July 31, 2026

EagleEye

A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff

Al-Tikriti Speaks on BBC Live 5 Show

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On Friday, April 29, UMW Associate Professor of Middle Eastern History and MSF/Doctors Without Borders USA Board Member Nabil Al-Tikriti spoke on BBC’s “Up All Night” radio program on BBC Radio 5 Live about the bombing of hospitals and other health facilities in Syria and other conflict zones.  In the course of his interview with BBC, Al-Tikriti addressed the difficulty of serving as a relief worker in conflict zones such as Syria, the dangers springing from multiple violations to International Humanitarian Law, and the potential breakdown of a partial ceasefire in Syria.

The interview can be accessed through Saturday, May 28, at the following link by listening to minutes 23:00-30:15: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07848m6.

Snyder Featured Composer at 30th Annual BIEAMF on Northeast Tour

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Mark Snyder, assistant professor of music, performed his multimedia show Thursday, March 24 at the University of Delaware in Newark, DE, Friday, March 25 at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA, Saturday, March 26 at Le Laboratories Cambridge in Cambridge, MA, Monday, March 28 at Rutgers University in Camden, NJ, Wednesday, March 30 at Barbés Brooklyn & Thursday, March 31 at Brooklyn College’s  30th Annual International Electroacoustic Music Festival in Brooklyn, NY.

Accompanying him were UMW alums harpist Becky Brown ’15 and soprano Paige Naylor ’14. The program at each venue consisted of Snyder’s original multimedia composition and his student Becky Brown’s Hold Still. This tour was in support of Snyder’s new record, The Invalid’s Sonnet.

Qwee

Calena

Mälmo

Harvey

Facets of Love

Hold Still by Becky Brown

Gray to Present at National Conference

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Edward Gray, systems integration and support specialist in UMW’s IT Support Services, has been selected to present “Measuring Success: An Introduction to Metrics” at the Service Management FUSION conference in early November. The presentation will provide attendees foundational knowledge on the topic of metrics, their definition, selection and use. Gray was selected for one of about 80 available presentation slots, out of a pool of more than 400 presentation submissions.

event photoGray has been at UMW for more than 15 years, serving in various IT roles.  He earned a master of science degree in Management Information Systems from UMW in 2010.  He was a participant in the inaugural cohort of Leadership UMW.  He has also earned several technical and management best practice certifications. More information about him is available on his website, http://www.edwardgray.com

The annual Service Management FUSION conference is co-produced by HDI and itSMF USA. Each year about 2,000 visionaries, leaders, vendors and practitioners attend the event, coming from all around the globe. There are networking events, five keynotes, more than 80 breakout sessions and an expo hall showcasing solution and service management providers.

itSMF USA is a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to the advancement of service management good practices by professional and academic practitioners, researchers and leaders. HDI is a global association for IT service and technical support professionals and the premier certification body for the services support industry. Gray is a member of both organizations and currently serves as the Community Manager for itSMF USA’s Higher Education Community of Interest.  If you have any questions, feel free to contact Gray at egray@umw.edu.

Hanna Publishes Article in Journal of Heritage Tourism

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Professor of Geography Stephen Hanna’s article, “Placing the enslaved at Oak Alley Plantation: narratives, spatial contexts, and the limits of surrogation,” appeared in a special issue of the Journal of Heritage Tourism titled Memory, Slavery, and Plantation Museums: The River Road Project. Hanna also co-wrote the issue’s introductory article and served as co-editor for the other five articles appearing in the issue.

Gately Serves as Music Adjudicator and Clinician in Norfolk

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Doug Gately recently participated in the Festivals of Music at Norfolk State University as an adjudicator and clinician for visiting high school bands and orchestras. Young musicians from New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia were represented. A goal is to help in the recruiting efforts for the Music Department of the University of Mary Washington.

Kisila and Students Publish Research

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Dr. Ben Odhiambo Kisila (Earth and Environmental Sciences) and his former UMW research students Dr. Matthew Ricker (EES – 06), Lainey LeBlanc (EES – 14) and Kelsey Moxey (EES – 14) have their research paper, “Effects of forested floodplain soil properties on phosphorous dynamics in two Chesapeake Bay sub-watersheds, Virginia, USA” published in the peer-reviewed international journal Environmental Science and Pollution Research.

link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11356-016-6668-3

 

 

Harris Presents Paper at Airport Culture(s) Conference in London

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Associate Professor of History Steven E. Harris presented his paper, “Soviet Airports: Futuristic Gateways to the Socialist City,” at the interdisciplinary conference, “Airport Culture(s),” held at the University of London, April 28-29, 2016. Harris’ paper is based on the research and writing for his current book project, “Wings of the Motherland: Soviet and Russian Cultures of Aviation from Khrushchev to Putin.”

Gray Presents to HDI DC Chapter on Metrics

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Edward Gray, systems integration and support specialist in UMW’s IT Support Services, presented “Measuring Success: An Introduction to Metrics” to the HDI Capital Area chapter meeting on Friday, April 22.  The presentation provided foundational knowledge on the topic of metrics, their definition, selection and use.  Following the presentation, there was also good discussion and networking among the more than 40 attendees.

event photoGray has been at UMW for more than 15 years, serving in various IT roles.  He earned a master of science degree in Management Information Systems from UMW in 2010.  He was a participant in the inaugural cohort of Leadership UMW.  He has also earned several technical and management best practice certifications.  He is also a member of HDI and the HDI Capital Area local chapter.

HDI is the first professional association created for the technical support industry.  HDI is a community of industry peers and leaders with 150,000 members worldwide.  The HDI Capital Area is a local chapter serving the greater Washington, D.C., area.  If you have any questions about HDI, feel free to contact Gray at egray@umw.edu.