Notable & Quotable

Paul Antonellis Jr., lecturer in management and director of the human resource management programs, and Rachel Silsbee, assistant director of student success at the Writing Center, publisheda paper, “Employment Interview Screening: Is the Ink Worth It?” in the February 2017 issue of the Global Journal of Human Resource Management. The paperlooked at how tattoos are viewed by interviewers and the impacttattoos have on the interview process. Antonellis published a second article, “Practical Steps for the Utilization of Action Research in Your Organization: A Qualitative Approach for Nonacademic Research,”in the May 2017 issue of the International Journal of Human Resource Studies. The article detailed the process nonacademic researchers can use to investigate topics they wish to change within an organization.

Rodrigo Bandeira de Mello, associate professor of strategy in the Girard School of Business, was interviewed in Folha De S. Paulo, the largest national newspaper in Brazil. Professor Bandiera de Mello’s interviewwas about the engagement of businesspeople in politics.

Reputational damage and name changes: Impact of financial crimes” is an article published by Dr. Omer Unsal, associate professor of finance.  This study examines the relationship between reputational issues and name-change decisions among U.S. financial firms.

Associate professor in the Girard School of Business Joseph R. Stasio was featured in The Ascent’s Best Rewards Credit Cards for June 2022. Stasio shared his insight on high gas prices and if consumers should consider using credit cards that provide rewards to pay for gas.

Associate Professor Joseph Stasio was featured in WalletHub’s Best Barclays Credit Cards article. Stasio teaches in the marketing department at Merrimack’s Girard School of Business.

Melissa “Mish” Zimdars,assistant professor of communication, has received an international travel and research grant from the Marion and Jasper Whiting Foundation. The grant supports travel to the U.K. and Ireland to conduct interviews with both media producers who create, and media audiences who watch, content exploring fat embodiment. This project will be the first in a series of international case studies comparing media industry practices and viewer perceptions of television in the context of the obesity epidemic.

Associate professor in the Girard School of Business Joseph R. Stasio was featured in MoneyGeek’s Expert Advice for First-Time or Newer Cash Back Cardholders and Expert Advice for Balance Transfer Cardholders.

Brittnie Aiello and Emma Duffy-Comparone have published “I Never Thought I Could Accomplish Something Like This: The Success and Struggle of Teaching College Courses in Jail” in theJournal of Prison Education and Reentry. The article discusses their work teaching Merrimack College courses at the Essex County Correctional Facility.

Kathryn Welby, Ed.D., associate professor of practice in the Winston School of Education and Social Policy, was a featured educator in EducationWeek in January. She offered three things she would tell herself as a first-year teacher.

Dr. James Kaklamanos, associate professor of civil engineering, was one of two earthquake engineers interviewed by Interesting Engineering on the multitude of buildings that collapsed in Turkey and Syria following the devastating earthquake.

Dr. Brandi Baldock, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry, is our final STARTer of the semester. Her project, “Inclusive Learning in the STEM Gateway: Design & Evaluation of Robust Alternative Assessments for Chemistry Curriculum,” focuses on developing strategies to support and evaluate student achievement of non-cognitive chemistry program outcomes, with the ultimate goal of improving inclusivity and student retention in STEM fields.

Alison Russell, assistant professor of political science and international studies, was quoted in an April 17, 2017, Eagle-Tribune story about President Donald Trump’s decision to take military action against Syria in the wake of reports that Bashar Assad used chemical weapons against his own citizens. “This (military action) represents a very different foreign policy action than the president indicated even last week, so it’s a dramatic turn,” Russell said.

Assistant Professor Leena Bharath, who teaches in the School of Health Sciences, has received $434,000 in grant funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The awarded R15 grant will stretch over three years and is intended to support the training of undergraduate students.

Associate Professor Joseph Stasio was featured in WalletHub’s piece about Credit Card promotions. Stasio teaches in the marketing department at Merrimack’s Girard School of Business.

Sociology Associate Professor Daniel Herda published an article on Immigration Innumeracy in Canada in the journal Migration Letters.

Associate professor of health sciences, Zi Yan, was interviewed by The Wall Street Journal supporting the benefits of outdoor group exercise in the winter during the pandemic. Yan, who’s interdisciplinary research involves psychology, public health and exercise science offered that exercise classes provide physical benefits and much-needed social support, especially during the winter months.

Assistant professor of art/art history,Jonathan Latiano, MFA, gave a talk, “Time as a Muse,” at theBroto 2020 Conference, held virtually this year. Broto: Art-Climate-Science, is a unique conference of international experts focused on substantive, mutual, credible and real-time art-science collaboration that inspires innovation to address the climate crisis.

Debra Michals, assistant professor and director of women’s and gender studies, was interviewed for a March 9, 2018, segment on WBUR radio about a new study that claims bones found on Nikumaroro Island in 1940 very likely belong to famed aviator Amelia Earhart, who disappeared over the Pacific in 1937 while attempting to circumnavigate the globe. Because the new study, by researcher Richard Jantz, relied on reinterpreting an original analysis of the bones more than four decades ago rather than the bones themselves, which long ago disappeared, Michals said his study is not likely to close the book on the case. “The mystique around the disappearance of Amelia Earhart will lead a lot of people to that conclusion — that without the real bones, how do we know?” she said.

Fathers Stephen Curry and Richard Piatt spoke to the Eagle-Tribune about the burning of Cathedral of Notre Dame at the start of Holy Week. “She symbolized Paris, a symbol of grace, and hope, and comfort that both humbled and lifted up all those who approached her facade,” said Piatt. Curry said the cathedral “embodies centuries of devout Catholics’ faith, prayers, miracles, religious history, and spiritual inspiration.”

Susan B. Marine, associate professor of higher education, had her op-ed “Stonewall’s Children – and Grandchildren – are Alright” in The Nation’s 50th-anniversary commemoration of the Stonewall Riots. She advances the idea that contrary to stereotypes about Millennials, young LGBTQ student activists are working for change in powerful ways on college campuses.