Towson Spark

Presentations from Towson Spark: March 31, 2011, Minnegan Stadium

Presenters from Towson Spark: March 31, 2011

• Lisa Crabtree: Autism and College Students
• Jan Baum: Design, Design, Design: Things That Make My Heart Beat Faster
• Charles Dierbach, Siddharth Kaza & Josh Dehlinger: Piloting Pathways for Computational Thinking
• Cheryl A. Brown: Writers Without (Disciplinary) Borders
• Matthew Durington: Camels in the Kalahari? A different take on Development
• Jennifer Langdon: Plagiarism as a Teaching Moment
• Terry Ewell: On Becoming a Digital Professor
• Leonie J Brooks: Culture, Health and Life Transitions
• Bridget Z. Sullivan: Nature/Nurture

Presenter Bios and Presentation Details

Siddharth Kaza is an Assistant Professor in the Computer and Information Sciences Department at Towson University. He received his Ph.D. degree in Management Information Systems from the University of Arizona in Tucson, AZ in 2008. Dr. Kaza’s research interests lie in data mining and knowledge discovery, social network analysis, and security informatics. His pedagogical research interests lie in information assurance and computational thinking. Dr. Kaza’s work has been published in top-tier journals like Decision Support Systems, IEEE Transactions, Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology (JASIST) and various international conferences and has been funded by the National Science Foundation, Department of Defense, and the Maryland Higher Education Commission.  Contact him at skaza@towson.edu.

Josh Dehlinger is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer and Information Sciences at Towson University. His academic background includes a Ph. D. in Computer Science from Iowa State University and a research associate position with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Virginia. His research interests are in agent-oriented software engineering, software product line engineering and software safety. Dr. Dehlinger has taught courses in Software Engineering Fundamentals, Software Testing and Maintenance, and Design and Implementation of Programming Languages.

Cheryl A. Brown — Writers Without (Disciplinary) Borders

A general adage (which also happens to be supported by scholarly research) says that the only way to become a better writer is to write and write and write some more. In order to help our students improve their writing skills, we need to invite and/or require that they write, and write often, in all their classes. I will describe a variety of ways to include writing in any class without significantly increasing the teacher's workload.

I have been the First Year Writing Program Director at Towson since 1999 and have been a writing teacher for 25 years. Before moving to the Baltimore area, I was the Writing Center Director at the University of Texas at Arlington. To describe my relationship with writing, I often quote Dorothy Parker: "I hate writing; I love having written."� To Parker's quotation, I would add that I love working with writers, especially those who are intimidated by the task of writing.

Bridget Z. Sullivan — Nature/Nurture

I construct larger than life views of Nature using photography, scanography and drawing. Close observation of Nature yields a deeper understanding of my surrounding environment. I attempt to discover the meaning of life and connect with the yeomen of Nature who live out their lives filtering the bay, decomposing the forest, and providing oxygen and food for our nourishment. It is only through careful study that all integral parts of Nature are revealed.  The skill of observation is being lost... I notice it in myself.  I think I understand a place, yet when I arrive and spend time searching for details, I am most often surprised by what I learn. Walk with me as I discover the minutiae in Nature.

Bridget Z Sullivan, Professor and Director Interactive Media Design Center, Department of Art+Design, Art History, Art Education, received her BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 1987 and her MFA from Towson University in 1996. She currently is exhibiting her latest art work in the exhibition Nature/Nurture at Jordan Faye Contemporary, 1401 Light Street, Federal Hill, Baltimore. Sullivan has participated in group and solo exhibitions since 1986 and has most recently exhibited at School 33 Art Center, Load of Fun Gallery, and University of Baltimore all in Baltimore, MD; Greenbelt Art Center, Greenbelt, MD; and the WomanKraft Gallery, Tuscon, Arizona. Sullivan was awarded Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist's Grants in 2004 in Photography and in 2002 in the New Genre category. Her work has been featured in AfterImage: Inklight and URHere Journal of Creative Geography. She currently resides in Baltimore, MD.  
www.bridgetZsullivan.com

Jennifer Langdon — Plagiarism as a Teaching Moment

What if we used a case of academic dishonesty as an opportunity to teach accused students about the impact that their behavior has on others in the TU community?  I propose using the restorative justice practice of community conferencing to hold students accountable for the dishonesty by sitting face to face with their "victims"-- their professors and other students.  Together, facilitated by a trained third party, the student who has committed the violation, the faculty member who discovered it, as well as representatives of the student body will discuss what happened, who has been affected, and how to repair the harm. 

Jennifer Langdon is a feminist scholar-practitioner of conflict resolution, specializing in restorative justice and applications of mediation in the United States criminal justice system. She is an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at Towson University in Baltimore, MD.  She earned a Ph.D. in Conflict Analysis and Resolution in January 2007 from the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (ICAR) at George Mason University.   Jennifer's commitment to connecting theory to practice is evidenced by her work as co-founder and Board President of the Conflict Resolution Center of Baltimore County and a co-founder of the Circle for Restorative Initiatives for Maryland (CRI). Jennifer is a trained mediator and community conference facilitator. 

Terry Ewell — On Becoming a Digital Professor

I will present observations about how online materials can be employed for teaching and scholarship. I will using examples from materials I have created on the Rice University Creative Commons Site, one of my own websites www.2reed.net, and then a portion of one of my YouTube videos.    I will also present my personal definition of what it means to be a digital professor:  I am a digital professor because in the span of five years more people have viewed my teaching digitally (via the Internet) than have been taught by me face to face during my entire career. More people have heard me perform digitally as a chamber musician or soloist in this period than in person during my entire life. I am a digital professor because I embrace not only the occupation of teaching, but I profess knowledge and music in the form of digital items as an expression of my expertise and faith.      I teach two online courses and I am developing a third.

In the last six years Terry Ewell has transformed himself from being a professor to a digital professor. To date his WWW materials have received well over a million downloads. His expertise as a professor employing online materials has been recognized by three musical societies as evidenced by presentations at the College Music Society and International Trumpet Guild conferences, and publications in the Double Reed (a journal of the International Double Reed Society). He was also featured on the front page of The Towerlight (25 Sept. 2008) for his work as a digital professor. At Towson University he teaches two online course and is developing a third.
www.terryewell.com

Matthew Durington — Camels in the Kalahari?  A different take on Development

I use a moment from ethnographic fieldwork in Botswana to illustrate the problems with development in this part of the world and provide a different way to conceive how development agendas could work when local knowledge is utilized instead of ignored.

Matthew Durington is an associate professor of anthropology and director of International Studies at Towson University.  He is an ethnographic filmmaker and studies housing and identity issues in Southern Africa and the United States as an urban and visual anthropologist. 

Jan Baum — Design, Design, Design: Things That Make My Heart Beat Faster

Design makes the world a better place! This 5-minute/20 slide talk illustrates my research in Interdisciplinary [Object] Design over the last five years: social design and entrepreneurship, sustainable design, digital design and 3d printing, design thinking + innovation, and interdisciplinary design with a global purview. things that make my heart beat faster!

Professor Baum is passionate about design, the design process and creativity, and design-thinking and how these can positively impact the world, lead to innovation, and create new opportunities. As an early adopter she is always on the leading edge of emerging trends and technologies. She maintains a holistic, interconnected view of the world. 

Leonie J. Brooks — Culture, Health and Life Transitions

My research encompasses how individuals successfully navigate life transitions, including college students making the transition from high school to the first year of college, and Caribbean immigrants who have moved to the United States.  I have examined the role of various factors including social support, culture shock, perceived discrimination and a psychosocial intervention on the adjustment process.  Ultimately, I hope my research will help health professionals, educators and advocates in developing effective cultural competencies so they can provide the best services to these individuals undergoing critical life transitions.

I am an associate professor in the Psychology Department who also serves as the Coordinator of Clinical Training for the Counseling Psychology Graduate Programs here at Towson.  I joined Towson's faculty in 2000.

Sponsored by the Mid-Atlantic CIO Forum & OTS

Hosted by CIAT, OTS and the Office of the Provost

Towson Spark was inspired by Baltimore Ignite (ignitebaltimore.com).