Reynolds College Blog

Dr. Erin Wehrman featured in Mind’s Eye

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Congratulations to Dr. Erin Wehrman, associate professor in the department of communication, media, journalism and film at Missouri State University, on her feature in Mind’s Eye magazine.

As an expert in family and interpersonal communication, Wehrman studies how communication can help people adjust to life after losing a spouse, focusing on the role it plays in shaping relationships and identity. 

Research feature story now online

The Mind’s Eye story featuring Wehrman’s research is now published online.

Excerpt:

“I don’t even know who I am anymore.”  

This sentiment is often expressed by people who are grieving the loss of a spouse. 

“Identity is complex,” said Dr. Erin Wehrman, associate professor in the department of communication, media, journalism and film at Missouri State University. “We don’t have just one singular identity.”  

External factors, such as the people we interact with and the places we go, combine with internal factors, such as our personal experiences and our physiology, help to construct a self-identity.  

Relationships play a big role in building and maintaining that identity.  

Read the full story

Dr. Laura Hart featured in Mind’s Eye

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Congratulations to Dr. Laura Hart, associate professor of sociology at Missouri State University, for her recent feature in Mind’s Eye magazine. 

Her research focuses on how people understand and cope with risk, especially risk caused by environmental factors that jeopardize a community’s physical and mental health.  

Congratulations Dr. Hart!

The full story is now available online.

Excerpt

In the mid-2000s, several residents of Clyde, Ohio, including children, developed cancer at an alarming rate. Then, in 2012, nine feet of toxic sludge was discovered under the basketball court at a recreational park donated to the community by Whirlpool, the town’s largest employer. 

Several affected individuals filed a lawsuit against Whirlpool, claiming these illnesses were caused by pollutants generated by its Clyde facility. Having already experienced reluctance from state officials to investigate suspected chemicals and their potential link to the cancer cases, the plaintiffs knew they would need the community’s support. 

Yet many of Clyde’s residents angrily opposed the lawsuit. 

Read the full story

Dr. Philippa Koch featured in Mind’s Eye

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Congratulations to Dr. Philippa Koch, assistant professor of religion at Missouri State University, on her feature in Mind’s Eye magazine.

Her research focuses on the intersections of religion, health, gender and society in early America.

Research feature story now online

The Mind’s Eye story featuring Koch’s research is now published online.

Excerpt:

In a world teeming with religious narratives and expectations, what happens when lived experiences do not align?

Dr. Philippa Koch, Missouri State University associate professor of religion, explored this question through her research on how Christians in colonial America held onto the doctrine of providence. This is the belief that God oversees everything and sometimes intervenes in the world.

This research led to the publication of her book, “The Course of God’s Providence: Religion, Health and the Body in Early America,” in 2021.

In it, Koch explores how Christians maintained this belief, even as medical advancements made it possible to treat illnesses.

Read the full story

Jin A. Seo featured in latest edition of Mind’s Eye

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Congratulations to Jin A. Seo, assistant professor in the Department of Art and Design, on her feature story in the 2024 issue of Mind’s Eye magazine.

In her exploration of the human body, Seo’s work delves into the interplay of what is real and what is artificial in our environments.

The full story is now available online.

Excerpt

Stunning vistas and glorious light-filled landscapes inspire artists.

No surprise that Jin A. Seo, associate professor of art and design at Missouri State University, counts herself among those inspired.

However, Seo, an art jeweler, approaches landscapes differently.

Her work breaks the confines of traditional jewelry-making. Pushing past an outfit accessory, her jewelry serves a sculptural exploration of the body. Seo’s work asks the viewer to consider their own body as a landscape.

Read the full story

Dr. Marnie Watson featured in Mind’s Eye

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Congratulations to Dr. Marnie Watson, assistant professor of anthropology, on her feature story in the 2023 issue of Mind’s Eye magazine.

Her research focuses on learning how people in extreme circumstances deal with life in difficult situations. [Read more…] about Dr. Marnie Watson featured in Mind’s Eye