Eric Lorentzen, associate professor of English, gave a talk entitled “Teaching Dickens and Cultural Studies in the 21st Century” at Converse College on Nov. 15, as part of a conference on scholarship, pedagogy, and the intersections of popular culture.
Erchull & Liss Publish in Gender Issues
Dr. Mindy Erchull, associate professor of psychology, and Dr. Miriam Liss, professor of psychology, have published a paper in the journal Gender Issues. The paper is entitled “Exploring the Concept of Perceived Female Sexual Empowerment: Development and Validation of the Sex is Power Scale”.
This paper is comprised of a series of three studies detailing the development of the Sex is Power Scale (SIPS). This measure can be used to assess whether women view their sexuality as a source of personal power as well as whether they believe that women in general use sexuality as a source of power over men.
Clayton Contributes to Research Handbook
Courtney Clayton, assistant professor in the College of Education, contributed a case study to SAGE Cases In Methodology Handbook. SAGE Cases in Methodology will comprise of a unique collection of case studies for use in the teaching of research methods. The goal of the handbook is to provide students and faculty with examples of methods in action and research in action drawn from real research projects that can support teaching and learning in research methods.
Toth and Student Publish in Journal of Computational Science Education
Dave Toth, assistant professor of computer science, and Mike Crawford, a student in Toth’s parallel computing class last fall, published a paper in the Journal of Computational Science Education. The paper, “Parallelization of the Knapsack Problem as an Introductory Experience in Parallel Computing,” describes both Crawford’s and Toth’s experiences with and reflections about the eight-week course project. The project included each student in the course writing a parallel program and running it on one of the 50 fastest supercomputers in the world.
Professors Present at AAC&U STEM Conference
Kathryn Loesser-Casey, professor of biology, and Debra Hydorn, professor of mathematics, gave the poster presentation “A New Course to Develop Students’ Scientific Reasoning and Practice Skills” at the AAC&U conference Transforming STEM Education: Inquiry, Innovation, Inclusion and Evidence, Oct. 31-Nov. 2, in San Diego, Calif. The poster provided information about the development of IDIS 101 Scientific Reasoning and Practices to prepare incoming students for college-level science course work, which was developed through support from the NSF STEREPS grant. In addition, Deborah O’Dell, associate professor of biology, gave the poster presentation “Using Clickers in the STEM classroom to Promote Student Engagement and Learning” about her experiences using a student response system.
Gaines Delivers Paper at SE17 in Los Angeles
Professor James F. Gaines, Modern Foreign Languages and Literatures, attended the 23rd annual meeting of the Society for Interdisciplinary French Seventeenth Century Studies, where he presented a paper entitled, “The ‘Cantique à Madame de Maintenon’ and the Outbreak of Émigré Satire in 1695” in the session devoted to France and England. He also chaired a panel on “Material Things and Objects in Seventeenth Century Literature.” This international conference was jointly sponsored by University of California, Los Angeles and the University of California at Long Beach. His paper dealt with a satirical poem against the wife of the king of France that circulated in the emigre community of London after the French defeat at the Second Siege of Namur.
Jim Groom Delivers TEDx Presentation in Puerto Rico
On Oct. 18, 2013 Jim Groom delivered a TEDx presentation at the University of Sagrado Corazón in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The invited talk focused on the philosophy behind the Domain of One’s Own initiative happening currently at UMW. The video of the 14 minute presentation can be seen below.
Lehman Presents at Math Conference
Larry Lehman, professor of mathematics, presented a talk titled “An Arithmetic View of a Classical Calculus Problem” at the Md.-D.C.-Va. Section Meeting of the Mathematical Association of America, in Farmville, Va. on Nov. 2, 2013.
COE Faculty Member Presents Talk, Writes Article
Janine Davis, assistant professor of curriculum and instruction and alumna of Virginia Tech, was selected from over 100 nominees to present at the TEDxVirginia Tech event on Nov. 9. Her talk, entitled “Persona as Mirror, Wall, or Window,” addresses the connections and boundaries that exist when we enact personae in everyday life.
Davis has also written an article, “Tackling Informational Text,” which appeared on Nov. 7 in ASCD Express. This publication is by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development and supports the work of K-12 teachers.
Farnsworth and Hanna Co-Author Publication
Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science and director of the University’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies, and Stephen Hanna, professor and chair of geography, are co-authors of a column, “Why Republicans lost in Virginia — in three great maps,” published on “The Fix” blog of the Washington Post on Nov. 12.
Their collaborations on Virginia politics also appeared this week on the Daily Kos blog and that of the New Republic.