JMU Research, Scholarship & Creative
Endeavors
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Greetings from James Madison University!
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Michael Busing, who on
January 2nd assumed the role of dean of the JMU College of Business (COB)
. Busing has been a member of the COB faculty since 1996, teaching courses in the Computer Information Systems & Business Analytics Department, while also serving as the director of MBA Programs and associate dean for the college. Dean Busing will look to advance COB’s nationally recognized programs by engaging with the more than 32,000 COB alumni, implementing mentoring and coaching programs to increase career readiness, and leading the final stages of development of the College of Business Learning Complex, scheduled to open in 2020.
The Center for International Stabilization and Recovery (CISR) participated in the “Countering Explosive Hazards and Demining Symposium” held in London, England. Communications Manager Heather Holsinger, and Managing Editor Jennifer Risser attended the December conference, which focused on cooperation between humanitarian and military explosive hazards clearance operations in post-conflict and near post-conflict settings. Additionally, don’t miss CISR’s
latest issue of The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction
.
Recently, a group of volunteers spent part of their weekend
picking up trash and tidying the Shenandoah National Park
.
Led by Alleyn Harned, Director of Virginia Clean Cities at JMU, the group wanted to make a positive difference while much of the park staff were furloughed during the government shutdown. “The national parks are a treasure. They’re something we all appreciate,” said Harned.
As part of the Virginia Provosts’ Initiative for Economic Development, Research & Scholarship is partnering with Purdue University’s Agile Strategy Lab to bring the Strategic Doing for Entrepreneurial Mindset and Skillset Development initiative to community members in GO Virginia Regions 3 and 8. Strategic Doing is a methodology that helps groups identify desired strategic outcomes, develop a path to reaching those outcomes, and quickly move into implementation. More than 20 members of the business, nonprofit, government, and academic communities attended the introductory workshop on January 18th, held at the Ice House in downtown Harrisonburg.
Best wishes for a happy and productive 2019!
Office of Research & Scholarship
James Madison University
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School of Art, Design and Art History student Joanna Pottle with fellow Studio Krakow artists in Poland.
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For a monthly listing of recent faculty grant awards, please visit the
Madison Scholar website
. Here are some notable awards from November and December 2018:
Elizabeth Arnold (mathematics and statistics) received $84,542 from the Mathematical Association of America to develop annotated lesson plans and research statistic lessons with the Mathematical Education of Teachers as an Application of Undergraduate Mathematics (META Math) Project.
Jolynne Bartley (Institute for Innovation in Health and Human Services) was awarded $233,361 to ensure that all migrant students reach challenging academic standards and graduate with a high school diploma or complete a GED that prepares them for responsible citizenship, further learning, and productive employment.
Christopher Clinard and Erin Piker (communication sciences and disorders) received $28,028 from the American Hearing Research Foundation to establish a more efficient cVEMP stimulus for use across the lifespan and to utilize novel approaches that will allow for a more detailed investigation of age-related changes throughout the peripheral and central vestibular system.
Jaime Lee (communication sciences and disorders) received $36,510 to evaluate whether a computerized speech-language treatment delivered by a virtual therapist results in improved written communication skills of study participants with aphasia.
Ken Rutherford (Center for International Stabilization and Recovery) received $400,000 from the U.S. Department of State to encourage and stimulate the support of programs undertaken by the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs' Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement (PM/WRA) by acting as an information clearinghouse on mine action and conventional weapons destruction (CWD) issues through identifying, gathering, managing, and distributing information.
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History Professor Appears on Hit TLC Show
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Rebecca Brannon, associate professor of history, appeared as a subject matter expert on TLC’s
Who Do You Think You Are?
, a series that explores the family trees of celebrities and their unique stories. A scholar of the American Revolution, Dr. Brannon joined three other historians during the most recent episode (no. 78), which traced actor and dancer Matthew Morrison’s roots to South Carolina and Georgia, where he learned of his sixth great grandfather’s activities as a Loyalist (those who supported the British cause during the American revolutionary period) during the early years of the American War of Independence. Dr. Brannon revealed documentation of Capt. James Lindley’s capture, imprisonment, and release in the Ninety Six region of western South Carolina.
Brannon developed an interest in the Loyalists while studying peace-making in the immediate aftermath of the September 11th attacks, and is the author of the 2016 book –
From Revolution to Reunion: The Reintegration of the South Carolina Loyalists
– and the soon to be published work (February 2019) –
The Consequences of Loyalism: Essays in Honor of Robert M. Calhoon
.
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Water Quality Research and K-12 Outreach in Waynesboro
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ISAT 112 students (Environmental Issues in Science and Technology) analyze samples from Newman Lake to test for water quality (for example, water temperature, water clarity, and dissolved oxygen).
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Dr. Thomas Benzing, professor in the School of Integrated Sciences, maintains a research program focused on water quality and habitat restoration, most notably in the City of Waynesboro’s South River, which became contaminated with mercury as a result of industrial pollution from the 1930s through 1950s. Benzing first became involved with the Waynesboro community through JMU’s Professor-in-Residence (PIR) program, which promotes postsecondary study and college aspirations of Virginia high school students, especially students who have historically lacked sufficient opportunities for attending college. At Waynesboro High School, Benzing’s PIR activities include field trips to the South River at Ridgeview Park to sample macroinvertebrates (stream insects) and conduct water quality tests. Further engaging the local community, Benzing is currently part of a regional initiative to create a branch campus of the Virginia Museum of Natural History in downtown Waynesboro. A facility to interpret the region’s natural history would have a significant impact on the Waynesboro economy and provide interactive and dynamic educational programs for the Central Shenandoah region and out of town visitors.
Read the full story
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Art Student Explores Trauma During Residency in NYC
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Summer Undergraduate Residency Program Exhibition at the New York Academy of Art.
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Joanna Pottle, an art studio and art history double major in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, attended two artistic residencies during the summer of 2018. Pottle participated in the New York Academy of Art’s Summer Undergraduate Residency Program in New York City, where she created a body of work analyzing various forms of trauma and abuse. Through a graduate coursework component, Pottle also studied anatomy and drawing/painting from life, allowing her to hone her technical skills distorting, contorting, and abstracting the human form.
Umbau, a guerilla studio in Krakow, Poland hosted Pottle’s second residency, with a focus on silkscreen printing. Working alongside artists, designers, architects, and teachers, Pottle connected with a community with deep roots in exploring trauma as subject matter, an ongoing topic within her portfolio. Establishing a network abroad in Poland provided Pottle an opportunity to connect with several art institutions, and culminated in both a Fulbright application for the 2019-2020 academic year (she is currently a semifinalist) and travel grants from JMU’s Center for Global Engagement and Honors College to return to Krakow in March. Pottle said of the experiences, “Both residencies allowed me the freedom to explore my work without the constraints of being in a full course load and working, while providing exceptional studio space, a strong artistic community, and promising opportunities after graduation.”
The Office of Research & Scholarship, Honors College, and College of Visual and Performing Arts provided financial support for Pottle’s scholarly travel in 2018.
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University Researchers and Scientists from Jefferson Lab Attend Physics Workshop
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During the Fall 2018 semester, the JMU Physics & Astronomy Department hosted a workshop to discuss new ideas and measurements focused on quark hadron duality. The two and a half day event included top experts in the field from JMU, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Jefferson Lab in Newport News, and several U.S. and international academic institutions. The workshop became a nexus where participants with long established credentials in the field as well as younger students seeking opportunities to further develop their research skills and understanding of advanced physics topics came together, debated recent developments, and charted potential avenues for discovery. Professor Ioana Niculescu, who organized and led the effort, commented that, "Hosting this event in Harrisonburg was an implicit acknowledgment of the role the JMU faculty continue to play at Jefferson Lab and in the quark hadron duality community."
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Marketing Professor Authors Water Conservation Study
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Marketing faculty member Janna Parker was the lead author on the article “Water conservation behavior: is what we say what we do?” Published in the
Journal of Consumer Marketing
, “…the research team examined which would be more effective in reducing water consumption rates [among students at a medium-sized university]: an indirect persuasive advertisement with a green appeal campaign alone (soliciting social norms toward water consumption) or an eco-feedback technology (allowing control over behavior) accompanied by an indirect persuasive advertisement with a green appeal to consumers (dormitory residents).” Results of the study showed that “student water conservation behaviors were not congruent with the participants’ self-reported behaviors,” and that “eco-feedback technology and advertisements may result in significant cost savings (for institutions).” This novel approach is one of the first marketing studies to use field research to better understand conservation behaviors.
Read the full article
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Undergraduate Health Sciences Students Present Research
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Faculty from the Department of Health Sciences (Stephanie Baller, Dayna Henry, Aimee Johnson, Tracey Thomas, and Erika Collazo-Vargas) organized an undergraduate research symposium for students enrolled in HTH 408. Health Research Methods. The symposium, held at the end of each semester, provides an opportunity for student teams to display and present posters of their original research projects. Through course work and the group project experience, students gain valuable knowledge of data collection and analysis methods while learning the necessary requirements and protections for engaging in human subject research, skills not often applied at the undergraduate level.
185 students representing 37 research teams participated in the December 2018 symposium. A panel of faculty judges selected a top project (
Dating App Usage and Sexual Behavior Among College Students
) and top poster (
Predictors of Student Support for National Anthem Protests
). This high-impact learning experience prepares students to contribute to evidence-based research and practice in graduate school and their future careers.
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Donors Fund Endowed Faculty Chair
for Exceptional Education
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During the public launch of
Unleashed: The Campaign for James Madison University
, Joseph (‘76, ‘77M) and Pamela Craun ('77) Damico announced a $1 million gift to the College of Education. The generous gift from the Damico Family Foundation will endow a Faculty Chair for Exceptional Education, supporting faculty efforts to prepare students to educate children with special needs. “With this gift, we envision better ways of connecting research to practice. We see potential for meaningful, ongoing and deepened connections to our communities and educational partners,” said Bill White, unit head of the Department of Educational Foundations and Exceptionalities.
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Students Pitch Startup Ideas to Investors
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Click the photo above to view the "Creating the Venture" video, which showcases interdisciplinary teams of JMU students learning the process of entrepreneurship and how to “pitch” startup ideas. Through hands-on mentorship from faculty and the Leslie Flanary Gilliam Center for Entrepreneurship, the students spent hours refining their business plans, practicing and improving their presentation skills, and learning to tailor their ideas to the investor. Describing the process, music major Sophia Harrison ('20) said, “I’ve had such a great experience working with the engineers, which is a group that I don’t get to work with a lot as a music major and a musician, so it’s been a great collaboration experience.”
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