Assistant Professor of Biology Theresa Grana recently had her article “A Genome-wide Functional Screen Shows MAGI-1 Is an L1CAM-Dependent Stabilizer of Apical Junctions in C. elegans” published in the journal Current Biology. The article was co-authored by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, State University of New York at Geneseo, the University of Aberdeen Institute of Medical Sciences in Scotland, and Queen’s University in Canada.
Biology Faculty Present and Judge at Statewide Meeting
Deborah O’Dell, associate professor of biology and president-elect of the Virginia Academy of Science, presided over the Virginia Academy of Sciences Undergraduate Research Meeting on Saturday, Oct. 27 at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College. Deborah Zies, associate professor of biology, was the invited speaker and spoke on “Smith-Magenis Syndrome: An Investigation of a Human Genome Disorder.” Lynn Lewis and Kathryn Loesser, professors of biology, served as judges for the research grant recipients along with Deborah Zies, Deborah O’Dell and Carleitta Paige, adjunct faculty member of biology. Faculty sponsoring students in competition for a $500 undergraduate research grant were: Lynn Lewis who sponsored Kathleen Blevins and Ryan Green, Theresa Grana, assistant professor of biology, who sponsored Sarah Marzec and Daniel Browne, and Andrew Dolby, professor of biology, who sponsored Abbigal Kimmit and Michael Carlo. Ryan Green was awarded a grant for his research project “A Study of Chloroquine’s Antiretroviral Characteristics.”
Chad Murphy is Guest on Al-Jazeera and Voice of America
Chad Murphy, assistant professor of political science, was a featured guest on Voice of America on Thursday, Nov. 1. In the segment “Unemployment Remains Key Factor for U.S. Voters,” Murphy argued that U.S. voters would look at the overall unemployment trends during the election.
Murphy also provided live political analysis on election night for Al-Jazeera’s English television network.
Miriam Liss and Holly Schiffrin Publish Research
Miriam Liss
Associate Professors of Psychology Miriam Liss and Holly Schiffrin’s research article “Maternal Guilt and Shame: The Role of Self-Discrepancy and Fear of Negative Evaluation” appears in the Journal of Child and Family Studies, published online on Oct. 19, 2012. Liss and Schiffrin co-wrote the article with Kathryn Rizzo ’12. The study shows mothers who compare themselves to other mothers and fear that others are judging and evaluating them experience the emotions of both guilt and shame – emotions that have been shown to lead to negative mental health consequences.
Holly Schiffrin
Stephen Farnsworth Offers Analysis for International Audience
An interview with Professor of Political Science Stephen Farnsworth appeared in a MacNeil/Lehrer Production documentary about American political advertising and the presidential election.
The documentary, “Making Democracy,” has aired during the past week in more than 20 countries in the Middle East and Northern Africa.
Farnsworth also was a featured guest for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s election night coverage.
Marie McAllister Presents Paper
Marie McAllister, professor of English, presented the paper “Addicted to Attention: Maria Edgeworth’s Belinda” at the 43rd annual meeting of the East-Central American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies in Baltmore.
Anne Timpano’s Work Shown in Richmond Exhibition
Anne Timpano’s linocut print, “Venus as Paper Doll,” is currently exhibited in the 2012 Harnett Biennial of American Prints at the Joel and Lila Harnett Museum of Art, University of Richmond. Timpano, director of the University Galleries, is one of 47 artists from 25 states participating in the highly competitive exhibition of contemporary printmaking, which opened October 23 and will be on view through December 9, 2012.
Gary Richards Led Talk at Louisiana Book Festival
Gary Richards, associate professor of English, led the book talk “One Book One Festival: ‘A Confederacy of Dunces'” at the Ninth Annual Louisiana Book Festival in Baton Rouge, La., on Saturday, Oct. 27. At the same event, he was part of a panel discussion by contributors to “Comics and the U.S. South” (University Press of Mississippi, 2012), edited by Brannon Costello and Qiana J. Whitted. Richards contributed the essay “Everybody’s Graphic Protest Novel: ‘Stuck Rubber Baby’ and the Anxieties of Racial Difference” to that collection.
Stephen Farnsworth Appears on BBC News
Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science and director of the Center for Leadership and Media Studies, appears in the BBC News segment “U.S. Election: Could South Asians Decide Who Wins the White House?” The piece, in which Farnsworth discusses the impact of South Asians in the Northern Virginia area to the upcoming presidential election, originally aired on Tuesday, Oct. 30.
Farnsworth is also the co-author, with Benjamin Hermerding, of an opinion column, “Virginia Senate candidates ratchet up attacks, seek last sliver of undecided voters,” published in The Chamberlink, a publication of the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Brian Baker Speaks at IEDC Annual Conference
Brian Baker, Executive Director for Entrepreneurship at the University of Mary Washington presented at the International Economic Development Council Annual Conference in Houston, Texas on October 1. His topic covered approaches for business assistance employed at the UMW Office of Entrepreneurship. Following the presentation, Baker led a discussion titled “Empowering Entrepreneurs.” The group discussion enabled colleagues in economic development to explore best practices on approaches to encouraging innovation, small company incubation, support services for business owners, and financing.
The UMW Office of Entrepreneurship is a division of the Center for Economic Development and hosts the UMW Small Business Development Center, the EagleWorks Accelerator and Innovation Program, the Engagement Council, and the Virginia Business Incubation Association.