This month's faculty announcements include new research, media recognition, and a spotlight on student-faculty research:
Henry H. & Trudye H. Fowler Associate Professor Daisy Ball (Criminal Justice) and Carly Lundgren ’26 were selected to present at the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences' annual meeting in Philadelphia. Their paper, "'Who cares...so what?' Romantic Partners of Returning Citizens and the Normative Validation Thesis,” highlighted their research into the experiences of people returning to their communities after a period of incarceration. Using in-depth interviews, Ball and Lundgren, a criminal justice major, explored the stigmas and challenges that romantic partners of returning citizens may face.
Associate Professor Steve Hughes, Professor Gary Hollis and Professor Tim Johann (Chemistry) represented Roanoke well at the American Chemical Society's spring meeting in Atlanta. Hughes presented his research, "Size control of wurtzite CuInS2 Nanoplatelets using functionalized aryl-substituted thioureas," exploring new ways to control the size of wurtzite copper indium sulfide nanoplatelets, with potential applications to lighting and solar energy. Hollis served ACS in a leadership position as a council member, helping shape future initiatives within the organization. Johann shared new research, "Tales of Many Ligands and a CASTLE: Truncating Protein Structure to Optimize Computation Cost While Maintaining Protection from Water," introducing a new computational method that simplifies protein models while allowing them to maintain their accuracy, therefore helping scientists research how protein and drug molecules can interact more efficiently.
Professor and Dean Alice Kassens (School of Business, Economics, and Analytics) co-authored new research for the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, where she holds a fellowship, that was spotlighted in Bloomberg, Richmond Times-Dispatch, and Higher Ed Dive. Her work analyzes important trends shaping conditions for young adults across the nation.
Assistant Professor Lauren Kennedy-Metz (Neuroscience and Psychology) was awarded funding by the University Studies Abroad Consortium to teach in Spain during summer 2027. She'll be leading a class on positive psychology at Universidad del País Vasco in San Sebastián. The global partnership enables faculty to build cross-cultural connections that enrich their teaching when they return home.
Associate Professor Robert Willingham (History) delivered a speech at the Salem Museum’s celebration of America’s 250th anniversary. His talk, entitled "1776, 1976, 2026: How we Remember," examined changing perspectives on American independence, exploring the similarities and differences between the nation's anniversary remembrances over time.
John R. Turbyfill Professor Stella Xu (History) led a national panel on the politics of Korean historiography during the American Historical Association's annual meeting in Chicago. The panel brought together scholars from the Library of Congress, Kyoto University, University of South Carolina, and Arizona State University. Xu also hosted an official Korean delegation in March to open the Kim Kyusik Center, located in the Bank Building. Additionally, Xu has new research that will soon be published in Collection Scripta Receptoria, which spotlights work that explores ancient history through a new lens. Xu's upcoming paper is entitled, “Tan’gun, Kija, Tong’i, or Ch'iu—The Search for a National Ancestor in Twentieth Century Korea.”