Dr. Joerg Meindl, associate professor of German and global studies, presented “The Regional and Changing Forms of Traditions: Nikolaus Traditions as Cultural Hybrids” at the Convention of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages in Boston, Nov. 18–20. He also organized the “Inclusive Language in the German Classroom” session during the convention.

Dr. Rick Chamberlin, associate professor of German, French, and Global Studies, presented “How to Develop Global Learning in Times of Culture Wars (and COVID Shutdowns)” in a virtual session titled “Re-imagine Study Abroad: Achieving Intercultural Competence at Home/Abroad.” Chamberlin presented his paper as part of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages annual conference on Nov. 18, in Boston, Mass.

Dr. Helga McCullough, assistant professor of speech-language pathology, and Dr. Michelle Scesa, chair and assistant professor of communication sciences & disorders/speech-language pathology, will present “Exploring Undergraduate Speech-Language Pathology Students’ Perceptions in an Interprofessional Education Pilot Program with Nursing Students” with Libby Lucas ’21, M’22 (non-presenting author) at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association national convention in New Orleans, La., on Nov. 17. Additionally, Dr. McCullough will present “Quality of Life in Caregivers Affected by Parkinson’s Disease and Dysphagia” with Savannah Toth ’19, ’21, M’22 (non-presenting author) in a second session at the convention.

Dr. Can Bahadır Yüce, assistant professor of history, was a panelist at the Associated College Libraries of Central Pennsylvania (ACLCP) Conference, Censorship and Book Banning, in Harrisburg, on Nov. 2. Dr. Yüce discussed his time as the book review editor of Zaman newspaper in Turkey when it was seized and shut down by the Turkish government in 2016. Maureen Bentz, director of the Vernon and Doris Bishop Library, is ACLP’s chair.

Brandon Bauer ’24 (physics, math, and computer & data science) presented a poster, “Numerical Study of Single-Inclusive Longitudinal-Transverse Double-Spin Asymmetries in Electron-Nucleon and Proton-Proton Collisions,” at the APS Division of Nuclear Physics Meeting in New Orleans, LA.  The research was performed over the summer with Dr. Daniel Pitonyak, assistant professor of physics, and Cody Shay ’24 (physics) . The work was supported by Dr. Pitonyak’s National Science Foundation (NSF) grant.

Dr. Gary Grieve-Carlson, professor of English, presented “that fantastic condition of the human race when everything mattered” at the 13th annual “Re-Viewing: Exploring the History and Legacy of Black Mountain College” conference. UNC Asheville hosted the October 8 conference.

Dr. Jeff Robbins, professor of humanities, presented a paper, “After Apocalypse (Now): On the False Cinematic Promise of Penance,” at the opening session of an international conference in Rome sponsored by the Australian Catholic University, The Science and Research Center of Koper, and the University of Notre Dame.  The conference was organized as a forum for philosophical and theological reflections on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Ambassadors to the Vatican from Australia, Ghana, Slovenia, United States, and Ukraine were in attendance for Robbins’ presentation.

As a contributor to the book Transnational Migration, Diasporas, and Political Action, Dr. Gabriela McEvoy, chair of languages and professor of Spanish, participated in the book presentation at the Universidad del Salvador, Buenos Aires in Argentina on Sept. 30. The book was edited by Argentinean scholar Dr. María Eugenia Cruset.

Dr. McEvoy was also a keynote speaker at the Symposium in Irish Studies in South America, organized by the Asociación de Estudios Irlandeses del Sur, Cátedra Extracurricular de Estudios de Irlanda (Argentina), and the Associação Brasileira de Estudos Irlandeses (Brazil). She presented the paper, “Between abandonment and deception: Pull and push factors on Irish migrations.”

Dr. Ivette Guzmán-Zavala, professor of Spanish, and Giovanni “Gio” Negron-Garcia, associate director of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, were honored among the 2022 POWER 100 Who’s Who in Latino Pennsylvania. “This list of Latinas and Latinos represents diverse individuals making valuable contributions to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania… among the state’s most accomplished men and women in virtually every industry and profession.”

Dr. Guzmán-Zavala was recognized in the Education/Research/Academia category, while Negron-Garcia was acknowledged in the Emerging Leaders/10 Under 40 category. They and their fellow state leaders were honored during a live televised ceremony from the historic Miller Symphony Hall in Allentown on Sept. 30, that kicked off a convention to launch the PA Latino Convention. Dr. Guzmán-Zavala and Negron-Garcia also were invited speakers for the weekend convention. Negron-Garcia, who also serves as the Youth Leadership Coordinator for the PA Latino Convention, gave a State of Youth Address and facilitated a workshop on helping young men become effective community leaders.

Dr. Philip Benesch, chair of social sciences and associate professor of political science, presented a paper, “The Religious Neutrality Principle in the Governance of an Open Society,” at an international conference on noted philosopher Karl Popper. The conference, which featured presentations from scholars based in the U.S., United Kingdom, Austria, Germany, France, Poland, Israel, and Australia, was coordinated from the United Kingdom. Dr. Benesch, who is also LVC’s director of pre-law and external scholarships and fellowships programs, examined “Lockean and Rule of Law principles requiring the separation of church and state, and drew from these principles ethico-legal arguments for privacy and equality in adult consensual relations, and for abortion rights” in his paper and presentation.