Notable & Quotable
Dr. Daniel Herda, chair and associate professor in the Department of Sociology, recently published a book titled “Chicago’s Reckoning,” which discusses the complicated history of race, politics and policing in Chicago to explain how crime works from the top-down through urban political machines and the elite figures who dominate them. The book was just awarded the American Society of Criminology Division of Communities and Places’s James Short Senior Scholar Award.
Melissa Zimdars, assistant professor of communication, was quoted in a May 16, 2017, post by technology blogger Richard Hartley about new measures taken by Facebook to root out “fake news.” Zimdars, who has gained national attention for creating a list of untrustworthy news sites, said it seemed Facebook was largely responding to bad press. “My initial read on it is it’s ultimately kind of a PR move. It’s cheap to do. It’s easy. It doesn’t actually require them to do anything,” she said.
Andrew Tollison, assistant professor of communication, gave a talk July 20, 2017, to the Newburyport Parkinson’s Support Group on the emotional impact of difficult medical diagnoses. Tollison emphasized the role of communication in dealing with illness, and the importance of disclosure with friends and relatives. The talk was held at the Newburyport, Massachusetts, Senior Center.
Health sciences assistant professor Juliana Cohen was interviewed by both the Washington PostandGood Morning America(GMA) for a story on school lunches.Cohen says that because children learn better when they eat, schools should provideenough time to have lunch.
Presidential Rhetoric and Indian Policy is a book recently published by Dr. Anne Flaherty, associate professor of political science public policy and interim associate dean of the School of Liberal Arts.
Michael DeCesare, professor and chair of sociology, delivered the keynote address April 27, 2017,at the State University of New York Voices Conference on Shared Governance in Suffern, New York. The conference examined the challenges facing governance leaders and members, and explore alternative solutions. DeCesare was also the keynote speaker at the annual meeting of the Kentucky AAUP (American Association of University Professors) Conference on April 8 at the University of Louisville, where he delivered a talk titled “Threats to Traditional Academic Governance.” DeCesare was invited to speak at both conferences due to his work as the chair of AAUP’s National Committee on College University Governance.
Jim Kaklamanos, associate professor of civil engineering and Zampell Family Faculty Fellow, was recently recognized with the Distinguished Service Award from the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at Tufts University, where he earned his Ph.D., M.S. and B.S.C.E. The Distinguished Service Award is presented to an alumnus or member of the Tufts CEE community who exemplifies service to their profession and the department.
School of Health Sciences DeanKyle McInnis,Associate DeanKevin Finnand Assistant ProfessorZi Yanpublished an article,“Promoting Physical Activity and Science Learning in an Outdoor Education Program,”in the Jan. 5, 2018, issue of the Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance. In the article, theauthorsargue that Integrating physical activity and science learning in an outdoor education program addresses two challengeschildren face today: physical inactivity and poor science performance.
Anne Flaherty, associate professor of political science and public policy, presented her research at the APSA conference on Black Lives Matter and Indigenous Deaths in Custody in Australia and Canada. The presentation focused on the long history of indigenous peoples’ deaths in custody, challenges in the lack of coherent policy and resource responses and the potential for future changes in both countries.
Rodrigo B. DeMello, associate professor of management at the Girard School of Business, recently published an article in the Organization Science journal, a top journal in the management field. DeMello’s publication titled “The Returns to Nonmarket Strategies During Institutional Transitions: Investor Reactions to Actor and Tie Characteristics” explains how investor perceptions of non-market strategies’ legitimacy, and thereby value, change during institutional transitions toward greater legal compliance.
Eight faculty members from four schools at Merrimack attended the Association for Interdisciplinary Studies conference in Amsterdam last semester. They include associate professors Luis Saenz de Viguera Erkiago and Cinzia DiGiulio of the World Languages and Cultural Studies Department, Civil Engineering Department assistant professor Cynthia Carlson, visiting associate professor Ellen Fitzpatrick, Women and Gender Studies Department professor Simona Sharoni, Graduate Education Department associate professor Susan Marine, Accounting and Finance Department associate professor Ana Silva, and Education Department assistant professor Laura Hsu.
Sociology Associate Professor Daniel Herda presented his research on interpersonal contact between immigrants and citizens at the American Sociological Association virtual conference.
Dr. James Kaklamanos, associate professor of civil engineering, was interviewed by The Washington Post in conjunction with their coverage of the Morocco earthquake that occurred in Sept. 2023. He appeared in parts of two portions of their live updates after the earthquake: (1) What to do in an earthquake, and (2) Why many buildings in Morocco were vulnerable to the earthquake.
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.
Dr. Alison Russell, chair and associate professor of the political science and public policy department and director of the international studies program, has been invited as one of two academics to speak at The Return of Naval Combat conference in Paris on Jan. 18. Russell’s career and research are heavily focused on naval strategy, cyber security, cyber strategy and United States naval strategy where it intersects with technology.
The School of Education and Social Policy’s associate professor of practice Patricia Howson was part of a panel this summer hosted by the United Way of Mass. Bay. Howson stressed the importance of preschool programs and the salaries of their teachers.Read her remarksin The Eagle-Tribune.
Kathryn Welby, Ed.D., associate professor of practice in the Winston School of Education and Social Policy. On June 15, Dr. Welby published Teaching Neurodiverse Students in Inside Higher Ed. The article provides detailed suggestions for how to provide accommodations while continuing to maintain high standards.
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.
Isabelle Cherney, dean of the School of Education and Social Policy, was quoted in a March 20, 2018, article in Fatherly, an online magazine for dads, about the relationship between gender and toy selection. Cherney said studies show it is fathers, not mothers, who tend to pigeonhole their sons into choosing stereotypical male toys. “Studies, over and over, show the mothers are really open. They don’t mind if their boys are playing dress-up,” she said. “One of the reasons it’s so hard for boys to play with more feminine toys is that the fathers are very reluctant to let their boys play with feminine toys. Some still believe that playing with feminine toys might turn a boy homosexual. There is a stigma. It’s very subtle. But kids pick that up.”
Michael DeCesare, professor of sociology, spoke to the Arizona Republic about a plan to seat a student on the governing board of Maricopa Community College District. DeCesare, chair of the AAUP Committee on College and University Governance, which has raised concerns about board politics, said, “The board has taken some promising first steps, but (the committee) will continue to monitor the situation to ensure the faculty’s governance rights are fully restored at Maricopa.”
