Faculty and Staff Notes

Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Manish Mehta recently published an article, "NMR-guided refinement of crystal structures using ¹⁵N chemical shift tensors," in Crystengcomm. His coauthors are Alex Nichols ’08 as well as collaborators from several institutions including Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Purdue University.

Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Shuming Chen recently published the article “Total Synthesis of (−)-Rauvomine B via a Strain-Promoted Intramolecular Cyclopropanation” in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. Her coauthors include Gabriel Negrao de Morais ’25 as well as collaborators from University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

Assistant Professor of Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies Vladimir Ivantsov organized and chaired the 2024 North American Dostoevsky Society (NADS) Undergraduate Essay Contest. For more on this, see the official blog of the North American Dostoevsky Society.

Jody Kerchner, a professor of music education at Oberlin since 1996, has just been elected to a two-year term as president-elect of the International Society for Music Education, announced at the 36th world conference in Helsinki in July.

Kerchner joined ISME in 1998 as an early professional, and has served as an ISME Board member and ISME Executive Team member. Her service to the society has included being chair of the ISME membership standing committee (2020-2024) and the faculty sponsor for the ISME Student Chapter, since its inception in 2022. 

Kerchner says, "My ISME participation helped me develop a network of colleagues that has elevated my pedagogical, research, and community music practice as well as my quest for intercultural understandings and collaborations. I have been inspired and challenged by the diverse ways ISME members engage with, teach, advocate for, and research music." 

During her term as ISME president-elect, Kerchner will concentrate her work on four areas: She hopes to build on the society's efforts to internationalize the membership,  make services offered by ISME accessible beyond conference attendance using technology creatively, support student chapter growth, and take part in the crafting of the society's new six-year strategic plan. 

Professor of Musicology Charles McGuire hosted the 11th biennial conference of the North American British Music Studies Association, held at Oberlin July 25-28. McGuire convened a panel on changes in the field of British musical studies over the last decade and was one of five attendees honored as a founding member and given an honorary lifetime membership.

Environmental studies professors Cindy Frantz and John Petersen were honored with an Outstanding Project Award by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency for their ongoing work on two grant-funded projects related to the “Environmental Dashboard,” a digital tool used to promote environmental sustainability among schoolchildren. The projects, which incorporate real-time resource usage feedback and community voices, have involved numerous Oberlin students over the past decade.

Associate Professor of Business Eric Lin coauthored the Harvard Business Review article “Research: Resume Gaps Still Matter,” which examines evolving attitudes toward breaks in employment and their impact on pay. It was published July 31, 2024.

Professor of Politics Kristina Mani wrote in World Politics Review that in the presidential election in Venezuela, the military's position is complex and it may not necessarily support President Nicolas Maduro this time.

Assistant Dean and Director of International Student and Scholar Services Josh Whitson attended the 2024 NAFSA: Association of International Educators Ohio conference hosted by Ohio Dominican University on July 19 and presented an overview of the Fulbright IEA Program.

Chemistry and biochemistry faculty Will Parsons and Katelyn Bustin published an article titled “Activity-Based Protein Profiling of RHBDL4 Reveals Proteolysis of the Enzyme and a Distinct Inhibitor Profile” in ACS Chemical Biology along with Cassondra Davies ’24, Paul Kamitsuka ’23, Gabriel Negrao de Morais ’25, Regina Stasser de Gonzalez ’22, and collaborators from the University of Pennsylvania.