Accomplishments - November, 2022
Mark Wagner, director, Center for Archeological Investigations, earned a national award from the Porter Chapter of the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation for the best article published in the foundation’s journal "We Proceeded On” in 2021. The article, "Bound to the Western Waters: Searching for Lewis and Clark at Fort Kaskaskia Illinois" appeared in the publication’s February 2021 issue. This article detailed the discovery of and ongoing investigations by the SIU Carbondale field school of the long-lost site of the American Fort Kaskaskia in Randolph County visited by the Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1803.
David J. Gibson, professor, School of Biological Sciences, was appointed by Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker to the Endangered Species Protection Board. The appointment expires May 15, 2024. The board’s mission is “to protect those species of plants and animals native to Illinois which are in danger of being lost from the wild in Illinois.”
Camille M. Davidson, dean and professor, SIU School of Law, recently participated in a conversation on EDUP Legal, a legal education podcast. She discussed the law school's 50th anniversary; opportunities available to students, including clinics, externships and the Belleville campus; the school’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, including the Diversity Prelaw Summer Institute, and partnerships with Governor’s State University, Tougaloo College and Stillman College.
Omid Kamran Disfani, assistant professor, School of Management and Marketing, recently provided advice on WalletHub.com for Black Friday ahead of the holiday season.
Thomas Fagerholm, associate professor, School of Theater and Dance, recently joined an international crew of designers and production staff to assist with the World Wrestling Entertainment’s (WWE) Crown Jewel event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The pay-per-view event on Nov. 5 was hosted in King Saud University Stadium, Mrsool Park, and broadcast live on Peacock and WWE Network. Fagerholm assisted with the scenic elements of the crown façade, as well as constructing some special scenic elements on-site.
Raymund E. Narag, associate professor, criminology and criminal justice, gave a virtual presentation at a forum hosted by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism on Nov. 15. Narag's presentation was on steps the Philippine government should take to improve the humanitarian crisis in the country's jails.
Alan Walters, professor and horticulture program coordinator, School of Forestry and Horticulture, will deliver a keynote speech on the value of horseradish as a crop in Illinois during the North Central Weed Science Society 77th annual meeting, Dec. 5-8, in St. Louis. Walters was asked to speak on the importance of this specialty crop to the St. Louis and Metro East area in Illinois. He will discuss his past and ongoing research activities, including the challenges in managing weeds and breeding new varieties of crops.
WLOX-TV in Biloxi, Mississippi, on Nov. 1 interviewed executive director David Houston of the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art as he discussed School of Art and Design Professor Najjar Abdul-Musawwir’s sculptural form from his Banjo Series, which is featured in a group exhibition “Contemporary Art From Black Art In America.”
Tony Williams, professor, School of Literature, Writing, and Digital Humanities, recently provided analysis of Chinese film director King Hu’s 1979 film, “Raining in the Mountain,” at the Detroit Film Theater. Part of “Art and Action in the Films of King Hu,” Williams’ presentation was at the invitation of the Detroit Institute for the Arts, The Friends of Asian Arts and Cultures and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago.
“The 12 Days of a Soul Food Christmas,” by LaShonda M. Stewart, professor, School of Management and Marketing, was recently highlighted in BookTrib. The children’s book is a way to get young readers into the Christmas spirit and “teach them about going above and beyond for those we love.”
The Gateway Journalism Review, a School of Journalism and Advertising publication that analyzes mass media in the Midwest, received two EPPY Awards for its special police accountability issue in fall 2021, “Legal Roadblocks to Police Accountability.” The top awards were for Best College/University-Produced or Niche Website and Best Collaborative College/University and Professional Website. The police accountability project, supported by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, featured a virtual newsroom of about 15 college journalists from around the country, including several SIU Carbondale students and alumni. William Freivogel, professor, led the police project reporting team; Jackie Spinner, 1992 SIU journalism alumna and associate professor, journalism, Columbia College Chicago, is the publication’s editor. In a separate contest, a 2021 graduate who played a major role in the project, Kallie Cox, was named a finalist in the Chicago Journalists Association’s first Sarah Brown Boydon contest for student journalism.
Jeffery T. Burgin, Jr., vice chancellor for student affairs, is nominated as part of the American College Personnel Association (ACPA) Foundation Diamond Honoree Program class of 2023. The program recognizes “colleagues who have made outstanding contributions to ACPA, student affairs and services, and higher education, and an opportunity to raise funds for future work and scholarship.”
Karen Johnson, associate professor, School of Aviation, was recently elected to a two-year term as vice president of Aviation Technician Education Council. Founded in 1961, the organization’s mission is “promote and support aviation maintenance technician education, with the ultimate goal of enabling the aerospace community to meet its workforce needs.” Johnson served as the organization’s treasurer the past two years.
