Faculty kudos

College of Fine Arts and Communication

Jayne Bernasconi, Dance, is the author of a new book, Aerial Dance, published by Human Kinetics. 

Runqiao Du, Dance, danced the title role in George Balanchine's Apollo with the Susan Farrell Ballet Company at the Kennedy Center's Open House on September 13.

Linda-Denise Fisher-Harrell, Dance, was awarded the "Bessie" Award as part of the 24th Annual New York Dance and Performance Awards.

Shin-Yeon Jeon, Art, exhibited her work in the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts from August 16 to September 28. She has a solo exhbition scheduled for February 2009 at the Glenview Art Mansion Gallery in Rockville, Md. She is a ceramic artist.

Jim McFall, Music, has been invited to serve as the guest conductor of the United States Marine Band Jazz Orchestra in an all-Stan Kenton concert on Sunday, May 31, 2009, in in the performing arts center of Northern Virginia Community College. The concert will be open to the public.

College of Liberal Arts
Geoffrey Becker, English, has been awarded the 2008 Parthenon Prize for Fiction for his novel, Hot Springs. The prize, for an unpublished novel, carries with it an award of $15,000. Becker's manuscript was chosen from a field of over 240 entries. The competition, which is open to both published and unpublished writers nationwide, is to discover book-length works of literary excellence written in English.
Joseph Capista, English, reports that his poem "Before the Wildfire" has been published by the literary journal Harpur Palate (Volume 8.1, Summer 2008). Another poem, "Sowebo," has been published by The Beloit Poetry Journal (Volume 59.1, Fall 2008).
Christophe Casamassima, English, reports that his Professional Writing thesis, The Proteus, was published by Moria Books in Chicago. A second book, Joys: A Catalogue of Disappointments," was published by BlazeVOX in Buffalo.

Edwin Duncan, English, read a paper titled “Whither English? Using the Past to Project the Future” at the annual meeting of the Texas Medieval Association in Lubbock, Texas, on October 4. As a member of the association’s board of directors, he also participated in the business meeting.

Carol Pippen, English, delivered a paper on the Burke Jane Austen Collection at Goucher College at the AGM of the Jane Austen Society of North America in Chicago on October 3. The topic of the conference was the legacy of Jane Austen.

Fisher College of Science and Mathematics

Gail Kaplan, Mathematics, published a paper, “Trigonometry through a Ferris Wheel,” in the September issue of The Mathematics Teacher, the NCTM publication on teaching mathematics in the secondary classroom.

Jonathan Lazar, Computer and Information Sciences, was one of the plenary speakers at the annual convention of the National Federation of the Blind, held in July in Dallas. More than 1,500 participants attended his presentation, “Making CAPTCHAs More Accessible for the Blind.”

Steven Lev, Physics, Astronomy and Geoscieces, presented a poster in August at the Geochemistry of the Earth's Surface 8 meeting in London. He published an associated manuscript in Mineralogical Magazine with co-authors from the Urban Environmental Biogeochemistry Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University and the U.S. Geological Survey.

Pamela Lottero-Perdue, Physics, Astronomy and Geoscieces, used “Engineering is Elementary” units and trade books to teach elementary-aged children about engineering in the six-week summer program of Harford County Boys and Girls Club in Havre de Grace, Md.

Jim Saunders, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry and Bio-Informatics, served as the USA team leader in a 55-country international competition of the Biology Olympiad in Mumbai, India, July 11-21. The four member USA student team, which was selected from 10,600 applications from high schools nationwide, won four gold medals in the competition. Saunders has been involved in the selection and training of the USA Team since our country first joined this event six years ago.