Faculty Accomplishments

Submit scholarly news—publications, paper presentations and professional awards and service (appointment to boards, etc.)—to Janet Smith in Public Affairs at smithjl@jmu.edu or 568-8008.

GRANTS (awarded Dec. 2012)

Dr. Adriana L. Banu (Assistant Professor, Physics and Astronomy) received $10,000 from The Jeffress Memorial Trust for "Studying the alpha, p)-process in X-ray bursts using rare isotope ion beams" to study the experimentally unknown cross section of the 22MG(alpha,p)25AI reaction at astrophysical relevant energies by measuring the time-inverse reaction 25Al(p,alpha)22Mg in inverse kinematics.

Dr. Anca Constantin (Assistant Professor, Physics and Astronomy) received $10,000 from The Jeffress Memorial Trust for "Galaxies hosting cosmic mega-masers: How to find enough of the to understand our universe?" to identify the physical conditions that show the strongest links to maser activity, and thus to provide efficient criteria for mega-maser hunting.

Dr. Michael Davis (Assistant Professor, Communication Studies) received $48,000 from the Arthur N. Rupe Foundation to conduct and assess the impact of public debate courses on undergraduate students, specifically exploring engaged citizenry and digital literacy.

Dr. Carol C. Dudding (Assistant Professor, Communication Sciences and Disorders) received $225,479 from the Virginia Department of Education for "Statewide Collaborative Master’s Degree in Speech-Language Pathology-Year 7" to provide an American-Speech-Language-Hearing Association accredited master’s program in communication sciences and disorders.

Kimberlee Hartzler-Weakley (Administrator, Institute for Innovation in Health and Human Services) received $694 from the Office on Children and Youth for "Teen Pregnancy Prevention."

Joyce H. Krech (Director, Small Business Development Center) received $2,500 from Rockbridge County for "Central Region Small Business Development Center-Fiscal Year 2013" to support the Small Business Development Center.

Gary S. Race (Fiscal Technician, Institute for Innovation in Health and Human Services; Director, Mahatma Gandhi Center for Global Nonviolence) received $41, 912 from the Virginia Department of Health for "WiseWoman—Wellness Coordinator" to oversee the Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention efforts through the HDSP and WiseWoman Programs to promote evidence-based health and wellness programming to reduce risk for heart disease and stroke primarily in worksite, health system and school settings.

Dr. Giovanna Scarel (Assistant Professor, Physics and Astronomy) received $10,000 from The Jeffress Memorial Trust for "Role of polarization of broadband infrared radiation in the heat recovery mechanism involved in the excitation of radioactive polaritons in thin oxide films" to broaden the understanding of the interaction between polarized electromagnetic infrared radiation and thin films of dielectric materials.

Dr. Lee G. Sternberger (Associate Provost, Academic Affairs; Executive Director, International Programs), Dr. Brillian Muhonja (Assistant Professor, Swahili), Robert E. Pettit III (Head and Professor, Military Science), Dr. Jennifer E. Coffman (Associate Executive Director, International Programs; Associate Professor, Integrated Science and Technology) and Dr. Giuliana Fazzion (Head, Foreign Languages, Literatures and Cultures; Professor, Italian) received $343,725 from the Institute of International Education Inc. for "Project GO" to recruit ROTC students to learn Swahili and cultures of East Africa.

Dr. Stephanie B. Stockwell (Assistant Professor, Integrated Science and Technology) received $10,000 from The Jeffress Memorial Trust for "Structure/function analysis of FegA for insights into the intermediate stages of the Bradyrhizobium japonicum/soybean symbiosis" to complete and publish the FegA NTD structure/function analysis and sequence and annotate the wild type B. japonicum strain 61A152 genome.

Nick D. Swayne (Interim Director, Education Support Center; Coordinator for External Relations, College of Education; Instructor, Learning, Technology and Leadership Education) received $5,000 from Industrial Medium Inc. for "Robotics STEM Project" to provide sponsorship of robotics teams.

Dr. Nathan T. Wright (Assistant Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry) received $10,000 from The Jeffress Memorial Trust for "Structural Characterization of protein domains important for Obscurin-Titin interactions in muscle cells" to use high-resolution structural techniques to explore the molecular and biophysical basis of the obscurin-titin interactions.

HONORS

Dr. Jean W. Cash (Professor Emerita, English) won the C. Hugh Holman Award for "Larry Brown: A Writer’s Life." The award is given by the Society for the Study of Southern Literature.

Dr. Nicole Radziwill (Assistant Professor, Integrated Science and Technology) was named a fellow by the American Society for Quality. Radziwill received the honor for outstanding and innovative cross-disciplinary contributions to teaching and research in quality, for promoting social responsibility through quality and process improvement as a form of community service, and for continuing service to the quality profession through ASQ sections, divisions and interest groups.

PUBLICATIONS

Dr. H.B. Cavalcanti  (Professor, Sociology) wrote "Almost Home: A Brazilian American’s Reflections on Faith, Culture and Immigration," which was published by the University of Wisconsin Press in December 2012.

Dr. Carol A. Hurney (Executive Director, Center for Faculty Innovation; Associate Professor, Biology) wrote "Learner-Centered Teaching in Nonmajors Introductory Biology: The Impact of Giving Students Choices," which was published in the Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education, 13 (2) in December 2012.

Dr. Julie P. Solometo (Associate Professor, Anthropology) and Joshua Moss (’06 Anthropology and English Alumnus) wrote “Picturing the Past: Gender in National Geographic Reconstructions of Prehistoric Life,” which was published in American Antiquity 78:123-146 in January.

Dr. David A. Stringham (Assistant Professor, Music) and Paul R. Ackerman (Adjunct Instructor, Music) wrote "Another New Horizon? Music technology for senior adults," which was published in the International Journal of Community Music, 5 (3).

Dr. Jon M. Thompson (Professor, Health Sciences) co-authored "Hospital Compliance with a State Unfunded Mandate: The Case of California’s Earthquake Safety Law," which was published in Hospital Topics, 90(4): 91-97. Thompson also co-authored "The Impact of HCA's 2006 Leveraged Buyout on Hospital Performance," which was published in the Journal of Healthcare Management, 57(5): 342-357.

SERVICE

Dr. Sara J. Finney (Associate Professor, Graduate Psychology; Associate Assessment Specialist, Center for Assessment and Research Studies) has been appointed to a three-year term on the Technical Advisory Committee for the Graduate Record Examinations General Test. The TAC’s primary responsibilities are to shape the research agenda for the GRE program, to provide technical and psychometric support and to ensure the technical quality of both the final GRE research reports and of new GRE research proposals before they are released. In addition to reviewing research materials throughout the year, the TAC meets twice a year at Educational Testing Service in Princeton, N.J.

Shanil Virani (Assistant Professor, Physics and Astronomy; Director, John C. Wells Planetarium) has been selected to be a 2013 solar system ambassador by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory at Cal Tech. Solar system ambassadors are volunteers who communicate the excitement of JPL’s space exploration missions and information about recent discoveries to people in their local communities.