Dr. Stephen Brookfield, School of Education, is the author of chapters in three new books: "Critical Thinking in Adulthood," in Critical Thinking and Reasoning: Current Research, Theory and Practice, edited by D. Fasko (Cresskill, N.J.: Hampton Press, 2003); "Critical Perspectives on Accelerated Learning," in Accelerated Learning for Adults: The Promise and Practice of Intensive Educational Formats, edited by R. Wlodkowski and C.A. Kasworm (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2003); and "Using the Lenses of Critically Reflective Teaching in the Community College Classroom,"in Community College Faculty: Characteristics, Practices & Challenges, edited by C. Outcault (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2003).
Dr. Mel Gray, Economics Department, was an invited panelist for the closing plenary session, "Where do We Go From Here?" at the annual meeting of the College Band Directors National Association recently at the University of Minnesota. Gray shared his perspectives on the economics of music and music education.
Dr. Mari Heltne, Quantitative Methods and computer Science, participated in two conferences last month. She and co-researcher Liang Chee Wee, of Luther College, gave a presentation, "Collaborative Technology Support for Administrative and Academic Decision Making," at the Midwest regional conference of EDUCAUSE in Chicago. She also participated in a poster session at the national meeting of the American Association of Higher Education in Washington, D.C. Her poster, "Good Work: Challenging Students in Changing Neighborhoods," portrayed service-learning projects in computer science, both at St. Thomas and during her time at the University of Arizona.
Dr. Rick Holton, Master of Business Communication program, gave a presentation, "Web Sites for Writers," to the Business Division of the National Writers Union on March 18. He talked about Web sites as part of the marketing process, outlined advantages and disadvantages of having a Web site, and discussed ways to get the most out of a Web site.
Dr. James Hundley, Modern and Classical Languages Department, presented a paper, "An 'Old' Case Study: The Use of Historical Materials to Teach Business Spanish, at the CIBER 2003 Conference on International Business, Language and Technology, April 5 at Florida International University in Miami. CIBER (Centers for International Business Education and Research) is a federally funded network linking the U.S. business community with international education, language training and research at 30 universities across the country. The 30 CIBERs serve as regional and national resources to business people, students and teachers at all levels.
Dr. David Kelley, Geography Department, and Dr. Michael Russelle of the USDA Agricultural Research Service presented a report to the Lincoln-Pipestone Rural Water Supply District in southwestern Minnesota on March 27. They prepared the report to assist the district in identifying and remediating sources of contamination to drinking water aquifers in the region. Kelley and Russelle were assisted in the two-year project by three St. Thomas geography students, Christina Brandel, Sarah Brown and Kyle Symoniak, who developed map products for use by agricultural extension agents in their outreach efforts to farmers in Lincoln and Pipestone counties.
Dr. Mitchell Kusy, Organization Learning and Development Department, gave a keynote address, "What Trainers Must Know to Debunk Eight Organizational Change Myths (and Why!)" to the Wisconsin Association of Insurance Trainers April 2 in Madison.
Dr. Nick Nissley, Organization Learning and Development Department, recently was notified that three of his papers have been accepted for presentation at this year's Academy of Management annual meeting in Seattle: "Art, Aesthetics and the Critical Management Imagination," with Ann Rippin (University of Bristol), Charles Booth (University of West England) and Steve Taylor (Worcester Polytechnic Institute); "Action Aesthetics," with Taylor; and "The Aesthetic Aspects of Everyday Resistance and Provocation in Organizations," with Mike Elmes (Worcester Polytechnic Institute). Nissley also will be a co-presenter of a professional development workshop, "Aesthetic Inquiry in Organization Studies: Doing Research From Aesthetically Informed Frameworks," with colleagues from the Arts, Creativity and Organizations Research Network (ACORN).
Dr. Gary Porter, Accounting Department, is co-author of the fourth edition of the text, Financial Accounting: The Impact on Decision Makers (South-Western, 2003). Co-authored by Curtis Norton, the book is used widely in introductory financial accounting courses.
Dr. Christopher Puto, College of Business, and two Duke University professors, Joel Huber and John Payne, won the Sheth/Association for Consumer Research award for long-term contributions to consumer research. The new award, to be offered every three years, honors papers that have been in circulation at least 10 years. Puto, Huber and Payne received the award at the association's annual conference last October in Atlanta. Take a look at the paper here.
Andrea Swanberg and John Whiteman, senior biology students, presented their research at the Midwest regional meeting of the American Society of Plant Biology March 20-21 at Iowa State University. They gave a 15-minute presentation, "Seasonal Changes in Photoprotective Mechanisms of the Evergreen Taxus cuspidata Growing in Sun and Shade Environments." Most of the other presenters at the conference were graduate students and post-graduate researchers.
Dr. Fred Zimmerman, UST Programs in Engineering and Technology Management, and St. Paul Pioneer Press business columnist Dave Beal will give a presentation, "Manufacturing Works! The Vital Link Between Production and Prosperity," at 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 23, at the James J. Hill Reference Library, 80 W. Fourth St., St. Paul. The presentation is free and open to the public. For more information, call (651) 265-5500.