Accomplishments - August, 2023
Kofi Akamani, associate professor, School of Forestry and Horticulture, has been appointed by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) as lead author of the Global Environment Outlook 7 (GEO-7) report. This flagship report – which will offer an integrated assessment of the state of the global environment – will involve hundreds of environmental experts from around the world and is expected to be delivered to the U.N. Environment Assembly in 2026.
“Mudmaid Museum,” an exhibit by Pattie Chalmers, professor and head of graduate studies in the School of Art and Design, opens Sept. 8 and runs through Jan. 20 at The Sheldon, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis. Chalmers will give an artist talk at the gallery at 1 p.m. Oct. 7.
Works by Heather M. O'Brien-Takahashi, assistant professor, School of Media Arts, Najjar Abdul-Musawwir, professor, School of Art and Design, and Stephanie Dukat, Craft Shop coordinator, are featured as part of the In Line invitational exhibition through Sept. 29 at the Artspace 304 Gallery, 304 W. Walnut St., Carbondale. A reception is from 5-7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 25.
John Reid Perkins-Buzo, associate professor, School of Media Arts, was a panelist earlier this month at SIGGRAPH 23, discussing “Artificial Intelligence and Animation.” The Association Internationale du Film d’Animation (Hollywood), the premier international organization devoted to cultivating and promoting the art, craft and profession of animation, sponsored the panel in Los Angeles.
Yemisi Anderson, small business adviser for the Illinois Small Business Development Center at SIU, has been selected for recognition among the 40 under 40 SBDC Trailblazers at the America’s SBDC Conference in Nashville, Tennessee. The award winners were selected for their business acumen, innovative thinking, commitment to driving growth and success, and contributing to their local small business landscape and networks. They will be recognized in September at the 44th annual conference at the Gaylord Opryland Resort.
Gretchen R. Dabbs, professor, anthropology, won her second ultra-distance (140.6 mile) triathlon national champion in the Athena division at the Michigan Titanium race on Aug. 13. Dabbs completed the 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike and 26.2-mile swim in a personal best time of 14:59:21. Dabbs, who trains with the SIU triathlon team, also won the 2022 national championship for the same distance and division.
Seung-Hee Lee, professor of fashion studies, School of Architecture, earned the “Best Paper Award” in July for her work, “Circular Economy Model: Sustainable Fashion Industry” at the 2023 Society of Open Innovation: Market, Technology and Complexity International Conference in Naples, Italy.
Omid Kamran Disfani, assistant professor, marketing, School of Management and Marketing, recently provided information on WalletHub.com about car insurance.
David Gibson, professor of plant biology, School of Biological Sciences, will discuss forensic botany at the Southern Illinois Learning in Retirement meeting at 10:30 a.m. Aug. 16 at the Grace United Methodist Church, 220 N. Tower Road, Carbondale. The free, public presentation will draw on his book, “Planting Clues: How Plants Solve Crimes.”
Christopher Behan, professor, and his wife, Valery Behan, adjunct professor, SIU School of Law, joined a group of attorneys, law professors and judges from the United States and Kenya, July 17-21, to teach a training course on different elements of a criminal trial, including case analysis, opening statements, direct and cross-examination of witnesses, and closing arguments. The students at Naivasha Maximum Security Prison in Naivasha, Kenya, included prisoners trained as paralegals, prison guards, former prisoners with law degrees and staff attorneys from throughout Kenya. The course was sponsored by the National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA), the Jones Day law firm and the Justice Defenders organization.
Carol Greenlee, associate director of SIU Carbondale’s Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, has been chosen a 2023 Edgar Fellow. She is one of 40 public policy leaders from across Illinois chosen this year for the program, which started in 2012.
The Saluki softball team finished the 2023 season third in the country in team GPA at 3.763. SIU was one of four teams in the nation to have a 3.75 or higher GPA, and had 19 All-America scholar-athletes.
