Faculty News

2013-2014

Hackenbracht Wins for Best Essay

Ryan Hackenbracht, Assistant Professor in the Department of English, received the 2013 Natalie Zemon Davis Prize from Renaissance and Reformation/Renaissance et Reforme (a top journal) for best essay published in 2013. The winning article, "Mourning the Living: Surrey's 'Wyatt Resteth Here,' Henrician Funerary Debates, and the Passing of National Virtue," appeared in Renaissance and Reformation/Renaissance et Reforme 35.2 pp. 61-82, which published in 2013.

Clarke to Participate in Workshop

Bruce Clarke, Chair and Horn Professor in the Department of English, has been invited to participate in the Workshop on Understanding Literature and Art Cultures for Transformative Research, Jan. 14-15, 2014, jointly sponsored by the Arizona State University Center for Science and the Imagination and NASA. The workshop will explore how literature, art, and especially science fiction have informed, inspired, and at times anticipated scientific discovery and technological innovations, and seek for strategies to make interchanges between science fiction creators, scientists, and engineers more productive.

Poirier Speaks at Physics Conference

Bill Poirier, Professor in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, was an invited speaker and participant at the recent "Foundational Questions Institute 4th International Conference, on the Physics of Information," Jan. 5-10, 2014. Situated on the beach in Vieques, Puerto Rico, and featuring luminaries from cosmology (Alan Guth, cosmic inflation), quantum gravity (David Finkelstein, black holes), particle physics (Gerard 't Hooft, Nobel Laureate), quantum computing (Seth Lloyd & Raymond Laflamme), and other areas, the meeting sought to stimulatecreative interdisciplinary discourse on the most profound scientific questions of our time. This event was widely reported in the press; participants were interviewed by editors from Scientific American andNew Scientist, as well as a film crew from the PBS series "Closer to the Truth."

Swingen on 17th Century Labor

Abigail Swingen, Assistant Professor in the Department of History, recently published a chapter in an edited volume from Oxford University Press. Her chapter, "Labor: Employment, Colonial Servitude, and Slavery in the Seventeenth-Century Atlantic," is in the book "Mercantilism Reimagined: Political Economy in Early Modern Britain and its Empire," edited by Philip Stern and Carl Wennerlind. It explores the connections between the various forms of unfree labor used in England's colonies in the early modern period, and how and why slavery came to be accepted as the dominant labor force in the colonies.

Clarke Publishes 'Mediations of Gaia'

Bruce Clarke, Chair and Horn Professor in the Department of English, has published the essay “Mediations of Gaia,” in Astroculture: Figurations of Cosmology in Media and Arts, eds. Sonja Neef, Henry Sussman, and Dietrich Boschung (Munich: Wilhelm Fink, 2014), pp. 119-41. Astroculture appears in a book series published by the Morphomata International Center for Advanced Studies—Genesis, Dynamics, and Mediality of Cultural Figurations, one of the international colleges sponsored by the German Federal Ministry of Education under the auspices of the initiative “Freedom for Research in the Humanities.”

Poirier Article Becomes Most-Read

Bill Poirier, Professor in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry,has published the No. 1 most-read article in the Journal of Chemical Physics for the last three consecutive months and one previous month—approaching an unprecedented 10,000 downloads. The Journal of Chemical Physics has an impact factor of 3.33, and is the most highly cited journal in the field of molecular and chemical physics. The article, JCP 136 031102 (2012), featured under "Most Read This Month," summarizes recent developments within the Poirier research group pertaining to a new formulation of quantum mechanics for which the wavefunction is mathematically unnecessary.

Wong Receives Inclusiveness Award

Aliza Wong, Associate Professor in the Department of History, received the Inclusive Excellence Award in honor of her work for teaching across the curriculum. The award was given to her at the Oct. 17, 2013, Celebrate Diversity Awards Banquet in Lubbock.

Scarborough Publishes About Moors

Connie L. Scarborough, Professor in the Department of Classical & Modern Languages & Literatures, published a chapter entitled "The Moors in Thirteenth-Century Spain: 'They are US!' " in the volume East Meets West in the Middle Ages and Early Modern Times: Transcultural Experiences in the Premodern World published 2013 in Boston and Berlin by De Gruyter press.

Quitevis Gives Talk in Spain

Ed Quitevis, Professor in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry and Joint Professor in the Department of Physics, attended the Rede Galega de Liquidos Ionicos (REGALis) Symposium for Foreign Researchers in the Physics Faculty of the University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain, Oct. 16-17, 2013. While there, he gave an invited talk entitled "Probing Intermolecular Dynamics of Ionic Liquid/Molecular Liquid Mixtures using Femtosecond Optical Kerr Effect Spectroscopy." The purpose of the symposium was to provide a forum for discussing potential collaborations between foreign scientists and scientists from Galicia, Spain, doing research in the area of ionic liquids.

Perez Poem Airs on BBC Program

A poem by Genaro Perez, Professor of Spanish in theDepartment of Classical & Modern Languages & Literatures, was read as part of a worship service at St. Margaret's Episcopal Church in Glasgow, Scotland. The poem came from Perez's book of poems, Ten Lepers and Other Poems: Exorcising Academic Demons, and aired on BBC Radio 4's Sunday Worship program 13-10-2013.

Collie Joins TTU Teaching Academy

Nathan Collie, Associate Professor of Endocrinology and Membrane Transport in the Department of Biological Sciences, was one of 10 new members inducted into Tech's Teaching Academy. The Teaching Academy was formally inaugurated in 1997 to demonstrate, support, promote and recognize teaching excellence at Texas Tech.

Scarborough Presents in New Orleans

Connie L. Scarborough, Professor in the Department of Classical & Modern Languages & Literatures, organized and chaired a special session, "Can We Unmask the Author in the Manuscript? Self-Perceptions of the 'Author' in Texts from Medieval Iberia," at the annual meeting of the South Central Modern Language Association held Oct. 3-5 in New Orleans. At the same meeting, she also presented a paper entitled "The Pilgrim in the Text: Gonzalo de Berceo" in a special session on "Current Trends and Approaches in mester de clerecía Studies."

Poirier to Present in Vienna

Bill Poirier, Professor in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, will present an invited plenary talk at the upcoming "EmQM13" Workshop in early October, to take place at the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna.  The purpose of the Workshop is to gather together distinguished scholars to discuss the future of quantum theory, addressing such topics as quantum nonlocality and entanglement. Dr. Poirier will share the stage with Nobel Laureate Gerard 't Hooft, Medal of Science winner Yakir Aharonov, and Albert Einstein Professor and Dirac Medal winner Stephen Adler.

Hart on Roundtable for Recent Book

Justin Hart, Associate Professor in the Department of History, participated in a roundtable on his recent book, "Empire of Ideas" (Oxford University Press, 2013), for the September 2013 issue of Passport, the newsletter of the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations.  This roundtable consisted of four reviews by scholars of U.S. foreign relations and a response to the reviews by Professor Hart.

Scarborough Presents at Association

Connie L. Scarborough, Professor in the Department of Classical & Modern Languages & Literatures, presented a paper entitled "Disability in Marian Miracle Tales" at the annual meeting of the Texas Medieval Association held Sept. 27-28 on the campus of West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas.

Larmour Named Honorary Professor

David H. J. Larmour, Horn Professor in the Department of Classical & Modern Languages & Literatures, has been designated an Honorary Professor of the University of Birmingham, UK, in the Department of Classics, Ancient History and Archaeology, in the College of Arts & Law. He was presented to the faculty at a special event, "Back to the Future: A Workshop on Beginnings," in the presence of Professor Alexandre Grandazzi of Paris IV (Sorbonne).

Scarborough on Medieval Literature

Connie L. Scarborough, Professor in the Department of Classical & Modern Languages & Literatures, in June 2013 gave an invited lecture in the United Kingdom: Research Seminars in the School of English and Languages, University of Surrey: "Ecocritical Approaches to Medieval Literature."

Thompson on Education Committee

Jon Thompson, Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, has been appointed to the American Association of Aerosol Research (AAAR) Education Committee by Barbara Wyslouzil, the President of AAAR, and Professor of Chemistry at Ohio State University.  The primary functions of the Education Committee are to oversee the Student Travel Grant program and to organize the Tutorial Program at the AAAR Annual Conference.

Carter Elected at Writing Conference

Joyce Carter, Associate Professor of Technical Communication & Rhetoric in the Department of English, has been elected assistant chair of the Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC). The CCCC is the premier international conference for scholars in writing studies and part of the National Council of Teachers of English. Carter's four-year commitment will include serving at the March 2014 conference s assistant chair, running the March 2015 conference in Tampa as associate chair, presiding over the organization in 2016 as chair, and serving as immediate past chair in 2017.

Diersing Recognized for Rehab Work

Dean Diersing, Instructor in the Department of Health, Exercise & Sport Sciences, was selected as a Fellow of the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (FAACVPR). This honor is given in recognition for outstanding contributions to the field of cardiopulmonary rehabilitation and to the care of patients with cardiovascular and pulmonary disease.

Ransdell on Cuban Annexation

Ann Daghistany Ransdell, Associate Professor in the Department of English, has written an article that has been accepted for publication by Women's Studies, an interdisciplinary journal. The article, "Transamerican Marital Allegories in Alcott's 'Pauline's Passion and Punishment,' " proves that Alcott's stories are pre Civil War coded critiques of disputed United States foreign policy towards the annexation of Cuba. Had annexation occurred, the South would have been reinforced in maintaining slavery as an economic institution. The outcome of the marriages between American women and Cuban men provide historical allegories that explore annexation's potential success and failure. 

Poch to Spend Fulbright in Barcelona

John Poch, Professor in theDepartment of English, has been awarded a 2013-2014 Fulbright U.S. scholar grant to teach American Poetry, Modern and Contemporary at the University of Barcelona and the Autonomous University of Barcelona. He will also be writing a new collection of poems.

Lektzian Uses Fulbright in Lithuania

David Lektzian, Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science, has been awarded a 2013-2014 Fulbright U.S. scholar grant to conduct research at the Institute for International Relations and Political Science at Vilnius University in Lithuania. He plans to study the relationship between economic sanctions and militarized conflicts.

Thompson at Geophysical Union

Jon Thompson, Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, has been invited to present a seminar at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) meeting in San Francisco in December 2013. The presentation will take place during the session entitled "Molecular Chemistry and Physicochemical Properties of Organic Aerosols." The organizers of the session pursued Thompson as a presenter because of his experience in linking aerosol chemical and optical properties.

Asquith Wins for Petrophysical Work

George Asquith, Professor in the Department of Geosciences and Joe Pevehouse Chair Emeritus, has received the Harrison Schmitt Award from the American Association of Petroleum Geologists. The award recognizes Asquith's contributions to geology through his petrophysical research, writing and teaching.

Lehman Announces New Dinosaur

Thomas Lehman, Professor in the Department of Geosciences, announced earlier this month the discovery of a new species of horned dinosaur, Bravoceratops polyphemus. He and fellow researchers discovered the fossilized remains of the 7-foot-long skull in Big Bend National Park.

Estreicher to Speak in Europe

Stefan K. Estreicher, Horn Professor in the Department of Physics, will give an invited talk at the Nordic Semiconductor Conference in Helsinki on June 10 and a plenary talk at the International Conference on Defects in Semiconductors in Bologna on July 26.

Quitevis Gives Talk in Barcelona

Ed Quitevis, Professor in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry and Joint Professor in the Department of Physics, attended the 7th International Discussion Meeting on Relaxation in Complex Systems at the Universitat Politecnica de Cataluyuna (Barcelona, Spain) July 21-26, 2013. While there, he gave an invited talk entitled "Dynamic Heterogeneity in Ionic Liquids near the Glass Transition Temperature: Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching Measurements of Probe Rotational Motion."

Pare Takes 2nd Fulbright in Brazil

Paul Pare, Professor in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, has been awarded a 2013-2014 Fulbright U.S. scholar grant to pursue research collaborations with colleagues in Brazil. This is Pare's second Fulbright. His first came in 2007, when he researched Plant Growth Promotion by Brazilian Rhizobacteria with the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation and the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Team Increases Fabric Breathability

A nine-member team from TTU collaborated with Wisconsin-based Enercon Industries Corp. and determined that when spunbound polypropylene nonwoven fabrics are pre-treated with atmospheric plasma, the number and size of the fabric pores are increased without compromising the fabric's barrier properties, as published in the Journal of Industrial Textiles. This fabric technology could find its way into the development of sterilized, breathable, flexible and disposable medical clothing—surgical masks, gowns and drapes, for instance—that is resistant to blood and viral penetration. Members of the team from the Department of Environmental Toxicology included Associate Professorof Nonwoven Materials Seshadri Ramkumar, project PI; Professor of Environmental Toxicology Ronald Kendall; Graduate Students Sudheer Jinka and Vinitkumar Singh; and Research Associates Appachi Arunachalam and Gopal Coimbatore. Members of the team from the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry included Professor and Chair Carol Korzeniewski and Postdoctoral Research Associate Rachel Behrens. Also participating was Professor Siva Parameswaran of the Mechanical Engineering Department in the College of Engineering.