Faculty-Staff Achievements, Nov. 7, 2011
Activities
Hannah Brechka and Carly Sacks, both Class of 2012, and David Domozych, professor of biology, presented two posters at the 2011 UMass Plant Biology Symposium, titled "Auxin and cell expansion" Oct. 8 in Amherst, Mass. The posters were "Chemical biology of cell wall-altering agents in Penium margaritaceum, a unicellular model system for anisotropic growth studies in plants," and "The unique bipolar mechanism of cell expansion in the unicellular green alga, Penium margaritaceum." These posters represent research performed by the trio over the past two summers and was sponsored by NSF grant MCB-0919925.
Domozych was also co-author of a paper titled "Plant Cell Wall Evolution: Upon Dry Land," presented at the Fourth International Cell Wall Biosynthesis Symposium held in Awaji Yumebutai, Japan, October 6-11. Other authors included Jesper Harholt and Peter Ulvskov of the University of Copenhagen.
Daniel Swift, assistant professor of English, was the inaugural speaker in a new discussion series titled Creative Response to War at the Tang. Swift spoke Nov. 4; additional speakers are scheduled at noon on Nov. 11 and 18, and Dec. 2 and 9. All are welcome to the discussions, which feature guests from Skidmore and the surrounding communities and take place in conjunction with the current Tang exhibition, Beyond those Planes are the Stars.
Gordon Thompson, professor of music, gave an invited lecture at the University of Pittsburgh Nov. 1. "'A Day in the Life': The Beatles and the BBC, 1967" considers the factors leading up to the BBC's decision to ban the final song on Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Publications
Victor Cahn,professor of English, is the author of two books:Political Animal: An Essay on the Character of Shakespeare's Henry V (2011, Wipf and Stock), and Bard Games: The Shakespeare Quiz Book (2011, Taylor Trade Publishers).
David Domozych, professor of biology, is co-author of this month's feature article in The Plant Journal, titled "The charophycean green algae provide insights into early origins of plant cell walls" (volume 68, pages 201-211). Other authors are Iben Sorensen and Jocelyn Rose of Cornell University, Filomena Pettolino and Antony Bacic of the University of Melbourne, John Ralph and Fachuang Lu of the University of Wisconsin, Zhangzhun Fei of the Boyce Thompson Instititute, Malcolm O'Neill of the University of Georgia and William Willats of the University of Copenhagen. This paper describes the biochemical changes occurring in cells walls that led to the emergence of land plants.
Domozych is also a co- author of a paper titled, "The Charophycean green algae as model systems to study plant cell walls and other evolutionary adaptation that give rise to land plants", published in Plant Signaling and Behaviour (2011). Other authors are Iben Sorensen, Jeffrey Doyle, and Jocelyn Rose of Cornell, and William Willats of the University of Copenhagen.
Domozych was also author of a paper titled "Algal Cell Walls" in the Encyclopedia of Life Sciences (published September 2011).
In addition Domozych, who is director of the Skidmore Microscopy Imaging Center, had two images selected for the cover of The Plant Journal, Vol. 68 (October 2011). The images are fluorescence light microscopy profiles of the cell walls of the green alga, Chara corallina.
Domozych also was awarded honorable mention for his photograph of the green alga, Penium margaritaceum, in the 2011 Olympus Bioscapes International competition.
A study by Elzbieta Lepkowska-White and Thomas Brashear '11 titled "Developments in Advertising in the Post Socialist Environment: Longitudinal Analysis of Polish Print Ads" was published in Advertising and Developing and Emerging Countries: The Economic, political and Social Context, (ed) Emmanuel C. Alozie, Gower Professional Publishing: United Kingdom.
The study investigated historical developments in print advertising in Poland after the country adopted a free market system in 1989. To address this objective 822 ads collected in 1988, 1993, 1998, and 2002 were evaluated using content analysis. The results show that over time ads in Poland have become more consumer-oriented and image-based. Product functional information is used most frequently and with growing popularity over time. In the most recent years ads contain less information about product availability, prices, and assurances of quality, features no longer important for well-known businesses in Poland. Finally, the analysis shows that ads are rather tedious which may explain some negative perceptions toward advertising.
Jill D. Sweet, professor emerita of anthropology, is co-author with Nancy Hunter Warren of Pueblo Dancing, published this fall by Schiffer.
In the News
Caroline D'Abate and Christine Page, associate professors, Management and Business, were featured in a WNYT-TV news report on cell phone use by college students. Page shared details of some research recently conducted by one of her students, and both professors discussed how they address the issue of cell phone interruptions in their classes.
Daniel Swift, assistant professor of English, wrote an op-ed titled "Air Power's Century of False Promises" published Nov. 1 in The New York Times online.
