NOTES ON PEOPLE (07/13/03)

NOTES ON PEOPLE

Amherst professor receives two grants

AMHERST, Mass. - Ukrainian American Anna Nagurney, the John F. Smith Memorial Professor at the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, has recently been awarded two prestigious grants, one from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and one from the Rockefeller Foundation.

The NSF grant will provide Dr. Nagurney with $400,000 over two years to conduct a study that will use the framework of knowledge supernetworks to understand complex business processes under risk and uncertainty. She will also develop software to analyze interactions among multi-criteria decision-makers on multilevel networks and the effects of decisions on the production, shipment and financial flows through multilevel networks.

Dr. Nagurney also received an invitation from the Rockefeller Foundation to work on a project called "Dynamics of Complex Networks in an Environment of Risk and Uncertainty: Theoretical Foundations and Applications to Global Supply Chain and International Financial Networks," according to The Campus Chronicle (May 23). She will work with Monica Cojocaru of Queen's University in Canada and Patrizia Daniele of the University of Catania of Sicily. They will meet for two weeks in March 2004 to conduct their research.

Regarding the grant from the Rockefeller Foundation, Dr. Nagurney said, according to The Campus Chronicle, "We are determined to shed light on supply chain networks and international financial networks that will help governments and their societies to improve their economic competitiveness."

The previous year, Dr. Nagurney was awarded a $25,000 Industrial Ecology Faculty Fellowship from the AT&T Foundation to study a wide range of networks from e-commerce supply chains to telecommuting and teleshopping decision-making.

Dr. Nagurney (née Bobiak) is a member of Ukrainian National Association Branch 409. She is a member of the Shevchenko Scientific Society and the Ukrainian American Association of University Professors. She completed her matura at the School of Ukrainian Studies in Yonkers, N.Y., and was a member of Plast Ukrainian Scouting Organization.

Named softball player of the year

CHICAGO - Ukrainian American softball star Jessica Evans of Elk Grove, Ill., was recently named the Chicago Sun-Times Player of the Year for 2003, after her final high school season, according to the Chicago Sun-Times of June 15. The second baseman's selection marked the first time in 14 years that the winner has played a position other than pitcher.

Ms. Evans was also named to the 2003 Chicago Sun-Times All-Area Softball Team, as reported by the Chicago Sun-Times (June 13), and to the Illinois All-State softball team, as reported by the Chicago Tribune (June 13).

According to the Sun-Times, Ms. Evans hit .422 in her final season. When asked about Ms. Evans' abilities, her coach, Ken Grams, said: "In the last two years, Jess has only struck out two times and she's only made two errors. She makes spectacular plays in the field and runs the bases like no one I've ever seen. She's the best all-around player I've had in 23 years."

The Elk Grove leadoff hitter has accepted a full four-year scholarship to play softball at DePaul University. The DePaul softball coach, Eugene Lenti, said of Ms. Evans: "When we saw her, my assistants and I saw it all. She's what I call a five-tool player. She can hit, hit with power, run, catch and throw. Jess is the most complete player she can be. She is hard-nosed and has an upside to get better."

Ms. Evans is a member of Ukrainian National Association Branch 125. She is the daughter of Catherine and Larry Evans. Her grandmother, Gloria Paschen, is a former supreme vice-presidentess of the UNA.

Artist to participate in group exhibit

JEWETT, N.Y. - Taras Schumylowych will take part in the 2003 annual exhibition of Ukrainian artists in North America being held at the Grazhda, the Ukrainian Cultural Center which forms part of the St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church complex.

The Grazhda is located in the beautiful Catskill Mountains, resplendid with meadows and neatly kept properties and houses, many of which belong to Ukrainians.

The events that are offered annually during the summer reflect the richness and continuity of Ukrainian cultural tradition, comprising a variety of programs that are available to the general public in this magnificent vacationing region.

This year's group art exhibition at the Grazhda opens Sunday, July 6, and will be on view through August 30. Among the many well-known artists participating in the exhibit is Taras Schumylowych, who will show four of his works: "Bell Tower" (sepia), "Entrance to Twilight Park" (tempera), "New London Lighthouse 1908, USCG" (ink) and "Boston Light Station 1716, USCG" (tempera).

Mr. Schumylowych is a member of Ukrainian National Association Branch 86.

| Home Page |