Fourteen faculty members at ϳԹ have been selected for the inaugural university faculty Fellows Program at the John P. Murtha Institute for Homeland Security at IUP.
The program provides a forum for IUP faculty to discuss and share expertise on homeland security related topics and issues. The program is also designed to enhance and promote research and teaching capabilities in the area of homeland security.
Named 2008–2010 Murtha Institute University Faculty Fellows are Dr. Sanwar Ali, Computer Science; Dr. Gawdat Bahgat, Political Science; Dr. John Engler, Safety Science; Dr. Soundararajan Ezekiel, Computer Science; Dr. Waleed Farag, Computer Science; Dr. Dighton M. Fiddner, Political Science; Dr. Richard Hsiao, Health and Physical Education; Dr. John Lewis, Criminology; Dr. Werner Lippert, History; Dr. Michele McCoy, Journalism; Dr. Jay Start, Communications Media; Dr. Devki Talwar, Physics; Dr. LeAnn Wilkie, Technology Support and Training, and Dr. Feng Zhou, Physics (Northpointe campus).
The Murtha Institute is a broad, multidisciplinary, university-wide institute that leads IUP's unified effort to provide high-quality educational programs in the area of homeland security.
“IUP has been a long time leader in the field of homeland security, and the John P. Murtha Institute continues to offer cutting-edge programs and initiatives to advance our nation's knowledge and expertise in this field,” said IUP President Tony Atwater.
“It is gratifying to recognize IUP faculty members from a diverse group of disciplines who are willing to commit to this important program,” he said.
Fellows must be full-time faculty members at IUP who have demonstrated a scholarly interest within a homeland security field and possess a record of scholarship. Fellows are appointed for a twenty-four-month period. The fellowship is renewable.
Murtha Faculty Fellows participate in several institute activities each year. They share expertise by making presentations at homeland security conferences, meetings, and the institute's seminar series; collaborate with the institute in research and training proposals; and attend an annual fellows meeting.
“It's an exciting time at the Murtha Institute with the welcoming of the inaugural class of faculty fellows,” said Dr. Jeffrey Crane, executive director of the institute. “The selected fellows are highly qualified within their respective disciplines, combined with their eagerness and IUP's longstanding expertise within this field, they are sure to become the top educators, research scholars and global leaders in the field of homeland security. We are privileged to have them aboard, and we look forward to collaborating with them.”
The institute will also participate in the upcoming Bridges Out Emergency Exercise sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Executive Board in May 2008. For more information about the exercise and/or initiatives by the Murtha Institute, call (724) 357-3400 or visit .