Fin-Tastic Vol. 4 Fall 2021
Message from Dr. Al M. Panu, Chancellor
In this edition of USCB’s Fin-tastic, we see evidence of those who managed and overcame
challenging situations during the past year and a half. We celebrate all of you who
persist with quality and notable work. Our institution is in a better position because
of your efforts. As you elevate the quality of your work, you uplift the position
of USCB. Our students, directly or indirectly, reap many of these rewards.
These challenging times remain in our midst and the call to do better can be the best
manner to allay uncertainty for our future. Where will we be a year from now? Your
collective high caliber productivity now and in the coming months ensures quality
education for our USCB Sand Sharks.
A restful and peaceful December break to all.
Cohan, Deborah, PhD • Professor of Sociology
(Dept. of Humanities and Social Sciences)
- Featured. Deb was featured on Live5News on the topic of domestic violence victims and the rise of domestic violence. Article Website
- Published. She was also published in the New York Times’ Modern Love column with “Tiny Love Stories: ‘An Idyllic Trip to Salvage Our Romance.’” Article Website
Cudahy, Brian, PhD • Adjunct Professor of Religion
(Dept. of Humanities and Social Sciences)
- Presented. Brian presented at the annual meeting of the American Conference for Irish Studies (ACIS) virtually. His paper was entitled: “An 18th Century Irish Capuchin Friar's Intellectual Influence on the First Roman Catholic Bishop of Charleston, SC,” June 2, 2021. Conference Website
- Presented. He also presented “Lesser Ethics: Retrieving the Good Life in the Franciscan Tradition” at a conference sponsored by Tilburg University (Netherlands), and The Franciscan Institute at St. Bonaventure University (Virtual), June 24-25, 2021. Conference Website
Farrell, Carmen, PhD • Assistant Professor of Psychology
(Dept. of Humanities and Social Sciences)
- Published. Carmen and colleague A. T. Gilpin published an article “Longitudinal Bidirectionality of Emotion Knowledge and Inhibitory Control in Low-Income Children Using Cross-Lagged Panels” in the journal Social Development. DOI: 10.1111/sode.12523. Article Website
Gibson, Su, MBA • Instructor of Hospitality Management
(Dept. of Hospitality Management)
- Published. Su’s research work entitled “Technology for spas, salons, and wellness centers” was published in C. Cobanoglu, S. Dogan, K. Berezina, & G. Collins (Eds.), Hospitality & Tourism Information Technology (pp. 1–20). USF M3 Publishing. Article Website
Halbert, Lee-Ann, EdD • Associate Professor of Nursing (Dept. of Nursing)
- Published. Lee-Ann and colleague D. Mattison published Clinical Pharmacology During Pregnancy through Academic Press. Book Website
Heiens, Richard, PhD • Professor of Marketing (Dept. of Business and Communications)
- Published. Rick published “The Impact of Digital Sales Channels on Web Sales: Evidence from the USA’s Largest Online Retailers” in the International Journal of Electronic Marketing and Retailing, (2021) Vol. 12, No. 3. Article Website.
Henz, Tom, MBA • Adjunct Professor of Hospitality Management
(Dept. of Hospitality Management)
- Chaired. Tom chaired a task force for the Greater Island Council that came out with a report on the childcare industry in Beaufort County. Council Website
- Published. Tom was published in The Bluffton Sun. Article Website
Holderfield, Ann, MA Ed • Art/Research and Instruction Librarian and Interim Library Director (USCB Libraries)
- Hosted. As vice president of the Southeastern Chapter of the Art Libraries Society of North American and conference programming committee chair, Ann hosted the virtual ARLIS/NA Southeast Chapter annual conference on October 14-15, 2021. Conference Website
Hritz, Nancy, PhD • Professor of Hospitality Management
(Dept. of Hospitality Management)
- Published. Nancy and John Salazar published “Measuring the Impacts of a Natural Disaster on Visitor Confidence” in Tourism Planning & Development. Article Website
- Lead Judge. Nancy was lead judge for the United States Travel Association Destination Marketing Awards this past summer. Association Website
Hunnicutt, Melodie, PhD • Adjunct Professor of Psychology
(Dept. of Humanities and Social Sciences)
- Published. Melodie published a chapter in Cerniak, Wong & Rosen’s (2021, Eds.), Teaching Psychology Online. Her chapter is titled “Human Sexual Behavior: Designing and teaching an effective online course” (pp. 274-279). Publication Website
Lahar, Cindy, PhD • Professor of Psychology (Dept. of Humanities and Social Sciences)
- Presented. “World101 to World301: Strategies for using World101 in upper-division course toolkit” at AASCU’s American Democracy Project World101 Summit, November 15, 2021. Recording
- Published (online). “Applying cultural psychology in a regional context.” Contribution to the World101 & ADP Online Upper-level Toolkit. Recording
McCoy, Erin, PhD • Associate Professor of English & Interdisciplinary Studies
(Dept. of English and Visual Arts)
- Guest Speaker. Erin joined some of South Carolina’s finest scholars at the Speakers Bureau: Humanities Out Loud. Bureau Website
Montie, Eric, PhD • Associate Professor of Marine Biology (Dept. of Natural Sciences)
- Awarded. 2021 Governor’s Award for Excellence in Scientific Research at a Predominately Undergraduate Institution. Award Website
- Published. Song Z, Salas AK, Montie EW, Laferriere A, Zhang Y, Mooney TA. “Sound pressure and particle motion components of the snaps produced by two snapping shrimp species (Alpheus heterochaelis and Alpheus angulosus).” The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 150:3288-3301. Article Website
- Presented. Eric presented twice: “Estuarine Soundscapes and the Lowcountry Dolphin Conservation Program,” hosted by The Colleton River Nature Lecture Series and The Spring Island Trust.
Morris, Sam, PhD • Assistant Professor of English (Dept. of English and Visual Arts)
- Published. Sam published the book chapter: “‘Just Like Innocence’: Pearl Jam and the (Re)Discovery of Hope” in Pearl Jam and Philosophy. Eds. Stefano Marino and Andrea Schembari. Bloomsbury, November 2021. Article Website
- Peer reviewed. Sam’s peer reviewed journal article entitled, “‘Anything be better than this’: Utopian Impulses in The Hunger Games Series and Orleans” appeared in The Lion and the Unicorn, 2020, vol. 44, no.3, 2020 – this was published during the summer of 2021. Article Website
- Presented. He also presented “Creekwood Bodies: Negotiating Queerness and Space in Becky Albertalli’s Creekwood Novels” at the Children’s Literature Association National Conference, Virtual in June 2021. Conference Website
- Presented. Sam also presented “‘The world will go on, and it won’t matter that I’m not here’: Suicidal Ideation in Jennifer Niven’s All the Bright Places and Pixar’s Toy Story 4” at the Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association National Conference, Virtual, June 2021. Conference Website
- Presented. Sam had 2 articles at the National Council of Teachers of English Annual Convention, Virtual, November 2021. “Nnedi Okorafor’s Africanfuturism as a Route toward Disrupting/Decentering the Canon” and “Writing about YAL to Promote Equity and Justice: Angie Thomas’s On the Come Up.” Conference Website
- Presented. “‘Beastly, Beautiful “Underbeings”: J.K. Rowling’s Perilous Expansion of the Wizarding World.” International Conference for the Fantastic in the Arts, Virtual, March 2021. Conference Website
Pawelek, Lukasz, PhD • Assistant Professor of German and Spanish
(Dept. of Humanities and Social Sciences)
- Published. Lukasz and colleague R. Derrick published “Despacito Surfing the Reggaeton Wave” in Agradecidas Señas: A Journal of Literature, Culture and Critical Essays (2021): Vol 2 (1). Publication Website
- Presented and Panel Chair. He also served as panel chair in “Latinidad at Crossroads: U.S. Interventions, Health, and Resistance” at 2021 SECCLL Conference at Georgia Southern. The panel comprised of a USCB alumni, Maria Molloseau and Lukasz. María was in my Polyphony Research Group and over the summer Lukasz mentored her project entitled “Fukú Americanus in Díaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.” Lukasz presented “Latinidad at Crossroads: Displacement, Memory, and Resistance in Latinoamérica.” Conference Website
Skipper, Eric, PhD • Provost & EVCAA (Academic Affairs)
- Invited Panelist. “The Regional Public Universities After 2020: A Conversation With AASCU Provosts.” AASCU Academic Affairs Summer Meeting, July 2021. Virtual. Meeting Website
Villena-Alvarez, Babet, PhD • Professor of French, Spanish & Global Studies
(Dept. of Humanities and Social Sciences)
- Presented. “Matching Evolving GenZ/iGen Students with Updated French Curricula” at the American Association of Teachers of French Annual Convention (Virtual) June 29-July 15, 2021. Conference Website and Recording
- Presented. “Fulbright Global-Local Impact: From Fulbright Experience to Local Community Lectures” at the International Fulbright Conference (Virtual), October 20-22, 2021. Conference Website and Recording
- Organized and hosted. “Fulbright-Hays Poland: Three Years of Academic Contributions” a joint collaboration between USCB and Fulbright Poland Director Justyna Janiszewska to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of Fulbright (Virtual), July 21, 2021. Event Link
Zhang, Xiaomei, PhD • Assistant Professor of Computer Science
(Dept. of Computer Science and Mathematics)
- Published. Xiaomei and colleague Guohong Cao from Penn State University published the book Event Attendance Prediction in Social Networks with Springer International Publishing, ISBN: 9783030892616. Publication Website
USCB Faculty Collaborations
Brugler, Mercer, PhD Associate Professor of Biology, Pettay, Daniel, PhD Assistant Professor of Biology, Alvarez, Beda, MD Instructor of Biology, Staton, Joe, PhD Professor of Biology and Chair (Dept. of Natural Sciences)
- Collaborated and Represented. Mercer, Tye, Butch, and Joe worked together with USCB Biology students to represent USCB at the Hilton Head and Beaufort Shrimp Festivals to showcase USCB’s science programs to the local community. Event Link 1 and Event Link 2
Henz, Tom, MBA Adjunct Professor of Hospitality Management (Dept. of Hospitality Management) and Marlowe, Bruce, PhD Professor of Educational Psychology – Special Education and Chair (Dept. of Education)
- Collaborated and Served. Tom and Bruce worked together for the Education Committee of the Greater Island Council that produced two publications to benefit our community school children. Publication Website 1, Spanish Version, Publication Website 2
Iglesias, Joe, DBA Assistant Professor of Management (Dept. of Business and Communications) and the USCB Student Business Club
- Organized and Hosted. This Fall the Business Club and Joe kick-started the series of events focusing on Business Alumni. The series, called “Chatting with Business Alumni,” provides the opportunity for USCB alumni to share their experiences as students and professionals with members of the USCB and local community. Event Recording 1 and Event Recording 2
McCoy, Erin, PhD Associate Professor of English and Interdisciplinary Studies, Ricardo, Libby, M.F.A. Assistant Professor of Theater, and Leaphart, Amy, MA, MS Instructor of English (Dept. of English and Visual Arts)
- Hosted. Erin, Libby, and Amy hosted a virtual roundtable panel on team-teaching at USCB titled: “Pedagogy a Deux: A Discussion and Analysis of Transdisciplinary Team Teaching” at the Annual Association of Interdisciplinary Studies Conference on October 15, 2021. Conference Website
Morris, Sam, PhD Assistant Professor of English (Dept. of English and Visual Arts) and teachers at the Beaufort County School District
- Collaboration. Sam is conducting a research study aimed at investigating adolescent literacy learning and practices as well as “learning loss” during COVID-19. This study is a collaboration with teachers at Beaufort High School and Bluffton High School (including our secondary English education program's first graduate, Madison Riley).
USCB Grants
We salute our faculty and staff who, by virtue of their innovative, creative and resourceful work, attract the attention of other organizations and entities who then invest in us so we too can invest further in the education of our USCB students. And it is worth noting again that ultimately, the goal of research is to improve life on earth, so we distinguish the contributions of those in this list.
Awarded May 2021 – December 2021
- Canada, Brian. National Science Foundation, $179,622. RII Track 1: Materials Assembly and Design Excellence in South Carolina: Made in SC.
- Garbade, Henry. USCB DPS, South Carolina Department of Public Safety, $11,500. Body worn cameras.
- Hargrove, Bonnie. US Small Business Administration $358,392, Small Business Association Shuttered Venue Grant.
- Montie, Eric. NOAA/IOOS Southeast Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association $20,000 (year 1 of a total $420,000 award). Estuarine Soundscape Observatory Network in the Southeast (ESONS).
- Montie, Eric. NOAA/IOOS Southeast Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association, $1250. Assessing the Influence of Anthropogenic Noise on Atlantic Common Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncates) Vocalizations Using Long-term Passive Acoustic Monitoring in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina.
- Morris, Brent. National Endowment for the Humanities, $199,401. America’s Reconstruction: The Untold Story.
- Morris, Brent. South Carolina Humanities Council, $15,000. Second Founding of America.
- Olivetti, Keri. Town of Bluffton, $17,500. Bluffton Ambassador Program.
- Olivetti, Keri. Town of Hilton Head, $185,367. Vision for the Future: A Collaboration Between USC Beaufort and the Town of Hilton Head Island.
- Panu, Al. Embassy of France in the United States, $10,000. French Francophone Pluralities and Collaborations in the Southeast USA.
- Pettay, Tye. Town of Bluffton, $50,000. Bacterial Source Tracking for the Town of Bluffton in the May River, SC.
- Pettay, Tye. Port Royal Sound Foundation, $11,442, Long-term Environmental Monitoring of the Port Royal Sound Estuary Using Citizen Scientists.
- Sevim, Volkan. Community Foundation for the Lowcountry, $33,075. Math Opportunities in the Summer (MOS): USCB Summer Math Camp for High School Students.
- Warren, Alan. Beaufort County, $170,000. Beaufort County – USCB Water Quality Laboratory.
- Warren, Alan. Town of Bluffton, $185,000. Town of Bluffton Water Quality Laboratory.