May 1, 2024

Larus Shares Expertise on China With ‘Sputnik News’

February 8, 2024 by
Professor Emerita of Political Science and International Affairs Elizabeth Larus

Professor Emerita of Political Science and International Affairs Elizabeth Larus

Professor Emerita of Political Science and International Affairs Elizabeth Freund Larus spoke to Sputnik News for a segment titled, “Analysis-China Likely to Take Wait-and-See Approach to Taiwan After Recent Election. An adjunct fellow at Pacific Forum International Larus suggested that Beijing would likely continue military sorties into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone and later carry out naval exercises near the island closer to Lai’s inauguration in May.

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Faculty, Staff, Students Attend MLK Prayer Breakfast

January 25, 2024 by
From left to right: James Farmer Multicultural Center Assistant Director Chris Williams, Vice President for Student Affairs Juliette Landphair, Student Kaylah Lightfoot, Associate Provost for Equity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer Shavonne Shorter, UMW grad Cameron Washington, Center for Prevention and Education Director Marissa Miller, and Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and Director of Multicultural Affairs Marion Sanford

From left to right: James Farmer Multicultural Center Assistant Director Chris Williams, Vice President for Student Affairs Juliette Landphair, Student Kaylah Lightfoot, Associate Provost for Equity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer Shavonne Shorter, UMW grad Cameron Washington, Center for Prevention and Education Director Marissa Miller, and Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and Director of Multicultural Affairs Marion Sanford

Representing the University of Mary Washington at this year’s MLK Prayer Breakfast were:

– College of Education Dean Pete Kelly
– Vice President for Student Affairs Juliette Landphair
– Student Kaylah Lightfoot
– Center for Prevention and Education Director Marissa Miller
– Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and Director of Multicultural Affairs Marion Sanford
– Associate Provost for Equity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer Shavonne Shorter
– James Farmer Multicultural Center Assistant Director Chris Williams
– Student Nahjah Wilson

Lightfoot and Wilson spoke at the event, hosted by the NAACP Fredericksburg Branch on Monday, Jan. 15, at the Fredericksburg Convention Center. Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine presented the keynote address.

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Frankel Shares Opinion on Pollution in ‘Inside Climate News’

January 25, 2024 by
Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences Tyler Frankel

Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences Tyler Frankel

Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences Tyler Frankel contributed to an article titled “Advocates Celebrate a Legal Win Against U.S. Navy’s Staggering Pollution in the Potomac River. A Lack of Effective Regulation Could Dampen the Spirit” in Inside Climate News. “There is a distinct lack of field studies designed to confirm these predictions through the collection and analysis of water, sediment and fish tissue samples from the upper, middle and lower ‘danger zones’ as designated by the Naval Surface Warfare Center,” Frankel said. Read more.

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Agrawal Looks for Active-learning Approaches to Teach Biomolecular Visualization

January 25, 2024 by
Assistant Professor of Biology Swati Agrawal

Assistant Professor of Biology Swati Agrawal

Bonnie Hall and Swati Agrawal, both faculty at teaching-focused institutions, recognize the challenges students face when presented with visually complex biomolecules. Both have looked for active-learning approaches to enhance student learning in this context.

One approach is having students explore printed three-dimensional models of biomolecules, such as proteins or DNA, which can provide a much better sense of the molecules’ structure than two-dimensional pictures in a textbook, thus helping them understand those molecules’ functions. Read more.

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Harris Shares UMW Museum News on ‘Town Talk’

January 25, 2024 by
University of Mary Washington Museums Executive Director Scott Harris

University of Mary Washington Museums Executive Director Scott Harris

University of Mary Washington Museums Executive Director Scott Harris appeared on a recent episode of the Town Talk radio show on WFVA to talk about the James Monroe Museum, Gari Melchers Home and Studio and The Papers of James Monroe. Hear the episode.

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Johnson-Young Publishes Research on Birth Trauma Experiences

January 25, 2024 by
Assistant Professor of Communication Elizabeth Johnson-Young

Assistant Professor of Communication Elizabeth Johnson-Young

Elizabeth Johnson-Young, Associate Professor of Communication, published her work regarding birth trauma experiences in the journal, Qualitative Research Reports in Communication. Stemming from research conducted as part of her Jepson fellowship in 2021, this article reports on the results of qualitative in-depth interviews of women who defined their births as difficult or traumatic. With the increased attention on the still rising maternal mortality rates in the United States and issues such as postpartum depression, this research is an important contribution to the very limited published research in communication on the topic. Themes from the data focused on perceptions and definitions of experiences, as well as the consequences of those perceptions. These findings are then discussed through the lens of Muted Group Theory and the concept of rhetorical ingenuity in uncertainty management, and practical implications for practitioners are briefly discussed, as well.

The article is currently available online and will printed in the next issue. https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/9BFUGKRZRUACHYD6YDNG/full?target=10.1080/17459435.2024.2307054

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Farnsworth Lectures on Disinformation

January 25, 2024 by
Professor of Political Science Stephen Farnsworth

Professor of Political Science Stephen Farnsworth

Stephen Farnsworth, professor of Political Science and director of the University’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies, recently presented a lecture, “The Rising Threat of Disinformation” to the Lake of the Woods Forum in Locust Grove, VA. The talk was derived from portions of Dr. Farnsworth’s recently published co-authored book, Producing News in a Time of Disinformation: Information Evaluation Strategies for Journalists and News Consumers.

In addition, recent media appearances by Farnsworth include:

Here’s how long Haley’s big donors could keep funding her 2024 campaign (MorningStar, MarketWatch)
“People always say they’re never going to back down until they back down,” University of Mary Washington Professor of Political Science Stephen Farnsworth told MarketWatch. “The reality is the next several days for Haley are going to be daunting. Donors will be less interested. A lot of Republican elites will say that this process is over.”
https://www.morningstar.com/news/marketwatch/20240124325/heres-how-long-haleys-big-donors-could-keep-funding-her-2024-campaign
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/heres-how-long-haleys-big-donors-could-keep-funding-her-2024-campaign-5eda03a1

Trump beats Haley in New Hampshire — here’s how quickly he could lock up the nomination (MarketWatch)
“Trump has all but sealed the deal by going 2-0,” said Stephen Farnsworth, a professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington in Virginia, referring to the former president’s wins in both New Hampshire and Iowa.
https://www.marketwatch.com/livecoverage/nhprimary/card/trump-beats-haley-in-new-hampshire-here-s-how-quickly-he-could-lock-up-the-nomination-222ZZxAv3DTuKDD1AKmM

Iowa GOP caucuses: Haley now 2nd in most recent polls, while Trump has a key support level to hit (Morningstar)
“There’s an incentive to stay in the race because of the possibility that Trump may be convicted of a criminal offense,” said Stephen Farnsworth, a professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington in Virginia. “It isn’t just about what the voters in Iowa and New Hampshire think. It’s also what the jurors in various courtrooms around the country think.”
https://www.morningstar.com/news/marketwatch/20240110264/iowa-gop-caucuses-haley-now-2nd-in-most-recent-polls-while-trump-has-a-key-support-level-to-hit

Desantis and Haley Go Head-to-Head (CTV News)
“Poll after poll shows that Donald Trump is way ahead Iowa, ” said Stephen Farnsworth.
What’s next for Ron DeSantis? (CTV News)
“Yes, it is pretty clear that DeSantis has not had a way forward politically for quite some time,” said Stephen Farnsworth.
Virginia’s presidential primary isn’t until March 5th. Early voting’s already underway…but many Virginians will be holding off for now. (WMAL)
“Candidates drop out. Some of the names on the ballot will be trivia questions,” said Stephen Farnsworth.
All eyes are on New Hampshire’s presidential primary Tuesday. But if you live in Virginia, you can also get in on the primary action. (WMAL)
“At a minimum, some people might be tempted to wait until after the New Hampshire primary,” said Stephen Farnsworth.
BEYOND LOCAL: 1 good thing about the Iowa caucuses, and 3 that are really troubling (Longmont Leader)
Every four years, the Iowa caucuses find new ways to become a problematic part of the presidential nomination process.
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Fallon Presents at History of Language Science Meeting

January 25, 2024 by
Associate Professor of Linguistics Paul D. Fallon

Associate Professor of Linguistics Paul D. Fallon

Associate Professor of Linguistics Paul D. Fallon presented his research to the North American Association of the History of Linguistics (NAAHoLS) on Jan. 5, 2024. His talk, “The undead nature of the term ‘Hamito-Semitic’,” presented qualitative and quantitative research over the decades on the varying names of the Afroasiatic phylum of languages.

Associate Professor of Linguistics Paul D. Fallon presented research at the Centennial Annual Meeting of the Linguistic Society of America, held in New York City, on Jan. 6, 2024. His poster, “Where Do Central Cushitic Ejectives Come From?,” documented that contrary to previous scholarship, the majority of ejective sounds in the Central Cushitic languages Blin (63%) and Xamtanga (75%) are found in native roots, not in borrowings from EthioSemitic languages. This finding makes it more likely that ejectives may be reconstructed for Proto-Central Cushitic.

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Frankel’s Environmental Research Catches Media Attention

January 11, 2024 by
Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences Tyler Frankel

Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences Tyler Frankel

Research led by Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences Tyler Frankel was recently featured in an article titled “Cancer-causing metals leak into water near coal ash landfills,” which was featured in Earth News and Mirage News. Researchers from the University of Mary Washington have discovered alarming levels of cancer-causing metals in both the sediments and fish of a Chesapeake Bay tributary situated near a coal ash landfill. This research, led by Dr. Tyler Frankel, highlights previously overlooked dangers posed by trace metal contamination in aquatic ecosystems. Read more in Earth News and in Mirage News.

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Towery Speaks at VASS Conference

January 11, 2024 by
Educator and administrator Rebecca Towery has been named director of the University of Mary Washington and Stafford County Public Schools’ proposed lab school.

Academy of Technology and Innovation Executive Director Rebecca Towery

Last month, Executive Director, Rebecca Towery, participated in a panel at the winter Virginia Association of School Superintendents (VASS) conference.

The VASS conference highlighted a breakout session focusing on lab schools in the commonwealth, featuring panelists from all three state-approved lab schools. It provided an excellent platform for sharing and collaborating with colleagues.

 

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