Faculty/Staff Accomplishments 11/20/19

In this issue, we celebrate accomplishments of faculty and staff in biological sciences, communication, English, fashion, and theatre.

Assistant Professor of Communication Alan Buck was invited to speak and host a workshop at the Associated College Press/College Media Associations Annual Fall Convention in Washington, D.C., Oct. 31-Nov. 3, 2019 The workshop, “You’re On In Three: Managing and Staffing a College Media Platform,” focused on tips and tools to help college students create video content that is useful, helpful, and shareable.

Professor of English Rebecca Duncan and Professor Emerita Jane Barnes taught a four-part course on the Beatles at NCSU’s OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute) Program. Over the years the two have bonded over their enduring love of the Beatles – Jane was fortunate enough to see them in concert in Chicago. In the course they examined the cultural and musical impact of the band, and they would love to hear from other members of the Meredith community who have at any point of their lives been Beatlemaniacs. Contact them via email at Duncanr@meredith.edu or speedyjb52@gmail.com.

Professor of Communication Teresa Holder presented a training workshop on “Risk Assessment and Crisis Planning” at the annual meeting of the North Carolina Network of Grantmakers on October 29. This is an association of the charitable foundations that do their philanthropic work across the state.

Assistant Professor of Fashion Merchandising & Design Ali Howell presented a poster and a paper at the International Textiles and Apparel Conference in Las Vegas, October 25 – 29. The poster, Consumer Dissonance Between Behavior and Values of Ethical Consumption and Disposal, was presented with Howell’s co-authors from University of Kentucky, Ohio University, the Ohio State University, and the University of North Texas. The paper she presented was The Uniform Project reimagined: An introduction to sustainable fashion for undergraduate students. This pedagogical presentation was on the development of a class project executed during the Spring 2018 and Spring 2019 semesters.

Professor of Theatre Catherine Rodgers was interviewed on November 13 about the opening night of Meredith College Theatre’s production of Company, on the Lights Up radio show. https://whupfm.org/episode/lights-up-11-13-19-permanent-archive/

English faculty members Tina Romanelli and Garry Walton inaugurated a new offering at this fall’s 10^th Blackfriars Conference in Staunton, Va. Home of the American Shakespeare Center, the Blackfriars initiated a new staging focus this year, inviting scholars to propose non-Shakespearean plays from the same period that should be staged at the re-creation of Shakespeare’s indoor theatre. Romanelli proposed the play by John Fletcher, Bonduca, based on the life of this notable warrior woman studied in her recent Meredith courses. Walton suggested the comedy Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay, by Shakespeare’s rival Robert Greene, a play that featured several wizards’ duels. Key scenes from both plays were staged by ASC actors to general acclaim on October 23 and 25. In other presentations at the conference, Romanelli discussed the phenomenon of pinching as punishment for male transgression in two Shakespeare plays, The Merry Wives of Windsor and The Tempest.  And Walton suggested that current Shakespeare classrooms should mimic the inclusiveness of many contemporary performances of the plays – that feature an unprecedented number of women, actors of color, and performers of differing physical abilities.

Associate Professor of Biology Jorge Vasquez-Kool officiated as a judge in the 2019 International Genetically-Engineered Machines (iGEM) competition held in Boston from October 31-November 4. This event brings participants from all over the world to present proof-of-concept experimental results using genetic engineering tools to solve medical, agricultural, and environmental problems.