Present, Publish, and Produce: Spring 2023 Faculty Accomplishments

Curry faculty are dedicated educators and caring mentors to students as well as leading scholars, scientists, artists, and trailblazers in their disciplines. They are regularly published in notable academic publications, quoted as experts in the media, and applauded among peers at prestigious industry conferences.

This past spring semester, the following faculty honors include:

Dr. Jennifer Balboni, professor, Sociology and Criminal Justice, presented at the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, “The Steady Blue Wave Amidst Episodic Constitutional Tension: Progressive prosecutors hold their ground” with Fitchburg State colleague Randall Grometstein this past March in Washington D.C.

During spring break, Dr. Balboni, Dr. Willie Bradley, Dr. Stephanie Cappadona, Dr. Rebecca Kendall and Dr. Adam Stearn presented a panel at the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences on “Supporting Law Enforcement Health and Wellness.” The panel presented findings from several Master’s in Criminal Justice cohort projects from 2022, one of which surveyed law enforcement from across the Commonwealth about their thoughts on how to improve mental and physical health.

Kellie Cannon, senior lecturer, Writing Program, had five poems accepted to be published by Longleaf Press in a forthcoming anthology of military-related poetry on the theme of healing.

Dr. Benjamin J. Chicka, lecturer, Philosophy and Religious Studies Department, had his book Playing as Others: Theology and Ethical Responsibility in Video Games (Waco: Baylor University Press, 2021) reviewed in two academic journals: Brad D. Hickey. Christian Scholar’s Review 52, no. 2 (2023): 122-125. https://christianscholars.com/playing-as-others-theology-and-ethical-responsibility-in-video-games-2/ and Eddy Wu. Reading Religion Dec. 13, 2022. https://readingreligion.org/9781481315463/playing-as-others. A conference panel on the same book was announced as part of the 2023 Annual Meeting of the North American Paul Tillich Society. He was invited to present at the 50th Anniversary Conference of the Center for Process Studies: Celebrating the Past, Anticipating to the Future, and the Society for the Advancement of American Philosophy 50th Annual Meeting. Dr. Chicka was also elected to the Board of Directors for the Institute for American Religious and Philosophical Thought.

Dr. Tony Fabrizio, professor, School of Business and Computer Science, has been elected to The International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE) Board of Commissioners. The IACBE is a global programmatic accrediting agency recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

Dr. Laurie Fox, professor, Program for Advancement of Learning, published a book review in the spring journal The Educational Therapist, 44(1), on Flooded: A Brain Based Guide to Help Children Regulate Emotions by Allison Edwards.

Dr. Phil Hulbig, lecturer, Program for Advancement of Learning, gave the keynote address at the 6th International Academic Conference on Research this past March, presenting on Metacognition, Self-Authorship and Social Justice. In addition, he was asked to speak to the Brain, Neuroscience, and Education Special Interest Group of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) on The Implications of Neurological Research in Metacognition. Dr. Hulbig also presented on his upcoming book, “The Path to Self-Authorship and Transformational Learning” at the Curry Authors Event this past February. 

Dr. Gagan “Mia” Khera, professor, Psychology, was awarded a grant from the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI) to fund a research study, which will be the focus of her sabbatical this coming fall. Her study, officially titled, Changes in body image, disordered eating and identities among South Asian American women: A 25-year longitudinal study, includes help and support from Curry students.

Dr. Ann Marie Leonard-Zabel, professor, Psychology, presented at a variety of conferences, including the 18th National School Neuropsychology Conference, the Maine Association of School Psychologist Spring Conference, the National Covid Conference on Long Covid in Children and Youth-A Symposium for Professionals and Families on the Current State of Pediatric Long-Covid, and the Nordic Network on Disability Research (NNDR) 16th Biannual Conference. She was also recruited and appointed as Co-Chair for the Global Goodwill Ambassadors Foundation (GGAF) International Advocacy Committee on addiction and human rights, and was accepted into full membership by the Massachusetts Neuropsychology Society (MNS), which is reserved for those who have provided significant contributions in the field of Neuropsychology.

Julie Martini, assistant professor, Visual and Performing Arts, taught a new course, "Art in the Community," where Curry students had a hands-on learning experience that resulted in a six-week community art project. The project, which involved more than 60 QCARE (Quincy After School Child Care) children, was led by Curry students with different majors and minors, ranging from psychology and art therapy to studio arts.

James McCormack, associate lecturer, School of Business and Computer Science was featured in WalletHub's piece about the 0% APR business credit cards: https://wallethub.com/credit-cards/business-0-apr/#expert=James_McCormack.

Christopher McCusker, senior lecturer, School of Business and Computer Science, completed a redesign of the Dig Safe System logo and marketing campaign, found on the backs of almost all public utility vehicles in New England - as well as on billboards and aerial advertising over Fenway Park and Gillette Stadium.

Dr. Samantha Sawyer, assistant professor, Department of Science and Mathematics, became board certified as a Member by the American Board of Forensic Entomology (ABFE). She completed a 12-hour exam that evaluated her background knowledge of the discipline of forensic entomology, and taxonomic skills, as well as case assessments. Dr. Sawyer is now one of just 23 ABFE certified entomologists in North America.

Dr. Ishani Tewari, associate professor, School of Business and Computer Science, presented her work on embedding current events in the economics curriculum at two conferences: the National Economics Teaching Association Conference and the St. Louis Fed’s Professors Conference. This work was developed in the Summer of 2022 when she participated in a workshop on Team-Based Learning, which is part of a large-scale agenda funded by a large-scale NSF grant to stimulate innovation in economics teaching.