FACULTY AND STAFF ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND BEST PRACTICES // September 2026 | | |
Tyler A. Lehrer published a review of Alexander McKinley's book "Mountain at a Center of the World: Pilgrimage and Pluralism in Sri Lanka" (Colombia University Press, 2024) in the Journal of Religion.
Taryn Myers published the manuscript "The impact of weight loss approach on stigma" in the APA journal Stigma and Health with collaborators Lauren Stutts of Davidson College and Kerstin Blomquist of Furman University.
| | |
In the Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception (Berlin: De Gruyter Press, 2026), Terry Lindvall published two entries: "Orphans" (Volume 24) and "Prayer" (Volume 25).
Kathy Merlock Jackson published a review of Worlds of Wonder: Celebrating the Great Classics of Children's Literature, edited by Daniel Hahn, in Children's Literature Association Quarterly, 50:3.
| | |
Bloomsbury Academic has published The Portrayal of Animals in Disney Culture, edited by Kathy Merlock Jackson, Kathy Shepherd Stolley, and Mark I. West, the most recent title in its Disney and Culture series. This interdisciplinary collection, which explores the interconnections between Disney Studies and Animal Studies, includes three essays by Batten University faculty members: "Rattled, Reformed, Derided, and Redeemed: The Freewheeling and Eclectic History of Disney's Rats and Mice" by Terry Lindvall, "Insects in Disney's Menagerie" by Kathy Shepherd Stolley, and "Disney Adults and Their Dogs" by Kathy Merlock Jackson. The book's cover was designed by Chicago artist Lucie Van der Elst, Kathy Merlock Jackson's daughter-in-law. The volume debuted at #21 in the category of "Animated Movies and Video" on Kindle.
Bill McConnell published evaluative findings from his three-year NOAA funded program in the Journal of Virginia Science Education. The paper is entitled, “Shared Waters: An Upstream, Downstream Collaborative.”
| | |
Levi Tenen published an opinion piece in the Arizona Republic on how to allocate the Colorado River more justly. Three other outlets have republished his views.
Sara Ryan's prose poem, "The End of Dust" was featured in Fish Girl Collective.
Mindy Gumpert and Bill McConnell published the book chapter, "Instructional Leadership in Action: Implementing a District-Wide Environmental Curriculum," based on their NOAA-funded environmental education work with Isle of Wight County third-grade teachers. The chapter provides a real-world case study of instructional leadership for aspiring and current educational leaders.
| |
Jennifer Slivka published a chapter titled, "'Something New and Uncomfortably Familiar': Sally Rooney's Elusive Play with Genre," in "Sally Rooney: Perspectives and Approaches" edited by Ellen Scheible and Barry Devine. The peer-reviewed edited collection was published by Bucknell University Press in June 2026.
| | |
April Christman and Benjamin Dobrin presented a workshop, "Social Work Power in Redefining Police-Mental Health Crisis Response" at the 2026 National Association of Social Workers Annual Conference held in Washington D.C. This presentation was reviewed and approved by the Association of Social Work Boards Approved Continuing Education program to award attendees 1.5 continuing education hours toward clinical license renewal.
| |
April Christman developed and co-facilitated a training on Cultural Competence in Social Work Practice alongside Benjamin Dobrin for leadership staff at the Virginia Beach Community Development Corporation. Grounded in ecological systems theory and intersectionality, the training aimed to strengthen cultural humility across service delivery.
| | |
April Christman, Benjamin Dobrin, and social work student, Emily Moore, presented on the experiential learning opportunities in Batten University's Bachelor of Social Work program at Chalice Christian Church's community open house. Description of internship partnerships and student experiences sought to recruit agency partners and future social work students.
| | |
Maury Howard presented, "Lessons Learned Developing a Networked CURE for Sophomore Analytical Chemistry," in a facilitated half-day faculty workshop, "The μCURE Network - Empowering Faculty to Implement a Low-Cost, Adaptable CURE into Analytical Chemistry Courses" at Biennial Conference on Chemical Education (BCCE), Madison, WI with the following collaborators: Rebecca Hunter, The College of New Jersey; Kimberley Frederick, Skidmore College; Kelly Neiles, St. Mary's College Maryland.
| | |
The C. S. Lewis Foundation sponsored a webinar with Terry Lindvall on "Battleground as Playground: Skirmishes of Wit between a Pugnacious Pair of Jacks: Biologist JBS "Jack" Haldane and Medieval Scholar CS "Jack" Lewis."
| | |
Zach Topor attended a Smithsonian MarineGEO workshop in Galveston, TX, working with scientists across the Americas to create a curriculum-friendly protocol for sampling sandy beach biodiversity. He and his Invertebrates class will collect samples on the oceanfront this semester to present data and feedback to the working group at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Maryland next spring.
Lisa Lyon Payne, along with two co-authors, wrote "Labor of Love: Advisers at HBCU student media do more with less." The research explores the health of student media outlets at Historically Black Colleges and Universities through in-depth interviews. The work was presented as a poster at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) conference in New Orleans.
Maynard Schaus presented the paper "What is Natural? - Urban Environmental Engagement in Tokyo and Virginia" at the 12th Annual Conference on Global Higher Education at Lakeland University Japan.
Clair Berube presented a paper titled "STAR Teacher Traits and Turnover in Urban STEM Classrooms" at the 2026 NSF NOYCE Summit in Washington D.C.
| | |
Benjamin Dobrin gave a presentation at the Virginia Association of First Responders, 2026 Symposium in Blacksburg, VA, titled "Medical Considerations in Water Rescues."
Levi Tenen presented a work-in-progress on Aesthetic Imperialism and Environmental Value at the American Society for Aesthetics, Rocky Mountain Division meeting, held in Santa Fe.
| | |
Sara Ryan performed her poetry at the Hampton Storytelling Festival's Local Showcase with other poets and storytellers from the Hampton Roads area.
Jennifer Slivka presented a paper titled "'New Ireland' and the Domestic in Jennifer Johnston's Later Novels," at the International Association for the Study of Irish Literature (IASIL) Annual Conference, at Pazmany Peter Catholic University, Budapest, Hungary.
| | |
Mindy Gumpert and Bill McConnell recently hosted a two-day Summer Institute for third-grade teachers from Hardy Elementary School as part of their NOAA-funded Shared Waters project. The second day, held at Windsor Castle Park, immersed teachers in authentic field experiences, including water quality testing and macroinvertebrate identification, preparing them to bring meaningful watershed investigations into their elementary science classrooms.
April Christman was elected to serve on the Council on Social Work Education's Board of Directors as Undergraduate Faculty Representative for a three-year term beginning July 1, 2026, and ending June 30, 2029. The CSWE is the national association representing social work education and is recognized by CHEA as the sole accrediting agency for social work education. Christman also completed an 18-hour Certified Clinical Trauma Professional Re-Certification Training, "Safe and Effective Stabilization and Treatment Techniques for PTSD and Complex Trauma" to maintain her credentials as a clinical trauma professional.
McFarland and Co. selected Kathy Merlock Jackson and Mark I. West (of UNC-Charlotte) as series editors of its new book series titled Studies in Children's Media and Culture.
| | |
Trey DelPo was brought on to direct for the Proteus New Play Festival at Zeider's American Dream Theater in Virginia Beach, to help develop a biographical drama for the playwright Elaine Chandler.
| | |
Graduate students in Mindy Gumpert's EDUC 535 special education course completed a field experience at Rivermont Tidewater, a private day school serving students with emotional and behavioral disorders, autism, and intellectual disabilities. Graduate students co-taught first- through fourth-graders in engaging indoor and outdoor environmental education lessons, gaining experience adapting hands-on science instruction for the diverse learning needs of exceptional students.
| | |
Graduate students in Mindy Gumpert's EDUC 535 Characteristics and Adaptations for Exceptional Student Populations course toured Chesapeake Bay Academy, an independent school serving students with learning differences in grades 1-12. New Head of School, Dr. Krishna Davda, shared CBA's programs and answered questions about public and independent schools, expanding students' perspectives on specialized educational opportunities for students with learning differences.
| | | | |
