Dr. Argelia Lorence, professor of metabolic engineering, and her research into climate impact on rice production were highlighted in a Guardian article. NBC News is producing a follow-up. Also, Lorence and Dr. Karina Medina-Jimenez, Arkansas Biosciences Institute, co-edited a book written by research teams from the U.S., Mexico, Canada, Chile and Spain. Each chapter, including two from Lorence’s team, describes a step-by-step protocol for high throughput plant phenotyping. Details are online.

An article by Dr. Mary Jackson-Pitts (left), professor of creative media and creative media production program director, and Dr. Michael Bowman (right), associate professor of creative media, was published in the Journal of Media Education. Their article focuses on assessment practices and advisory board members’ impact on student portfolios, and the importance of demo reels in creating strong brands for students pursuing careers in the media industry.

An article by Dr. Hrish Desai, assistant professor of accounting, has been published in the Journal of Accounting & Organizational Change. He develops a meta-model that shows how research on partner selection in inter-organizational relationships is scattered across various disciplines. The article is online. Desai also won the Financial Accounting and Reporting Section (FARS) Excellence in Reviewing Award for his reviews of American Accounting Association (AAA) annual meeting papers.

Dr. Bruce Faske (left), assistant professor of music, and Dr. Lauren Schack Clark, professor of music, performed the world premiere of a composition by Dr. Derek Jenkins, assistant professor of music, at the 61st International Trombone Festival. “Remnants: Five Fragments on a Hymn,” for trombone and piano, was written in memory of Faske’s father, who died in May 2020. Performers were chosen through a competitive, peer-reviewed process.

Congratulations to Dr. Cristina Urias Espinoza, assistant professor of history, Campus Querétaro, who successfully defended her dissertation, “Spatial Legacies in the Borderlands: Land Speculation and the U.S. Colonization of Northwest Mexico, 1853-1934.” She earned a Ph.D. in history from the University of Arizona. Her study interests include the historic urban environments, U.S.-Mexico relations in the border region, public history, historical sites, and public art.