Dr. Amy Hyman (left) associate professor, and Dr. Joseph Richmond (right), associate professor and department chair, disaster preparedness and emergency management, oriented first-year experience classes on natural hazards this semester, using a National Science Foundation grant through its Natural Hazards Center. They included a virtual reality experience that took students through a tornado simulation. They also presented their research, on students’ preferred warning methods and protective actions, to the American Public Health Association in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Amanda Carpenter (left), assistant dean for research and associate professor of public health, and Dr. Julie King (right), assistant professor of occupational and environmental safety and health, presented at the American Public Health Association annual conference in Washington, D.C. Their study examined the rate of motor vehicle fatalities in rural and urban counties. Longitudinal analyses indicated that rurality was a significant factor in motor vehicle fatalities.

Dr. Hrishikesh Desai, associate professor of accounting, is author of a chapter in a new book published by Edward Elgar. Using mathematical modeling and Crunchbase data, he demonstrates how different technologies contribute to nonlinear growth patterns in startups. Desai also was interviewed recently for an article in Bloomberg News regarding the fourth audit staff layoff in only three years at accounting company KPMG.

Orithea Regn (left), research associate, Ecotoxicology Research Facility, and Dr. Brook Fluker (right), associate professor of aquatic ecology, are co-authors of research for which environmental sciences Ph.D. graduate Dr. Brittany McCall of Augustana College is lead author. Their paper, in the Journal of Thermal Biology, examined upper temperature tolerances of two madtom catfish species; their results will assist with conservation of the miniature catfishes, found only in Arkansas and Missouri.

Dr. Philip Tew (right), associate professor of finance, and director, and Melanie Ricker (left), assistant director, Kays Foundation Scarlet to Black (S2B) Program for Financial Independence, attended the Robinhood Money Drills Summit in Washington, D.C. S2B received a multi-year grant from Robinhood to improve the financial wellness of college students, especially student-athletes. The summit was an opportunity for representatives of participating universities to discuss best practices and meet with members of Congress.