Dr. Anahita Izadyar, associate professor of chemistry, is principal investigator for a research project funded by Arkansas Biosciences Institute. The goal is development of a fast, sensitive and reliable biosensor for detecting glucose. She and her colleagues have introduced a novel enzymatic biosensor using recombinant plant-produced manganese peroxidase (PPMP), a corn enzyme produced in the lab of Dr. Elizabeth Hood, co-PI.

Dr. Manu Bhandari, associate professor of strategic communication, is lead author of the first-place paper in an Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) division competition. Dr. Po-Lin Pan, professor of strategic communication, is a co-author. Their paper, in the advertising division, examines the effects of brand feedback, such as businesses’ response to consumer reviews, and product price on brand attitudes and purchase intentions.

Dr. Tim Oliver, professor of music and director of bands, has been elected vice president of the seven-state Southwestern Division of the College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA), beginning in February 2021. CBDNA is considered the premier professional organization for collegiate band directors. The multi-year commitment will lead to terms as president-elect and then president for Oliver, an A‑State faculty member since 2007.

Emily Devereux, executive director, Research and Technology Transfer, recently received the 2020-21 outstanding doctoral student award from the College of Business and Public Management at West Chester University. The award ceremony, originally set to take place in April, was rescheduled and held virtually in May. A candidate for a doctoral degree in public administration, Devereux is set to graduate in December.

Dr. Norman Stafford, emeritus professor of English, recently was elected to serve as chair of the Arkansas State University Museum Advisory Council. The council, comprised of community and area volunteers, assists with public events that draw large number of visitors, and meets quarterly to provide input to the Museum staff. Stafford served on faculty from 1977 until his retirement in 2008.