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Faculty/Staff Accomplishments and Departmental News 3/6/19

In this issue we celebrate the accomplishments of faculty in art, dance, exercise and sports science, and psychology. We also share departmental news from our nutrition program.

Dance Student PerformanceAlyson Colwell-Waber, Professor of Dance, presented her work at the statewide conference of the North Carolina Dance Education Organization on February 16 at NC State University, the theme of which was Democracy & Diversity in Dance.  Her choreography, WALL, is a quartet, performed by four Meredith dancers. It takes its inspiration from a line from Robert Frost’s poem, Mending Wall, which states, “…something there is that doesn’t love a wall, that wants it down.” Colwell-Waber’s choreography explores the struggle and despair of physical, political, and psychological barriers. The creative process for this dance was supported, in part, by a Scholarly Productivity Grant from Faculty Development.

Organic Sculpture by Holly FischerAssistant Professor of Art Holly Fischer’s ceramics sculpture, Minx, was selected to exhibit in Persistence: A National Exhibition Celebrating Women’s Empowerment.  The show runs from March 9 through March 30, with an opening reception on March 14 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the d’Art Center in Norfolk, Va.

In February, Sharon Malley and Heather Sanderson from the Nutrition, Health and Human Performance Department took 11 Exercise and Sports Science students to the Southeast American College of Sports Medicine conference in Greenville, S.C. Three students present their research at the conference. Chelsea Carre presented Using the GAD-7 to Compare Effects of Resistance Training On Students at Risk of Anxiety, Ava Rio-Anderson presented The Effects of Rest Intervals Between Sets on Repetitions to Fatigue and Blood Lactate During the Bench Press Exercise, and Megan Tarpey presented The Effects of Fasted or Fed State on ESS Conference - Students posing in group shotPhysiological Measures of Aerobic Performance in Women. Students were able to explore undergraduate research ideas, make connections with health professionals, attend a graduate school fair, and participate in the student bowl. (Think Alex Tebek and Jeopardy! meets Exercise and Sports Science and that is what the student bowl looks like.) Ana Lucia Rodriguez, Ava Rio-Anderson, and Nola Grace Brown all represented Meredith College in the challenging “game” and competed against 39 other schools. The competition was fierce but Meredith held her own and did very well. Other highlights included a keynote address describing the use of exercise for cancer prevention and control and connecting fitness with healthcare to treat patients.

Psychology Conference attended posing in front of a large graphic of an appleAssociate Professor of Psychology Gwynn Morris and Professor of Psychology Cynthia Edwards presented Maximizing Benefits of Intergenerational Community-Engaged Learning: Lessons from the Field at the Eastern Psychological Association conference in New York City. The paper was based on data collected over two years through a Council on Independent Colleges/AARP Foundation Intergenerational Partnerships grant. Traveling with Morris and Edwards were seven students, each of whom independently presented posters at the meeting: Sandra Taranhike, ’19, The Effect of Mismatched Expectations on Female Friendships; Allison Kvasnicka, ’20, An Analysis of the Transition to College: Stress, Resilience, and Resources; Morgan Hendrix, ’20, and Colleen McKeel, ’17, The Relationship between Attachment Dimensions and Overall Relationship Depth in College Students; Temperance Lampe, ’18, Relationship between Racial Identity Incongruity, Belongingness and Loneliness in Emerging Adulthood; Julia Johnson, ’20, Relationship between Undergraduate Major and Stress and Resiliency, Viktoria Anissimova, Triangle Math and Science Academy and Colleen McKeel, ’17, Comparison of Grit and Resilience in Student Populations; and Jenna Curia, ’22, Gender Inequality and Social Normality: A Qualitative Analysis of Gender in Religious Workspaces.

Departmental News

Meredith Nutrition DPD and Dietetic Internship Reaccredited
We are happy to announce that the Meredith College Nutrition DPD programs (BS & MS) and Dietetic Internship received full 7- year ACEND re-accreditation, through 2026. The accrediting team recognized our programs’ strengths and even commended us for our 100% Internship match rate!

This is an accomplishment that culminated after a long two-year process by the nutrition team, but especially Rachel Findley, our DPD Director and Cathie Ostrowski, our Dietetic Internship Director. A special thank you to Rachel Findley and Cathie Ostrowski for their continued dedication and all of the hard work to achieve this outstanding news and for making our BS & MS Nutrition and DI programs among the strongest in the country. –Submitted by Tracy Smith, Graduate Nutrition Program Manager and Admissions Counselor

Melyssa Allen

News Director
316 Johnson Hall
(919) 760-8087
Fax: (919) 760-8330

allenme@meredith.edu