Oliva's career follows path from New Jersey to Nebraska

Giacomo Oliva began learning to play piano by age 6 and performed at a variety of levels before entering university administration. He is dean of the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts at UNL. Photo by Richard Wright.

Dean Oliva keeps a picture of his mother with one of her young piano students on his desk. Oliva said his mother had a special talent for teaching children. Photo by Richard Wright.

Giacomo Oliva, age 7, poses with renowned pianist Byron Janis in this 1957 picture. Oliva was a student at the Chatham Square Music School when he and his class attended a taping of the Tonight Show with Jack Paar that featured Janis. Oliva, now dean of UNL's Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts, was the youngest student accepted into the Chatham Square Music School, when he was 6 years old. Photo courtesy of Giacomo Oliva.

Dean mixes musical talent with his love of teaching

By Kim Davis, University Communications

Tucked away in the small town of Belleville, N.J., was Muscara's Music Store. The family owned and operated the shop, sold band instruments and offered private music lessons. An inventory of guitars and portable organs attracted Jersey-based rock 'n' roll bands like The Four Seasons and The Young Rascals. But Muscara's was more than a music store: It was a local hangout for those with a passion for music.

Giacomo Oliva, now the dean of the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts, not only made friends with the music shop owners but formed connections there that would help shape his career in music.

Giacomo M. "Jack" Oliva was born in New York City in 1949. His mother, Lucile Oliva, was a skilled concert pianist and introduced Jack to the instrument early.

"I was around music all of the time and I was drawn to the piano. It was very attractive to me and something that captured my interest," Oliva said.

Oliva's formal training on the piano began when most boys start kindergarten. At age 6, Oliva was accepted into the Chatham Square Music School in New York City.

"It was a scholarship school, and I was the youngest student they ever took there," Oliva said. "Training consisted of weekly piano lessons, as well as classes in music theory and composition, which I was too young to take, so they tutored me in those areas until I was a little older."

After the sixth grade, the family moved from New York to New Jersey. Oliva continued to study music, though it required him to commute to New York every Saturday for lessons. When high school came around, Oliva found himself making the trip six days a week.

"My high school was in New York as well, so during my high school years I was commuting five days a week for high school and one day a week for music, so six days a week until I started college," Oliva said.

As high school's end drew near, Oliva found himself struggling with college plans. Surrounded by students who had clear career aspirations, Oliva felt perplexed.

"I was in a quandary. I had no role models in the family to say, 'Ya know, if you major in music this is what you can do.' But, I thought, If I'm going to college, I'm going to study music, because it's what I loved," Oliva said.

Once he knew what he was going to study, the question became where. Oliva turned to his friend and owner of Muscara's Music Store.

"I was presenting this dilemma to Gene Muscara and he said, 'Why don't you audition at Montclair?' So I thought, "Why not?' Montclair had a good reputation and I knew it was close, so I ended up going there and loved every minute of it," Oliva said.

Throughout college, Oliva had a side gig teaching piano lessons at Muscara's for extra gas money. It was fun, flexible and provided connections in the "business." Oliva met a Muscara family friend, singer Connie Frances, and was hired to teach her two children piano.

"In 1981, (Frances) decided to go back to work. She needed a piano player, someone to rehearse with her and prepare her musical charts for six months and get her ready and she called me up," Oliva said.

Working with Frances gave Oliva the opportunity to play and conduct for her in a variety of settings in New York and New Jersey, including Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center and a performance on "The Tomorrow Show"(WNBC-TV, New York). Oliva said he enjoyed the work, but working with the best musicians in the business was an exciting experience and made the biggest impression on him.

"You'd come (to rehearsal) in the morning with a series of complicated arrangements that the musicians had never seen before, and they'd plop them down and play them as if they'd had them home for a week and could work out all of the licks," Oliva said. "I could hold my own with them, but it was certainly a humbling experience. I'd leave the rehearsal saying, 'When I'm that good, I'll feel like I've really arrived.' That's a very invigorating and challenging environment to be in."

With all of the excitement and prestige that goes with performing at that level, Oliva was drawn to teaching. While working on his master's degree, Oliva was offered a job as the director of choral music and assistant director of marching band at Morris Hills High School in New Jersey. On an impulse, Oliva signed a contract.

Soon after meeting his wife, Dorothy, Oliva accepted a position at Mississippi State University. The decision would turn the focus of his career to higher education and administration. He spent seven years at Mississippi State, followed by another nine years as a professor and director of the School of Music at the University of Florida.

He is now in his second year at UNL as the Dean of the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts, but Oliva has found ways to keep up with his playing. Although he has less time to practice than when he was in Mississippi or Florida, he does perform ragtime music for the university's Speakers Bureau. Oliva says his current role allows him to stay connected to faculty and students while attending to the continued challenges of a young college.

"You can really grab a hold of things that have promise and find ways to move ahead," Oliva said. "We're definitely in an environment to explore growth and that's always an exciting challenge for me."

Oliva's stories about his work and experiences could fill pages upon pages. But looking back, he has fond memories of what he knows was "not a glamorous, but rewarding life" and feels happy to be where he is in his career.

"If I would've stayed with just what I was doing in New Jersey, by the time I was 35, I might not have gone down other roads that have enabled me to have this life I have now," Oliva said. "To be someone who is curious and to have connected with people who have helped me, I think I've been very, very fortunate."

UNL, MIT scientists find 3 metals in protein

By Tom Simons, University Communications

A chance decision made by a post-doctoral student working with UNL biochemistry professor Stephen Ragsdale solved a problem Ragsdale had been studying for 22 years.

The decision pointed for the first time to the existence of three metals - nickel, iron and copper - in a protein. The three metals are within a single metal "supercluster." And that discovery has led to an article in the Oct. 18 issue of Science, the global weekly of research.

Copper was the mystery metal, Ragsdale said. It was unexpected in the crystallized, purified protein distilled from the bacterium Moorella thermoacetica because copper is usually associated with proteins that use oxygen; for this enzyme, oxygen is a poison. Plus, copper inactivates the enzyme when added to it in solution.

"We have known for many years that this 'supercluster' contains nickel that is bridged by some atom(s) we have been calling 'X' to a four-iron cube," Ragsdale said. "My colleagues have asked me for just as many years, 'what is X?' We never anticipated that X is copper."

In 1985, Ragsdale began trying to crystallize the protein in order to better study it, but, he said, "until 2000, we saw nothing but junk." That year, however, UNL graduate student Tzanko Doukov was "playing with different conditions under which we could get crystals," Ragsdale said, and had a breakthrough. After earning his doctorate, Doukov left UNL for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he further refined the crystallization procedure so that structure determination became possible.

Doukov's chance decision to use the wavelength for copper as a "blank" to set a benchmark scored a "direct hit," said Ragsdale, who said he at first thought the result was impossible, but subsequent tests, completed in July in the UNL laboratory, proved that copper was indeed present and essential.

M. thermoacetica is the model organism whose relatives are common anaerobic bacteria found in the guts of many mammals, including humans, Ragsdale said. They are among the most ancient life forms, and they use this protein to metabolize carbon monoxide, a characteristic they have retained for 4 billion years, he said.

The bacteria function as an interface between organisms that use simple chemicals such as carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and hydrogen and more complex organic chemicals. They are the essential underpinnings of the carbon cycle, Ragsdale said, meaning that they take up waste products and convert them for use by the next feeders in the food chain. For example, mammals excrete carbon dioxide as they breathe; plants take up the carbon dioxide and convert it to their metabolic uses. Animals eat the plants, keeping the cycle going. These particular anaerobes capture and even use carbon monoxide for energy, keeping it from overwhelming the atmosphere.

"It is interesting that the major toxic effect of carbon monoxide for humans is that it binds to copper in a mitochondrial enzyme preventing oxygen from binding," Ragsdale said. "In this carbon monoxide utilizing enzyme, it is oxygen that is the poison and carbon monoxide is the good guy."

In these organisms, this enzyme even makes carbon monoxide, yet it is never released to its host. The crystal structure also substantiated some biochemical evidence that there is a leak-proof "bottle" within the enzyme that does not allow the CO to escape and ensures that it is used to make its product.

Ragsdale said about half of the known proteins contain metals, but this was the first time these three metals were found together.

He said he had proposed about 20 years ago that the enzyme's metabolic pathway differed from typical metabolic pathways, and coined the term "bioorganometallic reaction sequence," meaning that a series of metal-carbon bonds are formed. One of the highlights of the Science paper is that one of these metal-carbon intermediates was trapped in the crystal structure bound to copper. "Visualizing this intermediate at an atomic level substantiates the concept of a biological organometallic reaction sequence within a metabolic pathway," he said.

He said the race to find this metal chain was internationally competitive in a friendly way.

"I tried to be philosophical about it; that whoever was the first would be adding to knowledge we have and it didn't matter who found it first," he said. "But when you've been working on something for so long, you'd rather not be the second one."

Because the anaerobe's use of the metals is unique and somewhat exotic, Ragsdale said the finding will enrich the biochemical literature and may point to other ways that carbon monoxide, a toxic by-product of combustion, is used by organisms. It also could give clues toward ameliorating growing levels of carbon monoxide in the atmosphere.

The Science article is titled "A Unique Ni-Fe-Cu (nickel-iron-copper) Center in the Crystal Structure of Bifunctional Carbon Monoxide Dehydrogenase/Acetyl-CoA Synthase Structure." The authors are Doukov, MIT; Tina Iverson, formerly MIT; Javier Seravalli, research assistant professor at UNL; Ragsdale; and Catherine L. Drennan, MIT. The work was funded by the National Institutes of Health and previously by the U.S. Department of Energy.

Drifting Souls # 2, 13 1/2- by 31 inches, chlorophyll print, cast in resin, 2002, by Binh Danh.

Danh at UNL with artist diversity program

By Kathe Andersen, Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts

Photographer Binh Danh, who has created a photographic process where an image grows on plant leaves through photosynthesis, is now on the UNL campus as part of the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts' Artist Diversity Residency Program. Danh will be here through Nov. 1 as part of the program, which works to promote a greater appreciation for diversity and art on the campus and in schools and communities across Nebraska.

Artists in the program usually stay in Nebraska from one to three weeks and give 13-15 presentations per week during their stays. They will usually present information to groups of 15 to 50 students at UNL and beyond the campus. For many in the audience, this experience may be their first contact with an African American, Native American, Jewish American, Asian American or Latino American in a setting where they can learn about the artist's cultural background. Artists are often paired with faculty based on special interests of the group, which correlate with the interests and background of the visiting artist.

Danh was born in Kien Giang City, Vietnam, in 1977; his family left Vietnam that same year. He recently received his bachelor of fine arts degree in photography from San Jose State University in San Jose, Calif. Last March, he was accepted into Stanford University's MFA program, one of only five artists accepted into the program this fall. He has exhibited his work regionally and has lectured on his work nationally.

His art often addresses and reflects his Vietnamese heritage and his interest in natural science and history. He uses 19th century photographic processes such as daguerreotypes and tintypes in his contemporary imagemaking. Other projects completed by Danh focus on the Vietnamese-American War and the subsequent emigration of many Vietnamese to the United States. He weaves his family history into the collective American story.

Danh has also created his own photographic process, in which he grows an image in plant leaves through a photosynthesis process. The leaves themselves become a chlorophyll print.

"One summer I was motivated to experiment with photosynthesis and its pigments after watching the lawn change color due to a water hose that was placed on it," Danh said. "The images of war are part of the leaves, and live inside and outside of them. The leaves express the continuum of war. Since matter is neither created nor destroyed, but only transformed, the remnants of the Vietnam and American War live on forever."

Danh has had several solo exhibitions at San Jose State University. His work was selected for "Introductions" at the Institute of Contemporary Art in San Jose.

For info For more information about the Artist Diversity Residency Program or to schedule an artist into a second-semester class, contact Ron Bowlin, program director, at 472-2997 or rbowlin1@unl.edu.

Other participants in the Artist Diversity Residency Program Artists scheduled to visit UNL this semester as part of the Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts' Artist Diversity Residency Program include: Laurie H. White Hawk, Nov. 4-8: White Hawk is a member of the Nebraska Winnebago Tribe. She is a visual artist who paints pictures of Native American people in their regalia. White Hawk emphasizes that she likes to create images of "real-life" people, not idealized imagery. She shares insights into native American culture, talking about family, elders, stories, spirituality, tradition and about social and political problems facing Native Americans today. Kavita Bali, Nov. 11-19: Born in India, she came to the U.S. at age 6. Bali works in several media, including film, photography, silk screening, drawing and web design. Bali grew up in the United States and worked in the design industry for 14 years and the last five years in Silicon Valley. Juan Tejeda, Dec. 2-6: Xicano musician Tejeda comes from San Antonio to share his experiences of growing up Mexican American and coming of age in the era of the civil rights movement. The traditional conjunto music that Tejeda plays on his button accordion is part of the culture that he embraces. v

Number of international students up

Reduction in budget, changes after Sept. 11 affect recruitment

By Andy Schadwinkel, Office of Admissions

UNL's enrollment of undergraduate international students increased slightly in 2002 despite the events and resulting global political climate of Sept. 11, 2001.

According to Institutional Research and Planning Administrative Site enrollment numbers, undergraduate international enrollment at UNL increased in 2002 to 565 students from 550 students in 2001. The number of first-year international freshmen increased to 72 in 2002 from 59 in 2001.

Patrick O'Neill, associate director of admissions and the office's coordinator for international recruitment, says he believes UNL was fortunate in its ability to increase this international enrollment last year.

"We went ahead and made some international recruitment trips (after Sept. 11) last year few U.S. colleges and universities made. Because of that, I think we had the opportunity to get in front of a lot of students that other schools didn't," O'Neill said.

However, some lasting effects from Sept. 11, 2001, are challenging the UNL Office of Admissions. Early in 2002, the U.S. government implemented a minimum 30-day waiting period on visa applications from selected countries to allow for increased investigation and information gathering. The result has been a major slowdown in completed applications.

"In the past, a Malaysian student could get a visa in a week or even less than a week. Now it's sometimes two or three months. It's all because the government is not fully able to administer the new procedures. There hasn't been the increase in personnel to match the new standards," O'Neill said.

O'Neill said that this year, an international student may have applied for his visa in May to attend this fall, and in the past that would have been plenty of time to process the visa. But this year, a visa probably would not have been granted because the U.S. government stopped reviewing visa applications on June 10, so UNL would not have been able to get the prospective student to campus. As a result, the Office of Admissions will require prospective international students to gather their papers much sooner to beat these deadlines, and this reduces the time UNL has to recruit international students.

In addition, budget constraints have reduced the admissions office's ability to travel to support international recruitment this year.

O'Neill said he is encouraging all UNL faculty and staff who are planning international travel this year to contact him about possibly taking recruitment materials to institutions and study-abroad programs in the countries they visit.

Ongoing recruitment partnerships with UNL's Intensive English Program have become even more important in light of the challenges this year. Mike Harpending, assistant professor of English and coordinator of the IEP, travels to recruit for his program, which helps international students become proficient in English so they can study in the United States. The IEP has already seen a slowdown in numbers.

"We offer several sessions throughout the year, and the first fall session is always our biggest. This year's first session, which had smaller numbers than last year, recently ended. And we are seeing a big drop-off in the numbers for the next program compared to last year. The visa issue may reduce the numbers even more."

International students bring additional revenue to the university, but perhaps an even more important reason to overcome the challenges to recruiting outside the United States is the benefit of increased diversity on campus. Peter Levitov, associate dean of International Affairs, agrees.

"Right now, we have more international students on campus than ever before. International students help to enhance the on-campus experience for all students," he said.

To help If you are planning international travel and would be willing to deliver recruitment materials abroad, please contact Patrick O'Neill at 472-5125 or poneill3@unl.edu.

Abrams

Adolf

Callahan

Henningsen

Nuckolls

Distinguished alumni return for Masters Week

Five distinguished UNL alumni will return to campus Nov. 6-9 for Masters Week, an annual event that connects successful Nebraska graduates with current students.

This year's masters are: Robin Abrams, recently retired chairman of the board, president and CEO of BlueKite, a San Francisco-based Internet software company with operations in the United States and Europe; Mary Adolf, president and chief operating officer of the National Restaurant Association Education Foundation; Richard Callahan, founder of Callahan Associates International L.L.C., an organization that develops, operates and finances communications, entertainment and information projects around the world; Jacqueline Henningsen, director of the Air Force Studies and Analysis Agency, Office of the Vice Chief of Staff, U.S. Air Force, at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.; and David Nuckolls, executive producer for special projects at CNN.

Masters Week was founded in 1964 and brings successful alumni into contact with students through class visits, campus tours and meetings with clubs and organizations. More than 200 alumni have returned to campus as Masters since the program's inception.

NU faculty nominate alumni each winter for the next year's program. Masters are then selected by a committee appointed by the chancellor. Masters Week is sponsored by the Chancellor's Office, the Student Alumni Association, Innocents Society and the Black Masque Chapter of Mortar Board.

The schedules of each Master's activities while he or she is on campus is listed on the Nebraska alumni Web site at http:// www.unl.edu/alumni/programs/masters/02schedules.htm.

Abrams headed a firm that is a leading Internet software company specializing in data services to mobile computing devices such as laptops and pocket PCs. She has held executive positions in the United States and abroad, including senior-level positions at Ventro, a leading builder of and service provider to business-to-business marketplaces, Palm Computing/3Com, a leader in the hand-held computing market, VeriFone, a subsidiary of Hewlett Packard, and Apple Computer. Abrams is a native of York and earned her bachelor of arts degree in political science and her juris doctor at UNL.

Adolf leads the educational arm of the Chicago-based National Restaurant Association. She is an expert on food safety issues and holds a master of science degree in food science and meat science and a bachelor of science degree in food and nutrition from UNL. Previously, Adolf served as senior vice president of Ketchum's Global Food and Nutrition Practice and as vice president of consumer marketing at the National Cattlemen's Beef Association. She led the team that developed the award-winning "Beef, It's What's for Dinner" advertising campaign.

Callahan founded his company in 1996 and has developed it into one of the leading cable communications operators in Europe, with businesses in Spain, Germany and Belgium and more than 19 million franchise homes. Previously, Callahan founded US WEST's cellular and cable communications as well as US WEST International. Callahan earned a bachelor of arts degree in business administration from UNL and a master of business administration from Creighton University. He was a scholastic All-American football player for the Cornhusker football team.

Henningsen leads the Headquarters Air Force Direct Reporting Unit for independent decision-aiding studies for the chief of staff and the secretary of the Air Force. She is a native of Omaha and earned a doctor of philosophy degree in industrial and management science engineering and a master of science degree in industrial science engineering from UNL. She has been recognized with the Air Force Award for Meritorious Civilian Service and the Department of Defense Distinguished Civilian Award.

Nuckolls has directed such projects as "askCNN" and "Moneyline Update" for CNN, CNNI, "Headline News," CNN.COM and TNT. Before his work at CNN, Nuckolls spent 12 years at the Walt Disney Co. producing live entertainment and special events. As a senior producer for creative entertainment, he produced special events including the 25th anniversary of Walt Disney World and played an integral role in developing creative presentations for Disney CEO Michael Eisner. In 2002, Nuckolls served as video director of the Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. Nuckolls received his bachelor of journalism degree from UNL in 1986 and has received the distinguished alumnus award from the College of Journalism and Mass Communications.