People & Places: September 2024
Anna Westbrook ’26, news editor of The Campus, and Sam Heilmann ’26, editor-in-chief of The Campus, were among those honored this summer by the Press Club of Western Pennsylvania at the Golden Quills Awards dinner in Pittsburgh.
Westbrook was a winner in the news category of student excellence in written journalism for her story “10 Years After Drug Charges, SAE Approved to Return to Campus.” Heilmann was a finalist in the editorials category for her column “‘Barbie’ Is More Than a Blockbuster.”
During the summer break, Guo Wu, Associate Professor of History, translated a contemporary Chinese short story, which subsequently appeared on the “MCLC Resource Center” blog, an online platform associated with the prestigious academic journal Modern Chinese Literature and Culture (MCLC).
The translation was accepted and published by MCLC’s editor, Professor Kirk Denton of Ohio State University, a leading scholar of 20th-century Chinese literature.
Reflecting the changing Chinese society of the mid-1980s towards marketization, the translated short story “A Jocular Colleague,” by Wu Yuanxin is now available to read.
Guo Wu, Associate Professor of History, was interviewed and extensively quoted in a report by Alexandra Stevenson, the Shanghai bureau chief for the New York Times, regarding China’s recent suspension of international adoptions.
Judson Herrman, Frank T. McClure Professor of Greek and Latin and Professor of History, has been elected as an Honorary Member of the Senior Common Room at Magdalen College, University of Oxford, for six years beginning January 1, 2024.
Lisa Whitenack, Professor of Biology, Maya King ’24, and Samantha Dzierba ’25 presented their work at the American Elasmobranch Society annual meeting (part of the Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists) in July 2024.
King presented her Senior Comprehensive research on how shark teeth from three species of shark wear down with repeated use.
Dzierba presented her independent study research on a comprehensive literature review of how scientists study how and what sharks eat. Dzierba’s research is part of a larger project that also includes Alyssa Klim ’26 and researchers from the University of California Merced and University of Oslo.
Whitenack was the senior author on both presentations and the primary investigator on a talk on an equity, diversity, and inclusion audit for the American Elasmobranch Society that stemmed from her recent National Science Foundation grant.
Byron Rich, Assistant Provost of Academic Innovation & Director of Academic Innovation Partnerships, and Alexis Hart, Professor of English and Director of Writing, helped to facilitate a Great Lakes Colleges Association/Global Liberal Arts Alliance Consortium for Teaching and Learning workshop titled “No Robot Left Behind: AI and Your Fall Classes” with Caitlyn Deeter, Instructional Technologist at Rollins College, and Lew Ludwig, Professor of Mathematics & Director, Center for Learning and Teaching at Denison University.
Shanna Kirschner, Robert G. Seddig Associate Professor of Political Science, presented at the American Political Science Association Annual Meeting in Philadelphia.
Kirschner was part of a roundtable on the legacy of Dr. Jim Morrow, titled “James Morrow’s Scholarship in a New Light.” Morrow is author of three books and more than 50 articles and has served on the editorial boards of 11 major journals.
The roundtable focused on the wide-ranging contributions of Dr. Morrow’s research for scholarship on international politics, including on alliance relations, uncertainty in international disputes, regime changes, and the laws of war.
Kirschner’s contribution addressed Morrow’s research on humanitarian law, particularly as it relates to current conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, and his legacy as a teacher and mentor.
At the recent PALCI (Partnership for Academic Library Collaboration and Innovation) Conference, Tressa Snyder, Dean of the Library, presented and co-led a workshop discussion on Library (Re)Structure, focusing on organizational strategies, collaboration, communication and budget in the current climate of Academic Libraries with Karen Diaz, Dean of Libraries at West Virginia University.