USCBe Informed: News & Happenings

Fin-Tastic Vol. 10 - Jan. to May 2024

The USCB faculty and staff research and scholarship newsletter.

Message from Dr. Al M. Panu, Chancellor

Fellow Sand Sharks, herein you will find testament to the dynamic environment of the University of South Carolina Beaufort and the notable accomplishments of faculty and staff during Spring 2024.  The enthusiasm flourishes, and excellence is a hallmark within our university community. Innovation and discovery are hallmarks of our institution. It becomes clear that our unwavering commitment to student-focused engagement is the foundation of our achievements. Each faculty accolade amplifies student success, creating waves that resonate throughout our university and beyond.

To our extraordinary Fin-Tastic Sand Sharks, we express our deepest gratitude for your relentless efforts in distinguishing our students and enhancing our university's standing. 

Research, Scholarship & Intellectual Contributions

Brandt, Ken, M.S.
Astronomy Lecturer
Department of Natural Sciences

• Awarded. The International Planetarium Society awards one US planetarian the opportunity to tour and teach in Italy annually. Mr. Brandt spent two weeks in Italy during most of April, teaching astronomy and space science lessons to students and professional educators. He also made public presentations to general audiences. The tour began in the city of Perugia and included the astronomical planetariums of Assisi, and other astronomical facilities like Amelia, Florence, Ravenna and Lumezzane Planetarium, Serafino Zani Observatory, and ended in Padua, where Mr. Brandt was an honored guest at the 2024 National Meeting of Italian Planetariums. Link

Barnes, Mollie, PhD
Associate Professor of English
Department of English, the Arts, & Interdisiplinary Studies

Cohan, Deborah, PhD
Professor of Sociology
Department of Humanities and Social Sciences

• Published. Essay, with Dr. Barbara Risman, on cultivating joy in writing, Inside Higher Ed, April 19, 2024. Link
• Presented. Annual Meeting of the Southern Sociological Society, April 3-7, New Orleans, LA, co-led workshop about writing, with Dr. Barbara Risman of University of Illinois at Chicago.
• Interviewed. Podcast with Blair Hodges on book That Red Suitcase. Link 

Kilgore, Robert PhD
Associate Professor of English
Department of English, the Arts, & Interdisciplinary Studues

• Presented. With co-author Brian Henderson. "Working for a Better World," review of _Lost in Work: Escaping Capitalism_ by Amelia Horgan. _Academe_ Spring 2024. Link

Lahar, Cindy, PhD 
Professor of Psychology
Department of Humantities and Social Sciences

• Awarded. Carolina Trustees Professorship. Spring 2024. Award Link
• Published. Research article, “Relations between risk perception, perceptions of peers’ driving, and risky driving among Cambodian adolescents” (with B. Lim, M. Dang & B. Weiss) in Frontiers in Psychology: Personality and Social Psychology, 14: 1238945. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1238945 Link

Kelley, Kimberly, PhD 
Director of Libraries and Professor 
USCB Library

• Awarded. Harvard Law School. Copyright X Certification. Award Link. 

McCombs, Kelly, M.S., RD, LD, CDCES
Senior Instructor & Sports Dietitian
Department of Public Health and Human Services & Athletic Department

• Awarded. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Nutrition in Higher Education Award for the Year 2024. Link 

Ricardo, Libby, M.F.A
Associate Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies
Department of English, the Arts, & Interdisciplinary Studies

• Directed. Around the World in 80 Days. Lean Ensemble Theater. Hilton Head Island, SC January 11-21, 2024. Link
• Invited Speaker. Savannah Newcomers Club. On February 29, 2024, Libby was invited to speak at a SNC luncheon about both her work as a professional theater artist and her work in academia, particularly regarding the utilization of simulation across the disciplines.
• Awarded. USCB Outstanding First-Year Instructor of the Year Award 2024.

Rychalsky, Laura, M.A
Coordinator of Housing Operations & Conference Services

• Awarded. SE AHO 2024 Service Award. Southeastern Association of Housing Officers (SEAHO). Link

Shelley, Justin, M.S
Director of Housing & Student Conduct

• Presented. Senior Housing Officer Roundtable – Small School. Southeastern Association of Housing Officers (SEAHO) Annual Conference. February 27, 2024. Link

Villena-Alvarez, Juanita, PhD
Professor of French, Spanish & Global Studies, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
Department of Humanities & Social Science

• Presented. The Korean Wave in our Region. Part I and II. Community and Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) presentation, Bluffton, SC. April 10 & 12, 2024. Link
• Invited Speaker. Leadership Beaufort 2024. The Impact of USCB to the Region: Honors, International Programs and Competitive Opportunities. March 1, 2024. Program Website
• Invited Speaker. Hilton Head & Bluffton Chamber of Commerce. The Korean Wave in the Region. May 18, 2024.

Zhang, Xiaomei, PhD
Associate Professor of Computer Science
Department of Computer Science and Mathematics

• Published. Xiaomei Zhang, Zack Stiltner "Feasibility and reliability of peercloud in vehicular networks: A comprehensive study", Pervasive and Mobile Computing Journal, Volume 100, May 2024, 101920. Link

USCB Collaborations

Skipper, Eric, PhD • Provost & EVCAA (Academic Affairs), Ritchie, Kim, PhD • Associate Professor of Gentics/Prokaryotic Cell Biology (Department of Natural Sciences), Villena-Alvarez, Juanita, PhD • Professor of French, Spanish & Global Studies, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs (Department of Humanities & Social Sciences), Littlefield, Valina, PhD • Director of the Institute for the Study of the Reconstruction Era (ISRE), Siebenaler, Rick • CEO of the South Coast Regional Innovation Engine (Maritime Cybersecurity Institute)

• Presented.  USCB Academics Update: Focus on Our Communities.  Presentation at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI), Bluffton, SC. Topics included Pritchards Island research, maritime cybersecurity, global study abroad programs, and reconstruction history seminars. (February 21st, 2024) Link

Kilgore, Robert, PhD
Associate Professor of English
Department of English, the Arts & Interdisciplinary Studies

• Published. “Stop Trying to Make Academia Great Again: The Necessity of Solidarity and Organizing to Make Better Futures for All of Us,” Pedagogy: Critical Approaches to Teaching Literature, Language, and Composition, 23.2 (2023): 235–47. Publication Link. 
• Presented. “On Not Remaining Respectful: Professionalization v. Labor Consciousness in the Teaching of College Writing.” Corridors: The Blue Ridge Writing and Rhetoric Conference. Virginia Tech. Blacksburg, September 2023. Conference Link. 
• Elected. 2023. At-Large Executive Committee member, South Carolina Conference of Chapters of the American Association of University Professors.
• Awarded. 2023. Travel and lodging funds for “Early Modern Intersections in the American South,” Folger Institute and The University of Alabama. Tuscaloosa and Montgomery, AL.

 

USCB Honors Memberships

Hearing, Samantha, M.A.• Adjunct Professor
(Office of Student Life)
Vincent P. Mesaric Award.

Jones Williams, Morgin, PhD • Assistant Professor of Mathematics
(Department of Computer Science & Mathematics)
Academic Advisor of the Year.

Ponce, Chelsea, M.A. • Adjunct Professor
(Department of Humanities & Social Sciences)
Adjunct Professor of the Year.

McCombs, Kelly, M.S., RD, LD, CDCES • Senior Instructor
(Department of Public Health & Human Services)
Professor of the Year.

 

USCB Grants

D'Antonio, Edward & Montie, Eric.   Office of the Vice President for Research, Research Initiative for Summer Engagement (RISE). $6,000. Mapping Spawning Aggregations of Sciaenid Species in the May River Estuary Using Passive Acoustics, Molecular Taxonomy, and Quantitative PCR.

Lahar, Cindy. Office of the Vice President for Research, Research Initiative for Summer Engagement (RISE). $6,000. USCB Global Learning Experience Project: Video capture in Cambodia.

Pettay, Daniel “Tye”. Spring Island Trust. $10,000. Understanding nutrient cycling and its influence on phytoplankton abundance in the PRSE.

Skees, Murray. Office of the Vice President for Research, Research Initiative for Summer Engagement (RISE). $6,000. Data: A Ubiquitous Knowledge-Commodity

 

Highlights@uscb.edu

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