March 2009 Faculty Roundup

Dr. Eirini Gouleta, Assistant Professor of Education, presented two papers, “Bilingual Education in China: The Tibetan Experience” and “Quality Assurance: Student Learning Outcomes in Teacher Education” at the National Association for Bilingual Education Conference.

Dr. Deborah Harris-O’Brien, Associate Professor of Psychology, and Dr. Stacey Baugh, Assistant Professor of Psychology, presented at the Eastern Psychological Association Conference held in Pittsburgh.  Their presentation was part of  the “Teaching of Psychology” session, in which they discussed adapting a psychology course as a Critical Reading Seminar, one of Trinity’s requirements in its General Education Requirements for the College of Arts and Sciences.

Dr. Liliana Losada, Clare Boothe Luce Assistant Professor of Biology,  has received a highly prestigious American Association for the Advancement of Science and Technology Fellowship, a distinction earned through a rigorous application process.  The American Association for the Advancement of Science, which publishes the journal Science, serves 262 organizations globally and is the world’s largest scientific society.  The program in which Dr. Losada will participate has the goals of involving scientists and engineers in policy making and having policymakers become more knowledgeable about scientific issues.  Dr. Losada will work in the area of bioterrorism and will participate in the program through work in one of the relevant agencies (Defense, Homeland Security, or the Federal Bureau of Investigation) during the 2009-2010 academic year.  Additionally, Dr. Losada presented two papers on Aspergillus fumigatos at the 25th Fungal Genetics Conference:  “Construction of a Gene Replacement Resource for Aspergillus fumigatus using MultiSite Gateway Pro Technology” and “Killing of Aspergillus funigatus conidia and germlings by Phagocytic Cells is Dependent on Initial Cell to Cell Adherence.”  She published an article in Medical Mycology about secondary metabolites in A. fumigatos:  “Effect of Competition on the Production and Activity of Secondary Metabolites in Aspergillus Species.”  Among the piece’s co-authors is Olufinmiloa Ajayi, a graduate of Trinity’s Biology program.

Dr. Robert Maguire, Assistant Professor of International Affairs, discussed the complex issues surrounding Haiti at the invitation of The Cabral/Truth Circle, a combination film festival and book club that focuses on the history and political movements of Africa and the African Diaspora. “Haiti in the Next Administration: Infrastructure, Debt, Food Crisis, Organic Democracy” was the theme of the March Cabral/Truth Circle at which Dr. Maguire was the featured panelist.  Dr. Maguire also has had an article published in FOCALPoint, a monthly news brief on developments in Latin American and the Caribbean published by the Canadian Foundation for the Americas, arguably Canada’s leading think tank on Latin America and the Caribbean.

Dr. Deonne Minto, Assistant Professor of English, presented her paper “Passing on Canada’s Color Line in Tessa McWatt’s Out of My Skin” at the American Comparative Literature Association meeting held at Harvard University.  Dr. Minto’s paper was part of a seminar entitled “Transnational Encounters: Twentieth Century Writers in Dialogue,” and she joined distinguished scholars from the University of Pennsylvania, Purdue University, and the University of Minnesota in presenting her work during this session.

Dr. Minerva San Juan, Associate Professor of Philosophy, was interviewed on Radio America regarding President Obama’s executive order on embryonic stem cell research.  Dr. San Juan has been featured several times on Radio America, most recently as a Spanish-speaking expert on bioethics.

Dr. Sharon Shafer’s paper, “The Women of Tin Pan Alley” has been selected for presentation at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference of the College Music Society, to be held March 20-21 at George Mason University.  Dr. Shafer is Professor Emerita of Music.