Dr. Philip Tew, associate professor of finance, was interviewed for a feature article in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette about the mathematical unlikelihood of winning one of the major national lottery prizes. He also commented on the options a winner would have for selecting a payout method and managing proceeds. One of Tew's academic specialties is helping students understand how to make good decisions with their personal finances.

Congratulations to Dr. Myleea Hill, associate professor of strategic communication, whose article, "Who's in the picture: Comparing census data with newspaper coverage" was published in in Communication Teacher. The article outlines an exercise she developed with colleagues to teach content analysis in communications research, including agenda setting and portrayal of gender and diversity, by comparing census data and front page photographs from students' hometown newspapers.

Images by Andrew Ferguson, photographer in Marketing and Communications, have won four awards in the monthly contest conducted by the University Photographers' Association of America. In recent months he placed third and fifth, twice each, with entries in the "sports action" and "news and college life" categories of the national competition. Ferguson's work is featured on the A-State website, social media and marketing publications.

Dr. Tim Burcham, professor of agricultural engineering and dean, was interviewed by Arkansas Farm Bureau for an article regarding the use of drones in agriculture. The department has purchased a drone so students can learn more about their possible applications in agriculture. While privacy and personal safety concerns are critical, drones can quickly gather valuable data for livestock and crop producers, such as herd inventory and crop surveys.

Two recent A-State graduates are joining the Human Resources staff, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Human Resources Lori Winn announced. Madison Huey and Melody Rainwater will assist in management of the HR department, particularly as it relates to new employees. Huey, as operations manager, will develop and implement training programs for the campus and provide compliance data for government agencies. Rainwater will serve as applicant tracking coordinator, including overseeing recruitment of potential faculty and staff, as well as assisting with the application process and the online jobs system.

Thank you for reading "Inside A-State" each week for news and information about your faculty and staff colleagues. Article ideas are always welcome; please forward background information to the Marketing and Communications staff, news@astate.edu or call (870) 972-3820.