Dr. Travis Marsico, vice provost for research, innovation and discovery, and executive director, Arkansas Biosciences Institute, is a member of the Innovation-Led Future Advisory Group that helped guide development of a new Arkansas Research Alliance (ARA) report. The ARA identifies seven growth opportunity areas where Arkansas’ research assets and expertise at its universities match with the state’s industrial needs and innovation drivers. Dr. Todd Shields, chancellor, serves on the ARA Board of Trustees.

Dr. Amanda Carpenter (left), assistant professor of public health and program director, and Dr. Cameron Wimpy (right), associate professor of political science and department chair, recently authored two book chapters in Springer Nature Press. The chapters appear in the book titled Pandemic Resilience: Vaccination Resistance and Hesitance, Lessons  from COVID-19. Their research focuses on the politicization of the pandemic and vaccine rates among rural and minority populations. 

Research by Dr. Chiqian Zhang, assistant professor of civil engineering, has been published in a top-tier journal, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. Zhang received the 2024 Nathan Deutsch Faculty Development Endowment Fund from A-State to conduct this work. He and his graduate assistant, Kainat Rahnuma, concluded the benefit of hydrothermal treatment to enhance performance of anaerobic digestion, a means for treating organic-rich wastes, cannot be offset by increased methane production.

Dr. Erin Cameron, assistant professor of clarinet, presented the premiere of Moons Over Spires of Echo-9 at the International Clarinet Association ClarinetFest Conference in Dublin. The space-themed work was written for her by composer Chelsea Komschlies. She also helped adjudicate the International High School Clarinet Competition, and performed with the Professors’ Clarinet Choir and Sinéad’s Choir, a bass clarinet ensemble presenting works by Sinéad O’Connor. Cameron serves as International Clarinet Association state chair.

Rachel Boillot, assistant professor of art, will be a panelist Thursday evening, Aug. 29, at the Delta Cultural Center in Helena. The center is opening a new exhibit on the early 20th century photography of Otis Noel Pruitt. Boillot, who has an interest in large format photography, and the other panelists will discuss Pruitt’s body work, which explores race relations, and issues of class, gender and religion in the South.