Latest Faculty Accomplishments
News
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. Or use our oline form.
GRANTS (awarded September 2013)
Emily K. Akerson (Associate Director, Institute for Innovation in Health and Human Services) received $9,960 from the Valley Program for Aging Services to provide educational and administrative services. Akerson received two grants of $25,292 each from Rockingham Memorial Hospital for Healthy Families Page County and Healthy Families Shenandoah County to provide integrated activities and services that are designed to improve the well-being, increase the permanency and ensure the safety of children who are in or at risk of being placed in an out-of-home placement as a result of a parent’s or caretaker’s substance abuse. Akerson received $30,000 from Healthy Families Shenandoah County Inc. to continue to meet the needs of at-risk families in Shenandoah County by providing education, resources and support.
Dr. Cheryl L. Beverly (Professor, Learning, Technology and Leadership Education) received $277,856 from the U.S. Department of Education for “Middle Matters: A Collaborative Partnership between James Madison University and Hopewell City Public Schools – Year 3.” The grant will provide accelerated, alternative teacher preparation and traditional professional development to increase the number of highly qualified and effective middle grade science and mathematics teachers in Hopewell City Public Schools.
Dr. B.J. Bryson (Professor, Social Work) received $160,000 from the Virginia Department of Education for the WHS 21st Century Community Learning Center to improve academic achievement and college readiness of Waynesboro High School students by focusing on environmental education that supports in-school content.
Dr. Thomas C. DeVore (Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry) received $9,500 from the Academy of Applied Science to support and conduct the 2014 Virginia Junior Science and Humanities Symposium.
Dr. Diane L. Foucar-Szocki (Professor, Adult Education, Learning, Technology and Leadership Education) received $200,000 from the Virginia Department of Education for the Thomas Harrison Community Learning Center to implement new efforts targeting English (reading/writing) with the intention of removing Thomas Harrison Middle School from English and School Improvement status and strengthening the community learning center efforts for enduring sustainability.
Alleyn S. Harned (Executive Director, Virginia Clean Cities) received $45,000 from the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy for “Omnibus VII: Outreach and Engagement” to update the Alternative Fuel Vehicle Inventory biannually, collect and report on information relating to alternative fuel production and to support JMU Virginia Clean Cities’ work.
Kimberlee Hartzler-Weakley (Administrator, Institute for Innovation in Health and Human Services) received $125,000 from the Department of Health and Human Services for Futuro Latino Drug-Free Communities to address substance abuse in culturally appropriate ways and learn environmental strategies through praxis. Hartzler-Weakley received $164,205 from the Virginia Department of Education for the Shenandoah Valley Child Development Clinic to provide specialized medical, psychological, psychosocial, educational and speech/language/audiology services to children and young adults under the age of 21. Hartzler-Weakley received $200,000 from the Virginia Department of Education for the Spotswood/Waterman Community Learning Center to increase overall and subgroup SOL reading pass rates through school-based after school tutoring and project-based literacy enrichment.
Dr. M. Hossain Heydari (Professor, Computer Science), Dr. Brett C. Tjaden (Associate Professor, Computer Science) and Dr. Xunhua S. Wang (Associate Professor, Computer Science) received $71,403 from the Department of Defense for the Department of Defense Information Assurance Scholarship Program – FY 2013 to provide support for undergraduate students and a graduate student for the Information Security Programs at James Madison University.
Joyce H. Krech (Director, Shenandoah Small Business Development Center) received $10,000 from the City of Harrisonburg, $2,500 from Rockbridge County and $1,250 from the City of Buena Vista for the Shenandoah Small Business Development Center to support the center.
Susan F. Lamb (Business Manager, WMRA-FM) received $26,232 from the Commonwealth of Virginia for a Radio Reading Services Grant for the provision and support of radio reading services.
Dr. Joshua M. Linder (Assistant Professor, Anthropology) received $48,439 from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to assess anti-poaching efforts, to direct anti-poaching patrol design and to monitor populations of hunted species in African rainforests.
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 $267,135 from the Virginia Department of Education for 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 Training/Technical Assistance Center’s staff. Linn, Henderson and McNaught received $388,450 from the Virginia Department of Education for the Self-Determination Project. The grant will help to provide instruction, models and opportunities to practice skills associated with self-determined behavior beginning at the elementary level and continuing through the student’s educational career.
Dawn M. McCusker (Professor, Graphic Design) received $70,655 from The Windgate Charitable Foundation for School of Art, Design and Art History arts equipment. The grant will help purchase equipment for the production of books through letterpress printing, bookbinding and papermaking at JMU.
Kenneth F. Newbold (Director, Research and Scholarship) and Dr. Alleyn Harned (Executive Director, Virginia Clean Cities) received $312,796 from Virginia Clean Cities Inc. for the Virginia Clean Cities Entity Agreement to reduce petroleum consumption in the transportation sector by advancing the use of alternative fuels and vehicles, idle reduction technologies, hybrid electric vehicles, fuel blends and fuel economy.
Gary S. Race (grants Administrator, Institute for Innovation in Health and Human Services) received $9,968 from the City of Harrisonburg for the City of Harrisonburg CDBG Health Care for the Homeless, Suitcase Clinic Grant to provide onsite medical services at homeless shelter sites in Harrisonburg.
Dr. Kenneth R. Rutherford (Director, Center for International Stabilization and Recovery; Professor, Political Science) received $763 from the Action on Armed Violence for the Burundi Armed Violence Reduction and Prevention Program: Phase III to provide psychosocial support to facilitate the healing process of victims of armed violence in Burundi. Rutherford received $247,500 from the U.S. Department of State for Building the Capacity of AEPD to Promote the Rights of People with Disabilities to assist the Association for the Empowerment of People with Disabilities to be Vietnam’s leading organization campaigning for the rights of people with disabilities. Rutherford received $388,442 from the U.S. Department of State for ERW Awareness for Syrian Refugees in Northern Jordan to improve the lives and well-being of Syrian refugees residing in Jordan by carrying out a theatrical program that combines messages addressing issues relevant to daily life as refugees with explosive remnants of war and landmine awareness messages. Rutherford received $528,109 from the U.S. Department of State for CISR Core Services to WRA 2013-14. The grant will help to encourage and stimulate the support of programs undertaken by the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, Office of Weapons Removal Abatement by acting as an information clearinghouse: identifying, gathering, managing and distributing information.
Lisa C. Schick (Instructor, Educational Foundations and Exceptionalities) received $100,000 from the Virginia Department of Education for the Career Development Academy to offer high quality, affordable, contextualized EL CIVICS services to area immigrants and refugees for their achievement of English language proficiency and civic understanding and participation.
Nick D. Swayne (Interim Director, Education Support Center; Coordinator for External Relations, College of Education; Instructor, Learning, Technology and Leadership Education) received $16,221 from Virginia city and county donors for the Virginia/DC First Lego League as sponsorship of the robotics team.
Dr. C. Steven Whisnant (Department Head and Professor, Physics and Astronomy) received $40,000 from the National Science Foundation for “RUI: Photonuclear Physics with Polarized Beams and Targets.” The project will investigate the properties of the nucleon and nucleon resonances with Compton scattering and to study heavy nuclei through photofission.
Dr. Steven J. Whitmeyer (Associate Professor, Geology and Environmental Science) received $700,067 from the National Science Foundation for Collaborative Research: Google Earth for Onsite and Distance Education to promote global curricular elements, offer widespread professional development, build tools to make it easy for colleagues to contribute, facilitate authentic undergraduate research and challenge instructor inertia.
HONORS
Dr. Maria G. DeValpine (Associate Professor, Nursing) was selected for the Virginia Nurses Foundation Leadership Excellence Award, Nurse Researcher. The VNF is a part of the Virginia Nurses Association and was established to continue programs of support and innovation for nurses and nursing in the Commonwealth. The recipient of the award is recognized for significant research activities which have positively affected nursing practice, has a master’s degree or doctorate in nursing and demonstrates recent involvement in research endeavors related to nursing. DeValpine was presented the award at the VNF Annual Gala on Sept. 28.
Dr. Patty J. Hale (Professor and Graduate Program Director, Nursing) was selected for the Virginia Nurses Foundation Leadership Excellence Award for Nurse Educator. The VNF is a part of the Virginia Nurses Association and was established to continue programs of support and innovation for nurses and nursing in the Commonwealth. The recipient of the award is recognized for commitment to the advancement of nursing knowledge, is presently employed in a nurse educator position and holds a master’s or doctoral degree. Hale was presented the award at the VNF Annual Gala on Sept. 28.
Dr. Linda C. Halpern (Vice Provost, University Programs; Professor, Art History) received the Joseph Katz Award for Distinguished Contributions to the Practice and Discourse of General and Liberal Education from the Association for General and Liberal Studies. The award was presented at the professional organization’s 53rd annual conference, which was held Sept. 19-21 in Indianapolis.
PRESENTATIONS
Dr. J. Chris Arndt (Associate Dean, College of Arts and Letters; Professor, History) presented a lecture on James Madison at the 1786 Annapolis National Convention and the 1787 Philadelphia Constitutional Convention to the Annapolis Continental Congress Society on Sept. 14. The Annapolis Continental Congress Society is the Annapolis chapter of the
National Continental Congress Historical Society, which is dedicated to the study of the entire "pre-Constitution" or "first government" period of 1774-89. Arndt’s lecture was broadcast on C-SPAN-3 American History Television in October.
Kelly D. Giles (Assistant Professor, Applied Sciences Librarian, Libraries and Educational Technologies) presented “It’s Only Cheating If You Get Caught: Undergraduate Student Attitudes about Plagiarism” at the Virginia Library Association annual conference. The poster presentation reviewed the results of a survey on student attitudes about plagiarism conducted in 2011 and 2012. The conference was held Sept. 25-27 in Williamsburg.
Thomas P. O’ Connor (Professor, Media Arts and Design) had his documentary “Dangerous Edge: A Life of Graham Greene” screened at The Phillips Collection art gallery on Sept. 22. The documentary used Greene's own words from his books and recordings, as well as photographs and clips from his films, to reveal the fascinating life of the writer.
PUBLICATIONS
Dr. Paul Bogard (Assistant Professor, English) published his first book “The End of Night: Searching for Natural Darkness in an Age of Artificial Light.” In his book, Bogard blends personal narrative, natural history, science and history to shed light on the importance of darkness; what we've lost, what we still have, and what we might regain and the simple ways we can reduce the brightness of our nights. The book was published by Little Brown in July 2013.
SERVICE
Dr. Michael J. O’Fallon (Director, School of Hospitality, Sport and Recreation Management; Associate Professor, Hospitality Management) was appointed president of the North East North American Federation board of The International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education. ICHRIE, a non-profit professional association, is the global advocate of hospitality and tourism education for schools, colleges and universities offering programs in hotel and restaurant management, foodservice management and culinary arts.
