Dear A&S Faculty and Staff,

As we begin another exciting Grawemeyer Week at UofL, a special shout-out to the A&S departments that house two of the awards, whose winners' lectures are:

• Ideas Improving World Order (Dept. of Political Science)– Steven Feldstein, "The Rise of Digital Repression: How Technology is Reshaping Power, Politics and Resistance,” Tuesday, March 28, 1 p.m.
• Psychology (Dept. of Psychological and Brain Sciences)– David Dunning andJustin Kruger, "Unskilled and Unaware of It," Wednesday, March 29, 12 p.m.

See "Upcoming Events" below for full details on all Grawemeyer happenings as well as this fantastic evening with the Anne Braden Institute for Social Justice: recent U.S. Senate candidate Charles Booker will visit campus tomorrow, Tuesday, March 28, for a screening of the documentary film about his journey, “From the Hood to the Holler: Charles Booker’s Movement to Unite America,” followed by a Q&A.

Finally, for anyone who hasn't had a chance to attend one of our new president's listening sessions, I recommend the Employee Success Podcast episode just out today, "President Schatzel’s First Days at UofL." In her conversation with Brian Buford, Kim Schatzel shares her thoughts on what she has learned so far  on her listening tour, why inclusion and belonging are central to her leadership approach, and her advice for navigating career transitions. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or online here.

Sincerely,

Julie Wrinn, Chief of Staff

Dayna Touron Announced as Dean

In case you hadn't heard, last week Dayna Touron, Ph.D., was announced as Dean of the College starting on July 1.

The search, conducted by R. William Funk & Associates, sought a leader who is able to “articulate and execute a coherent vision for the future of the College of Arts and Sciences; bolster its financial standing through development, programmatic growth, and funded research; provide robust support for staff and faculty; and prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion across the College, while strengthening internal and external partnerships.”

Dean-Designate Touron said, “The College of Arts & Sciences at UofL empowers students with a greater understanding of the world we live in. I believe strongly in the teacher-scholar model of higher education and the inclusion of students in a climate of belonging, contemplation, discovery and real-life application. I am very excited to serve as the next dean of this diverse and dynamic college.”

Touron received her bachelor's degree from Maryville College, her M.S. and Ph.D. from Syracuse University, and was a postdoctoral research fellow at the Georgia Institute of Technology. She is an associate dean and professor of psychology at the University of North Caroline in Greensboro, and her research in cognitive psychology focuses on metacognition and memory in older adulthood. Touron lives with her son Spencer and daughter Daphne and enjoys kayaking and camping in her free time.

Air Justice

With over $350,000 in support from the Gheens Foundation, the UofL Health Equity Innovation Hub, and the Humana Foundation, “Air Justice” is a project of UofL students, faculty, and community leaders working to document the air quality issues in the west Louisville neighborhood of Rubbertown, an industrial district that sits along the Ohio River in western Louisville. Over the past two years, more than 50 students have been involved.

One of these students is sophomore Romith Paily (above), whom we claim in A&S via his minors in philosophy and biology. Paily explained to WDRB, "It's very pertinent to anyone who lives in Louisville, really, because all the stuff that's happening on the west end doesn't mean it's just people in the west end's problem, to me it's indicative of a problem that could spread anywhere."

Assistant Professor of English Megan Poole (below) is also part of the Air Justice team, who conducted nearly 2,000 surveys. "What we're learning is different people in different neighborhoods experience this issue in different ways, and what's really cool is to see people come together and connect and realize, like, they're not alone, they're smelling it too,” said Poole.

Air Justice will launch its website at noon on Tuesday, March 28, and the site includes a way for people to report odors. Read more and see the video on WDRB.com.

Community Engaged Scholarship

By Sherri Wallace, Ph.D., Interim Associate Dean for DECC

The College of Arts & Sciences had several stellar faculty, graduate, and undergraduate students involved in a range of uniquely defined community engaged scholarship projects and activities in 2022 that were supported by grants from the Office of Community Engagement. Grantees had the opportunity to present their work at the 8^th Annual Engaged Scholarship Symposium on March 24, 2023, in Ekstrom Library.

In West Louisville, Sarah Emery, Professor in Biology, collaborating with Julia Kachanova, doctoral candidate in Biology, received a $1,000 grant on an IRB-approved dissertation project, “West Louisville Urban Orchards.” William Scott Gunter, Assistant Professor in Geographic & Environmental Sciences, collaborating with Megan Poole, Assistant Professor in English, received a $2,999 grant to work on curricular engagement around the topic of “Rubbertown Citizen-led Science Project on Air." David Johnson, Assistant Professor in the School of Public Health, and Information Sciences, received a $3,000 grant for a research collaboration entitled, “Research on Solar Installation in West Louisville Neighborhoods,” with Angela Storey, Associate Professor in Anthropology, and Lauren Heberle, Associate Professor in Sociology.

Other activities centered on the unhoused. Lora Haynes, Professor in Psychology, received a $,3000 grant for cross-college curricular engagement, “Family Resiliency Curriculum at a Homeless Shelter,” in collaboration with Hailey Culp, MA candidate in UofL College of Education & Human Development and Denise Simmel, Co-Director & Community Volunteer at Hotel Louisville. Also, Cara Snyder, Assistant Professor in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, received $3,000 for a curricular engagement and research initiative on “LGBTQ+ Youth Houselessness” in collaboration with Lyrah Fosl, graduate research assistant in Human Health Equity Innovation Hub, and Savannah Quach, undergraduate student.

Melanie Gast, Associate Professor in Sociology, received a $2,998 grant to develop and draft policy briefs and conduct a media campaign on “Louisville Metro’s Youth Engagement Services,” an inter- and cross-disciplinary collaboration with the School of Public Health and Information Sciences, Department of Health Promotion & Behavioral Sciences faculty Dr. Rebecka Bloomer along with graduate students Cat Alexander and James Joyce, and undergraduate student Jada Harris in Sociology. Finally, Shelby Pumphrey, Assistant Professor in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, received a $1,000 grant to create a series of community trainings and seminars on “Community Herbal Gathering.”

Below, left to right: Douglas Craddock, Sarah Emery, Julia Kachanova, William Scott Gunter, Megan Poole, David Johnson, Lora Haynes, Haily Culp, Cara Synder, Lyrah Fosl, Melanie Gast, Rebecka Bloomer, and Shelby Pumphrey.

Kentucky Honors Roundtable

UofL Honors students presented their research and creative activity at the Kentucky Honors Roundtable, Morehead State University, Feb. 24-25, 2023

By Joy Hart, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Honors Program

Many thanks to Katherine Rucker, Academic Counselor, Sr., in the University Honors Program, for coordinating student presentations and travel for the Spring 2023 Kentucky Honors Roundtable conference at Morehead State University. Of the 14 student presenters, 13 are majors in the College of Arts & Sciences. Congrats to these students and to the faculty who have mentored them!

Poster sessions:

• Jeraan Fernando – University Honors Scholar; Biology, Mathematics, and Psychology major – “The Relationship Between Positive Call Rates and Helping Behavior in Rats”
• Veena Pendyala – University Honors Scholar; Neuroscience major – “The Sensory Potential of Synaptopodin: An Analysis of Synaptopodin within the Dorsal Root Ganglion”
• Nim Singh (University Honors Scholar) and Ava Peruski (University Honors Program) – Neuroscience majors – “Detecting Neural Correlates of Autobiographical Memory for Recent and Remote (Early) Memories through High-resolution fMRI”

Oral presentations:

• Amaiya Crawford – University Honors Scholar; Art major – “Visualizing the Other”
• Emma Donaghy – University Honors Scholar; History and Spanish major – “The Lost Cause and the Commonwealth: The Legacy of the Kentucky Division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy”
• Michayla Gatsos – University Honors Scholar; Anthropology major – “Immunology Meets Bioarchaeology: Disease Markers in Skeletal Remains”
• Alicia Howe – University Honors Scholar; Sociology – “’Kids on Fire’: Evangelical Youth Agency as seen in Jesus Camp (2006)”
• Tobias McDaniels – University Honors Scholar; Psychology major – “The Hypocrisy of Jean-Jacques Rousseau's Anti-Feminism: Freedom as Means to Control”
• Ava Peruski – University Honors Program; Neuroscience major – “Aphantasia – A Blind Mind's Eye”
• Anna Simpson – University Honors Program; Psychology major – “The Paradox of Negative Art”
• Abigail Stanger – University Honors Scholar; History major – “’Madam President’: Edith Bolling Wilson's Stewardship of the Presidency”
• Emily Stucky – University Honors Scholar; History and Individualized majors – “Playboy Magazine's Contradictory Contribution to Social Change in the 1960s”

Creative Arts/Expressive Performance:

• Ayesha Nasir – University Honors Scholar; Neuroscience major – “Aversive Behaviors: A Poetic Investigation”

Planet Parade

Above: The "planet parade" occurring on the evening of March 28, as seen from the Northern Hemisphere, courtesy of Starwalk.com, based on data from the Sky Tonight app.

The Louisville Courier-Journal recently spoke to Benne Holwerda, Professor of Physics and Astronomy, about the large planetary alignment occurring on March 28, when five planets will appear together in the night sky. Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Uranus will form an arc for several days leading up to — and after — the alignment on March 28.

"They are visible because of the part of the orbit each of them is in," Holwerda said. "A lot of them will be visible with the naked eye or binoculars or small telescope."

Some should be visible as soon as the sun sets, although light pollution in Louisville make it difficult to see the alignment. It's "best to see them out in the countryside, away from streetlights and city lights," Holwerda said. "... If you are in a dark and cloudless spot, it is pretty remarkable how well your eyes adapt." Read more.

Good Bones

Many thanks to Karen Blake, Space Planning Manager, for her creativity and leadership in improving student spaces in A&S with limited resources. This month her team completed refurbishing the Bingham Humanities Building lobby (above). Physical Plant staff Kevin Kilkelly and Charles Ames were critical to the project, Kevin for sourcing donated vinyl and Charles for using his “mad carpenter skills” to reupholster the seating. Misty Burkhead consulted on the selection of fabric, and Abby Bland, a work study student in the Interior Degisn program, assisted with sewing and helping Karen remove and return benches. The final touch—staining the wood accents in a darker shade—will be completed this summer by faculty volunteers.

In February, the Department of Classical and Modern Languages celebrated the opening of a dedicated classroom for instruction in the American Sign Language Interpreting Studies program (below). Formerly used as office space, Humanities 211 was renovated with the help of Karen Blake and Physical Plant staff, with donated furniture and equipment that will support new learning experiences for students. The flexibility of the room allows students to engage with each other in meaningful ways and to practice their skills without being limited by environmental demands.   

Kudos

Kudos to Bill Brantley, Lecturer in the Department of Communication, for publishing a column “What Is Your Return on Meetings?” in the American Society for Public Administration’s newsletter, examining the costs and benefits of employee meetings and how to determine their worth.

Congratulations to Hilaria Cruz, Assistant Professor in the Department of Comparative Humanities, on being selected as the recipient of the university-wide 2023 Outstanding Community Engagement Award in the faculty category. Dr. Cruz received an honorarium of $1,000 and was recognized at the UofL Engaged Scholarship Symposium held March 24 in Chao Auditorium. In addition, her name will be added to the permanent recognition display in Ekstrom Library. 

Congratulations to Thomas Wayne Edison, Associate Professor of Spanish, Department of Classical and Modern Languages, for receiving a Fulbright award for academic year 2023-24. Professor Edison’s research will take place in Montevideo, Uruguay, focusing on literature and arts from the rich Candombe musical tradition that grew out of the Black community during Uruguay’s colonial period.

Congratulations to Cheri Levinson, Associate Professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, on receiving the Society for a Science of Clinical Psychology’s 2023 Susan Nolen-Hoeksema Early Career Award. Dr. Levinson directs the Eating Anxiety Treatment lab, and her groundbreaking research on innovative treatments for eating disorders has already had tremendous impact on the field and led to advances in personalized clinical management of eating disordered behavior.

Kudos to Pawel Lorkiewicz, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, along with co-author Daniel Conklin, Professor of Medicine, on receiving the Society of Toxicology Exposure Specialty Section’s 2023 Best Paper Award at the meeting in Nashville on March 19-23. Their paper, “Electronic Cigarette Solvents, JUUL E-Liquids, and Biomarkers of Exposure: In Vivo Evidence for Acrolein and Glycidol in E-Cig-Derived Aerosols,” was chosen by the reviewers as an excellent illustration of the importance of exposure science and helps to underscore the mission and objectives of the Exposure Specialty Section.

Congratulations to Sarah Anne Strickley, Assistant Professor in the Department of English, on the publication of her third book, a short story collection, Incendiary Devices (Tolsun Books). In this work, Prof. Strickley blends her trademark lyricism with speculative possibilities concerning the characters present in such canonical works as William Faulker’s As I Lay Dying, Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window, Dante Alighieri's Inferno, Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, and others, from a fierce feminist perspective. A graduate of the prestigious Iowa Writers Workshop, Prof. Strickely was recently interviewed by the Laurel Review. All are welcome to attend the book launch on April 6, 7–9 p.m., at Monnik in Germantown. (See book cover below in Upcoming Events)

Kudos to Sumei Zhang, associate professor in the Department of Urban and Public Affairs and Director of the graduate certificate in real estate, on launching two undergraduate courses in real estate using a $27,730 grant from the Kentucky Real Estate Commission (KREC). Students interested in earning a sales license in real estate now have another option to complete education requirements, thanks to this partnership with KREC. UofL is the only four-year accredited university listed as a qualified pre-license course provider by KREC. Twenty-two students enrolled in the courses for the spring semester. Read more.

Staff Heritage Luncheon

By Sherri Wallace, Ph.D.

Members of A&S staff stepped up to showcase many, many talents in this month’s Irish American & Greek American Heritage Celebration Luncheon! We had a wonderful time in fellowship over delicious, authentic cuisine. Mary Pat Chiavaroli made delicious Greek biscuits/cookies. Mary Elliott made mouthwatering Irish stew—regular and gluten free—and real Bailey Truffles that had my heart singing! Yolanda Demaree and Ramonia Brents prepared a beautiful Greek salad bar. It was simply FABULOUS!  Thank you, Rae Stilwell for another beautiful combination flyer. Your talents are extraordinary!

Also, Mary Pat and Lisa Schonburg, who also worked on the set-up, secured our two guest speakers:

• Mr. Sean Mulhall, a lecturer in the School of Music, shared Irish language, culture, and music with us. 
• Mrs. Maria Bell, former restaurant-owner now caterer, shared Greek culture, music, and traditional dance with us!  We did not have plates to smash on the floor, but we danced in celebration and shouted Opa (Greek: ώπα)! 

The more I learn about cultures of the world, the more alike I see we really are. . . . We eat. We laugh. We dance. We bond. We love!

April is officially Arab American Heritage Month.  I can’t wait to see what you do next!

Below, left to right: Yolanda Demaree, MaryPat Chiavaroli, Mary Elliott, Maria Bell, Sean Mulhall, Lisa Schonburg, Ramonia Brents, and Rae Stilwell

Upcoming Events

The Grawemeyer Awards program at the University of Louisville pays tribute to the power of creative ideas, emphasizing the impact a single idea can have on the world. A&S departments of Political Science and Psychological and Brain Sciences play key roles in the selection of the World Order (see flyer below) and Psychology awards, respectively.

• Ideas Improving World Order – Steven Feldstein: Tuesday, March 28, 1 p.m., Chao Auditorium (Ekstrom Library) – 2215 S. 3rd Street
• Education – Jennifer Morton: Wednesday, March 29, 10:30 a.m., Chao Auditorium (Ekstrom Library) – 2215 S. 3rd Street
• Psychology – David Dunning & Justin Kruger: Wednesday, March 29, 12 p.m., Strickler Hall, Room 101 – 2010 S. Avery Court Walk
• Religion – Kelly Brown Douglas: Thursday, March 30, 7 p.m., Caldwell Chapel, Louisville Seminary – 1044 Alta Vista Road
• Music – Julian Anderson: Thursday, April 6, 3 p.m., School of Music, Bird Hall

For more information, visit the Grawemeyer Awards website. For questions, please contact Marion Hambrick, 852-8286.

Join the Anne Braden Institute for Social Justice Research for a film screening of From the Hood to the Holler: Charles Booker’s Movement to Unite America, followed by a talkback with Charles Booker himself. Booker most recently ran for U.S. Senate in Kentucky during the November 2022 elections and now leads the Governor's Office of Faith-Based Initiatives and Community Involvement. The film screening will begin promptly at 5:30pm, March 28, in the Chao Auditorium (1:42 running time) with the talkback to follow. This event is free and open to the public, with free pizza provided! Co-sponsored by Intefaith America's the Vote is Sacred Initiative. RSVP required at: bit.ly/BOOKERTALK. See flyer below.

The Department of Communication Showcase will highlight programs, courses, clubs, student work, research, and travel opportunities. Stations highlighting the film production program, internship program, Speaking Center, Bird's Nest, and more will be available. Visitors can sample learning activities from various courses, including photography, health communication and data visualization. Wednesday, March 29, 10-10:50 a.m., Strickler Hall lobby, Belknap Campus. For more information, email Kandi Walker.

Faculty and Graduate Student Writing Group. The University Writing Center facilitates a writing group for graduate students and faculty at UofL. The goal is to provide support, community, accountability, and feedback for scholars working on research writing. Faculty and graduate students can work on any project during the writing groups – seminar papers, journal articles, grant proposals, conference presentations, job letters, etc. Students and faculty from all disciplines and programs are welcome at the writing groups. Wednesday, March 29 at 5:00pm to 7:00pm. University Writing Center, Ekstrom Library, Room 132. The group also meets on April 5, 12, 19, 26.

The Department of Philosophy is hosting a conference on Adam Smith (b. 1723), in honor of his 300th birthday. Best known as the author of The Wealth of Nations(1776), the Scottish philosopher is considered to be the founder of modern Economics. Students will present posters of their research on Tuesday, April 4, at 4:00 p.m., in HUM 300. The event is free and open to the public, and light refreshments will be served. A 1799 edition of The Wealth of Nations will be on display at Ekstrom library. You can support philosophy students with your donation to the needs-based Thomas S. Maloney Scholarship in Philosophy. See flyer below.

Cursing the Curse: From Pombagira to Trans/Queer Performance, a lecture by Pablo Assumpção Barros Costa, Fulbright Chair in the Arts at Indiana University (spring 2023) and professor of Dance and Performance Studies at the Federal University of Ceará, in Fortaleza. In presenting the recent cultural production of trans of color artists in Brazil, a genealogical link will be outlined between such artistic repertoire of base values and the magical power of female sexuality embodied in Pombagira. Read more. Tues., April 4, 4:00pm to 5:30pm, Bingham Humanities Building 100.

All are welcome to attend a book launch for Sarah Anne Strickley's new collection of short stories, Incendiary Devices, (book cover below) April 6, 7-9 p.m., at Monnik in Germantown.

The UofL Department of Theatre Arts Presents: Fairview, by Jackie Sibblies Drury, a comedic commentary on the white gaze in Black life, and how white supremacy infiltrates art and life. Directed by Catron Booker. Fri., April 7, 7:30pm; Thurs.­–Sat., April 13–15, 7:30 pm; and Sun., April 16, 3:00 pm. The Playhouse,1911 S. 3rd Street , Louisville, Kentucky 40208

Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Week is April 7-18. The keynote presentation is “Black or White or Yellow? How Asians are Racialized in America,” by Dr. Evelyn Hu-DeHart, a world-renowned scholar from Brown University, who explores perplexing questions on the unique position and history of Asians in America. Thursday, April 13, Swain Student Activities Center (SAC), Multi-purpose room, 11:30AM-1PM. Attendance is free and open to the public and food will be served at 11:30AM. Please RSVP here. See flyers below.

The 31st Neuroscience Day symposium will be held April 13 in the Kosair Charities Clinical and Translational Research Building, Health Sciences Center Campus. Neuroscience Day is an opportunity to showcase neuroscience research from around the region and features an exciting lineup of local and invited speakers. This year's meeting focuses on the relationship among brain function, development and plasticity. We are excited to host two outstanding scientists from the National Institute of Mental Health, James Bourne and Tobias Merson. We want to see your work. Membership, abstract submission and meeting registration are free. For more information, visit the webpage.