Education
Half or Full: Half-day kindergarten can be as effective as full-day kindergarten, according to research by assistant prof of instructional psychology and technology Randall S. Davies (MS ’97). Elementary iPads: The McKay School acquired a 50-inch multi-touch screen and an array of iPads to explore the application of touch-based systems in education.
Engineering and Technology
Chem Chair: Randy S. Lewis (BS ’89) was appointed chair of the Chemical Engineering Department. Editor in Chief: Michael A. Jensen (BS ’90), chair of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, is now editor of the journal IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation.
Family, Home, and Social Sciences
Sisterly Influence: Loving siblings, especially sisters, help decrease feelings of fear, guilt, loneliness, and self-consciousness in children ages 10–14, according to a study in the Journal of Family Psychology by assistant prof Laura Padilla-Walker, prof James M. Harper (BS ’74), and grad student Alex C. Jensen (BS ’09). Marriage Prep: Marriage-prep classes improve communication skills but have no direct effect on relationship satisfaction say family life professor Alan J. Hawkins (BS ’79) and associate professor Jason S. Carroll (BS ’96) in a study published in the journal Family Relations. New Dean: Sociology professor John P. Hoffmann is now associate dean. Chairs Galore:Charles W. Nuckolls is now Anthropology Department chair; Eric R. Eide (BS ’88), Economics Department chair; and Donald J. Harreld, History Department chair.
Fine Arts and Communications
Dean Duo: Randall W. Boothe (MM ’79), associate prof in the School of Music, and Garold C. Barton Jr. (BFA ’89), visual arts prof, are now associate deans. Best in Ballroom: The Ballroom Dance Company took first place in the British Modern Formation and the Latin Formation at the 2010 Blackpool Dance Festival. BYU has now placed first 21 times at the competition since 1971.
Brett McInelly
Humanities
Age of Enlightenment: English associate prof Brett C. McInelly (MA ’95) launched the journal Religion in the Age of Enlightenment. Adolescent Lit: English prof Christopher E. Crowe (BA ’76) received the 2010 Hipple Service Award from the Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of the National Council of Teachers of English.
Kennedy Center
Major Money: The Asian, European, and Middle Eastern studies programs each received a prestigious grant totaling several million dollars in funds, putting BYU in the company of Harvard, Columbia, and others.
Life Sciences
New Protein: Laura Clarke Bridgewater (BS ’89), associate prof of micro and molecular biology, and her student team discovered a nuclear variant of a protein involved in bone, cartilage, heart, and limb formation. The discovery was published in BMC Cell Biology. New Chair: Gary W. Mack is now chair of the Exercise Sciences Department. Brainiacs Are Back: BYU’s neuroscience program is now back in the College of Life Sciences. Michael D. Brown (BS ’93) is director of the Neuroscience Center.
Marriott School
Give Up?: Consumers often leave a product because they think it will take longer to learn how to use it than it actually would, says assistant management prof Darron M. Billeter (BS ’96) in a study published in the Journal of Consumer Research. First Fellow: BYU’s Melvin J. Ballard Center for Economic Self-Reliance named Jason S. Fairbourne the first Peery Social Entrepreneurship Research Fellow.
Nursing
Nursing Fellow: Patricia McArthur Ravert (BS ’75) is now a fellow in the Academy of Nursing Education.
Physical and Mathematical Sciences
New Chair: Gregory F. Burton (MS ’85) is now chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Sports Stats: In a study published in the Journal of Quantitative Analysis in Sports, stats prof Gilbert W. Fellingham (MS ’76) applied models to play sequences in women’s volleyball to determine which skills are most important in scoring a point.
Richard Bennett
Religious Education
New Posts: Richard E. Bennett (BA ’71) is now an associate dean of Religious Education and associate director of the Religious Studies Center (RSC). Robert L. Millet (BS ’71) is the new RSC publications director.