News from the USF College or Arts & Science

Elizabeth Davies Appointed as New Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences

The University of St. Francis has announced the appointment of Elizabeth W. Davies, Ph. D., as dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, effective January 1. Davies joined the university as an assistant professor of psychology in 2008. She received tenure in 2011 and has been acting as the interim dean for the college since July 2017. “The university community is very excited to welcome Dr. Davies into the position as dean of the College of Arts & Sciences permanently,” said Provost Frank Pascoe. “Her student centered approach, humble demeanor and

academic training make her an ideal candidate for this position. The faculty and students of the College of Arts & Sciences look forward to new growth under Davies’ leadership.”

Davies earned both her master’s degree and Ph.D. in psychology, human development and mental health research from the University of Chicago. She began teaching in 1995, and through her career, has taught courses in abnormal psychology, personality psychology, psychology of women, history and systems of psychology and learning and cognition. She was instrumental in the creation of the new substance abuse counseling major at USF—the only one of its kind in the area. She also represents the college on several internal and external committees.

“As a liberal arts institution, USF strives to educate students in the skills that employers seek and that enrich students’ sense of purpose in life; the capacity to think critically, communicate clearly, cooperate with others fairly and live lives of purpose and service,” Davies said. “Those skills are as valuable on the job as they are in one’s personal life, and they all have roots in the arts and sciences disciplines. Each of the programs within the College of Arts & Sciences contributes to helping our students embody the ‘Bigger Thinking and Brighter Purpose’ that defines an education at USF. That interconnected web of academic disciplines is our greatest strength.”

FUNDED SURE SUMMER RESEARCH PROPOSALS ANNOUNCED

The Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) program provides student grants for summer research work. Obtaining a SURE grant is competitive. Students must submit proposals that outline budgets, timelines and deadlines for their projects. The proposals are then ranked on merit, using guidelines and rubrics that mimic those used by national granting agencies, and are assessed by the provost and the deans of the four colleges for how effectively they communicate the mission of the university. Research takes place over a ten-week period in the summer months. 2018 SURE grants have been awarded to the following students, with their moderating faculty members in parentheses:

FROM COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES Alejandra Alonzo The effects of a smartphone meditation application on physiological variables and association with perceived stress (Eric Essick)

Chris Bruno Ecological Survey and Mathematical Model of Lizards and Prey at Braidwood Dunes (Brian Moskalik)

Terry Cirrencione Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Receptor-Ligand Interactions in Mutant Variants of Thyroid Hormone Receptor (Scott Gruenbaum)

Christina Derusha Earthworms, Microdiversity, and Plant Growth (Ben Whitlock)

Emily Fears The Effects of Music on Memorization on University of St. Francis’ students (Alex Dee)

Malia Gasteier and Emily Siegler Competition and population dynamics in the kleptoparasitic spider Argyrodes elevatas in the webs of Nephila clavipes (Brian Moskalik)

Sara Hill Digital Audio Recording Arts “The Sounds of St. Francis” Reverb Pack and Study of Acoustics, Impulse Responses, and their Effects (Alby Odum)

Rebekah Kerr Spring in the Soul: Does Climate Predict Personal and Cultural Narratives? (Brady Jones)

Maria Macias-Bedolla and Elizabeth Savant Characterization of Thiomicrospira crunogena mutants using Inverse PCR: circumvention of the transformation step (Lisa Hedrick)

Denise Milewski DNA sequencing Actin 5c and C01 genes in the genus Salticus to assess familial divergence (Jackie Wittke-Thompson)

Brendan Miller Categorification of an Algebraic Structure (Angela Antonou)

Roberto Santillan A Comparative Analysis of Catholic Colleges in Illinois and DACA (Julie Victa)

Cory Schneider Synthesis and characterization of a novel MRI contrast agent (Dan Schwert)

FROM COLLEGE OF EDUCATION Kathryn Harrington Empowering Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Families for the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) Process (Srimani Chakravarthi)