Dr. Jeannette Anderson, clinical associate professor of physical therapy, was elected as a delegate to the American Physical Therapy Association’s House of Delegates.
Dr. Sheena D. Brown, clinical assistant professor of physician assistant studies, was appointed chair of the conference proposal review committee for the Georgia Association of Physician Assistants 2018 Summer Conference and was selected as a grant reviewer for the Physician Assistant Education Association Faculty Generated Research Grants.
Dr. Daniel Dale, clinical assistant professor of physical therapy, was elected president-elect of the Physical Therapy Association of Georgia.
Dr. Joseph Donnelly, clinical professor of physical therapy, was awarded the Outstanding Leadership Award by the Physical Therapy Association of Georgia.
Dr. Cheryl Gaddis, assistant professor of practice in public health, was selected as the Public Health Education Specialist for the Centers for Disease Control and the Association for Preventive Teaching and Research.
Dr. Henry Heard, clinical assistant professor of physician assistant studies, received a $1,000 National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants Health Foundation Be the CHANGE grant for “Good Samaritan Health Care Spirometry.”
Dr. Jimmie Smith, assistant professor of public health, and Dr. Cheryl Gaddis, assistant professor of public health, were re-elected co-chairs of the Health Education and Promotion Section for the Georgia Public Health Association.
Dr. Mark Stillman, associate professor of clinical medical psychology, was named “Exemplary Mentor in Health Psychology” through Division 38 of the American Psychological Association.
Dr. David Sultan, associate professor of public health, was invited to join the editorial board for the Annals of Public Health and Research and serve as editor of the journal’s newsletter.
Dr. Jonathan Addleton, adjunct professor of international and global studies, briefed congressional staffers in Washington, D.C., on Mongolia on March 23. The event was organized by the bipartisan Mongolian Congressional Caucus and the American Center for Mongolian Studies (ACMS). Later the same day, he discussed the history of U.S.-Mongolian relations as part of a panel organized by the Mongolia Society and hosted by the Smithsonian Institute. While in Washington, he was interviewed for an episode of the “American Diplomat” podcast on Afghanistan, which was posted on April 13. Also, Dr. Addleton was the featured speaker at several events organized by the College of Charleston, which included remarks on Afghanistan at an April 5 event sponsored by the World Affairs Council of Charleston and the College of Charleston’s School of Languages, Cultures and World Affairs, followed by separate meetings and discussions on April 6 with faculty, honors students and members of the advisory board.
Dr. Elaina Behounek, assistant professor of sociology, presented a paper, titled “Fear of Crime in the Trump Administration,” at the Southern Sociological Society Annual Meeting April 8 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Six of her students also presented projects from her course on “Women, Crime and Justice.” Dr. Behounek also received funding from the Research that Reaches Out Office to attend training for the Inside Out Prison Exchange in July, and she was accepted to the Research that Reaches Out syllabus workshop.
Craig Coleman, professor of art, presented a solo exhibition of his most recent artworks, titled “Weeds and a Few Minutes Ago,” at The Bobick Gallery on the campus of the University of West Georgia. The show opened March 26 and will close on May 3. He also presented a lecture about his art at UWG on April 5. The work in the exhibition uses a variety of alternative photographic processes to produce imagery of plants that are known to be invasive species or weeds. The resulting images become metaphors for being lost or buried in complications and make connections between climate change, current political climate, the ambiguity of how to define a weed, and ecology.
Dr. John Marson Dunaway, professor emeritus of French and interdisciplinary studies, was honored by Willis Slater Productions with the Wind Beneath Our Wings Award at the 20th annual Ethnic Awareness Gala at the Douglass Theatre on April 14. The award was in recognition of his years of racial reconciliation work in Macon. He also organized and hosted the ninth Biennial Beloved Community Paired Clergy citywide Unity Service on April 22 at the former Ingleside United Methodist Church, which now houses the One-Step Ministries, the monthly multicultural outreach co-sponsored by Forest Hills UMC and Bethel Christian Methodist Episcopal.
Dr. Sarah E. Gardner, Distinguished University Professor of History, presented “Shakespeare Fights the Civil War” at the meeting of the European/British Association for American Studies April 4 at King’s College London. She also presented “’You Seem a Different Person in Different Letters’: Reading, Intimacy, and the Civil War” at the meeting of the Organization of American Historians (OAH) April 13 in Sacramento, California. At this meeting, she finished her term as chair of the OAH’s Avery O. Craven Award Committee, which recognizes the most original book on the Civil War and Reconstruction eras. She was awarded a summer stipend from the National Endowment for the Humanities for her current book project on reading during the American Civil War.
Dr. Paul Lewis, professor of religion, spent two weeks in March at Regent’s Park College in Oxford, U.K., doing research for his sabbatical project, “Faithful Innovation: A Christian Practical Wisdom.” He also participated in and convened a session for a conference on “The Legacy of Walter Rauschenbusch,” sponsored by Mercer’s Center for Theology and Public Life April 9-11 on the Atlanta campus.
Scot J. Mann, associate professor of communication and theatre, served as an adjudicating Fight Master for stage combat skills tests at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Christopher Hampton University and Eastern Carolina University. He also served as master instructor for The Louisiana Stage Combat Workshop with the Society of American Fight Directors, hosted by Louisiana Tech. In March, he was named a fight director with the International League of Fight Directors and Choreographers. At Mercer, Mann directed “Rhinoceros” and taught master classes in historical smallsword. He also served as director for “Elegy to Martin Luther King,” an event organized by the Beloved Community Symposium in Macon.
Dr. Clara Mengolini, assistant professor of Spanish, authored “La performance como herramienta de rebeldía social en los cuentos de Silvina Ocampo,” which was accepted for publication in Chasqui, Revista de literatura latinoamericana. Dr. Mengolini and Dr. Antonio Saravia, associate professor of economics, obtained a research grant from the Koch Foundation for the project “Communicating the Economic Benefits of Free Societies to Young Readers.”
Dr. Chinekwu Obidoa, assistant professor of global health, delivered two invited guest lectures “Application of Spatial Epidemiologic Techniques in the Study of HIV/AIDS Infection in Nigeria” and “Social and Spatial Epidemiology and HIV Sexual Risk in Middle Georgia” April 17 at the Geography Department at Georgia College in Milledgeville. Dr. Obidoa co-authored a paper, titled “Perspectives on Markers of Adulthood among Emerging Adults in Ghana and Nigeria,” which was accepted for publication in the Journal of Emerging Adulthood. She also was the discussant of the film, “The Visitor,” a community event during Ethnic Awareness Week organized by Willis-Slater Productions’ and the Beloved Community Symposium April 24 in Macon.
Dr. Randall Peters, professor emeritus of physics, published an open-access article, titled “Order out of Tidal Force Complexity,” that resulted from data available through the Seismological Association of Australia, coupled with analyses made possible through the Mercer site license of Mathematica.
Dr. Creighton Rosental, associate professor and chair of philosophy and director of ethics, leadership and service, along with four classes of service-learning students, planned, organized and ran the Connections Arts and Culture Festival on April 21 at the newly restored Mill Hill Community Arts Center. Dr. Rosental also presented “Machines and Minds: Theories of Thinking from 1637 to the Present” at the 2018 International Conference on Technology, Knowledge and Society March 1-2 at St. John’s University in New York.
Dr. Anya Silver, professor of English, was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship for poetry, was a featured poetry reader at the Calvin College Festival of Faith and Writing April 12-14 in Grand Rapids Michigan, was a featured reader at the Westchester Poetry Festival April 21 in Dobbs Ferry, New York, and had three poems published in Hypertext Magazine, Spring 2018 (vol. 2, pgs. 86-88). The poems were titled “Meditation on a Thirteenth Century Icon,” “Amazement” and “September.”
Dr. Vasile Stanescu, assistant professor and director of speech and debate, gave an invited talk, titled “Got Hate?: Dairy, Dietary Racism, and the Alt-Right,” at San Francisco State University for a lecture series about the rise of the so-called “Alt-Right.”
Dr. Angela Shogbon Nwaesei, clinical associate professor of pharmacy practice, received the 2017-2018 Distinguished Educator Award from the College of Pharmacy. Dr. Shogbon Nwaesei has an internal medicine pharmacy practice at DeKalb Medical Center and has studied student pharmacists’ clinical interventions and their perception of their own communication skills. She received the Pharmaco-economics Research Award from the Georgia Society of Health-System Pharmacists for her analysis of clinical interventions by student pharmacists that resulted in estimated cost savings of more than $280,000.
Genice Johnson, administrative assistant to the dean, and Tina Varghese, clinical skills coordinator, were inducted into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi.
Dr. Maria Miller Thurston, assistant professor of pharmacy practice, Dr. Jill Augustine, director of assessment and assistant professor of pharmacy practice and pharmaceutical sciences, and Dr. C. Lea Bonner, assistant dean for student affairs, received the prestigious American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP) Award for Excellence in Assessment for their assessment program of the College of Pharmacy’s Professional Development Network. The network, composed of groups of 25-30 pharmacy students, faculty advisers and interested alumni, is designed to enhance academic and career mentoring for student pharmacists. The team developed an assessment program, detailed in the manuscript “Multimodal assessment of a co-curricular professional engagement program,” that utilizes year-specific tracking forms for students, a validated professionalism survey and evaluation surveys by students, faculty and alumni. Descriptive statistics and frequencies were used to compare completion rates of different activities and survey responses. Results from the surveys provided opportunities to improve the program to target necessary professionalism attitudes and behaviors. The Award for Excellence in Assessment recognizes outstanding Doctor of Pharmacy assessment programs for their progress in developing and applying evidence of outcomes as part of the ongoing evaluation and improvement of pharmacy professional education. Recipients of this award are provided with an opportunity to present their work during the AACP annual meeting, and winning teams receive $1,200 stipend to cover travel and registration costs.
Jody Blanke, Ernest L. Baskin Jr. Distinguished Professor of Computer Science and Law, represented the Academy of Legal Studies in Business as its president at the Pacific Northwestern Academy of Legal Studies in Business Annual Conference in Boise. He also presented a paper titled “Top 10 Reasons to Be Optimistic About Privacy.”
Dr. Antonio Saravia, associate professor of economics, and Dr. Clara Mengolini, assistant professor of Spanish, obtained a research grant from the Koch Foundation for a project titled “Communicating the Economic Benefits of Free Societies to Young Readers.” Dr. Saravia also presented the following papers: “How do Socio-Economic Conditions Matter for Socialist Indoctrination? The Case of Latin America’s 21st Century Socialism” at the 43rd annual conference of the Association of Private Enterprise Education April 2 in Las Vegas, Nevada; and “Demand and Supply Motivations for Antiretroviral Drugs in the Illicit Street Markets: The Case of Atlanta, GA” at the 20th annual conference of the Society of Business, Industry and Economics (SOBIE) April 13 in Destin, Florida. Dr. Saravia and Dr. Allen Lynch, associate professor of economics and qualitative methods, represented Mercer at SOBIE along with nine undergraduate students: Sarah Barry, Jordin Post, Khatija Sajid, Jerry Ren, Sachin Khurana, Kyle Bligen, Colton Sowash, Shivani Sharma and Yea Lee Kim. Post won the Best Undergraduate Paper Award among some 30 undergraduate students that submitted and presented their work.
Dr. Briana Stenard, assistant professor, and Dr. Tammy Crutchfield, professor, guided the Mercer Enactus team to a regional championship at the Enactus USA Regional Competition on April 20. This win allows the Mercer team to advance and compete at the national championship in Kansas City on May 20-22.
Dr. Lane Wakefield, assistant professor of sports marketing and analytics, had his abstract, titled “Hedonic Forecasting of Sponsorship Promotions,” accepted for presentation at the 2018 American Marketing Association’s Summer Academic Conference.
Dr. Tammy Barbé, assistant professor, presented “Resilience and Professional Value Development in Baccalaureate Nursing Graduates” at the Mercer Atlanta Research Conference in April.
Dr. Jennifer Bartlett, assistant professor, and Dr. Humberto Reinoso, assistant professor, presented “Navigating Logistical Challenges to IPE Implementation Across Academic Years and Health Professions” at the Mercer Atlanta Research Conference in April. Dr. Bartlett published “Management of patients with oral and esophageal disorders” in J.L. Hinkle and K.H. Cheever Brunner & Suddarth’s Textbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing (14th ed.). She also received a grant, along with several colleagues, from Mercer’s Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning on “Large-Group, Asynchronous, Interprofessional Simulation: Identifying Roles and Improving Communication with Student Pharmacists and Student Nurses.” Dr. Bartlett co-presented conference breakout sessions on “Case discussion – Developing our moral imagination…envisioning the possibilities,” “Case discussion – Learning through our stories: Moving into action” and “The circle of life & death – transforming both our patients and ourselves” at 2018 National Nursing Ethics Conference in Los Angeles, California.
Dr. Tara Bertulfo, clinical assistant professor, co-presented with DNP student Patrice Little, “Georgia’s APRNs Joining Forces to Speak With One Voice” at the Mercer Atlanta Research Conference in April.
Dr. Darlene Rogers, clinical instructor, was an invited speaker for Emory Healthcare Grand Rounds, where she presented “Informal Clinical Leadership in the Acute Care Setting,” which was recorded and transmitted to seven Emory Healthcare agencies.
Dr. Maura Schlairet, associate professor, received a grant from J. Patrick Barnes for “A Study Examining the Effectiveness of a Virtual Tour in Lowering Distress and Improving Satisfaction Among Patients Starting Chemotherapy.”
Dr. Nancy L. deClaissé-Walford, Carolyn Ward Professor of Old Testament and Biblical Languages, was named a research associate with the Department of Old Testament Studies at the University of Pretoria in South Africa on March 28. This affiliation will allow for a stronger collaborative spirit in Old Testament studies between between Mercer and the University of Pretoria. Dr. deClaissé-Walford also delivered the keynote address at a daylong conference at the University of the Free State in South Africa on April 11. The topic of the conference was “Unheard Voices in the Bible,” and her address was titled “Unheard Voices in Psalms 90, 91, and 92.”
Paul Knowlton, founding director of the Institute for Spirituality in the Professions, was featured panelist for a seminar, titled “Really? We can do better – Foster children and the law,” April 3 at Georgia State University College of Law.
Dr. Wesley Barker, assistant professor of religious studies, presented her paper, “Race, Dis-identification, and the Philosophy of Religion: Rethinking the Subject in Kalpana Shesadri-Crooks’ Desiring Whiteness: A Lacanian Analysis of Race,” at the American Academy of Religion Southeastern Regional Meeting in March.
Dr. Arla Bernstein, assistant professor of communication, co-authored, with Dr. Carol Isaac, assistant professor of education, a paper, titled “On(line) being relational: A case study,” which will be published in The Qualitative Report (TQR) in July. Dr. Bernstein and Dr. Isaac have been invited to present the paper at the 10th TQR Annual Conference Jan. 16-18, 2019, at Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
Dr. Kenyon Knapp, professor of counseling and coordinator of the counselor education and supervision doctoral program, was an invited speaker at the Christian Association for Psychological Studies (CAPS) April 12-14 at the Norfolk Waterside Marriott. Dr. Knapp had a panel presentation with the organization’s president Dr. Gerard Lawson and Dr. Bill Hathaway and Dr. Jacquee Smith, both from Regent University, on the topic of “Personal Values, Professional Ethics, and Counselor Training in Faith Based Institutions.” Dr. Knapp conducted an additional presentation on “Posttraumatic Growth,” for which he was not invited, but selected after submitting a proposal.
Dr. David Lane, professor of counseling, presented “Traumatic Histories: The Ethics of Trauma Informed Treatment” at the National Law and Ethics in Counseling Conference Jan. 31 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He also co-authored a book, Strength in Adversity, with his wife, Dr. Donna Lane, adjunct professor of counseling. He co-authored an article, titled “Group Approaches to Narrative Therapy: A Review of the Literature,” with Dr. Kathy Robinson, assistant professor of counseling, Dr. Donna Lane, adjunct professor of counseling, and Ralph Menard, a Ph.D. student in counselor education and supervision. The article was accepted for publication in the Journal of Counseling Research and Practice.
Dr. Richard Martin, professor of criminal justice and homeland security, attended the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) midyear Committee and Policy Council meetings for IACP-appointed committee members April 25-27 at the Westin Peachtree Plaza in Atlanta. He also was invited to join the Montgomery, Alabama, Elder Abuse Task Force. Dr. Martin reviewed the following articles for the Journal of Education and Training Studies: “Experiences and Coping Strategies of Children From Child-Headed Households in Swaziland” and “Investigation of Some Biomatoric and Physiological Effects of People’s Plays in Individuals in Regenarian Folk Player Exercises.” He also reviewed the following articles for Forensic Research and Criminology International Journal: “An Analysis of Azerbaijani Turkish Translations of Civil and Criminal Ayas of the Holy Qur’an: A Forensic Linguistic Perspective” and “The Prevention of Hidden Victimization of Woman in Iran.”
Dr. David Purnell, adjunct instructor of communication studies, will give the following presentations at the International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry May 16-19 at the University of Illinois: a presentation, titled “#Me(n)Too,” as part of the Dubious Consent Panel; a performative presentation on “Courageous Conversations… Through Email;” presentation of a paper, titled “Confessions of an Academic Prostitute,” on the overuse and abuse of adjunct professors by some colleges and universities; and presentation of a paper, titled “(Re)constructing porches and brotherhood: Hidden Damages,” about his brother helping repair his front porch and how the porch became a metaphor for understanding the secrets his brother was keeping from their family about his alcoholism and pain pill addiction. Dr. Purnell will give a presentation on “The Twisted Rhetoric of Christ,” which is about how people claiming to be “Christians” manipulate scripture to justify their own hate and bigotry, at the International Drama in Education Research Institute July 2-9 in Auckland, New Zealand. He will also attend the Critical Autoethnography Conference in New Zealand, where he will present “Searching for Home: A 21-Year Journey to Find Family,” which explores the different definitions of family aside from the nuclear family. It looks at the toxicity of the broken traditional family and the sense of placelessness created through divorce and follows a search to find a family of choice that offers the love and support needed to thrive in today’s world.
Dr. Charles H. Roberts, associate professor of mathematics, attended the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics’ Research Conference April 23-25 in Washington, D.C. Research results presented at the conference focused on K-12 mathematics education and the preparation of teachers for K-12 mathematics education. A number of sessions dealt with equity and diversity in the teaching/learning process, including issues and concerns related to social justice. Dr. Roberts will make a presentation on “Developing Students’ Essential Learning and Study Skills for Academic Success Within STEM Courses” at the 2018 National Conference of the National STEM Education Centers June 8 in Columbus, Ohio. His presentation is grounded in his many years of teaching mathematics to students who are majoring in, or were majors in, a science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) area of study, as well as his recent implementation of a formal STEM education process for accomplishing the outcome stated in the title of the presentation.
Dr. Pablo Biswas, assistant professor of industrial engineering, and the Institute of Industrial Engineers (IISE) student chapter at Mercer organized the Six Sigma Green Belt training and certification event on March 16-18. A total of 40 undergraduate students from engineering and other disciplines, as well as four alumni, participated, passed the exam and were awarded their Six Sigma Green Belt Certificates. This event was coordinated by Dr. Biswas in collaboration with Allen Howard, secretary of the IISE Mercer student chapter, and IISE in Atlanta.
Dr. Jennifer Goode, instructor, and Dr. Pam Brewer, associate professor, in the Department of Technical Communication were awarded a grant from the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), along with Nahali (Holly) Croft, assistant professor and digital archivist at Georgia College and State University, for their project titled “A New Digital Repository and Annotated Bibliography for GDOT R&D Projects.” The project team plans to develop a new digital archive, create a customized taxonomy for accessing GDOT R&D records, usability test the new archive system and train GDOT employees upon deployment.
Dr. Sinjae Hyun, professor of biomedical engineering and director of engineering graduate programs, co-authored a publication, titled “Experimental Investigation on Aerosol-Particle Sustaining Characteristics of a Porous-Walled Tube,” which was published in the journal Key Engineering Materials in March. Other co-authors included Kyungwon Kim, visiting research assistant of biomedical engineering at Mercer and a Ph.D. student at Kyungpook National University in Korea, Brandon Bouer, undergraduate research assistant and a senior student of biomedical engineering, and Dr. Cheolwoo Park, professor of mechanical engineering at Kyungpook National University. Bouer was a Mercer University Biomedical Science (MUBS) Scholar in 2017, and this research was sponsored by MUBS.
Jim Fleissner, professor, delivered the annual Roosevelt Lecture April 10 at Gordon State College in Barnesville. The lecture was titled “August 11, 1938: Gordon and Barnesville at the Epicenter of American Politics.”
Teri McMurtry-Chubb, professor, was elected to the National Board of Directors of Scribes – The American Society of Legal Writers.
Karen Sneddon, professor, presented “Brain Breaks for the Legal Writing Classroom” at the Southeast Region Legal Writing Conference hosted by Georgia State University College of Law and Emory University School of Law April 21 in Atlanta.
Dr. Jennifer Barkin, associate professor, was notified her Barkin Index of Maternal Functioning was purchased by Sage Therapeutics for an e-tablet version.
Dr. Gretchen Bentz, assistant professor, Dr. Tom Selby, assistant professor, Dr. Laura Silo-Suh, assistant professor, Dr. David Gu, assistant professor, Dr. Christy Bridges, associate professor, Dr. Robert Visalli, associate professor, and Dr. Jennifer Li, associate professor, in the Department of Biomedical Sciences had master’s students successfully defend their theses. These students — Wyatt Cramblet, Robert Fussell, Lea Sedghi, Nick Emamifar, Sarah Orr, Ty Lindsey and Grace Igbinigie — will graduate with the Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences on May 5. Additionally, Dr. Bridges’ student Sarah Orr received honorable mention recognition for the Joycelyn Rankin Library Research Award presented by the School of Medicine’s Skelton Medical Libraries.
Dr. Keisha Callins, clinical assistant professor of community medicine, graduated from the 10th class of the Medical Association of Georgia Foundation’s Georgia Physicians Leadership Academy in a ceremony that took place in Atlanta on April 21.
Dr. Randolph S. Devereaux, assistant professor, Dr. S. Marshall Angle Jr., assistant professor of medical education, Dr. Betsy E. Smith, assistant professor, and Dr. Marie Dent, associate dean and professor, presented their poster, titled “A Team-based Learning Approach for Teaching Medical Decision Making Statistics to First Year Medical Students,” at the annual meeting of the Association of American Medical Colleges Southern Group on Educational Affairs April 19 in Jackson, Mississippi.
Dr. Edwin W. Grimsley, senior associate dean and professor, was awarded Mastership in the American College of Physicians at the national meeting April 19 in New Orleans, Louisiana. There were 55 awardees from across the United States, and Dr. Grimsley was the only member from Georgia to receive this honor. Selection for Mastership indicates “integrity, positions of honor, eminence in practice or in medical research, or other attainments in science or the art of medicine.”
Dr. David Gu, assistant professor of physiology, gave a presentation, titled “Exposure to leukotriene E4 induces hypersensitivity of vagal pulmonary sensory neurons in rats,” at the Experimental Biology 2018 Annual Conference April 21-25 in San Diego, California. Nick Emamifar, a master’s student in biomedical sciences, Carolyn Gilbert, a research technician, and Dr. Hugh McLaurin, assistant professor of family medicine, contributed to this study.
Dr. Melissa A. Kling, director of laboratory animal resources and attending veterinarian for the Macon and Savannah campuses, was appointed to a second two-year term as an alumni board member for the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine.
Chris Scoggins, instructor and director of the community preceptor network, was inducted into the Delta Zeta Chapter of the Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health in Mercer’s College of Health Professions. Scoggins is a graduate of the Master of Public Health program.
Dr. Yudan Wei, professor of community medicine, was appointed editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Environmental Health Research (IJEHR). IJEHR is an international, peer-reviewed journal that publishes articles on all aspects of the interaction between the environment and human health. The journal is published by Taylor & Francis Group, an international academic publisher.
Margie Bowen, assistant director of recreational sports and wellness, will make her 1,000th climb of Stone Mountain on May 20. Before coming to Mercer, Bowen taught health and physical education for 42 years in DeKalb County Schools. During these years, she coached multiple sports, including basketball, gymnastics, soccer, volleyball, cross-country and diving. She began climbing Stone Mountain on the last day of school in 2010 when her husband Dale began to have issues with his vision. She realized that an “away” vacation would not be likely for her family. Thinking about what activities she could do in close proximity to her Tucker home that would be varied and challenging, she decided to see how many times she could climb Stone Mountain during that summer. Her goal was to do 50 climbs by Labor Day that year, but when her 50th climb occurred in July and she realized that she could do more, she didn’t quit. The journey continues. Bowen has been featured on Fox 5 and WSB-TV in Atlanta.
Emily Halstead, student success counselor, and Hannah Vann, associate director for Research that Reaches Out, presented at the 2018 Gulf South Summit on Service Learning April 5 in Birmingham, Alabama. Their presentation, titled “Real Talk #NoFilter: Using Storytelling to Equip Students for the Hard Work of Social Change,” highlighted Mercer’s new speaker series, “Real Talk: #NoFilter,” featuring undergraduate faculty sharing personal stories about navigating the challenges of college and adulthood.
Marc Jolley, director of Mercer University Press, presented on a panel on the present work of university presses at the Dahlonega Literary Festival March 23-24 in Dahlonega.
Tony Kemp, senior associate director of academic and advising services, spent his sixth year volunteering with the yearlong Georgia High School Musical Awards, which culminated on April 19 with the live Georgia Public Broadcasting production of The Shuler Awards from the Cobb Performing Arts Energy Centre in Atlanta. The program, which recognizes the work of high school theatre programs across the state, celebrated its 10th anniversary this year, and Kemp served as an assistant for the production.
Dr. Carol Isaac, assistant professor, Dr. Joseph Balloun, professor, Dr. Edward Bouie, adjunct instructor, and Dr. Olivia Boggs, associate professor, were listed as co-authors on a presentation by Jillian Whatley, recent graduate of the Ph.D. in Higher Education Leadership program, who presented her dissertation as a paper presentation at the American Educational Research Association (AERA) conference in New York City. AERA is the largest national educational conference in the U.S. Whatley’s dissertation was titled “Racial bias as a contributing factor to the disproportionality of African Americans in special education.”
Dr. William Lacefield, professor of mathematics education, along with Woodrow Wilson Georgia Teaching Fellows Ben Jones, Chelsea Robinson and Shakevia Robinson, presented “Interesting Types of Numbers: Using Enjoyment to Strengthen Number Sense and Confidence” at the annual meeting of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics April 25-28 in Washington, D.C.
Dr. Robbie J. Marsh, assistant professor of special education, received notification from the editors at Intervention in School and Clinic, a ranked special education journal, that his article, titled “Identifying Students with Mental Health Issues: A Guide for Classroom Teachers,” was downloaded around 2,000 times in the last month.
Dr. Michelle Vaughn, assistant professor, and Dr. Carol Isaac, assistant professor, presented “Changes in Cultural Responsiveness in an International Field Experience: A Case Study” at the annual meeting for the American Educational Research Association April 17 in New York City.
