Congratulations to Dr. Robert (Drew) Fleming, assistant professor mechanical engineering, whose proposal to the National Science Foundation’s Partnerships for Innovation (PFI) has been funded for approximately $120,000. He will be co-principal investigator for a broader project led by a University of Arkansas professor. Working with Hytrol Conveyor Inc. as an industrial partner, Fleming will investigate low-friction durable coatings to improve conveyor belt energy efficiency.

An article co-authored by Dr. Jordan Butcher, assistant professor of political science, has been accepted for publication by the Journal of Women, Politics, & Policy. The article, “Legislating as Your Full Self: Queer Women of Color in U.S. State Legislatures,” notes that state legislatures are a pipeline to higher office, and the authors’ analysis may provide a glimpse into this group’s future in higher office.

An article co-authored by Dr. Neal Ternes, assistant professor of sport management, was published in the fall edition of the Columbia Journal for Law and the Arts. The authors detail how hastily crafted policies covering new rules for athlete name, image and likeness (NIL) policies at colleges and universities may run afoul of First Amendment doctrine. A follow-up article was published in The Conversation.

Tabatha Simpson-Farrow, director, Writing Center, co-authored a chapter in the book Emotions and Affect in Writing Centers. Simpson-Farrow’s work examines how campus writing centers connect to outside stakeholders, including research participants, faculty and upper administration. She and her co-authors highlight how the embodied qualities of emotions and affect resonate outwards, impacting not only their everyday work but also their research relationships and interactions with others.

Dr. Philip Tew, associate professor of finance, and director, Scarlet to Black, along with his associates in the financial literacy program, have been invited to make presentations at the Virginia Business Educators Association Conference in July. Tew and three financial wellness interns, Melanie Ricker, an MPA student, Alexus Leonard, an MA student, and Hailey Hawkins, a business management major, will discuss their experiences with the peer-to-peer program.