Professional Notes

Dr. Jean Birbilis, Graduate School of Professional Psychology, chaired a symposium, “Building an Independent Practice,” and presented a paper, “Creating an Independent Practice From the Group Up,” at the 2003 annual convention of the American Psychological Association recently in Toronto. A summary of the symposium and of her paper is presented in an article, “Building an Independent Practice,” by Deborah Smith Bailey in the October issue of APA Monitor (pages 40-41).

Dr. Joseph Fitzharris, History Department, organized and coordinated sessions and activities sponsored by the Society for Military History at the 2003 Northern Great Plains History Conference Oct. 2 in Fargo, N.D. He also presented a paper, “Portraying the South and Southerners: Letters to the Minnesota Home Front in the civil War,” at a session, “Writing Home,” dealing with soldiers’ letters to their families. He is now starting to organize the 2004 SMH sessions.

Two of Fitzharris’ students, Deirdre Munroe Opp and Jason Smock, also presented papers at the conference. Opp’s paper, “Bishop Henry Whipple: Influential Indian Advocate,” and Smock’s paper, “A Comparison of the USS Monitor and the CSS H.L. Hunley,” originally were written for Fitzharris’ seminar on the Civil War Era. The commentator, Professor Lori Lahlum o f Valley City State University, commended them on their fine work and observed that the papers were well-written and showed a base in strong primary research.

Dr. Mel Gray, Economics Department, recently attended the annual Social Theory, Politics and the Arts conference; held in Columbus, Ohio, it was sponsored by Ohio State University’s program in arts policy and administration. He participated in a plenary session, presenting a talk, “The State of the Art: A Historical Perspective on the Economics of Art and Culture.” He also presented a paper titled “Unresolved Issues in the Economics of Art and Culture.”

Dr. Michael Hennessey, Engineering Department, presented a paper, “The Kinematic Car: Teaching Undergraduates Nonholonomic Mechanical System Basics,” at the 2003 North Midwest Section conference of the American Society of Engineering Education. The conference was held Oct. 9-11 at Iowa State University in Ames; the effort was funded by a Bush foundation dissemination grant.

Dr. Cornelia Horn, Theology Department, recently attended the 14th International Conference on Patristic Studies at Oxford. As a member of the International Early Mariology Project, she was invited to present a lecture, “Amazement for the Daughters of the Hebrews: Mary in Aphrahat, Ephaem and Other Early Syriac Theologians.” Horn gratefully acknowledges the support of UST’s Luann Dummer Center for Women, which enabled her to conduct part of the research for this presentation.

Shersten Johnson, Music Department, is the author of a paper, {Breathing Life Into ‘Ah! Sun-flower,’” that was presented as a poster at the International Conference on Music and Gesture Aug. 28-31 in Norwich, England. The paper addresses what happens to sonically encoded poetic gestures once a musical setting adds another layer to the text.

Dr. David Kelley, Geography Department, and student Kyle Symoniak presented a paper, “Using GIS to Evaluate Nitrate Leaching and Wellhead Protection in the Verdi Wellfield, Lincoln County, Minnesota,” at the 2003 Minnesota GIs/LIS Consortium annual conference Oct. 9 in St. Paul. Geography student Peter Rieke presented a poster, “Using GIs to Evaluate Business Trade Area Models.” Two students, Kristen Lee and Adam Berland, received Student Scholarship Awards to recognize their accomplishments and excellence in GIs This was the first time that UST students were eligible to receive these awards, thanks to the recent addition in the Geography Department of a GIs minor and a proposed concentration area in GIs

Dr. Anne Klejment, History Department, is the author of “Catholic Digest and the Catholic Revival, 1936-1945,” in the summer issue of U.S. Catholic Historian, Vol. 21, No. 3, pages 89-110.

Jim Rogers, Center for Irish Studies, has been elected president of the Midwest region of the American Conference for Irish Studies. Rogers attended the groups regional meeting Oct. 17-18 at Illinois State University. He presented a paper, “‘Someone Watching Your Back: Guardian Angels in Michael Patrick MacDonald’s All Souls,” which examined religious themes in the 1999 memoir that has been called “an American Angela’s Ashes.”

UST sociologists were well-represented at the annual meetings of Sociologists of Minnesota, which met this month in St. Paul. Dr. Susan Smith-Cunnien serves as treasurer of the organization. Dr. Peter Parilla organized a session, “G.I.F.T.S. (Good Ideas for Teaching Sociology),” at which Dr. Meg Wilkes Karraker presented “Durkheim is Dead: An Introduction to Classical Theory,” and Dr. Lisa Waldner presented “Modifying and Playing Monopoly as a Strategy for Resisting Students’ Resistance to Discussing Inequality and Social Stratification.” Waldner also presented “Teaching Survey Research Methods Using Service Learning With a Family Service Agency.” Sociology majors Laura Dusek and Melissa Jackson also attended the annual meetings.