Dr. Fabricio Medina-Bolivar, professor of plant metabolic engineering, along with Dr. Tianhong Yang, a former molecular biosciences Ph.D. student, and a colleague from Indiana University have obtained a U.S. patent on “Stilbenoid prenyltransferases from plants.” With the protected technologies, bioactive compounds with potential benefits for human health can be produced in additional ways. The research was conducted at Arkansas Biosciences Institute with funding from USDA and ABI.

Dr. Xiuzhen Huang, professor of computer science, is inaugural director of the Center for No-Boundary Thinking. Other faculty members involved with the center, housed in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, include Dr. Jason Causey and Dr. Jake Qualls, assistant professors of computer science, and Dr. Emily Bellis, assistant professor of bioinformatics. The CNBT proposal was approved Friday by the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

Dr. Cameron Wimpy, assistant professor of political science, made two virtual co-presentations to the annual meeting of the Society for Political Methodology. The first represents the third stage in a long-term project aimed at more unification between all types of time series and spatial econometric models. The second examined pitfalls associated with the replicability crisis for social experiments, and how researchers often underutilize statistical power.

Dr. Robert (Drew) Fleming, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, is principal investigator in a project funded by the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). He will work with two national laboratories on development of anti-soiling coating technologies for solar photovoltaic modules. This will provide a more practical alternative for minimizing sunlight-blocking debris that makes the panels less efficient. His work was featured in The Jonesboro Sun.

Maj. Joseph Loar, professor of military science, was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel during a ceremony livestreamed today. A graduate of the University of Tennessee with a BA in history, Loar was commissioned as an infantry officer in 2005. He later earned a master’s in military arts and science with general studies and a focus in history from the Command and General Staff College. He came to A-State last year.