Dr. Donghoon Kim, assistant professor of computer science, was selected to participate with the LP (learning and prediction) team on a National Science Foundation grant to the Arkansas Economic Development Commission. The five-year project is titled “Data Analytics that are Robust and Trusted (DART): From Smart Curation to Socially Aware Decision Making.” Kim's research will involve development of novel approaches, using "deep learning," for malware classification.

Nikki Arnell, associate professor of graphic design, made a virtual presentation on "Keeping Creatives Creative" to the American Advertising Federation chapter last month in Houston. Other chapters in Louisiana, Arkansas, Florida and Texas have asked for this presentation, a favorite in previous years, and this version is updated for working under pandemic safety precautions. She also was included in the group's podcast series the previous week.

A proposal by Dr. Philip Tew, associate professor of finance, has been approved for an $8,000 grant from the Kays Foundation to expand the A-State Scarlet to Black Program, a financial literacy initiative that began in 2018. The grant will enable Scarlet to Black to partner with the H.O.W.L. Transition Program and develop a peer-to-peer financial counseling and mentoring program to benefit its students.

Dr. Aiqun Hu, associate professor of history, recently published a Chinese translation of an 2017 address by professor Patrick Manning when he was president of the American Historical Association. The address was titled “Inequality: A Historical and Disciplinary Approach.” Her translation was published in in the Chinese journal Academic Forum. The topic of the address, previously published in the American Historical Review, is often examined in China.

Emily Devereux, executive director, Research and Technology Transfer, presented a session, "PUI to a Carnegie Research Intensive Classification: Strategic Initiatives for Administrative Capacity and Institutional Commitment" for the National Council of University Research Administrators (NCURA) meeting, held virtually this year. She also co-presented an advance session with the University of South Carolina, "Innovations in Pre-Award." Devereux is immediate past chair of NCURA Region III.