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. 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.
Scholarly News Archive
