Basic HTML Version
Campus Review
December 12, 2013
Page 8
George Nakos Selected to Become a Fellow of
The Academy of International Business - Southeast
Clayton State Biologists Present at
Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting
by Ciji Fox
Dr. George Nakos, professor of Marketing
at Clayton State University, was recently
selected for a rare honor -- to become a
Fellow of the Academy of International
Business Southeast (AIBSE).
AIBSE selects as fellows academics that
have made outstanding contributions to
the scholarship and practice of interna-
tional business and have exercised a lead-
ership role in education and scholarship in
the field. In the past 30 years, only 15 aca-
demics in the southeastern United States
have been honored by becoming fellows
of the organization.
The ceremony took place during the late
October 2013 Annual Conference of the
Academy of International Business
Southeast, held on the Georgia Tech
Campus.
Academy of International Business –
Southeast USA is the regional chapter of
the Academy of International Business,
the leading association of scholars and
specialists in the field of international
business. Established in 1959, today AIB
has 3287 members in 86 different coun-
tries around the world. Members include
scholars from the leading global academ-
ic institutions as well consultants,
researchers, government and NGO repre-
sentatives.
(Left) Dr. Daniel Rottig, AIB-SE chair and asso-
ciate professor of International Business and
Strategic Management in the Lutgert College of
Business at Florida Gulf Coast University
(Middle) Dr. George Nakos (Right) Matthew C.
Mitchell, assistant professor of International
Business at Drake University’s College of
Business and Public Administration
Dr. Jere A. Boudell, Clayton State
University associate professor of Biology,
and a group of her students recently pre-
sented at the annual meeting of the
Ecological Society of America (ESA),
which was held in Minneapolis.
“The ESA is the largest organization for
ecologists in the world,” Boudell says.
“The meeting typically attracts about
5,000 plus ecologists.”
Joe Mikula and Kiley Mitchell presented
the poster, “Controlling factors on
Microstegium vimineum in a restored
Piedmont
riparian
ecosystem.”
Microstegium vimineum is a common
invasive species.
“Joe Mikula is a senior biology major and
Kiley Mitchell is a student at Oregon State
University enrolled in their online
Wildlife biology program,” Boudell says.
“She has been a Clayton State SEEDS
member and is a former intern of mine.
They worked with me to collect and ana-
lyze MIVI data, submitted a poster
abstract, and created a poster for presenta-
tion at the meeting.”
“The most rewarding aspect of attending
the ESA annual meeting was being able to
present our finished project and results to
other biology students and biologists as
well the opportunity to network,”
Mitchell says.
Mitchell admits that standing up in front
of distinguished people in the science
community and keeping them interested
in her research was nerve wrenching,
however, participating was beneficial.
“Some of the benefits of participating in
the ESA annual meeting besides network-
ing and making my résumé look really
amazing, was seeing friends,” she
explains. “I was fortunate to be selected to
attend the SEEDS leadership conference
in New Orleans last February where I met
some really amazing students doing really
amazing things in the field of Ecology. I
got the chance to reconnect with many of
those students and learn about the
research that they are currently working
on; it was great and very motivating.”
Japhia Jacobo, a Clayton State biology
alumnus and a current master’s student of
Boudell’s through the University of
Alabama-Birmingham
Biology
Department, gave the a talk on , “Soil
properties of urban streams along a
restoration gradient in the Southern
Piedmont.”
“Japhia is investigating critical soil fac-
tors that support plant communities in
restored Piedmont ecosystems,” Boudell
says. “She received a travel award from
the ESA SEEDS program to attend the
meeting.”
“It's difficult to put in to words how
inspiring it is to attend an event during
which you can share your excitement with
likeminded individuals,” Jacobo says. “If
you're from a college or job-field that is
isolated from other ecologists, then it is
particularly rewarding to realize that
you're not alone.”
“Participating in research is science made
real,” Boudell adds. “Through research
experiences, students work with a mentor
and learn to ask good questions, develop
ESA, cont’d., p. 15