CLASS NOTES

DR. AMY C. LEWIS DR. MALIN LILLEY DR. CARL SHEPERIS

Dr. Amy C. Lewis, professor of management, has a forthcoming academic book to be published by Routledge, “Entrepreneurial Cosplay: Building Identity, Brand and Business Acumen,” co-edited with Elizabeth Gackstetter Nichols (Drury University) and David Tomczyk (Quinnipiac University). This book includes two chapters by A&M-San Antonio College of Business faculty. Matthew Mangum, clinical assistant professor of business law, has a chapter titled Nerds and Copyright: The Delicate Balance Between Intellectual Property Rights and Fandom. Dr. Ruby Daniels, instructional assistant professor of marketing, has a chapter titled Marketing, Personal Branding, and Positioning: Cosplay on Steroids. Dr. Malin Lilley, assistant professor of psychology, co-authored the following: “Investigation of Lateralization of Sociosexual Behavior in Belugas (Delphinapterus leucas),” Behavioural Processes, Lilley, M. K., Ham, J. R., Miller, M. R., Kolodziej, K., Hill, H. M. (2022); “The Emergence and Early Development of Socio-sexual Behavior in Beluga Calves (Delphinapterus leucas),” Behavioural Processes, Ham, J. R., Lilley, M. K., Lelkach, J., Miller, M. R., Robeck, T. R., Pellis, S. M., & Manitzas Hill, H. M. (2022); and “Keep Calm and Be Humble: Can Intellectual Humility Predict Test Anxiety?” Psychological Reports, Huynh, H., Sramek, K., Sifuentes, K., Lilley, M. K., & Bautista, E. M. (2022). Dr. Carl Sheperis, professor, Mental Health Counseling, Department of Counseling, Health and Kinesiology, received the 2022 Carl D. Perkins Government Relations Award from the American Counseling Association (ACA). Among the national population of professional counselors, there is one person selected annually to receive this award. The Carl D. Perkins Government Relations Award honors an ACA member who has made a significant contribution to the counseling profession, or individuals served by the profession, by influencing public policy at the state or national level.

Twenty-five entrepreneurs from varied industries across San Antonio were chosen to participate in a high-level business development curriculum led by Texas A&M University–San Antonio professors and The Bank of San Antonio bankers. Offered through the Dr. Henry G. Cisneros Institute for Emerging Leaders, STRIDE is the first program of its kind offered in San Antonio to support entrepreneurial development. STRIDE stands for strength, tenacity, resolve, impact, disruption and empowerment, six key pillars the program wants to instill for an entrepreneur’s success. A&M-SA’s College of Business professors, Dr. Stephanie Black, associate professor; Dr. Weixing Ford, assistant professor; Dr. Chin-Yen Alice Liu, associate professor; Matthew Mangum, J.D., LL.M., clinical assistant professor; Dr. Adrian Guardia, instructional associate professor; and Dr. Richard Green, associate professor; served as facilitators. Dr. Cynthia Teniente-Matson, president of Texas A&M University-San Antonio and Elaine Mendoza, president and CEO of Conceptual MindWorks, Inc., Texas A&M Regent, and Rebecca J. Viagran, director of workforce development and community partnerships, served as guest speakers for certain sessions.

The highly specialized curriculum is designed for emerging entrepreneurs who are developing their own strengths-based leadership and knowledge of available financial solutions, along with best practices for business growth. The five-week course started September 9 and includes facilitated peer-learning, hands-on lesson plans and one-on-one access to bankers to demystify the banking practices that can prohibit some business owners from financial solutions needed to grow. The next STRIDE program is slated for spring 2023 and will focus on women-owned businesses.

DR. DAVIDA SMYTH

Dr. Davida Smyth, associate professor of molecular microbiology, was selected as the recipient of the 2022 Four Year College and University Section Biology Teaching Award from the National Association of Biology Teachers. In addition, Dr. Smyth judged the SA SMART Challenge and her mentored team, Keystone School, was awarded first place. Ariel Robles a graduate student in Dr. Smyth’s lab was awarded an American Society for Microbiology Future Leaders Mentoring Fellowship. She was appointed to the American Society for Microbiology Curriculum Guidelines Taskforce 2.0.

Dr. Dawn Weatherford, associate professor of psychology, and Dr. Theresa Garfield, professor of special education, collaborated with Southwest Independent School District (SWISD) to lead an experiential research project titled “RobotMediated Interventions for Students with Autism.” Four undergraduate student interns (Nizet Garcia, Maria Santillan Ibarra, Simone Leal and Joanna Ortiz) worked in SWISD with students with autism in an educational setting during the summer. The interns learned how to apply evidence-based practices, establish research protocols, and administer the curricular intervention using MILO, a humanoid robot designed to improve social

DR. MEGAN WISE DE VALDEZ

Dr. Megan Wise de Valdez, associate professor of biology and biology program coordinator, was named as a Piper Professor of 2022 by the Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation. Dr. Wise de Valdez is one of 10 professors awarded the distinction in the State of Texas and marks the first time a Texas A&M-San Antonio professor has received the distinction while at the University. Selections are based on nominations submitted by each college or university in Texas and 10 awards of $5,000 each are bestowed annually to outstanding professors for their exceptional teaching at the collegiate level.

“I get a lump in my throat when I think about having been awarded the Piper Professorship because it has made me feel seen and valued for something that often goes uncelebrated: the care and dedication

put towards mentoring students,” said Dr. Wise de Valdez. “Successes in

teaching and mentorship are so often overshadowed by the value placed on our role as researcher or scholar and that is why it is so gratifying to be honored for my most treasured role, that of an educator.”

DR. DAWN WEATHERFORD and DR. THERESA GARFIELD

skills through explicit training. The A&MSan Antonio interns will work with SWISD and their students with autism in a full research project in the fall and spring.

Dr. Jeong Yang, associate professor and associate chair of the Department of Computing and Cyber Security, serves as project lead for a nearly $300,000 National Science Foundation grant (plus $24,000 for Google Cloud Credits) to develop a customizable secure mobile app that provides users with accurate information about transit service. The app will also enable data collection to evaluate the impact of poverty, race and ethnicity on the commute experience of transit users. Rounding out the collaborative interdisciplinary research team — representing sociology, computer science, cyber security and information science, the “Building a Smart Mobility Network for San Antonio Transit to Improve Transit Service and Social Impact (SmartSAT)” project represents a breakthrough accomplishment for the University. Supported by WiCyS (Women in Cybersecurity) scholarship and NSF grant award, Dr. Yang, along with computing and cyber security students and faculty, attended the 2022 WiCyS conference in Cleveland, Ohio, in March. One of the goals of the grant is to increase the participation of women, and retain and advance them in the field. Students attended workshops and presentations and met and networked with students from other universities and professionals from technology industries and government agencies.

DR. JEONG YANG