FACULTY AND STAFF ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND BEST PRACTICES // February 2025

Eric Mazur's chapter, "The Impact of Off-Earth Relocation and Settlement on Geo-Oriented Religious Traditions: Judaism as Case Study,” was published in SPACE, PHILOSOPHY and ETHICS (ed. Bill H.U. Anderson; p. 43-61).

Bill McConnell published a program evaluation of Year 2 of his NOAA-funded project, "Shared Waters," in the online NOAA Institutional Repository. The article was titled, "Shared Waters Year Two: An upstream-downstream collaborative."

Taryn Myers created four interactive case studies for Psychopathology: Science and Practice: Dr. Hatahali: Research is the heart of what we do; Isa’s Case: I don’t see the point in living; Michael and Sarah’s Case: A source of embarrassment; Gabriela’s Case: Academic underachievement. Myers was also a coauthor on the journal article "Life Satisfaction around the World: Measurement Invariance of the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) Across 65 Nations, 40 Languages, Gender Identity, and Age Groups" in the journal PLOS One (along with 200+ collaborators.)

Chris Haley and Elizabeth Malcolm published the article, "Virginia Heat Watch: Collaboration to assess climate vulnerability at local to regional scales," in the journal Urban Climate along with co-authors from other VFIC institutions. The study of urban heat patterns within 10 locations across Virginia identified correlations between socioeconomic factors and elevated summer heat.

President Scott D. Miller serves as executive editor for the President to President thought leadership series. The seventh chapter of the 2024–2025 series is now available online. In “Thoughtful Transitions,” President Lisa Marsh Ryerson of Southern New Hampshire University shares thought-provoking advice about how to make higher education leadership transitions successful while remaining steadfast to the commitment of putting students first. She highlights the need for “radical collaboration” that respects the institutional history, values, and culture that make the university unique.

President Miller's most recent article in Enrollment Manager, with co-author Dr. Katelyn Sanders, Director of Admission & Alumni Affairs at the Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy of Shenandoah University, entitled, “Tips For Troubleshooting Students’ Enrollment Decision-Making Process,” is now available online. His daily blog, Dialogue, can be found at prezscottmiller.blogspot.com.

Abe Nemon delivered a presentation titled, "Genre-Style Pedagogy and Generative AI: The Forest, Not the Trees," at the January meeting of the Southside/Peninsula/Richmond Instructional Group (SPRInG) at the VCU James Cabell Library.

Annika Quick presented, "Urbanization effects on stream dissolved organic carbon and water quality across seasons and storm events," at the fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union in Washington DC.

Elizabeth Malcolm presented a poster co-authored with Chris Haley at the American Geophysical Union Meeting, titled "Addressing Extreme Heat Inequity in Four Virginia Communities with Targeted and Collaborative Local Urban Tree Planting Projects Through an Undergraduate-Centered Research." They were also co-authors on the poster "Virginia Heat Watch: Collaboration to Assess Climate Vulnerability at Multiple Scales for 10 Virginia Communities."

OTHER

Drian Glyde and Travis Malone have entered VWU students for the IACBE ACAM Live Virtual Case Competition, a 5-week program resulting in project-based, reference-worthy experiential learning. The students will design a go-to-market strategy for the client - WealthFluent. Prizes include cash, internships, and full-time positions.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Students in Sally Shedd’s HUM 201 Travel in the Humanities: Performance and "The Park" participated in the painting of a mural as part of EPCOT’s International Festival of the Arts. They were also able to explore other festival offerings and while in Walt Disney World, met with VWU alum Graham Wilson and witnessed his work on the Happily Ever After fireworks show at the Magic Kingdom.

Students in Doug Kennedy's SRM 348 Maui Sea to Sky: Adventure travel's impact on culture and the environment, worked side-by-side and knee deep in mud with members of the Kipahulu Ohana in the cultivation of their Taro! VWU has partnered with this grassroots Hawaiian nonprofit organization dedicated to the cultural sustainability of the Kipahulu moku in East Maui, Hawaii, for more than 30 years.