Notable & Quotable

Krista McQueeney, associate professor of education, was quoted in a May 3, 2017, Eagle-Tribune story about parents’ and educators’ concerns arising from the Netflix series “13 Reasons Why,” whichfeatures the graphic depiction of a teenager’s suicide. Though sheis uneasy about such scenes being viewed by teens, McQueeney said they can have a positive impact if discussed openly. “What I find effective is when school systems give parents and guardians talking points to initiate conversations with young people about these difficult issues,” she said. “This can be especially helpful for parents who didn’t grow up in today’s digital society and/or may be uncomfortable navigating conversations about sensitive topics.”

The new Merrimack College fight song, titled “Down in the Valley of Victory,” was written by Alumna Paige Sorensen ’19, arranged by Director of Bands Paul Geresy, and recorded and mixed by Assistant Director of Bands Andrew Cote. It was performed remotely by members of this year’s Merrimack College Marching Band at an alumni event in November 2020.

Program Director and Chair of Higher Education Susan B. Marine is featured in Yahoo News’ “10 Free Online Courses on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” for her course through the University of Pittsburgh, “Gender and Sexuality: Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace.”

Dr. Michael Stroud, professor and department chair of psychology, and Dr. Kirstie Dobbs, associate professor of practice for the department of political science and public policy, have created assignments that expose their students to new educational techniques: Podcasts and TED Talks.
Stroud’s podcast, Curious Minds, is available via Apple Podcasts. Please click the link below to view the TED Talks. Kirstie Dobbs’ podcast, Voices of Gen Z: The Future of Democracy can be found via Spotify Podcasts.

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.

Janine LeBlanc-Straceski, associate professor and chair of biology, published a paper, “A Conserved Role of the Unconventional Myosin 1d in Laterality Determination,” in the March 2018 issue of Current Biology. The paper was an international collaboration with colleagues in Germany and France and the culmination of many years of work with LeBlanc-Straceski’s students.

Paul Zipper, adjunct lecturer in criminology and a detective lieutenant atthe Massachusetts State Police, was interviewed for a May 8, 2017,Channel 4 I-Team report on how state investigators pinpoint the causes of fire. Zipper said each fire is like a mystery. “To simplify it, we are doing an autopsy,” he said. “We have a death of a building, and we try to figure out what caused it.”

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.

Isabelle Cherney, Dean of the School of Education and Social Policy, was featured in The Wall Street Journalon May 1, 2020. Cherney talked about young kids’ fascination with adults and how this helps explain the continued popularity of toys that mimic adult jobs like the microscope and rocket kits.

Assistant professor of communication and media Melissa “Mish” Zimdars, author of “Watching Our Weights: The Contradictions of Televising Fatness in the ‘Obesity Epidemic,’” was quoted in a Los Angeles Times article March 24, 2020 discussing the portrayal of fat women on television.

Michael Stroud, associate professor of psychology, has been named an Apple Distinguished Educator for 2017. The honor recognizes K-12 and higher-education pioneers who are using a variety of Apple products to transform teaching and learning in powerful ways. Apple educators work with each other — and with Apple — to bring innovative ideas to classrooms, advise Apple on integrating technology into learning environments and share their expertise with other educators and policymakers.

Associate Clinical Professor and Director of Athletic Training Birgid Hopkins, MS, ATC, was featured in a Board of Certification For the Athletic Trainer article on preparing students for the BOC exam.

Michael Mascolo, professor of psychology and academic directorof the Compass program, gave a talk, “A Primer on Personal Construct Psychology,” and presented a paper, “The Failure of Objectivity: The Intersubjective Origins of Psychological Knowledge,” at the 45th International Congress of Personal Construct Psychology July 6-9, 2017, at Concordia University in Montréal. He also published several papers in 2017. They include “A Person Is Not an Object: Rethinking the Psychological Analysis of Persons” and “Understanding Personhood: Can We Get There From Here?”and “How Objectivity Undermines the Study of Personhood: Toward an Intersubjective Epistemology for Psychological Science,” all in New Ideas in Psychology.

Juliana Cohen,assistant professor of health sciences, co-authored a May 18, 2017, column for The Huffington Post on the Trump administration’s decision to rollback regulations associated with the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act, an Obama-era initiative tocurb this country’s obesity epidemic and maximize children’s learning and development. “We should not weaken the school lunch standards further,” wrote Cohen and her co-authors, Jessica Hoffman, Lindsay Rosenfeld and Edward Alan Miller. “Instead, we should truly make school lunches great by providing schools with the resources they need to offer the healthiest, best-tasting foods possible. Investing in the health and development of our youngest citizens is one of the most important investments we can make as a country.”

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

Assistant professor of graphic design,Dan Vlahos, MFA, was elected for membership to the prestigiousSociety of Printersin Boston, Massachusetts. Established in 1905, the Society is dedicated to the study and advancement of the art of printing.

Assistant Professor of Creative Writing Emma Duffy-Comparone’s debut book “Love Like That” was named to Vogue magazine’s Best Books to Read in 2021 list. The book came out in March and includes nine short stories that all focus on women and relationships. Vanity Fair also included it on its Best Books to Buy for Valentine’s Day list in February.

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.

VPA Instructor Cristi Catt’s music group Telltale Crossing has released its debut album Door Ajar on all major music streaming platforms.

The Winston School of Education and Social Policy Associate Dean Russ Olwell wrote an op-ed column for The Eagle-Tribune newspaper April 15 urging school districts to hire graduates when schools reopen. Merrimack students studying education have been relentlessly proactive in their commitment to helping K-12 teachers while schools are closed. They are showing that the next generation of teachers will be excellent and worthy of the profession.