Florida Institute of Technology - Ad Astra Yearbook (Melbourne, FL)

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Top Right: Dr. Jane LeMoine, Head of Humanities ) Above: Lto R Mr. D. Canary, Dr. M. Haberhern, Mrs. S. Irvin, Dr. J. Lemoine, Dr. H. Freyhofer, Mrs. C. Shehadeh, Mrs. M. Mullins, Dr. R. Shearer, Dr. M. Patterson, Dr. R. Arnold During the early years, the Humanities Department was not really a department, but rather a group of professors and instructors who taught humanities courses. Dr. Catherine Ackerson, who recently re- tired after nearly two decades at F.I.T., took care of scheduling, grade sheets, and other records, and generally kept things together. At that time the offices were in two small rooms in the quadrangle. In 1972, the humanities group became a division with Mr. James Cuneen as chairman. HUMANITIES Under Dr. Carter’s leadership, a number of impor- tant changes were instituted and the department began to achieve an identity of its own. Freshman placement testing was begun in cooperation with the FRESH program, and the composition courses were revised. In the fall of 1978, the Individualized Learning Center opened under the direction of Dr. Jane LeMoine, a member of the humanities faculty. During that same year the Humanities Core Curril- culum was introduce on the sophomore level, in order to provide a coherent survey of western cul- ture. In addition to the Technical Communication major (in which twenty-two students are currently en- rolled), the Humanities Department now offers ma- jors in Business Communication and in Humanities. Business and Technical Communication majors are currently serving as editors and staff members of the school’s publications, and members of the com- munication faculty are advisors to the newspaper, the yearbook, and the radio station. Dr. Jane LeMoine is currently Acting Head of the department which has ten full-time faculty mem- bers. Plans for the future include a larger number of other electives on the 3000 level, particuluarly in- terdisciplinary courses, and, in time, special semi- nars on the 4000-level on such topics as “Ethics and the Engineer” and “Science, Technology, and the Future of Man.” This year for the first time, a humanities elective will include a four-week trip to Europe as part of a two-quarter sequence, “Topics in European Culture and “A European Odyssey.” 227

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The Department of Biological Sciences began op- eration on January 3, 1971, with 116 students in freshman biology. The department developed rap- idly, and began offering an M.S. degee in 1972 and the Ph.D in 1974. Although research was an impor- tant part of the department’s activities from its be- ginning, research activities went into high gear around 1977, with the awarding of the first of a continuing series of large grants from the federal government for the instruments and other needs for research. The department offers a strong undergraduate pro- gram in general biology which contains 88 credits of biology courses. There is also an option for specialization in marine biology, an option in moli- cular biology genetic engineering, and an option for preparation for study in medical, dental, or veterinary school. In all of these cases, laboratory work has been designed to provide students with the latest skills for employment, based on informa- tion obtained from potential employers. Under- graduate research is also an important part of the program, and a student may earn up to 18 credits of independent research in a faculty member's re- search lab. The most recent development for under- graduates is the use of computers for individual interactive learning in different areas of biology. All of the faculty members have active research programs in progress, involving both graduate and undergraduate researchers. Almost 200 papers have been published by the faculty members in biologi- cal sciences and their students. Research areas are in cytogenetics, developmental biology, ecology, genetics, marine biology and molecular biology. Specific research ranges from genetic engineering to the ecology of coral reefs. Top Left: Head of Biological Sciences, Dr. George C. Webster Above: Back Row L. R., Dr. K. Kasweck, Dr. J. Morris, Dr. G. Cohen, Dr. C. Polson, Front Row L. R., Dr. W. Alevizon, Dr. J. Park, Dr. G. Webster, Dr. G. Wells During the next 25 years of F.I.T.’s life, the biologi- cal sciences department will grow in both size and activity. The faculty will continue to be in the fore- front of research, and extensive use of computer- assisted instruction and even newer techniques will increase greatly the efficiency of learning for stu- dents.

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ELECTRICAL COMPUTER | ENGINEERING Top Left: Dr. J. Hadjilogiou, Head of Electrical and Computer Engineering Above L to R, Dr. G. Kostopoulos, Dr. W. Shelton, Dr. W. Nunn, Dr. J. Hadjilogiou, Dr. M. Shah, Dr. D. Bugnolo, Dr. J. Choi, Dr. M. Valdez, Dr. F. SanFilippo, M. W. Douglass