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JMU Research, Scholarship & Creative Endeavors
Volume 2, Issue 6
Greetings from the Shenandoah Valley!  
 
ICYMI, we recently launched a new website . This updated design provides easy access to the offices and centers that comprise JMU Research & Scholarship, as well as news from across campus and an archive of past issues of our newsletter. New features will go live over the coming months and don't forget to connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr.  
 
Earlier this semester I joined President Alger, Karina Kline-Gabel, Bill White, and Sarah Brooks for a panel discussion focused on creating a more inclusive campus and community. Hosted by JMU's Center for Faculty Innovation as part of their flashpoint series, this event provided an opportunity to discuss efforts for sustaining an inclusive and welcoming environment to students of all backgrounds and experiences, while protecting free speech on campus. I am grateful to have been included in this important conversation.  
 
The numbers are in from our 10th annual Fall Food Drive. Supporting the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, the generous efforts of JMU students, faculty, and staff resulted in donations equaling more than 5100 meals. This brings our 10-year total to 9,000 lbs. and $3,600, an amount equivalent to 22,000 meals! Our thanks and appreciation to all who participated.
 
Research & Scholarship was proud to support the JMU Student Veteran Association's annual Veterans Day flag display (photo below). A group of volunteers placed in excess of 6,900 American flags on JMU's Quad, a sobering reminder of the lives given by American Servicemembers fighting in the Global War on Terror.

Please read on for additional updates and exciting news!

Sincerely,

Yvonne Harris
           
Vice Provost for Research & Scholarship
James Madison University
Q&A with the College of Arts & Letters (CAL)

We recently conducted an interview with Interim CAL Dean and History Professor Chris Arndt, in order to better understand what scholarship looks like in this diverse college, which houses: Communication Studies; Media Arts & Design; Writing, Rhetoric and Technical Communication; Justice Studies; Political Science; Public Policy and Administration; International Affairs; English; History; Foreign Languages, Literatures and Cultures; Philosophy and Religion; and Sociology and Anthropology. Click here to learn how the Liberal Arts are thriving at JMU
Call for Papers - JMU MadRush Conference
March 17, 2018 - Harrisonburg, VA

The 9th Annual MadRush Undergraduate Research Conference seeks undergraduate research or writing (both academic and creative) and websites in any Humanities or Social Science discipline. Interested students should submit a 100-150 word abstract of their project to madrush@jmu.edu no later than 5:00pm Monday, February 12th. Abstracts should be Word files and should include in the heading the title of the presentation, author name, academic major and institution. We welcome submission of panel sessions on related paper topics or creative writing work. Faculty wishing to nominate students or student groups may email names to white2se@jmu.edu .  Visit the 2018 event website
Vocal Performance Student Places First
in National Competition   
Cecelia McKinley, a vocal performance major, took first place in the Lower College/Independent Studio Women category at the 56th Annual National Student Auditions of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) this past July. McKinley was invited to submit an application for the national competition after she placed second in the state competition and won her regional. Coached by Professor of Voice Carrie Stevens, she created a 12-minute video recording of varied repertoire to showcase her talent. McKinley has a great appreciation for the purposeful and supportive culture of JMU and feels "fortunate to be in a program in which the faculty is engaged and cares deeply about each student," and specifically that Dr. Stevens "has been a constant source of encouragement and guidance." According to Dr. Stevens, McKinley “is intelligent, musical and a hard and consistent worker...who will continue to be a fine example to the other students in my studio and to the voice program."  Read More
JMU Welcomes Over 100 Middle School Girls
to Campus for Coders Experience  
Staff from Capital One mentor middle school students from the Shenandoah Valley.
JMU Research & Scholarship hosted more than 40 volunteers from Capital One and 100 middle school girls from across the Shenandoah Valley for the Coders Experience on October 21st. Harrisonburg Mayor Deanna Reed kicked off the day with a talk emphasizing the importance of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. Held on JMU’s campus in Showker and Godwin Halls, this event introduced young women to individual and team problem solving skills and software development basics, culminating in the creation of a mobile app. The winning teams traveled to Richmond on November 15th to compete against middle school students from across the Commonwealth at the Women in Technology (WIT) Experience, presented by by the Virginia Secretary of Technology and powered by Capital One.
ISAT Students Seek to Improve Transit Bus System
Ray Oram (‘16), Andrew Funkhouser ('16), Michael Garcia ('16), Chris Johns ('16), Kyle Evers ('17) and Kevin Olsen ('18), Integrated Science and Technology (ISAT) and Computer Science majors, comprise a faculty-led research team seeking to improve bus transportation in the region. Specifically, students are using smart nodes to collect data on how many people are waiting and for how long, for a bus to arrive. The students have used their results to advocate for the implementation of changes and have seen positive results. Not only are students helping to solve a problem that impacts them, as they often face late and overcrowded buses, but they are helping to achieve "a more sustainable urban transportation system," says ISAT Assistant Professor Samy El-Tawab, who has played an integral role in the success of this project. "This work emphasizes the consideration, use, and development of science and technology to address compelling human problems as mentioned in the ISAT mission statement," El-Tawab said.
  
The students have presented their work at multiple conferences including the 2016 IEEE Vehicular Networking Conference in Ohio, the 2017 IEEE International Conference on Pervasive Computing and Communications in Hawaii, and the 2017 IEEE International Conference on Vehicular Electronics and Safety in Vienna, Austria. The project was made possible through a grant from 4-VA, who has provided more than $30,000 in funding. Read More
Biology Alumna Awarded NSF Graduate
Research Fellowship    
Former biology graduate student, Phoebe Cook, is pursuing a Ph.D. at UVA after receiving an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. While at JMU, Phoebe, who is interested in Evolutionary Ecology, studied the evolution of sexual dimorphism, aiming to answer questions raised by Darwin and Wallace nearly 150 years ago. Her Master's research in Hawaii was funded by JMU Assistant Professor of Biology Idelle Cooper’s NSF Division of Environmental Biology grant. Dr. Cooper's hands-on mentorship allowed her to observe the process of drafting the grant proposal, which Phoebe stated was a “valuable window into a critical skill for scientists which we often don't learn until we suddenly have to try to fund ourselves.” In addition to Dr. Cooper's mentorship, Cook said the small, supportive department of caring and experienced people at JMU allowed her to figure out her specific interests and goals before she began to pursue a Ph.D. Read More
Sponsored Programs Hosts 2nd Annual
Recognition Reception
The JMU Center for International Stabilization & Recovery congratulates
award winner and CISR Program Manager Nicole Neitzey.
The JMU Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) hosted its second Recognition Reception on October 6th to honor the faculty and staff who have played a role in the pursuit of external funding during the previous year. Tamara Hatch, Interim OSP Director, and Research & Scholarship recognized Principal Investigators for numerous accomplishments. Keynote speaker, Dr. Caroline Lubert, faculty in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, shared her research working with NASA and Orbital ATK investigating the earth-shaking acoustical vibrations that occurred during Orbital's Antares rocket launch to resupply the International Space Station.  Read More
College of Business Faculty Ranked #1 in Publishing  
In a recent study of Accounting Information Systems (AIS) / Information Technology (IT) education research, published by the AIS Educator Journal , JMU Accounting Professors Sandy Cereola, David Fordham and David Hayes were each ranked #1 in publishing AIS / IT education papers in their respective Ph.D. graduation years. This scholarly impact boosted James Madison University to the #1-ranked institution for generating AIS / IT education publications. Read more about scholarship in the College of Business
Physician Assistant Program Hosts Conference on Opioids  
The JMU Physician Assistant Program received a federal grant from the Health Resources & Services Administration to hold a conference on the national opioid epidemic. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of deaths from opioid overdose has more than quadrupled since 1999. Medical practitioners, nurses, podiatrists and dentists from the Harrisonburg community and students from relevant health professions joined in the effort to identify solutions to this public health emergency. Physicians addressed the medical treatment of pain and addiction, a psychologist spoke about behavioral therapy for addiction, and a state police officer shared the law enforcement perspective on the criminal aspect of drug abuse in the region. Read More
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