Dear A&S Colleagues, 

A heartfelt thanks to all who attended the college's annual Celebration of Excellence on April 23. It was inspiring to see so many of our colleagues come together to celebrate the outstanding achievements and contributions of our faculty and staff. Your support and recognition of your peers exemplify the strong sense of community and camaraderie that defines our college.

I would also like to express my gratitude to those who assisted in administering the awards process and organizing the event: Susan Ryan, Rae Stilwell, Courtney Griffith, and our undergraduate assistants, Olivia Russell and Tessa Williams. Their hard work and dedication ensured that everything ran smoothly.

In this and the next several editions of the Monday Memo, we'll feature shout-outs to our winners with the fine things said about them by their enthusiastic nominators.  Thanks again for your participation and for making the Celebration of Excellence a resounding success!

Sincerely,

Julie Wrinn, Chief of Staff

A&S Teaching Awards

Above, left to right: Dean Touron, Flora Schildknecht, James Richie, Shira Rabin, Joe Gutmann, Siobhan Smith-Jones, Cara Cashon, and Regina Roebuck at the Celebration of Excellence on April 23.

Research Agenda

Biology Professor Receives NSF Research Grant to Study Fishes with Air-Breathing Organs

Matthew Kolmann, Assistant Professor of Biology, has been awarded a National Science Foundation research grant of $484,232 (DEB-2333638) for a project entitled "Phenotypic and Lineage Diversification after Key Innovations: Multiple Evolutionary Pathways to Air-Breathing in Labyrinth Fishes and Their Allies."

Professor Kolmann explained, “Our lab is interested in why some groups of animals are more diverse than others. Our proposal explores the role of special traits, called key innovations, and how these traits have catalyzed diversification in fishes. Fishes are the most diverse vertebrates (animals with backbones) on Earth, numbering over 36,000 species (6x the number of mammals). We're investigating groups of fishes with air-breathing organs, which are functionally similar to lungs, and whether these organs can be considered key innovations. That is, whether air-breathing has played a critical role in the diversification of air-breathing fishes like bettas and snakeheads—propelling these species to invade habitats globally tens of millions of years ago alongside more recent invasions during our lifetimes.”

Bingham Faculty Fellows 

The Commonwealth Center for Humanities and Society (CCHS) welcomes the interdisciplinary cohort of the 2024-25 Bingham Faculty Fellows:

• Simona Bertacco, Comparative Humanities
• Ying Kit Chan, Art and Design
• Aaron Comstock, Anthropology
• Felicia Jamison, History
• Mark Mattes, English
• Jasmine Whiteside, Sociology 

CCHS invites you to join us next year, to learn with and from this cohort in a range of public offerings exploring the 2024-25 theme: Stories of Place.

Undergraduate Excellence

A&S Student Among 2024 Derby Festival Royal Court

Congratulations to Paighton Brooks (2nd from right, above) of Alexandria, KY, on being selected as part of the 2024 Royal Court as Princesses for this year’s Derby Festival. Paighton, 21 years old, is a senior double majoring in Political Science and Criminal Justice. She is a Pre-Law and Public Policy student, a McConnell Scholar and their DEI Chair, and a Woodford R. Porter Scholar serving as President of Porter Scholars. She’s a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., is the 2023 University of Louisvill Homecoming Queen, and volunteers with The Hope Buss.

The Derby Festival Royal Court will serve as official ambassadors of the city, Commonwealth, and Festival, attending more than 70 events this spring. Each student receives a $2,000 scholarship. Dozens of applicants representing more than 15 colleges and universities from around Kentucky, Indiana and throughout the region were reviewed.

“These young women are academic scholars, leaders in their communities, and have resumes packed with awards and achievements. We’re honored to have them as our ambassadors,” said Kentucky Derby Festival President & CEO Matt Gibson.

Honors Program Students Present Scholarship at the Southern Regional Honors Council

Fourteen University Honors Program students presented their work at the 2024 Southern Regional Honors Council conference, which took place April 4-6 in Jacksonville, FL. Twelve of these students are majoring or minoring in A&S; see their presentation topics below. Congrats to these outstanding undergraduates and to their mentors! 

Poster presentations:

• Ali Alkafaji, Biology and Neuroscience major: The Inhibition of Hemoglobin Oxidation During Freeze-Drying with Lyoprotectants
• Rachael Cole, Music Education major, Philosophy minor: Self-Efficacy and Motivations to Participate in Summer Music Festivals
• Nim Singh, Neuroscience major, Philosophy minor: The Neural Mechanisms of Anxiety Regulation: An New Approach to Emotion Regulation

Oral Presentations:

• Sarah Belcher, Public Health major, Healthcare Management minor: Bridging A Scotland Fulbright Summer Institute Experience and My Region of the U.S.
• Naomi Frese, Chemistry/Biochemistry major, Public Health minor: Thriving Amidst Toxicity: Walnut flies have a higher survival rate when developed in host plants’ chemicals
• Alicia Howe, Individualized major with concentrations in History, LGBTQ Studies, Sociology: “Kids on Fire:” Evangelical Youth Agency as seen in Jesus Camp (2006)
• Tobias Mcdaniels, Psychology major, English minor: Forgotten Members of Our Community: LGBTQ+ Youth Experiencing Houselessness
• Anna Morris, Geography and Urban Studies majors: Uprooting Infrastructure: Transportation in Louisville, KY
• Ava Peruski, Neuroscience major, Women & Gender Studies minor: Bearded Ladies: Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Gender
• Allison Portaro, Chemistry/Biochemistry major: Assessing the Bioactivity of Salvia Phytochemicals Against Breast Cancers
• Kelsey Raymer, Social Work major: The Racialization of Muslims post-9/11 and Retribution
• Nim Singh, Neuroscience major, Philosophy minor: The Ethicality of Male Circumcision
• Abigail Stanger, History major, Humanities and German minors: Can Men Be Feminists?
• Emily Stucky, Individualized major with concentrations in History and Social Change: ”Sermons in Stones:” Setting, Status, and Education in Shakespeare’s As You Like It
• Mandala Gupta VerWiebe, Humanities major, English and History minors: You are On Native Land: Applying Decolonizing Initiatives in Kentucky Museums

Many thanks to Honors staff members Katherine Rucker and Bethany Smith for supporting these students in their conference participation and presentations.

Kudos

Grad Programs in UPA and PSYCH Receive National Recognition

A&S graduate programs have once again received accolades from U.S. News & World Report. Congratulations to graduate programs in Urban and Public Affairs and in Clinical Psychology for being recognized in the 2024-25 edition of Best Graduate Schools. This national recognition is a testament to A&S’s commitment to providing an outstanding educational experience, both on-campus and online. 

A&S Students Honored by the Graduate School

Congratulations to Lauren Girouard-Hallam and Khushboo Patel, doctoral students in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences. Girouard-Hallam won the Guy Stevenson Award for Excellence in Graduate Studies and a Graduate Dean's Citation. She will be giving a speech at the Doctoral Hooding Ceremony. Patel won the Graduate School's Inclusive Excellence Award.

Below, left to right: Psychology PhD students Khushboo Patel and Lauren Girouard-Hallam.

Interns for the Arts and Cultural Partnership Project

The Commonwealth Center for Humanities and Society celebrates the 2024 interns for the CCHS—Arts and Cultural Partnership Project:

• Peyton Gose, Portland Museum
• Elijah Humble, Portland Museum
• John O’Neal, Locust Grove
• James Petko, Filson Historical Society
• Chloe Purdy, Locust Grove
• Soraya Robinson, Louisville Story Project

Across the semester, undergraduate and graduate interns received individualized mentoring with hands-on projects including producing podcasts, writing newspaper articles, conducting oral histories, gathering diverse voices into the collections, and developing user guides for primary materials. 

This work was partially supported through the Office of Community Engagement’s Gheens Foundation grant as well as the ongoing support of CCHS Arts and Cultural Partners.

Biology Professor Elected President of the Human Anatomy & Physiology Society

Kudos to Rachel Hopp, Associate Professor of Biology, on being elected as President of the Human Anatomy & Physiology Society (HAPS), an organization devoted to excellence in the teaching of human anatomy and biology at both the high school and college levels.  "This puts our department on the national landscape for teaching in these areas," said Department Chair Linda Fuselier, "and I know that Rachel will be fantastic in this role." 

Barry Johnson Wins ABI Social Justice Multimedia Award

The Anne Braden Institute for Social Justice Research awarded A&S graduate student, Dr. Barry C. Johnson, the 2024 Social Justice Multimedia Award in collaboration with the Digital Media Suite's Cardinals Create Showcase. Watch the film 'Apr 3, 1968' by Barry C. Johnson on the 2023-24 Cardinals Create Showcase gallery. This short film was completed for the HIST 612 Digital History course with Rebecca Devlin, a re-enactment of the last night of Martin Luther King, Jr., and his prophetic "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech. Dr. King was assassinated the following day.

Pictured below, left to right: Deme Wharton (ABI Program Coordinator), Dr. Barry C. Johnson (2024 ABI Social Justice Multimedia Award Winner), and Dr. Angela Storey (ABI Director) at the 2024 Cardinals Create Showcase on April 12, 2024 in the Ekstrom Library.

New Essay by Kolers and Omer-Sherman on 1969 Palestinian Novella

Returning to Haifa, a novella by Palestinian author and journalist Ghassan Kanafani, is the subject of a new essay co-authored by Avery Kolers, Professor of Philosophy, and Ranen Omer-Sherman, Professor of Comparative Humanities. Returning to Haifa depicts the Israeli occupation of formerly British-controlled Palestinian land during and after the 1948 Battle of Haifa. Kolers's and Omer-Sherman's essay is entitled, “Woman Is a Cause: Kanafani’s ‘Returning to Haifa’ as Critique of Patriarchal Nationalism,” published in Twentieth-Century Literature 70, no. 1. March 2024. Ghassan Kanafani (8 April 1936 – 8 July 1972, pictured below) is one of the Arab world's leading Palestinian writers of his generation. 

Congratulations to Yara Mekawi, Assistant Professor of Biology, on the publication of her book, Beyond Fragility: A Skills-Based Guide to Effective Anti-Racist Allyship, co-authored with Natalie Watson-Singleton and Danyelle Dawson (Bridge City Books, April 2024). Anti-racist allyship is not an innate essence―nor is it something you were born knowing how to do. This leaves well-meaning allies feeling stuck, frustrated, and afraid of getting it wrong. But with the tools in this book, you can learn new skills that allow you to engage in impactful and sustainable allyship in every space you occupy.

“Beyond Fragility is a powerfully instructive guide that reduces the defensiveness, uncertainty, and discomfort that many White people experience when it comes to confronting racial inequality. Its scientifically informed skills are drawn from the foundational principles of dialectical behavior therapy, making it a must-read for anyone who is devoted to embracing anti-racist allyship and actually doing the work.”
―Rheeda Walker, PhD, author of The Unapologetic Guide to Black Mental Health and No Racial Elephants in the Therapy Room

Mark Running Named RSO Advisor of the Year

Congratulations to Dr. Mark Running, Professor of Biology, for being honored as the RSO (Recognized Student Organization) Advisor of the year at the 2024 Student Awards Ceremony on April 17. Dr. Running is advisor or co-advisor to a range of RSOs, including The Cardinal Edge Undergraduate Research Journal, Phi Delta Epsilon Premedical Co-ed Fraternity, Beta Beta Beta National Biology Honors Society, SALUD Spanish Pre-Health Organization, Sketchi Medical Art, mission:brain UofL, HUMTUM Hindi Pre-Health Organization, and Ping Pong Club.

Kudos to Dr. Walker Smith (PhD ’23) and his spring 2023 English 105 students, Cora Alward, Jacob Morris, Lydia Peach, Veronica Pulley, Parker Routt, Kolby Sanders, and Josh Vogeler. The IRB-approved research they did for Dr. Smith’s class was published this month in an edited collection from Utah State University Press, Teaching and Generative AI: Pedagogical Possibilities and Productive Tensions. Their chapter is titled, “Uses, Benefits, and Limitations of AI Chatbots: Implementing ChatGPT in the First-Year Writing Classroom.” All chapters are available online.

This essay shares the findings of a Spring 2023 honors composition course in which students conducted their own primary research project to investigate the uses and limitations of ChatGPT for first-year writers. By experimenting with integrating ChatGPT into various stages of their writing and revision processes, the students identified the strengths and weaknesses of the writing tool. They found that ChatGPT was incredibly useful for certain small-scale tasks, but it posed significant risks, especially for students with less experience in academic writing. They concluded that ChatGPT is a potentially helpful tool for developing academic writers but must be accompanied with in-class opportunities to practice assessing and revising the writing produced by ChatGPT.

Kudos to Bronwyn Williams, Professor of English, on receiving the Divergent Publication Award for Excellence in Digital Age Research for his forthcoming book, Literacies in Times of Disruption. Bestowed by the Initiative for Literacy in a Digital Age, this award recognizes those who diverge from traditional pedagogies and research approaches, and the indelible contributions of educators and scholars who have dedicated their careers to the theoretical and practical study of 21st century literacies. The Divergent Publication Award recognizes the most outstanding publications during the past two years that bring to the forefront the importance and impact of this work. Honorees will be sharing their work as part of the Literacy in a Digital Age lecture series in April 2025.

Community Engagement

Top row, l-r: Michele Shelton and Dayna Touron at the Yearlings Club. Bottom row, l-r: Joni Jennkins, Brunhilda Currington, Barbara Sexton-Smith, and Councilwoman Donna Purvis. 

Dean Dayna Touron and Michele Shelton in Conversation at the Yearlings Club

Dean Touron was warmly received by the Yearlings Club on April 4. The conversation was moderated by Michele Lawlis Shelton, 2001 B.A. Political Science, 2021 College of Arts & Sciences Fellow and Alumni Award recipient, inaugural chair of the A&S Dean's Advancement Council, and CEO of Michele Shelton LLC, a diversity, equity, and inclusion consulting firm based in Louisville, KY.

In recognition and celebration of her new role, Dean Touron received Proclamations that were presented by designees: Ms. Joni Jenkins on behalf of U.S. Congressman Morgan McGarvey (District 3); Ms. Brunhilda Currington for State Senator General Neal (District 33); Deputy Mayor Barbara Sexton-Smith for Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg; and Councilwoman Donna Purvis, (District 5), herself.

Inaugural Community Engagement Town Hall

The inaugural community engagement town hall event held on April 12 was a resounding success! We spotlighted three exemplary, engaged scholarship and collaborative activities, ranging from protecting voting rights to uncovering and honoring the historical sites for the segregated School for the Blind and Eastern Cemeteries to engaging the Louisville community with the history of policy.

Deme Wharton, program coordinator in the Anne Braden Institute for Social Justice Research, worked with Dr. Brandon McCormack on the “Vote Is Sacred Project.” She shared lessons learned from this ongoing initiative. Dr. Thomas “Tom” Jennings, Department of Anthropology and Director of the Center for Archaeology and Cultural Heritage, mesmerized the audience with how artifacts found in a dig by the current students at the School for the Blind honored and connected the school’s segregated past with living survivors while creating new, active learning opportunities them. Additionally, his co-led project at the Eastern Cemetery ignited deep curiosity and lively discussion from members in the audience seeking information about burial of their family. Lastly, Dr. Felicia Jamison (Department of History) and Dr. Siddhant Issar (Department of Political Science) shared their co-authored engaged scholarship and public history research on understanding centuries of policing in Louisville. All presenters underscored the significant impact on the broader community. Also, all were grant-funded projects and activities.

Our special recognition and “thank you” to the Office of Community Engagement, especially Dr. Henry Cunningham, Director of Community Engagement, for this collaboration and sponsorship of the luncheon, and thanks to ALL who attended! The next community engagement town hall will be held in Fall 2024.

Call for Submissions

Community Engaged Scholarship Grants

The Engagement Scholarship Consortium announces the 2024 Engaged Scholarship Research/Creative Activities Grants Program. Faculty and staff from ESC Member Institutions, which includes UofL, may apply for up to $5,000 to fund a one-year project. Collaborative projects among faculty and staff from more than one discipline or at more than one university are encouraged. Funds may be used for faculty, graduate, undergraduate, community partner, and administrative stipends; supplies and expenses; or project-related travel. No indirect costs will be associated with this seed award. Funds may not be used for travel to conferences. Application deadline: Friday, May 3, 2024 at 11:59 PM EST. Visit the program website for more guidelines and more information. 

A&S Events

"I'm Just a Bill!" Virtual Information Session with Sherri Wallace

Remember the Schoolhouse Rock segment, “I’m Just a Bill,” explaining how a bill becomes a law? The Office of Institutional Equity invites you to join Sherri L. Wallace, Professor of Political Science and Associate Dean for International, Engagement & Equity Programs in the College of Arts & Sciences.  Professor Wallace will walk us through how bills are created and become law at the federal and state levels. Attendees will have opportunities for further discussion and ask questions about how private citizens can engage in the process. Tuesday, April 30, 10 a.m., via MS Teams. To register, visit the webpage.

The Chemistry Graduate Student Association presents two lectures this week by two-time Nobel Prize Laureate in Chemistry, Dr. Barry Sharpless:

• 1) "Recent Applications of Click Chemistry." Thursday, May 2, 11:00 am
• 2) "How to Win Two Nobel Prizes (Make Yourself Useful)." Friday, May 3, 1:00 pm

Gheens Science Hall, Rauch Planetarium. See flyer below and join us!

Origin Stories: Peruvian Pre-Columbian Ceramics Exhibition

The Hite Institute of Art + Design is pleased to present Origin Stories, an exhibition of Peruvian pre-Columbian work from the archives of the Speed Art Museum curated by Dani Deeley. On view for the first time in nearly forty years, the objects in this exhibition provoke questions about the acquisition of objects, the circumstances of their arrival, and their current condition.

The collection of Peruvian art was donated by Elizabeth Crow Bullitt, of the well-known Bullitt family in Louisville, on behalf of her late husband, Charles William Buck in 1934. Buck acquired these objects during his time as U.S. ambassador to Peru from 1885 to 1889. Origin Stories presents a window into the lives of five Peruvian pre-Columbian ceramic objects that, up until 2024, had never been fully investigated. This exhibition will be on view from July 13 through August 9 at the Cressman Center for Visual Arts. The opening reception will be on July 13, from 4pm-7pm. 

UofL Events

Instructors’ Fall Courses in Blackboard Ultra

UofL’s Blackboard team is excited to announce all fall 2024 course shells have been created in Blackboard Ultra. Don't wait; prepare yourself now to ensure a smooth transition. Delphi recommends attending a virtual training first to learn the basics, and then a pop-in session this week for personalized support. It’s essential for even users familiar with Blackboard Original to attend Ultra training due to significant user experience and feature differences. https://louisville.edu/delphi/blackboard/bb-ultra-course

Employee Success Is Student Success Conference on May 14

Our colleagues across campus are volunteering to facilitate sessions designed to share tools and ideas that encourage us to gain awareness of and connect with ourselves and others. Asterisked sections require the completion of an assessment ahead of time. The Student Success Center is sponsoring this event, and the assessments will be free of charge to you. RSVP is required for the sessions with assessments as well as the lunch. Each session has limited capacity; once the capacity is met, your name will be placed on a wait list and you will be notified. Please review the schedule below RSVP here before May 10!

Want to eat healthy, local, and organic this summer?

Knob Hill Farms in Breckenridge County, Kentucky is now accepting subscriptions to its 2024 Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program that will provide customers a delivery of fresh, organic, seasonal produce available for pickup on both UofL campuses each week:

• Belknap Campus: Tuesdays 4-6pm at a farmstand on Cardinal Blvd. at 3^rd Street.
• Health Sciences Center: Thursdays 10:30am-1:30pm at the Gray Street Farmers’ Market, 400 E. Gray St.

The 16-week season will run from June 4^th through September 17^th. Knob Hill is a black-owned, organic farm growing a variety of produce including but not limited to: potatoes, tomatoes, pole beans, peppers, zucchini, squash, collard greens, and kale. Knob Hill will be setting up a farmstand to sell extra produce to CSA customers and the public during weekly pickups throughout the season June 4 – Sept. 17, 2024 on Tuesdays 4-6pm on Cardinal Blvd. at 3^rd Street, and on Thursdays 10:30am-1:30pm at the Gray Street Farmers’ Market.

Explore your options and complete an interest form online here. For questions, call Keith McKenzie at (502) 541-9051. The sign-up deadline is May 10.

Grant writing workshops

Register now for the last remaining grant writing workshop taking place on May 14, 2024, 12 noon - 1:30 pm, from the Office of Community Engagement, Office of the Provost, and Office of Institutional Equity for faculty, staff, and graduate students. Workshops will introduce the basics of grant writing from the lenses of community engagement, present the foundation for developing a letter of inquiry and a full proposal, provide approaches to engage funders, and provide insights into the review process. Register at this link.

Deadline extended: Apply for the 2024 Green Threads Workshop by June 1

Interested in integrating themes of ecological, social & economic stewardship into your courses? The Sustainability Council invites all full- or part-time faculty, instructors & GTA Academy members from ANY discipline to apply for the 2024 Green Threads teaching enrichment program. We’ll explore ways to weave sustainability into your curriculum through a one-day workshop in August. You’ll receive a $500 honorarium, course development resources, local sustainability insights, & a network of colleagues from across UofL. Apply by June 1st, with Chair’s approval. Website & Application. Contact: Brent Fryrear bfryrear@louisville.edu, (502) 852-8854. See below for the 2023 Green Threads faculty cohort.