AWARDS/HONORS

Media Resources Center’s Video Services received the 2015 Consortium of Colleges and University Media Centers Best Training Video at the annual conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The “WSU Pre-Advising 2015” training video was produced for the Office of Student Success at WSU. Curt Rierson led the project as producer, editor, motion graphic artist, animator and graphic design. Rierson, along with Garrick Enright and Colton Howard, served as videographers. Kim Sandlin, director of the Office of Student Success, scripted and consulted on the video. The video can be viewed on YouTube at https://youtu.be/Ikr-iXeW1JU.

The College of Education and Wichita Public Schools have been selected to receive the 2015 Dr. Shirley S. Schwartz Urban Education Impact Award, for the Wichita State University Professional Development School Program. The award is presented by the Council of the Great City Colleges of Education, an affiliate group of deans working with urban school leaders. For more information, go to http://bit.ly/1L3Xu44.

Douglas Parham, associate professor, Communication Sciences and Disorders, received the Honors of the Association at the Kansas Speech-Language and Hearing Association’s (KSHA) 2015 Annual Conference. The honor recognizes KSHA members who have made distinguished contributions and service to the field and the association.

The Community Psychology Doctoral program received the Excellence in Education Award from the Society for Community Research and Action/Division of Community Psychology (American Psychological Association) in recognition of long-standing, exemplary graduate education in Community Psychology.

Mary Waters has been named the new Melba V. Hughes Endowed Professor in English. The professorship provides a stipend that she will use to pursue innovative work in the field of digital humanities.

Associate Professor Preethika Kumar, electrical engineering, was awarded the 2015 C. Holmes MacDonald Outstanding Teacher Award. This award goes to one electrical engineering professor each year who demonstrates special dedication and creativity in their teaching. To read the full story on Kumar, go to http://bit.ly/1FntF8U.

Professor Dharma deSilva received the Distinguished Global Leadership Award from the Pan-Pacific Academy for his work in advancing global management education and practice.

Nursing Professor Betty Smith-Campbell received the Excellence in Leadership Award from the nursing honor society Sigma Theta Tau International, Epsilon Gamma-at-large Chapter for the spring of 2015.

GRANTS

Pu Wang of the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science department received a $300,000 grant from the National Science Foundation. The grant will be used to research the potential for increasing the capacity of data transmissions using the “cloud.”

Assistant psychology professor Jibo He and assistant electrical engineering and computer science professor Murtuza Jadliwala have been awarded a $380,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to investigate cybersecurity and privacy issues for wearable devices.

Joseph Mau, professor in the Department of Counseling, Educational Leadership, Educational and School Psychology, has received a Fulbright Scholarship to study what factors influence students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math. The study will be conducted among Taiwanese students at Tung Hai University in Taiwan. The Fulbright program is designed to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields.

PRESENTATIONS

Chinyere Okafor, professor of Women’s Studies and Religion, is invited to give a keynote paper at the Social Science International conference at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Awka, Nigeria in December. The invitation was motivated by the publication of Okafor’s book on gender and communication.

Doris Chang, professor of Women’s Studies and Religion, was invited by the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Asia Program to speak at the conference “What Women Want, What Women Need: Challenges and Opportunities for Female Leaders and Executives is East Asia,” in Washington, D.C.

Gayla Lohfink, Curriculum and Instruction, and Rick Pappas, Human Performance Studies, presented “Movement in the Classroom: Enhancing Literacy Learning” on Oct. 5, at the Kansas Reading Conference, in Manhattan, Kansas.

Kenneth Kriz, professor of public finance, opened “Economic Opportunity in Kansas,” a conference discussing upcoming economic policy. Kriz discussed the state of the economy and economic opportunity in Kansas.

Donna Sayman and Johnnie Thompson from Curriculum & Instruction gave a presentation titled “‘Sometimes I Feel Very White; but Usually I Feel Mexican’: Exploring the Land in the Middle – Napantla – of Biracial Latina Resilience,” at the National Association of Multicultural Education conference on Oct. 1-4 in New Orleans.

Communication Sciences and Disorders faculty members Anthony DiLollo, Brian Ray, Julie Scherz and Joanna Wyckoff gave presentations at the Kansas Speech-Language and Hearing Association’s (KSHA) 2015 Annual Conference.

Professor Michael Rogers, Human Performance Studies, gave four presentations at the International Conference on Therapy and Exercise in Vancouver, Canada. The presentations were “Effects of Kinesiology Tape on Proprioception,” “Effects of Kinesiology Tape on Balance,” “A comparison of elastic resistance exercise training and conventional resistance training in overweight/obese patients” and “Effects of deep stripping massage combined with eccentric resistance on quadriceps pain threshold, peak torque angle, strength and flexibility in university recreational athletes.”

Ann Walenta Faculty of Distinction Endowed Professor Mark Laycock was the featured clinician at the fall workshop of the Georgia Chapter of the American String Teachers Association. Working with approximately 80 public schools and private string teachers throughout the state, Laycock presented a conducting master class and a session focused on rehearsal techniques.

PUBLICATIONS

Jennifer Stone and Susan Bray, College of Education, published the chapter “Trauma and Young Children: How the Problem Plays Out,” in the book series “Advances in Early Childhood Education and Day Care” volume 19.

Robert Weems, William W. Garvey distinguished professor, assisted in the writing of the Kansas African American Museum’s publication “African Americans in Wichita.” The book is a part of the images of America series, and celebrates African Americans of Wichita who built a strong foundation of self-reliance and community advocacy.

Jason Li, counseling professor, College of Education, co-authored three articles recently published in education journals. The articles, “Mental health consultation: An untapped tool for facilitating potentially volatile intercultural diversity group dialogues” and “Raising cultural awareness of fifth-grade students through multicultural education: An action research study,” were published in Multicultural Education. “Training neighborhood residents to conduct a survey” was published in the Journal of Higher Education and Outreach Engagement.

Professor Michael Rogers, Human Performance Studies, published “Effects of customized balance exercise on older women whose balance ability has deteriorated with age” in the Journal of Women and Aging. To read the article, go to http://bit.ly/1PtDiIR. He also published “Shoulder muscle activation during stable and suspended push-ups at different heights in healthy subjects” in the journal Physical Therapy in Sport. To read the article, go to http://1.usa.gov/1KvjFyO. Rogers and Professor Jeremy Patterson, also of Human Performance Studies, co-authored “Effect of massage combined with eccentric resistance on ankle flexibility and balance in adults aged 50-65 years,” which they presented at the Fourth International Congress on Fascia Research in Washington.

Professors Susan Stewart Bray and Marline Schommer-Aikins, Department of Counseling, Educational Leadership, Educational and School Psychology, were published in the flagship journal for the counseling profession, Journal of Counseling and Development. The article, “School counselors’ ways of knowing social orientation in relation to poverty beliefs,” appeared in the July issue.

NEW APPOINTMENTS

The Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science added three faculty members this fall. Ali Eslami is teaching Error Control Coding, Sergio Salinas Monroy is teaching Data Communication Networks and Manira Rani is teaching Introduction to Digital Design and Assembly Language Programming.

Angela Gaughan recently began a new position at the Center for Community Support and Research coordinating the day-to-day tasks of the WSU AmeriCorps VISTA Project. CCSR has 14 VISTAs placed in Newton, Lawrence and Wichita, with 10 more being added by March.

Chad Childs started at CCSR as the Prevention Systems Project Coordinator. He will be coordinating and supporting a statewide network for behavioral health prevention and promotion in collaboration with communities, multiple state partners and Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services.

MISCELLANEOUS

The Center for Community Support and Research Vista Fellows Project recently coordinated placement for 14 VISTAs (Volunteers in Service to America) in Wichita, Newton and Lawrence. To learn more, go to http://bit.ly/1R0f9L3.

The College of Health Professions’ Department of Physical Therapy celebrated its 40th anniversary this year. An alumni banquet was held in celebration on Oct. 24, at the Hughes Metropolitan Complex.

The School of Nursing hosted its second annual Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (ARPN) continuing education conference. Conference Chairwoman Patricia Dwyer says the presession workshops are being added this year to provide nurses with more opportunities to obtain the latest information.

IN THE NEWS

Professor Elaine Steinke, School of Nursing, gave an interview providing information and insight on the risk of sexual activity and heart attacks. To read the article, go to http://bit.ly/1KAhBlP.

Two professors in Human Performance Studies were quoted on the front page of the Wichita Eagle last month. Jeremy Patterson was quoted about the Master in Innovation Design degree program, and Rick Pappas was quoted in an article on the importance of recess in schools. To read the articles, go to http://bit.ly/1XYwkBi or http://bit.ly/1fw8SsA, respectively.

EMERITUS FACULTY

Randolph A. Ellsworth has received emeritus faculty designation, Professor Emeritus of the Department of Counseling, Educational Leadership, Educational and School Psychology.

IN MEMORIAM

Calvin Garth Noah, 90, died Oct. 18 after a lengthy battle with Parkinson’s disease. Noah was a retired WSU geology professor, Kansas Oil operator, farmer and geologist. He is survived by his wife, Joan; daughter, Kitt Cunningham; sons, Mark and Scott; grandson, Britt Cunningham; sister, Rasemary Hillman; and many nieces and nephews.

Charlyne Janet Chadwick, 88, retired bookkeeper for Wichita State University Payroll Department, passed away Sept. 15. She is survived by her children, Larry Chadwick (Diane), Carol Herter (Robert); grandchildren, Andrea, Lucas, Edward, Lucy, Meredith and Joe; and sister, Valera Vohs.

Mary Elain Conrad, 80, retired head of the Medical Technology Department for Wichita State University, died Sept. 21. Conrad is survived by daughters and sons-in-law, Suzanne and Richard Hostert, Jennifer and Sean Pickett, Tracy and Robert Armstrong and Katherine Conrad; brother, Francis Cordes; and sisters, Janice Cheray, Lois Chambers and Rosemary Harman.

Louis Guillette Jr., 60, died Aug. 6. Guillette taught at Wichita State University in the ‘80s, and is best known for his research into the endocrine disruption in alligators, which he linked to consequences in human health. Guillette was honored with environmental awards throughout his life, but believed that science was about people – building relationships, fostering creativity and providing opportunity.

Willard Klunder, 68, died Sept. 24. Klunder worked at WSU from 1986-2015 as a history professor. He is survived by his wife, Kathy; daughters, Kristin, Catherine and Erica Klunder; mother, Dorothy Pollack; brothers, Scott Klunder, Walter and Jim Pollack; and sister, Paula Dwyer.