Dr. Fabricio Medina-Bolivar, professor of plant metabolic engineering, is the January Research Professor of the Month. Medina-Bolivar studies the medicinal properties of compounds produced from plants, such as peanuts. This new award is given monthly by the Faculty Research Award Committee to recognize scholarly, research or creative activity significant and relevant to the recipient's discipline at the national and international level. Program details are online; a video highlights Medina-Bolivar.

Dr. Michael Bowman, assistant professor in creative media production, is picking up new responsibilities as interim assistant dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Communication. Among his duties, he will direct Fowler Center, manage graduate student recruitment, serve as the college's liaison to A-State Online, and oversee outreach projects such as Communications Day and Delta Flix Film and Media Festival. Details are in the news release.

An article by Dr. Cheryl DuBose, program director and assistant professor of magnetic resonance imaging, is published in the latest Journal of International Students. In the article, titled "But I Don't Understand You: One Faculty's Observations of the Challenges Facing International Healthcare Students," she offers a commentary on her experiences and discusses faculty perceptions of challenges facing students who deal with communication and cultural differences.

Dr. Gabriel Tait, assistant professor of multimedia journalism production, has published five articles in the Encyclopedia of Christianity in the United States. Tait wrote about the church and its various communication advancements in developing denominational and non-denominational publishing houses as a means for specific church organizations to share their beliefs and teachings.  He also wrote an article on Bishop Morris Brown, founder of "Mother Emanuel" A.M.E. Church in Charleston, S.C.

Andrea Allen has been appointed deputy director of A-State's Delta Center for Economic Development. Previously she was the Delta Center's director of public affairs and special projects, and deputy chief of staff to U.S. Representative Rick Crawford prior to joining the university staff. In this role she will help support the Center's work on economic development opportunities for businesses and communities. Details are in a news release.