Below are a variety of items about upcoming events and other news notes on the campus of Youngstown State University:

• YSU Diversity Leadership Celebration set for April 2
• Elected officials headline Rich Center Variety Show
• Films, lectures highlight Women’s History Month
• Saxophonist Ralph Lalama performs Leonardi Concert
• Women in Science/Engineering scheduled for March 28
• Beta Gamma Sigma inducts YSU business students
• Majors Exploration Fair will be Monday, March 23
• Prof’s quirky one–liners offer a lesson about life

Calendar
Monday, March 9 to Friday, March 13. YSU Spring Break.

Monday, March 9. High school students will learn about transportation and careers in engineering and transportation at a free seminar titled “Transportation: Is it the route for you?” in the Schwebel Auditorium in Moser Hall. The seminar is sponsored by the YSU Center for Transportation and Materials Engineering Center. For more information, contact Carol M. Lamb, coordinator of YSU Civil and Construction Engineering Technology, at 330–941–4625.

Friday, March 13. YSU Board of Trustees meets on the following schedule: 1 p.m., Finance and Facilities Committee, in the President’s Conference Room on the second floor of Tod Hall; 2:30 p.m., Trusteeship Committee Meeting, in the President’s Conference Room on the second floor of Tod Hall; and 3 p.m., Board of Trustees quarterly meeting in the Trustees Meeting Room on the first floor of Tod Hall.

Friday and Saturday, March 13 and 14. The Ward Beecher Planetarium at YSU presents “Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity” at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and “The Case of the Disappearing Planet” at 1 and 2:30 p.m. Saturday. Free.

Saturday, March 14, 8 a.m. The annual Vindicator Spelling Bee is held in the Chestnut Room of Kilcawley Center.

Saturday, March 14, 8 a.m. The annual Destination Imagination competition is held in Kilcawley Center.

YSU Diversity Leadership Celebration set for April 2
Youngstown State University’s Second Annual Diversity Leadership Recognition Celebration, sponsored by KeyBank, will be 6 p.m. Thursday, April 2 at Mr. Anthony’s in Boardman. 

The purpose of the event is to celebrate and embrace diversity at YSU and in the community.

This year’s honorees are:

• Community leadership — the Rev. Lewis W. Macklin II, Judith Ann Stanger, and Kathleen Johnson.
• Campus leadership — Dr. Sylvia J. Imler, Dr. Joseph L. Mosca, and Brian P. Wells.
• Leader of Tomorrow — Phaneendra K. Kolli, Wilson Okello, and Domonique Price.

The keynote speaker is Luke Visconti, partner and co–founder of DiversityInc., and a recognized leader in the field of diversity. His magazine has an audited circulation of more than 200,000, and his website reaches more than 1 million unique visitors monthly.

The cost is $30 per person, and tables are available. Proceeds from the event go toward a scholarship. Those attending the event will receive a free digital subscription to Diversity,Inc. magazine.

For more information and reservations, contact the Office of Alumni and Events Management at 330–941–3497.

Elected officials headline Rich Center Variety Show

U.S. Reps. Tim Ryan and Charlie Wilson lead an all–star cast of Mahoning Valley elected officials in “Autistically Speaking: The Fifth Annual Variety Show” in support of the Rich Center for Autism at Youngstown State University.

The event is Friday, April 3, at Mr. Anthony’s in Boardman. Dinner begins at 6:30 p.m., with entertainment at 8 p.m. Tickets are $50 per person.

For the past four years, Parents of Autistically Learning Students at the Rich Center have organized the Variety Show, featuring regional talent and raising as much as $20,000 a year. The funds support programs at the Center that help children living with autism achieve their absolute best.

This year, Mahoning Valley elected officials have agreed to donate their time and talent to be part of the show. In addition to Ryan and Wilson, the cast includes Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams, Warren Mayor Michael O’Brien, State Sen. Joe Schiavoni, State Reps. Tom Letson, Sandra Harwood, Bob Hagan, Linda Bolon and Ron Gerberry; Mahoning County Commissioners John McNally, Anthony Traficanti and Dave Ludt, Mahoning County Auditor Mike Sciortino, and former State Sen. Harry Meshel.

For more information and tickets, contact Tricia Perry at 330–941–1927.

Films, lectures highlight Women’s History Month

Youngstown State University celebrates International Women''s History Month with the following events, all of which are free and open to the public:

• Monday, March 16, 5 to 7 p.m. in DeBartolo Hall auditorium, screening of the film Senorita Extraviada, Missing Young Woman. The film by Lourdes Portillo, tells the haunting story of the more than 350 kidnapped, raped and murdered young women of Juarez, Mexico.

• Wednesday, March 18, 5 to 7 p.m., in DeBartolo Hall auditorium, screening of the film Las Madres: The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo. This Academy Award–nominated documentary is about the Argentinian mothers’ movement to demand to know the fate of 30,000 disappeared sons and daughters.
• Monday, March 23, 5 to 7 p.m., location to be announced, a roundtable discussion: on Latina and Latin American women’s identities, struggles and accomplishments.

• Wednesday, March 25, noon, in the Jones Room of Kilcawley Center, Hallie Liberto of the University of Wisconsin talks about “Prostitution and Alienation of Sexual Rights.”

• Thursday, March 26, 5 p.m., in the Presidential Suite of Kilcawley Center, Hallie Liberto of the University of Wisconsin talks about “The Ethics of Polyamorous Marriage.”

• Friday, March 27, 5 p.m., in DeBartolo Hall auditorium, screening of the film “When Two Won''t Do.” In this film, Maureen believes in "polyamory", the philosophy of loving more than one person at a time. David, Maureen''s real–life and filmmaking partner, is a staunch monogamist. Rather than break up, the two filmmakers pack their camera gear and crisscross North America on a quest: to discover how other people deal with open relationships. Reception to follow at the Youngstown Club with panel discussion by Deborah Mower, Linda Tessier, and Hallie Liberto.

For more information, contact G. Mehera Gerardo, director of Women''s Studies and assistant professor of history, at 330–941–3459.

Saxophonist Ralph Lalama performs Leonardi Concert

Youngstown State University alumnus and respected saxophonist Ralph Lalama will perform as the guest artist for the annual Leonardi Legacy Series Concert on Tuesday, March 24, at the Youngstown Club, 201 East Commerce Street, in downtown Youngstown.

The pre–concert reception starts at 6:30 p.m., followed by the concert at 8 p.m.

Lalama, who grew up in West Aliquippa, Pa., graduated from YSU’s Dana School of Music in 1975 and today is a widely respected master of the tenor saxophone on both the New York jazz scene and around the globe. Through his achievements in the big bands of Woody Herman, Buddy Rich, Carla Bley, the Joe Lovano Nonet and the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra – now the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra – he is a featured soloist on Monday nights at New York’s Village Vanguard.  

Included in his busy recording career are five CDs as a leader for the Criss Cross jazz label. One of the CDs, “Circle Line” earned Lalama four–and–a–half stars from DownBeat magazine.

The Leonardi Legacy Series Concert is named in honor of the founder of YSU’s Jazz Studies program, Tony Leonardi. Professor emeritus at the Dana School of Music at the time of his death in 2001, Leonardi had a storied career, performing with jazz greats Bob Mintzer, Marvin Stamm and Harold Danko, among others, and as a member of the famous Woody Herman Big Band. As a public school teacher by day and jazz musician by night, his experience and acclaim became well known to students at the Dana School of Music, who asked if he would help start a jazz program. In 1969, Leonardi agreed and began teaching at YSU part–time. In a short time, Leonardi had developed a nationally–recognized program which lead to numerous awards.

The concert will help mark the 40^th anniversary of the Jazz Studies program at YSU.

Tickets are $35, which includes the pre–concert reception and the concert. Concert only tickets are $25; and $10 for students. All tickets are general admission. Tickets may be purchased by calling 330–941–3105 or visiting the first floor Bliss Hall Box Office at YSU.

Women in Science/Engineering scheduled for March 28
Graciela Perera, assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science and Information Systems at Youngstown State University, will be the keynote speaker at the 12th annual Women in Science and Engineering Career Workshop on Saturday, March 28 on the YSU campus.

The event, which runs from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., is designed to expose young women in grades 6 through 12 to career opportunities in science and technology. Panel discussions on careers will be held during the morning and hands–on activities and lab demonstrations will be held in the afternoon in Kilcawley Center on the YSU campus.

This workshop is open to all middle and high school girls from Mahoning and Trumbull counties, and western Pennsylvania. Parents can receive college planning and financial aid information and take campus tours while their daughters participate in the workshop.

Registration must be submitted by March 26. The workshop is free. For more information and to register online visit www.ysu.edu/WIS. For more information or to receive a registration form in the mail, contact Diana Fagan, YSU associate professor of biological sciences, at 330–941–1554 or e–mail at dlfagan@ysu.edu.

Perera received a bachelor’s degree in systems engineering from Metropolitan University and a master’s degree in computing and information technology from Simon Bolivar University, both in Venezuela. She also received a Ph.D. in computer science and engineering from the University of South Florida.

Perera’s research interest is the design and performance evaluation of the technologies that allow people to store and search content in the web. She is currently focusing on the applications and security of music file sharing networks like Limewire or Kazaa. She has recently published a book "New Search Paradigms and Power Management for Peer–to Peer File Sharing.” Perera has also been involved in efforts to increase the participation of women and Hispanics in computer sciences. She recently received a grant from the Ohio Latino Affairs Commission for “A Bridge to Building Capacity for Hispanics in Computer Science Research Education.” She is a member of the International Advisory Council and the Hispanic Heritage Committee at Youngstown State University.

Beta Gamma Sigma inducts YSU business students
The Youngstown State University Chapter of Beta Gamma Sigma, hosted by the Williamson College of Business Administration, recently installed 56 business students.

Beta Gamma Sigma is the world’s premier business honorary reserved exclusively for institutions accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. While almost 300,000 students receive bachelors or master''s degrees in business each year, only about 20,000 are inducted into a lifetime membership in Beta Gamma Sigma. To be eligible, students must be registered in business administration programs and be candidates for the baccalaureate or master’s degree. Students ranking in the top 10 percent of the junior class, the top 10 percent of the senior class or the top 20 percent of the master’s program are eligible for this membership.

Students installed: Anthony Angnardo, Michael Maiorano, Scott Miller, and Jason O’Malley of Warren; Tarik Awad, Karen Cooper, Katherine Garrett, Donna Hardick, Alyssa Rich and Emily–Anne Woodall of Canfield; Oludare Banwo, Daniel DeMaiolo, Sarah Ellis, Megan Gregory, Jaime Kapsal, Michael McBride, Brian Mellott, Lindsay Miller, Timothy Morrow, Sarah Stafford, and Artem Yarmolinskiy of Youngstown; Justin Battisti and Jason Debelyak of Struthers; Robert Bresson and Rachel Sweany of Austintown; Stephen Carchedi of Lowellville; Christopher Copploe and Raymond Michaels of McDonald; Michael Cramer, Carla Hill, and Michael Leskovec of Girard; Angela DeChristofaro of Niles; Jennifer Frayer and Joseph Propri of Mineral Ridge; Ryan Garman of Sandusky; Kelsi Garwood of Leetonia; Jason Green, Melanie Kiko, and Benjamin Miller of Salem; Kayla Huffman and Stacy Rhoads of New Middletown; Antonette Joseph and Safa Khaleq of Boardman; Daniel Kernich of Rogers; David Marshall of Hubbard; Nicholas O’Bruba and Carly Roberts of Poland; Sarah Pasqual of Beloit; Jessica Sferra and Scott Wilms of Columbiana; and Ashley Tonkovich of Cortland.

Students from outside Ohio include Matthew Adkins of Sharpsville, Pa.; Jason Heyman of Aliquippa, Pa.; RaNeen Lannutti of Sharon, Pa.; Jamie Smith of New Castle, Pa.; and Erin Schindler of Sammamish, Wash.

The YSU chapter of Beta Gamma Sigma was recognized as a Premier Chapter for its superior level of membership acceptance. With Premier Chapter status, the YSU BGS chapter awarded a $1,000 Beta Gamma Sigma scholarship to Ellen Stafford, an MBA student, in the 2008–2009 academic year.

Greg Claypool of Akron, chapter advisor and president and a professor of accounting and finance at YSU, was honored for five years of service. Bill Vendemia of Youngstown, YSU associate professor of management, was inducted as incoming president and advisor, and Tony Kos of Transfer, Pa., YSU assistant professor of management, was installed as secretary/treasurer.