Faculty and staff sketches

November 12, 2024 (Volume 48, Number 6)

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Leanne Kang, associate professor of literacy, educational foundations and technology, gives a presentation about research and oral histories of former GRPS students, staff and faculty at a community event. The project was funded by the Kutsche Office of Local History.

Faculty and staff members who have given presentations, were recognized for outstanding contributions or had their research published are detailed below. The campus community can submit a sketch online for future publication. 

In the News
Donald Zinman, professor of political science, was interviewed by WXYZ-TV for a panel discussion, "Inside Michigan's African American Vote Special."

Whitt Kilburn, associate professor of political science, was interviewed by WOOD-TV for a story about Kent County voters shifting away from a reliable GOP stronghold; and by MLive for a story about what a Harris loss means for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's presidential chances.

Polly Diven, professor of political science, was interviewed by the South China Morning Post for a story about U.S. foreign policy and the presidential election.

Linda Lewandowski, dean of the Kirkhof College of Nursing, was interviewed by WOOD-TV for a story about the partnership with Muskegon Community College and Trinity Health Muskegon Hospital.

Sketches
Leanne Kang, associate professor of literacy, educational foundations and technology, gave a presentation, "Grand Rapids Public Schools Uncovered: Oral History as Podcasts," at the "Community Historians: Telling the GRPS Story Together" event, hosted by the Grand Rapids African American Museum and Archives. Kang recorded interviews of former students, staff and faculty who studied or worked in GRPS from 1968-present and turned the oral histories into podcasts. This project was sponsored and funded by GVSU's Kutsche Office of Local History.

Custodians Amanda Robinson and Mark Sokolowski are finalists for the Academy of Cleaning Excellence's Rock Star Custodian Award. Voting for finalists runs through December 31. The awards recognize custodians based on the "Rock Star Custodian" program, which outlines nine personality traits of a standout individual in the industry. 

Al Steinman, the Allen and Helen research professor at the Annis Water Resources Institute, was a co-author of an article, "Assessing Policy Drivers and Barriers for Sustainable Groundwater Management in Michigan,” published in the Michigan Journal of Public Affairs. 

Adrienne Wallace, associate professor for advertising and public relations, was a recipient of the 2024 Outstanding Book Award from the National Communication Association Public Relations Division's PRIDE Committee for her book, "Strategic Social Media as Activism." Wallace also gave three presentations at the AEJMC Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, earning third place for Top Teaching Papers and second place in the Great Ideas for Teaching category. 

John Weber, professor of geology, and Korean colleagues were co-authors of an article, "Geomorphic Indices for Unveiling Fault Segmentation and Ttectono-geomorphic Evolution with Insights into the Impact of Inherited Topography, Ulsan Fault Zone, Korea," published in the EGUsphere journal. Weber was a co-author of an article, "Testing Molecular Date Estimates Using an Ecological and Vicariant Case Study in Treefrogs: The Geological-Ecological Molecular Calibration," published in the Journal of Biogeography.

Adeline Borti, assistant professor of English, gave a presentation, "Using Tenets Of Positioning Theory To Examine Complex Interactions Of A Professional Literacy Learning Collaborative," at the Positioning Theory Conference at the University of Eastern Finland.

Jeffrey Potteiger, interim dean of the College of Health Professions, was named associate editor-in-chief of scientific integrity for the Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise journal.

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Faculty & Staff Sketches