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Eight faculty members in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences recently received funded awards for innovative research in their respective academic areas. Here’s a brief look at their research and the awards they received.

 

Abram Anders
Department of English
LAS Dean’s Arts and Humanities Innovation Award

Abram Anders, associate director of the Student Innovation Center and associate professor of English, seeks to understand how we communicate and learn in the digital age. He explores ways to improve writing and communication, particularly in academic and professional settings, by integrating artificial intelligence and human-centered design. Anders’ research makes these complex topics accessible and practical for everyday use.

The LAS Dean’s Arts and Humanities Innovation Award recognizes faculty who are leaders in the arts and humanities, breaking new ground with innovative research, teaching, or other scholarly work.

Daniela Dimitrova
Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication
LAS Dean’s Professorship

Daniela Dimitrova, University Professor in the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication, examines how news media in different countries cover political news related to elections, wars, and conflicts. Through the lens of media framing, Dimitrova has shown how the political and media systems under which journalists operate lead to different coverage of political issues in various cultural contexts. More recent studies have focused on refugee communications and the impact of social media on political knowledge and civic engagement, both domestically and internationally.

The LAS Dean’s Professorship was established through the Transforming Liberal Arts and Sciences endowment, which provides student scholarships, supports high-impact learning experiences, and recognizes outstanding faculty.

Boro Martinić-Jerčić
Department of Music and Theatre
Jean Bacon Louis Faculty Fellowship in Instrumental and Keyboard Music

Violinist Boro Martinić-Jerčić, associate professor of violin and viola and violinist with the Ames Piano Quartet, has participated in numerous solo and chamber music performances throughout the United States, Canada, Asia, and Europe. During his tenure with I Solisti di Zagreb, he performed in more than 300 concerts worldwide.

In 2009, Martinić-Jerčić and I Solisti di Zagreb released a recording of Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” on the EDI label, and in 2011, he was featured on an album released by the Naxos label with other composers and performers. He has performed with several eminent artists, including Ivo Pogorelich, Pepe Romero, and Yo-Yo Ma.

The Jean Bacon Louis Faculty Fellowship in Instrumental and Keyboard Music was established through a trust created by Cathryn J. Louis to provide support for a professorship in the field of instrumental and keyboard music.

Daniel Nordman
Department of Statistics
Dale D. Grosvenor Chair

Daniel Nordman, professor of statistics, develops statistical methods for analyzing data with complex dependencies.  His research involves a type of “data engineering” where one data set is applied to recreate many “new” data sets, which is helpful for understanding how numerical summaries may vary. Nordman’s work helps to advance inference under different types of dependent data in a way that is statistically valid and does not require stringent assumptions.

Established by the late Dr. Dale D. Grosvenor, a former faculty member in the Department of Statistics, the ISU Computation Center, and the Department of Computer Science, this award recognizes a faculty member’s service to their students and their research.

Andrew Smith
Department of Psychology
Dean’s Emerging Faculty Leaders Award

Andrew Smith, associate professor of psychology, uses computational models and human experiments to study processes related to memory, judgment, and decision-making. He studies these processes in the context of eyewitness identification procedures, which gives his research potential to impact policies and procedures that affect people’s lives.

Funded by the LAS Dean’s Advisory Council and friends of LAS, the Dean’s Emerging Faculty Leaders Award supports outstanding faculty who shape policy, define research directions for the nation, serve in prominent leadership positions, and mentor the next generation of new talent.

Elizabeth Swanner
Department of Geological and Atmospheric Sciences
Cassling Innovation Award

Elizabeth Swanner, associate professor in the Department of Geological and Atmospheric Sciences, investigates Midwestern lakes that share common features with ancient Martian lakes and Earth’s past oceans. Specifically, she looks at how minerals form in lakes and what their presence in ancient Earth sediments or old Martian lakebeds can tell us about past microbial life on Earth or the possibility of life on Mars.

The Cassling Innovation Award was established by Dr. Randal Cassling and Lori Cassling to facilitate novel faculty research projects, especially as they relate to interdisciplinary research and scholarship.

Geetu Tuteja
Department of Genetics, Development, and Cell Biology
LAS Dean’s Professorship

Geetu Tuteja, associate professor in genetics, development, and cell biology, works with her lab partners on molecular mechanisms underlying trophoblast innovation, a process that occurs in early placental development and establishes adequate blood flow between mother and fetus. Defects in trophoblast invasion can lead to several disorders, such as preeclampsia, intrauterine growth restriction, and placenta accreta. Identifying cell-type specific enhancers is crucial for understanding the genetic architecture underlying development and disease.

The LAS Dean’s Professorship was established through the Transforming Liberal Arts and Sciences endowment, which provides student scholarships, supports high-impact learning experiences, and recognizes outstanding faculty.

Julia Zaikina
Department of Chemistry
Trapp Innovation Award

Julia Zaikina, associate professor of chemistry, is a solid-state chemist interested in non-conventional synthesis routes to complex solids and understanding their atomic and electronic structure. She aims to create new functional materials that address current scientific challenges in sustainable energy. Guided by real-time reaction monitoring and theoretical predictions, Zaikina seeks to yield unique alkali metal compounds with exotic properties, leading to the discovery of new solids.

Funded through a generous donation from Onnolee U. Trapp and Orlin “Bud” D. Trapp, the Trapp Innovation Award recognizes a faculty member who is pursuing new or unique research in the fields of chemistry or the physical sciences.

Photos by Keo Pierron/Iowa State University