News & Events

George Heffernan, department chair and professor of philosophy, collaborated with his colleague Marco Cavallaro of the University of Koblenz-Landau in Germany to collect the 14 papers from internationally renowned scholars, co-wrote the Preface, single-authored two major papers and translated several papers from German. The Existential Husserl: A Collection of Critical Essays is now in press and published by Springer.

James Kaklamanos, assistant professor of civil engineering, was honored by the American Society of Civil Engineers as one of this year’s 10 New Faces of Civil Engineering worldwide. The program recognizes the next generation of civil engineering professionals, 30 years and younger, who have demonstrated the potential to lead the field to new heights. Kaklamanos, who serves as faculty adviser to Merrimack’s ASCE student chapter, was cited for his exemplary work with students.

Five faculty members were awarded tenure in January by President Christopher E. Hopey. They are:Jimmy Franco, assistant professor of chemistry;Brittnie Aiello, assistant professor of criminology;Sally Shockro, assistant professor of history;Susan Marine, associate professor and program director in the higher education master’s program; andSirkwoo Jin, assistant professor of management.

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.

Assistant Professor Rickey Caldwell contributed to a recent Zippia panel, Understand How the Pandemic Changed the Job Market. Caldwell was among thousands of experts surveyed across many different fields and his market insights were featured on the main page.

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.

Isabelle Cherney, dean of the School of Education and Social Policy, published a chapter, “Characteristics of Masculine and Feminine Toys and Gender-Differentiated Play,” in the book “Gender Typing of Children’s Toys: How Early Play Experiences Impact Development” (2018, American Psychological Association) by Erica S. Weisgram and Lisa M. Dinella.

Azam Noori, associate professor of biology, was recently invited to serve as a guest speaker at the NASA Space Crop Production Team. Her research titled “Lycopersicon esculentum Molecular and Physiological Responses to Silver Nanoparticles” discusses using silver nanoparticles to improve crop production in space. Noori’s project was completed at Merrimack College with the assistance of the Department of Biology and several undergraduate students.

Peter Ellard, the dean of student success and academic support, who also teaches environmental ethics and religious studies, had his article “Don’t Think Your Campus Needs to Prepare for Climate Change? Here’s why you’re wrong” published in The Chronicle of Higher Education. He argues that colleges and universities must adjust to weather changes caused by climate change.

The Boston Society of Civil Engineers Section (BSCES) honoredassociate professor of civil engineering James Kaklamanoswith the College Education Awardrecognizing his exceptional teaching and mentorship. The BSCES also named professor emeritus David “Doc” Westerling recipient of the Horne/Gaynor Award for his philanthropic activities in the public interest.