Faculty Spotlight

PROFESSOR ERIN SHUFRO JOINS BOARD OF REGENTS’ FACULTY HALL OF FAME

Erin Shufro wears more than a few hats at GHC. She works in the School of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). She is Chair of Physical Sciences. She teaches as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry. And she is a research advisor to students.

More than that, she is committed to providing access to higher education through high-quality, no-cost learning materials.

For these reasons and many more, Shufro has been selected as the recipient of the 2022 Felton Jenkins, Jr. Hall of Fame Faculty Award for the University System of Georgia (USG).

This prestigious Board of Regents’ system-wide award is highly selective and recognizes a total of three individuals each year for “a strong commitment to teaching and student success.”

The committee noted: “Professor Erin Shufro of Georgia Highlands College developed high quality, no-cost learning materials for her chemistry students at Georgia Highlands College and then found a way to share them with all science students at the college. In the classroom, she manifests a remarkable commitment to creating multiple learning opportunities in the classroom and in the larger community.”

Shufro is no stranger to going above and beyond in helping students at GHC take on undergrad research opportunities with hands-on training in STEM fields.

Through a partnership with the Lake Allatoona Association, Shufro helped students across multiple areas assume undergraduate research projects with a broader scope not tied to a specific course.

“We are accepting all students who want to participate in undergraduate research no matter what their background,” Shufro said. “I want all our students to experience the fun of research and gain the skills that we can teach them.”

One such student was Muhammad Hanzala, who Shufro mentored as a research advisor. His undergraduate chemistry research on the chemicals used in fragrances went on to receive national attention and publication in the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) Proceedings Journal.

Hanzala’s road from research to publication began during his Chemistry 1 class with Shufro.

“Professor Shufro and I were looking for research projects to do, and I noticed at my work that the amount of pentane, an expensive chemical, being used in fragrances was excessive,” Hanzala said.

Hanzala said after discovering the problem, he and Shufro brought the method to GHC labs, refined it and made it cost effective, successfully reducing the price of an extraction. “One of the most important things that GHC has is very easy access to brilliant professors who are always ready to guide and connect with me,” Hanzala said. “Throughout the research, the practice for presentation and the effort to submitting the research for publication, I always felt like I had the backing of all of GHC’s faculty.”

Shufro is set to receive the Felton Jenkins, Jr. Hall of Fame Faculty Award during the annual Regents’ Scholarship Gala in 2022. In addition to the award and being recognized by the USG Chancellor and the regents, she will receive a $5,000 award.

Professor applies background in game design to classroom

Students taking Victoria Banks’ English Composition classes at GHC may find themselves working to acquire XP (experience points) while completing assignments and engaging in classroom discussion. During her time in graduate school, Banks focused on media rhetoric, interactive narrative design, and script writing in video games. “I worked as a video game journalist while completing my capstone, an interactive script and game demo for a sci-fi RPG (Role Playing Game),” she said. “Along with these projects and experiences, I pursued a career in academia and applied my experience with game design and interactivity to the classroom.” Banks enjoys including reward systems, quests, levels, and more interactive elements to facilitate an engaging classroom experience. “My students actually refer to me as Professor Pumpkin,” Banks said. “Pumpkin has always been a nickname/pseudonym of mine as a gamer and content creator, so my students started using it as well.” Banks said it wasn’t until she entered college that she realized she had a passion for academia. “I found my mindset broadening, my knowledge growing, and my writing skills refining through collaboration with other creative students and instructors,” she said. “I admired many professors who guided and encouraged me, so I wanted to have a similar positive impact on colleagues and students.” Banks said the collaboration and ways faculty support each other drew her to GHC. In addition to serving students inside the classroom, Banks aims to contribute to the development of the Writing Center and growth of the English department. Describing herself as a “Renaissance Woman,” Banks said most of her spare time is spent collaborating in the creative writing club, working on independent game projects, sparring in a mixed martial arts gym, hiking with her dog, or picking up new skills. “While I have a background in game script writing and narrative design, I’ve also studied varying fields of media composition such as film, television, graphic novels, social media, and more,” Banks said. At GHC, Banks hopes to offer a unique perspective on multimodal composition and rhetoric while also helping to develop the writing center to its full potential.