Congratulations to Dr. Amy R. Pearce, professor of psychology, and president of the campus chapter of the honor society of Phi Kappa Phi. The group has been selected as a Circle of Excellence Platinum Chapter, the highest-level commendation from the national organization. The award recognizes quality chapter operations, sustainability and vitality. A-State was one of only 32 Platinum Chapters named nationally. Details are online.

Dr. Edward Salo, assistant professor of history, has been named to the editorial board of Sequentials, a journal that examines scholarship conveyed through comics. The journal, based at the University of Florida, publishes comics-form interpretations and expressions of academic subjects. These scholarly works are drawn and explained through the comics medium, rather than text-based scholarship about comics.

Dr. Jianfeng (Jay) Xu, research associate professor of biochemical engineering, and Dr. Brett Savary, research professor of biopolymer chemistry, co-published a research article in the peer-reviewed journal Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology. Dr. Ningning Zhang, former molecular biosciences doctoral student co-advised by Xu and Savary, is lead author. Their article reports Arkansas Biosciences Institute research on enzyme technology, used to produce functional food products from plant fiber, that may benefit consumers’ gut health. The research was sponsored by a grant from USDA-NIFA’s Agricultural and Food Research Initiative.

Dr. Gil Fowler, professor of strategic communication and graduate program director, recently was selected "Volunteer of the Year" by the Arkansas Employee Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) organization. Active in the organization since 2004, Fowler serves as the Northeast Arkansas chair for the state ESGR. He was selected for his efforts in support of ESGR's work to recognize the importance of the citizen-soldier in various communities.

Dr. Bill Stroud, professor of geography, has been invited to make a presentation for the session titled “Climate Action Planning and Justice” during the upcoming annual meeting of the American Association of Geographers in Denver.  He will examine some of the consequences associated with the subdivision and development of land in vulnerable and inappropriate locations along Florida’s southwest coastal zone.