Researchers in the College of Engineering and Computer Science have analytically demonstrated a route to enhanced radiation pressure reversal in nanoparticle arrays. The team, led by Dr. Brandon Kemp (left), professor of electrical engineering, includes Christopher Jones and Cheyenne Sheppard, instructors of electrical engineering. Their results, published in Optical Engineering, represent a step toward designing nanostructured materials and surfaces for enhanced optical propulsion due to electron ejection toward the light source.

Dr. Carmen Williams, assistant professor of English, will speak Monday for the Central Arkansas Library System’s Women’s History Month webinar series. Drawing on her dissertation, in which she examines African American Arkansans’ impact on the state’s image in their literature, she will focus on how women writers have documented strategies for placemaking, the assertion of safety and belonging within otherwise hostile environments. Details are online.

Dr. Gregory Hansen, professor of folklore and English, is the author of an article recently published in issue 10 of the 2020 publication of the Journal of Ethnic American Literature. The article, "Delta Origins and Blues: Legends and Legendry in History and Scholarship,” is based on the presentation he made at a conference of the International Society for Contemporary Legend Research. Hansen serves as chair of the Delta Symposium Committee.

Melissa Wilkinson, associate professor of art, served as juror for the annual Juried Tech Student Competitive at Arkansas Tech University. A total of 51 artworks, including sculpture, printmaking, painting and new media, were chosen to be in the exhibition. Wilkinson selected five entries for best in show and merit awards, judging on craftsmanship, seriousness and commitment by the 25 students whose works she assessed.

Northeast Arkansas was one of the regions of the country that experienced record harsh winter weather conditions in February. Dr. Than Boves, associate professor of wildlife ecology, was interviewed by a local television station last week regarding the extreme weather’s likely impact on wildlife. Boves noted several straight days of below-freezing temperatures left some animals, like birds, struggling to meet basic needs. The interview is online.