Congratulations to the following faculty for these awards and achievements!
Associate Professor Byron McKay (Technology and Workforce Learning)
Associate Professor Anuradha Ghosh (Biology) Kyule
Professor Alicia Mason (Communication / Spring 2024)
Assistant Professor Kristen Livingston (Communication / Spring 2025)
Assistant Professor Megan Westhoff (Communication / Spring 2025)
Assistant Instructional Professor David Weaver (Business)
Assistant Professor Shelby Hutchens (Health, Human Performance, and Recreation)
Adjunct Instructor Jamie Brooksher (Business)
Professor Mark Johnson (Excellence in Scholarly)
Professor Norm Philipp (Excellence in Teaching)
Associate Instructional Professor Traci Hughes (Excellence in Service)
Tim Dell (School of Automotive and Engineering Technology)
Greg Belcher (Kansas Center for Career and Technical Education)
Mark Johnson, reappointment (Kelce College of Business)
Doug Younger (Graphic Communications)
Khamis Siam, reappointment (Chemistry)
Casie Hermansson, reappointment (English & Modern Languages)
Cheryl Giefer, reappointment (Nursing)
Rebecca Butler (Math & Physics)
Todd Hastings (Music)
Associate Professor Alexander Binder (Business), Associate Professor Robin Blair (Psychology), Associate Professor Jason Clemensen (College of Education), and Professor Troy Comeau (Communications, English & Modern Languages), presented as a panel at the 2025 Academic Chairperson Conference in Indianapolis. Their presentation was called “Weathering Structural and Leadership Changes."
Professor Neil Snow co-authored a paper in the publication “Nature” updating the relationships of vascular plants. It was noteworthy because the sampling of nearly 8,000 genera was 15 times greater than any previous study. Reference: Zuntini, A.R., et al. 2024. Phylogenomics and the rise of the angiosperms.
Assistant Professor Mazeyar Parvinzadeh Gashti was given the Overall Winner Award in the Art of Science competition by PEEREF for an electron microscope image of Octa Calcium Phosphate microspheres grown in gelatin hydrogel by gel growth method. The image was from Gashti's postdoctoral studies at the University of Bern in Switzerland. The compound is a precursor to hydroxyapatite, a key inorganic component of bones and teeth, and is studied for bone tissue regeneration.
Assistant Professor Ken Ward was recognized as a 2025 Center for Community News Champion for his work growing university-led reporting programs in the region. He will receive a $1,000 reward, peer support, and coaching throughout the year from the Center based out of the University of Vermont.
Assistant Instructional Professor Kate Allred successfully defended her dissertation at Liberty University entitled "The integration of Diffusion of Innovation Through Information and Technology Utilized by Small Market TV Station Employees: A Qualitative Case Study" last semester, earning her doctorate.
Professor Phil Rudd earned the Kansas Seal of Literacy for having earned 80 percent or better on LETRS training. Associate Instructional Professor Lora Winters and Professor Janet Zepernick completed Unit 3 of LETRS training. Rudd also co-authored a paper that is being published as chapter nine in a Bloomsbury Publishing anthology titled Ecolinguistics, Social Justice and Sustainability: Voices from the Global South and had a paper accepted for a presentation at the 8th biennial Forging Linguistic Identities Conference at Towson University.
Associate Professor Rocky Restivo and Professor Rion Huffman were two of a select group of photographers from across the U.S. to have their photos accepted by PhotoSpiva, a juried exhibition that is the longest-running national competition of its kind. Of 833 submissions, only 105 photos were accepted. Restivo's, called “Kosher,” was taken during the university’s Travel Photography class in 2024. Huffman's, called "Castle," also was taken during the Travel Photography class in 2024. They will be displayed at Spiva Center for the Arts in Joplin until May 3.
Huffman also won a silver ADDY for a group of four black and white still life images taken in Porter Hall. The image group was named “PSU Art Department” and was meant to capture the stillness and rawness of the art department without students, faculty, or staff.
Professor Kyle Thompson has been named Director of the School of History, Philosophy, and Social Sciences on a permanent basis, effective March 3. In 2024, he was selected as interim director of HPSS after an internal search.
“Since then, he has provided excellent leadership within HPSS and as a member of the College of Arts & Sciences leadership team,” noted Dean Chris Childers. “Dr. Thompson has a fine record of teaching, research, and service, and will be an effective advocate for our HPSS programs.”
Professor Grant Moss served as editor for 2025 edition of “The Central States Report,” an online, peer-reviewed journal in his field. The 188-page volume centers on topics from pedagogy to K-20 articulation for World Languages. It was published and made available to the public in February.
Professor Myriam Krepps presented a paper in French "Traveling News: de la France aux Etats-Unis d’Amérique," during a special session with simultaneous translation into English at the Society for Global Nineteenth-Century Studies World Congress, hosted by the Global Studies Center, Gulf University for Science and Technology, in Kuwait City, Kuwait.
Assistant Professor Laurent Prétôt co-authored an article called "Challenges and promises of big team comparative cognition" that was published in the journal “Nature Human Behaviour.” (http://www.nature.com/authors/policies/embargo.html).