The Academic Minute from 11.04 – 11.08
Monday
Simon Blanchard – Georgetown University
Mindfulness and Money
Simon Blanchard is a Provost’s Distinguished Associate Professor and a Dean’s Professor at the McDonough School of Business, Georgetown University. His research focuses on developing tools and methodologies to help managers understand consumer decision-making processes. Substantively, he often focuses on how consumers interact with their finances and technology. His research and perspectives on consumer finances and technology have been featured in media outlets such as Forbes, Fortune, Harvard Business Review, NerdWallet, The New York Times, Marketplace, and NBC News.
Tuesday
Irina Troconis – Cornell University
Living with Hugo Chavez’s Ghost
Irina R. Troconis is Assistant Professor of Latin American Studies in the Romance Studies Department at Cornell University. Her research explores the relationship between memory, politics, and cultural production in the context of contemporary Latin America, with a specific focus on Venezuela. She is the co-editor of the digital volume Deborah Castillo: Radical Disobedience (HemiPress, 2019) (https://radicaldisobedience.hemi.press/) and the co-organizer of the conversation series Re-thinking Venezuela. Her research has appeared in Latin American Research Review, Latin American Literary Review, Comparative Literature Studies, Revista Iberoamericana, The Journal of Media Art Study and Theory, among others. Her first book, The Necromantic State: Spectral Remains in the Afterglow of Venezuela’s Bolivarian Revolution (Duke UP, 2025) (https://www.dukeupress.edu/the-necromantic-state) explores through the lens of spectrality the memory narratives and practices developed around the figure of Hugo Chávez in the decade following his death.
Wednesday
Michele Williams – University of Iowa
Does Your Organization Suffer From ODID?
Michele Williams, associate professor of management and entrepreneurship at the University of Iowa’s Tippie College of Business, conducts interdisciplinary research on the micro-foundations of collaboration and innovation with a focus on social identity. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business and has published in notable academic journals, such as Organization Science and the Journal of Applied Psychology. Dr. Williams speaks internationally on the topics of her research in academic and corporate settings.
Thursday
Daniel Sparks – University of Pennsylvania
An Exploration of State Free College Policies
Daniel Sparks is a postdoctoral fellow in economics and education at the University of Pennsylvania. His research focuses on higher education finance and policy.
Friday
John Vidale – University of Southern California Dornsife
Delving Into The Earth’s Core
Prof. Vidale’s research focuses on earthquakes, Earth structure, volcanoes, and the hazards of strong shaking. His work has elements of numerical modeling, basic science, and earthquake hazard mitigation.
