Faculty/Staff News of Note
July 2005
Michael Campbell, associate professor of biology, attended the 2005 annual meeting of the American Society of Plant Biology in Seattle, Washington, July 16-21. While there he presented his research, “Chemically forced and natural dormancy progression in potato tubers induces similar patterns in gene expression.”
Douglas Charles, visiting lecturer in history, had an article published in this month’s Intelligence and National Security. His article, titled “Before the Colonel Arrived: Hoover, Donovan, Roosevelt, and the Origins of American Central Intelligence, 1940-41,” reinterprets the orthodox interpretation of the origins of the CIA.
Michael Christofferson was granted tenure and promoted to associate professor of history. Christofferson earned his doctoral degree in history from Columbia University and began teaching at Penn State Behrend in 1999.
Chris Coulston was granted tenure and promoted to associate professor of electrical and computer engineering. Coulston began teaching at Penn State Behrend in 1999 following completion of his doctoral degree in computer science and engineering from Penn State. Coulston also recently had his paper, “Electronic Angle Measurement” published in the June 2005 issue of Circuit Cellar. The article describes the construction of an embedded system to make highly accurate angle measurements using a solid state accelerometer.
Anne Danielski, coastal education and maritime specialist with Pennsylvania Sea Grant, is now licensed to captain Momentum, the sloop she uses in to conduct maritime classes, on the Great Lakes. She completed training last spring with Dennis Daniels of Sea Tech Marine Training in Tonawanda, New York.
Welcome to Qi Dunsworth, who has joined the team at the Center for Teaching and Educational Technologies. Qi (pronounced Chee) is an instructional designer with a Ph.D. in educational technology from Arizona State University. In her new position she will support faculty to enhance their teaching using pedagogy in the classroom and in ANGEL.
Ralph Ford, director of the School of Engineering and Engineering Technology, was recently promoted to professor of electrical, computer, and software engineering. Ford earned his doctoral degree in electrical engineering at the University of Arizona and has been teaching at Penn State Behrend since 1994.
Robert Gray was granted tenure and promoted to associate professor of engineering. Gray earned his doctoral degree in electrical engineering from Ohio University and began teaching at Penn State Behrend in 1999.
David Hunnicutt, assistant professor of biology, attended a meeting of NEMPET (North Eastern Microbiologists: Physiology, Ecology and Taxonomy) in Blue Mountain Lake, New York, June 24-26. While there he presented a paper, “LolA is required for colony spreading in f. Johnsoniae.”
Amanda Knerr, associate director of Student Affairs, had her article, “Common Missteps in Assessment and How to Avoid Them” (Part I of III) published in the June 21 issue of NetResults, a publication of the National Association of Student Personnel Administration. Parts II and III have been accepted for publication in the September 2005 edition. The article is co-authored with Sherry A. Woolsey, Ph.D., assistant director of Institutional Effectiveness at Ball State University.
Martin Kociolek was granted tenure and promoted to associate professor of chemistry. Kociolek began teaching at Penn State Behrend in 1999 following completion of his doctoral degree in organic chemistry at the University of New Hampshire.
George Looney was granted tenure and promoted to associate professor of English and creative writing. Looney earned his master’s in fine arts in creative writing from Bowling Green State University and has been teaching at Penn State Behrend since 1999.
Phylis Mansfield, assistant professor of marketing, recently presented “An Exploratory Analysis of the Relationship between Consumer Socialization Agents and Children's Consumption of Tobacco” at the 2005 European Applied Business Research Conference in Santorini, Greece. The paper, co-authored with Peg Thoms, associate professor of management, and Charisse Nixon, assistant professor of psychology, won the Best Paper of the Session Award.
Joseph Paullet, associate professor of mathematics, recently had his article, “Nonexistence of solutions for reverse radial stagnation flow with transpiration,” published in Applied Mathematics Letters, Vol. 18, 1009-1012 (2005). The article was co-authored by Patrick D. Weidman of the University of Colorado.
Clare Porac, professor of psychology, attended the meetings of the Canadian Psychological Association in Montreal, Quebec, held June 10-12. While there she presented a paper titled “Hand Preference Consistency and Health Status in Adults Over the Age of 65.” Her co-author on this paper is Dr. Alan Searleman, professor of psychology at St. Lawrence University.
Michelle Previte, assistant professor of mathematics, recently had a paper accepted for publication in Topology and its Applications. The paper, titled “The Topological Dimension of Limits of Vertex Replacements,” was written with student author Shun-Hsiang Yang, who graduated from Penn State Behrend in May 2005.
Pamela Silver has been promoted to professor of biology. Silver earned her doctoral degree in biology at the University of South Florida and began teaching at Penn State Behrend in 1993.
Patience Simmonds, reference librarian in the Lilley Library, has been granted tenure and promotion to associate librarian. Simmonds earned her undergraduate degree in English and religion at the University of Ghana, West Africa. She earned her master’s degree in library science at Atlanta University’s School of Library and Information Studies in 1982.
Meng Su, assistant professor of computer science, attended the 9th World Multi-Conference on Systemics, Cybernetics, and Informatics, held July 9-13 in Orlando, Florida. While there he presented “Grid File with Approximation for Multi-Dimensional Nearest neighbor Search.”
Shannon Sweeney, assistant professor of engineering, presented “A Demonstration of Heat-Affected Zone from Welding” at the American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference and Exposition in Portland, Oregon, June 13. Principle author of the paper is Rich Englund, associate professor of engineering, and co-authors are Dave Johnson, associate professor of engineering, and Sweeney.
Russ Warley, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, along with D.L. Feke and I. Manas-Zloczower, professors at Case Western Reserve University, has published a paper titled "Effect of Peroxide Crosslinking on the Dynamic Modulus of Silicone Rubber" in the Journal of Applied Polymer Science. The article will appear in the August 15 issue of the journal.
Al Warner and Jim Fairbank, assistant professors of management, have had their paper, “Managing Uncertainty in a Formal Standards-based Industry: A Real Options Perspective on Acquisition Timing,” accepted for publication in the Journal of Management.
Robert Weissbach, associate professor of engineering, presented “Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems Analysis for Off-grid Great Lakes Residential Housing” at the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Annual Conference, held June 12-15 in Portland, Oregon. The paper was co-authored by Larry Kephart, a December 2004 Penn State Behrend graduate in electrical engineering technology.
Yi (Elisa) Wu, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, presented “Modeling, Estimation, and Control of Cardiovascular System with a Left Ventricular Assist Device” at the 2005 American Control Conference, held June 10 in Portland, Oregon.
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