Noteworthy

The Journal of Solution Chemistry recently published an article, titled "Volumetric and Acoustic Properties of Trans-Resveratrol in Ethanol", by Professors Ismail Kul and Alexis Nagengast, Associate Professor Krishna Bhat, and alumna Julianne Azarewicz '13.

The article states that several thermodynamic parameters for trans-resveratrol have been experimentally determined or calculated at different temperatures. The capability of trans-resveratrol to have strong solute–solvent interactions and weak solute–solute interactions in ethanol solution has been demonstrated using density and speed of sound data. Furthermore, its ability to have structure breaking tendencies and the absence of caging effects are shown. The results of this investigation are consistent with molecular model images generated using Spartan 04 modeling.

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Widener University professors in the Center for Education’s Community Engaged Teacher Education (CETE) program collaborated to write Chapter 4 Shared Power in Teacher Preparation: University, School, and Community in a recently published book, titled The Power of Community-Engaged Teacher Preparation. 
 
The chapter was written by Professor Nadine McHenry, who coordinates the CETE program, as well as Director of the Widener Child Development Center Essence Allen-Presley, Associate Professor Bretton Alvaré, retired Stetser Elementary Principal Janet Baldwin, alumna Rev. Hilda Campbell, and alumna Taylor Borgstrom.
 
The book focuses on how and why community-engaged teacher preparation is a vital approach to address an educational system that his historically deficient, discriminatory, and inequitable.

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The National Science Foundation (NSF) has renewed its support of the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav) with a $17 million grant over 5 years to operate the NANOGrav Physics Frontiers Center. Dr. Paul Baker, an assistant professor of physics at Widener University, is partially funded by this award as a member of NANOGrav.

The NANOGrav Physics Frontiers Center will address a transformational challenge in astrophysics: the detection and characterization of low-frequency gravitational waves. The most promising sources of low-frequency gravitational waves are supermassive binary black holes that form via the mergers of massive galaxies. 

NANOGrav was founded in 2007 and is now a highly-distributed collaboration with around 200 students and scientists at about 40 institutions around the world. Dr. Baker has been a member of NANOGrav since 2016.

For more information, visit NANOGrav’s website at: https://nanograv.org/

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Dr. Mark Nicosia, professor of mechanical engineering, was appointed to the position of associate dean of the School of Engineering. Dr. Nicosia, who previously chaired the department of mechanical engineering, will oversee academic affairs and external relations in this new role. A member of the engineering faculty since 2005, Professor Nicosia's research focuses on computational and experimental analysis of physiological systems, particularly the gastrointestinal system. In 2019, Professor Nicosia was named Distinguished University Professor, an award that recognizes faculty members of distinction and demonstrates how Widener is committed to recognizing excellence in teaching, scholarship and service.

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Widener University presented the William David Eckard, Jr. Award for Distinguished Service to Michelle “Micki” Meekins-Davis ‘03, the chief diversity officer and director of multicultural affairs in the President’s Office, and Mary Anne Wood, an administrative assistant in the Office of Student Success.

This annual award, presented by President Julie E. Wollman, recognizes two longstanding employees for their commitment and outstanding service to the Widener community. William David Eckard III, former long-time vice president of administration and finance at Widener University and a 1966 graduate of Pennsylvania Military College, established the award in memory of his father, William David Eckard, Jr.

Micki Davis is a longtime, well-respected member of the Widener and broader regional communities. She has served as a leader for multicultural, cultural competence, social justice, equity, and diversity-related programs and workshops for students, faculty, and staff.

Mary Anne Wood has provided outstanding service to Widener students and employees since she first arrived on campus in 2007. She supports the work of all of the departments within the Office of Student Success and is a great proponent for each student’s success.

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The Board of Directors for the International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education (ICHRIE) recently recognized Professor Jeff Lolli’s work with the Northeast/North America (NENA) Federation chapter of ICHRIE with the McCool Breakthrough Award. The McCool Breakthrough Award honors the spirit of astronaut Willie McCool and is given to an individual, group, program, school, college, association, or corporation that has made a significant breakthrough or introduced a unique approach in the spirit of ICHRIE’s mission. 

The award recognized the Eta Sigma Delta (ESD) Honor Society Board of Governors and Lolli as co-chair for creating a first ever virtual conference for ESD honor society students. The first-of-its-kind conference theme was ‘Hospitality Strong: Resetting the Industry’ and focused on professional development for students, as well as education on how the decimated hospitality and tourism industry is resilient and how the industry pivoted during the pandemic.

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Stephanie Jeffers, associate professor of nursing, was recognized in the 2021 Region’s Talented Top Nurses list by Main Line Today in the category of education. Jeffers, who serves as director the pre-licensure undergraduate programs, was nominated by her peers through an online ballot ahead of a thorough editorial vetting and confirmation process. 

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University Archivist and Librarian Jill Borin was named to the board of directors of the Philadelphia-Area Consortium of Special Collections Libraries (PACSCL). The thirty-four member libraries and archives of PACSCL collect, care for, and share with a world-wide audience collections that, in their depth and variety, comprise an internationally important body of unique materials for students, scholars and lifelong learners at any level.

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Professor Janine Utell, chair of English, edited the book, "Teaching Modernist Women's Writing in English". The essays in the volume explore formal aspects and thematic concerns of modernism while also challenging rigid notions of what constitutes literary value as well as the idea of a canon with fixed boundaries.

The essays contextualize modernist women's writing in the material and political concerns of the early twentieth century and in life on the home front during wartime. They consider the original print contexts of the works and propose fresh digital approaches for courses ranging from high school through graduate school. Suggested assignments provide opportunities for students to write creatively and critically, recover forgotten literary works, and engage with their communities.

The book will be available for purchase on July 1, 2021 and was published by Modern Language Association of America.

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The Widener University Faculty Scholarship, an endowment funded primarily by faculty donations, recognizes the outstanding academic achievements of undergraduate students in and outside the classroom. Nominees are selected from each school and college in their junior year and are awarded funds to assist with their tuition in their senior year. 

The 2021-2022 awardees are:

Hannah Berard, Alana Fitchett (College of Health and Human Services)

Erin Coffey, Madeline Dutterer, Samantha Mendelson (College of Arts and Sciences)

Angelina Franceschini, Camryn Samuel, Kathleen Sorah (School of Nursing)
 
Nicholas Lubeck, Michael Oravic (School of Engineering)
 
Sarah McFarland, Danielle Mininno (School of Business Administration)

Those who are interested in supporting the Faculty Scholarship, can go to https://give.widener.edu/give/make-gift and indicate 'Faculty Scholarship' for gift designation. 

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Assistant Professor of Chemistry Hongwei Yang has been awarded nearly $5,000 from the Penn State Materials Research Facilities Network, which is part of a nationwide partnership with the National Science Foundation, to support faculty-student research on the project "Design novel metal-organic frameworks for non-enzymatic electrochemical glucose senor." Working with undergraduate students, Dr. Yang is conducting research to advance the development of low-cost, reliable non-enzymatic glucose sensors for people with diabetes.

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Associate Professor of Chemistry Andrea Martin was awarded a $13,000 grant from the Oiled Wildlife Care Network to continue her research with undergraduate students. Dr. Martin and her students, in partnership with Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research, have been testing detergents to determine which is most effective for cleaning oil from the feathers of birds.

Read more about the research: https://www.widener.edu/news/news-archive/birds-eye-view-summer-research-students-test-detergents-save-wildlife-affected-oil-spills

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Assistant Librarian Roz Goldstein presented on the topic "Using Mobile Worklists for Limited Contact Weeding" at the annual Innovative Users' Group (IUG) conference on March 22, 2021. Presenting to an international membership, Goldstein shared the library's experience of using the Sierra library system’s Mobile Worklist application to support a workflow that allowed the library to continue with its collections maintenance project while mostly working remotely from home during the pandemic.  

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Professor Jeffrey Lolli recently co-authored an article, entitled 'Evaluating the Use of Sense of Place as a Business Strategy in the Marketing and Promotion of Craft Beverage Tourism,' in the Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Cases. The article highlighted the use sense of place as a business strategy in the marketing and promotion of craft beverage tourism for one New Jersey brewery through the lens of the Multidisciplinary Framework for Place-Conscious Education. The case will help educate students/future craft beverage entrepreneurs/educators on the challenges of an increasingly competitive craft beverage business environment.

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Graduate and Continuing Studies Associate Dean Janelle Williams, Ed.D. co-authored a report, entitled "Presidents and and their Strategies to Build Partnerships at HBCUs." 

This report was developed by Zachary C. Brown of Purdue University, Williams, and Levon T. Esters of Purdue University, and was co-sponsored by brightspot strategy and the second of a three-part "Year of Leadership" Series in The Samuel DeWitt Proctor Institute for Leadership, Equity, and Justice.

The report emphasizes the importance of successful partnerships between Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other institutions, industries, and community partners.

According to the report, HBCUs have been historically disadvantaged when compared to their Predominantly White Institution (PWI) counterparts. State and federal governments disproportionately support and provide funding to PWIs as compared to HBCUs. 

Report findings conclude that while some partnerships and leadership practices are distinct to particular institutions, commonalities are present as well. These include prioritizing student and community needs. Each university president discussed diverse criteria when choosing partners, but they all kept institutional and student success in mind as they engage partners. 

The report can be accessed here: https://proctor.gse.rutgers.edu/sites/default/files/MSIreportFeb21_R4.pdf

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Institute for Physical Therapy Education faculty Ellen Erdman, clinical associate professor and director of clinical education, and Jill Black, associate dean of College of Health & Human Services and the director of the Institute, co-authored a report in the journal Physical Therapy Education.

The purpose of the article was to compare and contrast the physical therapy international clinical education experience in both the developed and developing country and compare the experiences to professional standards and guidelines.

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Amy Franzini, associate professor of communication studies and digital media informatics, recently had an article, entitled "U.S. coviewing during COVID" published in a special issue of The Journal of Children and Media. The special issue was entitled "Children, Media, and the Clarity of Crises in 2020."

The article focused on how the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 provided a unique opportunity for Franzini to interweave her personal family life, as a parent, and professional life, as a researcher of teachable moments in children's media.

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Jill Black, associate dean of the College of Health & Human Services and director of the Institute for Physical Therapy, is a co-author on the research report "Defining Global Health Competencies for Entry-Level Physical Therapist Education." The report, which was published in the journal Physical Therapy Education, investigated a framework to integrate a global health perspective into physical therapy curricula. 

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Michael Rosko, professor emeritus of health care management, published a book chapter, “Profitability of Rural Hospitals: An Analysis of Government Payment Policies,” in Advances in Healthcare Management, Volume 19, A Focus on Consumerism and Profitability. The book was edited by Jennifer Hefner and Mona Al-Amin and published by Emerald Publishing 2020 Bingley, UK.

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Delaware Law School Veterans Law Clinic Director Jennifer Morrell has joined the Scholarship Committee of the National Law School Veterans Clinic Consortium and has taken the lead in managing and restarting the organization’s blog. Her post about NLSVCC’s virtual bootcamp for veterans clinic interns and faculty was noted on the web site for the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.

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