Donald Ryan, Faculty Fellow in Humanities, has a new book: “Time-Traveler’s Guide to Sightseeing and Survival in the Land of the Pharaohs.” A detailed description of the book may be found at: http://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Egypt-Deben-Day-Traveling/dp/0500287880/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1296065965&sr=1-4
Dr. Ryan, an Egyptologist and archaeologist, has spent more than twenty years excavating in the Valley of the Kings.
Steven Sobeck, Visiting Instructor of Art and Design, was featured in the April/May 2011 edition of SouthSound “Craftsman Unknown – Carving Meaning from Clay” by Allen Cox. Professor Sobeck has created hundreds of hand-sized stoneware bowls that he has given to PLU students with international travel plans, giving them instructions to leave their bowl at a place or with a person of their choosing. The stipulation is that the student must photograph the bowl in the hands of the recipient or in the place where they left it. The bowls are unsigned and undated. Sobeck explains that his project teaches students the concept of philanthropy. It also imparts the message that there’s something more important in the act of creating than the ego or even the artist’s identity.
An article titled “Restricted Mothering: Parenting in a Prison Nursery,” by Kate E. Luther, Assistant Professor of Sociology, and Joanna Gregson, Professor of Sociology, was been published in the International Journal of the Sociology of the Family, 37(1) 85-103. This project started as student-faculty research when Kate was Joanna’s student.
Lauri McCloud, Assistant Professor of Sociology and co-authors Rachel Dwyer and Randy Hodson had their article “Youth Debt, Mastery, and Self-Esteem: Class-Stratified Effects of Indebtedness on Self-Confidence,” published in Social Science Research 40(3): 727-741.
Tamara Williams, Professor of Hispanic Studies, is the co-editor of a recently published book:“Literatura a ciencia cierta: Homenaje a Cedomil Goic”, Newark and Delaware: Juan de la Cuesta Hispanic Monographs (2010).
Bridget E. Yaden, Associate Professor of Hispanic Studies and Director of the Language Resource Center, was the Montana Association of Language Teachers keynote speaker at their spring conference in April. Professor Yaden also conducted a workshop at the conference.
Vidya Thirumurthy, Associate Professor of Instructional Development and Leadership, was awarded a Fulbright faculty fellowship to conduct an ethnographic case study of a group of children and their families from Muslim and Hindu communities in Chennai, India over a period of 7 months. The focus of her research will be on the everyday socio-cultural and sometimes mundane activities and their possible affect on the cognitive development of children. She will be looking for hidden academic concepts and skills in their everyday rituals as well as the interactions that take place in those contextualized activities. She will perform this work while on her sabbatical in 2011-12.
Joanna Gregson, Professor of Sociology received a $5,000 academic research grant from the Romance Writers of America for her research (with Jennifer Lois, Western Washington University) “Craft and Career: The Gendered Culture of Romance Writers.”
Colleen M. Hacker, Professor of Movement Studies and Wellness Education, received the National Association for Girls and Women (NAGWS) Honor Award on April 1, 2011, at the annual Rachel Bryan Lecture and Awards Session in San Diego, CA. The Honor Award is the most prestigious award presented by NAGWS, and has been presented since 1975. The recipient(s) of this award are exemplary of devoted service to the profession and have by their leadership and industry made an outstanding and noteworthy contribution to the advancement of girls and women in sport.
Lynn E. Hunnicutt, Associate Professor of Economics, has been elected treasurer for the Association of Christian Economists.
Jon E. Grahe, Associate Professor of Psychology, was recently elected to a two-year term as Western Regional Vice President of Psi Chi, the international psychology honor society.
Erik Hammerstrom, Assistant Professor of Religion, has been selected as one of three finalists for Yale University’s biennial Stanley Weinstein Dissertation Prize for best dissertation on East Asian Buddhism defended in North America in 2009 or 2010. It is the only prize of its kind. Final determination and awarding of the prize will take place in September of this year.
The Women's Center's 14th Annual Celebration of Inspirational Women was held on March 30, 2011. This event featured a silent auction that raised over $2800 to support Women's Center programs. Keynote speaker Margo Okazawa-Rey talked about the 1000 Peace Women Across the Globe exhibit, displayed at the event and, earlier, across campus. Over 50 PLU women were honored at this event for inspiring others on campus.