Arts & Sciences welcomes 27 new faculty members

Department: History

Research Interests: His research interests involve Christian monasticism within Late Antiquity and the early Islamic Near East and interreligious contacts between Christians and Muslims in the Umayyad Period.

Department: Anthropology
Education background: Ph.D. in Anthropology, UC Berkeley

Research Interests: Human-environment interactions; Amazonian archaeology, geoarchaeology, colonialism and critical historiography, community archaeology Anthropology

Most memorable class you took as an undergrad?
Middle Eastern and Indian Culture; because it helped me understand long-term processes that contribute to contemporary social and political conflict, and because it was taught by a brilliant female professor.

Current event students should know more about and why?
Ongoing struggles of indigenous and peasant societies for land and rights; because these processes are deeply connected to legacies from colonialism, as well as to processes of globalization that give people in developed countries access to essential raw materials and goods.

Something most people don’t know about you?
I love cooking large, elaborate meals for friends.

I think, therefore I create.

Department: Theatre Arts
Education background: PhD University of Colorado Boulder

Research Interests: Commonalities of language and pedagogy in psychophysical actor training

Most memorable class you took as an undergrad?
Art Book Project. Our professor trained us how to hand and catalogue old photographs and challenged us to research the photos in order to publish a book on our findings. Students chose the chapters and eventually we published "Randy Trabold's Northern Berkshire County" as a result of the class.

Current event students should know more about and why?
Hamilton the Musical - because so much can be learned by gaining a perspective on our history through engaging with artistic interpretation and re-imagination.

Something most people don’t know about you?
I am teaching myself to ride the unicycle.

I think, therefore I thrive

Department: Fine Arts

Research Interests: Professor Calvert's paintings combine disparate images in order to explore the porousness of reference and representation. Her studio research extends to media theory in reality television and surveillance, and the effect of media on the substantiation of the image.

Department: Urban & Public Affairs/ Psychological & Brain Sciences
Education background: PhD Social Psychology & Cognitive Psychology (Social Cognition), Postdoctoral Training Political Science and Economics

Research Interests: Cooperative Decision Making, Sustainability, and Environmental Governance: My research focuses on motivational and social decision making processes that underlie people's ability to cooperatively solve social dilemmas in environmental and human governance situations (e.g., sustainable management of environmental resources). I am also interested in factors that promote environmentally responsible behavior, and conduct research on social justice dimensions of community-based governance and public participation. My recent work pertains to political and psychological dimensions of environmental law and water governance (e.g., adaptation to climate change).

Most memorable class you took as an undergrad?
Social Problems and Social Change - This class helped me begin to understand social problems as structural problems rather than a series of isolated incidents.

Most memorable class you took and why?
I remember almost every class I took. They were all interesting for different reasons. However, I especially enjoyed a senior Honors seminar I took with Dr. Michael Stokes at Western Kentucky University. This course examined African Wildlife Management, and was my first opportunity to apply principles of psychological science to a real-world problem. This resulted in my first major publication, in Conservation Biology, and began my current career.

Current event students should know more about and why?
Research and theory beginning done on the concept of Self-Governance, which is how regular citizens come together to solve very complex societal problems. Take a look at Nobelist Elinor Ostrom's work on this topic (google it and you will find lots of interesting information). Then, students should educate themselves on recent world events, and try to solve them!

Something most people don’t know about you?
Avid gamer and martial artist.

Department: Criminal Justice
Education background: Ph.D. in Community Research & Action from Vanderbilt University, M.A. in Community Psychology and Social Change from Penn State Harrisburg

Research Interests: School safety, security, and discipline

Most memorable class you took as an undergrad?
Social Problems and Social Change - This class helped me begin to understand social problems as structural problems rather than a series of isolated incidents.

Current event students should know more about and why?
Students need to know more about the mass incarceration of people of color. This phenomenon and those connected to it are fundamental sources of racial inequality in a variety of domains, including income, education, housing, and others. I believe this is perhaps the greatest injustice in our society.

Something most people don’t know about you?
I like playing complicated board games with lots of pieces.

I think, therefore I should be writing.

Department: Physics & Astronomy
Education background: PhD University of Minnesota, BS Prairie View A&M

Research Interests: The study of high-temperature superconductors and other strongly correlated electron systems using advanced scattering probes like x-rays, neutrons and electrons

Most memorable class you took as an undergrad?
Freshman physics for scientists and engineers because the professor frequently used the Socratic Method in lectures and offered chances for oral exams to students with really high written exam scores.

Current event students should know more about and why?
Globalization has been an important issue for some time, even when I was a college student. Students may want to think about how globalization has impacted American life from jobs, to economic prospects to its impact on higher education. Student might consider how globalization might continue to affect us and whether the changes brought are changes that are truly beneficial.

Something most people don’t know about you?
I considered going to graduate school to study history.

I think, therefore I usually entertain myself... says an only child!

Department: Communication
Education background: Ph.D. Mass Communications, University of Wisconsin – Madison; M.A. Communications, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem; B.A. Communications and Political Science, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Research Interests: My research uses strategic political communication as a context for understanding how communication messages can influence public participation and public opinion on issues of wealth and income inequality. In addition, I am interested in understanding how political actors and advocacy groups influence media coverage of both national and international affairs. My scholarship analyzes the communication sources of social media, political advertisements, and public diplomacy.

Most memorable class you took as an undergrad?
The most memorable class I took during my undergraduate studies was “What Is News?” Though it may seem obvious, the question of what will be chosen from all of today’s events to go on the front page of the newspaper or lead a television news broadcast is not simple at all. I was intrigued to learn about news values and the decision-making process of journalists and editors that ends up guiding them in choosing the news.

Current event students should know more about and why?
Although this is not a specific event, I want students to increase their awareness of social and economic inequality, and how the growing levels of income inequality relate to politics, such as government policies and the presidential elections. I believe that understanding the impact of inequality is critical for their present and future lives, specifically when it comes to student loans and debt.

Something most people don’t know about you?
I rode camels before I rode a horse.

I think, therefore I communicate.

Department: Sociology
Educational Background: University of California, PhD

Current Research Interests: sociology of education, race/ethnicity, college information and support, immigrant and community programs

Most memorable class you took as an undergrad? Why?
Introduction to Sociology; I was introduced to the sociological imagination and how individuals are connected to society.

Current event students should know more about and why?
The Fisher v University of Texas case.

Abigail Fisher, a self-identified white woman, applied to the University of Texas at Austin in 2008. She sued the university after she was denied admission on the grounds that the university’s race-conscious admissions policy violated the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. On Thursday, June 23, 2016, the Supreme Court ruled that the race-conscious admissions program at the University of Texas was constitutional. The court ruled that Fisher was treated fairly in her application. She was not admissible to the university based on her academic standing and Texas admissions plans. The court held: “Considerable deference is owed to a university in defining those intangible characteristics, like student body diversity, that are central to its identity and educational mission.” At the same time, the court called on UT to regularly evaluate data and the merits of racial diversity for the university’s mission and goals. This case will be scrutinized in higher education in years to come.

Something people don't know about you. I am originally from Portland, Oregon, and I have lived in Davis, California, Chicago, Illinois, Eugene, Oregon, Honolulu, Hawaii, South Bend, Indiana, and the San Francisco Bay area in California.

I think, therefore I act.

Department: English

Research Interests: Completing a book on Ronald Harwood, playwright and screenwriter best known for The Pianist and The Diving Bell and Butterfly. Completing work on several articles and presentation on time in Harold Pinter and Arthur Miller. Editing a theatre series for Palgrave Macmillan. Editing The Harold Pinter Review.

Most memorable class you took as an undergrad?
It's a difficult choice! Modern Drama introduced me to Harold Pinter, and at that point I decided to forgo my Mathematics major and become an English major. And my Art History class led me to my Honors Thesis on Edvard Munch.

Current event students should know more about and why?
So many choices! England's decision to leave the EU, the upcoming elections in the United States, gun legislation, mental health care, poverty--there are so many to choose from, but the one area of study that covers them all is the Humanities. By studying the Humanities, students prepare themselves for careers, life, and all current events.

Something most people don’t know about you?
I love to look at medical illustrations, particularly Frank Netter's work.

I think, therefore I lose my keys!

Department: Chemistry
Education background: PhD, Oklahoma State University

Research Interests: Asymmetric Catalysis, Nanocatalysis, Ligand Design, Development of Novel Nanomaterials, Energy, Sustainable Chemistry

Most memorable class you took as an undergrad?
My most memorable class as an undergraduate student was "Introductory Genetics." As a chemistry major, it was an amazing class due to contents of a course and a superb class teacher. This class taught us how information is passed from one generation to another through genes, how mutations can change biosynthesis etc.

Current event students should know more about and why?
Students should be curious to know about advancement in science. It is the curiosity which burns the flame of scientific spirit and inspire them to be better scientists. Every day, one can find ample amounts of new and exciting discoveries in major journals. Students must critically read about those findings and come up with better solutions of current and future problems.

Something most people don’t know about you?
Let them find out............

I think, therefore I exist.

Department: Theatre Arts

Department: Physics & Astronomy
Education background: PhD in Astronomy in 2005 from the University of Groningen

Research Interests: Observational and extra-Galactic Astronomy. Haloes of stars around nearby galaxies. The role of dust in galaxies. Gas in galaxies. Galaxies in the early Universe. Galaxy morphometrics and populations.

Most memorable class you took as an undergrad?
C/C++ programming from my flight instructor. Taught me programming fundamentals (good for most scientists): how to formulate and map problems and their logical solution.

Current event students should know more about and why?
In general: the US elections of course. Not only the Predential one but the Senate and House as well. In Astronomy: the coming 21 augustus 2017 total eclipse! Totality (sun completely eclipsed by the moon) will be close to Louisville!

Something most people don’t know about you?
I got my flying licence during my PhD.

I think, therefore I must have had at least one coffee.

Department: English
Education background: PhD, American Culture, University of Michigan

Research Interests: Native American Literature, Early American Literature

Most memorable class you took as an undergrad?
The class that really stood out was a 200-level introduction to Early American Literature and Culture at the University of Groningen (The Netherlands). I remember being fascinated by texts from the colonial era and the nineteenth century, and how they prompted such unexpected conversations about literature and history at the same time.

Current event students should know more about and why?
I wish there was more mainstream coverage of current affairs in indigenous nations, especially important events such as the recent Supreme Court case of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians. These tell us so much about the complex and ongoing relationships between tribal nations and the United States.

Something most people don’t know about you?
There are several 1980s Hollywood movies from which I could recite every line of dialogue.

I think, therefore I explore.

Department: Fine Arts
Education background: Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts, MFA Visual Communication 2010/BFA Communication Arts + Design 2004

Research Interests: Graphic and Publication Design; Typographic Design; Digital Media and New Media; Studies; Interactive and Print Design; Experimental Design; Traditional and Digital Illustration; Book Arts

Most memorable class you took as an undergrad?
Design Fundamentals with team teachers Rob Carter + Sandy Wheeler, fall 2001. This was the semester of September 11, 2001 and our class had various opportunities to explore visual ways in which we could represent our observations during a rapidly changing cultural climate. These explorations dipped in to both traditional hand-driven design techniques as well as newer forms of digital technologies. This was the true beginning of my design education.

Current event students should know more about and why?
Louisville has a robust and active creative community! Creative Mornings Louisville, the AIGA Louisville group, and Calliope Arts printmaking studio are just a small handful of the talent brimming in this river city. Each of these groups have on-going events each month that are not only great networking opportunities, but are also vibrant opportunities to learn more about our ever-changing field.

Louisville Design week is August 1 - 5, and the 2016 Mid-America Print Council Biennial Conference will be held at Indiana University Southeast and University of Louisville October 5 - 8.

Something most people don’t know about you?
I'm a former jazz singer and I ride motorcycles.

I think, therefore I draw.

Department: Urban & Public Affairs
Education background: B.A. Historic Preservation, Mary Washington College; M.U.R.P. Urban and Regional Planning; Ph.D. Urban Studies and Public Affairs, Cleveland State University

Research Interests: Neighborhood revitalization, historic preservation, community and economic development in legacy cities

Most memorable class you took as an undergrad?
Urban and Public Affairs Introduction to Historic Preservation. This course exposed me to the field of historic preservation, which became the foundation of both my career as an urban planner and my academic research interests.

Current event students should know more about and why?
The Department of Housing and Urban Development's Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing rules. These changes are designed to directly address the deep racial and economic segregation trends that exist across U.S. cities.

Something most people don’t know about you?
I am a passionate sports fan and played college basketball.

I think, therefore I listen.

Department: Psychological & Brain Sciences
Education background: Ph.D. Washington University in St. Louis; Internship University of North Carolina School of Medicine

Research Interests: My research focuses on (a) understanding the high levels of comorbidity between eating and anxiety disorders, (b) applying empirically supported treatments for anxiety disorders, specifically exposure therapy, to the eating disorders, and (c) developing novel technological interventions for eating disorders. I am also interested in conducting network analyses to better understand psychopathology with the ultimate goal of designing targeted inventions on specific core symptoms of mental illness. Finally, I am involved in developing culturally appropriate assessments of eating disorder psychopathology.

Most memorable class you took as an undergrad?
The most memorable class I took as an undergraduate was a class in developmental psychology. I was very impressed that researchers were able to figure out ways to measure cognition, learning etc. in (very little) babies. Developmental psychologists have come up with such amazing research methodologies and I thought it was extremely interesting to learn about that type of creativity.

Current event students should know more about and why?
The need for universal health care/health care reform. As both a researcher and clinician who treats individuals with eating disorders, I have seen patients denied lifesaving treatment over and over again because of insurance companies refusal to pay for treatment. It is heartbreaking when you have a patient who could get better but can't because they cannot get the treatment they need. I think as a society we need to think more about how we can reform this issue so that everyone can get the health care that they need.

Something most people don’t know about you?
I minored in piano and lived in Japan.

I think, therefore I write.

Department: English
Educational Background: Ph.D. in English (University of Iowa); Specialization: African and African Diaspora Literatures; Victorian Literature of Empire

Research Interests: Post-colonial Identities in the Age of Globalization, Pan-Africanism and Decolonization, and Afro-Brazilian Returnees in Twentieth-Century West Africa.

Most memorable class you took as an undergrad?
Pan-African Studies: "Myth, Magic, and Mind." It was a memorable class because it made me think about how little we know about the cosmos.

Current event students should know more about and why?
Rachel Dolezal's identity. Among other things, her "passing" speaks to the social construction of "race."

Fun fact: I love gardening.

Department: History
Education background: Ph.D. & MA - University of Iowa; BA in Social Science and BA in History - UC Irvine

Research Interests: I specialize in the history of the U.S.-Mexico borderlands, U.S. gender and women’s history, and cultural history during the long nineteenth century. My research focuses on transborder food ways, ethnic identity, and domesticity in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands as well as Chicana/o history and culture. I focus on the present-day U.S. states of New Mexico and Arizona and the Mexican states of Chihuahua and Sonora. Currently, I am especially interested in families separated by the U.S.-Mexico border and how women’s domesticity spanned the border through sewing projects, food ways, and celebrations.

Most memorable class you took as an undergrad?
This is tough; all my history classes were my favorite. I loved my German Food Culture Studies course. Even as an undergraduate I was interested in food studies and not many people taught about it. So when I saw that the German Department was offering a food studies course, I signed up even though at this point I was focused on U.S. colonial-era history. The course was fascinating plus we had a “cooking demonstration” at the end of the quarter. The course cemented in my desire to study food ways. I still pull details from the class when I teach World History.

Current event students should know more about and why?
Obviously, the presidential election is crucial for everyone to follow. As a historian of the borderlands, I would also encourage people to read up on the so-called “border crisis” as well as the labor problems attached to border-crossings. The "border crisis" has long roots and is not caused by one thing. There are both push factors from the home countries that the U.S. is responsible for and there are pull factors within the U.S. that encourage “undocumented” crossings. Following the legislation and violence also means following news reports on food shortages and increasing prices of produce.

Something most people don’t know about you?
During elementary school, I used to put on "dance shows” for my family in our living room. I planned the events with snacks and printed programs and made everyone sit through the whole production.

I think, therefore I write.

Department: English
Education background: PhD in Literature and Creative Writing from the University of Cincinnati, MFA in Poetry from the University of Arizona, Graduate Certificate in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from the University of Cincinnati

Research Interests: Theories of the body, post-human studies, animal studies, textual performance: more specifically, the relationship between poetic form and lived experience and bodily form

Most memorable class you took as an undergrad?
Social Realism, a literature course—during this class was the first time I was exposed to Margaret Atwood, Angela Carter, Ursula LeGuin, Jeanette Winterson, Julia Kristeva, and other contemporary women writers and theorists whose work is simultaneously creative and critical: the class exposed me to the idea that to distinguish between creative writing and theoretical writing is to reproduce a false binary, an idea that has been pivotal to my own practice.

Current event students should know more about and why?
The social actions of the #BlackLivesMatter movement: some of the backlash against the movement (e.g. #AllLivesMatter campaigns) suggests more education would be helpful for the continued promotion of social justice.

Something most people don’t know about you?
My go-to karaoke song is Juice Newton’s “Angel of the Morning.”

I think, therefore I write.

Department: English
Educational Background: PhD in English from Duke University

Research Interests: I am in the process of writing a book about humorless laughter in postwar literature and film. I trace how these weird, uncanny, and often horrifying laughs map onto poststructuralist theories about the "cracking up" of subjectivity. From "ha-ha" to "she laughed" to "lol," I am also particularly interested in examining the various different ways in which writers try to capture the fugitive burst of laughter on the page.

I am also the co-editor of thresholds, a digital journal for creative critical scholarship. We are in the process of curating the first issue, which focuses on the theme of the extraneous.

Most memorable class you took as an undergrad? Why?
A class on the Beat Generation. We met twice a week in a tiny, windowless room and fervently discussed the radical aesthetics and politics of Kerouac, Ginsberg, Burroughs, and others. I learned a lot about the Beats. But that course remains the most memorable class I took as an undergrad because it was there (during those impassioned and intellectually generous conversations) that I recognized for the first time that the work of a literary scholar is to creatively and collaboratively engage with, rather than be "right" about, texts.

Current event students should know more about and why?
Increasingly, we get our news not from the paper or the television, but from social media. With this in mind, I think it is important that we increase our knowledge about how social media sites select their "headlines." Facebook's "trending" topics, for example, appear to function according to a democratic algorithm - if enough people like or link a story, then it will appear as a headline on your page. However, Facebook actually uses a small editorial team to choose the day's top stories. Learning more about the editorial practices of social media companies will allow us to ask more pressing questions about what, precisely, counts as a news event - what (or who) counts as a "top story," and what (or who) is discarded or otherwise ignored?

Something most people don’t know about you?
I buy extra copies of Springsteen vinyl and force them into the hands of my (often unenthusiastic) house guests.

Department: Biology
Education background: Dr. rer. nat. Heinrich-Heine-University, Düsseldorf, Germany, and Johannes-Gutenberg-University Mainz, Germany, Physiology/Molecular Biophysics

Research Interests: My research centers around three main questions: How can some animals (extremophiles) survive extreme environmental insults such as complete dehydration or freezing? How is the cellular machinery that provides most of the energy in animals (mitochondrion) protected from damage under extreme conditions? Can we apply ‘strategies’ used by extremophile organisms to improve mammalian cell storage and to ameliorate mitochondrial dysfunctions?

Most memorable class you took as an undergrad?
Comparative Animal Physiology taught me to see the bigger picture and it was great fun to work with animals in the laboratory and in the field.

Current event students should know more about and why?
New developing technologies in Biology such as ‘genome editing’ may have far reaching consequences for our society. We need informed and critical students from all disciplines to help us make the right decisions on how to use these tools responsible.

Something most people don’t know about you?
I do not watch soccer, despite my German heritage.

I think, therefore I investigate.

Department: Geography & Geosciences/Physics & Astronomy
Education background: University of North Dakota - PhD (Atmospheric Sciences 2012), M.S. (Atmospheric Sciences 2008); California University of Pennsylvania - B.S. (Earth Science 2005)

Research Interests: Severe weather, tornadogenesis, tropical cyclones, mesoscale dynamics, numerical weather prediction

Most memorable class you took as an undergrad?
A storm chasing field course. It gave me the opportunity to witness weather phenomena that I had never seen while growing up in Pennsylvania, and sparked my interest in severe weather research.

Current event students should know more about and why?
Climate change. It's important for students to understand the global impacts and learn what can be done to mitigate the effects.

Something most people don’t know about you?
One of my life goals is to bicycle across the country.

I think, therefore I am alive.

Department: Theatre Arts
Education background: Ph.D. in Theatre and Drama from the joint doctoral program at UC Irvine and UC San Diego; MA in Theatre from Cal State University, Northridge; and BA in Theater Arts from UC Santa Cruz

Research Interests: Shakespeare and Shakespearean adaptation; dramaturgy; and critical, cultural, and performance theory

Most memorable class you took as an undergrad?
I took many memorable classes as an undergraduate. Perhaps the most memorable was my very first class in college, a lecture-hall survey course in modern to postmodern theatre. On the first day, I was immediately struck by the brilliance of the professor, the students' level of engagement, and the density of the material. I said to myself, "I love college!"

Current event students should know more about and why?
Students should watch and discuss the upcoming presidential debates so as to make an informed choice at the polls.

Something most people don’t know about you?
I was born in New York.

I think, therefore I care.

Department: Anthropology
Educational Background: PhD & MA University of Arizona, BA & BS Pacific Lutheran University

Research Interests: Social movements, infrastructure, urban informality, and political ecology in South Africa

Most memorable class you took as an undergrad? Why?
Some of my most memorable classes were actually required general education courses! In particular, two religion courses stand out: one addressed the socio-political history of religion in the US and the other examined the role of gender in major world religions. Both classes encouraged interdisciplinary inquiry and critical thought, and both were taught by engaged scholars who saw teaching and learning as critical to their own research.

Current event students should know more about and why?
In recent years, student movements in South Africa addressing intersectional justice and decolonization have been reshaping universities physically, intellectually, and socially. Learning about these movements highlights the impact of historical context as well as the power of collective work.

Something most people don’t know about you?
My husband and I biked from Copenhagen to Budapest.

I think, therefore I engage.

Department: Criminal Justice
Education background: Ph.D. in Criminal Justice (in progress)- University of Cincinnati; M.S. in Criminal Justice (2011)- University of Cincinnati; B.S. in Psychology and Sociology-Criminology (2009)- Ohio University

Research Interests: Applied Correctional Research; Correctional Policy; Public Attitudes Toward Criminal Justice Issues; Collateral Consequences

Most memorable class you took as an undergrad?
History of Rock and Roll I and II --The professor was a musical genius who would play the piano & guitar during class. He had multiple itunes libraries containing seemingly every song created during the 20th century! I learned the history and development of rock, punk, folk, blues, & punk music and discovered some amazing new artists!

Current event students should know more about and why?
Recent state- and federal-level reforms to the correctional system because in our increasingly polarized political environment, there is a unique level of bipartisan support for meaningful improvements. Plus, it's the topic of my research!

Something most people don’t know about you?
I love to be outside--hiking, biking, & camping!

Department: Mathematics
Education background: PhD in Applied Statistics

Research Interests: Finite mixture modeling

Most memorable class you took as an undergrad?
Calculus III, the professor was very supportive and helpful throughout the whole semester.

Current event students should know more about and why?
The presidential election in the United States. It is a great opportunity for the students to learn more about the election system in the United States, the politics and the events that are currently raising a lot of concern from the public.

Something most people don’t know about you?
I am a fountain pen collector and am looking for a fountain pen network in Louisville.