College of Liberal Arts
Dr. James Eric (Jay) Black, Schumann Endowed Professor in Writing for the Media and assistant director of the Center for Collaborative Journalism, authored a chapter, titled “The Emergence of 'Atomodoxy' in Cold War Rhetoric and Science Fiction Narratives: Fear, Threats, and the Duties of Citizenship in an Atomic Age,” in the International Handbook of Semiotics. Ed. Peter Pericles Trifonas. NYC: Springer, 2015.
Dr. David A. Davis, associate professor of English, gave the talk “Except as Punishment for a Crime: John L. Spivak's Chain Gang Photographs” at the Mercer University Law Review Symposium on Justice in the Deep South. He was also a panelist on Georgia Public Broadcasting's Issues and Ales discussion on “Being Southern in the Twenty-First Century.”
Laura C. Fong, visiting assistant professor of journalism and journalist-in-residence, co-produced the film No Greater Love, which was awarded Best Documentary and The Mass Impact Award at the Boston Film Festival. The film was also awarded Best Military Film at the San Diego Film Fest, and, at the Lake Charles Film Festival, it was awarded Best Documentary and Best in Show. The film has been accepted to the Rehoboth Beach Film Festival, Kansas International Film Festival, Napa Valley Film Festival and Anchorage Film Festival.
Dr. Sarah E. Gardner, professor of history, presented “Reading in Wartime: Union Soldiers and Dime Novels” at the British American Nineteenth Century History Conference in Cambridge, U.K., on Oct. 9. She also presented “'We Need Something to Read Dreadfully:' Confederate Soldiers in Camp” at the Society for U. S. Intellectual History Conference in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 17.
Dr. Lori Johnson, associate professor of political science, participated in the Reacting to the Past Faculty Institute at Barnard College in New York City in June and the Reacting to the Past Game Development Conference in Athens in July. She also attended the Northeast Association of Pre-Law Advisors conference at Fordham University, where she gave a presentation on the increase in 3+3 programs and their impact on pre-law advising.
Dr. Gordon Johnston, professor and director of creative writing, gave two readings during the Lost Keys Literary Festival in Macon on Oct. 2-3. His poem “Men's Fashions at 40” will appear in the fall/winter issue of Southern Poetry Review. His short story “Many Sparrows” will appear in the Porter Fleming Literary Awards anthology to be published by the Morris Museum of Southern Art in November. The hymn he wrote for the College of Liberal Arts, “Brothers, Sisters, Seekers, Teachers,” was performed at the inauguration of Hanover College's new president Dr. Lake Lambert in October.
Dr. John Marson Dunaway, professor emeritus of French and interdisciplinary studies, was interviewed on Sept. 29 in French on the Paris radio station Radio Courtoisie about Vladimir Volkoff on the observance of the 10th anniversary of his death in 2005. Volkoff was an instructor in creative writing at Mercer in the 1980s, and his wife, Denise, was professor of French from 1968-1992. Dr. Dunaway also gave a lecture, titled “The Ultimate Why: Discerning Our Life's Calling,” in the Wesleyan College Peacemakers Speaker Series on Sept. 29.
Dr. Frank Macke, professor of communication studies, received the 2015 Outstanding Book Award from the Philosophy of Communication Division of the National Communication Association.His book is titled The Experience of Human Communication: Body, Flesh and Relationship. The book has been published in the Fairleigh Dickinson University Series in Communication Theory by Rowman & Littlefield. Dr. Macke delivered the keynote address to the Second Biennial Conference on the Philosophy of Communication, held June 3-16 on the campus of Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The address, titled “What is Communicology?Reflections on Intimacy,” was delivered to more than 100 scholars representing universities in multiple countries and two continents.
Dr. Vasile Stanescu, assistant professor of communication studies and director of the Program in Speech and Debate, gave an invited talk about his research to the University of Toronto on Oct. 13. The talk was titled “New Weapons: Biopolitics, 'Happy Meat,' and the Myth of Consent.” Other invited speakers in the series include Dr. Marc Bekoff, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Colorado, and Dr. Sara Salih, professor of English at the University of Toronto.
Dr. Richard Francis Wilson, Columbus Roberts Professor of Theology, chair of the Roberts Department of Christianity and president of Liberia Baptist Theological Seminary, spent most of October in Liberia, where on Oct. 18 he was the keynote speaker at the closing convocation of Ricks Institute, delivering an address, titled “The Road Tilts Both Ways.” He preached the convention sermon for the mid-year session of the Liberia Baptist Missionary and Educational Convention Inc., titled “They Desired a Better Country,” on Oct. 25.
College of Pharmacy
Dr. Ashish A. Advani, clinical assistant professor, published “Our Drug Pricing Problem” and “Pandora of Medicine: Guiding Evidence-Informed Practice” in Pharmacy Times.
Dr. Kathryn M. Momary, associate professor, was named grant reviewer for the American Heart Association, IRG Cardiac Biology Basic Sciences 1.
Eugene W. Stetson School of Business and Economics
Dr. Myriam Quispe-Agnoli, visiting associate professor of economics, participated in the Small Business Big Think Research Series, titled “Economic Mobility: Entrepreneurship and the Opportunity Gap,” organized by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) on Sept. 21. First, the discussion featured U.S. Sen. Cory Booker and Alan Krueger, professor at Princeton University. After the discussion, Dr. Quispe-Agnoli participated in the roundtable led by Maria Contreras-Sweet, SBA administrator, addressing questions on the role of entrepreneurship on economic mobility of minority groups. Dr. Quispe-Agnoli focused on the challenges faced by minority entrepreneurs and programs that could promote business development effectively in these communities. This event took place at the Rutgers Business School in Newark, New Jersey.
Georgia Baptist College of Nursing
Dr. Tammy Barbé, assistant professor, will give a poster presentation at Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing 43rd Biennial Convention, Nov. 7-11, in Las Vegas. The presentation is titled “From Nursing Student to Registered Nurse – Development of Resilience and Professional Staff.”
Dr. Jennifer Bartlett, assistant professor, reviewed Taylor's Fundamentals of Nursing 8th ed., and provided online research report updates for all chapters. Dr. Bartlett also authored “Simulation Template Development” in Clinical Simulation in Nursing.
Lana Chase, clinical associate professor, served as a bocce ball referee for the statewide Special Olympics on Oct. 9-10. She also served as guest speaker for MAAPPNG, an advanced practice psychiatric nurse organization. The title of her Nov. 10 talk was “Teaching Empathy and Advocacy in the Classroom: An Experienced Approach.”
Desireé Clement, clinical instructor, recently completed a family nurse practitioner post-master's degree certification program with Vanderbilt University, where she is also a Doctor of Nursing Practice student. This is her second advanced practice registered nurse board specialty certification, as she is also a certified nurse-midwife.
Elaine Harris, clinical associate professor, was selected to serve on the Education Advisory Committee at Emory/St. Joseph's Hospital. She also made a podium presentation for the Georgia Education Research Association on Oct. 17 regarding three-year data on spirituality.
Dr. Helen Hodges, professor, was accepted to the nationally registered R.E.A.D. Team with therapy dog Chloe, who assists children in grades 1-5 with reading fluency and comprehension. Dr. Hodges also served as a poster judge for the Evidence-Based Practice ToolKit for Bedside Nurses conference.
Dr. Natasha Laibhen-Parkes, clinical assistant professor, gave an oral presentation, titled “Question Safari: Capturing Questions in their Natural Environment,” at the Evidence-Based Practice ToolKit for Bedside Nurses conference on Oct. 23.
Laura Madden, clinical instructor, will give a poster presentation at the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing 43rd Biennial Convention, Nov. 7-11, in Las Vegas. The presentation is titled “The Effects of a Baccalaureate Nursing Student's Participation in a Community-wide Disaster Drill of Perceptions of Interprofessional Education.”
Dr. Ruth McCaffrey, professor, served as keynote speaker at the Horticulture Therapy Association's national conference in Seattle. Dr. McCaffrey also served as keynote speaker at Red Cross of Arizona's Interdisciplinary Conference in Energy Care, and she served as a guest speaker at the Sigma Theta Tau – Pi Gamma meeting at Mercer.
Dr. Humberto Reinoso, clinical assistant professor, will give a poster presentation, titled “Uncertainty and Chronic Hepatitis C in the Baby Boomer Population,” at the The Liver Meeting, hosted by the American Academy for the Study of Liver Diseases in November.
Dr. Cynthia Rubenstein, associate dean and associate professor, gave a podium presentation at the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Baccalaureate Conference in October in Washington, D.C. Dr. Rubenstein will give a podium presentation at the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing 43rd Biennial Convention, Nov. 7-11, in Las Vegas. She authored a chapter on “Children and Adolescents” in Public Health Nursing, 8th Ed., Stanhope and Lancaster, October 2015.
Dr. Linda A. Streit, dean and professor, served as keynote speaker at the Georgia Association of Nursing Students State Convention on Oct. 22.
Dr. Patricia Troyan, associate professor, served as guest lecturer at Florida Atlantic University in June. Her lecture was titled “Breast Conditions and Breast Feeding.”
James and Carolyn McAfee School of Theology
Dr. William Loyd Allen, Sylvan Hills Professor of Baptist Heritage and Spiritual Formation, co-presented, along with Mercer's Dr. Bobby C. Jacob, clinical assistant professor in the College of Pharmacy, and Dr. Jeffrey S. Hall, assistant professor in the Tift College of Education, “A Three Year Evaluation of Spirituality among Graduate and Professional Degree Students at a Private Institution of Higher Education,” at the Georgia Educational Research Association annual meeting in Savannah on Oct. 16.
Dr. Nancy L. deClaissé-Walford, Carolyn Ward Professor of Old Testament and Biblical Languages, contributed articles on Psalms 148 and 147:12-20 to Working Preacher.org, the Center for Biblical Preaching's online Lectionary Commentary in September.She also delivered the George Knight Biblical Lecture Series at Logsdon School of Theology at Hardin–Simmons University in Abilene, Texas, on Oct. 19-20. The topic of the lectures was “A Broadly Feminist Reading of Book Four (Pss 90-106) of the book of Psalms.”
Dr. David G. Garber Jr., associate professor of Old Testament and Hebrew, published “Trauma Theory and Biblical Studies” in the October 2015 issue of the journal Currents in Biblical Research.
Dr. Brett Younger, associate professor of preaching, preached the installation sermon for McAfee graduate Barrett Owen at First Baptist Church in Waynesboro, Virginia, on Oct. 4. Dr. Younger also led a senior colloquium at Belmont University on “Telling Your Story” on Oct. 19.
Penfield College
Dr. Aria G. Bernstein, adjunct instructor, completed certification courses for online teaching, titled “Mastering Online Teaching,” “Mastering Online Accessibility: The Faculty Role” and “Asynchronous Online Faculty Training.” She also completed a Blackboard training course for teaching public speaking.
Dr. Richard Martin, professor of public safety leadership, was appointed to two journal editorial review boards: Cogent Social Sciences in September and Forensic Research & Criminology International Journal in October. Dr. Martin reviewed an article, titled “Homicide disguised as Road-traffic Accident: A Case Report,” for the Forensic Research & Criminology International Journal in October.
Dr. Kyra Osmus, professor of human sciences, served as consultant to the Tennessee Higher Education Commission and the Board of Regents and as external reviewer to the Department of Counseling and Human Services at East Tennessee State University for the development of a new master's degree in human services. Dr. Osmus was recognized at the annual meeting of the National Organization for Human Services in Charlotte, North Carolina, for her service to the Council on Standards in Human Services Education as a reader for accreditation self-studies.
Dr. Michael Roty, associate professor of mathematics, served as a Georgia Governor's Honors Program judge on Oct. 20.
School of Engineering
Dr. Michael MacCarthy, assistant professor of environmental engineering, presented on “Low-Cost Groundwater Supplies in Northern Mali: Lessons from Technology Introduction in a Complex Context (2006-2015),” and moderated a session on “Groundwater Resources and Well Drilling Challenges” at the University of Oklahoma International Water Conference in September.
School of Medicine
Dr. Jennifer L. Barkin, assistant professor of community medicine and obstetrics and gynecology, co-authored “Factors Associated with Postpartum Maternal Functioning in Women with Positive Screens for Depression” for an upcoming issue of the Journal of Women's Health. Additionally, the Barkin Index of Maternal Functioning (BIMF) was commissioned for use by Sage Therapeutics as an outcomes measure in a Phase 2 clinical trial of a fast-acting, intravenous medication for severe postpartum depression (PPD). To date, the BIMF has been implemented in community-based settings, hospital settings and in large, federally-funded clinical trials of screen-positive women.
Dr. Eric K. Shaw, associate professor of community medicine, co-authored an oral presentation, titled “Adding Objectivity to the Assessment of Concern-Raising Drug Requests,” at the Georgia Chapter of the American College of Physicians in Buford on Oct. 23-25.
Dr. Mike U. Smith, director of AIDS education and research and professor of medical education, coauthored “Making sense of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium” in American Biology Teacher, 77(8):577-582.
Staff and Administration
John Hamner, IT Client Support Services – Field Support team, was promoted to IT support specialist.
Tift College of Education
Dr. Geri Collins, associate professor of education, Dr. William Lacefield, professor of mathematics education, and Dr. Margaret Morris, professor of early childhood education, delivered three presentations at the annual conference of the Southeastern Regional Association of Teacher Educators, Oct. 8-10, on Jekyll Island. The presentations were titled “Helping Teacher Candidates Understand the edTPA Prior to Student Teaching,” “Developing Teacher Candidates' Abilities to Nurture Problem Solving Strategies in Learners,” and “Comparative Mathematics Curriculum and Instruction in the United States and England: What Might we Learn?”
Townsend School of Music
Amy Schwartz Moretti, director of the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings, associate professor and Caroline Paul King Chair in Strings, appeared in the Millford Concert Series, sponsored by Friends of Millford and the Classical American Homes Preservation Trust at Millford Plantation, a National Historic Landmark in Pinewood, South Carolina, on Sept. 15. She performed with Robert deMaine, principal cellist of the LA Philharmonic, and pianist Dr. James Wilhelmsen. They presented the music of Kodály, Haydn, Brahms and Debussy in the exceptional grandeur of the classical double parlors of this extraordinary Greek Revival governor's mansion. Moretti also performed with the Ehnes Quartet at the Auditorium of TSRI [The Scripps Research Institute] for the San Diego Symphony Chamber Music Series on Oct. 19. She led several students in a performance at the Douglass Theatre in downtown Macon at the 2015 GABBAfest, sponsored by the Georgia Allman Brothers Band Association, on Sept. 26. In addition, they appeared with Jaimoe and his Jaimoe's Jasssz Band. During the evening, Moretti accepted the 2015 GABBY Award on behalf of the McDuffie Center for Strings. The GABBY has been presented at GABBAfest since 1997 as recognition for the preservation of the legacy of the Allman Brothers Band in Middle Georgia. The award is now displayed at the Bell House, home of the McDuffie Center and site of the Allman Brothers first album cover photo. Moretti also performed with music director Matt Catingub and the Macon Pops Jazz Trio for the Macon Pops season three kickoff event at Villa Theresa, an early 20th-century “Italian treasure,” in Macon on Sept. 17.
University Libraries
Rebecca Engsberg, assistant professor, reference and instruction librarian and liaison to the English Language Institute, gave a presentation, titled “Using Technology as a Hook for Information Literacy in the Digital Age: GO TECH” at the Georgia International Conference for Information Literacy (GICIL) in Savannah on Sept. 25-26.
Walter F. George School of Law
Zack Buck, assistant professor of law, authored “Furthering the Fiduciary Metaphor:Doctors, Dollars, and Deterring Overtreatment,” accepted for publication in 104 California Law Review (forthcoming 2016).
Dr. Richard Elliott, adjunct instructor, co-authored “Should physicians exclude vaccine-refusing families from their practices?” in 104(2) Journal of the Medical Association of Georgia. 22 (2015).
Jessica Feinberg, associate professor of law, authored “Consideration of Genetic Connections in Child Custody Disputes between Same-Sex Parents: Fair or Foul?,” accepted for publication in 81 Missouri Law Review (forthcoming 2016).
Dr. David Hricik, professor of law, published the third edition of his book Patent Ethics: Litigation. Two of his articles appeared in the ABA Landslide magazine. They were titled “A Dream Come True: Using Section 285 to Shift Fees” and “Spotting Adversity in Patent Practice.” In addition, he gave presentations for bar organizations of Oklahoma, Texas, Georgia and others. Further, he continued to blog on the nation's leading patent blog, patentlyo.com, including being the sole author on its ethics page. Finally, he was quoted twice in national media on different events in the world of intellectual property law.
Linda Jellum, Ellison C. Palmer Professor of Tax Law, authored Mastering Administrative Law 2nd ed., accepted for publication in 2016. She was asked to write the second edition of this hornbook series because the original author retired. Additionally, she was cited by the 10th Circuit in De Niz Robles v. Lynch, No. 14-9568, 2015 WL 6153073, at *13 (Oct. 20), regarding whether the executive could interpret an immigration statute to apply retroactively. The court said no, the interpretation was retroactive only. The citation appears in footnote 5: “Thoughtful scholars have presented arguments along similar lines, recently and notably including Philip Hamburger, Is Administrative Law Unlawful? 285–321 (2014). See also … Linda D. Jellum, ''Which Is to Be Master,” the Judiciary or the Legislature? When Statutory Directives Violate Separation of Powers, 56 UCLA L. Rev. 837, 897–98 (2009)….” Jellum will be presenting two different topics at the ABA Administrative Law Section's annual fall conference. First, she will present the latest Supreme Court “Developments in Administrative Law.” This is the signature program for this conference and will likely have an audience of more than 600 attorneys. Second, she will present on the following panel: “After King v. Burwell, What is Chevron's Domain?”
Steve Johnson, Walter F. George Professor of Law, authored “The Course Source: The Casebook Evolved,” accepted for publication in 44 Capital University Law Review (forthcoming 2016).
Mark Jones, professor of law, and Dr. Antonio Saravia, assistant professor of economics and director of the BB&T Center for Undergraduate Research in Public Policy and Capitalism in the Stetson School of Business and Economics, organized and co-chaired Mercer's third annual Conference on Current Trends in International Trade, which was held on the Atlanta campus on Oct. 8. The conference featured panels on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, international taxation and transfer pricing, e-commerce and cyber-security, and drugs, pharmaceuticals, and the cosmetics industry. Raj Bhala, associate dean for international and comparative law and Rice Distinguished Professor at the University of Kansas Law School and an internationally recognized authority on international trade law, delivered the keynote address on “Enduring Themes and Radical Transformations in International Trade Law.”
Jeremy Kidd, associate professor of law, authored “Neither Savior Nor Bogeyman: What waits behind the door of third-party litigation financing?,” accepted for publication in 47 Loyola University Chicago Law Journal (forthcoming 2016).
Dr. David Ritchie, professor of law and philosophy and director of international initiatives, attended the fifth annual Global Ethics Fellows retreat at the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs in New York. Dr. Ritchie has attended all five of the Carnegie retreats, and has been a Carnegie fellow since 2011. While at the retreat, he gave a lecture, titled “The Satyagrahi and Globalization: 'A Clash of Clans' or 'A Partnership of Peoples.'”
Karen J. Sneddon, professor of law, authored “Not Your Mother's Will: Gender, Language, and Wills” in 98 Marquette Law Review 1535 (summer 2015). She also co-authored “Once Upon a Transaction: Narrative Techniques in Drafting,” accepted for publication in 68 Oklahoma Law Review (forthcoming fall 2015).
