Dr. Thompson Biggers, assistant professor of communication, Dr. Richard Bohannon, assistant professor of leadership, Dr. Marna Burns, assistant professor of human sciences, Dr. Lynn W. Clemons, assistant professor of leadership and chair of the department of leadership studies, and Dr. Thomas Kail, professor of leadership served as instructors for the College of Continuing and Professional Studies’ most recent Foundational Leadership training program for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The course is a certificate program for future leaders of the CDC and the most recent class completed its work on Oct. 22. Participants were from CDC campuses throughout the United States.

Dr. Colleen Stapleton, assistant professor of science in the Department of Mathematics, Science and Information Systems, and Dr. John Payne, assistant professor in Tift College of Education, led a workshop, titled “Science in the Early Childhood Classroom,” at the Model Teaching Center of the Sheltering Arms Early Education and Family Center in Atlanta, Oct. 6, with the support of Amy Hobart, Georgia Training Institute.  A follow-up session is scheduled for November to discuss the outcomes of the activity.  The workshop is part of the “Mercer Center for Preschool Mathematics, Science and Health Education,” supported by a Mercer AIM grant led by Dr. Robert Lawrence, assistant professor in Tift College of Education.

Dr. Andrea L. Winkler, assistant professor of history, participated in the Association of Graduate Liberal Studies Programs’ annual conference, “Imagination in an Age of Instant Information,” held in Orlando, Fla., Oct. 22-24.

Jay Black, assistant professor of journalism and media studies, recently had an essay, titled “Just Spectacles,” published in Semiotics 2008: “Specialization, Semiosis, Semiotics. The essay previously won the 2008 Roberat Kevelson Scholarship Award. Black also presented his paper, “Amoozin’ but Confoozin’: Comic Strips as a Voice of Dissent in the 1950s,” at the 34th annual meeting of the Semiotic Society of America held in Cincinnati, Ohio in October.  A paper, titled “Memes: The Private vs. the Public in a Knowledge-Based Society,” which Black co-wrote with E. Onukwube and Philip Auter, was recently presented by his co-authors at the annual Louisiana Communication Association conference in Natchitoches, La. In addition, Black had two papers, titled “The Star Image and National Identity of Sessue Hayakawa and Marlene Dietrich” and “You Cannot Represent Yourself, You must be Represented: I. F. Stone and Defining American Communism,” accepted to the prestigious Hawaii International Conference on Arts and Humanities in Honolulu, Hawaii, scheduled for January 2010.

Dr. Craig D. Byron, assistant professor of biology, had a paper, titled “Cranial Suture Morphology and its Relationship to Diet in Cebus,” published in the Journal of Human Evolution Oct. 14.

Dr. Kevin Cummings, associate professor of communication studies and theatre, co-authored a paper with John Rief of the University of Pittsburgh, titled “The Many Sides of ‘Switch-Sides Debate:’ Perspective-Taking and the Limits of Liberal-Deliberative Practice. “ The paper was presented in July at the National Communication Association/America Forensics Association Conference and was selected for inclusion in The Functions of Argument and Social Context: Selected Papers from the 16th NCA/AFA Conference on argumentation in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Eric Klingelhofer, professor of history, presented a paper, titled “Roanoke after Raleigh,” to the Society for the History of Discoveries, meeting in Raleigh, N.C., on Oct. 12. On behalf of the First Colony Foundation, Klingelhofer announced the important discovery at Fort Raleigh National Historic Site. Several acres of old land surfaces dating to the 16th-century period of the “Lost Colony” had been deeply buried by sand drifts and dunes. Until 2008, these buried soils had never been excavated, but are now known to contain artifacts from Sir Walter Raleigh’s colonists. 

Dr. Leona Kanter, professor of sociology, Dr. Eric Spears, director of International Programs, Dr. Beth Stewart, professor of art, and Liya Deng, Tarver Library, who lead the Asia Initiative Committee, organized the 2009 Understanding Russia Faculty Development Workshop held on Oct. 3, in cooperation with librarians Lee Twombly and Stanley Trembach. Invited speakers included Dr. Jamie Cockfield, history, Mercer University, Dr. Wallace Daniel, provost, Mercer University, and Dr. Jack Moran, history, Kennesaw State University. A special visual and musical gallery tour of Mussorsky’s famous “Pictures at an Exhibition” was created by Dr. Stewart and Dr. John Roberts, director of the School Music at Stephen F. Austin State University, Texas. The workshop attracted faculty from across the state.

Dr. Paul Lewis, associate professor in the Roberts Department of Christianity, attended a recent meeting on Educating for Personal and Social Responsibility, sponsored by the American Association of Colleges and Universities.  The meeting was held in Minneapolis Oct. 1-3.

Dr. Frank Macke, professor of communication studies and theatre, recently had a monograph, titled “Intrapersonal Communicology:  Reflection, Reflexivity, and Relational Consciousness in Embodied Subjectivity,” published as a chapter in Communicology: The New Science of Embodied Discourse, edited by Isaac Catt and Deborah Eicher-Catt (Madison, NJ:  Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 2010); and 2.  Macke was also invited to serve as an associate editor of the Atlantic Journal of Communication for the 2009-2010 academic year.

Scot J. Mann, assistant professor of communication studies and theatre director, recently choreographed swordplay and served as movement consultant for The Alliance Theatre Company’s production of “A Life in the Theatre,” starring Broadway’s Andre De Shields.  He also choreographed violence for Georgia Shakespeare’s critically acclaimed production of “Julius Caesar.” Mann traveled to Gainesville State College, where he taught a Theatrical Firearms Safety Certification course through the Society of American Fight Directors.  All 20 students and faculty participants successfully completed their final adjudication and received certification.  At Mercer, Mann directed and sound designed Mercer Theatre’s production of “An Enemy of the People” as part of the Caring for Creation Conference and performed an elaborate whip routine, titled “Whip Dance El Loco,” to benefit Mercer Arts for the Cure, a variety show in support of Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

Dr. Anya Silver, associate professor of English, had a poem, “Letter to Myself, in Remission, from Myself, Terminal,” published in the New Ohio Review.

Dr. Bryan J. Whitfield, assistant professor of Christianity, recently published “To See the Canon in a Grain of Sand: Preaching Jude,” in Word and World: Theology for Christian Ministry 29 (2009): 422-30. Whitfield was also the featured writer on lectionary readings for Hebrews and Romans for October for the Web site workingpreacher.org.

Dr. Marian Zielinski, professor of communication studies and theatre, recently had a fiber art piece accepted for inclusion in a book, titled 1000 Artisan Textiles, to be published in spring 2010.  Zielinski also won a second place award at the Middle Georgia Art Association’s show, “The Others: From Folk to Fiber” for her fiber art piece titled, “Woolgathering”, which is on display until Nov. 13.

Dr. Joseph T. Dye, assistant professor, and Dr. Michael W. Jann, professor, were awarded a grant for “Evaluating outcomes of long-acting antipsychotics in a rural healthcare setting” in the amount of $120,600 from Ortho-McNeil Janssen.

Dr. Chad M. VanDenBerg, clinical associate professor, was awarded a grant for “A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study, evaluating the effects of sustained release caffeine, immediate release caffeine, and placebo on vigilance and reaction time,” in the amount of $64,125 from Cognitive Research Corporation. 

Dr. Candace W. Barnett, professor, and Dr. Hewitt W. Matthews, professor and dean, co-published “Teaching evaluation practices in colleges and schools of pharmacy” in American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education 2009; 73(6): article 103.

Dr. Alan Culpepper, dean, was guest editor for the fall issue of Interpretation and contributed the lead article, titled “The Quest for the Church in the Gospel of John” (63, October 2009): 341-354.   Culpepper’s essay, “John 21:24-25: The Johannine Sphragis,” will be published next month in Jesus, John, and History, Volume 2 (Atlanta:  Society of Biblical Literature, 2009), 349-364.

School of Engineering

Dr. Hodge Jenkins, associate professor of mechanical engineering, recently published a co-authored paper, titled “Development of a Cascaded Controller for Temperature and Core Growth Rate in Vapour-Phase Axial Deposition,” in the September 2009 volume of the Journal of Systems and Control Engineering (of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers).

School of Medicine

Cheryl Gaddis, instructor and assistant preceptorship director in the Department of Community Medicine and associate director for programs and community engagement for the Center for Rural Health and Health Disparities, was invited to join the Omicron Delta Kappa National Leadership Honor Society and the Delta Epsilon Iota Academic Honor Society chapters at Georgia Southern University.

Dr. Edward C. Klatt, professor of pathology in the Department of Biomedical Sciences, Savannah campus, has authored the second edition of Robbins and Cotran Atlas of Pathology and the first edition of the Robbins and Cotran Test Bank. He has co-authored the third edition of the Robbins and Cotran Review of Pathology and the third edition of Robbins and Cotran Pathology Flash Cards, resources used worldwide in health science education.

Jan LaBeause, director, and Rita Smith, outreach and education coordinator, of the Medical Library and Peyton T. Anderson Learning Resources Center, co-authored a paper, titled “From GRID to Georgia Health - Go Local: Evolution of a Rural Health Care Services Locator,” that was presented at the Georgia Rural Health Association Annual Conference on Sept. 22 at Brasstown Valley. Other co-authors included Darra Ballance, learning resources coordinator for the Georgia Statewide AHEC, and Kent Guion, associate dean of allied health sciences at the Medical College of Georgia.

Dr. James F. Lawrence, assistant professor, received the national award for outstanding community service at this year's annual conference of the Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association (GAPNA) held in Savannah. This award is given annually to an individual who demonstrates a commitment to service in his/her work as an advocate and example of social responsiveness for the aging at the local and national levels. Dr. Lawrence serves as president of Georgia’s GAPNA chapter and member to GAPNA’s national board of directors. In June, Dr. Lawrence received this country’s most prestigious recognition for an advanced practice nurse when he was inducted as a Fellow into the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners at its annual conference held in Nashville, Tenn.

Dr. Nagendra Ningaraj, associate professor of pediatrics and internal medicine, recently co-authored two articles, titled “Role of KCNMA1 gene in breast cancer invasion and metastasis to brain,” and “KCa channel Modulation Increases Anticancer Drug Delivery to Brain Tumors Cancer Biology and Therapy,” which were published in BMC Cancer, 9:258: 1-11 and 8 (20), 1-10. Ningaraj also had an article, titled “Activation of KATP Channels Increases anticancer drug delivery to Brain Tumor and survival,” published in the European Journal of Pharmacology 602: 188-193.

Shirley A. Powell, technical director of histology curricular support laboratory in the pathology department, presented a workshop, titled “Get It All on the Slide – How to Prepare Macro Sections,” at the 35th Annual National Society for Histotechnology Symposium/Convention in Birmingham, Ala., Oct. 4. The workshop covered how to get whole organ or large specimens mounted onto slides utilizing paraffin processing, a sliding Microtome and routine staining methods. The resulting slide can be used for teaching and for archiving unusual tissue specimens.

Dr. Zhongbiao Wang, assistant professor in the Department of Surgery and Division of Basic Medical Sciences, was co-author on several presentations recently, including two that won awards. The two papers took awards in the Basic Science Research section at the Georgia Chapter of the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma paper competition. First place went to “Bacterial endotoxin induces vascular endothelial hyperpermeability through the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase signaling pathway,” with Dr. Eric L. Long, Lingwei Kong, Dr. Jing Kang, Dr. Dennis W. Ashley, Dr. Joe S. Robinson Jr. and Dr. Don K. Nakayama, and, in second place, “Heparin inhibits vascular endothelial cell apoptosis induced by bacterial endotoxin,” with Dr. Jason R. Chapman, Dr. Jing Kang, Dr. Lingwei Kong, Dr. Dennis W. Ashley, Dr. Joe S. Robinson Jr., and Dr. Don K. Nakayama. There were two selected oral presentations at the Surgical Forum of American College of Surgeons. The first, titled “Thrombin stimulates activity of matrix metalloproteinase-2 in microvascular endothelial cells through a mechanism involving protease-activated receptort-1 activation and protein synthesis,” with Dr. Andrew P. Bozeman, Dr. Vincent C. Scoglietti, Dr. Geary D. Bush, Lingwei Kong, Dr. Jing Kang, Dr. Joe S. Robinson Jr., and Dr. Don K. Nakayama. The second was titled “Thrombin-stimulated matrix metalloproteinase-2 activity in vascular endothelial cells involves protein synthesis and extracellular signal-regulated kinase activation,” with Dr. Vincent C. Scoglietti, Lingwei Kong, Dr. Jing Kang, Dr. Joe S. Robinson Jr., and Dr. Don K. Nakayama.

Tony Kemp, associate director of the office of academic and advising services, presented a paper during the National Academic Advising Association’s annual conference Sept. 30-Oct. 3 in San Antonio, Texas.  Faculty and administrators from across the U.S. and abroad had the opportunity to learn more about components of Mercer’s undergraduate system of academic advising.

Dr. Linda Brennan, professor of management, recently had an article, titled “Pervasive or Invasive? A Strategic Approach to IT-Enabled Access and Immediacy,” published in The Journal of Organizational and End User Computing (Volume 21, Number 4).

Dr. D. David McIntyre, associate professor, served as the chair for the Task Force that presented the 2009 Accounting and Auditing Conference for the third consecutive year. Along with the Task Force, Dr. McIntyre organized and subsequently hosted the conference on Oct. 2 at the Gwinnett Center in Duluth. The conference was presented by the Georgia Society of CPAs and is one of the primary conferences for accounting and auditing continuing education for certified public accountants in the state.

Dr. Steven McClung, associate professor of marketing, had two manuscripts published this fall. The first, titled "Offensive language spoken on morning radio programs," with Fitzgerald, M. and Sapolsky, S., was published in the Journal of Radio and Audio Media. Vol., 16, Issue 2. The second, titled "Examination of the causal effects between dimensions of service quality and spectator satisfaction in minor league baseball," with Koo, G., Hardin, R., Jung, T., Cronin, J., Vorhees, C. and Bourdeau, B. was published in the International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship. Volume 11.

Dr. Gina Miller, professor of marketing and associate dean, represented the School and participated in the 16th Annual PMBA Conference, Oct. 7-9 at The University of Texas at Dallas. The conference focused on institutional marketing and management in today’s challenging economic climate and individual leadership in a world with dramatically changing realities. 

Dr. Penelope Prime, professor, recently had an article, titled “China and India enter global markets: Comparing economic development and future prospects,” accepted for Eurasian Geography and Economics 20: 2009):1-29.  Prime also delivered a presentation, titled “U.S.-China Economic Relations,” at the Kiwanis Club of Northlake-DeKalb County, Sept. 8.  In addition, Dr. Prime has organized the Third Southeastern International/Development Economics Workshop, co-sponsored by the Stetson School of Business and Economics and The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. The conference will be held Friday, Dec. 4.  Prime was also recently interviewed for the Internet Legal Report concerning the reasons for China’s success and the reasons for not investing in the Chinese stock market.

Dr. Faye Sisk, associate professor of management and graduate program director, and Dr. Miller were interviewed on Oct. 14 for an upcoming issue of African American Women in Business and Career.  The monthly magazine will feature the Stetson School of Business and Economics in an article about women in business. Sisk and Miller were chosen for this interview based on their roles in the business school and well as their current research and presentations focusing on women in leadership roles.

Dr. Vijaya Subrahmanyam, professor, will co-present a paper, titled “Does non-interest income impact bank return and risk in emerging markets? The case of India,” at the Third Annual Southeastern International Development Conference, Dec. 4, at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, co-sponsored by the Stetson School of Business and Economics. Subrahmanyam will also co-present “Competitiveness in India and China: The FDI Puzzle,” at the IJEB International Conference on Indian Economic and Business Issues, Dec. 21 in India.  Subrahmanyam recently won the Best Paper Award for “Multinational Board Diversity and Firm Value” at the Academic Business World International Conference in Nashville, Tenn.

Dr. John Payne, assistant professor, and Dr. Colleen Stapleton, assistant professor of science in the College of Continuing and Professional Studies, co-presented a science education workshop on Oct. 6.  The workshop was the first in a series of science, mathematics and health workshops to be presented by Mercer faculty and funded by an internal Mercer grant from the Academic Initiatives Monetary Fund. 

Dr. Catherine M. Gardner, professor and chair of Henry and Douglas teacher education programs, Dr. Dana H. Lilly, professor of early childhood education, and Dawn Bacevic, of Henry County Schools, made a presentation, titled “Teaching the Implementation of Differentiated Instruction in a Hybrid Environment,” at the Georgia Association of Teacher Educators 2009 Conference in Jekyll Island on Oct. 9.

Dr. William Lacefield, professor of mathematics education, and several graduate teacher education students presented "50 Fabulous Ways to Integrate Mathematics and Literature in Grades Pre-K-3" at the annual conference of the Georgia Council of Teachers of Mathematics, held Oct. 15-17 at Rock Eagle Conference Center in Eatonton.  Dr. Lacefield and another group of graduate teacher education students presented "Linking Mathematics and Literature in the Middle Grades: Standards-Based Strategies" at the same conference. Dr. Lacefield also presented "Electronic Portfolios in Mathematics Teacher Education" at the annual conference of the Georgia Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators, Oct. 14, at Rock Eagle.

Dr. Douglas Hill, professor of music and director of undergraduate studies and instrumental ensembles, performed as a member of the newly formed Mercer Faculty Brass Quintet on Sept. 15 in the Neva Fickling Recital Hall with Mercer adjunct brass faculty: Jonathan Swygert, trumpet, Jay Hanselman, horn, Tom Gibson, trombone, and Eric Bubacz, tuba.  Dr. Hill also, as the advisor to The Mercer University Collegiate Music Educators National Conference Chapter, hosted the south site state CMENC Mini-Conference in the McCorkle Music Building on Oct. 3 with chapters from six universities across Georgia in attendance.  In addition, Hill led a panel discussion with area music educators for the student participants. Dr. Richard Kosowski, assistant professor of music, and Dr. Marcus Reddick, assistant professor of music, also presented clinics at the conference. Dr. Hill and Mercer Wind Ensemble members provided an information table for prospective students at the Heart of Georgia Band Contest in Warner Robins McConnell-Talbert Stadium on Oct. 24.  In addition, Hill, as a member of the Colony IV Brass, performed in the All Saints Sunday Service at First Presbyterian Church in Macon on Oct. 25.

University Libraries

Julie Poole, coordinator of center library services and instructor in the division of library services, presented “Creating Smaller, More Usable Collections” at the Georgia Council of Media Organizations 2009 Conference in Columbus on Oct.8.

Walter F. George School of Law

David Hricik, professor, gave a panel discussion Oct. 15 on ethical issues in patent practice with attorney John Steele at the Large Law Firm Symposium sponsored by Aon Global Insurance.

Linda Jellum, professor, served as moderator Oct. 22-23 for a panel, titled “Arbitrariness Review in the Roberts Court,” which was part of the American Bar Association’s Section of Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice Fall Administrative Law Conference in Washington, D.C.

David Ritchie, associate professor, developed and hosted an intercultural exchange program for 17 Brazilian federal judges from all over Brazil.  The program, which ran from Sept. 15 – 24, was an opportunity for the students and faculty of the law school to interact with the judges and learn about the Brazilian legal system.  The judges were also exposed to legal education in the U.S. and were able to view trials in the state and federal courts in Macon.  More information on the program, visit http://law.mercer.edu/news/ARTICLE/?pkid=249.

Jack Sammons, Griffin B. Bell Professor of Law, presented a paper on Oct. 22, titled “The Law’s Melody” at The Scarpa Conference on Law, Politics, and Culture at Villanova Law School. The conference was held in honor of the work of Professor Joseph Vining, University of Michigan School of Law.