PROVOST'S MESSAGE

Interim Provost and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs

ECU has a long tradition of instructional excellence. That excellence has been realized over time through a variety of instructional modalities, and is celebrated each year in our various teaching awards. As you know, 2020-2021 posed instructional challenges, the likes of which we have never seen before at ECU. Course schedules shifted, new modalities were employed, and, perhaps most challenging, rapid shifts to online instruction took place.

As Pirates, we have long lived by the mantra, "Undaunted." After last year, rather than retreat, many of our faculty pressed forward and used the challenges to better their own teaching and to help their colleagues. This is the true spirit of ECU. In times of difficulty, we rise to the occasion and we rise to help one another. As I hear stories of the excellent instruction that is happening by a variety of instructional delivery means this fall, I wanted to take some time to acknowledge and celebrate the work of individuals across campus who rose to the occasion and who have been Undaunted in their pursuit of quality teaching and learning, particularly in the online learning space. I am so grateful for everyone’s significant contributions in this area. Read more below on Instructional Excellence.

INSTRUCTIONAL EXCELLENCE

During the Spring 2019 semester, faculty with experience in online education pitched in selflessly to provide generous and timely support to colleagues who were simultaneously learning about our new Canvas Learner Management System. Since that time, this group of faculty have continued to share their expertise, cultivate high quality distance education practices, and provide support and encouragement to faculty teaching online. Our sincere thanks goes to the Fall 2021 Online Teaching Mentors, as well as all of our extraordinary colleagues who have served in this capacity over the past several semesters:

• Mark Angolia
• Guyla Evans
• Timm Hackett
• Laura Levi Altstaedter
• Darian Thrailkill
• Kathleen Sitzman
• Birgit Jensen
• Tim Nowak
• John Carlson
• Susannah Berry
• Yolanda Holt
• Sachi Shearman
• Korin Leffler
• Javier Lorenzo
• Amy McMillan
• Jason Rowe
• Jan Tillman
• Marina Walker
• Hanna Kassab
• Scott Walfield
• Angela Wells

This fall, eleven faculty were awarded course design grants to use toward developing courses for high-quality online learning. After completing their course building activities, participants will submit their courses for Quality Matters (QM) certification. Six additional faculty received grants that will enable then to pursue QM course certification as well. Congratulations and thanks to faculty who are striving for excellence in online education through these course design mini-grants:

• Scott Abney (CET)
• Hannah Cooper (THCAS)
• Bernice Dodor (CHHP)
• Tracy Ginn (COB)
• Stephanie Jilcott Pitts (BSOM)
• Jennifer O’Neill (THCAS)
• Marylaura Papalas (THCAS)
• Nicholas Rupp (THCAS)
• Archava Sviatoslav (THCAS)
• Vera Tabacova (THCAS)
• Michael Daniels (CHHP)
• Krishnan Gopalakrishnan (CET)
• Jay Newhard (THCAS)
• Emily Yeager (CHHP)
• Ruby Yeh (CHHP)
• Jennifer O’Neill (THCAS)
• Javier Lorenzo (THCAS)
• Ya-Huei Lu (COE)
• Mark Johnson (THCAS)

Monthly Quality Matters training opportunities are available throughout the Fall 2021 semester:

• October 18-19 Improving Your Online Course (register HERE)
• November 8-9 Designing Your Online Course (register HERE)
• December 1-2 Improving Your Online Course (register HERE)

Birgit Jensen (THCAS) was the first ECU faculty member to obtain QM Certification for her course, GLST 1060 - Global Understanding Through Literature: Dis/Order at the Border. Her ongoing pursuit of creative and effective ways to engage her learners and her willingness to seek and utilize feedback to improve her course has encouraged and inspired colleagues and students alike.

Christine Kowalczyk (COB) was the spring 2021 recipient of the Max Ray Joyner Award for Outstanding Teaching in Distance Education. Each year this award honors a faculty member who has shown commitment and enthusiasm in teaching and mentoring students from a distance and who has demonstrated excellence in the delivery of courses offered through distance education.

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BY THE NUMBERS

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AROUND ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

ACADEMIC ADVISING

As a Latina first-generation college graduate, Melenis Lopez faced many adversities throughout her journey to medical school. Only 11% of all physicians in the United States are minorities therefore; the need for more doctors-of-color is evident. As an undergraduate at ECU, Melenis felt she lacked information and resources needed as a pre-medical student. Knowing that this could impede her chances of getting accepted, she joined pre-medical organizations. MAPS (Minority Association of Pre-Health Students) was one of those and they hosted a medical student panel Melenis attended where she met a Brody School of Medicine student who became a mentor and a friend. He helped guide her as she studied for the MCAT and applied to medical school. Through her mentor, many doors opened for Melenis. Now, she is in a position to “pay-it-forward.” Melenis wants to provide that same support for other minority pre-med students.

As a result, Melenis created Building Bridges, an organization that provides empowerment and mentorship to pre-medical minority students. In partnership with Elizabeth McAllister, Director of Pre-Professional Advising, and Gamma Psi Sigma, a minority pre-health honor society, undergraduate students are identified and matched to a current M2 at the BSOM. There are monthly workshops with a range of various themes including GPA, MCAT, extracurricular activities, recommendation letters, etc. The goal of Building Bridges is to provide relational longevity between the mentors and mentees and ultimately help each student get accepted into medical school.

PIRATE ACADEMIC SUCCESS CENTER

Adjusting Our Sails… PASC Blends Support Services for ECU Students

Leveraging comprehensive tutorial services and strategic course coaching as proven retention tools, the Pirate Academic Success Center (PASC) is keeping pace with student demand for both online and in-person services. Combining five key practices designed to establish stronger student connectivity to support services, PASC is helping ECU students thrive in both campus and distance education learning environments by offering:

• Free tutoring appointments both in-person and online;
• Weekly course specific study groups;
• Canvas learning resources;
• Study skills coaching for students in strategic learning approaches for maximum success; and
• Expanded Connect for Success call center outreach to Freshmen and Sophomores.

Faculty and staff are encouraged to connect their students with PASC Services:

• Schedule in-person tutoring: Call 737-3009 or stop by the Old Cafeteria Complex
• Schedule online tutoring (or tutormatchingservice.com/ecu)
• Meet with a study skills coach;
• Join a study group;
• Refer a student: visit our website or submit a Starfish referral.

Students are always welcome to stop by the center to connect with support services. The PASC is in the North Wing of the Old Cafeteria Complex. For more information about PASC services email tutoring@ecu.edu or contact PASC director Dr. Elizabeth Coghill.

OFFICE OF GLOBAL AFFAIRS

Reminder: Applications for ECU’s annual international faculty and staff awards are open now. These four awards highlight the impactful contributions of ECU faculty and staff in the areas of international teaching, international research and creative activity, and international service and engagement. The application deadline is October 22. For more information visit the Global Affairs’ international awards site or contact Jon Rezek.

The Office of Global Affairs and the Department of Criminal Justice welcome Dr. Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Professor of Criminology at the University of Pretoria in South Africa, as a Fulbright Research Scholar for the 2021-2022 academic year. His research, conducted with his ECU sponsor Dr. William Bloss, involves a comparative study of the perceptions of male and female law enforcement officers regarding gender roles and performance in policing.

ECU’s inaugural Global Zone training was conducted on September 23 and included 19 faculty and staff members from across campus. Global Zone training provides an interactive and engaging opportunity for you to better understand the challenges international Pirates face and develop strategies for helping them navigate rough waters. Be a part of a network of advocates and allies who strengthen international Pirates’ sense of belonging and reinforce our commitment that all Pirates will be academically supported and professionally prepared.

• Next training Date: Wednesday, November 17th
• Time: 12:00 PM – 2:30 PM
• Location: Main Campus Student Center – Room 307
• Lunch is provided, but space is limited. Sign up today!

OFFICE FOR EQUITY & DIVERSITY

ECU was recognized by INSIGHT into Diversity magazine with the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award for the 10th consecutive year. While we were one of only 101 institutions across the nation to be recognized with the HEED Award, ECU is among an elite group of only seven schools to be named 10-time HEED Award winners. More information about the HEED Award may be found HERE.

Among the new ECU initiatives recognized this year were:

1. the university’s THRIVE (Towards Hiring, Resources, Inclusion, Value and Excellence) program, which is designed to change culture, build support and remove barriers to reduce bias and improve gender equity in faculty recruitment, hiring and advancement;
2. the PIRATES engineering scholars program which supports low-income students pursuing undergraduate engineering degrees with up to $10,000 in scholarships annually as well as other support for student success; and
3. external partnerships for diversity, equity and inclusion that have been developed with schools including Fayetteville State, the University of Florida, UNC Chapel Hill and others, designed to diversify ECU’s faculty and graduate school pipelines and enhance collaborative research and educational opportunities.

ACADEMIC OUTREACH & DISTANCE EDUCATION

Jeff Netznik represented Military Outreach at the MCAS Cherry Point Air Show on September 25 and 26. Jeff was able to wave the Pirate Nation flag and promote ECU Online by discussing the degree programs and certificates that are currently available online. Jeff also attended a virtual event for the North Carolina National Guard Pre-Deployment Yellow Ribbon group, held on September 19, where he was able to assist attendees with their education goals by making them aware of the university’s online programs and certificates.

Ericka Faison, a member of the ECU Online Student Services team, conducted a live DE Forum via WebEx on September 20. The live forum allowed online students the opportunity to find out more information concerning the 1Card office, the Online Writing Lab and resources available through the ECU Online Student Services area.

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COLLEGE UPDATES

ARTS & SCIENCES

The Department of Criminal Justice has announced a new transfer agreement between ECU and Beaufort County Community College – the first in North Carolina – that allows students at BCCC seeking an Associate in Applied Science in Criminal Justice to transfer to ECU and complete their Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice. The department also has a new agreement with Sampson Community College.

Dr. Nathan Richards, professor of History and director of the Maritime Studies Program, has been selected for a two-year appointment to hold the maritime archaeological research seat on the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary’s Sanctuary Advisory Council. This is his third consecutive appointment.

Kelley DePolt, a graduate student in the Department of Geography, Planning and Environment, is the recipient of the Buzzard Graduate Scholarship from Gamma Theta Upsilon, the International Geographical Honor Society. This competitive scholarship is awarded to only one graduate student in the nation each year. DePolt’s graduate research is focused on improving risk assessments of coastal flooding. Read more about her work on her website.

The Department of Psychology’s doctoral program in Clinical Health Psychology was awarded re-accreditation for an additional 10 years, until their next review in 2031. Dr. Robert Carels, professor of psychology and director of the program, thanked everyone for their help with reaccreditation and “their outstanding contribution to the clinical area.”

Helping to prevent and address emotional and behavioral problems in elementary schoolchildren is the long-term goal of a nearly $3.8 million federal grant awarded to researchers in the Department of Psychology at ECU. Associate professors Dr. Brandon Schultz, Dr. Christy Walcott and Dr. Alexander Schoemann have received a four-year grant from the Institute for Education Sciences — the research arm of the U.S. Department of Education. The team will conduct a randomized controlled trial of a school-community partnership focused on improving mental health services in elementary schools known as the Interconnected Systems Framework (ISF). Read the full article HERE.

BUSINESS

During the College of Business’ annual Business Leadership Conference, five COB students were named to the inaugural class of the Copeland Diversity and Inclusion Fellowship. The inaugural fellows included Jonathan Coleman, Paige DeMutis, Evelyn Gonzalez, Aurora Schafer and Grant Smith. The program is possible thanks to a generous commitment from COB alumni Mark & Tracy Copeland. The two-year fellowship is a comprehensive program that celebrates and encourages a culture of diversity and inclusion.

Meet the Firms, the annual event hosted by the College of Business’ Department of Accounting, returned to form on Sept. 8 2021, and brought more than 17 accounting firms to meet future interns and/or employees. Looking to make a connection, more than 150 students, armed with resumes, walked from booth to booth and introduced themselves to representatives from national, state and local firms.

Ken Bouyer, EY Americas director of inclusiveness recruiting, helped welcome back the College of Business’ annual Business Leadership Conference. Speaking in front of junior, senior and graduate students, Bouyer discussed during the keynote the importance of diversity and belonging in the workforce. After the keynote, students participated in more than 20 breakout sessions throughout the day.

The Miller School of Entrepreneurship held its first entrepreneurship induction ceremony Sept. 9 2021. The School inducted 31 students who bring varying ideas and aspirations to the entrepreneurship degree program. The first Entrepreneurship Induction Ceremony should have occurred in the Fall of 2020, but COVID restrictions made that impossible. Therefore, this year’s induction ceremony featured both the classes of 2020 and 2021.

EDUCATION

The ECU Community School is back in session for its fifth year with in-person instruction for all 114 enrolled scholars. Recently, the ECU Staff Senate held their 3rd annual school supply drive for ECUCS and South Greenville Elementary, where almost 1,600 school supplies were collected. Read more HERE.

Dr. Abbie Brown’s book, “The Essentials of Instructional Design,” which was co-written with Timothy D. Green, received the 2021 AECT Design & Development Outstanding Book Award.

ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY

The college’s new Student Success Center advising office on the second floor of the Bate Building opened on Sept. 16. The staff used to be on the bottom floor of the Rawl Annex but is now in suite 2324 of Bate. The new location provides a more central location for students while also enhancing the ability of advisors to host virtual meetings with students as well. The new offices point to the college’s commitment to student engagement and success. Read more HERE.

Dr. Mostafa Namian of the Department of Construction Management has received a grant from the Susan Harwood Workplace Safety and Health Training program of the Department of Labor for his project “Personalized Safety Training on Infectious Diseases, Including COVID-19 for Small Construction Companies in the East Coast.” This comes on the heels of receiving the Jimmie Hinze Best Paper Award for “Safety Implications of Using UAVs in Construction: An Ethical Perspective” at the International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction annual conference.

The Department of Engineering and the Department of Technology Systems had successful reaccreditation of the BS Engineering and MS Occupational Safety degree programs. Both programs are now accredited for an additional six years, through Sept. 30, 2027. Upcoming is the initial ABET accreditation visit for the BS Computer Science program and the ACCE reaccreditation visit for the BS Construction Management program in February 2022.

The College of Engineering and Technology is forming a Student Leadership Council to help maximize student engagement and student success. CET student views and advice will be solicited on various topics to prioritize and develop student success initiatives and programming, now and in the future. Students who have that Pirate passion to lead, serve and help will provide a diverse array of perspectives and viewpoints as council members.

FINE ARTS & COMMUNICATION

The College of Fine Arts and Communication received a Small Business Administration Shuttered Venue Operators Grant to restart the S. Rudolph Alexander Performing Arts Series. That funding, coupled with ticket purchases by First Monday readers, will ensure the success of the sixty-year-old jewel in the cultural crown of the institution. Five-attraction subscriptions are available for a limited time at $100.

Virginia Driscoll (music therapy) presented “To Understand Lyrics: More than Speech in Noise” at the American Cochlear Implant Alliance in May. The research investigates the ability and desire for implant recipients to hear and understand lyrics in music.

The 2021 Hispanic Heritage Guitar Series, coordinated by Elliot Frank (guitar), offers free and ticketed concerts in Fletcher Recital Hall, along with master classes with guest artists, through October 10. Learn more HERE.

Cynthia Bickley Green (art education) has work in a six-artist virtual exhibition by Bethesda Fine Art. Represented are “Delta,” “Delta/Lady Bug I” and “Lady Bug/Covid Two.” Learn more HERE.

Jin-Ae Kang (communication) is the 17th President of the Korean American Communication Association. She serves through 2023.

Work by Craig Malmrose (graphic design) was included in an ongoing poster exhibition, the “Hope Poster Wall,” on Shields Avenue in the historic Fan District in Richmond. With 14 rounds of nine posters each, the initiative will culminate with a book.

John B. O’Brien (keyboard) is a collaborator on the September release of Albany Records “Songs of Love and Justice” featuring soprano Louise Toppin. O’Brien performed on seven of the album’s tracks. The works are composed by Adolphus Hailstork, including the title track, which pairs the words of Martin Luther King Jr. through Toppin’s voice with a performance by the Prague Radio Symphony.

Music education professors Cynthia L. Wagoner and Jay Juchniewicz published “A Critical Examination of Preservice Music Teacher’s Writing on the edTPA Portfolio” in the Journal of Research in Music Education in October. Wagoner and Andrea VanDeusen (music education) have established a music teacher professional development cohort with nine area clinical teacher colleagues to explore diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging issues.

Undergraduate film and video production student Hannah Avery-Overfelt was hired to work audio for ESPN’s live broadcast of the Pirate Football game against the South Carolina Gamecocks on September 11.

Sculpture students Karena Graves, Thaddeus Prevette, Jordan Hock, Michael Austin and Jordan Schehr designed a sculpture that was installed at the Student Center to mark the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. Learn more HERE.

HEALTH & HUMAN PERFORMANCE

College Success

HHP has successfully launched our HHP Student Ambassador program. Eight students are representing our college in three key areas: prospective student recruitment, social media and marketing.

While it was an unusual year for our last group of undergraduate athletic training students, there were still many victories. Our students passed the board of certifications for athletic training with a 98% first-time pass rate! The national average? Roughly 70% first-time pass rate.

Research News

• Dr. Joseph Lee, “North Carolina Site: Adoption, diffusion, and implementation of Tobacco 21 policies to address health disparities” - Rutgers, The State University Of New Jersey
• Dr. Stephanie Richards, “Insecticide Resistance in North Carolina Mosquitoes 2021-2022” - NCDHHS - Division of Public Health (DPH)
• Dr. Eric Soule, “Center for the Study of Tobacco Products” - Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU)
• Dr. Zachary Domire, “A mobile balance testing system to improve study of mTBI” - DOD - NAVY/Office of Naval Research (ONR)
• Dr. Kate Harcourt-Medina, “SHARP: Sherriff's Heroin Addiction Recovery Program” - Pitt County Sheriff's Office
• Dr. Zachary Domire, “Influence of posture and helmet design factors on neck muscular stiffness in pilots: Implications for the development of neck pathology” - DOD - NAVY/Office of Naval Research (ONR)
• Dr. Stephanie Richards, “Mosquito Identification Service V” - ARHS - Albemarle Regional Health Service
• Dr. Jeffrey Skibins, “Visitor Motivations for Campground Site Selection at Grand Teton National Park” - University of Wyoming (UW)
• Dr. Kevin White, “2021-2022 Budget -- Understanding Postadoption and Guardianship Instability for Children and Youth Who Exit Foster Care” – RTI International

Alumni News

Congratulations to HHP and Human Development and Family Science alumni, Dr. Francisco Limon! Dr. Limon was honored with the 2021 Excellence in Treatment Award from the National Latino Behavioral Health Association. Dr. Limon was a 2016 graduate of our Medical Family Therapy doctoral program and was hired into a position as Chief Integrated Care Services Officer with Greene County Health Care, Inc in part from his success as a graduate intern with this Federally Qualified Healthcare Center. In addition to his endless contributions to front line mental health care and administration prior to and during COVID-19, he has also continuously published manuscripts that are significant contributions to healthcare for Latino families and underserved communities. Several chapters from Dr. Limon’s dissertation were published within months of his graduation and most recently he has published an article entitled “Community-Defined Evidence as a Framework for Equitable Implementation” in the Stanford Social Innovation Review. Dr. Limon was also the very first student awardee of the Diversity and Inclusion Award at East Carolina University, reflecting then and now his passion for advocacy toward diversity, equity, and inclusion. In addition to his work as a scholar, administrator, advocate, and clinician, he has also served as part of the College of Health and Human Performance Advancement Council. We are so very proud of all of Dr. Limon’s accomplishments!

Congratulations to our Social Work at ECU MSW alumni, Victor Armstrong, for being named NC Department of Health and Human Services' first Chief Health Equity Officer!

HONORS

Senior Honors student and EC Scholar Elliot Paul received a North Carolina Space Grant undergraduate research scholarship. His research focuses on the effects of microgravity on bone modeling. Learn more about Elliot and his fellow Space Grant recipients HERE.

Three Honors College students received the inaugural College of Business Copeland Diversity and Inclusion fellowship. Congratulations to Aurora Shafer, Grant Smith & Evelyn Gonzalez! Learn more HERE.

EC Scholar Jordan Hock was one of the designers of the 9/11 memorial outside of the Main Campus Student Center. The sculpture features a succession of four rising columns representing the four hijacked aircraft and an opening through the middle. Hock is one of the five ECU Sculpture Guild members who designed the piece. The others are Michael Austin, Karena Graves, Thaddeus Prevette and Jordan Schehr.

INTEGRATED COASTAL PROGRAMS

Dr. Mike Muglia (Coastal Studies) and colleagues recently received a Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) U.S. Department of Energy award with Oscilla Power and Codar Ocean Sensors. The award will provide funding to develop a concept for powering an offshore transmitter with wave energy from a small Oscilla-designed Wave Energy Converter (WEC). The offshore transmitter will provide better ocean surface current measurements from the shore based Codar radars used by Muglia and the Coastal Studies Institute (CSI). The device plan will be as simple and robust as possible, ultimately resulting in a buoy that can be deployed from small research vessel like CSI’s Miss Caroline that can complement the ocean surface current measurements presently being made by the more than 400 existing land-based Codar systems.

The Coastal Studies Institute's Anya Leach recently spent a few virtual days in the City of New Orleans to present results of CSI-Coastal Processes Group research looking into the long-term impacts to sandy beach ecosystems associated with beach replenishment and reconstruction. Beach replenishment is the practice of replacing sand lost on the beach as a result of chronic erosion. The process reliably enlarges the beach to reestablish flood protection and restore recreational value that a broad elevated shoreline affords to a coastal community. Associated impacts to the local beach ecosystem are, on the other hand, less reliably predictable, and from a scientific perspective, not well understood. For the 1 to 4 meters thickness of new sand that is typically added to a beach during replenishment, mortalities for indigenous animals will often rapidly approach 100 percent. Though there are many published studies that examine subsequent recovery of these species and the new populations that emerge in the months immediately following replenishment, almost no other research to date considers impacts that might manifest over longer time periods. The six-year time span addressed in the research presented here focused not only on short-term transient changes but also looked for evidence that might point to longer-term or permanent habitat alteration. Results from this CSI study do suggest that ecosystem injury is largely confined to the first year following replenishment, and longer-term impacts appear to be minimal. The work, however, also points to the need for additional study to better understand the sandy beach ecosystem response to high intensity disturbances such as those associated with replenishment, the mechanisms that control the ensuing recovery, and how this knowledge might be used to design future replenishment projects that both meet community needs and minimize ecological harm. The presentation was included as part of the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association's 2021 national conference.

Dr. Sid Narayan (Coastal Studies) is a co-author on two chapters of the Army Corps of Engineer (ACE)’s recently published International Guidelines on Natural and Nature-Based Features (NNBF) for Flood Risk Management. The chapters to which Narayan contributed are “The Benefits and Costs of NNBF,” and on “Wetlands and Tidal Flats.” This set of guidelines is the outcome of 5 years of intense international collaborative work led by the ACE’s Engineering With Nature program. The International NNBF Guidelines provide practitioners with the best available information concerning the conceptualization, planning, design, engineering, construction, and maintenance of NNBF to support resilience and flood risk reduction for coastlines, bays, and estuaries, as well as river and freshwater systems. The guidelines are available for download as summary or full pdfs, or as individual chapters on their website. NNBF here is the ACE’s name for what a lot of people know as “Living Shorelines.”

George Bonner, Director of the North Carolina Renewable Ocean Energy Program, housed at the Coastal Studies Institute, has been selected as a 2021-2022 Veteran Advanced Energy Fellow. Lead by the Atlantic Council’s Veterans Advanced Energy Project, the Veterans Advanced Energy Fellowship develops leaders to become peer mentors, advocates, and spokespeople for other veterans, reservists, and military spouses, and solidifies the advanced energy connection to national security and the mission-driven progress of veterans’ employment in advanced energy. Advanced energy is defined by leading-edge energy technologies including solar, wind, batteries, microgrids, advanced nuclear, electric vehicles, and end-user energy efficiency, among other innovations. To learn more about the project and other fellows, click HERE.

Dr. Joseph DeCarolis (CSI’s North Carolina Renewable Ocean Energy Program – Research Associate; Professor, NCSU) has been nominated by President Biden for the position of Energy Information Administration Administrator at the Department of Energy. His research program is focused on addressing energy and environmental challenges at the intersection of engineering, economics, and public policy. His primary focus is the development and application of energy system models to analyze how energy technology and public policy can shape a sustainable future.

Research Specialist Amanda Payton (Coastal Studies) is one of seven winners selected to attend three Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) courses at the Duke University Marine Lab sponsored by NOAA's Southeast and Caribbean Regional Team, the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System Program, and SECOORA. To read more about Amanda and the other six winners, click HERE.

Dr. Reide Corbett (ICP) contributed to a recently published paper entitled, “Stratigraphic evidence of two historical tsunamis on the semi-arid coast of north-central Chile.” In this study, the authors report on important geologic evidence along the coast of north-central Chile that should help improve earthquake and tsunami hazards assessments along this coastline. The study describes the first geologic evidence of past tsunami inundation along the north-central Chile coast. Every new tsunami deposit described helps paint a more complete picture of how tsunamis have behaved in the past and what we can expect in the future.

Coastal Resources Management (CRM) Ph.D. alumnus Ian Connery is lead author for another recently published study, “Marine Geology and Sand Resources of the Southern North Carolina Inner Shelf.” Dr. Reide Corbett also contributed. The study highlights the geomorphology and geology of the southern North Carolina shelf; the distribution of sand resources offshore southern NC and its relationship to geologic context; and the variability in form and classification of paleochannels and hardbottom. The study findings provide a useful starting point for coastal managers seeking sufficient offshore sediment resources for beach nourishment in response to future storm events and sea level rise.

CRM Alum (2020), Dr. Allie Mulligan (formerly Allie Stewart), is now the Assistant Refuge Manager at Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. At ~11.1 million acres, Yukon Flats NWR is the 3rd largest refuge in the United States.

LIBRARIES

The One Button studio in Joyner Library #1806 is open and available for reservation or drop-in use. The One Button Studio allows students and faculty to record high-quality videos--regardless of experience level--by pressing a single button. Mounted lights, a microphone, a camera, and a green screen are all provided. Press the button to begin a recording; press the button again when finished. All that’s needed is a flash drive to save the video. Whether recording a video for a class project, a practice interview, or creating a vodcast, the One Button Studio is a quick and easy solution.

Academic Library Services was able to round out all Sage Research Methods collections with funds from Academic Affairs. Newly-acquired resources include Video: Market Research, Datasets 2, and Video: Medicine & Health. Video: Market Research covers a wide range of methods needed to carry out effective market research, from traditional techniques to new developments in the field. Datasets 2, along with Datasets 1, provides 500 datasets that can be used for qualitative and quantitative research practice. And finally, Video: Medicine & Health helps find research methodology resources for clinical medicine and public health. Access Sage Research Methods via the library database link.

Academic Library Services is proud to announce access to 77 primary text databases, covering a variety of topical areas from African American Communities to Sex & Sexuality, from esteemed database creator Adam Matthew. Access to these databases is available to ECU faculty, staff, and students because of group purchases through the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries. Adam Matthew is a digital publisher of unique primary source collections from archives around the world.

ALS faculty members Joseph Thomas and Daniel Shouse published the article “Disciplinary Differences in Student Use of Library-Provided Materials in Dissertations” in Technical Services Quarterly.

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