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James Umble, professor in the Dana School of Music, heads to Paris in January to mark a very special birthday. Umble performs at the Conservatory of Boulogne-Billancourt as part of the 90th birthday party for master French saxophone artist and teacher Jean-Marie Londeix. Umble studied with Londeix at the National Conservatory of Bordeaux, France, and in 2000, authored the biography, Jean-Marie Londeix, Master of the Modern Saxophone, a standard reference in use worldwide. Umble, who holds a doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Michigan, has performed and taught worldwide.
Pictured: Umble, right, and Londeix.
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Editor's Note: Dr. James Umble’s trip to Paris in January was canceled due to the continued spread of Covid in Europe.
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Johanna Slivinske, part-time faculty, Social Work, recently had three poems accepted for publication in the journal Blue Collar Review. The poems are "Juilliard," "Ghost," and "The Voice of Dissent".
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Virgil Solomon, associate professor, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, and students Stephen Isacco and Christopher Bansah, are among the co-authors of an article in Microscopy and Microanalysis. The title of the article is “Modeling and characterization of binder jet 3D printed NiMnGa components using X-ray microscopy.”
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Sherri Harper Woods, assistant professor of Social Work, and Terri Benton, retired assistant professor of English, co-authored a chapter in Fostering Mental Health Literacy through Adolescent Literature. The book provides educators a starting point engaging students in the study of adolescent literature that features mental health themes. Benton and Woods’ chapter is entitled “Literacy and Loss: Examining Loss and Grief through Characterization in The Boy in the Black Suit,” a young adult novel by Jason Reynolds. In addition, Woods presented workshops on developing a diverse spiritually competent toolkit and tapping in to spiritually-focused mindfulness at the Society for Spirituality and Social Work. She also presented a workshop, “Spirituality in the Social Work Curriculum,” at the National Association of Christian Social Workers.
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Students, faculty and alumni in YSU’s Counseling program participated in the All Ohio Counselors Conference in Columbus and made the following presentations: Staci Tessmer, faculty, "Gatekeeping Counselor Trainees: Applications for Site Supervision;” Kim Barrella, faculty, "An Introduction to Using the Motivational Interviewing Treatment Integrity (MITI) Manual in Supervision;” and Christy McAllister, alumni; Alicia Hall, faculty; and Alexia Reider and Tiffany Spisak, students, "Hidden Burdens: Understanding and Addressing Transgenerational Trauma."
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Jena Root, professor and Music Theory coordinator, was recently featured on Apple’s "Theory Pedagogy Podcast Note Doctors," where she discussed her passion for music fundamentals that led her to publish her textbook, Applied Music Fundamentals: Writing, Singing, and Listening. In addition, Root is one of four faculty invited to teach at the 2022 Summer Workshops in Music Theory Pedagogy at the University of British Columbia. The event focuses on teaching music theory at the undergraduate level. Listen.
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| Rebecca Curnalia, distinguished professor of Communication, presented "A Case Study of Emotional States, Modalities, Instructional Best Practices, and Outcomes During Fall 2020" at the National Communication Association Annual Conference in Seattle.
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Johnathan Farris, assistant professor of Art, presented his paper, "Shamian - Social Separation versus Architectural Innovation" and acted as a panelist at the virtual conference, "The Modern Turn: Space and Society in Canton, 1842-1938.” The conference, sponsored by South China University of Technology and Sun Yat-sen University, was attended by scholars from North America, Asia and Europe.
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| Ewelina Boczkowska, associate professor of Music, was awarded a $4,000 New York Public Library Short-Term Research Fellowship for an archival project on composer Jerzy Fitelberg. Boczkowska is one of only three Music Fellows out of approximately 33 recipients in all fields of the Arts and Humanities. In addition, she was a co-organizer of the Music and Media International Conference, hosted by Cleveland State University and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
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| Stan Sweeney, director of YSU’s Kilcawley Center, was the coordinator of the three-day Association of College Unions International Super Regional Conference for Regions III and VI in November. The event included college student union professionals and student leaders from 13 states and Ontario, Canada. Sweeney took over the reins of Kilcawley this past summer after serving as director of the Student Union and Student Activities at the University of North Carolina at Asheville, where he oversaw the recent $13 million renovation and expansion of the student union. He holds a master’s in Education from Eastern Illinois University and a bachelor’s in Public Relations from Central Missouri State University.
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| Daniel Keown, associate professor of Music Education, along with Charles Robinson of the University of Missouri-Kansas City, received the Steven Demorest Research Award at the American Choral Directors Association National Conference. They received the award for their research on “The Effect of Differentiated Video Presentations of Choral Performances on Aesthetic Responses.” Keown also had two research studies selected by a peer-reviewed panel for presentation at this year’s National Association for Music Education - Music Research and Teacher Education Conference, which included a study supported by a YSU Office of Assessment Mini-Assessment Grant titled “Examination of Identified Frequency and Location of Music Characteristics within Motion Picture Soundtracks.”
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The exhibit "Vezovi" by Dragana Crnjak, professor of Art, was installed at The Cultural Center of Trebinje in Trebinje, Bosnia. The artwork was a site-specific wall drawing inspired by Zminjanje embroidery. “This is a contemporary approach to the Zmijanje embroidery,” Crnjak said. “I was attracted to the strict rule of its construction and the impeccable dark blue geometry it is based on. The meticulous and structured approach to that geometry is very modern but, at the same time, it also has incredible creative breadth and flexibility." In addition, Crnjak's work was part of the exhibit “Randomly Today” at the Rosefsky Gallery at Binghamton University in New York.
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Matthew Mazuroski, associate professor, directed the play 20th Century Blues, at The Hopewell Theatre in Youngstown, formerly known as The Victorian Players. He also served as scenic and sound designer.
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| J. Dana Sperry, professor of Art, had two video works screened at the ALC Video Art Festival at the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Alicante in Spain. The works are: Daily Changes to the Dow Jones Industrial Average, March 1 – April 1, 2018; former Kentucky Fried Chicken, Youngstown, OH, USA; NASDAQ, Average Price of Fuel; S&P 500, Average Price of Bread; 09/2012 - 09/2017; Bus Stop at Highland and Penn, Pittsburgh, USA.
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| Caroline Oltmanns, professor of Music, performed five solo concerts in Zurich and Basel, Switzerland, this past Fall.
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| Misook Yun, professor of Music, presented a virtual masterclass and lecture as one of only 17 faculty at the ArsDocta International Music Festival this past summer. In addition, she performed Mozart's Alleluja and Glitter and Be Gay (Bernstein) as a featured soloist with the Butler County (Pa.) Symphony Orchestra.
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| Joseph D'Uva, professor of Art, was selected to participate in the Call to Action Print Portfolio Exchange at the Mid America Print Council Conference. D’Uva and recent alumna Ashley Vaughn (2019 BFA Studio Art, Interdisciplinary Studio Art track), will create an edition of prints that will be exhibited at the conference.
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| A.J. Sumell, professor of Economics, was joined by a special guest on a recent appearance on WFMJ-TV’s Weekend Today morning show – his 8-year-old daughter. Lillian, sporting a YSU T-shirt, wandered into the shot and waved “hello” while Daddy was being interviewed at home via Zoom. Sumell was on the show to discuss the causes and impacts of rising gas prices.
Ryan McNicholas, director of Campus Recreation, is quoted in a story in CampusRec magazine headlined “Where Are Wellness Trends Heading.” “Over the last several years, we’ve seen a lot of stress management and stress relief programs being successful because of the stressful situation college students are in daily,” he says in the article. McNicholas holds a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science and a master’s in Health and Human Services, both from YSU.
Paul Sracic, professor of Politics and International Relations, is quoted in a New York Post story headlined “How ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ became a swipe at Joe Biden – and national media.”
Pam Epler, assistant professor of Education, is among several national educational experts interviewed by Study.com for a story about student teaching. The story is designed to help student teachers prepare their time in the classroom. Epler holds a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction from Capella University
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Curt Spivey, engineer/producer at YSU's Ward Beecher Planetarium, talked about the November lunar eclipse on an episode of WFMJ's Midday broadcast. Watch.
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For more stories on the activities of YSU faculty and staff, visit:
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Excellence at Work, published by the YSU Office of Marketing and Communications, recognizes and celebrates the scholarly work and honors of the faculty and staff of Youngstown State University. To submit items for inclusion, complete the online form.For more information, contact Ron Cole, director of University Communications, at racole01@ysu.edu or 330-941-3285, or Becky Rose, assistant director of University Communications, at rarose01@ysu.edu or 330-941-2159.
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