Letter from the Dean

Dear Friend of the College,

Welcome to the November 2008 issue of Inside A&S, the monthly e-newsletter of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. We hope that you find this edition informative and useful as you learn more about the activities, events, and initiatives happening in the College.

This academic year continues to be filled with a wide array of academic and cultural events, including faculty development workshops, Villanova Theatre’s 50th anniversary, the Africana Studies Program's 15th anniversary, and the "From the Local to the Global: International Sustainability Conference," designed to enhance the learning experience for every member of the Villanova community. My hope is that our students, faculty, and staff take advantage of all of these activities to further enrich their educational experience. Be sure to visit this Web site to learn about the many events happening this academic year.

In addition, the Office of the Dean in the College has been reorganized to better serve you ... its students, faculty, and staff. Please click here to learn all about these exciting changes and how we in the Dean's Office can best serve you.

Thank you for continuing to read Inside A&S. We appreciate your ongoing interest in the life of the College, and, as always, we welcome your feedback. 

From all of us at Villanova, I wish you a happy Thanksgiving.

Sincerely,


Rev. Kail C. Ellis, O.S.A., Ph.D.
Dean of the College
 

In College News …

 Faculty Workshop Series: Speaking of Scripture

The Villanova Center for Liberal Education (VCLE) is hosting a series of faculty workshops during the academic year entitled, "Speaking of Scripture: Interfaith Conversations on Teaching Sacred Texts," featuring distinguished Jewish, Christian, and Muslim scholars. The event series is designed to encourage interfaith dialogue, especially around the topic of how professors teach texts from other faith traditions. The project is sponsored by a VITAL grant in addition to support from other departments and programs in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. To learn more, please click here. For more information, please contact Marylu Hill, Ph.D.

Villanova Theatre’s 50th Anniversary season continues with the rollicking farce
Le Dindon (An Absolute Turkey)

Barrymore Award-winning director Harriet Power, who cast a spell over audiences with last year’s The Illusion, has orchestrated a comedy of preposterous proportions, with 21 actors spinning in organized chaos. The artistic team for Le Dindon includes Barrymore Award winners Charlotte Cloe Fox Wind (costumes), James F. Pyne, Jr. (set), and Jerold R. Forsyth (lights), and Barrymore nominee Mark Valenzuela (sound). Le Dindon (An Absolute Turkey) will be on stage November 11-23, 2008. Learn more here.

Center for Arab and Islamic Studies Fall 2008 Events

The Center for Arab and Islamic Studies is hosting many events during the Fall 2008 semester. Be sure to check them out here and make plans to attend.

Women’s Studies Program Renamed “Gender and Women’s Studies”

The Women’s Studies Program has been renamed “Gender and Women’s Studies.” This more inclusive name will allow the program to expand. Learn more here.
 

Villanova University Announces 2009 Praxis Award in Professional Ethics

The Villanova University Ethics Program of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has announced the selection of the recipient of its third annual Praxis Award in Professional Ethics. Amy Domini, the Founder and CEO of Domini Social Investments, an investment management company committed to social responsibility, will be presented the award on March 31, 2009, at 5:30 p.m. in the Villanova Room of Connelly Center. The Praxis Award highlights and celebrates the contributions of a professional or an academic in the field of professional ethics. Learn more here.
 

The College IT Office: Supporting the Technological Needs of the College’s Faculty and Staff

Villanova University has a strong tradition of promoting and using today’s most advanced and appropriate technological resources, and while the technological infrastructure at Villanova is managed by the University Information Technology Department (UNIT), the College itself provides a vast array of supplemental and vital IT support to its faculty and staff. The College IT Office employs a staff of talented and dedicated IT professionals who work to meet specific needs within all of the College’s unique departments and programs. The College IT Office reports to the Office of the Dean in the College. Learn more here.
 

Suzanne Superka Joins College's Dean's Office as Financial Manager

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is pleased to announce that Suzanne Superka has joined the Dean's Office of the College, serving as the Financial Manager. Suzanne is responsible for leading and coordinating the development, administration, and maintenance of the College's operating and capital budgets, as well as the College's long-range financial planning model. 

In this role, Suzanne's responsibilities include developing and maintaining a budgeting system for departmental users; developing and ensuring adherence to timelines related to the budget process; preparing internal budget reports, analyses, and financial forecasts; developing reports and tools for departments to use in monitoring and analyzing their budgets and performance against budget; developing methods and models to allocate costs across departments and functional areas; and working closely with department leaders to assist them in understanding their budgets and performance against budget.

In addition, Suzanne reviews and approves electronic Works transactions for College purchase cards. Furthermore, Suzanne is the second signature on all requests, purchase orders, etc., for all College and departmental budgets requiring a second authorizing signature. Please join everyone in the Dean's Office in welcoming Suzanne to the College. To learn more about the College's new organizational structure, please click here. 

2008 U.S. Presidential Election Series: National Security and the Election

In the presidential election and campaign, some national security issues can be “sold” to voters as important, while others are a “hard sell." For instance, candidates find it easier to talk about illegal immigrants than they do about reforming the way intelligence agencies work or don’t work. This talk, led by David M. Barrett. Ph.D. (pictured here), a professor of political science and author of the book, The CIA and Congress: The Untold Story From Truman to Kennedy, discussed how the difficult nature of certain current national security challenges (Iraq, Afghanistan, North Korea, and Iran, for example) makes it tempting for presidential candidates to oversimplify and overpromise solutions. Dr. Barrett explored the proposals and promises of the two main presidential candidates, and to the frequent reluctance of the news media to do in-depth reporting on national security issues. The third lecture in the 2008 Presidential Election Series took place on Thursday, Oct. 23, at 4:30 p.m., in the first floor lounge of Falvey Memorial Library.

PHOTO BY JEN CYWINSKI, '10
Jen (Jennifer) Cywinski is a junior from Paoli, Pa. She previously attended Rosemont College and University of the Arts in Philadelphia as an Art major. She is now majoring in English.

From the Local to the Global: International Sustainability Conference

A Call for Papers

Villanova University is hosting an international interdisciplinary conference on sustainability from April 23 to 26, 2009. The conference aims to bring together scholars, activists, and government and corporate professionals from across the United States and around the world to learn from each other in exploring the multiple dimensions of sustainability. This conference is the capstone event of Villanova’s Year of Sustainability, which began in September 2008 with the symposium, "Mendel in the 21st Century: The Scientific, Social, and Ethical Impact of Genetics in Our World," a celebration of the 80th anniversary of Villanova’s granting of the Mendel Medal honoring the legacy of Augustinian priest Gregor Mendel, an icon of interdisciplinary scientific investigation; recipients of the medal include botanist Peter Raven, philosopher Holmes Rolston III, and biologist Meg Lowman. Visit this Web site to learn even more about he sustainability conference.

Horgan to Examine “Disengagement and Deradicalization From Terrorism”

Dr. John Horgan will present a Psychology colloquium entitled “Disengagement and Deradicalization From Terrorism” on Nov. 20, 2008, at 4 p.m., CEER Room 001. Dr. Horgan, who is a leading international expert on the psychology of terrorism, will present his recent research on Middle Eastern terrorist organizations, describing various reasons why some terrorist members disengage and leave such organizations. Learn more here.
 

The Office for Mission Effectiveness sponsored a discussion entitled, “Can Catholic Social Teaching on the Common Good Move Us Beyond the Politics of Division,?” on Tuesday, Oct. 21. Based on Catholic teaching, the panel discussed important issues in the U.S. Presidential Election election. Learn more here.

Homeboy Industries: “Nothing Stops a Bullet Like a Job”

Father Greg Boyle, S.J., founder of Homeboy Industries, presented the lecture, “Nothing Stops a Bullet Like a Job,” sponsored by the Offices of Mission Effectiveness and Service Learning, on Tuesday, Oct. 7. The mission of Homeboy Industries is to assist at-risk and formerly gang-involved youth to become positive and contributing members of society through job placement, training, and education. Learn more here.

Aaron M. Bauer, Ph.D., Named Holder of the Gerald M. Lemole, M.D., Endowed Chair in Integrative Biology

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is proud to announce that Aaron M. Bauer, Ph.D., a professor of biology and director of the graduate programs in biology, has been named the holder of the Gerald M. Lemole, M.D., Endowed Chair in Integrative Biology. The first endowed chair to be awarded in the sciences, the Chair in Integrative Biology honors the life and legacy of Gerald M. Lemole M.D. ’58, by supporting the career of a talented biology professor, advancing the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and enhancing the education of Villanova biology students. The inauguration of the Lemole Chair will take place on Monday, Nov. 17, at 4 p.m. in the Villanova Room of Connelly Center. All A&S faculty and staff are invited to attend. There will not be a faculty procession in Cap and Gown; faculty are encouraged to attend the event. Learn more here. For more information about the inauguration ceremony, please contact Craig Wheeland, Ph.D., associate vice president for academic affairs.
 

Villanova Theatre’s 50th Anniversary

This year marks the Theatre Department’s 50th anniversary and the start of a yearlong celebration of Villanova Theatre’s past, present, and future. The 2008-2009 line-up includes a masterpiece of the American stage, a giddy French farce, a gorgeous contemporary re-imagining of Roman mythology, and a sizzling Kander and Ebb musical. Each piece celebrates and builds upon some aspect of Villanova Theatre’s history, as the M.A. in Theatre program looks forward to the next half century. Learn more here.

Students Explore Sacred Spaces at Villanova University

During the spring 2008 semester, students enrolled in the course, "HUM 2900 American Sacred Space Class," taught by Margaret Grubiak, Ph.D., an assistant professor of humanities, put together a Web site entitled, "Sacred Spaces Villanova." To access it, please click here.
 

Cultural Film Series Line-Up

College Celebrates the 25th Anniversary of the Center for Arab and Islamic Studies

The Center for Arab and Islamic Studies will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2009 and will mark the occasion with an international conference titled, "Mirror Images: Challenges for Arab and Islamic Studies," on April 2 to 4. During the conference, which will feature scholarly panels, workshops, discussions, and diverse cultural programs, a keynote address will be delivered by Professor Juan R.I. Cole, Ph.D., the Richard P. Mitchell Collegiate Professor of History at the University of Michigan. Dr. Cole also is the president of the Global Americana Institute.

Ethics for Lunch Fall 2008 Series of Events

Tired of your typical lunch fare? Looking to spice up that soup-and-sandwich combo? Searching for something just a little more substantive than cheese steak? If you answered "yes" to any of the above questions, then you need to join us for Ethics for Lunch! Check out the fall 2008 schedule here!
 

Reminder: Grant Development Web Site Now Live

Faculty are strongly encouraged to visit the Grant Development Web site. Here you will find the guidelines for the submission of proposals.

Explore iTunes University on the Web  

Download faculty lectures and subscribe to podcasts all at iTunes University. Connect to what is happening at Villanova anytime, anywhere.
 

Women's Studies Hosts Fall 2008 Event Series

Visit Mideastwire.com Today!

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Partners with the Financial Times

Providing Students With Global Perspectives on World Events

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has partnered with the Financial Times, internationally recognized for its authoritative news, comment, and analysis, to provide students and faculty with full access to the FT’s electronic edition and to FT.com’s Level Two subscription service. This partnership will enable the University to further educate its students on socio-economic and geo-political issues that affect everyone regardless of a student’s major.

How To Access the Financial Times Online

There are many ways to access the FT online:

• For resources for faculty, please click here.
• For resources for students, please click here.
• To access the digital version of today's newspaper, please click here.
• To access the Financial Times online, please click here.

IT Corner

• The College IT Office: Supporting the Technological Needs of the College’s Faculty and Staff.
  The College provides a vast array of supplemental and vital IT support to its faculty and staff. The College IT Office, which reports to the Office of the Dean in the College, employs a staff of talented and dedicated IT professionals who work to meet specific needs within all of the College’s unique departments and programs. Learn more here.
   
• Welcome, Jon! Please welcome Jon Graziola, the newest addition to our College IT support team.
  Jon will be the new point person for the College computing labs and general IT support for Science departments (Biology, Chemistry, and Geography). Jon’s contact information: Email: Jonathan.Graziola@villanova.edu, Phone: x9-5337, Office: SAC 085 (College IT Office)
   
• Faculty and Staff Photographs. Did you have your photo taken at one of the recent faculty and staff photo shoots? If you did, then you can find your photo archived here. Please log in with your user name and password.
  If you need your photo added to your Bio Page, please email Elisa.

Save the Dates!

Please mark your calendars for these important events:

Special Olympics                                November 7-9
Thanksgiving Recess                          November 25-30
Classes Resume                                 December 1
Reading Day                                      December 12
Finals                                                December 13-19 (No finals on Sunday, Dec. 14)
Spring 2009 Semester Begins              January 12

Please click here for the complete academic calendar.

Event Round-up

Be sure to visit the College's home page for a more complete rundown of upcoming events!
 

University Events Module Makes It Easy to Promote Special Events, Lectures, and Other Happenings
Posting an event on the University's Web site and College's Web site has never been easier. Simply enter all relevant information here. Be sure to include your event announcement on the daily Wildcat Newswire, too. The Newswire is sent to all undergraduate, graduate, and law school students at Villanova. Access the online submission from from the University's home page.
 

Faculty Scholarship

• Rebecca Brand, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychology, and Bill Christiana (a 2008 alumnus of the Psychology Master's program) presented a poster in May 2008 at the Association for Psychological Science in Chicago entitled, "Socioeconomic status and infant-directed action: Exploring individual differences."  Dr. Brand also attended an international conference in July in Bielefeld, Germany, at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research. The conference was entitled, "Intermodal Action Structuring," and she gave an invited talk on "The structure of action and speech in infant-directed interactions." In August, Dr. Brand and Wendy Shallcross (a 2007 alumna of the Psychology Master's program) published a paper in Developmental Science called "Infants prefer motionese to adult-directed action."

• Timothy Brunk, Ph.D., an assistant professor of theology, has published his article, “Consumer Culture and the Body: Chauvet’s Perspective,” in the July 2008 issue of the journal, Worship.
   
• Cristina Maria Cervone, Ph.D., an assistant professor of English, has had her article, "John de Cobham and Cooling Castle's Charter Poem," published in the October 2008 issue of Speculum, 884-916. Her article "Christ the Falcon" was published in the September 2008 issue of Notes and Queries, 277-82. In addition, she presented her book-in-progress, Love's Leap: Incarnational Poetics in Late Medieval England, at a symposium at the University of Notre Dame's Medieval Institute in April, the culminating event of her year there as the A. W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow in Medieval Studies. Commenting on the book project as symposium participants were Alastair Minnis, Douglas Tracy Smith Professor of English at Yale University; Gary Macy, John Nobili, S.J., Professor of Theology at Santa Clara University; and Andrew Galloway, Professor of English and Medieval Studies at Cornell University.
   
• Robert Curry, Ph.D., a professor of biology, was featured in online in Science News in an article entitled, "Vegetarian Spider."
   
• Sterling F. Delano, Ph.D., a professor of English, Emeritus, has published an article (with Joel Myerson, University of South Carolina) in the annual, Resources for American Literary Study. The article, “Letters from Brook Farm: A Comprehensive Checklist of Surviving Correspondence,” appears in the most recent volume (31), pp. 96-123. In addition, Dr. Delano recently gave two invited talks, one to the West Roxbury [Massachusetts] Historical Society and the other to Honors and AP English students at New Rochelle High School in New York. Both talks focused on antebellum utopian communities in America.
   

• Nicole Else-Quest, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychology, traveled to San Francisco in April to present her research at the Gender Development Research Conference. The paper, "Cross-National Patterns of Gender Differences in Mathematics: A Meta-Analysis," examined gender differences on international assessments of math achievement and attitudes and their links to societal gender equity.

• Edward Garcia Fierros, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of Education and Human Services, was selected as Project Zero Classroom Fellow at Harvard University's Graduate School of Education. As a fellow this past summer, Dr. Fierros taught two sessions: Multiple Intelligences in the Theory and Practice, and High Stakes Testing and Opportunity to Learn.
   

• Charles Folk, Ph.D., a professor of psychology, recently traveled to the Brisbane, Australia, where he presented an invited talk entitled “The power of novelty:  Stimulus frequency effects in attentional capture” to the Department of Psychology at the University of Queensland.  Dr. Folk also recently published an article in the journal Visual Cognition entitled “Top-down control settings and the attentional blink:  Evidence for non-spatial contingent capture.”   The article was coauthored by Andrew Leber of the University of New Hampshire and Howard Egeth of Johns Hopkins University.
   

• Marc Gallicchio, Ph.D., a professor of history and chair of the department, has written the book, The Scramble for Asia: U.S. Military Power in the Aftermath of the Pacific War, which has been published by Rowman & Littlefield.
   

• Charles H. Helmetag, Ph.D., a professor in the department of modern languages and literature, presented a paper entitled, "'Ein Berliner' in America: Directing Approaches in Context," at the 11th conference of the International Society for the Study of European Ideas held July 28 to August 2 at the University of Helsinki.
   

• Michael Hollinger, an assistant professor of theatre and associate artistic director of Villanova Theatre, received the "In the Spirit of America" Award from the Barbara Barondess MacLean Foundation for his musical A Wonderful Noise (co-authored with Vance Lehmkuhl). The award was presented at a reading of Hollinger's new play Ghost-Writer at New Dramatists in New York City, where he has just completed a seven-year playwright residency.
   

• Mercedes Juliá, Ph.D., a professor of Spanish and chair of the Department of Modern Languages and Literature, has been working extensively in the poetry of Juan Ramón Jiménez, an author considered today to be the father of Spanish contemporary poetry. Learn more here.
   
• Richard Juliani, Ph.D., a professor of sociology, received the 2008 Massaro Prize in History. The prize is awarded to the author of the best article in history/social sciences in the area of Italian-American studies published in the journal, Italian Americana, for the year 2007-2008. Dr. Juliani's award-winning article is a revision of an earlier version that was delivered as the keynote address at a conference entitled, "Italian Roots, American Soil: Generations of Immigrants to the Philadelphia Area," co-sponsored by the Center for Italian Studies at the University of Pennsylvania and the General Consulate of the Republic of Italy.
   

• Irene Kan, Ph.D., a professor of psychology, presented a poster entitled, "Contribution of prior semantic knowledge to new episodic learning in amnesia” at the Cognitive Neuroscience Society Annual Meeting in San Francisco. This work was done in collaboration with Dr. Michael P. Alexander at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and Dr. Mieke Verfaellie at the Memory Disorders Research Center, VA Boston Healthcare System.  Dr. Kan also presented a talk entitled, “Contribution of prior knowledge to episodic memory retrieval:  Empirical evidence and cognitive rehabilitation implications” to a group of neurologists and clinicians at Bryn Mawr Rehabilitation Hospital, Malvern, Pa.

• Deborah Kendzierski, Ph.D., a professor of psychology, presented research on "College Students' Perceived Social Support and Hindrance for Exercise" with first author Lindsay Morton (a 2008 alumna of the M.S. program) and third author Lauren Nohe (2008 alumna of the bachelor’s program) at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association in Boston, in August. In September, research on "The relationship between general and specific physical activity self-definitions," coauthored with Rebecca Ritter and Jessica Landers, was presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology in St. Louis.

• Catherine Kerrison, Ph.D., an associate professor of history, has been awarded a postdoctoral fellowship from the American Association of University Women. This year, the association selected only 97 fellows out of 1,116 applicants.
   

• Elizabeth Kolsky, Ph.D., an assistant professor of history, has co-edited the volume, Fringes of Empire: People, Places and Spaces at the Margins of British Colonial India, which has been accepted for publication by Oxford University Press. In addition, Dr. Kolsky's book, Colonial Justice: White Violence and the Rule of Law in British India, will be published as part of the Cambridge Studies in Indian History and Society, edited by C.A. Bayly.
   

• Steven Krauss, Ph.D., a professor of psychology, recently presented a paper entitled, "Value association with big 5 personality traits in Lebanon and the USA," at the annual meeting of the Association for Psychological Science in Chicago. The paper was co-authored by graduate student Maya Boustani.
   

• John Kurtz, Ph.D., a professor of psychology, and Patrick Markey, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychology, published an article entitled, “Gender differences in interpersonal complementarity within roommate dyads,” that appeared recently in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. The paper was co-authored by Emily Ansell, a 1999 alumna of the Psychology master’s program at Villanova who is now at Yale University.
   
• Hafeez Malik, Ph.D., a professor of political science, delivered a series of lectures on the United States, the Muslim world, and the changing politics in the Middle East at Punjab University (PU) during a seminar on the “Presidential Elections in the United States (US): Implications for South Asia.” Punjab University is located in Lahore, Pakistan.  Learn more here.
   

• Patrick M. Markey, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychology, and graduate student Lindsay Rice recently authored an article entitled, “The role of extraversion and neuroticism in influencing anxiety following computer-mediated interactions,” in Personality and Individual Differences. Dr. Markey also co-authored an article entitled, “Romantic relationships and eating regulation: An investigation of partners’ attempts to control each others’ eating behaviors,” in the Journal of Health Psychology and an article entitled, “Gender differences in interpersonal complementarity within roommate dyads,” in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. Dr. Markey also presented a paper entitled, “Interpersonal complementarity and sexual behaviors among romantic couples,” at the annual meeting for the Society of Interpersonal Theory and Research. Finally, Dr. Markey co-authored three research papers, which were presented at the annual conference of the Eastern Psychological Association with graduate students Wendy Eichler, Lindsay Morton, Joshua Rutt, Michael Gillen, and Stephanie Ficiak. 

• Charlene Mires, Ph.D., an associate professor of history, has been selected as a Penn Humanities Forum Mellon Regional Faculty Research Fellow for the 2008-09 academic year. As a Faculty Fellow, Dr. Mires will participate in a regularly scheduled interdisciplinary seminar on the theme of "Change." She will also be presenting a paper based on her current research project on the United Nations titled, "Capitals of the World."
   
• Silvia Nagy-Zekmi, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Modern Languages and Literature, was one of four invited participants of a roundtable discussion at a conference titled, "Les transformations du littéraire dans la perspective d'une histoire comparée des littératures," held June 2008 at L’Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris.
  Dr. Nagy-Zekmi also published the following four articles in recent months: “Representaciones postcoloniales de la frontera,” Colonialidad y crítica en América Latina. Bases para un debate. Eds. Mabel Moraña, Carlos A. Jáuregui. Mexico: Universidad de las Américas, 2008: 547-561; “The Border: a Space of Shifting Identities,” Ethno-Kulturelle Begegnungen in Mittel- und Osteuropa. Eds. Erika Hammer and Laszlo Kupa. Hamburg: Verlag/Kovac 2008: 21-27; ’Llamas que hablan’: Representaciones neoindigenistas del niño en medio de la violencia.” La presencia del niño en las literaturas en lengua española. Eds. László Scholz and Gabriella Menczel. Budapest: Eötvös József Publisher, 2008: 559-568; “Prólogo” for Jorge Barrueto: Cine latinoamericano: género, raza e ideología. Lewiston: The Edwin Mellen Press, 2008.
   
• Satya Pattnayak, Ph.D., a professor of sociology and political science, et al, has published, North American Homeland Security: Back to Bilateralism? (Praeger, 2008).
   

• Theatre professor Joanna Rotté has recorded four books on CD, all authored by renowned American Buddhist nun and meditation teacher Pema Chodron (available from Shambhala Publications): Living With Uncertainty, The Places That Scare You, Start Where You Are, and The Wisdom Of No Escape.

• Joseph G. Ryan, O.S.A., Ph.D., an assistant professor of history, has written an article entitled, "Doctor Gunning S. Bedford (1806–70) and the Search for Safe Obstetric Care, 1833–70," which was published in the August 2008 issue of the Journal of Medical Biography.
   

• Sally J. Scholz, Ph.D., a professor of philosophy, has published the book, Political Solidarity. Learn more here.

• Paul Steege, Ph.D., an associate professor of history, is the author of Black Market, Cold War:
  Everyday Life in Berlin, 1946–1949. Cambridge University Press has issued Dr. Steege's book in a paperback edition. In addition, Dr. Steege's article, "Staging a Revolution 'Betwixt and Between' in Weimar-Era Berlin," has been published in Alltag, Erfahrung, Eigensinn: Historisch-anthropologische Erkundungen [Everyday Life, Experience, Eigensinn: Historical-anthropological Investigations]. Ed. Belinda Davis, Thomas Lindenberger, and Michael Wildt. (Berlin: Campus, 2008: 361-72). The volume was published in honor of Alf Lüdtke.

• Thomas Toppino, Ph.D., a professor of psychology, Michael Cohen (a 2007 alumnus of the M.S. program), and two current graduate students, Meghan Davis and Amy Moors, co-authored a poster that was presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Psychological Science in Chicago last May. The poster was entitled, "Metacognitive Control Over Distribution of Practice: When is Spacing Preferred?"

• Catherine E. Wilson, Ph.D., an assistant professor of political science, recently has published, The Politics of Latino Faith (NYU Press, 2008). The first systematic study of Latino faith-based organizations, this work provides insight into how pivotal religious identity is in understanding Latino social and political involvement in the United States.
   
• Rebecca Winer, Ph.D., an associate professor of history, has written the article, "Conscripting the Breast: Lactation, Slavery, and Salvation in the Realms of Aragon and Kingdom of Majorca, c. 1250-1300," which appeared in the Journal of Medieval History 34 (2008): 164-184. The article has been selected as "article of the month" by Feminae: Medieval Women and Gender Index site. Feminae: Medieval Women and Gender Index covers journal articles, book reviews, and essays in books about women, sexuality, and gender during the Middle Ages... Indexers select an article or essay at the beginning of each month that is outstanding in its line of argument, wealth of significances, and writing style.

Faculty in the News

• Catherine M. Hill, Ed.D., an assistant professor of education, recently was quoted in a Pittsburgh-Tribune Review article entitled, "Hill District center will train public housing tenants."
   
• John Immerwahr, Ph.D., a professor of philosophy, was featured in The Chronicle of Higher Education in an article entitled, "Teaching Philosophy 101."

Students in the News

• This past summer, Computer Science majors Casey Burkhardt ('11) and AJ Palkovic ('10) were accepted into competitive internships at NASA facilities. AJ Palkovic interned at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab in California where he worked on software for simulating Mars' rover vehicles and their interactions with the environment. The internship was sponsored by CalTech's SURF (Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship) program. Casey Burkhardt interned at John C. Stennis Space Center, NASA's premiere rocket propulsion testing facility, in Hancock County, Mississippi. During his summer internship, Casey worked with a team of software developers to create a suite of rocket propulsion testing support software to manage simulation data. The internship was sponsored by the Achieving Competence in Computing, Engineering, and Space Science program of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
   
• Theology graduate student Chris Haw released a book this spring titled Jesus for President, co-authored by Shane Claiborne. They received a starred review from Publisher's Weekly. Over the summer, they visited 21 cities on a book tour, powered by a bus run on vegetable oil. Learn more here.
   
• Margaret Tomann, '09, a comprehensive science major, is enrolled in SEA Semester, a study abroad program through Sea Education Association in Woods Hole, Mass. Margaret has successfully completed the Sea Semester's six-week shore component earning academic credit for curriculum in oceanography, nautical science, and maritime studies. At the program's Woods Hole campus, Margaret developed a research project that will be tested and completed aboard SEA's 134' sailing school vessel the Corwith Cramer, one of the most sophisticated research equipped vessels under sail in the United States. Margaret will be sailing on the tall ship from Woods Hole with a possible port call in Grenada and a final destination of St. Croix, USVI, a journey of approximately 3,000 nautical miles and six weeks at sea.

Alumni in the News

• Deni Deasy Boekell has been appointed vice president and client strategist at healthcare specialist Roger Green and Associates (RG+A). Boekell earned a master's degree in biology from Villanova. Learn more here.
   
• Edward D. Kerpius III has been named senior managing director, sales, at Turner Investment Partners, an investment firm that manages more than $26 billion on behalf of institutions and individuals. Kerpius earned a bachelor's degree in the arts, economics, in 1985. Learn more here.
   
• Bruce Lesh, '94, the social studies department chair and Advanced Placement government teacher at Franklin High School in Townson, Maryland, received the Tachau Teacher of the Year Award at the 101st Annual Meeting of the Organization of American Historians. Lesh earned a master's degree in history in 1994. Learn more here.
   
• Persystent Technologies, a leading provider of automated PC repair and high-speed imaging, is pleased to announce Mary Maloney as the new Chief Marketing Officer. As CMO, Mary is responsible for developing the company's strategic marketing initiatives, building the Persystent brand, creating awareness in target markets, and launching lead-generation activities to drive the company's sales. Maloney earned a a master's degree in organizational philosophy from Villanova in 1994. Learn more here.
   
• Jill Monahan, who earned a bachelor's degree in communication, has joined the management team at Tier One Partners. Learn more here.
   
• Dr. Michael Patti, '81, has joined LIFE Lutheran Services Inc., a ministry of Lutheran Social Services, as medical director. Patti is responsible for clinical oversight of a program that makes it possible for eligible individuals to remain independent and live safely in the community through coordinated delivery of health and social services. Patti graduated from Villanova with a bachelor’s degree in biology and received his doctoral degree from Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University. After retiring in 2005 from the Navy, he moved to Chambersburg, as a family physician at Keystone Health Center. Learn more here.
   
• Villanova undergraduate Honors and Astronomy and Astrophysics alum and former Goldwater Scholar, Lisa M. Winter '03, successfully defended her Ph.D. dissertation in astronomy at the University of Maryland on August
  6. Edward M. Sion, Ph.D, her undergraduate Honors thesis advisor and a Villanova member of her Ph.D. thesis committee, shared some comments made by the University of Maryland members of the committee: "Lisa is very
  goal-oriented", "when she begins a project, she completes it", "she has become the intellectual driver" on a project. In her second year at the University of Maryland, she was the recipient of the John C. Wang Award for Academic Excellence given to the outstanding graduate student. Dr. Winter begins a post-doctoral research fellowship at the Center for Astrophysics and Space Astronomy at the University of Colorado, Boulder, this fall.

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