Faculty and Staff achievements, 2007-08
Congratulations to these faculty and staff members who have distinguished themselves and their departments recently for outstanding professional achievements:

Uploaded in February

* Dr. Arnold Irchai, former principal bassoonist with the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra and bassoon professor at the University of Florida, Gainesville, will perform in a recital Monday, Feb. 18, at 7:30 p.m., in Riceland Hall, Fowler Center. He will be joined by Dr. Lauren Schack Clark, pianist, and Dr. Dale Clark, bassoonist. The concert is free and open to the public. Dr. Irchai will hold a master class Sunday, Feb. 17, at 12 noon in the Recital Hall, Fine Arts Center. For details, contact Dr. Dale Clark, ext. 2094.

* Sue Marlay, University College, co-chaired and presented at an orientation for national leaders of NAFSA: Association of International Educators recently at NAFSA's annual Washington Leadership Meetings in Washington, D.C. Marlay is the outgoing chair of the Leadership Cultivation Subcommittee, which developed this leadership program in 2006. The program includes an introduction to leadership in NAFSA, advocacy for international education, and volunteer management training.

* Dr. Ashraf Elsayed, Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Dr. Shivan Haran, Mechanical Engineering, are the recipients of a $30,000 research grant from State Farm Insurance that will be directed toward their research study, "Shear Wave Velocity Profiling and Soil Liquefaction Hazard Analysis." Jonesboro is situated within the New Madrid Seismic Zone, an area including eight states, and so is potentially vulnerable to an earthquake. State Farm also supports earthquake awareness efforts in Missouri and Tennessee. The grant was awarded yesterday at the Judd Hill Center, home of the ASU Foundation, Inc. For details, see the NewsPage release.

* Dr. Jim Stillwell, Physical Education, was recently selected as winner of the Margie R. Hanson Distinguished Service Award by the board of directors of the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE). This award is one of the most prestigious awards given by the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD), the largest national association of those involved in physical education. The Margie R. Hanson Distinguished Service Award is given to honor professionals who have made outstanding contributions to the field of physical education for children at state, district and national levels. Stillwell will receive his award in April at NASPE's national convention in Fort Worth.

* Kimberley Boyett, a graduate student and teaching assistant in the Department of Psychology and Counseling, has published in the national peer-reviewed Psi Chi Journal of Undergraduate Research. Her article, "Individual Differences in Voluntary Self-Administration of Oral Nicotine in Female Rats," is featured in the Winter 2007 edition of the journal. Faculty supervisors were Dr. Amy Pearce and Dr. Kris Biondolillo, Psychology and Counseling. Their research was supported by funding from the Arkansas Biosciences Institute. Psi Chi is the national honor society in psychology.

* Dr. Lonnie R. Williams, Student Affairs, recently served as a panel review leader and chair for the National Science Foundation’s Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM) panel review meeting in Arlington, Va. The S-STEM program provides institutions with funds for student scholarships in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics. This meeting was convened to review and discuss more than 250 proposals submitted for review by 21 panels. Estimated funding exists for 100 such projects.

Uploaded in January

* Dr. Dan Howard, ASU's new vice chancellor for Academic Affairs and Research, will officially dedicate a new science exhibit in the Laboratory Sciences Center, East Wing, at ASU on Monday, Feb. 11, at 12 noon. The opening of "The Hall of Science"  is the official start of the "Week of Science" festivities planned through Friday, Feb. 15. Refreshments will be served, and the public is welcome. "The Hall of Science" will encompass features like marine skeletons, a marine aquarium, a vivarium, a meteorological station, a mineral collection, and much more, including exhibits demonstrating ongoing research being conducted at ASU. For details, contact Dr. Aldemaro Romero, ext. 3082, or see the NewsPage release.

* The research of Dr. Stanley Trauth, Zoology, was featured in "Life in Cold Blood," the BBC nature documentary by Sir David Attenborough, the most famous living nature documentarian in the world. Filming began in 2005, and Dr. Trauth's research is included in the segment, "Land Invaders (Amphibians)," which will be broadcast in the U.K. on Monday, Feb. 11. U.S. air dates have not yet been announced. Click here for more information on "Life in Cold Blood."

* Dr. Lynita Cooksey, University College, is one of 10 nationwide recipients, selected from more than 100 nominees, of the Outstanding First-Year Student Advocate Award. This award, presented by the University of South Carolina's National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition and Houghton Mifflin Publishing, honors faculty, administrators, staff, and students for outstanding work on behalf of first-year students and for the impact their efforts have had on their institutional cultures. Recipients will be formally honored in San Francisco at the Annual Conference on the First-Year Experience. Dr. Cooksey, who currently serves as interim dean, University College, is also associate vice chancellor for Academic Affairs and Research at ASU.

* Dr. George Morara Ogendi, Environmental Geology, recently became a Senior Fellow with the prestigious Washington D.C.–based Environmental Leadership Program (ELP)after successfully completing a two-year training period as an ELP National Fellow. The ceremony took place in December at Kirkridge Retreat Center, Pennsylvania. The training program is geared towards equipping fellows with leadership skills for engaging governments, the private sector, and civil society in environmental education and policy formulation for sustainable use of natural resources. The ELP nurtures a new generation of environmental leaders characterized by diversity, innovation, collaboration, and effective communications. The training components included appreciative leadership, movement building, conflict management and resolution, negotiation, public speaking, media and communication planning, network building, and diversity.

* Graduate students in Dr. Steven Green’s Environmental Sustainability class looked for and found ways to make an impact on the environmental sustainability of the ASU campus. Three teams focused on three plans involving the issues of plastic bottle recycling; lighting management in offices, classrooms, and labs; and incandescent lighting in residence halls. Proposals were submitted to the campus recycling committee, facilities management administrators, and residence life administrators. Implementing the proposed projects will make campus more environmentally sustainable by diverting tens of cubic yards of plastic bottles from landfills, reducing ASU's carbon dioxide footprint, and saving tens of thousands of dollars each year. For details, contact Dr. Steven Green at ext. 3463.

* Gov. Mike Beebe announced Wednesday that he has appointed Ron Rhodes of Cherokee Village to the Arkansas State University Board of Trustees. Rhodes, a 1970 graduate, is a life member of the ASU Alumni Association, as well as belonging to the ASU Indian Club.  He is president of King-Rhodes and Associates, Inc., a real estate business in Cherokee Village. Members of the Board of Trustees, which has oversight responsibilities for the Arkansas State University System, serve staggered five-year terms. Rhodes succeeds Lt. Col. (Ret.) Dallas Wood of Paragould, whose term expired. Other members are Mike Gibson of Osceola, chair; Mike Medlock of Jonesboro, vice chair; Florine Tousant Milligan of Forrest City, secretary; and Howard Slinkard of Rogers. Comments from Dr. Les Wyatt, ASU System president, are included in the NewsPage release.

* Dr. Shawn Drake, Physical Therapy, recently presented a certified personal training workshop for the American College of Sports Medicine in Barcelona, Spain. Dr. Drake gave three presentations at the workshop: they included "Exercise Science and Kinesiology/Human Movement," "Cardiorespiratory Assessment and Programming," and "Flexibility and Range of Motion Assessment and Programming." Dr. Drake is a certified American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) exercise specialist and program director. She currently serves on ACSM's Committee on Certification and Registry Boards (CCRB), the International Programs subcommittee of the CCRB, and the Exam Development Team.

* ASU’s new Moot Court team, coached by Dr. Hans Hacker, Political Science, will compete in the 2008 American Collegiate Moot Court Association National Tournament, to be held at Drake University Law School in Des Moines, Iowa, on Friday-Saturday, Jan. 18-19. The team attended its first tournament only weeks after its founding, and ended with a fifth-place ranking out of seven teams. For details on ASU’s Moot Court team, contact Dr. Hans J. Hacker at ext. 2257, or see the NewsPage release.

* Dr. Pamela J. Weathers, Metabolic Engineering, ABI, was recently reelected to a third term as the chair of the Public Policy Committee for the Society for In Vitro Biology (SIVB), and thereby also reelected to a third term as a member of the SIVB Board of Directors. The Public Policy Committee of SIVB assists society members and the scientific community at large to better understand in vitro biology, biotechnology, and current research and public policy issues affecting the scientific community. The committee supports SIVB's interaction with Congress and other government officials to give scientific advice on funding priorities and other issues relevant to in vitro biology and biotechnology. Dr. Weathers holds the Judd Hill Chair in Agricultural Biotechnology. She also directs the Molecular Biosciences Graduate Program at ASU.

* Dr. Tanja McKay, Entomology, recently attended the 55th annual meeting of the Entomological Society of America. Dr. McKay was chosen to give the "Highlights in Veterinary Entomology" symposium speech this year. She also co-authored a poster, "House fly (Musca domestica) and stable fly (Stomoyxs calcitrans) parasitism following sustained releases of pteromalid wasps in southern dairies." Her master's degree student, Justin Fiene, also gave a talk, "Do dung beetles respond to ivermectin residues? An examination of the olfactory cues used by dung beetles in finding dung pats."

* Dr. Lillie M. Fears, Journalism, was recently elected to the board of directors of theArkansas Humanities Council (AHC), a nonprofit corporation promoting public understanding, appreciation, and use of the humanities. The board consists of 24 directors, 18 elected by the board, and six appointed by the Governor of Arkansas. ACH was established in 1974 to develop a statewide program to acquaint Arkansans with the various fields of study that comprise the humanities and to provide financial support for well-planned projects, such as community history projects for citizens, reading/discussion groups for public library patrons, workshops on foreign languages and cultures for teachers, and museum exhibits on topics in Arkansas prehistory or history.

* Dr. Aldemaro Romero, Biology, recently published a chapter on whales and whaling in the Encyclopedia of Environment and Society, edited by Paul Robbins and published by Sage Publications. The chapter, co-authored with former ASU student Shelly Kannada, reviews the world history of whaling and the current status of whale exploitation world-wide.


* Dr. Gauri Guha, Economics, recently published an article, "A Concurrent Evaluation of Trends in Commodity Exports, Economic Growth, and Environmental Quality in the United States," in this month's issue of the International Business and Economic Research Journal. Guha's article examines the dual consequences of recent U.S. exports, noting that economic growth is a logical motivation for and an empirically determinable outcome of increasing exports. The article also notes, however, that there are corresponding losses in environmental resources.

* Bill Rowe, Art, and students Leah Chunestudy and Joey Chunestudy were recently notified that their proposal, "Investigating Native American Pottery along the St. Francis River," was awarded two Student Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) grants for the 2007-08 academic year by the Arkansas Department of Higher Education (ADHE). Rowe will serve as faculty mentor for the project. The SURF program allows undergraduate students to conduct in-depth research in their fields of study with a faculty mentor's assistance. Winners must have a minimum GPA of 3.25, 30 or more credit hours in a degree program at the time of funding, and a faculty mentor.

* Dr. Susan Hanrahan, Nursing and Health Professions, is among 30 Arkansans who have agreed to serve on the Governor's Roundtable on Health Care. Gov. Mike Beebe announced the formation of the panel in August, and the recently named roundtable members include consumers, business representatives, health care representatives, and community leaders. The roundtable seeks new approaches and strategies for improving health and health care for Arkansans.

* Alan McVey and Frankie Gilliam of ASU's Delta Center for Economic Development recently led a delegation to Cheyenne, Wyo., on a city planning study trip. Findings will be used to support Project ADAPT, a web-based economic development analysis tool. The project is a partnership between ASU's Delta Center, the East Arkansas Planning and Development District, and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock's Institute for Economic Advancement. For details, see the NewsPage release.

Uploaded in December

* Dr. Rebecca Matthews, Nursing, recently attended the 135th annual American Public Health Association meeting in Washington, D.C. She attended an Epidemiology for Non-Epidemiologists two-day course, participated in meetings and breakout sessions, and presented a poster, "Coming Alongside: Building Resilience in At-Risk Teen Mothers through Peer Group Support."

* E. Ron Horton, Music, performed as lead trumpeter for the off-Broadway production of Disney's "High School Musical" earlier this month. Horton performed a single rehearsal and eight performances for audiences during the show's five-day run in Robinson Center Music Hall, Little Rock. In addition to performing a very challenging score that encompassed a wide variety of musical styles, Horton met with industry musicians and gained firsthand knowledge of their experiences as traveling musicians.

* Dr. Lynita Cooksey has been selected to serve as interim dean of the University College, effective Jan. 1. A veteran faculty member and administrator at ASU, she has served in various capacities since joining the university staff in 1993. She will succeed Dr. Herman Strickland, who has announced his retirement at the end of the year. Dr. Glen Jones, interim vice chancellor for academic affairs and research, announced the appointment and said a national search will be conducted for a permanent dean. Cooksey has served since June 2000 as associate vice chancellor for academic services, and she will continue in that role also. See the NewsPage release for more details.

* Dr. Tillman Kennon, Science Education, recently had his article, "Students at the Edge of Space," accepted for publication in the January edition of the peer-reviewed journal The Science Teacher. Kennon's article discusses atmospheric research being done by high school teachers and students using high-altitude balloons that are launched locally. The January edition journal cover will feature a photograph taken from one of these balloons on a recent flight. The photo depicts Memphis and the Mississippi River from 73,000 feet above the earth.

* Dr. Latoya Pierce, Psychology and Counseling, recently presented at the 62nd annual Arkansas Counseling Association Conference in Hot Springs. Her presentation, "Cultural Competence Training for Mental Health Professionals," offered a basic training for mental health professionals in diversity, cultural competence, and racial identity models. Specific terminology and skills for working with diverse groups were also discussed.

* The Historic Preservation Alliance of Arkansas (HPAA) recently presented its 26th annual awards. ASU's winners were Ronnie Walker of Lake Village, winner of the Outstanding Work by a Craftsperson award for his restoration work at the Lakeport Plantation site, where he used historic methods and hand tools. Dr. Ruth Hawkins of Jonesboro, winner of the Outstanding Achievement in Preservation Education award for her work with ASU's three off-campus heritage sites, the parkways, and the Heritage Studies PhD program. HPAA is the only statewide nonprofit organization focused on the preservation of Arkansas' architectural and cultural resources for more than 25 years. 

* Dr. Lina Owens, Reading Education, and Dr. Beverly Gilbert, Elementary Education, recently co-presented at the National Council of Teachers of English conference in New York. They presented "Exploring Diversity through Literature Using Multimodal Forms of Media." Dr. Dixie Keyes, Middle Level Education, also attended the conference,presenting, "At the Heart of the Matter:Critical Literacy for the Middle School Student." 

* ASU's College of Agriculture recently launched its new Metallurgical Technology program. Since agricultural tools and equipment are made from metal and alloys, this program will provide knowledge about metals and alloys, their heat treatment operations and quality assurance. Faculty for the program include Dr. Charles Coleman, Technology, and Dr. Zariff (Zac) Chaudhury, Metallurgical Technology.

* Curtis Steele, Art, was recently elected to serve on the Committee on Nominations of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) the accrediting agency for ASU's Department of Art. ASU is among NASAD's 276 institutional members. Steele will serve a two-year term, ending in October 2009, and was commended for his volunteer efforts to develop the quality of visual arts teaching and learning in the U.S.

* Dr. Ross Marlay, Political Science, recently presented a paper on "The Motives of Suicide Bombers to the Association of Third World Studies conference held in Lima, Peru. The Association of Third World Studies (ATWS) is the world's largest professional organization devoted to the study of the Third World. ATWS exists to provide an international structure for the humane and scientific study of Third World peoples, problems, and issues, with the ultimate goal of improving quality of life in the Third World.

* Dr. Gauri Guha, Economics, Dr. Rich Grippo, Environmental Biology, and Dr. Sam McCord (recent PhD, Environmental Sciences program) recently published an article, "Effects of subsample size on seasonal and spatial comparisons of stream macroinvertebrate communities," in the journal Environmental Monitoring and Assessment. The journal discusses the consequences of natural resource management and pollution risks.

* Dr. Farhad Moeeni, Computer and Information Technology, organized and presented a day-long workshop, "Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) in the Supply Chain," at the annual meeting of the Decision Sciences Institute. Twelve experts and researchers from academia and industries shared their knowledge with the audience. The workshop, sponsored through a grant from Arkansas Sciences and Technology Authority (ASTA), included hands-on experiments with various technologies. Dr. Kevin Berisso, Ohio University, was the co-organizer and co-sponsor of this event. The event followed two earlier workshops presented in Boston in 2004 and in San Francisco in 2005.

* Dr. Aldemaro Romero, chair, Biology, presented two papers at the 17th Biennial Conference on the Biology of Marine Mammals in Cape Town, South Africa. Romero's paper, co-authored with Dr. Steven Green, University of Miami, "Shifts in Yankee whaling practices in the Caribbean, 1762-1921," is a statistical analysis explaining the behavioral patterns of U.S. whalers from the eighteenth century until 1927. Romero's paper, co-authored with former student Joel Cresswell, "Deplete locally, impact globally: Environmental history of shore-whaling in Barbados, West Indies," deals with the history of marine mammal exploitation in Barbados.

* Dr. Patricia E. Murphy, Literacy, recently attended the College Reading Association Conference in Salt Lake City. She made a presentation titled “Techniques Used for Author Studies in Pre-Service Teacher Education Classrooms.”

* Dr. Natalie Johnson-Leslie, Secondary Teacher Education, recently attended the Mid-South Education Research Association (MSERA) conference held in Hot Springs. Dr Johnson-Leslie presented two research papers at the conference, one paper was “Accreditation is Important: How Teachers Educators Live and Learn with College Live Text. Live Text is the portal being used to collect and present data across the college of education to NCATE and the second paper provided hands-on training for practitioners to learn how to use the College Live Text portal in their respective settings.

* Dr. Stephanie Davidson, Early Childhood Education, recently attended the National Association of Early Childhood Teacher Educators (NAECTE) held in Chicago. She presented 3 papers:  “Preparing teacher candidates to become advocates and agents of change for the future of early childhood education," “Examining teachers’ perceptions of alternative routes to teacher certification," and "Teacher preparation programs answering the call for the culturally responsible and responsive teaching force."

* Dr. Lance G. Bryant, Physical Education, was recently invited to speak at the 8th World Congress on Disabilities Conference and Exposition, held in Washington, D.C. Dr. Bryant's presentation, "Effect of a Physical Education Teacher's Disability on High School Pupils' Learning and Perceptions of Teacher Confidence," encouraged his audience to consider the role physical appearance, including disability, can play in secondary students' perceptions of physical educators.

* Dr. Timothy Oliver, Music, director of bands, recently published an article "Establishing Continuity of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Arts Education Assessments: Implications of the NAEP 1978 Music Assessment," in the October 2007 issue of the Journal of Historical Research in Music Education, the premier journal in the field of historical research in music education. Oliver examined the methodology of the 1978 NAEP Music Assessment and the implications of this assessment on future NAEP music and art assessments.

* Dr. Laquita Saunders, History, is this year's recipient of the You Made a Difference award for outstanding advising. Each semester, the Wilson Advising Center sponsors an academic advising award to acknowledge deserving faculty members for outstanding advising. The Outstanding Faculty Advisor award is presented in spring semester and is selected by a faculty committee. The You Made a Difference award, presented in fall semester, is entirely student-nominated and student-selected. Dr. Joseph Key, History, was runner-up. This year's pool of nominees numbered 21.


* Dr. Jerry Farris, Sciences and Mathematics, and Environmental Biology, recently published a book, "Freshwater Bivalve Ecotoxicology," published by the Society for Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) Press and CRC Press. Farris co-edited the book with John H. Van Hassel, senior environmental specialist, American Electric Power. The co-editors provided a collective review of techniques and approaches for utilizing bivalves to assess contaminant impact on freshwater ecosystems.

* Dr. Dianne Lawler-Prince, Early Childhood Education, recently attended the annual conference of the Southeastern Regional Association of Teacher Educators (SRATE) in St. Louis. While there, Dr. Lawler-Prince presented a paper with Dr. Mary Jane Bradley, Dr. Lina Owens, Dr. Tonja Fillippino, Dr. Ron Towery, and Ms. Paula Stewart, "Realities and Challenges: Collaborative Programs Design and Delivery." Dr. Patricia E. Murphy, Literacy, also attended SRATE, presenting "The Realities of Student Placement in Clinical Experiences/Internships." Ms. Audrey Bowser, Technical and Secondary Education, presented "Reframing the Notion of Difference: Field Experiences in Culturally Diverse Schools," in order to share ASU's current model of field-based teacher preparation that equips teachers for diverse educational settings.

Uploaded in November

* Three familiar faces around the ASU campus will be winding up their careers here very soon. Dr. Herman Strickland, dean, University College, Dr. Rick McDaniel, senior associate vice chancellor, Academic Affairs, and Dr. Marlin Shipman, professor, Journalism, are retiring. Strickland and McDaniel are departing simultaneously, mirroring their arrivals here in 1972. Strickland came to ASU to teach in elementary education, while McDaniel taught in biology. Shipman joined the journalism faculty in 1981. Congratulations to these men for their careers of outstanding achievement and their decades of service to ASU and untold numbers of students.

* Dr. Malathi Srivatsan, Molecular Biology, ABI, recently presented research at the annual conference of the Society for Neuroscience in San Diego. Dr. Srivatsan and postdoctoral research fellow Dr. M. P. Badanavalu presented "Copper nano particles exert size-dependent toxicity on somatosensory neurons of rats." At this meeting, Dr. Srivatsan was chosen to be a mentor in the society's Neuroscience Scholars Program and was paired with neurobiology graduate student Jesus Mena, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and bioengineering graduate student Mahlet Mesfin from the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Srivatsan helped two young scholars develop a strategy for achieving their career goals. The Society for Neuroscience is a prestigious international organization with 38,000 members.

* Dr. Joanna Grymes, Early Childhood Education, has been elected to represent the state of Arkansas as a member of the Southern Early Childhood Association (SECA) Board of Directors, beginning January, 2008. SECA is a professional association of 20,000 early childhood educators throughout the South and the nation. SECA's mission is to promote the professional development of early childhood educators and to advocate for the well-being of children and families in our region.

* Sue Marlay, International Programs, recently attended the regional conference of NAFSA: Association of International Educators in Austin. She presented at two sessions: "The Joys and Challenges of NAFSA Leadership," and "Finding Harmony in a Multi-part Chorus: Women and Leadership in International Education." Marlay was recognized by NAFSA's national organization at the conference's awards luncheon for her service to the organization and to the field of international education and exchange.

* Dr. David LaVetter, Physical Education, received the 2007 Outstanding Higher Educator of the Year award at the Arkansas Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (ArkAHPERD) state convention in Eureka Springs. Dr. Jim Stillwell, Physical Education, received ArkAHPERD's 2007 Honor Award for outstanding leadership and dedicated service at the convention.

* Dr. William M. Clements, English and Folklore, and Dr. Frances Malpezzi, English, were invited speakers at the recent meeting of the Missouri Folklore Society in Jefferson City. Drs. Malpezzi and Clements spoke on "Regionalism and Re-regionalization in Italian American Folklore." Dr. Clements also delivered a paper, "Geronimo in St. Louis, 1904." In addition, Dr. Clements also recently participated in the conference of the South Central Modern Language Association in Memphis, presenting a paper, "How to be a good Laguna Uncle."

* Dr. Malathi Srivatsan, Molecular Biology, ABI, recently completed an international hands-on workshop, "Molecular Fluorescence Dynamics in Living Cells," at the University of California-Irvine, under the mentorship of Professor Enrico Gratton. Her successfully attained certification will aid her significantly in her research by enabling her to track individual molecules inside cells, thus determining rates of diffusion, binding, and dissociation.

* Dr. Julie Lamb-Milligan, Gifted, Talented, and Creative Education, recently published a book, "Assessment of Giftedness: A Concise and Practical Guide," published by YBK Publishers, New York. Lamb-Milligan's book provides information on the history of assessing giftedness, discusses using traditional and alternative methods to assess giftedness, and includes tests and methods that teachers can use to assess giftedness independently.

* Seven faculty members from the College of Education's department of Teacher Education attended the Arkansas Early Childhood Association's annual conference in Hot Springs, where they made presentations. Presenters were Ms. Nancy Bacot, Early Childhood Education, Dr. Beverly Gilbert, Elementary Education, and Dr. Lina Owens, Reading Education, Dr. Tonya Fillippino, Middle Level Education, Dr. Patricia Murphy, Literacy, Dr. Diana Williams, Elementary Education, and Dr. Joanna Grymes, Early Childhood Education. For details, see the NewsPage release.

* Dr. Richard Burns, English and Folklore, recently presented a paper, "Views from the Inside: Texas Prison Folklore and the Texas Prison Museum," at the annual meeting of the American Folklore Society in Quebec. The paper examines the representation of official prison culture in the Texas Prison Museum in Huntsville, Texas, including observations collected by the prisoners themselves while enrolled in Cultural Anthropology courses taught by Dr. Burns.

* Dr. John D. Hall and Dr. Nola Christenberry, Psychology and Counseling, and Dr. Phil Hestand, ASU Counseling Center, recently presented their research, "Depression and Anxiety Screening with College Students: A Comparison of Negative versus Positive Item Formats on Self-Rating Measures" at the annual convention of the Mid-South Educational Research Association (MSERA) in Hot Springs.

* Dr. Fabricio Medina-Bolívar, Plant Metabolic Engineering, ABI, was recently invited to give a featured talk at REDBIO 2007 (Latin American and Caribbean Conference on Agricultural Biotechnology), the largest biotechnology meeting in Latin America, sponsored by REDBIO and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The conference, featuring Dr. Medina-Bolívar's talk, "Harnessing plant and chemical diversity for the production of medicinal and nutritional compounds," was held in Vina del Mar, Chile. Following REDBIO, Dr. Medina-Bolívar gave a second invited talk, sponsored by the Pablo Cassara Foundation of Argentina. This lecture, presented at the Center for Science and Technology Cesar Milstein in Buenos Aires, focused on Medina-Bolívar's ongoing research into the production of medicinal compounds using plant tissue culture.

* Geania Dickey, program coordinator for ASU Childhood Services, was the recipient of the 2007 Outstanding Member Award from the Arkansas Early Childhood Education Association for her contributions to the association and to the field of early childhood education in Arkansas.

* Dr. John Beineke, Educational Curriculum, Leadership, and History, and Dr. Don Maness, Education, recently completed rigorous training to become Quality Assurance Review (QAR) team chairs for AdvanceED, the parent organization for the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement (NCA CASI). As certified chairs, Beineke and Maness will serve as leaders of QAR teams to schools seeking accreditation. Maness will serve on a South Carolina team this month. 

* Dr. David W. Cox, Center for Excellence in Education, presented a paper, "Case-in-Point Teaching: A New Approach to Leadership Education," at the International Leadership Association Conference in Vancouver, British Columbia. The conference, "Leadership: Impact, Culture, and Sustainability," was attended by leadership educators and program directors from around the world. Cox's presentation was a case study on his implementation of a leadership pedagogy he learned at a Harvard workshop.

* Dr. Craig H. Jones, Psychology and Counseling, co-authored an article published in the International Electric Journal for Leadership in Education with Dr. John Slate of Sam Houston State. The article, "Mexican Parents' and Teachers' Views of Effective Elementary Schools," reports the results of a study comparing the perceptions of parents and teachers in Juarez, Mexico, on what is required for effective elementary schools.

* Dr. Warren Johnson, French, presented a paper, "Comic Voices," at the Nineteenth-Century French Studies Colloquium in Mobile, Ala. in October. Johnson's paper dealt with how traces of orality transformed late nineteenth-century French comic short fiction, introducing a narrative hybridity and moral ambiguity.

* Dr. Gil Fowler, Journalism and The Honors College, has co-authored a paper with Dr. Hesham Mesbah of Kuwait University and Dr. Masoud Abdul Raheem of Gulf University for Science and Technology (GUST) in Kuwait. The paper, "Media Use and Public Perception: How Kuwaitis View Aspects of Globalization," appeared in the latest issue of the Journal of Arts and Human Sciences in Menya University, Egypt. The paper investigated media use patterns of 414 Kuwaitis and how attitudes towards globalization and Americanization were formed. While in Kuwait, Dr. Fowler also lectured at GUST.

* Dr. Zariff (Zac) Chaudhury, Metallurgic Technology, recently attended a week-long MOST (Maynard Operation Sequence Technique) Applicator training course and received certification from H. B. Maynard and Co., an international consulting, software, and training business. MOST is a work measurement technique applicable to any business environment. Chaudhury gained experience in time study analysis, preparatory to teaching a spring course, Motion and Time Study.

* Dr. Staffan Elgelid, Physical Therapy, presented "Gait from a Feldenkrais Perspective," during the fall meeting of the Arkansas Chapter of the American Physical Therapy Association, held in Little Rock. The presentation observed gait from a first-person perspective, paying particular attention to awareness of gait, and then reviewed options to alter gait, focusing on rehabilitation and athletic performance. Elgelid is a practitioner of the Feldenkrais Method of somatic education, a form of mind-body development focusing on the relationship of movement and thought.

* Dr. Gil Fowler, Journalism, and four journalism students on a recent trip to Kuwait, garnered substantial media exposure for ASU. Fowler and students Sara Gay, Stephanie Fischer, Andrew Geswein, and Andrew Wilson appeared on a Kuwait radio program Sunday, and quotations from Fowler and the students appeared in a Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) release, which was picked up by The Kuwait Times, the Arabian Gulf's first daily paper, and MENAFN, the Midle East North Africa Financial Network. Fowler and the students were visiting the Gulf University for Science and Technology (GUST).

* Dr. Charlott Jones, professor emerita, recently received the Peg Newton Smith Award for Lifetime Achievement for 2006 from the executive board of the Arkansas Museums Association (AMA). Dr. Jones directed the ASU Museum for 16 years, retiring in June of 1999. Under her advocacy, the museum hired its first paid educator and began an endowment. The award recognizes her significant and ongoing contributions to the preservation of Arkansas' heritage through a lifelong commitment to the museum community. The three jurors for the remainder of the AMA awards included Dr. Robert Franklin, KASU Public Radio.

Uploaded in October

* Kim Vickrey, Graphic Design, has had several logos published in the newly released "1,000 Restaurant, Bar, and Cafe Graphics" from Rockport Publishers. The book is a catalogue of creative ideas for restaurant graphics and serves as a reference book for designers, showcasing inspiring and innovative graphic options for identity, signage, installations, promotions, menus, and more. Rockport creates illustrated sourcebooks for professional designers and artisans of all type. The books collect the best design work from the world's most talented art and design studios.

* Dr. Susan Hanrahan, dean, Nursing and Health Professions, presented a poster, "The Allied Health Research Institute: A National Partnership of the Allied Health Industry and Academia," at the Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions (ASAHP) annual conference in San Diego. Her co-presenters were Dr. Richard Oliver, dean of the School of Health Professions, University of Missouri, and Dr. James Erdmann, dean, College of Health Professions, Thomas Jefferson University. Hanrahan was also re-elected to her second term as secretary of the Board of Directors and for ASAHP.

* Dr. Roger Buchanan, Zoology, and Dr. Robyn Hannigan, Geochemistry, have received a substantial award ($810,000) from the National Science Foundation (NSF) over a five-year period. The grant funds the Research Internships in Science of the Environment University Program (RISE-UP) for under-represented students. RISE-UP will produce highly competent undergraduate students who will enroll in degree programs and complete degrees in the biological sciences. The research-based program for first and second year science minors supplies scholarship monies, paid research assistant positions, opportunity to work with a cross-disciplinary collaborative research team and much more. For details, call Dr. Buchanan at (870) 682-4297, or Dr. Hannigan at ext. 3086.


* K. Susan Sifford, Nursing, was recently awarded an $8,000 Evercare Scholarship. Evercare, a subsidiary of United HealthCare, provides health plans and services for patients needing long-term care and employs advanced practice nurses to provide that care. The scholarship was awarded by the leadership of the Arkansas John A. Hartford Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence for dedication and career commitment to nursing home residents. Sifford, an advanced practice nurse, is in in her second year of a Nursing Science PhD program at UAMS and is a full-time instructor of nursing at ASU. As a result of the scholarship award, Sifford will attend (with all expenses paid) the seventh annual Hartford Leadership conference in San Francisco to accept the award.

* Traci Perrin, Human Resources, was recently elected to the governing Board of  Directors of Disability Rights Center, Inc. (DRC). Perrin is an applicant administrator and is one of the board's three new members. DRC is the federally funded statewide protection and advocacy system for Arkansans with disabilities. DRC provides free advocacy for children and adults in education, employment, abuse and neglect, housing, technology, health care and accessibility. For details, see DRC's Web site.


* Dr. Susan Hanrahan, dean, Nursing and Health Professions, was recently honored as Jonesboro's Woman of the Year. The honor was conferred at a reception for National Business Women's Week, sponsored by Jonesboro Business and Professional Women (BPW). Since 1919, BPW/USA has promoted workplace equity for all women through advocacy, education, and information. Dr. Hanrahan earned a bachelor of science degree in physical therapy and a master's degree in public administration from the University of Kansas before earning her doctoral degree in health education from Temple University.

* Several ASU faculty members recently saw publication of their northeast Arkansas community study, "Effects of a Culturally Sensitive Education Program on the Breast Cancer Knowledge and Beliefs of Hispanic Women," in the journal Oncology Nursing Forum. The article evaluated the effectiveness of a multifaceted, culturally sensitive, and linguistically appropriate breast cancer education program for Hispanic women, who have a higher breast cancer mortality rate than non-Hispanic Caucasian women, due in part to later diagnosis. Appropriate education programs can lead to earlier diagnosis and save lives. The faculty authors of the study were Cathy Hall, Nursing, Dr. John D. Hall, Psychology and Counseling, Judith T. Pfriemer, Nursing, Paige D. Wimberley, Nursing, and Dr. Craig H. Jones, Psychology and Counseling.

* Patrolman Raymond Mansker, University Police Department, was recently named the city's top law enforcement officer of the year by Mayor Doug Formon, Jonesboro Police Chief Mike Yates, and his law enforcement peers. The honor for 2007 was sponsored by the Jonesboro Exchange Club. Mansker was cited for helping a couple and their small child. Mansker, a 2005 graduate of the Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy, has been employed by ASU for four years

* Dr. Lance G. Bryant, Physical Education, recently presented a paper, "Influence of a Physical Education Teacher's Disability on Middle School Pupils' Learning and Perception of Teacher Competence," at the national Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) conference in Pittsburg. The conference examined historically significant research in sport pedagogy and was attended by pedagogy scholars from around the world. Bryant's presentation and research focused on the role physical appearance plays in relationship to student perceptions of physical educators.

* Dr. Stan Trauth, Zoology, has published two recent articles. The first, "The importance of comparative phylogeography in diagnosing introduced species: a lesson from the seal salamander, Desmoganthus monticola," appeared in the journal BioMed Central Ecology, and the second article, "Physiological trade-offs between immunity and reproduction in the northern cricket frog (Acris crepitans) appeared in the journal Herpetologica.

* Dr. Jim Farris, Physical Therapy, recently published work as part of an expert panel. The panel's article, "The Obesity Battle: Top PTs discuss causes, research, and prevention strategies to fight Americans' increasing size," was the cover story for a recent issue of the magazine Advance for Physical Therapists and Physical Therapy Assistants. Dr. Farris was selected for the panel because of his research in obesity and his promotion of  health improvements for the obese through physical therapy. Other panel members were from Washington University School of Medicine, the University of Pittsburg, and the University of Massachusetts.


* Dr. Steven Green, Soil and Water Conservation, recently published an article, "Bioactive phosphorus loss in simulated runoff from a phosphorus-enriched soil under two forage management systems," in the journal Soil Science. The study was conducted to characterize the distribution of inorganic and organic forms of phosphorus in runoff water from farming systems with a history of manure application. Results of the study highlight the importance of forage management in controlling phosphorus in runoff. Knowledge of the phosphorus release patterns in addition to the amounts of phosphorus lost in runoff is increasingly important, as concerns for water quality increase both regionally and nationally.


* Dr. John D. Hall and Dr. Amy F. Claxton, Psychology and Counseling, were among a select group of school psychologists honored at the fall state conference of the Arkansas School Psychology Association (ASPA) for past service to the organization. Both have served as past presidents of ASPA. ASU's school psychology faculty were also recognized for their assistance in initiating state licensure for school psychologists in the early 1990s through the Arkansas Department of Education.

* Dr. Gloria Gibson, English, Folklore, and Ethnomusicology, announces the College of Humanities and Social Sciences Brown Bag Lecture Series. The series opened Thursday, Oct. 18. The next lecture is slated for Tuesday, Oct. 30, at 2 p.m. in Wilson Hall, Room 217b, when Dr. Erik Gilbert, History, will speak on "The Dhow as Cultural Icon." For details, call ext. 3046 or see the NewsPage release.

* Civil War authority Dr. David W. Blight will be the featured speaker in the fourth event of Arkansas State University's 2007-08 Lecture-Concert Series. Blight will present a lecture, "A Slave No More: Two Men Who Escaped to Freedom," on Thursday, Oct. 25, at 7 p.m. in the Reng Student Services Center/Student Union Auditorium. Blight is a professor of history at Yale University and director of the Gilder-Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition. His lecture is funded in part by the Corinne Sternheimer Greenfield Lecture Series. For more details, contact Dr. Gil Fowler, associate dean for the Honors College, at (870) 972-2308 or see the NewsPage release.

* ASU Assessment Services staff and faculty participated in the UALR Assessment Expo held recently in Little Rock. Barbara Doyle, director, said ASU Assessment Services won the poster exhibition at the event, with a certificate of recognition and a cash prize. Attendees included Doyle, Nicole Nelson, and Sarah Cash, of Assessment Services, and faculty members Dr. Lynita Cooksey, Academic Affairs, Dr. Alan Christian and Dr. Julia Huggins, Biology, and Dr. Troy Adams, Sociology.

* Dr. Nareatha Studdard, Management and Marketing, presented papers this summer at two international conferences. Her "Student Entrepreneurial Self-Efficacy and Perception of Business Plan Competitions" was presented at the 27th annual meeting of the Babson Entrepreneurship Research Conference held in Madrid, Spain. Her presentation "From Social Capital to Human Resource Development: A Cross-Cultural Study of the Role of HRM in Innovation and Entrepreneurship in High-Tech Organizations" was presented in Tallin, Estonia, at the International Human Resource Management Conference. This paper was co-written with Dr. Roger Darby, Cranfield University, Bedfordshire, Britain.

* Dr. Fabricio Medina-Bolívar, Plant Metabolic Engineering, was an invited speaker at the 61st Tobacco Science Research Conference, "Frontiers in Tobacco Biotechnology," held in Charlotte, N.C. Dr. Medina-Bolívar's presentation, "Screening for Bioactive Stilbenoids in the Genus Nicotiana and other Solanaceae species," focused on research conducted in his laboratory for the discovery of medicinally important compounds that can be induced in the roots of tobacco and related species.

* Dr. Bill Stroud, Geography, and Jason Self, a graduate student in Environmental Sciences, have co-authored a paper published in The Florida Geographer. Their paper,co Island: Tropical Paradise or Environmental Disaster," focused on the relationship between subdivision planning and environmental degradation. In addition, Dr. Stroud has recently published a paper, "Problems Associated with Amenity-Based Subdivisions in the Poconos: The Case of Pike County, Pennsylvania," in The Pennsylvania Geographer.

* Dr. Michael B. Dougan, History, emeritus, recently published an article, "David Walker: The Whig on the State Supreme Court," in The Arkansas Lawyer, which reprinted the article from the newsletter of the Arkansas Supreme Court Historical Society, Inc. Dougan's article is a brief biography of Arkansas Supreme Court Judge David Walker, who lost a congressional race to Archibald Yell, backed loser Joseph Brooks in the Brooks-Baxter War, and opposed the granting of legal rights to women for 42 years.

* Rob Alley, Music, is a recipient of the Arkansas Arts Council's 2008 Individual Artist Fellowship. Alley was selected on the basis of his career commitment to his discipline and for his substantial body of work.  Alley is a jazz soloist with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra Pops Concerts. A former member of the Tuscaloosa Horns, he has performed with the Temptations, the Four Tops, the O'Jays, and Frankie Valli. For details, visit the Arkansas Arts Council.

* Dr. Alyson Gill, Art History, gave a paper entitled "Virtual Delphi: Two Case Studies" in a conference session on 3D rendering and virtual environments at the 21st International Committee for Architectural Photogrammetry (CIPA), in Athens, Greece. Gill's paper outlined the collaborative project, "Ashes2Art," between ASU and Coastal Carolina University. Gill presented two case studies from the Greek sanctuary at Delphi, the Tholos of Athena Pronaia, and ASU student Richard Taylor's rendering of the Greek bath. This spring, Gill will continue her Ashes2Art class at ASU, moving beyond the gymnasium and into the sanctuary proper. The ASU Ashes2Art website, "Digital Delphi," will be launched next month.

* Dr. Len Frey, Business, has been selected as curriculum co-chair of Leadership Arkansas Class II. Leadership Arkansas, sponsored by the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce and Associated Industries of Arkansas, is designed to take a statewide view of economic and political challenges and to train individuals committed to building a better Arkansas. The chairman for this year's Leadership Arkansas class is Gov. Mike Beebe. Frey's co-chair is Mike Mauldin of Entergy Corporation.

* Dr. Robert L. Potts, chancellor at ASU-Jonesboro, today announced through his First Friday report that he has appointed Dr. G. Dan Howard of the University of North Alabama to serve as vice chancellor for academic affairs and research at ASU. In appointing Howard, Potts accepted a unanimous recommendation from the campus search committee. Howard will begin his duties at ASU on Jan. 1. See today's edition of First Friday and the NewsPage release.

* Dr. Troy Adams, Sociology, recently received the Teaching Excellence Award from Eastern Michigan University during EMU's 17th annual Teaching Excellence Awards presentation. The ceremony was sponsored by the Alumni Association of Eastern Michigan University. The award recognizes faculty who have distinguished themselves in the classroom, and Adams was one of only six to be so honored this year. Adams received his bachelor's degree in criminology from EMU and began teaching at EMU in 1988.

* An exhibition conceived and curated by John Salvest, Art, will be on view at the Ludwig Museum, Budapest, Hungary, beginning Thursday, Oct. 4-Sunday, Oct. 28. The exhibition, "Kim Levin: Notes and Itineraries 1976-2004," features working notes from the personal archive of prominent New York art critic Kim Levin. This exhibition has previously been shown in New York and Zurich and has been reviewed in the New York Times, Artforum, Art in America, and Neue Zurcher Zeitung. Salvest will travel to Budapest to supervise the installation of the exhibition and to participate in a panel discussion about contemporary art criticism.

Uploaded in September

* Dr. Susan Roehrig, Physical Therapy, was recently inducted into the Academy of Advanced Item Writers of the Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy. One function of the federation is to develop and administer the national licensing examination in physical therapy. Inductees into the academy have attended an advanced workshop, have had a minimum of 60 items accepted for use on the licensing exam, and have been nominated by an item writer coordinator. Roehrig was inducted at the federation's national meeting in Memphis.

* Dr. George Ogendi, Environmental Geology, was among a group of international delegates who presented at the 10th International River Symposium in Brisbane, Australia. His paper, "Water Quality, Use, and Conservation among the indigenous communities in the Njoro Watershed, Kenya," focused on incorporation of indigenous environmental knowledge in the management and conservation of water resources. Dr. Ogendi was also one of five panelists in a UNESCO-sponsored Man and the Biosphere session on river cultures and ecological futures. This panel discussed the fundamental role of culture in sustainable utilization of water resources along the world's river ecosystems.

* Dr. Ronald Johnson, Zoology, along with co-authors Dr. Stephen Coughlan and recent graduate student Travis Harmon, recently published an article in the journal Ecology of Freshwater Fish. The article, "Spatial and temporal variation in prey selection of brown trout in a cold Arkansas tailwater," was the result of a grant from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. Brown trout find limited prey in the cold tailwaters below Greers Ferry Dam, since fish other than trout have been completely removed from the upper Little Red River. Food sources consist chiefly of rice-grain sized invertebrates and, occasionally, smaller trout. Trout growth has become limited by this diet, according to the article.

* Dr. Shane Hunt, Marketing, recently co-authored an article that was published in the Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management. Dr. Hunt’s article, "The Influence of the Selling Situation on the Effectiveness of Control: Toward a Holistic Perspective" explores the combined role that individual, environmental, and organizational factors have in influencing the effectiveness of control mechanisms. The Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management is the premier international journal devoted to the field of selling and sales management.

* Dr. Gil Fowler, Journalism and The Honors College, was recently reelected vice president of the south central region of The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's oldest, largest, and most selective all-discipline honor society, at the group's 2007 Triennial Convention in Orlando, Fla. In addition to serving as regional vice president, Fowler also served on the 2010 Convention Site Selection Committee, the board's Executive Committee, and the Marketing and Member Benefits Committee.

* Dr. Erick P.C. Chang, Management, published an article in Journal of Business Research, "Are family managers agents or stewards? An exploratory study in privately held family firms," with his colleagues Drs. Jim Chrisman and Franz Kellermanns from Mississippi State University and Dr. Jess Chua from the University of Calgary. Using a sample of 208 small firms across the US, the research suggest that family managers behave as agents rather than stewards and that family business owners use these mechanisms to improve the firm’s performance. This paper was also presented at a Conference in Family Research in Canada, 2006 and won the faculty-student collaboration award by the MSU College of Business in Spring 2007.

* Dr. John Mello, Marketing, had an article titled "S&OP, Forecasting, and the Knowledge-Creating Company" published in Foresight: The International Journal of Applied Forecasting. He also attended the International Institute of Forecasting's annual Forecasting Summit in Boston and presented a paper, "Using Forecasting and S&OP to Achieve Competitive Advantage." In the article and in his paper, he presented ways in which companies can use their sales forecasting and sales and operations planning processes to create organizational knowledge and to transform that knowledge into business plans and strategies.

* Dr. Shahram Pezeshk, interim chair of the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Memphis, will present "Seismic Issues in the Central United States" at ASU on Tuesday, Sept. 25 at 3 p.m. in the Agriculture Building, Room 203. Pezeshk and Dr. Ashraf Elsayed, Engineering, are involved in a joint research project sponsored by the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department. The project is titled "Shear Wave Velocity Profile and Soil Liquefaction Hazard Analysis" and is a study of how the soil will behave during an earthquake. See the NewsPage release about their work.

* Rhonda Keith, senior internal auditor, is the recipient of a $1,000 graduate level scholarship for 2007-2008 from the Association of College and University Auditors (ACUA). The award, based on Keith's application, her academic achievements, and continuing involvement with ASU internal auditing functions, will be presented to her at the ACUA annual conference. Keith is currently enrolled in the MBA program at ASU.

* Bill Rowe, Art, will present his film, "Why Only Killen?" at the Fannie Lou Hamer Memorial Symposium Lecture Series. This year's symposium theme is "The Current Status of Civil Rights Research and Pedagogy: A Gathering of Friends." The symposium lecture series is Oct. 3-5 at Jackson State University, Jackson, Miss. The film will be followed by a panel discussion featuring participants who have been involved in the civil rights movement and its video/oral documentation. The event also celebrates the founding of the Hamer Institute.

* Dr. Gauri S. Guha, Economics, was an invited speaker at the Oxford Round Table on “Global Warming – Governing a Crisis” held at the Oxford Union Chamber. He presented a paper titled, “Affirmative Climate Action in the United States” to a group of 48 scholars, including several from major U.S. universities. The Oxford Round Table provides an opportunity for academics, lawyers and policymakers to present and interact in a collegial atmosphere in the historic city of Oxford, England.

* Drs. John D. Hall, Craig H. Jones, and Amy F. Claxton, Psychology & Counseling, recently had their research accepted for publication in the peer-reviewed Journal of Applied School Psychology. Their study, titled "Evaluation of the Stop & Think Social Skills Program with Kindergarten Students," was funded through a Nathan Deutsch Faculty Research Award at ASU and involved contributions from three school psychology graduate students: Joshua Toopes, Tammy Pannells, and Stephanie Henson-Cash.

* The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) announces that ASU's Arkansas Folklife Program will be awarded a $25,000 grant to support the program for a third year. According to project director Dr. Gregory Hansen, English and Folklore, this grant will allow ASU to continue its collaboration with the Arkansas Arts Council for the statewide folklife program. Dr. Mike Luster, director, Arkansas Folklife Program, adds that initial projects have involved researching the traditional culture of the Mississippi Delta Region and of the Ozarks, as well as providing technical assistance with heritage programming throughout the state.

* Dr. George Ogendi, Environmental Geology, is the author of two chapters in "Concepts and Applications in Environmental Chemistry," co-edited by Dr. Dibyendu Sarkar, Dr. Rupali Datta, and Dr. Robyn Hannigan. Dr. Ogendi wrote the book's first chapter, "Association of dissolved organic carbon with stream discharge and dissolved metals concentrations in black shale-draining streams," with Dr. Hannigan and Dr. Jerry Farris, Environmental Biology. Dr. Ogendi also co-authored "Black shale weathering contribution to stream chemistry using end-member mixing analysis," with lead author Leonette Cox, a doctoral student in environmental sciences.

* Several ASU faculty members have contributed to a recently published textbook, James Girard's "Criminalistics: Forensic Science and Crime." Contributors include Dr. Maureen Dolan, Dr. Carolyn Dowling, Dr. Robyn Hannigan, Dr. Tanja McKay, and Dr. Kelly Redeker. Previous editions of this text have been the top-selling textbook for introductory forensic science courses in the U.S. This latest edition, featuring ASU faculty, has been redesigned to link techniques with real-world applications.

* Dr. Steven Green, Soil and Water Conservation, Dr. Alan Christian, Zoology, Dr. Jennifer Bouldin, Ecotoxicology, and Dr. Robyn Hannigan, Geochemistry, were awarded a $190,835 National Science Foundation Major Research Instrumentation grant.  Collaborators on the grant include Dr. Ben Rougeau, Chemistry, and Dr. Bill Baker, Plant Science. This grant facilitates the establishment of a new Biogeochemical Analysis Laboratory in the Agriculture Building. Grant funds will purchase three major analytical instruments: a carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur analyzer for solids; a dissolved carbon and nitrogen analyzer for liquid solutions; and a wet chemistries autoanalyzer. These instruments will be used in conducting four interdisciplinary research projects in biology, geochemistry, and agriculture. This grant will also be used for undergraduate and graduate teaching laboratories in the departments of Biological Sciences and Chemistry and Physics, the College of Agriculture, and the Environmental Sciences graduate program.

* Dr. Catherine C. Reese, Public Administration, and Dr. David Harding Jr., Political Science, recently published an article, "Implementation of the Welfare-to Work Program in Arkansas," in the refereed journal Politics and Policy. The article stems from an evaluation they conducted of the state's Temporary Employee Assistance (TEA) program in 2000.

* Dr. Alyson Gill, Art History, was awarded a research fellowship through the J. Paul Getty Trust. She recently traveled to the Getty Research Institute at the Getty Center in Los Angeles to use its Photo Study Collection of two million photos, as well as excavation reports housed in the Getty Villa. Gill sought unpublished photographs of excavation sites to incorporate into her study of ancient baths. Once completed, her book, "Balaneia," will serve as a sourcebook on ancient baths and bathing establishments from the Greek Archaic period through the Hellenistic period.

* Dr. Jennifer Bouldin, Ecotoxicology, was appointed to a two-year term on the Arkansas Wastewater Licensing committee. This committee of the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality oversees the licensing of all wastewater treatment personnel. Dr. Bouldin, director of ASU's Ecotoxicology Laboratory, periodically offers workshops that fulfill wastewater and water treatment licensing continuing education. Her workshops also provide credit hours in those areas.

* Dr. Kelly Redeker, Analytical Chemistry, recently published an article in the Journal of Geophysical Research. Redeker's research explores the potential to use stable carbon isotopes to determine the age, point of origin, and emissions source of multiple atmospheric gases. Samples were taken from various locations in Northern Ireland. Redeker's article was titled, "Isotope values of atmospheric halocarbons and hydrocarbons from Irish urban, rural, and marine locations."

* Dr. Jerry Farris, associate dean, Sciences and Mathematics, has been appointed to the new Governor's Commission on Global Warming, created by the 86th General Assembly. The Commission will study the issues and potential impact of global warming in Arkansas and work with state agencies to reduce contaminants that contribute to global warming. The 21-member group also includes State Rep. Joan Cash of Jonesboro and Kevan Inboden of Jonesboro City Water and Light.

* Dr. Robyn Hannigan, Environmental Sciences Program, Geochemistry, contributed a chapter to the book, Diversity and the Future of the U.S. Environmental Movement, published by Yale University Press. Her chapter, "Better Science through Diversity: Disciplinary and Cultural Diversity in the Environmental Sciences," discusses the need for cultural diversity, as well as the expected disciplinary diversity, in the field of Environmental Science.

* Dr. Lillie Mae Fears, Journalism, recently completed a 10-week summer research fellowship with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory at Brooks City-Base in San Antonio. Her project examined the day-to-day lives of female citizens left behind in war-torn Iraq. In researching these women's lives, Fears conducted survey interviews with reporters and Middle East correspondents covering Iraq, including journalists working for CNN, the Washington Post, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, the Salt Lake Tribune, and NBC Nightly News.

Uploaded in August

*Dr. Aldemaro Romero, Biology, recently published an article, "More private gain than public good: whale and ambergris exploitation in 17th-century Bermuda," in the latest issue of the Bermuda Journal of Archaeology and Maritime History, the publication of the Bermuda Maritime Museum. His article argues that the first shore-whaling operation by Europeans in the Caribbean was carried out by British colonists in order to circumvent colonial regulations. Whaling became piratical, until British investors in Bermuda moved to stop it.This pirate whaling was enticing to poverty-stricken colonists, and ultimately led to the exploitation of the sperm-whale by-product, ambergris, which was of substantial value to European perfumers.

* Dr. Anne Grippo, Biology, and several colleagues recently had an article accepted by the Annals of Pharmacotherapy, a peer-reviewed journal dedicated to advancing the safe, effective, and economical use of medications. The article, "Analysis of Flavonoid Phytoestrogens in Botanical and Ephedra-Containing Dietary Supplements," was an ASU Honors thesis by Kayla Capps, ASU chemistry and physics graduate, now at Telecris Co., North Carolina. Other co-authors are Ben Rougeau, research assistant, Chemistry and Physics, and Dr. Bill J. Gurley, UAMS College of Pharmacy. The article is also available in "Articles Ahead of Print," at www.theannals.com.

* The National Association of Junior Auxiliaries, Inc.'s national focus is "Healthy Children~Healthy Futures," and Dr. Blair Dean, Physical Education, has been the featured speaker at one area meeting in Arkansas and will be the featured speaker in other meetings in Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Dean's topic, "Catch the Physical Activity Epidemic," describes projects for increasing physical activity for children and adults. Dean is the author of several articles on innovative physical education techniques for young children, and she serves on the board of directors for the National Association for Health and Fitness (NAHF) and will serve as that organization's 2008 conference director. For a listing of Dean's speaking engagements with the Junior Auxiliary, visit www.najanet.org.

* Dr. Malathi Srivatsan, Molecular Biology, was invited to speak at the recent annual meeting of the International Society for Drug Abuse Research, held in Merida, Mexico. Her talk, "Nicotine and neuro-immuno-modulation in the autonomic nervous system" was well-received by the 87 international scientists attending the meeting. Dr. Srivatsan's research at ASU is supported by funds from the drug abuse division of the National Institute of Health (NIH) and is also supported by ABI.

* Dr. Frances M. Malpezzi, English, has published an essay, "The Parson Fictionalized: A Reprise, " in the recent issue of the George Herbert Journal. Her work serves as an introduction to the reprint of a 1910 short story by Marjorie Bowen, a prolific British writer of popular and historical fiction. The short story, originally published in Harper's Monthly Magazine, features George Herbert, the 17th-century poet/minister, known best for poems like "Easter Wings," "The Collar," and "The Windows."

* Dr. Fabricio Medina-Bolívar, Plant Metabolic Engineering, ABI, gave a talk at the annual meeting of the Phytochemical Society of North America, at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St. Louis. His talk focused on using hairy roots to study how plants respond to environmental pollutants. This presentation was a collaborative effort among the research groups headed by Dr. Argelia Lorence, Plant Metabolic Engineering, Dr. Kelly Redeker, Analytical Chemistry, Dr. Robyn Hannigan, Geochemistry, and Dr. Medina-Bolívar. Dr. Medina-Bolívar's research group also made three other presentations at the meeting, including a talk by Dr. Ganapathy Sivakumar, Plant Metabolic Engineering, ABI, and two posters from Molecular Biosciences PhD students Jose Condori and Cesar Nopo-Olazaba.

* Dr. Hyun-Duck Kim, Physical Education, recently completed a new publication, the article, "An Investigation into Relationships among Constructs of Service Quality, Customer Satisfaction, and Repurchase Intention in Korean Private Golf Courses." Kim's article appeared in ICHPER SD Journal of Research, a biannual scholarly publication of the International Council for Health, Recreation, Sport, and Dance, one of the most prestigious governing bodies in the sport and recreation industry.

* Dr. Patrick Stewart, Public Administration and Center for Social Research, recently published a book chapter in the Handbook of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology. He wrote chapter 12.3, "Comparability Studies for Later Generation Products -- Plant-Made Pharmaceuticals." Shayne Cox Gad is editor, and the book is published by John Wiley and Sons.

* Rosemary Freer, Testing Center, has been elected to a three-year term on the governing board of the National College Testing Association (NCTA). She recently attended her first board meeting in Salt Lake City, where she also presented a workshop, "Don't Get Stung by Conflict: Overarching Approaches to Handling Conflict," at the NCTA annual conference. Freer has served for the past two years on the organization's Sponsors and Exhibitors' Committee and will chair that committee for next year's conference in Baltimore.

* Dr. Warren Johnson, French, presented a paper, "Paris et le comique fin-de-siècle," at the colloquium "La vie parisienne" sponsored by the Société des Études Romantiques in Paris. The paper described the role of the French capital, specifically the Montmartre area, in the flourishing of the comic spirit in the late 19th century, but the paper also described the comic writers' reactions against the modernity that Paris embodied at that time.

* A team of faculty and a graduate student from ASU attended the 2007 Science Education for New Civic Engagement and Responsibilities (SENCER) Summer Institute in Portland, Maine. SENCER is a National Science Foundation-funded program that selects a small cadre of teams from the many national and international application programs it received to attend the the institute to work on and share information and ideas on how to infuse civic engagement activities into the science curriculum. The team from ASU, led by Dr. Robyn Hannigan, Environmental Sciences program and Geochemistry, included Dr. Alan Christian, Zoology, Leonette Cox, graduate student, Environmental Sciences, Dr. Erik Gilbert, History, Dr. Steve Green, Soil and Water Conservation, and Dr. Tillman Kennon, Science Education. Dr. John M. Pratte, Chemistry and Physics, also gave a presentation, "The Effects of Online Classes on Engagement."

* Dr. Rob Lamm, director, English Education, spent this summer as a visiting faculty member at Notre Dame University, South Bend, In., teaching two graduate-level English courses.  Each summer, Notre Dame hosts a non-traditional teacher licensure program, the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE). A "boot camp for teachers," the program allows individuals to earn an MSE after two intensive summers of coursework and supplementary correspondence work while teaching through the fall and spring. As part of the 200-teacher program, Lamm worked with 20 English teachers to develop teaching techniques and plan for the upcoming school year. Lamm was invited to join the program through a nationwide search.

* Dr. Myleea Hill, Journalism, recently had an article accepted by SIMILE (Studies in Media and Information Literacy Education), a peer-reviewed journal bridging the subject areas of media and information literacy. Hill's article, "E-mail Inverted Interest Index Theory: A Case Study of Electronic Communication in a Strategic Planning Initiative at a Four-Year Public University," appeared in this month's issue of the journal, which is published by the University of Toronto Press.

* Dr. Jack Zibluk, Journalism, recently organized and moderated a panel, "Industry leaders confronting convergence," at the annual meeting of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) in Washington, D.C.  Zibluk also organized and moderated a panel on teaching entrepreneurship in the journalism classroom, featuring Margo Berman, Miami-based advertising executive and instructor, Florida International University, freelance photojournalist Paul Taggart, Beirut, Lebanon, and David Weinstock, public relations consultant and instructor, Grand Valley State University, Mich. For information and links, see the NewsPage release.

* The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded a grant of $612,000 to a team of scientists to conduct a comprehensive study to measure the impact of post-harvest lesser grain borer infestations on rice milling quality. Dr. Tanja McKay, Entomology, will coordinate the insect monitoring studies at the Riceland rice mill in Jonesboro. Texas A & M will serve as the lead institution for the project. The team will look at the prevalence and seasonal history of insect infestations in field sites throughout the rice belt, assess insect control, and develop a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis to evaluate the practical economic benefit of new insect control measures. This study will ultimately develop a comprehensive risk analysis for stored rough rice. For more information, see the NewsPage release.

* Erica L. Smith, a Master of Public Administration student in the Department of Political Science, was recently awarded one of three national scholarships for Washington internships. The $2,000 award was conferred by Pi Sigma Alpha, the national honor society for Political Science. The Washington Intern Scholarship, an annual award, is designed for students participating in political science internships in Washington, D.C. during either summer term or fall semester. Smith was nominated for the highly competitive scholarship by Dr. Catherine C. Reese, Public Administration, faculty advisor for ASU's Iota Eta chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha.

Updated in July

* Dr. Don Maness, associate dean, Education, was an Oxford Fellow at the Harris Manchester College Summer Research Institute at Oxford University. Twenty-five fellows from a dozen U.S. universities took part in the week-long institute. The fellows' disciplines included medicine, law, the humanities and social sciences, and education. Fellows had access to all Oxford libraries, including the 12-million-book Bodleian Library, with its large collection of rare volumes. Fellows' research plans, which included a focused reading regimen, were supported by a Harris Manchester College librarian. The major emphasis of Maness' research was the culture and climate of U.S. higher education, based on his research and experiences.

* Dr. Farhad Moeeni, Computer and Information Technology, has been invited to join the editorial board of the International Journal of RF Technologies: Research and Applications, due to debut in 2008. This journal is the first academic journal in the world devoted to radio frequency identification technology (RFID). The journal will provide researchers with a vehicle to exchange information and list research results regarding RF technology deployment, data analytics, and business value creation. Topics the journal will address in addition to RFID will be real time location sensing (RTLS), near-field communication (NFC), and RF-based sensors.

* Dr. Paul Armah, Agricultural Economics, presented a paper at the 14th International Conference on Learning in Johannesburg, South Africa. Co-authored by Dr. David Agnew, Agricultural Education, and Tammie Pannell, former ASU graduate student, the presentation focused on the attitudes, perceptions, and limitations of College of Agriculture students regarding participation in international travel experiences.

* Dr. William Clements, English and Folklore, is the winner of an Arkansas Arts Council's 2007 Governor's Arts Award in the Judge's Special Recognition category. Joy Pennington, executive director of the Arkansas Arts Council (AAC), announced the winners. The Governor's Arts Awards recognize outstanding contributions to the arts in Arkansas. Clements is the noted author of nine books and is the guiding force behind the creation and expansion of ASU's 14-year-old Delta Blues Symposium. Under Clements' leadership, the symposium has attracted interest from across the nation and around the world. Clements was nominated for the AAC award by Steve Owens, vice president for University Advancement, and will be honored at an awards ceremony and luncheon during the ArtLinks 2007 annual arts conference in Rogers this October. For more information, see  the Arkansas Arts Council's website.

* Dr. Larry Dale, Economics, was recently invited to present a paper on poverty at the Conference on Poverty, held at Manchester College, Oxford University. Dr. Dale was one of 38 scholars from all over the world to attend and present. The paper, "The Northeast Arkansas Experience: The Welfare-to-Work Program," was co-authored by Dr. Sandra Bevill, Management, and Courtney Bracy, advising coordinator, College of Business. The paper presented the results of a project conducted through the Center for Economic Education and the Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) organization. For this program, 10 college students were trained to conduct a series of two sets of three workshops for Greene County welfare recipients to assist them in getting off welfare. Of the 91 participants in the program, 83% were able to get a job and earn their way off all public assistance within two years, compared to the national average of 60%.

* Dr. Elizabeth Hood, Plant Biology, and director of ASU's Biofuels Research Program, anticipates increased momentum for the program. With the recent passage of the House Energy and Water Appropriations Bill, Congressman Marion Berry secured $1.5 million in funding for Hood's six-person research team. The ASU team creates technologies that make the production of cellulosic ethanol possible and affordable, including the creation of inexpensive enzymes. Plants serve as biofactories, and enzyme technology breaks down plants into sugars, which are then used in ethanol production. The ASU team's creation of more enzyme types and volumes will significantly reduce the cost of cellulosic ethanol production, as well as making ethanol production more environmentally friendly, with reduced energy costs and fewer waste by-products. These new enzyme technologies will also allow farmers to utilize waste materials in the production of ethanol, ultimately lowering the cost of  biofuel to consumers.

* Dr. Fabricio Medina-Bolívar, Plant Metabolic Engineering, and project co-leader Dr. Maureen Dolan, Biochemistry, reported the study "Production and Secretion of Resveratrol in Hairy Root Cultures of Peanut." This peer-reviewed article was published in the July special issue of the journal Phytochemistry. ASU co-authors in the study are Jose Condori, Ph.D. student in molecular biosciences, Kristen Shelton, undergraduate, John Hubstenberger, ABI, and Dr. Agnes Rimando, USDA Natural Products Unit. Resveratrol, a plant-derived defense compound, has been associated with many health benefits, including anti-cancer, anti-aging, and neuroprotection properties. This study reports the use of hairy root technology for production of high quality, enriched extracts containing resveratrol and its many valuable derivatives. Because of the numerous applications of these compounds in the pharmaceutical and neutraceutical industries, ASU filed U.S. and international patent applications on the process earlier this month.

* Dr. John Beineke, dean, College of Education, and Dr. Mitch Holifield, chair, Department of Educational Leadership, Curriculum, and Special Education, have been appointed members of the Arkansas Professional Licensure Standards Board. Beineke and Holifield were appointed by the State Board of Education, and they will represent public institutions of higher learning and the First Congressional District. There are 15 members of the Professional Licensure Standards Board, and each member serves a term of three years. Their first board meeting is Wednesday, July 25, in Little Rock

* Dr. Len Frey, dean, College of Business, is a graduate of the inaugural class of Leadership Arkansas, a program designed to take a statewide view of the economic and political challenges that face Arkansas. Created by the State Chamber of Commerce and Associated Industries of Arkansas (AIA), Leadership Arkansas builds a sense of statewide community by identifying and training individuals with the passion and commitment to become personally engaged in issues, programs, and activities aimed at building a better Arkansas. Dr. Frey was one of 70 individuals chosen to make up the inaugural class.

* ASI's Chief of Police James Chapman, University Police Department, recently graduated from Arkansas Leader, an executive management program sponsored by the Criminal Justice Institute of the UA system and the FBI. Chief Chapman, with UPD for 3 years, was one of 25 law enforcement leaders chose to attend the 16th session of this prestigious program. Participants are carefully selected, and leadership, education, advancement of the law enforcement profession and individual and agency development are emphasized in the program.

* Sue Marlay and David Wick, International Programs, recently made presentations at the national conference of NAFSA: Association of International Educators in Minneapolis. Both of them participated in leadership meetings, and each of them made session presentations. Wick’s presentation addressed marketing in international education, while Marlay’s addressed leadership in NAFSA and in other professional organizations.

* Dr. Rebecca Matthews, Nursing, recently made a presentation in St. Louis at the National Parents as Teachers conference. The presentation represented a summary of Matthews' six-year tenure as executive director of Paces, Inc., a Jonesboro non-profit serving at-risk families (www.paces4parents.org). Her presentation, "What a difference a logic model makes," took her audience through the development of a logic model, illustrating how effective Paces was in helping at-risk teens become better mothers. The presentation also encouraged the development of logic models in other programs in order to measure effectiveness and to enhance services. Dr. Matthews' presentation was also featured in the current newsletter of the National Parents as Teachers organization.

* Dr. Sarah Wilkerson-Freeman, History, was an invited presenter at the University of Nottingham's recent Hurricane Katrina Symposium. The symposium, sponsored by Nottingham's American and Canadian Studies program, featured several international scholars. The interdisciplinary event focused on the responses of scholars in film, literature, and history to Hurricane Katrina, to post-Katrina life in New Orleans, and to the influence of the hurricane and its aftermath on scholarship, particularly documentaries. Wilkerson-Freeman presented her work on Jack Robinson's 1950s New Orleans photographs, which she discovered and identified within the Robinson collection in Memphis. She also spoke about the impact of post-Katrina reorganization on traditional infrastructures of artistic life and culture in the region. Her 26-piece exhibition of 1950s photographs, installed in the atrium of the Djanogly Art Gallery complex, was the site of the symposium's closing reception.

* Dr. Robyn Hannigan, Environmental Science, was recently featured in The College Board Review (No. 210, Winter/Spring 2007), the magazine of the College Board. This prestigious publication provides a national forum for discussion of new and useful ideas in education. Hannigan, who designed and established a program to immerse minority and female undergraduates in environmental science, appeared in Dr. Kathie L. Olsen's article, "Let's Frame the Future: Building a Solid Science and Engineering Foundation for This Century." Olsen is deputy director of the National Science Foundation (NSF). Dr. Hannigan received funding through the NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program. Hannigan's program, Research Internships in Science of the Environment (RISE), is an interdisciplinary program focusing on relationships between agricultural land use and ecological health. The RISE program has funded more than 30 undergraduates in summer research projects since 2001. 

* Two ABI faculty members, Dr. Carole Cramer, ABI executive director, and
Dr. Maureen Dolan, Biochemistry, traveled to Verona, Italy, to participate in an international conference, "Plant-Based Vaccines and Antibodies," held at the University of Verona. Dr. Cramer, a member of the conference's scientific advisory panel, was an invited symposium speaker as well as a session moderator. Drs. Dolan and Cramer also presented several posters describing results of ABI research on using plants to produce complex immuno-modulating proteins for vaccine applications.

Campus News archive, 2006-07
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Campus News archive, 2003-04
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