Latest Faculty Accomplishments
News
EXHIBITIONS
Lisa Tubach (Associate Director, School of Art, Design and Art History; Associate Professor, Art) is exhibiting new works at the Lorrie Saunders ArtGallery in Norfolk, Va. The exhibition, “HINTERLAND,” consists of Tubach’s large-scale paintings that highlight the earth’s beauty and the dichotomy found in nature. The exhibition opened Oct. 26 and will run through Jan. 10, 2014.
GRANTS
Dr. Jennifer E. Coffman (Associate Executive Director, Office of International Programs; Associate Professor, Integrated Science and Technology) and Dr. Lee G. Sternberger (Associate Provost, Academic Affairs; Executive Director, Office of International Programs) received $149,922 from the Institute of International Education Inc. for Project GO to increase linguistic and cultural understanding among ROTC students at JMU and nationwide by emphasizing intermediate and advanced Kiswahili instruction.
Dr. Beth A. Eck (Head, Sociology and Anthropology; Associate Professor, Sociology) received $46,000 from Carmeuse Lime and Stone for the Nieswander Final, which aims to complete all needed archaeological recovery at the Nieswander’s Fort Site.
Dr. Kevin L. Giovanetti (Professor, Physics and Astronomy) received $82,188 from the National Science Foundation for “MRI Consortium: Development of Instrumentation to Measure the Spin Precession Frequency in the Fermilab Muon g-2 Experiment.” The grant will help to procure parts, assemble prototypes, assemble production assemblies and perform final testing of the Bias Voltage System at Fermilab.
Kimberlee Hartzler-Weakley (Administrator, Institute for Innovation in Health and Human Services) received $458,032 from the Administration on Children, Youth and Families for JMUPREP 2013 to emphasize both abstinence and contraception and address the adulthood preparation subjects of healthy relationships, communication, educational and career success, and adolescent development in order to reduce the number of teen pregnancies in the region.
Dr. Reid J. Linn (Dean, Graduate School), Cheryl L. Henderson (Co-Director, Training/Technical Assistance Center) and John T. McNaught (Coordinator, Training/Technical Assistance Center) received $1,174,471 from the Virginia Department of Education for the Region 5 Training and Technical Assistance Center: Section 611 Support to continue to assess needs and services provided to consumers in Region 5 following each consultation and training event provided by the center’s staff.
Dr. Christine L. May (Assistant Professor, Biology) received $1,000 from the National Wildlife Federation for “The effects of sedimentation on the predator-prey relationship between stoneflies brook trout and sculpin: An opportunity for outreach and environmental education.” The purpose of the project is to test the relationship between the predatory brook trout and sculpin on the aquatic invertebrate prey species stonefly and the role that sedimentation takes in that relationship.
Dr. Robert L. McKown (Professor, Integrated Science and Technology) received $10,198 from EyeRx Research Inc. for “A Thermo-responsive Biopharmaceutical to Enhance the Tear Production of Lacritin.” The project will develop Lacritin and its constructs as a novel thermo-responsive biopharmaceutical for the treatment of dry eye disorders.
Dr. Eric J. Pyle (Professor, Geology and Environmental Science) received $81,259 from the University of Virginia for the Blue Ridge Collaborative for Earth Science Teachers initiative to improve teacher quality through provision of two courses in meteorology and geology. Pyle also received $13,629 from the U.S. Department of Education for the Virginia Initiative for Science Teaching and Achievement – Year 4 to coordinate STEM coursework offered and to develop, deploy and communicate results of STEM secondary content course and elementary institute science concept needs assessments among the teachers participating in the project.
Nick D. Swayne (Interim Director, Education Support Center; Coordinator for External Relations, College of Education; Instructor, Learning, Technology and Leadership Education) received $35,023 from Virginia city and county donors for the Virginia/DC FIRST LEGO League to provide sponsorship of robotics teams.
Dr. Roger D. Tomhave (Associate Professor, Art Education) received $840 from the Arts Council of the Valley for “JMU Students Sharing Cross-Curricular Lesson Plans in Harrisonburg Public Schools and Across the Commonwealth” to provide support for students to attend the Virginia Art Education Association Fall Conference, where they will receive broad feedback on their cross-curricular lessons.
John “Shaun” B. Wright (Assistant Professor, Media Arts and Design) and Shelly L. Hokanson (Assistant Professor, Media Arts and Design) received $1,000 from the Arts Council of the Valley for the 3rd Annual Reel Change Documentary Film Festival. The purpose of the festival is to educate and engage audiences while celebrating the documentary medium as a tool for advocacy, activism and social change.
HONORS
Dr. Lennis G. Echterling (Professor, Graduate Psychology; Director, Counseling Programs) received the Distinguished Scholar Award from the Department of Graduate Psychology.
Dr. Corey Hickerson (Associate Professor, Communication Studies), Cynthia Martin (Instructor, Writing, Rhetoric and Technical Communication) and Dr. Donielle Janow (Associate Instructor, Psychology) were recognized for their leadership in teaching with technologies during JMU’s 10th annual Teaching and Learning with Technology Conference on Oct. 21.
Sandra Hite (Clinician, Graduate Psychology) received the John R. Cook Award from the Virginia Counselors Association. The award is given to educators to honor a long and meritorious history with VCA. Hite served as secretary, chaired the Awards Committee, chaired the Bylaws Resolutions Committee, chaired the Professional Development Committee and served on the Convention Steering Committee of the VCA. The reception took place on Nov. 8 at The Homestead.
Dr. Jacquelyn K. Nagel (Assistant Professor, Engineering) was among 73 of the nation’s most innovative engineering educators to participate in the National Academy of Engineering’s fifth Frontiers of Engineering Education symposium held Oct. 27-30 in Irvine, Calif. The event provided a forum for educators to discuss and critique new ideas and teaching methods to enhance the education experience of engineering students. The participants also received a charter to make improvements at their home institutions. The National Academy of Engineering, an independent, nonprofit organization, was established in 1964 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers.
Dr. Renee Staton (Professor, Graduate Psychology) received the William H. Van Hoose Career Service Award from the Virginia Counselors Association. The award is given to educators who help with the advancement of VCA’s professional goals and contributions to the understanding of counseling. Staton has served as president, board member and editorial board member of the Virginia Counselors Association Journal. The reception took place on Nov. 8 at The Homestead.
Dr. Debbie Sturm (Assistant Professor, Graduate Psychology) received the Southern Association for Counselor Education and Supervision Award for Outstanding Teaching. This regional award honors a counselor educator who exemplifies excellence and innovation as an instructor in the classroom. Sturm received the award Oct. 19 at a conference in Denver. Sturm also received the Distinguished Service Award from the JMU Department of Graduate Psychology.
PUBLICATIONS
Dr. Mark L. Parker (Head and Professor, English) wrote a book with his wife Deborah Parker (University of Virginia) titled “Inferno Revealed: From Dante to Dan Brown.” Parker’s book is a guide to the 12th century poem “The Divine Comedy” by Dante, which was the focus of Dan Brown’s novel “Inferno.” Parker looks at what Dan Brown got right, what he got wrong and provides an inside look into Dante and his poem. The book was published by Palgrave Macmillan in October 2013.
Dr. Steven A. Reich (Professor, History) wrote a book titled “A Working People: A History of African American Workers Since Emancipation.” In the book, Reich examines the economic, political and cultural forces that have beaten and built America’s black workforce since Emancipation. The book was published by Rowman & Littlefield in September 2013.
Kristen Shrewsbury (Coordinator, English Language Learner Services) led an interdisciplinary group of faculty and students that wrote an article titled “Peer editing native speakers’ papers: English language learners turn to the writing center for feedback expertise.” The team was a TESOL/writing professional development group for tutors and faculty. The article was published by the International TESOL Association’s Second Language Writing Newsletter in October. Co-authors are Reba Leiding (Library Faculty and Writing Center Fellow) and students E. Haley Cline, Kellie Harlow, Alexa Livezey and Melissa Psallidas.
Dr. Stanley L. Ulanski (Professor, Geology and Environmental Science) wrote a book titled “The Billfish Story: Swordfish, Sailfish, Marlin, and Other Gladiators of the Sea.” The book details the long history of the billfish and argues for their cultural and ecological importance. The book was published by University of Georgia Press in October 2013.
K.T. Vaughan (Director, Rose Library; Assistant Professor, Libraries and Educational Technologies) wrote an article titled “Development of the research lifecycle model for library services.” The article is an in-depth case study of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Libraries Health and Natural Sciences Team’s approach to the relationship of librarians and research. The article was published in the Journal of the Medical Library Association in October 2013.
Stefanie E. Warlick (Assistant Director, Rose Library; Associate Professor, Libraries and Educational Technologies) co-authored the paper, “Health sciences information literacy in CMS environments: learning from our peers,” which was paper was published in The Electronic Library in October.
SERVICE
Dr. Sarah Carson (Associate Director, Morrison-Bruce Center for the Promotion of Physical Activity for Girls and Women; Assistant Professor, Kinesiology) has been elected Publications/Information Division Head for the Association for Applied Sport Psychology. The AASP is an international professional organization that promotes the field of sport and exercise psychology.
