Scholarly News for May 2012

EXHIBITIONS

Shelly L. Hokanson (Assistant Professor, Media Arts and Design) exhibited a photographic piece in the March 2012 national juried art exhibition "Botanic/Organic" at Union Street Gallery in Chicago Heights, Ill.

Dr. Laura Katzman (Associate Professor, Art and Art History) is the curator of "Picturing Puerto Rico Under the American Flag: The Photographs of Louise Rosskam 1937-1948," an exhibition on display until July 21 at the Hunter College East Harlem Art Gallery.

GRANTS

Emily K. Akerson (Associate Director, Institute for Innovation in Health and Human Services) received $900 from the Shenandoah County Community Service Ace for "Healthy Families Shenandoah County" to continue to meet the needs of at-risk families by providing education, resources and support.

Dr. Brian H. Augustine (Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry) and Dr. W. Christopher Hughes (Professor, Physics and Astronomy) received $62,000 from the National Science Foundation to research the kinetics and surface modification of Nanocomposite Polymer Thin Films.

Dr. JoAnne Brewster (Professor, Graduate Psychology) received $3,300 from the Society for Police and Criminal Psychology to perform administrative tasks for the society.

Dr. Corey L. Cleland (Associate Professor, Biology) received $10,000 from the Jeffress Memorial Trust for "Spatial Transformations in the Hind Limb Withdrawal Response" to understand the principles by which sensory information is used to program movements.

Dr. Daniel M. Downey (Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry) and Dr. Gina M. MacDonald (Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry) received $109,442 from the National Science Foundation for "REU Site: Integrating Hearing and Deaf Students in Chemical Research" to provide undergraduate chemistry research students with the opportunity to develop improved communication tools and methods in science, as well as enhance day-to-day communication between hearing and deaf students.

Dr. Steven T. Garren (Professor, Mathematics and Statistics) received $27,527 from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to perform priority statistical analysis issues as a survey statistician at the commission.

Dr. Heather P. Griscom (Associate Professor, Biology) received $10,000 from the Jeffress Memorial Trust to determine the competitive hierarchy of the American chestnut, Northern red oak and tulip poplar and if the response of chestnut hybrids to environmental factors differ significantly from the response of pure chestnuts.

Kimberlee Hartzler-Weakley (Administrator, Institute for Innovation in Health and Human Services) received $69,012 from the Center for AIDS Intervention Research, Medical College of Wisconsin, for "A Multi-State Analysis of the Impact of HIV Exposure Laws" to recruit statewide samples of people living with HIV and HIV-negative persons at high risk for the infection for data collection sessions.

Jane Hubbell (Associate Director, Institute for Innovation in Health and Human Services) received two grants of $4,730 and $1,400 from the Harrisonburg Community Health Center to provide educational and health administrative services.

Dr. Erika N. Kancler (Assistant Professor, Biology) received $5,000 from the Wells Fargo Foundation to offer a summer camp pilot, Careers in Health and Medicine Program, to address childhood obesity and racial and ethnic equity by increasing diversity of the health professional workforce through career development.

Dr. Cynthia A. Klevickis (Professor, Integrated Science and Technology) received $35,090 from the Virginia Department of Education through Longwood University for "Virginia STEM Collaborative Nurturing Network to Enhance Content-focused Teaching" to conduct summer workshops and support teachers with curriculum implementation of the integrated science, technology, engineering and mathematics and engineering design activities into their mathematics and science classrooms that are aligned with the Standards of Learning.

Dr. Robert J. Prins (Assistant Professor, Engineering) received a supplemental grant of $5,700 from Outlier Electric Vehicles Inc. for "Development of a High Range Electric Motorcycle" to address the design and partial construction of an electric motorcycle.

Dr. Eric J. Pyle (Professor, Geology and Environmental Science), Dr. Anna M. Courtier (Assistant Professor, Geology and Environmental Science) and Dr. Anthony L. Tongen (Associate Professor, Mathematics and Statistics) received $149,577 from the National Science Foundation for the Mathematics and Earth Science Teachers Resource Organization to transform mathematics and Earth science instruction in middle- and high-schools by developing an integrated mathematics and Earth systems science approach to instruction.

Gary S. Race (Fiscal Technician, Institute for Innovation in Health and Human Services; Director, Mahatma Gandhi Center for Global Nonviolence) and Jane Hubbell (Associate Director, Institute for Innovation in Health and Human Services) received $400,250 from the Virginia Department of Health for the HIV Consortium for the Northwest Region to assure the provision of comprehensive, essential health and support services for individuals and families with HIV infection.

Gary S. Race (Fiscal Technician, Institute for Innovation in Health and Human Services; Director, Mahatma Gandhi Center for Global Nonviolence) received two grants from the Virginia Department of Health – $140,500 for the Home Visiting Consortium to maintain the consortium's website, to continue to operate its web-based training registration system and to continue to provide periodic reports on the home visiting registration and $20,000 for the Shaken Baby Syndrome Home Visiting Module to develop web training. Race received $133,970 from Valley AIDS Network to provide educational and health administrative services.

Dr. Kenneth R. Rutherford (Director, Center for International Stabilization and Recovery) received $499,985 from the U.S. Agency for International Development for the Iraq Finance Education Training Program 2012-2014 to strengthen the quality of finance and business education in Iraq through the implementation of a Finance Education Training and Exchange Program. Rutherford received $291,830 from the U.S. Department of State for the PM/WRA Senior Managers' Course to foster management skills at the senior level of global mine-action activities by providing managers with the tools necessary to make effective policy and practice decisions.

Dr. Lee G. Sternberger (Associate Provost, Academic Affairs; Executive Director, Office of International Programs), Dr. Guiliana Fazzion (Head and Professor, Foreign Languages, Literatures and Cultures), Dr. Jennifer E. Coffman (Associate Executive Director, Office of International Programs; Associate Professor, Integrated Science and Technology), Robert E. Pettit III (Head and Professor, Military Science) and Dr. Brillian Muhonja (Assistant Professor, Foreign Languages, Literatures and Cultures) received $121,063 from the Institute of International Education Inc. for "Project Go" to increase linguistic and cultural understanding among ROTC students and to build the Swahili language program at JMU.

Dr. Steven J. Whitmeyer (Associate Professor, Geology and Environmental Science) received $8,818 from the U.S. Geological Survey to support geologic mapping and stratigraphic analyses of the eastern half of the Rileyville 7.5' Quadrangle, Virginia.

HONORS

Michael Grundmann (Assistant Professor, Media Arts and Design) won three Telly awards for his half-hour documentary, "Why Me? Tom Moran's Long Walk."

Dr. M. Joseph Hinshaw (Associate Professor, Media Arts and Design) earned an Award of Excellence in the Mixed Video category of the Faculty Video Competition in April's Broadcast Education Association Festival of Media Arts. The award recognized the Forbes Center for the Performing Arts videos that he created with four students in fall 2010.

Dr. Alexander S. Leidholdt (Professor, Media Arts and Design) earned an Archie K. Davis Fellowship from the North Caroliniana Society for his research on the U.S. government's crackdown on newspaper freedom during World War I and the ensuing Red Scare.

Kevin J. Reynolds (Associate Professor, Media Arts and Design) won an Award of Excellence for a short film script, "Our Lady of Holyoke," at the Broadcast Education Association convention in Las Vegas in April.

Yvette Shen (Assistant Professor, Media Arts and Design) received an American Graphic Design Award from Graphic Design USA for "Purdue Theatre Season Campaign 10/11." Shen was also a semifinalist in the Adobe Design Achievement Awards Innovation in Interactive Media in Education, Adobe Systems, for "2D Animation Basics."

Shaun Wright (Assistant Professor, Media Arts and Design) won an Award of Excellence in the 2012 Broadcast Education Association Faculty Video Competition for the promotional video "Virginia Organizing," which profiles the Virginia nonprofit organization. Wright was the director and producer of the video. He also served as the director and executive producer of the documentary feature film "Higher Power," which was an official selection of the 2012 Thin Line Documentary Film Festival in Denton, Texas. The documentary explores the issue of electrical pollution in North America.

PRESENTATIONS

Rustin P. Greene (Professor, Media Arts and Design) presented "What Is User Centered Design, And Why Do We Care?" as part of a panel discussion, "Why and How to Teach User Centered Design," that he organized and moderated at the Broadcast Education Association convention in Las Vegas in April. Greene also presented "Staying One Step Ahead: Learning to Direct a Short Movie" as a member of the panel discussion "The Undergraduate Short Narrative Film: What to Teach."

Dr. John E. Guiniven (Professor, Media Arts and Design) presented a paper, "Beyond the surface of the child abuse scandal at Penn State: Institutional governance, individual courage and values all were found wanting in the university's time of need," at the 8th Faith & Communication Conference held at Campbell University, March 23-24.

Dr. M. Joseph Hinshaw (Associate Professor, Media Arts and Design) gave a presentation on the School of Media Arts and Design's HD TV studio at a panel discussion "Tipping Technology in Your Favor: Strategies for Designing and Implementing Research and Teaching Laboratories" at the Broadcast Education Association convention in Las Vegas in April.

Dr. Alexander S. Leidholdt (Professor, Media Arts and Design) presented to the Virginia Forum a paper, "Showdown on Mr. Jefferson's Lawn: Contesting Jim Crow during the University of Virginia's Protodesegregation."

Paige Normand (Instructor, Media Arts and Design) presented "Narratives, Personas and Teaching User-Centered Design" at the Broadcast Education Association convention in Las Vegas in April. 

Kevin J. Reynolds (Associate Professor, Media Arts and Design) presented "Writing Effective Short Film Scripts" at the Broadcast Education Association convention in Las Vegas in April. Reynolds also moderated a panel discussion on "The Undergraduate Short Narrative Film: What to Teach, What to Expect" at the convention.

Yvette Shen (Assistant Professor, Media Arts and Design) presented "User Centered Mobile Web Design" at the Broadcast Education Association convention in Las Vegas in April.

Dr. Charles C. Turner (Professor Emeritus, Media Arts and Design) presented a paper, "Animation: Numinosity in Motion," at the convention of the Popular Culture Association held in Boston in April. Turner also served a chair of a film panel at the convention.

PUBLICATIONS

Dr. John E. Guiniven (Professor, Media Arts and Design) wrote an article, "Crisis on campus: Self-inflicted wounds will slow Penn State's recovery from scandal," which was published in the Winter 2011 issue of The Public Relations Strategist.

Paige Normand (Instructor, Media Arts and Design) and Michelle A. Moreau (Lecturer, Communication Studies) contributed a chapter, "Technology Tutoring: Communication Centers Take the Lead," to "Communication Centers and Oral Communication Programs in Higher Education," which was published by Lexington Books, 2012.