The Academic Minute from 10.21 – 10.25
Monday, October 21st
Kenn Tacchino – Widener University
Re-Thinking The 4% Retirement Rule
Kenn Tacchino is a professor of taxation and financial planning and chair of the department of economics, finance and taxation at Widener University. He is a three-time winner of the Widener School of Business Administration Distinguished Graduate Teaching Award. He has been the editor of the Journal of Financial Service Professionals since 2001. He was formerly a full-time faculty member and consultant to the American College and former director of the New York Life Center for Retirement Income at the American College. He writes a monthly column for “RetireMentors,” which is part of the Market Watch (Wall Street Journal) website. The column is dedicated to helping consumers plan their retirement.
Tuesday, October 22nd
Luke Ayers – Widener University
What Drives Our Food Choices?
Luke Ayers has been an assistant professor in Widener University’s Psychology Department since 2013. His research career has focused on the biological basis of learning and memory, fear and anxiety behavior, and compulsive drug seeking. He teaches courses that provide students with a foundation in the biological basis of behavior, with specific focus on sensory perception, motor control, learning and memory, emotions, and psychiatric disorders. He received a PhD in Behavioral Neuroscience from the University of Delaware in 2013.
Wednesday, October 23rd
Yufeng Mao – Widener University
A Muslim View of the Chinese Nation
Yufeng Mao is an associate professor in Widener University’s History Department. She received a BA in Arabic from Beijing Foreign Studies University, MA in Arab Studies from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, and PhD in East Asian History from George Washington University. Her research interests include modern Chinese history, race and ethnicity, and transnational history. She published a number of book chapters, journal articles, and book reviews in these fields. She is currently writing a book on Muslim political activism in China during the first half of the 20th century.
Thursday, October 24th
Mary Francis – Widener University
Addressing Gun Violence Through Victim Perspectives
Mary Francis is an assistant professor of nursing at Widener University. In her clinical capacity, she works as a trauma nurse practitioner at Cooper University Hospital in Camden, New Jersey. She recently defended her dissertation which focused on gun violence. In her research, she utilized the narrative inquiry method to capture the experience of being a victim of gun violence in an effort to understand the initial perception of the experience and the ongoing impact of the event.
Friday, October 25th
Shana Maier – Widener University
Perceptions of the #MeToo Movement
Shana Maier is a professor and director of the master’s in criminal justice program at Widener University. She received her B.S. and M.S. degrees from Saint Joseph’s University, and her Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Delaware. She began her career at Widener University in 2005. Her research interests include intimate partner violence, the treatment of rape victims by the criminal justice system, medical and legal systems, the transformation of rape crisis centers, and the experiences and perceptions of rape victim advocates, Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners, and law enforcement officers who respond to rape victims. She has written numerous journal articles and books, including her most recent book Rape, Victims, and Investigations, published by Routledge in June 2014.
