A&S welcomes 24 new professors in the 2015-2016 academic year

Department: Physics

Educational Background: B.S. '92, California Institute of Technology; M.Sc. '98, Ph.D. '02, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research.

Current Research Interests: Lepton Flavor Violation, Tau lepton, Higgs Boson, Simulation of passage of particles through matter, Silicon Pixel Tracking and Vertexing Detectors.

Most memorable class you took as an undergrad? The most memorable class I took as an undergraduate was the practical laboratory course in my senior year. One of the requirements before entering the laboratory was to satisfactorily clear a viva, covering all theoretical aspects of the experiment at hand. And then the challenge was to perform the experiment by one self, where one puts all the beautiful theoretical modeling of the laws of nature to stand the test of truth.

The personal experience of understanding the laws of nature through direct experimentation is one of the most memorable aspects my undergraduate education, one that shaped my scientific outlook towards academic life.

Current event students should know more about and why? One of the most anticipated and important scientific discoveries of the 21st century was that of the Higgs Boson particle. At the fundamental level, our understanding of nature in terms of interactions between massive particles is explained by presence of the Higgs Boson.

Almost 50 years ago, the Higgs Boson was conjured as an elegant solution to reconcile with the presence of self-interacting massive elementary particles in nature. The recent discovery confirms that mathematical trick actually works.

But it is not just any ordinary discovery. It has been a driving motivation behind innumerable scientific and engineering breakthroughs over decades, which has changed the demographics of the entire world. Every student should identify such a fundamental discovery as a trend setting guideline that spearheads the progress of human civilization.

Let us know a fun fact about you: I am fascinated with the poetry of nature expressed through its varied landscape across the world. I have been fortunate enough to travel a lot, and some of my favorite hobbies are trekking, hiking and nature photography.

Department: Anthropology

Educational Background: BA, Archaeology (University of Asmara (Eritrea), 2001); Ph.D. Anthropology (Stony Brook University (New York), 2009); Postdoctoral study, Turkana Basin Institute (Stony Brook University, 2009-2011).

I was born in Eritrea (East Africa) and lived there until I obtained my BA degree. Having been born and raised in a foreign country comprising multiple ethnic groups, having had the opportunity to study and work at several institutions in the US, and having visited numerous regions of the world (Africa, Europe, and North America), I bring diverse global perspectives to UofL. I am passionate about sharing my global perspectives with students and colleagues. As someone who embodies diversity, I enjoy reaching out to students from diverse cultural backgrounds.

Last placement before here (institution, degree program and/or position: For the past three and a half years, I taught at the University of Southern Indiana (Evansville), Departments of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice Studies. In the intervening time, I held an adjunct position at Henderson College’s (Henderson, Kentucky) Liberal Arts and Professional Studies Program.

Current Research Interests: I am an archaeologist with over 12 years of research experience. My research interests encompass the origin and dispersal history of early modern humans with a regional focus on eastern Africa, the development of modern human behavior with a methodological focus on stone tools, ancient environments, prehistoric coastal adaptation and the beginning of food producing economies.

During and after graduate school, I have remained active in developing collaborative and innovative research projects in three regions of eastern Africa: Eritrea, Kenya, and the Sudan. My dissertation research documented new prehistoric sites (ranging 150,000–5,000 years ago) along the Red Sea Coast of Eritrea. This area plays a central role in the current debate about early human dispersal routes out of Africa, but had seen little prior research due to protracted political instability.

More recently, I have developed a new project exploring early Holocene (12,000–6,000 years ago) environmental changes and human adaptation in the Turkana Basin, northern Kenya. My Turkana project aims to generate high-resolution archaeological and environmental datasets relevant to understanding the cultural and ecological processes that fostered the transition to food-producing economies in eastern Africa. This is an active project (funded by the National Geographic Society) involving international collaborators.

At the present, I am in the process of initiating an archaeological survey along the Red Sea coast of the Republic of Sudan (with a grant from the National Science Foundation) to locate prehistoric sites associated with early human dispersal events out of Africa. I am keen on involving UofL students in my ongoing and future research programs.

Most memorable class you took as an undergrad? Why? My most memorable undergraduate course was Introduction to Archaeology, which I took in my sophomore year (spring 1998). In that course, the professor – who later helped me prepare for graduate school – talked about the world’s famous archaeological discoveries associated with ancient civilizations from different regions, such as the pyramids and hieroglyphs of ancient Egypt, the architectural and artistic innovations of ancient Greeks, the magnificent cities of ancient Maya, and several others.

The textbook information and videos I was exposed to in that course amplified my passion for learning about ancient peoples and cultures, and here I am with an advanced degree in archaeology, ready to inspire UofL students to become aware of our ancestors’ legacies and humanity’s common past heritage.

Current event students should know more about and why? The Anthropology program here at UofL is a vibrant department poised to educate students about all aspects of humanity, and the place of humans in nature. Students interested in the archaeology of human origins and dispersal, the beginning of food production and stone tool technology are welcome to study with me.

On a more general note, in light of growing concerns about global warming nowadays, there are compelling reasons to reflect on human antiquity and futurity – how did we come this far and where do we go from here? As with our past, the destiny of humanity will likely hinge on future climate patterns. However, natural processes are not the only forces that are shaping human ecosystem this time. Human actions and needs are transforming the earth’s habitats in dramatic ways.

Thus, students should be active leaders in changing the custom of over-consumption of resources, and be involved in promoting awareness about environmental conservation.

Let us know a fun fact about you: I am a soccer enthusiast and world traveler. I like visiting places where there is a sound of water movement – rivers, seashores, waterfalls, etc. Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my wife and daughter at home. There is what we call “Coffee Ceremony” in Eritrean culture (my native culture), during when coffee is roasted and brewed afresh, and people enjoy social time under the smoke of incense and instantly roasted coffee beans.

Department: Urban & Public Affairs

Educational Background: PhD Politics, New School for Social Research

Current Research Interests: Urban Ethnography, South Asian Cities, Transregional Networks and flows, Port Cities, Urban Materialities, Urban Infrastructures, Water, Landscape, Architecture, Political Anthropology, Urban Geography, Urban Anthropology, and 'Smart Cities'

Most memorable class you took as an undergrad? The most memorable class I took as an undergrad at Reed was "Gender and American History" with Jackie Dirks, where I first encountered the thrill of the unpublished archive.

My high school history classes had convinced me that "history" was a hopelessly dull series of dates and wars and names of kings and things. I recall – after one particularly yawn-inspiring lecture that had managed to render even the Russian Revolution dry and uninteresting by focusing only on 'important dates and names' – thinking to myself "but what was everyone ELSE doing during the Revolution?"

Jackie assigned George Chauncey's brilliant book, “Gay New York”, which is based on accounts from personal diaries and legal records. Maybe because my family is from New York, maybe because Chauncey is a fantastic writer, or maybe because reading the city through the lens of personal diaries was the best idea I'd ever encountered in print, but whatever the reason, I was spellbound and enthralled by these counter-narratives.

My work as an urban ethnographer is animated by this love of the counter-narrative – to discover the multiple, conflicting, and contested ways in which people make sense of their worlds, their cities, and in so doing, make claim to desired futures.

Current event students should know more about and why? I've been absolutely captivated by the recent series of articles in the New York Times about "the outlaw ocean" – about illegal fishing and pollution of the seas, slave labor in commercial shipping, stowaways, and the desperate plight of migrants.

While perhaps not an "event" in the conventional sense, these sorts of trans-regional networks, flows and processes are a powerful window into the complexities of our world.

Let us know a fun fact about you: I worked for many years as backcountry canoe instructor in the Canadian wilderness.

Department: Criminal Justice

Educational Background: Ph.D. Criminal Justice and Criminology (Sam Houston State University)

Last placement before here (institution, degree program and/or position): Research Associate, Sam Houston State University.

Current Research Interests: My research interests are focused on policing, particularly police investigations, organizations, and responses to victims. Further interests include qualitative research methods, eyewitness identification procedures, body-worn cameras, and police training/socialization processes.

Most memorable class you took as an undergrad? Research Methods

Current event students should know more about and why? Implementation of body-worn cameras in police departments throughout the United States.

Let us know a fun fact about you: I was a beach police officer in Maine for three years.

Department: Philosophy

Educational Background: PhD (in Philosophy), Yale, 2015

Current Research Interests: My primary areas of interest are epistemology, the philosophy of language, and metaphysics. I am especially intrigued by questions having to do with skepticism, fictionalism, and metaphor, as well as how cross-cultural philosophy can shed new light on them.

Most memorable class you took as an undergrad? The most memorable class that I took as an undergrad was entitled, "The Later Wittgenstein.”

The principal text that we examined was Ludwig Wittgenstein's "Philosophical Investigations.” It discusses a wide range of topics and includes many intriguing (but difficult to interpret) aphorisms, which of course made studying his work all the more engaging!

Current event students should know more about and why? Although it is hard to pick just one, students should know more about campaign finance reform because of its potential for very broad impact on politics and public policy.

Let us know a fun fact about you: I play the trumpet.

Department: Philosophy

Educational Background: Ph.D. Boston University (2013)

Last placement before here (institution, degree program and/or position): University of Louisville, Department of Philosophy, Term Assistant Professor. Before coming to the University of Louisville, I was a Lecturer at Boston University.

Current Research Interests: I work in philosophy of mind, metaphysics, epistemology, and phenomenology. In my research, I study the nature of consciousness and try to understand what it means to say that all that exists in our world is physical. I am currently writing a book on the metaphysics of consciousness entitled, “Consciousness and the Spell of Physicalism.” When bored, I think of writing another book: one on boredom.

Most memorable class you took as an undergrad? A physics seminar entitled, "Does Antimatter Matter?"

Current event students should know more about and why? The atrocities and killings in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan. Why? Because distant and silent suffering is still suffering.

Let us know a fun fact about you: I read Crime and Punishment in one sitting. I then slept for 18 hours straight.

Department: Biology

Educational Background: PhD, University of Georgia; Post-Doc, Penn State; Research Scientist, University of Georgia; Visiting Assistant Professor, New College of Florida

Current Research Interests: Plant Chemical Ecology, Canopy Ecology, and Medical Botany.

Most memorable class you took as an undergrad? General Chemistry. The faculty member introduced me to student-directed learning pedagogy and formed a lasting foundation of my perspective on education.

Current event students should know more about and why? Photosynthesis. It happens every day and every aspect of our lives directly or indirectly depends on it.

Let us know a fun fact about you: I teach people how to estimate herbivore damage in the canopies of tropical rainforests.

Department: Theatre Arts

Educational Background: MFA - Theatre; MBA - Finance

Current Research Interests: Projection Design in Theatre, 3D Modeling in Design, and Creative Lighting Design at the Consumer Level.

Most memorable class you took as an undergrad? US History. It was fascinating to see how the world and people are all connected over such a brief period of time.

Current event students should know more about and why? The wealth and opportunity gap is growing at an alarming rate in the US. If these problems aren't addressed quickly, we will end up like Greece.

Let us know a fun fact about you: I ride horses, and created and baled my first hay field this year!

Department: Pan-African Studies

Educational Background: B.A., Liberal Studies (UofL); M.A., Pan-African Studies (UofL); J.D. (Georgetown University Law Center); Doctoral Candidate, Urban & Public Affairs (UofL)

Current Research Interests: Mass incarceration and the criminal justice system (the carceral state), Critical Race Theory (race, class, and the law), urban politics, and urban citizenship

Most memorable class you took as an undergrad? It's actually almost impossible to choose. I took a debate class my freshman year and I would consider it the most memorable because I ended up debating on the national circuit for all four years of college.

Current event students should know more about and why? The Black Lives Matter movement because America has not witnessed consistent protests for this long since the Civil Rights Movement.

Also, the impact of the criminal justice and mass incarceration. Prison has become a major social institution shaping our society. America has 5% of the globe's population and 25% of its prison population.

Let us know a fun fact about you: I am a diehard Card, since childhood! I love UofL athletics and these past few years it has most definitely been great to be a Louisville Cardinal!

Department: History

Educational Background: Colgate University, BA; University of Pennsylvania Law School, JD; Northwestern University, MA & PhD

Current Research Interests: I am interested in the relationship between people’s religious and political identity.

I am currently revising my first manuscript, “Reagan’s Gun-Toting Nuns: Catholicism and U.S.-Central America Relations,” which examines how debates among U.S. and Central American Catholics over the meaning of Catholic identity shaped Ronald Reagan’s policies toward Central America.

The manuscript’s pivotal event is the rape and murder of the four American churchwomen in El Salvador in December 1980.

Most memorable class you took as an undergrad? “The Vietnam War” was the most memorable because it prompted me to reconsider how I saw the role of the United States in the world and how I understood my responsibility to voice my opposition to, or support for, U.S. foreign policy. I was fascinated by our discussions of political leaders and ordinary people in the United States and Vietnam.

The research paper I wrote for the class also changed my view of the past, especially my understanding of the relationship between the anti-war and the civil rights movements. My paper on the shootings at Jackson State College in May 1970 led to my senior thesis and eventually, my decision to pursue graduate studies in history.

Current event students should know more about and why? Students should know why there is a debate over the removal of the Confederate flag and why the issue is so contentious. The debate highlights the importance of understanding the past, how history is politicized, and the role of memory.

The flag debate offers an opportunity to discuss why so many Americans misunderstand why the Civil War was fought and why the country is so reluctant to face both its past history and the continuing problem of racism.

Let us know a fun fact about you: The first historical event I remember was the murder of John Lennon when I was four. Because my dad talked about the Beatles all the time, I assumed they were his friends.

Department: Psychological & Brain Science

Current Research Interests: Language development of infants/children with hearing loss who received cochlear implants and/or hearing aids.

Most memorable class you took as an undergrad? Psychology. We had to dissect sheep brains.

Let us know a fun fact about you: I hold 1st degree black belt in taekwondo (martial art), certified by World Taekwondo Federation, Seoul, Korea. I'm training in both sparring and forms.

Department: English

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

Last placement before here (institution, degree program and/or position): Senior Lecturer, University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, Jamaica

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: Criminal Justice

Educational Background: J.D., LSU Law, B.S., Mathematics, LSU

Current Research Interests: Law and social sciences as they relate to computer engineering, evidence and digital forensics.

Most memorable class you took as an undergrad? A course on The Faerie Queen, by Spenser.

Current event students should know more about and why? Everything except the Kardashians.

Let us know a fun fact about you: To my knowledge, I was the first person to try to pool investors for Steven Soderbergh's first script and movie.

Um, I failed.

Department: English

Educational Background: PhD in English

Last placement before here (institution, degree program and/or position): Tenured Associate Professor, Long Island University.

Current Research Interests: The Brontës and their writing habits. Material culture and Victorian era scrapbooks and other types of albums. Camera-less early photography. Relationships between women.

Most memorable class you took as an undergrad? An honors class on deconstruction and ethics.

Current event students should know more about and why? Transgender rights! It's always good to mix things up when it comes to gender, especially for women.

Let us know a fun fact about you: I once wrote a trashy romance novel.

Department: Geography & Geosciences Educational Background: BA (Spelman College, Political Science), MA (The University of Georgia, Political Science), PhD (The University of Georgia, Geography)

Current Research Interests: In my current work, I broadly look at the intersection of race, food, space and religion in the context of black faith-based food programs in the Southeastern portion of the United States.

I research how these organizations grow and use food to feed people, but also to define themselves racially and spatially. These programs include emergency food programs and sustainable agriculture initiatives with an explicit Black Nationalist focus.

Most memorable class you took as an undergrad? The most memorable course I took at Spelman College was titled "Women in Dance: Sexism, Sexuality and Subversion." I took it to complete my honors requirements, and it was honestly one of the most challenging and fulfilling courses that I've ever taken.

One of the more interesting parts of the course was learning more about Katherine Dunham's career in dance, and how she incorporated her academic interests in anthropology into her dance career. We also discussed how early black female dancers still influence present day culture (both inside of and outside of the dance world).

If I had to pinpoint a course that really put critical thinking and critical writing into practice, it was this course.

Current event students should know more about and why? It's hard to pick one. My initial response would be that students should open up a reliable news source and just read every day about what's going on in the world.

If I had to pick one event, it would be the church massacres at Emmanuel AME in Charleston, SC. I went to high school in Charleston, so this tragedy is personal for me. However, it also reveals how the past informs our current state of affairs.

As a cultural geographer, I'm interested in monuments. More importantly, how do these monuments influence the landscape around them? If we look at Charleston and the state house, we see that these monuments are not just nods to the past, but are living monuments.

Students should know about what happened in Charleston because it reveals a past that is not really in the past. Moreover, it reveals a black church that has, throughout history, been an active site of revolt and resistance.

Let us know a fun fact about you: I was the South Carolina State 4-H champion in high school for my banana nut bread. It's a little comical looking back on it, but we had to do a Food Network-style presentation before the judges taste-tested the bread. Winning this award came with a trip to the National 4-H Conference and a $5,000 college scholarship.

Department: Criminal Justice

Educational Background: PhD in Criminology and Criminal Justice (University of South Carolina)

Current Research Interests: Policing, legitimacy, procedural justice, criminological theory, and social networks.

Most memorable class you took as an undergrad? A calculus class I took during my freshman year was definitely the most memorable. Dr. Harley was one of the most interesting people I've ever met. As a student, I looked forward to his class just to see what he was going to do next.

For example, on final exam day he took attendance (for the first time all semester), and then started singing "Dear Mama" by Tupac.

Current event students should know more about and why? One of my primary research interests is police legitimacy. The police currently appear to be facing a legitimacy crisis in response to deadly force incidents in Ferguson, Staten Island, and North Charleston (to name a few).

I would encourage students to pay close attention to how the police respond to this legitimacy crisis in the upcoming months and years. Some allege that they will engage in "de-policing" and crime rates will rise. This has enormous implications for police-community relations and public safety.

Let us know a fun fact about you: I am a diehard Dallas Cowboys fan. I never miss a game. I even named my dog after the best wide receiver in the league – Dez Bryant.

Department: Psychological & Brain Sciences

Educational Background: BS University of Alabama at Birmingham; MS, MPhil, and PhD Yale University; Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Michigan

Last placement before here (institution, degree program and/or position): Assistant Professor, Michigan State University.

Current Research Interests: I study children's thinking and learning with an emphasis on how they acquire concepts of ownership, property, and economic systems.

Most memorable class you took as an undergrad? A course entitled, "Galileo, Newton, Darwin, and Einstein," which was team-taught by more than seven faculty and integrated history, art, chemistry, physics, and literature.

For example, we studied evolution (both chemical and biological), relativity, and how the shift from geocentrism to heliocentrism influenced society, religion, art, and scientific endeavors.

Current event students should know more about and why? Although it's not an event, I believe that students should know more about social inequality and how they fit into systems that enable it.

Let us know a fun fact about you: I was once bitten by a shark in Jamaica.

Department: Communication Educational Background: BS History and Political Science (Central Michigan University, 2008); MA Communication (Central Michigan University, 2010); PhD Communication (University of Utah, 2015)

Last placement before here (institution, degree program and/or position): University of Utah, PhD Program, Graduate Fellow

Current Research Interests: Argumentation, Rhetoric, and Environmental Communication. My primary research regards the corporate personhood thesis since Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. I ask how corporations have emerged as argumentative and rhetorical subjects that have eclipsed what Michel Foucault has called "the age of man" in legal, political, communal, visual, and environmental contexts. I also study post 9/11 public memory, the global warming stasis, and rhetorics of social protest.

Most memorable class you took as an undergrad? Constitutional Law: The Civil Rights Movement (Political Science).

Current event students should know more about and why? Burwell v. Hobby Lobby (2014). This Supreme Court decision grants corporations religious freedom under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. This case is important because it is a step toward legal interpretations that allow corporations the free-exercise of religion under the First Amendment and expands what some call the "Corporate Bill of Rights." This decision, among others, indicates that the human, rational, speaking subject is no longer the primary rhetorical and argumentative actor of our time and lends itself to a non-humanist perspective on communication in the 21st century.

Let us know a fun fact about you: I am learning to play the banjo, "Scruggs Style." This is a work in progress.

Department: Chemistry

Educational Background: Ph.D., McMaster University

Current Research Interests: Solid-state chemistry, magnetic oxides, solid electrolytes.

Most memorable class you took as an undergrad? Organic chemistry. We had an excellent organic chemistry professor, who was also very strict. He knew a lot about organic chemistry, but he never hesitated to say, "I don't know, but I will find out for you.”

Current event students should know more about and why? I think students need to learn more about things that are not related to singers and celebrities! Having information on a variety of topics will lead to a more realistic image of the world.

Let us know a fun fact about you: I like the popcorn smell in the movie theater. I don't remember ever baking in my life! I keep challenging people to a ping-pong game, even though I haven't played for 6 years!

Department: Fine Arts

Educational Background: Phd, Princeton; BA, Vassar College

Current Research Interests: I work on postwar art, the art market, and the history of exhibitions and curatorial practice. I'm particularly interested in the relationship between art production, exhibition, and exchange and economic processes of globalization.

Most memorable class you took as an undergrad? Molly Nesbit's "The World Picture." It was a class on contemporary art and globalization. I was a deeply committed activist at the time, and was finding it difficult to reconcile my politics with the art world as I understood it.

That class showed me a new kind of art, and a new kind of politics.

Current event students should know more about and why? If only it were a matter of bringing attention to a solitary, underexposed current event!

Social media have helped to bring attention to individual issues and events. Unfortunately, that attention often comes at the expense of sustained analysis and critique.

Let us know a fun fact about you: I love fly fishing.

Department: Fine Arts Educational Background: MFA Printmaking (University of Iowa, 2013); B.A Studio Art and Art History (University of Virginia, 2009)

Last placement before here (institution, degree program and/or position): Instructor, University of Virginia. Current Research Interests: Printmaking in Venice, Italy, non-toxic printmaking processes, and digital media.

Most memorable class you took as an undergrad? Printmaking with Dean Dass.

Current event students should know more about and why? The Venice Biennale, because throughout its one-hundred and twenty year history is has again and again brought insight into the political and cultural attitudes of the times the world over.

Let us know a fun fact about you: My favorite color is green.

Department: English

Educational Background: Ph.D. University of Houston; M.F.A. University of Iowa

Last placement before here (institution, degree program and/or position: Assistant Professor, The Christ College of Nursing and Health Sciences.

Current Research Interests: I'm currently working on a trio of thematically-linked books all centered on horses and equestrian culture. Therefore, in addition to looking at many novels and stories involving the horse world, I've been researching horses in general and efforts to "re-wild" different areas around the globe.

Most memorable class you took as an undergrad? A course covering the works of John Milton.

Current event students should know more about and why? We are at a time when it is possible to discuss the problem of sexual assault on campus in a way we never have before. We shouldn't let this opportunity pass us by.

Every student needs to be aware of how common these crimes are and once we better understand the issue we can start to change our attitudes about how we interact with one another.

Let us know a fun fact about you: I paint in my spare time and am attempting to teach myself to refinish and reupholster furniture.

Department: Humanities, Linguistics Program

Educational Background: PhD Anthropology and Education (University of Pennsylvania, 2012)

Last placement before here (institution, degree program and/or position): Society of Fellows, University of Chicago

Current Research Interests: Indigenous languages of the Americas, particularly the Andes; Anthropology of Media and Popular culture; Semiotic Theory.

Most memorable class you took as an undergrad? Introduction to Southeast Asia

Current event students should know more about and why? Sinaloa Cartel leader Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán's escape from federal prison is a "stranger-than-fiction" event worthy of attention in its own right, but can also serve as a beginning point for appreciating the dire situation of the drug war in contemporary Mexico.

Let us know a fun fact about you: I made a brief foray into Spanish language acting, appearing in an episode of "Divorcio USA" in 2004.

Department: Communication

Current Research Interests: My research seeks to understand message processing and design in the context of online journalism and health communication. I am also interested in exploring what influences people’s sharing intention of media content in social media, with a special focus on the role of emotion.

I see myself as a storyteller, but more importantly, an active storyteller interested in conducting research in cognitive and emotional factors in the processing and effectiveness of health and risk messages. While traditional analytic-cognitive factors have been stressed in health and risk communication, emotion plays a critical role in decision-making.

Therefore, applying emotion theories to study health and risk related social issues is my major research agenda.

Most memorable class you took as an undergrad? The most memorable class I took as an undergrad was a video editing and production class. It was my first exposure to the editing techniques. In fact, I was super excited to learn the new skills and was surprised what editing can do to tell a story.

As a believer of learning by doing, the video editing class made an interesting and productive semester for me.

Current event students should know more about and why? I am going to collect some data from Zhejiang University in China about college students' responses to safer sex messages. It would be interesting to find out the differences between the American college students and the Chinese college students on their attitudes toward safer sex.

Let us know a fun fact about you: I play traditional Chinese musical instrument Guzheng.