Dr. Rita Shah, assistant professor of sociology, published her article, “Expanding The Community: An Exploratory Analysis of an American Parole Office’s Location and its Impact on Parolees“, in the British Journal of Criminology (BJC). BJC is a top-ranked journal in the area of criminology and penology.
Dr. Jean Pretz, Dr. Tamera Humbert and Dr. Michael Roy published research on intuition in the paper, “Development and Validation of a New Measure of Intuition: The Types of Intuition Scale.” The paper was published in the Journal of Behavioral Decision Making. Pretz, associate professor of psychology, led this collaborative multi-year effort, which included data collected from Elizabethtown students in occupational therapy and music. Coauthors include Humbert, associate professor of occupational therapy; Roy, associate professor of psychology; and Meghan Jones ’12, psychology major. The findings show the aspects of intuition that aid in decision making and which aspects are associated with poorer performance. The abstract can be accessed here.
Dr. Nobuaki Takahashi, assistant professor of Japanese, presented “The Impact of Explicit Instruction of Corrective Feedback Techniques on Peer Interaction in JFL Classroom: Frequency, Interpretation and Preference” on Nov. 21 at the 2014 American Council on The Teaching of Foreign Languages Annual Convention in San Antonio, Texas.
Dr. Kyle Kopko, assistant professor of political science, was quoted in the Pittsburgh Tribune Review regarding the prosecution of PA House of Representative members and the failure of the Attorney General’s Office to pursue the case. Kopko also gave a public presentation at the Elizabethtown Church of the Brethren on the topic of gun regulation on Jan. 11. His lecture was titled, “The Second Amendment: Historic and Contemporary Interpretations.” On Nov. 20, 2014, the Elizabethtown Borough Council voted unanimously to appoint Kopko as a member of the Elizabethtown Borough Planning Commission. His term as a commissioner began Jan. 1, 2015, and expires on Dec. 31, 2018.
Dr. Joseph Mahoney, professor in psychology, edited a special issue for the journal “New Direction in Youth Development.” The issue is titled “A practical guide to the science and practice of afterschool programming.”
Left to Right: Casey Meier, Dr. Anya Goldina, and Samuel Thalathoti
Dr. Anya Goldina, visiting assistant professor of biology, and students Casey Meier ’15 and Samuel Thalathoti ’15, presented their research at the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB) Conference in West Palm Beach, Florida, Jan. 3-7. Thalathoti and Meier received positive feedback for their work. Thalathoti was selected as the winner for The Crustacean Society Award for Best Student Poster. Thalathoti and Meier have been working in Dr. Goldina’s lab for the past two years on the role of social experience in modifying behavior. Thalathoti and Meier worked with different crayfish species to understand how different aspects of social experience and the neurotransmitter serotonin modify crayfish aggression.
Dr. Michael Swanson, director of theatre and dance and associate professor of theatre, was voted best director by BroadwayWorld.Com. Central Pennsylvania theatregoers, voting on a number of local theatre awards, voted Dr. Swanson the best director of a play in the area for his direction of Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman” at the Ephrata Performing Arts Center in September 2014. “Salesman” was also voted best play of the year. Two cast members earned best actor awards. Another actress lighting designer Richard Wolf-Spencer, associate professor of theatre, also were nominated for BroadwayWorld.com awards.
Dr. Fletcher McClellan, professor of political science and dean of faculty, presented a paper, “Effects of Curriculum Reform in Political Science on Student Learning and Institutional Change at a Small College: Ten Years of Outcomes Assessment Implementation and Results,” at the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association Teaching and Learning Conference in Washington D.C., Jan. 16-18.
Milton Friedly, professor of art, performed two, one-person shows. He exhibited, Harrowed Fields, a new series of clay works at the Rose Lehrman Gallery at Harrisburg Area Community College and his series Wireless at the Knauer Gallery at West Chester University. He currently is presenting exhibits in the Blackberry Farms Galleries at Maryville (Tennessee) College. The exhibition runs through March 2, 2015.
Point Blank: A Novel of the Civil War, by Dr. Carmine Sarracino, professor of English, has been accepted for publication by The Wild Rose Press. The main character is based on Louisa May Alcott, who served for a time as a nurse in a hospital in Washington just after the Battle of Fredericksburg. The other characters are based on historical figures as well. More than just a period piece, the novel is a page-turner, involving early drug trafficking, espionage and murder. The novel will be released simultaneously in electronic format and paperback. The first two chapters are available at his website.
Dr. Jeffery Long, professor of religion and Asian studies, has signed a contract with Bloomsbury Publishing to write a book on the history and practice of Hinduism in America. The title is Hinduism in America: A Convergence of Worlds. Publication is anticipated in 2017.
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