Released October 17, 2003

For the week of October 17

SOUTHERN MISS' SCOTT AQUARIUM OFFERS
FREE TEACHER WORKSHOPS ON POLLUTION

BILOXI - The University of Southern Mississippi's Scott Aquarium here is offering the free workshop, Storm Drains: Pollution Solution, to coastal teachers at 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28. All fees, including the cost of 0.5 continuing education units, are provided by the workshop sponsor, the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources Comprehensive Resource Management Plan. MDMR CRMP is supporting the workshop through a grant from the Mississippi Coastal Impact Assistance Program administered by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality. Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama teachers are eligible with preference given to teachers in Mississippi's six southern counties. The workshop is limited to 20 participants and will be repeated at the aquarium on Nov. 11, Jan. 28, Feb. 10, March 9 and April 20. "This is an excellent opportunity for teachers who are working toward the 'highly qualified' designation under the No Child Left Behind program," said Kay Baggett, Scott Aquarium educator. For more information or to enroll, call (228) 374-5550 or e-mail kay.baggett@usm.edu.

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SOUTHERN MISS, NASA GEOSPATIAL CONFERENCE SET FOR OCT. 22-24

OCEAN SPRINGS - Professionals who deal with coastal and environmental issues of the northern Gulf of Mexico will meet in Biloxi Oct. 22-24 for a look at the latest on cutting-edge geographical information technologies. The Mississippi Gulf Coast Geospatial Conference, organized by The University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast Geospatial Center and NASA, will convene at the Palace Casino Resort. National leaders in the fields of geographical information systems (GIS) and remote sensing will lead workshops, panel discussions, training sessions and demonstrations useful to Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana resource managers, economic developers, planners and researchers. Other sponsors are The Nature Conservancy and the Mississippi Association for Spatial Technologies. Registration is $150. Registration forms are available from www.usm.edu/gcgc or by contacting GCGC@usm.edu, (228) 818-8856 or by FAX at (228) 818-8848.

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PAYNE CENTER CELEBRATION SET AT SOUTHERN MISS

HATTIESBURG - Recreational sports will continue the 10 years of Payne celebration with an array of events. Tailgating on the Trail and Rededication of the Payne Center will take place Saturday, Oct. 25. The event will be sponsored in conjunction with Hattiesburg Coca-Cola and will begin at 10:30 a.m. Activities continue Sunday, Oct. 26, with the "Rocky Horror Picture Show" on Pride Field at 5:30 p.m. Come dressed as your favorite character and enjoy this cult classic. The event will be sponsored in conjunction with UAC. On Tuesday, Oct. 28, at 5:30 p.m., recreational sports will be hosting a Children's Fitness Festival. The festivities will include fitness activities for children up to 12 years of age. The assortment of activities will end Tuesday, Oct. 28 with a "Howloween on the Trail," Bruce and Virginia Wilgus Fitness Trail, from 6:30-8 p.m. The event will provide a safe, unique and fun trail for young and old trick or treaters. Trick or treaters should bring cat or dog food and receive treats in return, which will benefit the Southern Pines Animal Shelter. There will be different stations along the trail with different adoptable pets. All events in conjunction with the Payne Center's 10th anniversary are free and open to the public. For more information, call 266 -5405.

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OCTUBAFEST CONTINUES AT SOUTHERN MISS

HATTIESBURG - OCTUBAFEST continues at The University of Southern Mississippi in an effort to promote a family of instruments often neglected in the musical world. The School of Music will present the 21-member Southern Miss Tuba/Euphonium Ensemble, under the direction of assistant professor Richard Perry, along with student brass quintets in concert Oct. 26 at 4 p.m. in Bennett Auditorium. Among the compositions on the program, a work by Southern Miss student composer J.D. Frizzell will be featured. Rounding out OCTUBAFEST, the tuba/euphonium studio welcomes the professional tuba/euphonium quartet Tubalaté from London, England, in concert Oct. 27 at 7:30 p.m. in Bennett Auditorium. This ensemble travels the world, playing to audiences in Russia, Latvia, Europe, and the United States. The four members are Paul Walton and John Powell on euphonium and Ryan Breen and Les Neish on tuba. Together, the ensemble has an international reputation for their wide range of styles and flexibility of performance and for promoting the dynamic development of brass chamber music. Both OCTUBAFEST events are free and open to the public. For more information, call the studio at (601) 266-6441.

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SATURDAY GIFTED STUDIES SCHEDULE SET

HATTIESBURG - The Saturday Gifted Studies Program will be conducted Jan.17- Feb. 28, 2004, at The University of Southern Mississippi. The application deadline is Nov. 30, 2003. The program, sponsored by Purple Parrot Café and Crescent City Grill, is designed to enhance cognitive and affective abilities of gifted students through planned enrichment/acceleration programming. The courses are scheduled for 9 a.m.-noon on each of these Saturdays. The following courses will be offered: kindergarten-first grades - "What Makes Us Tick" and "Design Time;" second-third grades - "Young Inventor's Workshop" and "Dollars and Sense" or "German;" fourth-sixth grades - "Living in a Material World" and "Law Connections" or "Author! Author! An Introduction to Creative Writing;" seventh-12th grades - a choice of "Debate" or "Competitions: Maximizing Your Abilities" or "Let's Get Published" or "Psychology: Discovering Yourself." Eligibility is based on 1) an IQ score of 120 or above on an individually administered intelligence test, or 2) group achievement test scores at the 90th percentile or above at the national level on either the Total Reading, Total Math, Total Language or Total Battery. The application deadline is Nov. 30, 2003. The program cost is $140, which includes tuition, instructional activities, supplies, materials, and limited accident insurance. Applications may be obtained through local school personnel or by contacting Dr. Frances A. Karnes, Director, The Frances A. Karnes Center for Gifted Studies, Box 8207, Hattiesburg, MS 39406, telephone (601) 266-5236 or 266-5246, e-mail gifted.studies@usm.edu, or by visiting the Web site at http://www.usm.edu/gifted.

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KARNES HONORED AT GIFTED CONFERENCE

HATTIESBURG - Dr. Frances A. Karnes, professor of curriculum, instruction, and special education and director of The Frances A. Karnes Center for Gifted Studies at The University of Southern Mississippi, was recently recognized by the Mississippi Association for Gifted Children during the annual conference in Biloxi. The Award for Excellence in Gifted Education was presented to Dr. Karnes for her numerous contributions to the field of gifted education and for her dedication to the gifted children of Mississippi. Lia Landrum, president of the organization, presented the award and cited some of the contributions Dr. Karnes has made, including in 1973, when she collaborated with legislators to have gifted education made part of the definition of exceptional in the state statute. She was the founder of the Mississippi Association for Gifted Children and served as the first president for three years. In 1979, the Center for Gifted Studies was established at Southern Miss under her direction, and in 1999, the Center was renamed The Frances A. Karnes Center for Gifted Studies. Landrum also recognized the numerous publications, research studies, and grants written by Dr. Karnes.

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CANNED FOOD DRIVE SET AT SOUTHERN MISS OCT. 25

HATTIESBURG - On Oct. 25, the Institute for Disability Studies will hold a canned and dry goods drive on The University of Southern Mississippi campus for individuals in the community who have disabilities and are homeless or whose families have a need for food items. The event will take place during the tailgating for the Southern Miss vs. South Florida football game, which will be televised on Fox TV. The institute requests those attending the football game to donate canned goods by bringing the food items to the game and placing them in containers that will be placed on campus in front of the Hub and the Chapel near the stadium. The items will be picked up by volunteer organizations after the game. This project is a part of the ongoing effort to replenish The Home Closet that assists the Institute for Disability Studies with its Shelter For All, Home of Your Own and Families First programs. These projects promote the institute's mission of enhancing the quality of life across the life span for citizens with disabilities and their families, and will provide individuals with disabilities who are homeless or whose families need support with food items during the holidays or until items are depleted. The Institute for Disability Studies is Mississippi's University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service (UCEDD) headquartered for 30 years at The University of Southern Mississippi. The institute provides university training, community service activities, research, and information that promote the independence, productivity, and community inclusion of individuals with disabilities and their families. For more information about IDS, visit the institute's Web site at www.usm.edu/ids or call 1-888-671-0051.

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SMALL BUSINESS COURSE SET AT SOUTHERN MISS GULF COAST

LONG BEACH, Miss. - If you own a small business and would like to do business with big business, The University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast is offering a course that can help you. "Small Business Doing Business with Big Business" will be offered from 8:30 a.m.-noon, Oct. 23, at the Southern Miss Gulf Coast Advanced Education Center, at the Gulf Park campus in Long Beach. The course is designed to provide general small business start-up information. There will be speakers from the U.S. Small Business Administration, Mississippi Contract Procurement Center, Mississippi Power, The Southern Miss Small Business Development Center, Beau Rivage, American Medical Response, Mississippi Gaming Association, and more. The fee for the course is $15 per person if you register before Oct. 16, and $20 per person after Oct. 16. To register and prepay the course fee for the above workshop, mail a check made payable The Southern Miss Small Business Development Center, 143 Beach Park Place, Long Beach, MS 39560. The workshop is subject to cancellation if preregistration minimums are not met. For more information, please contact the SBDC at (228) 865-4578 or e-mail at jill.scafide@usm.edu.

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