oklahoma Conservation Commission, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Oklahoma Office of State Finance and NASA-EPSCoR. Center for Africana Studies and Development Director: Jason F. Kirksey The Center for Africana Studies and Development was created in 2007 to foster and enhance interest and knowledge in the continent of Africa and its Diaspora with an emphasis on North America. The center’s interdisciplinary approach focuses on scientific, social, political, economic, religious or cultural developments drawing participation from departments throughout the College of Arts and Sciences. As a result of the center, students may now earn a minor in Africana studies through OSU’s political science department. Two of those leading the effort are Estella Atekwana, a professor and Sun Chair in the Boone Pickens School of Geology, and her husband, Eliot Atekwana, an associate professor in geology. The National Sciences Foundation awarded the couple $179,792 to investigate the rift basins in Botswana and Zambia. The site provides a unique opportunity to study the early stages of continental extension and represents a natural laboratory. Estella Atekwana hopes the research can help with hazard mitigation in the earthquake prone zone. Directors of centers in the College of Arts and Sciences are, from left, Jason F. Kirksey, Center for Africana Studies and Development; Gary R. Webb, research specialist, Center for the Study of Disasters and Extreme Events; Dennis R. Preston and Ronald T. McCoy, Center for Oklahoma Studies; Michael W. Palmer, Dynamic Ecosystem Biodiversity Observatory (DEBO); Rebecca L. Damron, Writing Center; Sallie M. McCorkle, Doel Reed Center; and Edward J. Jones, Milton Center. OSU journalism student Maggie Kierl, Lorene Roberson Hickey ’84, Stacy Pettit ’09, and Cori Urrutia ’09 all contributed to this story. centers Photo by Gary Lawson College of Arts and Sciences 18 college news
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