Faculty Research Archives - Reynolds College Blog

Heather Walters wins outstanding achievement honors in writing and teaching

October 21, 2026 by Lynn Lansdown

Missouri State University’s Heather Walters recently received two outstanding achievement awards from the National Communication Association.

A senior instructor in the Department of Communication, Media, Journalism and Film, Walters won the association’s Outstanding Teaching Award. She has taught at Missouri State for 27 years.

Moreover, her book, “Understanding the Ethical Concerns of Generative AI: A Practical Guide,” won the Communication Ethics Division’s Book of the Year Award.

“It is always so rewarding to know that the long hours you put into typing ideas, editing and revising had some notable impact on others,” Walters said.

Teaching style uses current events and case studies

Walters developed and currently teaches the department’s AI and Human Communication (COM 310) course. She also teaches Ethical Issues in Communication (COM 313), Media Law & Ethics (MED 581) and Public Relations Theory and Research Methods (COM 219). In addition, she teaches ethical communication and coaches the speech and debate team at Greenwood Laboratory School.

Her teaching style, she said, is “current event and case study intensive.”

“Integrating current event discussion in the classroom helps students translate theory into practice,” she said. “[It helps them] understand why what they are learning in the classroom matters for their everyday life.”

To facilitate learning, Walters created a set of online activities that complement her textbook.

“There are not many of those resources available in this specific discipline,” she said. “I think [the Association] found my teaching style innovative and reflective of sincere effort to bring a discipline like ethics—which is often stereotyped as ‘ancient’—to life for students.”

Ecuador Education Abroad evolves into successful field school experience

September 16, 2026 by Lynn Lansdown

“From the Andes to the Amazon in Ecuador,” one of the many Education Abroad programs offered at Missouri State University, successfully completed its third run June 24-July 16, 2026.

This year, six students joined Jason Shepard, senior instructor in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Gerontology. They were Kenyon Broten, Amanda Gott, Ryan Johnston, DeMarcus Powell-Long, Myles Ramey and Autumn Seely.

This is the third time Shepard has led the Ecuador program. Additionally, this was the second time Gott, Johnston and Broten traveled to Ecuador as part of the Education Abroad experience. They used the opportunity to expand their research, which they plan to present at the Society for Applied Anthropology conference in March 2027.

Beyond a “travel course”

When Shepard began the Ecuador program in 2023, he envisioned it as more than just a “travel course.”

“[It] was designed from the beginning as an anthropology field school,” he explained. “I think students are attracted to the program because they get to do anthropology rather than only study it in a classroom.”

Cultivating the field school approach

Shepard evaluates the program annually to see what is working and what isn’t. He doesn’t, however, change the program simply to offer students something different. Instead, he believes returning to the same communities and working with the same people gives the field school approach “considerable value.”

“Short-term education abroad can make sustained relationships difficult,” Shepard said. In contrast, repeated visits allow students to develop strong connections with the communities they are studying.

“After three years, these are no longer simply places on an itinerary,” he said. “I have relationships with families, educators, activists, community leaders, farmers, guides and others who help make the field school possible.”

Rodrigues presents research at American Sociological Association annual conference

August 31, 2026 by Lynn Lansdown

Missouri State University’s Dr. Herbert Rodrigues presented his latest research at the 121st American Sociological Association (ASA) annual conference Aug. 7-11, 2026, in New York City, New York.

Rodrigues is an associate professor in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Gerontology.

In “Between Consent and Coercion: An Analysis of Obedience Among Brazilian Adolescents,” Rodrigues explores how and why adolescents obey authority figures, especially parents, teachers and police officers. To help answer this question, he used data collected on 800 11-year-old students from public and private schools across São Paulo, Brazil. This information came from a previous study he coordinated at the University of São Paulo.

“The findings are both striking and nuanced,” Rodrigues said. “The vast majority of adolescents agreed they should obey authority figures: 98.3% in relation to parents, 96.1% for teachers, and 91.7% for police. But the reasons behind that agreement vary considerably.”

Anthropology program sees high success rates with experiential education

June 23, 2026 by Lynn Lansdown

Missouri State University’s Dr. Scott Worman presented the anthropology program’s High Impact Educational Experience (HIEE) success rates at the Society for American Archaeology annual conference. The conference was held April 29-May 3 in San Francisco, California.

Worman is an associate professor of anthropology in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Gerontology (SAG). He also serves as the department’s anthropology program coordinator.

In “Dig Up Opportunity in Your Backyard: Accessible Field Training for Undergraduates,” Worman discussed how adopting commuter field schools has allowed Missouri State students to engage with multiple HIEEs. This solution provides hands-on training in archaeology as well as how the university makes that training accessible to students.

Commuter field schools offer numerous benefits, Worman said. Students enjoy a range of scheduling options that accommodate their busy lives. As “work-integrated learning experiences,” field schools also encourage sustained engagement with surrounding communities and create “school-to-career pipelines” for graduates.

“Completing an archaeological field school is required for someone to be able to begin working as a professional archaeologist,” Worman said. “So these field schools open the door to careers.”

Worman collaborated with Dr. Elizabeth Sobel, professor of anthropology, and Kevin Cupka Head, director of the Bernice S. Warren Center for Archaeological Research (CAR) for the research and presentation.

Professors emeriti Lopinot and Ray present archaeological research in Trinidad and Tobago

June 1, 2026 by Lynn Lansdown

Missouri State University professors emeriti Dr. Neal H. Lopinot and Jack H. Ray presented a summary of two decades’ worth of historical and archaeological investigations March 2, 2026, at the University of the West Indies-St. Augustine campus.

Among the guests at the presentation were Chief Ricardo Bharath-Hernandez of the Santa Rosa First Peoples Community, representatives from several local and national tourism organizations, members of Citizens for Conservation and the Landmarks Committee of the National Trust.

During the event, Lopinot and Ray discussed their historical research at La Reconnaissance, a former cacao plantation located in the Lopinot Valley. They also discussed their archaeological excavation at Guaico Tamana, a former flintknapping production site.

Prior to the event, Lopinot and Ray returned all artifacts recovered from both sites to the University of the West Indies and the National Trust.