Faculty and Staff Notes

This summer, Visiting Assistant Professor of Mathematics Nathan Gray will participate (online) in the Undergraduate Faculty Program (UFP) at the Park City Mathematics Institute, a program that is aimed at faculty members from all types of colleges and universities who have strong interests in undergraduate teaching and research; UFP 2021 will focus on motivic Milnor numbers.

In Summer 2020, Gray joined other early-career mathematicians by becoming a member of the 2020 cohort for Project NExT, a professional development program sponsored through the MAA for new or recent PhDs in the mathematical sciences. He will wrap up his cohort's workshops in summer 2021.

Danforth-Lewis Professor of Economics John Duca (virtually) presented two studies at the Annual Conference of the French Finance Association in May 2021 which analyzed the effectiveness of Federal Reserve efforts to stabilize the corporate and municipal bond markets during the COVID-19 Recession. One of these appeared as NBER Working Paper 28097 in November 2020 and the other as NBER Working Paper 28437 in February 2021. 

Earlier this year, Applied Economics Letters electronically published a paper that Duca coauthored with Jason Saving, “Media fragmentation and the polarization of the American public.” Together with European coauthors Martin Hoesli and Joaquim Montezuma, Duca also published a timely paper in the Journal of European Real Estate Research, “The Resilience and Realignment of House Prices in the Era of COVID-19.”

Visiting Assistant Professor of Mathematics Matt Evans joins other early career mathematicians as a member of the 2021 cohort for Project NExT, a professional development program for new or recent PhDs in the mathematical sciences. Project NExT addresses all aspects of an academic career through workshops held at MathFest 2021 as well as the Joint Mathematics Meetings 2022. Project NExT Fellows explore and discuss issues that are of special relevance to beginning faculty, such as: innovative approaches to a variety of introductory and advanced courses, strategies for engaging students in specific mathematics courses, supporting students from historically underserved groups, involving undergraduates in mathematical research, preparing future K-12 teachers of mathematics, writing grant proposals, and balancing teaching and research.

Assistant Professor of Jewish Studies and Religion Shari Rabin will speak as part of a discussion on "Jews and Muslims in America" at the Graduate Theological Union's Madrasa-Midrasha Program. The conversation begins at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, June 15. Rabin's talk is titled "Placing Jews in American History" and will consider how Jews have been understood and how Judaism has been transformed in American history, using the 1669 Fundamental Constitutions of Carolina as its starting point.

Professor of Comparative American Studies and History Shelley Lee was quoted in a New York Times story about anti-Asian racism in the United States. 

Associate Professor of Comparative Literature Stiliana Milkova coedited a special issue of the scholarly journal Modern Language Notes (MLN, 136:1, 2021) and published an article in the special issue.

Associate Professor of Geology Zeb Page and Emilie Lozier '18 have coauthored a new paper in Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology with colleagues. This work combines stable isotope analyses of metamorphic garnet made by Lozier while at Oberlin with trace element analyses conducted at the University of Maine and in Mainz, Germany. This approach allows geochemists to decipher a detailed fluid and metamorphic history of an ancient subduction zone in California. Lozier is pursuing a PhD in Chemistry at Northwestern University.

Rob Thompson, emeritus professor of chemistry, has been named the Ohio PKAL STEM Educator of the Year for 2021. The annual award recognizes excellence and innovation in the field of STEM education at the college level and includes $500 for the recipient. Award selection committee chair and Ohio Northern University Professor Bradley Wile said, "Thompson was recognized by his colleagues for his long-standing commitment to creative and engaging classroom and laboratory instruction, and his work with faculty peers within the region. By placing an emphasis on active classroom approaches and communicating scientific concepts within a case study/mock trial framework, he helped build problem solving and communication skills that are critical for today's STEM graduates. His lasting impact on his program, and on STEM education in Ohio, are well-aligned with the mission of Ohio PKAL, and serve as an inspiration to his peers.” Public recognition of the award will be delayed until the 2022 Ohio PKAL Annual Meeting to be held at the College of Wooster, Thompson’s alma mater.

Assistant professor of Creative Writing Chanda Feldman has two new poems at Conjunctions online. The poem "Glance" considers the sculpture "Head of a Negro" by Richmond Barthé, which is in the Allen Art Museum collection.
 

Assistant Professor of Physics Jillian Scudder is a coauthor on a publication describing a large legacy project, aiming to collect and unify overlapping data sets where far-infrared data is present. This project aims to allow easier study of distant galaxies across wavelength.