Faculty and staff sketches

March 26, 2024 (Volume 47, Number 15)

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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
Vijay Bhuse, associate professor of computing, was interviewed by WOOD-TV for a story about the cybersecurity hack at Change Healthcare, which impacted delivery of prescriptions at pharmacies.

George Lundskow, professor of sociology, was interviewed by the Idaho Statesman for a story about a legislative bill in Idaho to restrict obscene library materials linked to conspiracy theories.

Al Shifflett, director of community engagement for the Battle Creek Regional Outreach Center, was featured in Scene Magazine with other inductees who will enter the Battle Creek Central High School of Fame. Shifflett was lauded for his leadership and service to the community.

Cindy Brown, employment development manager, Career Center, and Shannon Owen, director of the Northern Michigan programs, were interviewed by the Traverse City Record Eagle for a story about an etiquette dinner for GVSU students. 

Azizur Molla, professor of public health, was interviewed by WZZM-TV for a story about safety tips for residents impacted by the boil water advisory in Grand Rapids.

Amber Dierking, arts and humanities liaison librarian, was interviewed by News Is Out for a story about co-founding the Queer Liberation Library. 

Jonathan Brignall, assistant professor of accounting, was interviewed by FOX 17, for a story about taxes, extension deadlines and other tax tips.

Sketches
Jakia Marie, assistant professor of interdisciplinary studies and coordinator for African and African American Studies, received the Mary McLeod Bethune & Carter G. Woodson Award for Outstanding Service from the National Council for Black Studies. Marie was also included in the "30 Under 40 Sawubona Class" from the Pan African Network of ACPA. The class recognizes the work of individuals of African heritage who embody one or more of the Pan African Network core values: advocacy, campus partnerships, civic engagement, mentorship, programming, and research and scholarship.

Shontaye Witcher, assistant vice president for Student Affairs, Equity, and Accessibility, will receive the Fair Housing Award for "Outstanding Effort by an Individual" from the Fair Housing Center of West Michigan at the organization's annual workshop in mid-April. The award is presented to people who have raised awareness and demonstrated leadership in the community about fair housing. Witcher will also join the center's board of directors.

GVSU was selected as one of the "Most Promising Places to Work in Student Affairs" by Diverse Issues in Higher Education and ACPA-College Student Educators International. Awardees were considered for workplace diversity, staffing practices, and work environment. Jenny Hall-Jones, vice president for Student Affairs, and Robin Burris, executive assistant to the vice president, accepted the award as a "Most Promising Place to Work in Student Affairs." 

Al Steinman, the Allen and Helen Hunting Research Professor at the Annis Water Resources Institute, was named the 2024 recipient of the Niles R. Kevern Lifetime Achievement Award from the Michigan Chapter of the North American Lake Management Society. The award will be presented in October during the organization's convention.

Katherine Moran, associate professor of nursing, gave a presentation, "The Enduring Relationship that Transformed the Nursing Workforce throughout the McLaren Health Care System," at the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Doctoral Education Conference in Naples, Florida.

Nursing faculty members Katherine Moran, Amy Manderscheid and Dianne Conrad (retired) gave a presentation, "Using the Actualized DNP Model to Understand Why DNP Outcomes are Difficult to Capture," at the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Doctoral Education Conference in Naples, Florida.

Amy Manderscheid, acting dean and associate professor of nursing, gave a presentation, "Empowering Graduate Student Leaders to Embrace Courage, Commitment, Accountability and Advocacy for the Nursing Profession," at the Michigan Council of Nurse Practitioners Annual Conference in Grand Rapids.

Zach DeBruine, assistant professor of computing, has an AI featured project, "Non-negative Matrix Factorization of 28 Million Single-cell Transcriptomes," hosted by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, part of the Human Cell Atlas project, that learns signatures of gene activities and cell states underlying complex human biology.

Computing faculty members Chirag Parikh and Christian Trefftz, and student Pratik Shrestha gave a presentation, "Accelerating the Execution of the Partition Problem on PYNQ FPGA Platform," at the International Conference on Computer Applications in Industry and Engineering.

Blake Ashby, professor of engineering, and Gordon Alderink, retired faculty of physical therapy, were authors of a book, Clinical Kinesiology and Biomechanics - A Problem-Based Learning Approach, published by Springer.

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Faculty & Staff Sketches