Latest Faculty Accomplishments
News
GRANTS (awarded Nov. 2013)
Emily K. Akerson (Associate Director, Institute for Innovation in Health and Human Services) received two awards from the Virginia Department of Social Services – $56,014 for Healthy Families Shenandoah County and $36,228 for Healthy Families Page County. Both grants will help to continue to meet the needs of at-risk families in their respective counties by providing education, resources and support.
Dr. Kenneth E. Barron (Professor, Psychology) received $189,967 from the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study for his project: “Validating a Rapid Measure of Student Motivation: Using the Expectancy-Value Theory of Motivation to Understand Student Achievement and Interest in STEM Classrooms.”
Dr. Jo Anne Brewster (Professor, Graduate Psychology) received $3,300 from the Society for Police and Criminal Psychology for faculty reassignment in spring 2014 to perform administrative tasks for the society.
Dr. Steven G. Cresawn (Associate Professor, Biology) received $28,173 from the National Institutes of Health for the project “Mycobacteriophage as an emerging model organism,” which will help to further the development of a database to hold mycobacteriophage genome sequences and gene expression data.
Dr. Carol C. Dudding (Associate Professor, Communication Sciences and Disorders) received $84,908 from the Virginia Department of Education for a Statewide Collaborative Master’s Degree in Speech-Language Pathology. The grant will help to provide an American-Speech-Language-Hearing Association accredited master’s program in communication sciences and disorders.
Dr. Beth A. Eck (Head, Sociology and Anthropology; Professor, Sociology) received $10,978 from Carmeuse Lime & Stone for Stickley Quarters. The grant will support the completion of the final phases of laboratory work, data analysis and report preparation for the archaeological investigation at the Stickley Quarters Site on the Middle March Parcel west of Middletown, Va.
Kimberlee Hartzler-Weakley (Administrator, Institute for Innovation in Health and Human Services) received $64,228 from the Harrisonburg-Rockingham County Health Department for an Abstinence Education Grant to implement the Choosing the Best curriculum in 6th, 7th and 8th grade classrooms at Thomas Harrison Middle School and Skyline Middle School during the 2013-14 academic year. Hartzler-Weakley also received $77,063 from the Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority for support of the Blue Ridge Area Health Education Center. The grant will help the center to promote health careers and access to primary care for medically underserved populations through community-academic partnerships.
Dr. Christine A. Hughey (Associate Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry) and Dr. Stephen K. Lucas (Associate Professor, Mathematics and Statistics) received $83,949 from the National Science Foundation for “RUI: CMI: Predicting analyte response in negative ion electrospray ionization.” The project will explore the mechanisms of ionization under different pH regimes and develop a multivariate model that will predict response for physiochemically diverse acidic analytes under different solution/pH conditions.
Dr. Michael S. Kirkpatrick (Assistant Professor, Computer Science) received $10,290 from Purdue University for a study of Smart Meter Communication Security. The project will study the security and privacy implications of a Zigbee (IEEE 802.15) implementation of the ANSI C12.22 communication standard for Advanced Metering Infrastructure, pursuant to the U.S. Department of Energy Smart Grid research and development objectives.
Dr. Robert A. Kolvoord (Interim Dean, College of Integrated Science and Engineering; Professor, Integrated Science and Technology) received $31,893 from Temple University for “Assessing Student Spatial Thinking Skills Through Classroom Video and Observation: Year 3” to design and execute a classroom-based study of student spatial thinking.
Susan F. Lamb (Business Manager, WMRA-FM) received a $134,470 community service grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for fiscal year 2014.
Remy M. Pangle (Director of Education and Outreach, Virginia Center for Wind Energy) received $10,000 from the Dominion Foundation for the Virginia Regional KidWind Challenge. The grant will help students to participate in competitions to construct wind turbines to generate the most electricity, while learning about the advantages of wind energy.
Dr. Liliokanaio X. Peaslee (Assistant Professor, Political Science) and Dr. Amanda J. Cleveland (Assistant Professor, Political Science) received $299,221 from the U.S. Department of Justice for “Long-Term Study on the Impacts of Training and Peer Support on Relationship Quality and Mentee Outcomes.” The project will investigate the impact of enhanced training and peer advising for mentors on the quality of mentor-mentee relationships and mentee life outcomes, and continue a research partnership between JMU and an affiliate of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America in Harrisonburg, Va.
Gary S. Race (Grants Administrator, Institute for Innovation in Health and Human Services) received $332,480 from the Virginia Department of Health for the Ryan White Part B Northwest Consortium to assure the provision of comprehensive, essential health and support services for individuals and families with HIV infection.
HONORS
Dr. Sandra Annan (Assistant Professor, Nursing) received the Virginia Nurse of the Year – Nursing Education Award from the March of Dimes. This award recognizes nurses who demonstrate exceptional patient care, compassion and service. The March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health.
Dr. Heather J. Carmack (Assistant Professor, Communication Studies) and her co-author Todd T. Holm (Marine Corps University) were the recipients of the American Forensic Association’s 2013 Daniel Rohrer Outstanding Research Article of the Year Award for their 2012 publication “Forensics as a correlate of graduate school success” in the Journal of the Association for Communication Administration.
Eric Croucher (Student, Nursing) received the Virginia Nurse of the Year – Student Nurse Award from the March of Dimes. This award recognizes student nurses who demonstrate exceptional patient care, compassion and service. The March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health.
Dr. David B. Daniel (Professor, Psychology) received the sixth annual award for “Transforming Education through Neuroscience” from the Learning & the Brain Foundation and the International Mind, Brain and Education Society. The award is given to individuals who represent excellence in bridging neuroscience and education. The award includes a $5,000 grant to support translational efforts in bridging scientific findings and classroom practice. Daniel is a founding IMBES board member, former executive director of the society and has served as the managing editor of the journal Mind, Brain, and Education since it began.
Dr. Jeffrey D. Loveland (Professor, Health Sciences) was honored with the Roster of Fellows Award from the American Occupational Therapy Association. The award recognizes members of AOTA, who with their knowledge and expertise, have made a significant contribution to the continuing education and professional development of members of the association. Loveland will formally receive the award at the 2014 Annual Conference and Expo in Baltimore on April 5, 2014.
Dr. Julie A. Strunk (Assistant Professor, Nursing) received the Virginia Nurse of the Year – Pediatric Award from the March of Dimes. This award recognizes nurses who demonstrate exceptional patient care, compassion and service. The March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health.
PRESENTATIONS
Dr. Manal Jamal (Assistant Professor, Political Science) participated in a panel discussion at The Palestine Center’s annual conference in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 15. The discussion was titled “Palestine in the Middle: Effects of regional conflict on the future of Palestine and its Politics.”
Dr. Kenneth R. Rutherford (Director, Center for International Stabilization and Recovery; Professor, Political Science) was the keynote speaker at the Human Rights Program Symposium "Acknowledge, Amend, Assist: Addressing Civilian Harm Caused by Armed Conflict and Armed Violence,” which was hosted by Harvard Law School. The conference brought together policy experts, fieldwork leaders and government officials to develop a framework to increase collaboration on assistance to conflict victims.
Dr. Jon M. Thompson (Professor, Health Sciences; Director, Health Services Administration Program) and Dr. April L. Temple (Assistant Professor, Health Sciences) presented research at the 141st annual meeting of the American Public Health Association. Their presentation was titled “Early Careerists in Healthcare Management: What is the Perceived Importance of and Participation in Leadership Development Programs?” Thompson also moderated a session titled “Models of Successful Leadership Development Programs for Health Administrators.”
PUBLICATIONS
Dr. Heather J. Carmack (Assistant Professor, Communication Studies) co-authored the article “Stress, burnout, job satisfaction, and intent to leave among collegiate forensic educators,” which was published in the National Forensic Journal in November.
Dr. Katey M. Castellano (Associate Professor, English) wrote a book, “The Ecology of British Romantic Conservatism, 1790-1837.” In the book, Castellano examines the nascent environmentalism in Romantic literature, philosophy, natural history and agricultural periodicals. The book was published in the series Palgrave Studies in the Enlightenment, Romanticism and Cultures of Print with Palgrave Macmillan in October.
Dr. Christine E. DeMars (Professor, Graduate Psychology), Bozhidar Bashkov (Ph.D. Student, Assessment and Measurement Program) and Alan Socha (Ph.D. Student, Assessment and Measurement Program) wrote “The Role of Gender in Test-Taking Motivation under Low-Stakes Conditions,” which was published in Research & Practice in Assessment in November.
Dr. Sara J. Finney (Associate Professor, Graduate Psychology) and Jerusha J. Gerstner (Doctorial Assistant) wrote a special feature on how outcomes assessment cycles in student affairs can be improved, which was published in Research & Practice in Assessment in November.
Dr. David A. Stringham (Assistant Professor, Music) co-edited the book, “Musicianship: Composing in Band and Orchestra,” with Clint Randles (University of South Florida). The book is a practical answer to how to effectively bring music composition to the band and orchestra room at all levels. It was published by GIA Publications in Chicago. Gary Fagan (Student Teacher Supervisor, Music) also contributed to the book.
SERVICE
Dr. Barry L. Falk (Director, Honors Program; Professor, Economics) has completed his term as vice president of the National Collegiate Honors Council and begun his term as president-elect. The NCHC is the professional association of undergraduate honors programs and colleges; honors directors and deans; and honors faculty, staff and students. The NCHC provides support for institutions and individuals developing, implementing and expanding honors education through curriculum development, program assessment, teaching innovation, national and international study opportunities, internships, service and leadership development and mentored research.
