Columns::March 10, 2003

Bulletin board

Library hours
During spring break, the Libraries will be open regular Saturday hours (10 a.m.-7 p.m.) on March 15 and 22. On March 16 the Libraries will be closed. Hours for March 17-21 are 8 a.m.-6 p.m. The Libraries will be open regular Sunday hours (1 p.m.-midnight) on March 23.

Bookstore hours
During spring break, the bookstore will be open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. March 17-21 and will be closed weekends (March 15-16 and 22-23).

Osteoporosis study
Researchers in the department of foods and nutrition are conducting a study to investigate the effects of soy isoflavones (plant hormones found in soybeans) on bone mineral density.
Postmenopausal women between the ages of 40 and 60 who have not been diagnosed with osteoporosis and are not taking hormone replacement therapy may qualify.
Participants cannot be vegetarian and must be willing to take soy isoflavones on a daily basis for two years. Benefits include free bone mineral-density measurements, vitamin and mineral supplements, dietary assessment, blood analyses and modest compensation.
Contact Tonya Dalton (583-0040; opus@fcs.uga.edu) for more details.

CCRC training courses
The Complex Carbohydrate Research Center is offering a new two-day training course in mass spectrometry April 14 and 15. The course will focus on the analysis of glycoproteins by mass spectrometric techniques.
Two summer training courses are planned: analytical techniques for carbohydrate structure determination on June 16-20 and separation and characterization of glycoconjugate oligosaccharides on June 23-27.
Applications and additional information about these courses are available on the CCRC Web site (www.ccrc.uga.edu).

Training workshops
Training in the latest versions of computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software, widely used in research in the areas of health, education and sociology, will be offered in two workshops April 14-17.
The workshops will be led by Lyn Richards, director of research services at QSR International in Melbourne, Australia. A family sociologist, Richards has taught qualitative methods and has written four books about her funded research projects. She and computer scientist Tom Richards developed the NUD*IST research project on ways of handling non-numerical unstructured data by indexing, searching and theorizing.
The software that resulted from this research is now in its sixth version, N6, developed by QSR, now with the partner software package NVivo.
The software helps researchers in coding, storing, searching, retrieving and linking qualitative data--most commonly interview transcripts and field notes.
Richards will discuss the methodological purposes and outcomes of software processes, rather than teaching technical skills. Experienced users are welcome to attend the workshop for these methodological discussions, as well as for further skill development in each program, but should recognize that the workshops will address the needs of those at an introductory level.
N6, which is now used in over 80 countries, is a powerful code-and-retrieve program designed to assist in managing and analyzing textual data. NVivo is the new generation of qualitative software, designed for researchers who need to combine subtle coding with qualitative linking, shaping, and modeling.
A fine-detail analyzer, NVivo integrates interpretation and focused questioning. Rich-text records are freely edited, coded, and linked with multimedia, and researchers can hyperlink any data to external files (audio, video, and Web pages).
The workshops will be held in room 143 of the River’s Crossing building, and are sponsored by the qualitative inquiry program in the College of Education’s department of educational psychology.
Online registration and more information are available at www.gactr.uga.edu/conferences/2003/Apr/14/qual.phtml.

Bulletin board is limited to announcements from campus-based organizations whose membership includes UGA faculty and/or staff.