Dr. Myleea Hill (left), professor, and Catherine Bahn (right), instructor, strategic communication, received the top extended abstract award for their research presented to the media and history session of the Southwest Symposium of the Southwest Education Council for Journalism and Mass Communication (SWECJMC) meeting at A-State. Hill also presented on innovative pedagogical approaches. Dr. Po-Lin Pan, professor of communication and SWECJMC president, and Dr. Jill Simons, interim department chair, welcomed 40 scholars from 11 states.

Dr. Than Boves, professor of avian ecology and director of the graduate program in biology, and doctoral student Alix Matthews were interviewed by AY magazine for their observations and opinion on the status of the ivory-billed woodpecker. Ornithologists have searched in recent years for the famous bird, without success. After spending lots of observation time in likely ivory-bill habitat, Boves and Matthews believe the bird is most likely extinct.

Several current and former faculty members in music and biological sciences performed with the Delta Symphony Orchestra in its annual Holiday Concert. Dr. Neale Bartee, emeritus professor of music, is conductor of the orchestra, now in its 50th season. Juli Buxbaum, Heather Coleman, Bruce Faske, Alaina Graiser, Brian Graiser, Kristin Leitterman, Tanja McKay and Nairam Simoes were joined by emeriti faculty Dale Clark and Craig Collison in the concert for a very appreciative crowd in Fowler Center’s Riceland Hall. Also, Erin Cameron, Ed Owen, Faske, and emeritus Robin Dauer performed in three "Home for the Holidays" concerts with the Arkansas Symphony in Little Rock.

A paper by Dr. Hrishikesh (Hrish) Desai, assistant professor of accounting and director of the Master of Accounting degree program, has been published in The International Journal of Digital Accounting Research. In the article, Desai discusses the relevant aspects of blockchain, or distributed ledger technology, that need to be infused into both accounting curricula and the practice domains of accounting, tax and audit services.

Dr. Angelo Brown, assistant professor of criminology, presented his research on new Arkansas laws that were enacted this year to combat crime, especially drug-related cases, to the Southwestern Association of Criminal Justice meeting in Little Rock. Brown analyzed the implications of the new state laws, including his comparison of current crime-fighting strategies to prior law enforcement efforts toward fighting drug-related crime.