Faculty/Staff Accomplishments 3/26/25

In this issue, we celebrate the accomplishments of faculty and staff in accounting, art, biology, communication, hospitality and tourism, music, and psychology.

Michael Altman, Assistant Professor of Practice and Hospitality and Tourism Program Director, was recognized recently for research he has conducted with Lane Perry of Western Carolina University, and Nathan Woolard of the University of Tulsa. They have been investigating food hall ventures as incubators and re-activators via placemaking. This research was recognized as the best paper at the recent United States Association of Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE) Fortune Favors The Bold conference in Las Vegas.  Altman shared this about the research: “The study has taken place over two years, with 35 participants across 11 food halls. and has been an eye-opening experience on the importance of informal mentorship, networks, and ‘coopetition’ in supporting entrepreneurs and the value of public investments perpetuating private investment (and vice versa) to reactivate downtrodden “pass-through” areas into vibrant community and economic destinations.”

Director of Choral Activities Lindsey Bruner Woodcock has been invited to present her research at the national Chorus America conference, which will be held in St. Louis, Mo., in June. The presentation, “Engaging, Enriching, and Expanding Audiences Through Interactive Concerts,” is based on her research and practice in interactive performance.

Assistant Professor of Music Theory and Composition Sabrina Clarke had two of her compositions performed at the Ninth Annual International Music by Women Festival, held at the Mississippi University for Women on March 6-8. Three Seagull Songs was performed by Rebecca Coberly, soprano, and Jonathan Levin, piano, while the duo Synergy 78 (Carol Shansky, flute, and Michelle Kiec, clarinet) played Wissahickon Idyll. All fifteen concerts from this year’s festival were live-streamed and can be accessed at youtube.com/@musicbywomenfestival2614/streams

Dr. Nancy Johnson, Instructor of Accounting, presented a session, “Virtual Presence: Teaching Virtual Meeting Mastery in the Classroom,” at the NC State Conference on Faculty Excellence on March 6. This Scholarship of Teaching and Learning research addresses the dilemma and anxiety students report from a lack of virtual meeting technology and business norms training. Results show intentional instruction and feedback created self-awareness, changed behavior, and improved confidence.

Professor of Art Shannon Johnstone gave two presentations based on two different papers at the Sixth Living With Animals conference at Eastern Kentucky University on March 14, 2025. The papers are titled “Roadside Zoo: Captive Glow” and “Spiders, Cockroaches, Ants, and Bees: A Critical Animal Studies Perspective on Insects and Arachnids in Contemporary Art”.

Dr. Jenna McChesney, Assistant Professor of Psychology, has published her paper, “Unlocking Workforce Development Grants to Strengthen Academic-Business Partnerships,”  in Industrial and Organizational Psychology. It is now available to read online. Written with Dr. Dan Sachau and Tammy Bohlke of Minnesota State University, the piece explores how workforce development grants can fund student-led I-O projects and strengthen partnerships between graduate programs and local businesses.

Associate Professor of Communication Lynn Owens was a featured speaker at the College Media Association Convention in New York City on February 27. She led a session on broadcast reporting.

Assistant Professor of Biology Megan Serr and her former student Caroline Klein, ’24, had an article, “Evaluation of environmental DNA as a surveillance tool for invasive house mice (Mus musculus)” published in the journal Environmental DNA in February. In addition, three other Meredith alumnae are listed in the acknowledgments section.