College of Liberal Arts
Dr. Kevin Bucholtz, assistant professor of chemistry, presented an invited research talk entitled “The Design and Solid-Phase Synthesis of Potentially Selective, High-Affinity Ligands to PPAR delta” in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Mississippi, Nov. 15.
Dr. Craig D. Byron, assistant professor of biology, had the article, “Quantitative Analysis of Litter Composition in a Historic Macon Neighborhood Experiencing Revitalization,” accepted for publication in Georgia Journal of Science 66(2):14-24. The article was co-authored by 13 students from his Biostatistics course from the Spring 2007 semester.
Dr. Greg Domin, associate professor of political science, was re-elected as a social science councilor for a three-year term to the Council on Undergraduate Research. As part of Domin’s “Road to the White House” course, he and Dr. Chris Grant, assistant professor of political science, led a five-day excursion to South Carolina for its primary, where students chased the Republican candidates for president. Students attended campaign events and town hall meetings and met Sen. John McCain, former senator Fred Thompson, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, and Rep. Ron Paul. Several students were featured on “Morning Joe” on MSNBC leading up to the primary. The event culminated with students going to see either McCain’s victory speech or Huckabee’s concession speech.
Dr. John Marson Dunaway, professor of French and interdisciplinary studies and director of Mercer Commons, has been appointed a member of the Nominating Committee for the national Conference on Christianity and Literature. He also organized and chaired the 4th annual “Building the Beloved Community” Symposium, with the Rev. Dr. James A. Forbes Jr., senior minister emeritus of Riverside Church in New York City, and the Rev. Morgan (Mo) Leverett, CLA ‘88, executive director of Rebirth International, as keynote speakers. More than 200 local religious leaders, faculty, staff and students attended the event on campus, Feb. 19-20. Dunaway also made a new translation of Paul Claudel’s Le Chemin de la croix, a series of 14 poems based on the Stations of the Cross. Dunaway and Dr. Robert Parris, university organist, teamed up for a performance of a traditional Lenten concert featuring the 14 poems read in French, alternating with the organ improvisations that Marcel Dupré wrote to accompany them, Feb. 25.
Dr. Ajaz Karim, assistant professor of earth and environmental science, reviewed two manuscripts, “Evaporative Isotopic Enrichment as a Constraint on Reach Water Balance Along a Dryland River,” submitted to Journal of Isotopes in Environmental and Health Studies, and “Biogeochemical Characteristics of Ultramafic Areas of Southernmost Brazil,” submitted to Environmental Geology.
Dr. Judson Mitcham, adjunct instructor of English, had a book of new and selected poems, A Little Salvation, published by the University of Georgia Press in November, 2007.
Dr. Matthew Oberrieder, assistant professor of philosophy, participated in a conference on “Thucydides on Empire, War, Democracy, and Liberty” in Indianapolis, Ind., Jan. 24-27. Oberrieder also helped plan the annual College Town Film Series at the historic Douglass Theatre, downtown Macon, which held its screenings Jan. 31, Feb. 7, and Feb. 14. The theme for 2008 was “Southern Exposure.” For the Feb. 7 screening, Oberrieder introduced the featured film for the evening, “In the Heat of the Night,” 1967 Oscar-winner for Best Picture, and he lead discussion of the film after its screening.
Dr. Caryn S. Seney, associate professor of chemistry, and senior chemistry major Brittany M. Gutzman presented a poster entitled “Preliminary Correlations between TEM, Optical Spectroscopy and SERS Data using Silver Nanoparticles” at The Pittsburgh Conference, New Orleans, La., March 5. The Pittsburgh Conference is the largest analytical conference in the world.
Dr. Richard F. Wilson, Columbus Roberts Professor of Theology and chair of the Department of Christianity, was a co-presenter at two special interest sessions during the Celebration of a New Baptist Covenant gathering in Atlanta, Feb. 1. He and Dr. Daniel Carro, an Argentine theologian now teaching at the Leland Center in Falls Church, Va., offered perspectives on immigration during two sessions entitled “Welcoming a Stranger.” He also presented four lectures on the theme “Liberation Theology: Origin, Ideas, and Prospects” at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Macon.
Walter F. George School of Law
David Hricik, associate professor, gave a presentation on “Ethics in High Technology” at the Atlanta Bar Association CLE Law Office Technology meeting, Dec. 5. He presented “Conflict of Interest in Patent Practice” to the Toledo Intellectual Property Law Association, Dec. 7. Hricik gave a presentation to the Utah Bar Association’s IP Summit on Conflicts of Interest in Patent Practice, Feb. 15. He also gave a presentation to the Virginia Bar Association on Ethical Issues Confronting Business Lawyers, Feb. 22. In addition to those presentations, Hricik was appointed to the Association of American Law Schools Special Committee on Access to the AALS Database. His recent publications include “Metadata: Ghosts Haunting e-Documents” 18 Georgia Bar Journal 16 (February 2008), which he co-authored with second-year law student Chase Scott, and “Writing Matters: Common Comma Conundrums” 16 Georgia Bar Journal 64 (February 2008), which he co-authored with Karen Sneddon, assistant professor.
Jack L. Sammons, Griffin B. Bell Professor of Law, presented a paper entitled "The Practice as Parable" at a symposium on Law and Religion at Seattle University School of Law, March 7. His latest article, "Censoring Samba: An Aesthetic Justification for the Protection of Speech," will be published as part of a symposium on Speech, Law, and Culture by Stetson University School of Law.
Chris Wells, associate professor, is an “attorney coach” for the Central High School mock trial team. The team won its 10th straight regional competition at the Bibb County Superior Court and will compete for the state title on March 15. At the regional competition, the Central High team won all six of its trials unanimously. Its student members also won all the Outstanding Attorney and Outstanding Witness awards available for each of the trials.
College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Dr. Ajay K. Banga, professor; Ph.D. students Purna C. Kasha and Viswatej Vemulapalli; postdoctoral fellows Dr. Chandrafekhar Kolli and Ye Yang, and others published research papers on “Characterization of Solid Maltose Microneedles and Their Use for Transdermal Delivery” in the journal Pharmaceutical Research, “Synergistic Effect of Iontophoresis and Soluble Microneedles for Transdermal Delivery of Methotrexate” in Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, and a review of patent literature for iontophoretic delivery and devices, in the journal Recent Patents on Drug Delivery & Formulation.
Dr. Diane L. Nykamp, professor; Dr. Leisa L. Marshall, clinical associate professor, and Dr. Laurel E. Ashworth, professor, published “An Active-Learning Assignment Using Nonprescription Medicines” in American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education 2008; 72: Article 20.
Dr. Phillip S. Owen, clinical assistant professor, J. Garner, L. Hergott, and R. L. Page published “Clopidogrel Desensitization: Case Report and Review Published Protocols” in the journal Pharmacotherapy 2008; 28(2): 259-270.
School of Medicine
Dr. William F. Bina, III, interim dean, presented as part of a panel discussion “Undergraduate Public Health: From Getting Started to Best Practices.” He reviewed the Mercer experience of developing, teaching and administering undergraduate public health programs. A special topics course, “Essentials in Public Health,” offered by the Department of Biology in the College of Liberal Arts, has been successfully taught in the fall 2006 and spring 2008 terms. The panel was part of the American College of Preventive Medicine/Association for Prevention Teaching and Research first joint national meeting, Feb. 21-23.
Kathy Kemle, assistant professor of geriatrics, taught a first-year physician assistant class in clinical geriatrics in January and February at South University, Savannah. The course, which Kemle teaches each year, is a seminar with lectures, small group activities and visits to a Savannah nursing home. The course covers geriatric syndromes, common diagnostic challenges and palliative care.
Dr. Edward C. Lauterbach, professor of psychiatry, medicine, and radiology, was second author on the publications “The Cognitive Correlates of Functional Status” in Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences 2007;19:249-65 and “Dextromethorphan as a Potential Neuroprotective Agent with Unique Mechanisms of Action” in The Neurologist 2007;13:272-93. Lauterbach, along with Samuel D. Shillcutt, Pharm.D., Ph.D., also received a grant for $204,696 to study neuropsychiatric disorders and neuroprotection in synucleinopathic dementias. He also has received the 16th Annual Nancy C.A. Roeske, M.D. Certificate of Recognition for Excellence in Medical Student Education from the American Psychiatric Association. Lauterbach will be honored during a luncheon in Washington, D.C., during the 2008 APA Annual Meeting.
Dr. Mike Russell, assistant professor of physiology, was first author of the article “Effects of Hypoxia on Vertebrate Blood Vessels” published in the March 1 issue of Journal of Experimental Zoology Part A: Ecological Genetics and Physiology.
Eugene W. Stetson School of Business and Economics
Dr. Arthur Rutledge, associate professor of management information systems, and Dr. Faye Sisk, associate professor of management and director of Graduate Programs, co-wrote a paper entitled “Increasing Small Business Strategic Speed Through Information Technology Powered Teams” that will be published in the March 15 issue of the Business Journal for Entrepreneurs.
School of Engineering
Dr. Susan Codone, assistant professor of technical communication, had an article, “Building Quality into Online Training,” published in Intercom, the magazine of the Society for Technical Communication. The article was the cover feature and lead article of the February issue.
Dr. Richard Mines, professor and program director of Environmental Engineering, attended the 6th Annual Environmental and Water Resources Institute (EWRI) Council Weekend in Los Angeles, Calif., Feb. 23. Mines serves as vice-chair of the National Residuals Management Committee of EWRI, which is a specialty organization within the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Dr. R. Radharamanan, professor of industrial engineering, and Dr. Hodge Jenkins, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, co-authored two papers that were recently published in International Journal of Innovative Computing, Information and Control: “Laboratory Learning Modules on CAD/CAM and Robotics in Engineering Education” and “Diameter and Temperature Control in Vapor-Phase Axial Deposition for Optical Fiber Production.”
Tift College of Education
Dr. Sherah B. Carr, assistant professor, presented a keynote address entitled “Scaffolding Student Learning: Supports for Success” at the Communities in Schools of Georgia Conference, Savannah, Feb. 13.
Dr. Margaret Morris, chair of Teacher Education for Macon/Eastman; Carolyn Garvin, director of Field Placement and Certification, and Dr. William Lacefield, associate professor of mathematics education, presented a paper titled “International Perspectives: Connecting Global Realities in Education” at the annual conference of the Association of Teacher Educators, held in New Orleans, La., Feb. 24-27.
Georgia Baptist College of Nursing
Dr. Dare Domico, professor, presented a lecture on "Chronic Debilitating Neurological Disorders for Neuroscience Nurses," March 2. The lecture was a component of the American Association of Neuroscience Nurses Review Course to prepare nurses to sit for the certification exam as a specialist in neuroscience nursing. Participants from across the southeast were in attendance at the conference held at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta.
Dr. Susan S. Gunby, dean, has been invited to serve on the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing Chapter Leadership and Mentoring Task Force for the 2007-2009 biennium. The task force will develop a position statement on the need for leadership development and mentoring at the chapter level, and will serve as consultants in contributing to and reviewing content developed for the International Leadership Institute. This select invitation has been extended to 10-15 members internationally and these individuals will report directly to the Board of Directors for Sigma Theta Tau International. Gunby also has been appointed to an American Nurses Association task force to revise the Scope and Standards of Practice for Nursing Professional Development document. She has been asked to serve as a judge for the National Student Nurses Association’s Leader of Leaders Award for 2008. This will be the second year she has served as a judge.
Dr. Linda A. Streit, professor and associate dean for the graduate program in nursing, was selected by Lippincott Williams and Wilkins to serve as a reviewer for the nursing theory textbook Theoretical Nursing: Development and Progress by Afaf Ibrahim Meleis.
College of Continuing and Professional Studies
Dr. Billy Slaton, associate professor, discussed professionalism and education with an “Introduction to Criminal Justice” class at Chattahoochee Technical College, Feb. 20. He also presided as the judge in a two-hour mock trial of the highly controversial 1970 murder trial of the Green Beret, Dr. Jeffery MacDonald.
Townsend School of Music
Dr. Douglas Hill, professor of music and director of Undergraduate Studies, performed a trumpet solo of “Peta Signore” by Stradella with Gail Pollock, organist, at Riverside United Methodist Church, Macon, Feb. 10. He participated in Small University Commissioning Consortium at College Band Directors National Association Conference, at River Center for the Arts, Columbus, Feb. 27-29. Hill also presented Band Clinics at Burke County and Davidson Performing Arts High Schools, Augusta, March 5-6.
Dr. Robert Parris, University Organist, and Dr. John Marson Dunaway, professor of French and interdisciplinary studies at the College of Liberal Arts, and director of Mercer Commons, teamed up for a performance of a traditional Lenten concert featuring Paul Claudel’s Le Chemin de la croix, a series of the 14 poems based on the Stations of the Cross, read in French, alternating with the organ improvisations that Marcel Dupré wrote to accompany them, Feb. 25.
The Mercer Singers were invited to perform for the annual conference of the Georgia Music Educators Association. The highly acclaimed concert featured “Jerusalem Trilogy,” a composition written by Dr. David Johnson, assistant professor of music composition, history and theory, with poetry by Dr. Stephen Bluestone, professor of English in the College of Liberal Arts. Other faculty members performing on the concert were Dr. Marcus Reddick, assistant professor of music, percussion; Dr. Monty Cole, associate professor of saxophone and clarinet and director of Jazz Studies, saxophone; and Carol Goff, associate professor of music, piano. The choir is under the direction of Dr. Stanley L. Roberts, director of Choral Studies and interim dean. Performers are selected by audition and this concert marked the fifth invitation for the choir to perform for this organization in the past nine years.
Division of Libraries
Laura M. Botts, assistant professor and head of Special Collections at Tarver Library, reviewed James Perone’s Woodstock: An Encyclopedia of the Music and Art Fair for the publication Music Reference Services Quarterly.
Staff and Administration
Mary Lou Beall, coordinator at the Douglas County Regional Academic Center, delivered two papers at the 16th Annual Conference of the National Association of African American Studies in Baton Rouge, La., Feb. 11-16. The first, entitled “Collective Memory: The Ghosts of Slavery and Pre-Construction,” was co-authored with her daughter, Megan, a graduate of Tift College of Education and McAfee School of Theology. The second, a bulletin board presentation titled “The Swindling of Academia,” was an analysis of the means and techniques by which students are dishonest in the classroom.
Julie Strecker, International Student and Scholar Services coordinator in the Office of International Programs, has been accepted to participate in the NAFSA Academy for International Educators. NAFSA: the Association of International Educators works to promote international education and provide professional development to its members. The Academy for International Educators is a competitive nine-month program in which trainees are grouped according to their regional association with NAFSA and assigned coaches. The Academy offers various workshops and training sessions related to broad topics within international education, as well as personal guidance in goal setting and planned learning. Strecker traveled to Atlanta for a four-day “Spring Training” portion of the Academy in early March.