Dr. Catherine Hoegeman, associate professor of sociology, studies organizational leadership. For much of her career, she has focused on religious organizations, but she doesn’t want to be typecast. She wants to branch out to research nonprofit organizations and leadership more broadly. But the controversies and the questions brought forth by the church bring her back. She … [Read more...] about Unveiling the mysteries of the Catholic Church
Dr. Jason Hausback, associate professor of music at Missouri State University, was diagnosed with social anxiety disorder in high school. But after learning to manage it, he finds performance empowering. “I’d rather play a trombone recital for 1,000 people than speak in front of three,” Hausback said. He was introduced to the trombone in the fourth grade. He liked the … [Read more...] about Empowerment through performance
This happened eight times a week at New York City’s Music Box Theatre as Brescia prepared to take the stage in the Broadway smash “Dear Evan Hansen.” It was the seventh Broadway production for Brescia, assistant professor in the department of theatre and dance. Before joining Missouri State in 2016, she wowed audiences as Donna in “Mamma Mia!” and Elphaba in “Wicked.” “My … [Read more...] about On broadway
The message came from an 87-year-old woman in Missouri. Days earlier, Payne, a professor of music and professional opera singer, performed with the Springfield Symphony for a special Black History Month concert in February 2018. There, Payne’s baritone delivered soaring solos and narrated the second half of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. The woman … [Read more...] about Singing between the lines
"When a house falls into a sinkhole, neighbors clamor for information. They ask if their house is next," said Dr. Doug Gouzie, geology professor at Missouri State University. "It's unimaginable and devastating, but I think they might not really want the answer to that question." Gouzie studies land formations, like sinkholes, and how water forms them. "Your house being … [Read more...] about Sinking suspicions: Predicting future disasters
Instead, it's the work of the Japanese beetle. But it's never just one. The beetles arrive in multitudes out of the earth. From white grubs chewing on the roots of your plants, they grow into a swarm that blankets your plants. They eat the tissue, damaging the plants beyond survival. For farmers, the beetles' attack is an even greater concern. It's devastating to a crop, yet … [Read more...] about Traveling scientist: Finding a home in the lab and field
Dr. Robert Pavlowsky has worked on nearly 100 projects related to water quality in the Ozarks region of southern Missouri and northern Arkansas. He is the director of the Ozarks Environmental and Water Resources Institute, also known as OEWRI, and a distinguished professor of geography. “I’m a geographer. We view the world at different levels.” The institute supports efforts … [Read more...] about Securing natural resources for the Ozarks
Lockenvitz, assistant professor of speech-language pathology, studies the life experiences of those with a persistent lisp. “Something as minor as a childhood scar, acne or body odor can affect your self-confidence. A lisp can, too,” she said. She started her career studying how to transcribe and articulate certain sounds. It was a very black and white, quantitative … [Read more...] about Living with a Lisp
These questions drive Dr. Jake Simmons' work. He researches the experiences of students of color on college campuses. His goal is to improve diversity and inclusion programs. “It's important to create safe spaces to share experiences," Simmons said. "It's important to students and to the fabric of a university." As the graduate studies director in the communication … [Read more...] about Making space for everyone
That’s the reality today. But in the 19th and early 20th centuries, public houses (nicknamed pubs) didn’t offer food. You may think it changed in order to turn greater profits. Instead, Dr. David Gutzke argues that pubs evolved in Great Britain as a ripple from the Progressive movement. He believes his greatest scholarly contribution is that he established the Progressive … [Read more...] about Blending history, pubs and politics
Our lives are full of connections. You see someone you know in the grocery store two aisles over. What's the quickest way to get to them? Your parents live 2,000 miles away. There are no direct flights. Which flight has fewer layovers? Connections are rarely as easy as point A to point B. There are stops along the way, twists, turns and sometimes you may even get … [Read more...] about Looking for connections
Although traditional communication systems may falter, data can still transfer from phone to phone until it reaches an area with service. This is called a wireless ad-hoc network – one of Dr. Hui "Anita" Liu’s research interests. When there is no central server, how can we implement a network functionality? According to Liu, devices must cooperate to form this network. Each … [Read more...] about Getting your message across when systems fail
But Dr. Brooks Blevins, the Noel Boyd professor of Ozarks studies, works to change these misconceptions through his research. He pores over countless materials about the Ozarks and conducts oral histories to provide a truer picture of the area and the people who live here. A lifelong Ozarker, Blevins grew up on his family farm in rural Arkansas. He always loved history. When … [Read more...] about Ozarks history through a realistic lens
Dr. Stanley Leasure’s work may give you one more thing to consider when you sign an employment contract or read the employee handbook. What happens when something goes wrong? Probably no more than five percent of the lawyers teaching at law school have anywhere near 25 years experience. "Many big companies want to limit your ability to sue them – of course they do,” Leasure … [Read more...] about Influencing the future of arbitration