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Faculty Spotlight
Robert C. and Sandra Connor Endowed Faculty Fellows
The Robert C. and Sandra Connor Endowed Faculty Fellows program supports a variety of scholarly and artistic endeavors, enabling faculty to travel to conferences, purchase classroom equipment, conduct field research, gather materials to enhance the curriculum, and bring their talents to a wider audience. Here are some of the Connor Endowed Faculty Fellows whose work has been supported by these fellowships.
Ines Pinto, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences
Ph.D. Louisiana State University Medical School
Dr. Ines Pinto’s areas of academic interest include mitotic chromosome segregation, chromosome stability, chromatin function, and fungal genetics. Her research centers on the molecular interactions that govern cell division. In her research, she seeks to understand the role that chromatin, the basic component of chromosomes, plays in the formation and function of the centromere, the chromosomal structure that is essential for the attachment and movement of chromosomes during cell division. This understanding is important because the abnormal segregation of chromosomes can cause severe health defects, ranging from embryonic development to cancer.
Suresh Suresh-Kumar, Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Ph.D. Osmania University, Hyderabad, India
Dr. Suresh Kumar’s research focuses on understanding the structure-function relationship of a family of proteins called the fibroblast growth factors (FGFs). FGFs are biologically important proteins involved in the regulation of a number of key cellular processes such as cell proliferation, tissue differentiation, wound healing, and cancer. Understanding the interplay of structural forces in the FGF signaling process is likely to provide valuable information towards a long-term research goal of designing drugs against FGF-induced cancers.
Patrick Stone, Assistant Professor of Drama
M.F.A. South Dakota State University
Professor Patrick Stone is the technical director within the Department of Drama; his primary research interest involves the movement and automation of scenery. Additionally, he regularly teaches Stage Technology II, Computer Aided Drafting, Metal Working, Properties Design and Construction, and Scene Shop Management - Technical Direction.
Sonja Hausmann, Assistant Professor of Geosciences
Ph.D. in Paleolimnology, University of Bern, Switzerland
Dr. Sonja Hausmann’s primary scientific interest is paleolimnology, or the examination of past environmental changes recorded in lake sediments. Climate and human activities influence the water chemistry and physical parameters of lakes, and single-celled algae, or diatoms, respond to these changes and are deposited on the lake bottom. Modern process studies such as Hausmann undertakes are helping us understand the ecological preferences of the individual diatoms and to reconstruct long-term changes in our climate and environment.
Andrea Arrington, Assistant Professor of History
Ph.D. Emory University
Dr. Andrea Arrington’s teaching and research fields include African History and Comparative Women’s History. She has traveled to present her findings on “Labour Crossings: World, Work, and History” at the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, and “Competitive Labor: Divisions between Zambian and Zimbabwean Workers around Victoria Falls,” in which she builds on previous research she conducted in trips to Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Gerald Jordan, Associate Professor of Journalism
M.S.J. Northwestern University
Professor Gerald Jordan joined the faculty of the Walter J. Lemke Department of Journalism in the fall semester of 1995 after working 25 years at metropolitan daily newspapers. Jordan brings his experience as a reporter, editorial writer and a columnist at The Kansas City Star, an editorial writer for the Boston Globe, and a Washington correspondent and an assigning editor for The Philadelphia Inquirer to the classroom.
Shannon Dingman, Assistant Professor of Mathematics
Ph.D. University of Missouri
Dr. Shannon Dingman teaches Math Reasoning and Math Structures 1 and 2. His research interests focus on the impact of policy on mathematics curriculum as well as the impact of curriculum on teachers and their instructional decision making.
Loredana Lanzani, Associate Professor of Mathematics
Ph.D. Purdue University
Dr. Loredana Lanzani’s research interests are in pure Mathematics (Real and Complex Analysis), and she is very involved in outreach activities which aim to increase diversity in the mathematical sciences. Dr. Lanzani makes extensive use of computers and software packages to help visualize abstract mathematical concepts, concepts which otherwise can be difficult to communicate. With this methodology in the classroom, a stimulating but non-intimidating learning environment is created, an environment in which all students are actively and equally involved. Dr. Lanzani has found this approach to be very successful with female students, who she finds are typically hard-working but in the classroom tend to be less assertive than their male peers.
Benjamin Pierce, Applied Professor of Tuba, Euphonium, Department of Music
D.MA University of Michigan
For artists such as Benjamin Pierce, their research is study and performance. Concerts, long hours of practice, and competitions are central to helping musicians develop their knowledge, hone their skills, and bring their talents to a wider audience.