Dr. Sara Luke, assistant professor, presented at the annual national conference for the Teacher Education Division of Council for Exceptional Children (TED) Nov. 8 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Her presentation was titled “Teaming with culturally and linguistically diverse families: Strategies for preservice teachers.” She also presented at the Georgia Association for the Education of Young Children (GAEYC) annual state conference Oct. 5 in Atlanta. Her presentation was titled “Working with culturally and linguistically diverse families of young children.”
Dr. Leah Panther, assistant professor of literacy education, co-authored “Child-created book basket labels: An innovative, culturally sustaining literacy practice” in The Reading Teacher, 70(3), 1-6. She also presented “Critical literacies and research on culturally sustaining pedagogy: A seat at the kitchen table” at the National Council of Teachers of English in Houston, Texas, and co-presented the following: “Dumbling: Teacher agency and activism in humanizing research” at the Literacy Research Association Annual Conference in Indian Wells, California; “Names stories, storygathering, and family photo collages—Practices that honor students’ voices in culturally sustaining ways” at the National Council of Teachers of English in Houston, Texas; “What are we sustaining? White researchers and culturally sustaining pedagogies as a theoretical framework” at the Literacy Research Association Annual Conference in Indian Hills, California; and “Ethos: Teaching rhetoric by leveraging students’ racial, religious, and political identities” at the National Council of Teachers of English in Houston, Texas.
Dr. Beth Collier, clinical assistant professor of physical therapy, and Dr. Joseph Donnelly, clinical professor of physical therapy, presented “Changing the Pain Game for the OMPT: What are We Missing?” at the 2018 Annual Conference of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Manual Physical Therapists on Nov. 7-11 in Reno, Nevada.
Dr. Niamh Tunney, clinical associate professor of physical therapy, authored “Is there a best approach to the rehabilitation of adult hemiplegia?” in Physical Therapy Reviews, DOI: 10.1080/10833196.2018.1539293.
Dr. Sylvia Bridges, lecturer of chemistry, Dr. David Goode, associate professor of chemistry, and Dr. Adam Kiefer, Distinguished University Professor of Chemistry, published a paper, titled “Connecting Literature, Lecture and Lab: A Literature-based Laboratory Experience for Organic Chemistry Students,” in the Chemical Educator. This paper highlights efforts to incorporate the peer-reviewed literature into the organic chemistry curriculum.
Dr. Janell Johnson, associate professor of religion, authored “Negotiating Masculinities in Dinah’s Story: Honor and Outrage in Genesis 34” in Review and Expositor 115.4 (Nov 2018): 529-541.
Dr. Adam Kiefer, Distinguished University Professor of Chemistry, recently gave two invited lectures at Clemson University related to research conducted in artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) communities in Peru and Ecuador, as well as work related to Mercer On Mission programs in both countries. The talks were titled “Monitoring and Capturing Mercury in ASGM Communities” and “From Macon to Madre De Dios: Incorporation of Artisanal and Small-scale Gold Mining into the Science Curriculum.” In addition, Dr. Kiefer led a roundtable discussion on three of his publications related to the incorporation of food science into the chemistry curriculum as a means to teach writing, titled “Kimchi, Rice Beer, and Fuscia Sauerkraut: Teaching Writing to Undergraduate Chemists.” Dr. Kiefer also recently presented “Holistically Addressing the Needs of Mining Communities: Mercer On Mission Centers of Strength” at the Ministry of Health and “Monitoring and Capturing Mercury Vapor in ASGM Communities” at the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission Headquarters in Georgetown, Guyana.
Dr. Adam Kiefer, Distinguished University Professor of Chemistry, Dr. Alana Alvarez Castro, assistant professor of foreign languages and literature, and Dr. Craig McMahan, University Minister and Dean of Chapel, as well as two student co-authors, had their work on artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) communities in Madre de Dios, Peru, presented by a representative of their research team at the Foro de Sustancias Químicas y Mercurio en Madre de Dios in Puerto Maldonado, Peru. The presentation was titled “Evalución preliminar de mercurio en aire en Madre de Dios, Peru” and highlighted projects conducted collaboratively between Mercer On Mission and the Peruvian government that have led to changes in the monitoring of pollution and enforcement of existing laws related to mercury pollution in Peru. Dr. Kiefer and Dr. McMahan also recently presented “Holistically Addressing the Needs of Mining Communities: Mercer On Mission Centers of Strength” at the Seminario Internacional de Tecnologías Limpias y Libres de Mercurio en la Minería Artesenal in Lima, Peru. Dr. Kiefer then led two days of training for the Peruvian government on monitoring mercury emissions from ASGM communities. The series of talks included “The Chemistry of ASGM”, “Mercury use in ASGM: Speciation, Monitoring and Environmental Ramifications”, “Monitoring Mercury Vapor in ASGM Communities: Spectroscopic Techniques” and “Mapping Technologies for Addressing Mercury Pollution in ASGM Communities.” The final two talks were written and presented with two undergraduate students, one of whom co-led the training for mapping techniques.
Dr. Adam Kiefer, Distinguished University Professor of Chemistry, Dr. Caryn Seney, professor of chemisty, and Dr. Christy Bridges, professor of histology and director of the Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences Program in the School of Medicine, had their work related to mercury contamination from artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) presented by student co-authors at the 70th Southeastern Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society. The first presentation, titled “Determining the disposition of Hg in tissues of rats exposed to Hg(CN)2,” is the first work identifying the toxicity and potential health threats of mercury cyanide, a compound produced during the processing of mercury-contaminated tailings. The second presentation, titled “Initial assessment of elemental mercury contamination resulting from gold shops in Madre de Dios, Peru,” represents collaborative work conducted between Mercer and the Ministerio del Ambiente in Peru identifying dangerous conditions resulting from the processing of gold amalgams in ASGM communities throughout the Peruvian rainforest.
Dr. Eric Klingelhofer, professor emeritus of history, was one of 14 scholars chosen by the International Spenser Society to assess Sir Walter Raleigh’s place in history and literature. The resulting article, “Ralegh at 400,” appeared in Spenser Review 48.3.1 (fall 2018).
Dr. Achim Kopp, associate dean and professor of foreign languages and literature, Dr. Charlotte Thomas, professor of philosophy, and Dr. Kathryn Kloepper, director of the Quality Enhancement Plan and associate professor of chemistry, published “Qualitative, Narrative Assessment of the Mercer University Great Books Program” in Qualitative Narrative Assessment: Core Text Programs in Review, edited by Kathleen Burk and David DiMattio. This chapter was the culmination of a six-month, IRB-approved study of the Great Books Program and two roundtable panels at the national meeting of the Associate for Core Texts and Courses.
Dr. Erin McClenathan, assistant professor of art history, chaired a panel on surrealist periodicals and presented her research on the journals La Révolution Surréaliste and Documents at the inaugural conference of the International Society for the Study of Surrealism (ISSS) Nov. 1-3 at Bucknell University.
Dr. Chinekwu Obidoa, assistant professor of global health, presented a paper, titled “Africa and Globalization: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly,” at the Southeastern Regional Seminar in African Studies (SERSAS) held Oct. 13-14 at Georgia College and State University in Milledgeville. She was also invited to join the SERSAS coordinating team. Dr. Obidoa also presented findings from her HIV/AIDS sexual risk study in Macon at the Fort Valley Delta Sigma Theta Alumni Chapter meeting to mark 2018 World AIDS Day on Dec. 1 at Fort Valley State University.
Dr. Virginia Young, associate professor of biology, and Dr. Adam Kiefer, Distinguished University Professor of Chemistry, recently published a paper, titled “Exploring Acid–Base Chemistry by Making and Monitoring Red Cabbage Sauerkraut: A Fresh Twist on the Classic Cabbage Indicator Experiment,” in the Journal of Chemical Education. This paper identifies the colorimetric changes that occur during the natural fermentation of purple cabbage during the production of “red sauerkraut” and includes 10 student co-authors who developed the activity and implemented it with a group of home-schooled children, ages 6-12.
Dr. Helen Hodges, professor, received the Susan Sweat Gunby Award for Nursing Excellence from the Pi Gamma Chapter at its recent induction ceremony.
Dr. Clint Canal, assistant professor, was named a reviewer for Frontiers in Neuroscience. Dr. Canal was also the peer-review managing editor for Heliyon for December 2018-January 2019.
Dr. Susan Miller, professor, authored “History of Pharmacy: Pharmacy Education” for the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Website in History of Pharmacy Special Interest Group Library.
Dr. Pamela Moye-Dickerson, clinical associate professor, and Dr. Ayman Akil, assistant professor, co-authored “Impact of a Pharmacist-Led Intervention on 30-Day Readmission and Assessment of Factors Predictive of Readmission in African American Men With Heart Failure” in the American Journal of Men’s Health.
Dr. Martin D’Souza, professor, authored “Evaluation of a Particulate Breast Cancer Vaccine Delivered via Skin” in Dec. 11 issue of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists Journal.
Dr. Awatef A. Ben Ramadan, assistant professor of health informatics, attended and presented at the 2018 Transforming STEM Higher Education Conference held Nov. 8-10. She and four other faculty from the Department of Mathematics, Science and Informatics presented a panel about the high-impact practices (HIPs) they have used to enhance the learning environment of their students. Dr. Ben Ramadan also presented the results of a class survey she conducted to assess her HIPs. She also authored “Usability Assessment of the Missouri Cancer Registry’s Published Interactive Mapping Reports: Round Two,” which was accepted for publication in the Online Journal of Public Health Informatics.
Dr. Arla Bernstein, assistant professor of liberal studies, will present “Civic Engagement through Community Conversations as Interdisciplinary Curriculum Project” at the Conference on Higher Education Pedagogy on Jan. 31 at Virginia Tech. This project is also part of an application for a National Endowment for the Humanities grant.
Dr. Tammy Neal Crutchfield, professor of marketing, and Dr. Ania Izabela Rynarzewska, assistant professor of sports business, co-authored “Developing a Consumer Relationship Model of Corporate Social Performance” in the Journal of Consumer Marketing. The Warner Robins Business and Professional Women’s Club named Dr. Crutchfield the 2018 Woman of Achievement because of her work with students to create and grow the Traffick Jam brand.
Dr. Greg McAmis, assistant professor, had his teaching moment “An Option-Based Final Project in Personal Selling” accepted for the 2019 National Conference in Sales Management. The conference will be held March 27-29 in Jacksonville, Florida.
Dr. Geoffrey M. Ngene, associate professor of finance, had his article “The Spatial Heterogeneity of the Time-varying Impact of Shocks on Volatility: Some Evidence from MSA Housing Markets” accepted for publication in the Journal of Real Estate Portfolio Management. The article was co-authored with Dr. Allen Lynch, associate professor of economics, and former student Sohn P. Daniel.
Dr. Antonio Saravia, associate professor of economics and director of the BB&T Center for Undergraduate Research in Public Policy and Capitalism, was interviewed by CNN on Dec. 12 about the economic effects of government shutdowns and the political battle between President Trump and leaders of the Democratic Party on border security funding.
Dr. Kenneth Tah, assistant professor of finance, and students Courtney Czerniak, Alexa Levine and Kylie Wiggin co-authored an article, titled “Foreign Trade and Economic Growth in South Africa,” which was accepted for publication in Asia-Pacific Journal of Accounting and Economics.
Teri McMurtry-Chubb, professor of law, accepted a yearlong Distinguished Visiting Professorship at the University of Illinois at Chicago John Marshall School of Law. She was selected for this honor based on her national presence in the field of legal writing. During her visit, McMurtry-Chubb will teach two legal writing courses focused on social justice issues and a seminar on Critical Race Feminism. Additionally, she will give a series of lectures to the University community on her various scholarly projects. McMurtry-Chubb also published the article “The Rhetoric of Race, Redemption, and Will Contests: Inheritance as Reparations in John Grisham’s Sycamore Row” in the University of Memphis Law Review.
Jack L. Sammons, Griffin B. Bell Professor of Law Emeritus, authored “The Legal Imagination and International Human Rights,” which will be published in the next edition of The Journal of Law and Humanities, University of Warwick.
Karen Sneddon, professor of law, co-authored “Telling Tales: Transactional Lawyer as Storyteller” in 15 Legal Communication and Rhetoric: JALWD 119 (2018).
Scott Titshaw, associate dean for academic affairs and associate professor, is cited in an essay, titled “Foreign Bodies: As reproductive technology outpaces U.S. immigration law, families struggle to stay together,” in the winter issue of Virginia Quarterly Review.
Dr. Christy Bridges, professor of histology and director of the Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences Program, Dr. Betsy Smith, assistant professor of internal medicine and community medicine, Lucy Joshee, research associate III, recent graduates Sarah Orr (M.S. in biomedical sciences) and Hannah George (B.S. in biology) and undergraduate student Mary Catherine Barnes co-authored “Exposure to mixtures of mercury, cadmium, lead, and arsenic alters disposition of single metals in tissues of Wistar rats” in the Journal of Environmental Health and Toxicology [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 30507365.
Carolann Curry, library assistant professor, Anna Krampl, library assistant professor, Kim Meeks, library director, and Carolyn Klatt, library associate professor, presented a poster at the Southern Chapter of the Medical Library Association (SC/MLA) Annual Meeting Oct. 26 in Orlando, Florida. The poster was titled “Library Opportunities for Increasing Engagement: Educating Users About Questionable and Predatory Publishing.” Curry and Krampl delivered a four-hour CE course titled “Questionable Versus Reliable? Navigating the Biomedical Scholarly Publishing Landscape” to the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of the Medical Library Association (MACMLA) Oct. 28 in Ocean City, Maryland.
Dr. Hemant Goyal, assistant professor of medicine and assistant director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program, presented five retrospective research posters at the annual meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology in Philadelphia in October: “Outcomes of Acute Pancreatitis Treatment in the Cannabis Users: A Nationwide Propensity-Matched Analysis,” “Nationwide Trends in Young-Onset Colorectal Cancer-Related Hospitalizations: An Alarming Gender Disparity,” “Young-Onset Colorectal Cancer Related Hospitalizations: It’s Time to Pay Attention,” “Predictors of Blood Transfusion in Hospitalized Gastric Antral Vascular Ectasia (GAVE) Patients” and “Predictors of In-Hospital Mortality After Percutaneous Endoscopic Jejunostomy (PEJ): A Nationwide Analysis.”
Dr. Harold P. Katner, professor and chief of infectious diseases, received the Tubman African American Museum Act of Courage Award at the Macon Tubman Museum’s World AIDS Day event on Dec. 1. He co-authored “Perceived sensitivity to medicines, alcohol interactive toxicity beliefs, and medication adherence among people living with HIV who drink alcohol” in the Journal of Behavioral Medicine 2018 Oct 31. doi: 10.1007/s10865-018-9987-7. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 30382450. He also co-authored “Differences in Selected HIV Care Continuum Outcomes Among People Residing in Rural, Urban, and Metropolitan Areas-28 US Jurisdictions” in the Journal of Rural Health 2018 Dec; 34(1):63-70. doi: 10.1111/jrh.12208.
Dr. Bonzo Reddick, associate dean for diversity and inclusion and associate professor of family medicine, received renewal of a FOCUS (Frontline Of Communities in the U.S.) Award for a third year (December 2018-December 2019). This grant funds opt-out HIV and hepatitis C screening and linkage to care in the emergency department at Memorial Health University Medical Center. This year’s award amount is for $249,753.
Dr. Eric K. Shaw, associate professor of community medicine, co-authored a manuscript, titled “Care coordination for complex cancer survivors in an integrated safety-net system: a study protocol” in BMC Cancer (2018) 18: 1204. Dr. Shaw also attended the Dissemination and Implementation Conference Dec. 3-5 in Washington, D.C., and presented a poster, titled “External coaching to enhance care coordination for cancer patients with multiple chronic conditions: Findings from a multi-team system intervention.”
Wanda Thomas, library instructor, presented a poster, titled “Collaboration to Achieve Innovation,” at the Southern Chapter of the Medical Library Association Annual Meeting on Oct. 26.
Dr. Douglas Hill, professor of music and director of instrumental ensembles and undergraduate studies, assisted in the organization of a recruitment tour to the Savannah area on Nov. 26-28. Schools visited included Bryan County and Richmond Hill high schools, Savannah Country Day School and the Savannah Arts Academy. The Mercer University Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Combo and Saxophone Quartet, directed by Dr. Monty Cole, and Mercer Double Reed Ensemble, directed by Adrian Gnam, and percussion soloist Dr. Marcus Reddick performed during the tour. Dr. Hill performed with the Vineville Baptist Church Christmas Cantata on Dec. 9 conducted by Mercer alumna Alicia Crosby. Dr. Hill and Blake Garcia, assistant professor of music, held recruitment clinics for prospective music majors in Hillgrove, Sequoyah, River Ridge, Starr’s Mill, Fayette County and McIntosh high schools in December. Dr. Hill performed on Dec. 16 in a brass quintet of area performers at the First Baptist Church of Christ as part of the Annual Lessons and Carols Service, conducted by Dr. Stanley Roberts.
Dr. David P. Gushee, Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics, and his wife, Jeanie, co-authored Morning and Evening Prayerbook, re-released by Thomas Nelson on Dec. 4. The book was described by Harper as “the most ecumenical and comprehensive Christian prayerbook to date.”
Kristen Bailey, Adam Griggs, Stephanie Miranda, Gail Morton and Lee Olson, research services librarians, had their article, titled “We Virtually Brought Our Colleague to a Library Conference,” accepted for publication in College and Research Libraries News.
