By Kat Meads
Lecturer Christine Di Salvo, School of Journalism and Mass Communications, and Lecturer Richard Larson, Department of Nutrition, Food Science, and Packaging, received Student Athlete Advisory Committee Faculty Awards in recognition of their dedication to educating Spartan student athletes. They were presented their awards during halftime ceremonies at this year’s Homecoming game, October 17.
Professor Emeritus Larry Gerston, Department of Political Science, made his “first foray into kid lit,” according to the San Jose Mercury News, with the publication of “The Road to Hana” (Llumina Kids, 2015), a Maui-based adventure. Gerston told reporter Sal Pizarro that it was a book “written for children but intended for adults.” Sharing a name: Gerston’s granddaughter and the book’s main character, Gia.
Associate Professor Jonathan Hendricks, Department of Geology, co-authored “The Digital Atlas of Ancient Life: Delivering Information on Paleontology and Biogeography,” published in Palaeontologia Electronica. The Digital Atlas of Ancient Life project, supported by the National Science Foundation, is a webpage and mobile app that draws on data derived from almost 450,000 museum specimens and helps the curious identify various fossils. www.digitalatlasofancientlife.org
Alumna and Lecturer Leslie Jacoby, Department of English and Comparative Literature, was one of sixteen educators who participated in the 2015 National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Seminar “The Irish Sea Cultural Province: Crossroads of Medieval Literature and Languages.” The five-week program took place in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man. Jacoby’s research interests include medieval studies, children’s literature and art history.
Professor Alan Soldofsky, director of the creative writing program in the College of Humanities and the Arts, participated in Cupertino’s “Out of Our Minds” poetry and literature on Nov. 11. He read from his poetry collection, “In the Buddha Factory” and also shared a few new poems on the show that was aired on KKUP 91.5 FM. Listen to the show online.
The Alzheimer’s Association awarded Associate Professor Van Ta, Department of Health Science and Recreation, a $150,000 grant over three years to conduct research on “Culturally Tailored Programs to Reduce Stress Among Vietnamese Caregivers.” Ta is one of two researchers to receive the 2015 Mentored New Investigator Research Grant to Promote Diversity. She is chair of the Faculty Diversity Committee and last year received the College of Applied Sciences and Arts Committee to Enhance Equity and Diversity Faculty Award.
The Washington Post called on Professor and Chair Lawrence Quill, Department of Political Science, to clarify the differences between communism, socialism, capitalism and democratic socialism after Donald Trump branded Bernie Sanders a “socialist-slash-communist” following the first Democratic presidential debate. A 2015 visiting fellow at the Center for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities, Wolfson College, Cambridge University, Quill is the author, most recently, of “Secrets and Democracy: From Arcana Imperii to WikiLeaks” (Palgrave Macmillan).
iSchool Lecturer Patty Wong, who also serves as county librarian and chief archivist of the Yolo County Library, received the 2015 Chinese American Library Association’s Distinguished Service Award in honor of her outstanding leadership, distinguished service and achievement in the field of library science. She is running for the office of treasurer of the American Librarian Association for the 2016-2019 term.