The research group led by Dr. Jonathan Merten, associate professor of chemistry, has received a $489,000 grant from the chemical measurement and imaging program of the National Science Foundation's Division of Chemistry, and co-funding from the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). Merten has begun a three-year project using laser technology to determine how to measure chemical elements easier, faster, cheaper and greener.

Pamela Bowie has joined A-State as senior director of admissions in the Division of Enrollment Management. Heading the day-to-day operations of A-State’s outreach to potential students, Bowie returns to her alma mater after eight years working with higher education institutions in Arkansas. Earning a master’s degree at A-State in 2006, Bowie previously worked for three years as an admissions counselor. Details are online.

A-State welcomes Dr. Rachael Isom, assistant professor of English, to the faculty. After completing her Ph.D. in English at the University of North Carolina, she spent much of the summer conducting research at the Armstrong Browning Library in Waco, Texas, and the Huntington Library in San Marino, Calif. She is particularly interested in 18th and 19th century British women's writing, poetry, religion and digital humanities.

Dr. Evette L. Allen, executive director, Multicultural Affairs and Inclusive Excellence, is featured in a podcast interview produced by the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA). As co-chair of NASPA's New Professional and Graduate Student (NPGS) Knowledge Community, she and her colleague from Ohio State discuss on the podcast, SA Voices From the Field, how they can support new professionals and graduate students.

Another A-State welcome goes to Dr. Amanda Carpenter, assistant professor of occupational therapy. Previously she led public health research for a government contractor in Washington, D.C. Carpenter earned a Ph.D. from Rutgers after completing her BA and MA in communication at Michigan State. Carpenter’s research, which focuses on substance use prevention and stigmatized health conditions, has been published in multiple scholarly journals.