The Academic Minute for 2016.4.4-4.8

Academic Minute from 4.4 – 4.8

Monday, April 4
Thomas Amidon – SUNY-ESF
New Forest Economy

• Professor and Chair, Department of Paper and Bioprocess Engineering,  SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry 6/2000-Present
• International Paper, 1976-6/2000
• Laboratory Manager, Corporate Research Center, Tuxedo, NY, 1994-6/2000
• Manager, Primary Process Development, Corporate Research Center, Tuxedo, NY  1989-1994
• Quality Improvement Process Facilitator, Process Technology, Mobile, AL 1987-1989
• Program manager for wood and pulp properties, Pulp Manufacturing Technical Support group, Mobile, AL. 1984-1987
• Manager, Forest Sciences, 1982-1984
• Research Analyst 1980-1982
• Research Associate and Senior Research Associate  1976-1980
• Instructor, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Department of Paper and Bioprocess Engineering; Postdoctoral Associate, Empire State Paper Research Institute 1974-1976

Tuesday, April 5
Susan Snyder – Georgia State University
Problematic Internet Usage Among College Students
Dr. Susan M. Snyder is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at Andrew Young School of Policy Studies. Dr. Snyder has over a decade of practice experience in the field of child welfare, which informs her commitment to advancing research in the field. Dr. Snyder investigates the sequelae of problem behavior, including substance use and illegal behaviors, among maltreated and system-involved youth. Dr. Snyder’s research has been published in leading journals such as PLOS ONE, Children Youth Services Review, Substance Use Misuse, and Child Abuse and Neglect. Dr. Snyder was recognized as the Most Outstanding and Most Innovative Faculty Member by the 2015 MSW Class at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, before joining GSU. She received her Master’s in Public Administration (MPA) from the University of Missouri-Columbia, and her MSW and PhD from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Wednesday, April 6
Barbara Palmer –  Baldwin Wallace University
Gendermandering
Barbara Palmer is professor of political science at Baldwin Wallace University in the Cleveland suburb of Berea, Ohio, and is an expert on elections and the success of women candidates. Professor Palmer teaches courses in American politics and serves as pre-law advisor and coordinator for the university’s legal studies program, and is also the creator and executive director of the Center for Women and Politics of Ohio. She is an expert on congressional elections and the success of women candidates. Her book, “Women and Congressional Elections: A Century of Change,” co-authored with Dennis Simon of Southern Methodist University, explores how incumbency and redistricting shape the integration of women into Congress.

Thursday, April 7
Tim Cook – Worcester State University
Hurricane Irene Erosion
My research interests are broadly concerned with understanding the processes that govern interactions between the climate system, the hydrosphere, land surfaces and the sedimentary record. I investigate how both natural and human changes in the Earth system influence watershed, lake, and sedimentary processes and apply this knowledge to studies of long-term climate and environmental change. I have worked in both coastal marine and freshwater lake and river environments in locations ranging from the High Arctic to the tropical Pacific. My research is currently focused on several areas: In New England, I am studying the sedimentary record in a network of regional lakes in an effort to better understand the impacts of human activity and landscape changes on sediment yield and water quality and to develop paleoclimate records that can help constrain the occurrence of extreme flood-producing precipitation events in the region. I have ongoing work in the Canadian Arctic focused on reconstructing past climate variability and constraining our understanding of the sensitivity of polar regions to climatic change. In addition, I am working in the Mealy Mountains region of Labrador, Canada investigating climatic and environmental controls on the production and burial of organic carbon in lakes.

Friday, April 8
Marshall Jones – Winthrop University
The Digital Divide
Dr. Jones received an undergraduate degree in English Literature from Furman University. After graduation he taught English as a Second Language at the prestigious SriThammarat Suksa School in Nakhon Sri Thammarat, Thailand, a small town on the Malay Peninsula for two years. He returned to the states and taught 7th grade language arts and high school social studies before moving to Washington DC to be underemployed with Gannett publishing. Dr. Jones received his master’s and doctorate degrees in Instructional Design and Technology from the University of Georgia in Athens, Ga. He spent five years on faculty at Northern Illinois University, and three years at the University of Memphis where he earned tenure and promotion to Associate Professor. In 2001 he returned home to South Carolina to develop a Master’s program in Instructional Technology at Winthrop University. He was named the inaugural Bank of America Professor of Education at Winthrop University in 2006. In 2009 he became the Director of Graduate Studies for the Richard W. Riley College of Education at Winthrop University. Dr. Jones has published more than forty papers and book chapters in various professional journals and books and has made over 90 presentations at national and international meetings. He has worked as an educational consultant and grant evaluator for school districts in South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, and Illinois. He has designed and developed training for multinational companies such as Hewlett Packard, IBM, Apple Computer, Sears, and Motorola. Dr. Jones’ research interests include the diffusion and adoption of innovations, emerging technologies and their impact on learning, internet-based learning, social networking and instructional strategies for face-to-face and online classes.

Dr. Jones is an exercise enthusiast who enjoys hiking and running. Other hobbies include reading, writing, playing guitar and travel. Dr. Jones is married to Mary O’Grady-Jones, a fifth grade Gifted and Talented teacher in Rock Hill, SC.