Accomplishments - February, 2026
The School of Music’s Angela Shultz, director of musical theater and associate professor of practice in musical theater and voice, will perform with Brett Kristofferson their New York City cabaret “Do-Overs,” at 7 p.m. Friday, March 6, at Havisham Bourbon Bar in Alto Pass. The free performance is the capstone event of the 2025-2026 Song Festival. The participation of Kristofferson, an assistant professor in theater at Lindenwood University, is funded by the Fine Arts and Activity Fee.
Hannah Brenner Johnson, dean and Hiram H. Lesar Professor of Law, SIU Simmons Law School, has been appointed to the Illinois Supreme Court’s Illinois Judicial Conference Legal Deserts Task Force. The task force will examine and develop solutions to the lawyer shortage in rural areas of the state.
Victoria Groves-Scott, dean of the School of Education, is featured on the ROE #30 School Story Podcast, a 10-episode series from Matthew Sturgeon, regional superintendent, produced by Journey12 and released this month. She discusses noteworthy SIU programs, students, partnerships, current challenges and more on the podcasts: “Teaching in 026: Is it a Revolution? Is it the New Normal?” and “Special Education: Meeting Every Learner Where They Are.” Find the ROE #30 School Story Podcasts on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and iHeartRadio.
Jeb Asirvatham, associate professor of agribusiness economics, recently presented “Mother’s autonomous decision-making and its effects on child growth in Rwanda” at the Southern Agricultural Economics Association meeting in Louisville, Kentucky. A study, which Asirvatham co-authored with SIU Carbondale alumna and doctorate student Harika Devi Rapolu, investigated chronic malnutrition in Sub-Saharan Africa and researched whether empowering women in household decision-making can improve child health. The study found that mothers’ education, rather than empowerment, plays a more significant role in improving children’s health.
Corinne Brevik and Thushari Jayasekera, associate professors in the School of Physics and Applied Physics, and Tobias Merriman, assistant director for the Center for Virtual Expression, recently received an American Physical Society Innovation Fund award for their project “Talk with a Climate Physicist: Using AI-Driven Avatars to Make Climate Experts Accessible for All.” This project uses rising technologies to create opportunities for students across the country to have conversations with scientists who can discuss careers, educational pathways, and current research efforts in physics and climate science.
Two College of Arts and Media alumni are 2026 Academy Award nominees. Hilla Medalia, a two-degree alumna, is nominated for an Oscar in the Best Documentary Short category for “Children No More: Were and Are Gone.” Medalia earned a master’s degree in professional media practice and a bachelor’s degree in radio and television. She earned university outstanding thesis honors for “Daughters of Abraham.” Jack Piatt, founder of Highway West Entertainment, is nominated for the Best Live-Action Short nominee, ”The Singers,” which was recently picked up to air on Netflix. Piatt earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and took graduate classes in the college’s professional media and media management studies program. The 98th Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awards air on March 15.
Darryl Kent Clark, associate professor of musical theater dance, will premiere “Redeux,” a new dance duet as part of the sixth annual “FIRST DRAFT: New Work by Chicago-Area Dancemakers” Feb. 28 and March 1 at the Ann Barzel Theater at Visceral Dance Center in Chicago. The program is presented by Winifred Haun & Dancers. Haun is an SIU Carbondale alumna.
