Latest Faculty Accomplishments
News
GRANTS (Awarded in January)
Dr. Keri S. Bethune (Assistant Professor, Educational Foundations and Exceptionalities) received $30,521 from the Virginia Department of Education to maintain and implement a statewide program to meet the initial and continuing education needs for teachers of students with severe disabilities in Virginia.
Dr. Dennis B. Blanton (Assistant Professor, Sociology and Anthropology) received $8,899 from the Stone House Foundation Inc. to search for and document architectural evidence to guide restoration planning and to recover and interpret archaeological evidence to illuminate aspects of the Stone House history, in Stafford County, Va.
Delores A. Blough (Director, International Student and Scholar Services) and Thomas P. Lavenir (International Assistant Director, International Student and Scholar Services) received $9,791 from Procter & Gamble to build conference attendees’ skills in ethical leadership, conflict resolution, creative goal setting and diversity of thought and action, while creating a valuable educational resource for future use at JMU.
Dr. Robert N. Brent (Associate Professor, Integrated Science and Technology) received $42,555 from DuPont to support the South River Science Team’s Remedial Options Program Subcommittee in order to test remediation strategies for mercury contamination of the South River and South Fork of the Shenandoah River.
Dr. Diane L. Foucar-Szocki (Coordinator for Grants, Contracts and Special Projects, College of Education) received $49,270 from the Virginia Department of Education to conduct a request for information on high school equivalency testing products.
Dara M. Hall (Admissions and Field Experiences Coordinator, Education Support Center) received $50,788 from the Virginia Department of Education to identify, recruit and train selected clinical faculty in several divisions to better mentor beginning teachers in identified critical shortage areas and support these mentors by designing and developing an electronic community of practice.
Alleyn S. Harned (Executive Director, Virginia Clean Cities) received $5,000 from the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy to update the Alternative Fuel Vehicle Inventory biannually and collect and report on information relating to alternative fuel production.
Kimberlee Hartzler-Weakley (Director of Children and Youth, Institute for Innovation in Health and Human Services) received $1,304 from the Virginia Department of Education to provide supplemental educational services to the children of migrant farm workers in collaboration with local school districts and to assess language and educational experience and progress of individual students.
Dr. Krisztina V. Jakobsen (Assistant Professor, Psychology) and Dr. Tracy E. Zinn (Associate Professor, Psychology) received $1,500 from the Society for the Teaching of Psychology to assess short- and long-term retention of course material using active learning strategies, to examine changes in critical thinking using team-based learning, and to assess changes in statistical and scientific reasoning using Interteaching.
Patricia A. Kennedy (Faculty Administrator, Institute for Innovation in Health and Human Services) received $499,762 from the Department of Behavioral Health and Development Services to conduct focus groups and produce interactive eLearning modules and videos targeting middle- and high-school students and their parents.
Joyce H. Krech (Director, Small Business Development Center) received $10,000 from Harrisonburg City to support the Small Business Development Center.
Dr. Jonathan J. Miles (Professor, Integrated Science and Technology) received $14,000 from the Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy to continue providing education, outreach and research activities at the Center for Wind Energy.
Dr. Julie T. Sanford (Head and Professor, Nursing) received $3,000 from the Arnold P. Gold Foundation to support the White Coat Ceremony for Nurses.
Dr. Trevor F. Stokes (Professor, Graduate Psychology; Director, Alvin V. Baird Attention and Learning Disabilities Center) received $71,500 from the Shenandoah Valley Regional Program to enhance students’ overall educational experience through involvement in professional activities in the area of applied behavior analysis within the school districts associated with the Shenandoah Valley Regional Program.
PRESENTATIONS
Dr. Anne L. Stewart (Professor, Psychology) presented “Using Attachment Constructs to Promote Growth and Exploration in Supervision” at a workshop held in Richmond on Jan. 30 by the Virginia Association for Play Therapy for mental health providers in social work, counseling, psychology and other allied health professions that work with children.
PUBLICATIONS
Dr. Smita Mathur (Associate Professor, Early, Elementary and Reading Education) Abigail Jordan (Graduate Student, Elementary Education), Bailey Fern (Graduate Student, Elementary Education), Chelsea Morris (Graduate Student, Elementary Education) and Rebecca Cross (Graduate Student, Elementary Education) published their research article, “Critical Thinking in the Elementary Classroom: Exploring Student Engagement in Elementary Science Classrooms through a Case-Study Approach,” in the Journal of Emerging Trends in Educational Research and Policy Studies.
