College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Dr. Jonathan Addleton, former adjunct professor of international and global studies, is departing Macon after three years to take on new duties as rector/president of Forman Christian College in Lahore, Pakistan. Founded by the Presbyterian church in 1864, Forman offers an American-style curriculum and has an enrollment of more than 8,000. Its alumni list includes former presidents, prime ministers, governors, journalists and academics in both India and Pakistan.
Bryan Beck, adjunct professor of art, Craig Coleman, professor and chair of art, Ben Dunn, lecturer and director of the McEachern Art Center, Yvonne Gabriel, adjunct professor of art, Amy McCullough, adjunct professor of art, Eric O’Dell, associate professor of art, and Tennille Shuster, associate professor of graphic design, are featured in the Plunkett Gallery’s “Summer Show” in Hardman Hall. The gallery got a refresh over the summer in anticipation of this year’s exhibition schedule and opened with a show featuring works completed by Art Department faculty this year.
Craig Coleman, professor and chair of art, exhibited a solo show, titled “We Are Here With You,” at the Athens Institute of Contemporary Art in Athens, Georgia, in July. He also will be exhibiting work in September at Wayfarer’s Gallery in Brooklyn, New York, in an exhibition, titled “Ransom.”
Dr. Eric Klingelhofer, professor emeritus of history, published on the results of Mercer-sponsored excavations in a co-authored chapter, titled “Jamestown-on-Nevis and Urban Resilience in the Early English Caribbean,” in Historical Archaeologies of the Caribbean: Contextualizing Sites through Colonialism, Capitalism, and Globalism (Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2020), eds. Todd M. Ahlman and Gerald F. Schroedl, pp. 48-67.
Dr. Paul Lewis, professor of religion, published “On Returning to Campus: What We Might Learn from Christian Ethics” in Canopy Forum, a digital publication of the Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory University.
Dr. Randall D. Peters, professor emeritus of physics, published “Endocrine Influence on Heart Complexity” on symcdc.com.
Tennille Shuster, associate professor of graphic design, published an artist’s book, titled Please Wear This Book, in a limited edition of 19. The books were acquired for permanent collection at the Columbia University Rare Book and Manuscripts Library; The Earl Gregg Swem Library at William and Mary; Claremont Colleges Library Special Collections; the Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library at Emory University; and the Smithsonian Libraries Artists’ Books Collection at the American Art and Portrait Gallery Library. Remaining books in the edition were purchased by private collectors. Funds raised by purchases resulted in an $850 donation to the Macon 30 Day Fund to aid in COVID-19 relief efforts. Additionally, Shuster was interviewed about the book for a “Check This Out” feature, appearing July 29 on 13WMAZ in Macon. The book was favorably reviewed by author Gariépy Raphaël in an article titled, “Un livre entièrement constitué de masques pour lutter contre la Covid (A book entirely made up of masks to fight against Covid),” published July 30 by French news site ActuaLitté, and the book was featured Aug. 18 on the Smithsonian’s Ask a Librarian – Art Edition live broadcast.
Dr. Ajay K. Banga, professor, co-authored “Topical Delivery of Nordihydroguaretic Acid for Attenuating Cutaneous Damage Caused by Arsenicals” in Journal of Drug Delivery Science and Technology, 2020 Aug; 58, 101773.
Dr. Clinton Canal, assistant professor, received funding in the amount of $424,499 from the National Institutes of Health for the project titled “Targeting Serotonin 5-HT1A and 5-HT7 Receptors to Correct Audiogenic Seizures and EEG Phenotypes in a Juvenile Fmr1 Knock-Out Mouse Model of Fragile X Syndrome.” He also received funding in the amount $18,372 from the National Institutes of Health for the project titled “Opioid Use Disorders: UF Pharmacy Mediations Discovery and Development.” Dr. Canal was appointed as a reviewer of the scientific research journal Heliyon by Cell Press on July 30.
Dr. Kathryn Momary, associate professor, served as a reviewer for the American College of Clinical Pharmacy Outstanding Student Chapter Award.
Dr. Maria Thurston, clinical associate professor, was recognized by the American Journal of Pharmacy Education as a “Top 25 Reviewer for 2019” and elected treasurer of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy Ambulatory Care Practice Research Network.
Dr. Nader Moniri, professor, received the College of Pharmacy Research Award in August.
Dr. Susan W. Miller, professor, co-presented “Developing Age-Friendly Healthcare Providers to Optimize Health Outcomes for Older Adults” on Aug. 18 for the Georgia Gerontology Society. She also received the College of Pharmacy Service Award in August.
Dr. Lydia Newsom, clinical assistant professor, Dr. Maria Thurston, clinical associate professor, Dr. Jennifer Elliott, clinical assistant professor and Dr. Sweta Patel, clinical assistant professor, authored “Facilitation of Multisite Student Topic Discussion Series Using Web-Based Conferencing Technology” in Currents in Teaching and Learning 12(7); July 2020, p. 843-849.
Dr. Jared Champion, assistant professor of writing and interdisciplinary studies, authored “The Method: Standup Comedy, Central Questions, and Databases,” accepted for publication in the MLA Options for Teaching series volume on “Teaching Comic Texts” to be published later this year.
Dr. Richard H. Martin, professor of criminal justice and homeland security, had the manuscript “Intelligent Police Selection: Comparing Attribute Importance of Police Chief Choices in Midwest, South, and Commissioners of Caribbean Islands” accepted for publication in the Law Enforcement Executive Forum Journal. In addition, the following three manuscripts were reviewed for various peer-reviewed journals: “The Empirical Study of Organizational Justice Impacting on Chinese University Teachers’ Organizational Citizenship Behavior: Mediating Effect of Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment” for the Journal of Education and Training Studies; “Food Intake Restriction for Health Outcome Support and Education (FIREHOUSE) Protocol: A Randomized Clinical Trial” for the Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health; and “The Impact of Drug Trafficking on National Security” for the Law Enforcement Executive Forum.
Dr. David Purnell, adjunct professor of communication, signed a contract with Routledge for a new book, titled Narratives of Estrangement: Writing Of(f) Family, to be published in 2021. This is an edited volume co-edited by Dr. Purnell and Dr. Lisa Spinazola. The book’s 15 narratives are from submissions all around the world and deal with familial estrangement and how it affects every person involved in the decision to estrange.
Matthew Michael, adjunct professor of marketing, was recognized as co-founder of M&R Marketing in Macon on the 2020 Inc. 5000 list recognizing the fastest growing private companies in the United States.
Dr. Geoffrey Ngene, associate professor of financial economics, co-authored “Does Bitcoin Still Own the Dominant Power? An Intra-day Analysis” with Jinghua Wang of Pacific Lutheran University. The article was accepted for publication in International Review of Financial Analysis.
Dr. Antonio Saravia, associate professor of economics and director of the Center for the Study of Economics and Liberty, made the keynote presentation “Is Social Justice Just?” Aug. 27 for the think tank Notoria. Dr. Saravia was also interviewed by Forbes Magazine Aug. 16 on the “new economic normal.”
Dr. Arash Afshar, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, served as a guest editor for the MDPI Processes special issue on “Nano-Composite Thin Films: Synthesis, Properties, and Applications.”
Dr. Dorina Marta Mihut, associate professor of mechanical engineering, and Dr. Arash Afshar, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, co-authored “Electrically Assisted Silver and Copper Coated Filter Papers with Enhanced Bactericidal Effects,” accepted for publication in the journal Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects, published by Elsevier.
Sharon Bradley, digital and scholarly resources librarian, presented “Born-Digital Preservation: The Art of Archiving Photos With Script and Batch Processing” during Computers in Libraries held in July-August.
Cathy Cox, dean and professor of law, was quoted in “Anatomy of an Election ‘Meltdown’ in Georgia,” on July 25 by Danny Hakim, Reid J. Epstein and Stephanie Saul in The New York Times. Cox was also quoted in “Virus Forces Georgia Bar Exam to Shift From In-Person to Online,” on July 20 by Jonathan Ringel in the Daily Report. She was a panelist for the virtual session “A Different World: What to Expect in Law School” on July 24 at AT&T Legal Scholars Workshop in Atlanta.
David Hricik, professor, was quoted in the American Bar Journal in an article, titled “Prosecutorial ethics are in the spotlight after the death of Ahmaud Arbery.” He gave keynote presentations to the Intellectual Property Law Section of the Dallas Bar Association, titled “Ethical Issues Created by AI, Innovation, the IoT and 3D Printing,” and the Rocky Mountain Intellectual Property Law Association Annual Meeting, titled “Ethical Issues from Using (or not) AI and Big Data.” In addition, Carolina Academic Press published the first edition of his book Remedies: A Practical Approach and published the fourth edition of Property: Cases, Documents, and Lawyering Strategies, which he co-authored with professors from the University of Houston Law Center and Villanova Law School. In addition, he and Karen Sneddon, professor, continued their regular column “Writing Matters” in the Georgia Bar Journal. Finally, he was chosen to serve as one of four faculty hooders at the graduation ceremony for the law school.
Anne G. Johnson, adjunct professor and assistant director of academic success, wrote “Time During a Pandemic,” for LWI Lives, a regular electronic publication of the Faces of LWI Committee, which explores and communicates the emerging identity of the Legal Writing Institute and its members. The special “shelter-in-place edition” explores the impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on the lives of the LWI community.
Stephen Johnson, professor of law, submitted the article “From Protecting Water Quality to Protecting States’ Rights: Fifty Years of Supreme Court Clean Water Act Statutory Interpretation” to Southern Methodist University Law Review, and it was accepted for publication in spring 2021.
Billie Jo Kaufman, interim library director and visiting professor of law, presented “Improving Access to Law and Justice in Communities Around the World” for the American Association of Law Libraries. Kaufman also participated in the roundtable discussion group on facilities for the Southeast Association of Law Schools.
Linda Jellum, associate dean for faculty research and development and Ellison Capers Palmer Sr. Professor of Tax Law, was a panelist for the session “Federal Agency Adjudication: Appointment and Removal of Adjudicators” during a symposium hosted by the Administrative Conference of the United States.
Karen J. Sneddon, professor of law, was a panelist for the sessions “Aspiring Law Teachers Workshop: What’s In a Job Talk?” on Aug. 2 and “Law, Literature, and the Implications of Interdisciplinary Exchange” on Aug. 4 during the Southeast Association of Law Schools (SEALS) Conference. Additionally, Sneddon was a discussant for both “Current and Evolving Trusts and Estates Scholarship” and “Using Technology and Creativity in the T&E Classroom” at the SEALS Conference.
Dr. Jennifer L. Barkin, associate professor of community medicine and obstetrics and gynecology, was invited to perform instructional webinars this fall on the usage of the Barkin Index of Maternal Functioning for Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Georgia and North Shore Postpartum Help in Beverly, Massachusetts. Dr. Barkin also recently secured a $20,000 contract for continuation of the academic health department – a joint venture between the School of Medicine and Houston County Health Department.
Dr. Richard Parrish, professor of pharmacology, co-authored two manuscripts published in a special issue called “Perioperative Care” in Healthcare. The titles of the manuscripts are “The Perioperative Surgical Home in Pediatrics: Improve Patient Outcomes, Decrease Cancellations, Improve HealthCare Spending and Allocation of Resources during the COVID-19 Pandemic” and “Expanding Pharmacotherapy Data Collection, Analysis, and Implementation in ERAS® Programs—The Methodology of an Exploratory Feasibility Study.” Dr. Parrish also served as guest editor of this special issue with noted surgeon and intensivist Dr. John Kortbeek.
Dr. Bonzo Reddick, professor and chair of community medicine and associate dean for diversity and inclusion, was quoted in an article July 9 in the Wall Street Journal about what patients should do while waiting for COVID-19 results. He was one of seven people chosen to meet with Savannah Mayor Van Johnson and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on July 20 to discuss Savannah’s COVID-19 response. Additionally, he was one of eight invited speakers to the Georgia Department of Public Health and Georgia AIDS Education and Training Center HIV Perinatal Training on Aug. 7. Dr. Reddick discussed a model for large-scale population screening for HIV with linkage to care for those who test positive and risk reduction strategies for those who test negative. The theme of the training was “Addressing Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV.” Georgia ranks worst out of all states in annual incidence rate of HIV and in maternal mortality, and this training focused on ways to reverse those trends. More than 200 providers were in attendance for the virtual training.
Dr. Eric K. Shaw, professor, contributed a book chapter on “The role of cultural competence and cultural humility in achieving health equity” in Health Equity: A Solutions-Focused Approach, Springer, 2020.
Dr. Robert Visalli, professor, and former student Tara Keil co-authored “DNA Encapsidation and Capsid Assembly Are Underexploited Antiviral Targets for the Treatment of Herpesviruses” in Frontiers in Microbiology.
Amy Schwartz Moretti, director of the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings, professor and Caroline Paul King Chair in Strings, performed for the Seattle Chamber Music Society’s (SCMS) 2020 Virtual Summer Festival, recording three concerts July 1-9 with the Ehnes Quartet in the festival’s new performance space, the Dr. Kennan Hollingsworth Living Room at the SCMS Center for Chamber Music in downtown Seattle. The Ehnes Quartet is comprised of James Ehnes and Amy Schwartz Moretti, violins, Richard O’Neill, viola, and Edward Arron, cello. Their concerts were subsequently viewed multiple times by 1,200 unique viewers from 43 states and 19 countries. The Ehnes Quartet showcased nine Beethoven string quartets commemorating the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth thus finishing the complete cycle for SCMS, having presented all Beethoven’s other quartets earlier this year at the Winter Festival. These virtual concerts included interviews with the quartet members. The Ehnes Quartet also recorded several Beethoven string quartets in Neva Langley Fickling Hall on Mercer’s campus Aug. 1-15 with the quartet’s producer listening from London, England. The COVID-19 pandemic prevented the quartet from traveling to the U.K., so instead it traveled to Macon to make this special recording while the producer worked remotely. The Beethoven repertoire included String Quartets Op. 74, 95, 127, 130, 131,132, 133 and 135. The project’s release date is to be determined.
Dr. Robert N. Nash Jr., associate dean and professor of mission and comparative religion, published Moving the Equator: The Families of the Earth and the Mission of the Church. The book is available through the publisher at www.helwys.com and on Amazon.com.
