Strategic Communications and Marketing News Bureau

New Faces 2014, Part Two

Nov. 20, 2014

Tara Powell

assistant professor of social work in the School of Social Work

Education: Ph.D. (social work), University of Texas at Austin; M.S.W./M.P.H. Tulane University; B.A. (communication studies), University of Iowa

Courses teaching: She will teach SOCW 400, Generalist Social Work Practice Methods in the fall semester.

Research interests: Promoting children’s recovery after a natural disaster.

“Given our school’s commitment to strengthening vulnerable families, we are pleased to have Dr. Powell join our faculty,” said Wynne Korr, the dean of the School of Social Work. “A community has been devastated by a hurricane or an earthquake. The immediate crisis has passed, the debris is mostly cleared. But what about the children whose lives have been altered? Their homes and schools may be damaged or gone. Tara Powell saw this firsthand after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. She responded by creating a program to support the long-term mental health needs of children who have experienced these traumas. She has conducted several studies of the effectiveness of a school-based mental health intervention for children who have experienced a natural disaster. Her research shows promising results. In partnership with Save the Children International, she has also studied the outcomes of their psychosocial and protection programs in 15 countries.”

Why Illinois? “I chose Illinois because of its collaborative supportive environment, which fosters innovation and research,” Powell said. “The university also has a number of recognized scholars in child trauma and resilience who are leaders in the field. I feel Illinois is a place where I can accomplish my research goals through the support of the School of Social Work and interdisciplinary collaboration across campus. The campus also is strategically located, enabling my research to expand to rural settings and urban areas such as Chicago, St. Louis and Indianapolis.”

Laurence Uphoff

senior associate director for building operations at the Illini Union

Education: M.S. (industrial/organizational psychology), B.S. (psychology), Illinois State University

“Laurence comes to us with extensive construction, facilities management and student development experience,” said C. Renée Romano, the vice chancellor for student affairs. “From the day he joined the Illini Union in mid-August, Laurence has worked diligently to streamline his department’s facilities management program, reprioritize projects and address the most pressing maintenance issues first. He has an open-door policy, and students have been quick to find him to explore ideas for improving the quality of services in the Illini Union. Working closely with students is nothing new for Laurence, as he taught a freshmen seminar for new students at Georgia State University in Atlanta. Laurence is very excited to work with students on campus and has been impressed by their commitment to sustainability, based on recommendations for improvements they have made to him.”

Why Illinois? “I had been at Georgia State University for nine years and missed the corn and bean fields of Illinois,” Uphoff said. “I was first a Star Farmer finalist in FFA before attending the U. of I. as an undergraduate. I was unable to finish my education at that time and in later years completed my master’s at Illinois State. Coming back to the U. of I. is like coming back home. It’s my opinion that the U. of I. has always been the best place in the world to get an education, and I’m excited to be a part this great institution. It is exciting to realize that I am playing a part in the development of the future leaders of the world.”

 

Dec. 4, 2014

Jacqueline C. Hitchon

professor and head of the Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising, College of Media

Education: Ph.D. (marketing), M.B.A., University of Wisconsin at Madison; M.A., B.A. (modern languages and literature), Oxford University, England

Courses teaching: In spring 2015, she will teach a doctoral seminar offered by the Institute for Communications Research: MDIA 572, Proseminar II. (The doctoral degree in the College of Media is offered by the institute rather than by individual departments within the college.) The seminar is designed to expose doctoral students to a broad range of media-related research.

Research interests: Her research interests focus on how audience members psychologically process advertising when there is an “A is B” equation. This can occur, for example, when the ad contains a metaphor, when a political candidate turns out to be female rather than male, when a model is digitally edited to be thinner than he or she is in reality, or when the plot of a movie or program is not an authentic storyline but rather orchestrated around the placement of a brand or public relations message.

“Dr. Hitchon is an exceptional scholar and has extensive administrative experience,” said Jan Slater, the dean of the College of Media. “She will be a tremendous addition to the department, the college and to campus.”

Why Ilinois: “It’s very important to me to be part of a world-class university at the forefront of my discipline,” Hitchon said. “U. of I. has been visionary in establishing a College of Media, and the Charles H. Sandage Department of Advertising remains the inaugural department of its kind with an unwavering commitment to perpetual leadership of the field.”

Citlali López-Ortiz

assistant professor of kinesiology and community health in the College of Applied Health Sciences

Education: Ph.D. (kinesiology), University of Wisconsin at Madison; M.A. (dance), State University of New York at Brockport; B.S. (physics), National Autonomous University of Mexico

Courses teaching: KIN 257, Coordination, Control and Skill

Research interests: The scientific basis for dance as therapy for rehabilitation of movement disorders and enhancement of movement learning. Her work focuses on typically and atypically developing children, cerebral palsy and Parkinson’s disease.

“As a research assistant professor in the department of physical medicine and rehabilitation in Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine and a research scientist in the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, Dr. López-Ortiz developed the scientific basis for dance as therapy for rehabilitation of movement disorders and enhancement of movement learning,” said Tanya Gallagher, the dean of the College of Applied Health Sciences. “Her research in the laboratory is complemented by teaching ballet to children with cerebral palsy and adults with Parkinson’s disease. Dr. López-Ortiz is a strong match for the health, wellness and disability foci of many researchers in kinesiology and community health. Her presence will add value to this cadre of scholars by providing us with an individual with expertise in the neuroscience of movement disorders. Her work also is highly consistent with the health, aging and disability focus identified by both the College of Applied Health Sciences and the college’s Center for Health, Aging and Disability.”

Why Illinois: “I came to the U. of I. because of the high quality of its resources for teaching and research,” López-Ortiz said. “I enjoy very much teaching in a state-funded university that enrolls excellent students from all walks of life. My research involves basic and applied science questions as well as interdisciplinary collaborations. I was looking for a university with a first-class human and technology infrastructure in a variety of disciplines: neuroscience, engineering and computer sciences, the arts, and applied health sciences. Illinois offered all of these with an open, supportive and vibrant environment for innovation. I am truly delighted to be part of this community.”

Dec. 18, 2014

Heidi Imker

director of the Research Data Service and associate professor, University Library

Education: Ph.D. (biochemistry), U. of I.; B.S. (cell and molecular biology), Winona State University

Research Interests: “The Research Data Service program will present an opportunity for Imker to contribute to the data-management field’s knowledge base as a whole by asking questions important to researchers and actively engaging them in determining the answers,” said John P. Wilkin, the University Librarian and the Dean of Libraries.

“Establishing the Research Data Service was an important step for the U. of I., and hiring a new director meant finding someone with a deep understanding of data generation, data management and digital preservation,” Wilkin said. “Having already dealt with these issues as a successful researcher and executive director of a large-scale project that generated a tremendous amount of data, Imker understands the cultural, technical and organizational hurdles that must be surmounted in order to enable robust data stewardship. The RDS will not only provide a valuable service, but one that is increasingly critical for maintaining Illinois’ position as a world-class research institution. Particularly with new requirements from funding agencies, many campus researchers struggle to manage and disseminate their data due to the sheer scope of the problem.

“Through the deep understanding Imker brings – as well as the combined expertise of the University Library, Campus Information Technologies and Educational Services, the National Center for Supercomputing Applications, the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, and the Graduate School for Library and Information Science – Illinois will lead by developing an RDS program that serves our research community and establishes a model for other institutions.”

Why Illinois: “Illinois is inspiring,” Imker said. “There’s no better place to take on a challenge. In my position at the University Library, I have the opportunity to address common research roadblocks, in collaboration with stellar colleagues all across campus, and develop a program to address our emerging data needs through combining both research and practice.

“Champaign-Urbana also is a terrific place to live, and I love the incredible openness of the Illinois landscape. Mountains inspire some to reach up, but our clear horizon inspires me to reach far.”

Dr. Rebecca Smith

assistant professor of epidemiology, department of pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine

Education: Ph.D. (epidemiology), Cornell University; M.S. (biosecurity and risk analysis), Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine; D.V.M., Cornell University; B.A. (biology), Gustavus Adolphus College, Minnesota

Courses teaching: Introductory Epidemiology, Advanced Epidemiologic Modeling, Biostatistics

Research interests: Development of mathematical and statistical models of infectious diseases, especially mycobacterial diseases.

“Dr. Rebecca Lee Smith has strong skills in mathematical modeling of disease transmission, with particular strengths in the context of economic and management outcomes,” said Mark S. Kuhlenschmidt, a professor and the interim head of the department of pathobiology. “Her expertise melds perfectly with the department of pathobiology’s mission to provide solutions through research and education to fundamental issues in contemporary infectious diseases of global importance to humans and animals. Dr. Smith’s expertise in advanced epidemiological modeling will enhance our department’s ability to address the distribution and determinants of disease at the population level, with an emphasis on emerging infectious and vector-borne disease, outbreak investigations and multihost systems. Her ability to employ biostatistics and mathematical modeling strategies complements our existing spatio-temporal approaches to provide novel solutions to complex infectious disease problems that span scales, from genetics to individuals and populations.

Why Illinois? “The University of Illinois provides so many opportunities for multidisciplinary research,” Smith said. “I love having access to experts in so many fields – from high-powered computing to pathology – to help me develop new approaches. Also, working at the College of Veterinary Medicine helps me to keep an applied, clinical focus to my research. The department of pathobiology, too, has focused a wide range of disciplines on infectious diseases and has so much potential for high-quality research to solve real-world problems.”

Jan. 15, 2015

Bertram Ludäscher

a professor in the Graduate School of Information Science and the National Center for Supercomputing Applications

Education: Ph.D. (computer science), University of Freiburg, Germany; M.S. (computer science), Technical University of Karlsruhe (now Karlsruhe Institute of Technology), Germany

Courses teaching: LIS-452, Foundations of Information Processing in LIS (spring 2015); Foundations of Data Curation in the future.

Research interests: Scientific data management; data integration; knowledge representation; modeling, design and optimization of scientific workows; data provenance; data curation.

“We are delighted to have attracted one of the world’s leaders in scientic data management to GSLIS,” said Allen Renear, dean of the Graduate College of Library and Information Science. “Digital technologies have created exciting new opportunities to analyze vast quantities of diverse data – but supporting the use of this information presents deep challenges. For many years now, Bertram has been leading the way in meeting these challenges.”

Why Illinois? “I am a computer scientist by training, but equally passionate about applications of information science and technology as I am about basic computer science,” Ludäscher said. “I’m excited to join GSLIS, the iSchool at Illinois, which has been a leader in information science research and education. They really understand the full data life cycle here, from analysis and information modeling to data curation and archival. I’m also looking forward to being part of NCSA with its unique resources and working with NCSA researchers and colleagues in computer science. The breadth and depth of research opportunities of the GSLIS-NCSA-computer science triangle is very unique to Illinois and exactly the kind of environment I love to work in.”

 

Jennifer L. Selin

assistant professor of political science in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Education: Ph.D. (American politics/political methodology), Vanderbilt University; J.D., Wake Forest University School of Law; B.A. (political science/American studies), Lebanon Valley College

Courses teaching: PS 101, Introduction to U.S. Government and Politics; PS 304, U.S. Presidency

Research interests: “(Professor Selin) studies how the Congress and the president control federal agencies,” said Robert Pahre, a professor of political science. “She finds that agencies with broad, complex missions are able to carve out more independence from Congress than agencies with narrow, well-defined mandates. She has compiled impressive datasets on bureaucracy that help us understand not only big, well-known bureaucracies like the Defense Department but also smaller, even obscure agencies. Her work gives us important insights into how Congress oversees policy. We tend to know a lot more about how Congress and the president pass legislation than what happens when the bureaucracy implements it.”

Why Illinois? “Quite simply, I chose the University of Illinois because it was the right fit for me,” Selin said. “When I visited Illinois for the first time, I felt there was an energy on campus that was unmatched at other universities. Here, the students seemed intelligent, happy and engaged, and the members of the faculty were doing exciting research. I felt confident that the university had the resources to help me continue to develop as a teacher and scholar.”

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