Accomplishments

Faculty Accomplishments: College of Arts & Sciences

The College of Arts and Sciences is excited to share recent accomplishments from our faculty and staff members.

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Accomplishments are listed by date of achievement in reverse chronological order, with the most recent first.


All Recent Accomplishments

Claude E. Gagna, Ph.D., professor of biological and chemical sciences, published a peer-reviewed abstract in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology (i.e., Society for Investigative Dermatology, 2022 Annual Meeting) entitled "Identification of Z-DNA, G4-DNA and B-DNA in epidermis: Spatial genomic organization of different DNA structures (Genomesorganizomics)", on August 1, 2022. Data from this research project shows, for the first time, the presence and distribution of three totally different structures of DNA molecules within normal human skin. These DNAs (canonical, alternative, and multistranded DNAs) were characterized simultaneously within the nucleus of cells, allowing for studies on gene expression between different forms of DNA.

Melda N. Yildiz, Ed.D., associate professor of education, had her article, "Algorithmic Social Justice through Participatory Action Research: Media Binds or Blinds?," published in Media Literacy, Equity, and Justice, edited by Belinha S. De Abreu, and published by Routledge on July 20, 2022.

Claude E. Gagna, Ph.D., professor of biological and chemical sciences, published a response to "Expanding the Histone Code," the lead story of the June 6, 2022 edition of Chemical and Engineering News, in the Letters to the Editor, Reactions Section of the same publication on July 14, 2022. His letter, entitled "Beyond B-DNA for Histone Studies," focuses on how the research community of molecular biologists and chemists needs to expand its view of double-stranded DNA beyond that of Watson and Crick's canonical B-DNA molecule and consider exotic, alternative, and multistranded DNA structures when trying to crack the human histone code.

Claude E. Gagna, Ph.D., professor of biological and chemical sciences, published a peer-reviewed abstract in investigative ophthalmology & visual sciences (ARVO Annual Meeting) entitled "Multiplex Immunofluorescent Demonstration of B-DNA, Z-DNA and G4-Quadruplex DNA in the Mouse Crystalline Lens: Spatial Genomic Organization of Different DNA Structures, i.e., Genomesorganizomics," on July 1, 2022. This project reveals, for the first time, the distribution of three different structures of nucleic acids within the normal adult crystalline lens of the eye globe. This novel "omics" method reveals how each of the three DNAs plays a different role in gene expression.

Larry Jaffee, M.A., adjunct professor of communication arts, hosted the Making Vinyl conference in Nashville, TN on June 23-24, 2022, where he was privileged to introduce music legend T Bone Burnett as closing keynote speaker. Jaffee co-founded Making Vinyl, the only B2B platform dedicated to the global rebirth of the vinyl record manufacturing industry. He also produced a Making Vinyl Europe conference in Frankfurt, Germany on September 1-2, 2022. Since 2017, Jaffee has worked with such music industry luminaries as Jack White, Darryl McDaniels, and Little Steven Van Zandt at Making Vinyl events in Detroit, Los Angeles, and Berlin.

Jonathan Goldman, Ph.D., professor of English, Department of Humanities, was quoted extensively in a column for the Irish Independent by Colum Murphy titled "100 years after publishing Ulysses, how come James Joyce has never been canceled?", on June 12, 2022. Goldman says: “Yes, Joyce is difficult to read. Yes, not everybody is going to read the book cover to cover. But any kind of engagement with Ulysses is a form of leadership.”

Jonathan Goldman, Ph.D., professor of English, Department of Humanities, spoke at the Consulate General of Ireland, New York, for their event devoted to James Joyce's Ulysses, on the subject of "U for You" (Ulysses for all readers), on June 3, 2022.

Amanda Golden, Ph.D., associate professor of English, Department of Humanities, co-edited the book "The Bloomsbury Handbook to Sylvia Plath" with Anita Helle and Maeve O'Brien, published by Bloomsbury Academic, on May 25, 2022. The volume contains chapters by 27 scholars, including Elizabeth J. Donaldson, Ph.D., professor of English and associate dean of curriculum and student engagement, and Lissi Athanasiou-Krikelis, Ph.D., associate professor of English and director of interdisciplinary studies. A launch event took place on May 25, hosted by Melissa Parrish of Smith College, featuring a panel of speakers from the collection.

Don Fizzignolia, M.A., professor and chair of the Department of Communication Arts, had his peer-reviewed book, Crime in TV, the News, and Film, published by Rowman and Littlefield on May 20, 2022. The book provides a fresh look at the interplay between criminal events and the media outlets that cover them. The authors' diverse backgrounds—a criminologist researcher, a documentarian and media professor, a police officer, and a criminologist who is a former TV reporter—allow for a frank discussion. Viewers of crime dramas and consumers of news will gain a new understanding of the way their programs are produced. Readers will become more aware of the biases that sometimes cloud perceptions of crime and criminals. Finally, experts and scholars will improve their discernment of media depictions. The book is useful in the classroom in fields of media, communications, criminology, sociology, and more.

Jonathan Goldman, Ph.D., professor of English, Department of Humanities, presented his paper titled "This Is My Body: Owning Oneself in Wilde and Joyce" at Caliban’s Mirror: The 2022 Wilde and Joyce Symposium, hosted at Trinity College, Dublin, on May 14, 2022.