Education
New Dean: Mary Anne Prater has succeeded K. Richard Young as dean of the David O. McKay School of Education. Formerly serving as a professor and chair in the Department of Counseling Psychology and Special Education, Prater has authored or coauthored eight books, including a forthcoming book on bullying prevention.
Engineering and Technology
Winning Streak: At the International Technology and Engineering Education (TEE) Association Conference, BYU students defended their titles in both the quiz bowl and the digital communication competitions. BYU’s TEE program also completed a second outreach to the Dominican Republic, where students and professors taught classes in rural areas.
Family, Home, and Social Sciences
Girl Power: Are boys better than girls at math? The research of economics professor Joseph P. Price (BA ’03), published in the Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, reveals that though boys do better in quick competitions, girls match boys on tests where the importance of speed and competition is de-emphasized.
Fine Arts and Communications
Broadcaster Accolades: Broadcasting students Lydia Defranchi Nelson (BA ’12), Alexis L. Flake (BA ’13), and Taylor B. Lansford (’14) won Gracie Awards, a national recognition from the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation.
Humanities
Chinese Showdown: At the Chinese Language Bridge Cup Competition in Washington, D.C., Ian T. Christensen (’14) and Myungho (Scott) Kim (’16) took second and Seth A. Walters (’13) took third. Christensen received the highest score in the speech category.
Kennedy Center
Perfect 10: BYU’s Model United Nations (MUN) claimed two Outstanding Delegation Awards—the top award given—at the national MUN conference at UN headquarters in New York City. BYU has brought home outstanding-delegation honors 10 years straight.
Law School
Guantanamo Debate: Professor Eric T. Jensen’s (BA ’89) paper “Guantanamo and the End of Hostilities” explores the ramifications of detention at Guantanamo Bay after the war in Afghanistan. The paper is published in the Southern Illinois University Law Journal.
Life Sciences
Twitter Jitters: College students—especially on the East Coast—are abusing the drug Adderall, says a new study by computer science professor Christophe Giraud-Carrier (BS ’91, MS ’93, PhD ’94), PhD candidate Scott H. Burton (BS ’05), and health science professors Joshua H. West and Michael D. Barnes (BS ’89, MS ’90). The study, published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, tracked Twitter mentions of the ADHD medication. Adderall abuse peaked during final-exam periods.
Marriott School
New Dean: Lee T. Perry (BS ’74, MA ’77) is now dean of the Marriott School, replacing Gary C. Cornia. Perry previously served as associate dean, is the Sorensen Family Professor of Organizational Leadership and Strategy, and has experience as a consultant, entrepreneur, and corporate board member.
Nursing
Trying on Diabetes: After publishing two papers this year about children’s challenges living with type 1 diabetes, nursing professors Donna S. Freeborn (AS ’74) and Barbara Hartwig Mandleco (PhD ’91) wanted to pass their perspective on those challenges to nurses. Their study, published in the Journal of Nursing Education and Practice, required nursing students to wear glucose pumps and strictly monitor their diets.
Physical and Mathematical Sciences
Quantum Leap: Mathematics professor Tyler J. Jarvis (BS ’89, MS ’90) helped discover a new theory that provides a mathematical foundation for physicists’ description of certain interactions among particles and quantum fields. Jarvis’ research was published in Annals of Mathematics.
Religious Education
New Dean: Replacing Terry B. Ball (BS ’79, MA ’88, PhD ’92), Brent L. Top (BA ’76, MEd ’80, PhD ’84) is now dean of Religious Education. Top formerly served as chair of the Department of Church History and Doctrine and, prior to joining BYU’s faculty, worked for the Church Educational System.
