Faculty honors, publications, presentations

HONORS

Jennifer Behney, assistant professor of World Languages and Cultures, received the Ed Allen Award for Outstanding College World Language Instructor at the Ohio Foreign Language Association Conference in Columbus. The award is given for innovative contributions to world language teaching, outstanding service to the profession and success in expanding/maintaining enrollment in world language. The award is named for the late Edward D. Allen, emeritus professor at Ohio State University. 

Betty Jo Licata, dean of the Williamson College of Business Administration, was appointed chair of the International Continuous Improvement Review Committee of the American Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. CIRC oversees processes for continuation of business accreditation. As chair, Licata also serves on the Business Accreditation Policy Committee, which oversees policy related to AACSB business accreditation and quality assurance services. Licata joined YSU as dean of the Williamson College of Business Administration in 1995. Also, Licata recently received the Parker McHenry Board Excellence Award from the United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley. She was presented the award at the United Way’s annual meeting in April.

Alicia Prieto Langarica, associate professor of Mathematics, is the new associate director of the Mathematical Association of America’s Project NExT, New Experiences in Teaching. The project is a professional development program for new or recent PhDs in the mathematical sciences. Since 1994, Project NExT has named more 1,700 Fellows, including Prieto.

Victoria Kress, professor of Counseling and coordinator of Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Addiction Counseling programs, has been named one of the 2019 American Counseling Association Fellows, the highest honor from the ACA. The award was presented at the 2019 ACA Conference in New Orleans. Kress also was elected president of the Association for Humanistic Counseling, a division of ACA. Kress will serve on the AHC Executive Board in the following capacities: 2019-20 president-elect, 2020-21 president and 2021-22 past-president. 

Crystal Growth & Design journal has identified Doug Genna, right, assistant professor of Organic Chemistry, as one of the nation’s 25 Emerging Investigators. Genna is featured in a special virtual issue of the journal. "Our emerging authors are clearly the next line of excellent science and application,” said Robin D. Rogers, editor of CGD. Appearing in the special issue is an article co-authored by Genna and titled, “Ion-Directed Synthesis of Indium-Derived 2,5-Thiophenedicarboxylate Metal-Organic Frameworks: Tuning Framework Dimensionality.” Genna studied at Haverford College, Johns Hopkins University and the University of Michigan before joining the YSU faculty in 2014. 

PUBLICATIONS

Amanda L. Roby, associate professor of Respiratory Care and Polysomnography, recently published a chapter on surfactant replacement therapy in the newly released textbook, Foundations in Neonatal and Pediatric Respiratory Care. In addition, Roby has passed the Sleep Disorders Specialist exam of the National Board of Respiratory Care, one of only 724 practitioners nationwide to earn the credential. Beyond her respiratory therapy credentials, this makes the third credential (RPSGT, RST and RRT-SDS) that she has acquired specific to sleep medicine. 

Nicole Pettitt, assistant professor of Linguistics/TESOL in the Department of English, is the author of “Weaving Reciprocity in Research With(in) Immigrant and Refugee Communities,” a chapter in the new book Critical Reflections on Research Methods: Power and Equity in Complex Multilingual Contexts. Drawing on insights from a three-year ethnography of refugee-background women and their experiences learning English, the chapter reflects on the possibilities and limits of reciprocity as Pettitt attempts to disrupt power imbalances inherent in research with minoritized communities.

To Banquet with the Ethiopians: A Memoir of Life Before the Alphabet, written and narrated by English Professor Philip Brady, is now available as an audiobook. In addition, Brady is featured in the latest issue of the Kenyon Review. Brady, director of the YSU Poetry Center and Etruscan Press, is the recipient of several honors throughout his career, including the Ohioana Poetry Award, the Governor’s Award and six individual Artists Awards from the Ohio Arts Council. His most recent book is a collection of essays, Phantom Signs: The Muse in Universe City. 

Monica Merrill, assistant professor of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences, is the co-author of "Unraveling the Intersecting Meanings of Interpersonal Violence: The Embodiment of Gender and Race in Attributions and Characterizations of Violence" in the journal Deviant Behavior. She also recently presented “Domestic Violence Deaths: An Examination of Recording Practices by State” at the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences conference in Baltimore.

PRESENTATIONS

The Dana Piano Trio, consisting of three faculty members in the Dana School of Music, performed at Carnegie Hall in March as part of the year-long celebration of Dana’s 150th anniversary. The trio includes pianist Cicilia Yudha, associate professor; cellist Kivie Cahn-Lipman, assistant professor; and violinist Joseph Kromholz, assistant professor.

Jim Benedict, assistant professor of Physical Therapy, presented a peer-reviewed educational session titled “How Physical Therapists Can Support Pro Bono Global Health for Local Vulnerable Populations” at the American Physical Therapy Association’s Combined Sections Meeting in Washington D.C. The session was sponsored by the Section on Health Policy and Administration. Benedict is executive director of the Centofanti Comprehensive Health Center in Youngstown, a collaboration with the YSU Bitonte College of Health and Human Services and the Midlothian Free Health Clinic.