Congratulations to Dr. Robert (Drew) Fleming, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, who has received a Ralph E. Powe Junior  Faculty Enhancement Award from the Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) Consortium. In his research, he is using high-performance computing (HPC) resources to perform molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of nanostructures under compression loading. His goal is to control the dynamics of dislocations in nanostructures in order to design materials with enhanced mechanical properties.

Dr. Holly Kathleen Hall, professor of strategic communication, contributed a case study for a new textbook, Social Media Law and Ethics, from Jeremy Harris Lipschultz. The book, which explores free expression, includes Hall’s case study of a Twitter hacking incident in 2020 involving bitcoin. The textbook studies from social media thought leaders will help students engage with the complexities and ambiguities of this future-oriented area of media law.

Dr. Selye Lee, assistant professor of criminology and program coordinator, MA in criminal justice, will make presentations at the annual American Society of Criminology conference in November. Her involvement will include a roundtable on the perceptions of hate crimes against Asian-Americans, a panel on attitudes toward police among college students, and co-authored poster sessions on parental incarceration impact on childhood well-being and parental involvement on juvenile offender views' of police legitimacy.

A project by four biotechnology students at A-State Campus Queretaro has been accepted for presentation at the SOMI XXXV Instrumentation Conference in October. The students are Ximena Vargas, Fernanda González, Wendy Mandujano and Isaac Reyes. Their work, “Biosynthesis of Silver Nanoparticles (AgNPs) and their potential use as an alternative to conventional synthesis methods,” was prepared under the direction of Bárbara González (right), principal investigator and instructor, and Dr. Fernando Belmont, assistant professor of chemistry.