A patent by Dr. Anahita Izadyar, professor of chemistry, has been published. Titled “Compositions and Methods for Measuring Osmolarity,” the patent refers to the measure of solute concentration in a solution, which is a critical parameter in diagnosing and managing conditions for dry eye disease. Accurate osmolarity measurement is challenging because collecting sufficient tear fluid without causing irritation or reflex tearing is difficult, especially since dry eye patients produce fewer tears.

Dr. Po-Lin Pan, professor of strategic communication, was keynote speaker for the research colloquium at Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) in Malaysia. Pan discussed the future and the challenges of communication research, and shared his insights with faculty members and students from Asia-Pacific universities. He also served as an external examiner of the advertising program at UTAR, where he assessed curriculum development, heard faculty input, and observed student performance.

Dr. John Hall, Dr. Patrick McNicholas, and Kristina Sanders, Department of Psychology and Counseling, along with school psychology graduate students Taylor Rogers, Logan Despain, Olivia Deviney, Courtney Mohr, and Alexander Williams presented their peer-reviewed research at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association Division 16, School Psychology, in Denver. Their study provided insight and research on current state special education guidelines and their alignment with best assessment practices associated with identifying specific learning disabilities in the schools.

Dr. Pankaj Nagpal, assistant professor, information systems and business analytics, presented a technology research, education and opinion (TREO) talk on “Data Governance for AI,” with co-author Elena Alikhachkina, at the Americas Conference on Information Systems in Montreal. He also chaired the TREO session, “AI and Machine Learning 2,” involving four universities. The travel was supported by the Eleanor Lane Faculty Endowment Award for International Research.

Dr. Scott Bruce, professor of athletic training, presented a research poster on behalf of the Veterans’ Suicide Prevention Project (VSPP) at the Military Health Services Research Symposium in Kissimmee, Fla. This research is a product of the work done by the VSPP, a group of 16 faculty and researchers from the College of Nursing and Health Professions who study the causes of mental health and suicide ideation among military veterans. Bruce co-chairs VSPP.