Kushal Adhikari, assistant professor of environmental engineering, served as a panelist for a roundtable discussion, “Nature-Based Solutions for Restoring Our Earth,” hosted by the European Commission during the Stockholm Climate Week in April. In May, he presented, “Minimizing Errors in the Prediction of Water Levels Using Kriging Technique in Residuals of the Groundwater Model,” at the ASCE-EWRI Conference (American Society of Civil Engineers—Environmental & Water Resources Institute), in Henderson, Nev. He presented, “Pond-In-Pond (PIP): An alternative wastewater treatment system for reuse,” at the AEESP Conference (Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors) in Boston, Mass., in June. Adhikari presented “Lab-scale design for Pond-In-Pond: An alternative wastewater treatment system for reuse,” with Meghan Ward ’25; and “Water Quality Assessment of Muddy Run, Pennsylvania, USA,” with Bryson Osborne ’24 at the Landmark Conference 2023. Adhikari is currently an early career editorial board member for the Resources, Environment and Sustainability journal for the year 2023–2024. He was invited to run a special issue for Hydrology and is currently co-leading an issue titled, Green Infrastructure and Advances in Urban Hydrology.
Jody Althouse, senior associate dean of health and wellness, received notification in February
that Juniata was a recipient of a seventh consecutive It’s On Us PA grant from the
Pennsylvania Department of Education and the Governor’s Office. In April, Althouse
attended the 2023 NASPA (Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education) Conference,
Boston, Ma.; and the annual MASOC/MATSA Joint Conference (Massachusetts Adolescent
Sexual Offender Coalition Massachusetts Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers).
She presented “Keeping the Momentum Going! How to Keep IOU alive and thriving on your
campus,” in April at the first It’s On Us Convening at Gettysburg College, Gettysburg,
Pa. From April 27–28, Althouse completed “Title IX Certificate Program in Informal
Resolution” from NASPA and spoke at the Policy Hearing on Domestic Violence as an
expert witness in May at Capitol Court in Harrisburg, Pa.
Nikki McLellan Ayers ’06, director of athletics, completed the NCAA Pathway program which concluded at the
2023 NACDA (National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics) Conference.
This year-long program is an intensive, experiential learning opportunity for selected
participants who work at an NCAA school or conference in any division. She was chosen
to serve on the NCAA Division III Men’s Volleyball National Committee until 2028.
Josiane Banini, assistant professor of French, presented “The African migrant’s identity transformation in Alain Mabanckou’s works” in May at the annual meeting of the African Literature Association in Knoxville, Tenn. She spoke on the social context and psychological dimension of the social condition of African migrants in both the West and Africa. Banini was the recipient of the SoTL (Scholarship of Teaching & Learning) Summer Grant to support world language learning in higher education and will present her research at a brown bag event during the 2023-2024 academic year. She currently serves as treasurer of the Francophone Caucus of the African Literature Association (FRACALA).
Jonathan Burns, instructor of history and art history and instructor of international studies, discovered the location of the 1778 Fort Hartsock along with Ryan Mathur ’96, professor of geology, as part of their co-taught geoarchaeology class in which students participate in field surveys and site investigations. Burns was featured as a subject expert on George Croghan in “George Croghan: Frontier Peacemaker,” episode seven of the third season of “Wild Frontier, 1700s” on the INSP Network.
James Borgardt, William W. Woolford Professor of Physics, published an article, “Ten Years of Galaxy Serpent,” in the International Nuclear Forensics (ITWG) March 2023 Newsletter. He was named a guest scientist in the radiochemistry division of Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and received a $300,000 grant to organize international exercises advancing national nuclear forensics libraries and enhancing nuclear forensics capacity in partner nations. He gave a talk at the third International Conference on Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry in May in Budapest, Hungary, and at the 26th International Nuclear Forensics Working Group (ITWG) conference in June in Tbilisi, Georgia. He has submitted a paper to the Journal of Radioanalytical Chemistry (JRNC) detailing results of recently-completed international nuclear forensics exercise. Italy invited him to present at the 67th International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on the efficacy of international exercises in advancing nuclear forensics capabilities in September in Vienna, Austria.
Kristin Camenga, associate professor of mathematics and director of advising, published “Welcoming
Students into the Mathematics Community,” in the April/May 2023 MAA FOCUS (newsmagazine
of the Mathematical Association of America). With James Tuten, Dr. Charles A. and Shirley R. Knox Professor of History, she co-presented “A Coalition
Approach to Fellowships Advising” at the NACADA Region 2 Conference 2023. With Blair Cutright, academic resource coordinator, she co-presented “Academic Coaching for Faculty”
as part of the Idaho State University Program for Institutional Effectiveness (PIE).
Camenga also presented “The Geometry of Numerical Ranges over Finite Fields” at the
International Linear Algebra Society Conference in Madrid, Spain in June. During her
sabbatical, she presented, “Who are the People in Your Numerical Range?” at undergraduate
mathematics seminars at Juniata, McDaniel College, Houghton College, Westminster College,
Shippensburg College, University of Scranton, and Idaho State University.
Glenn DeHaven ’07, head men’s volleyball coach, coached the Juniata Eagles Men’s Volleyball team to
the Elite 8 of the 2023 NCAA Division III Men’s Volleyball Tournament after winning
the Continental Volleyball Conference (CVC) Championship.
Henry Escuadro, professor of mathematics, presented “A Student Learning Outcomes Perspective on
the College Geometry Course for Secondary Teachers,” at the Allegheny Mountain Section
Meeting of the Mathematical Association of America at Penn West: Edinboro.
Douglas Glazier, professor of biology, presented “The size-mortality spectrum: towards a ‘mortality
theory of ecology’” in July 2023 at the Society for Experimental Biology centenary
conference in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Tracy Stough Grajewski ’86, assistant professor of accounting, business, and economics, was elected to the board
of directors of the AAA-Central Pennsylvania.
Ben Grant, director of athletic communications, was selected to participate in the NCAA Division
III Institute for Administrative Advancement, a partnership between the NCAA and the
Minority Opportunities Athletic Association (MOAA). The initiative seeks to provide
professional development and networking opportunities for administrators from underrepresented
populations in Division III athletics.
Patricia Hunt, director of health professions program, was elected to a three-year term as an at-large
representative to the NEAAHP (Northeast Association of Advisors for the Health Professions)
Executive Committee.
Kathy Jones, professor of education, presented research at the Eastern Psychological Society in March in Boston, Mass. These included “Low Income Families’ Involvement in College: A Qualitative Study” with Sydney Ruckdeschel ’23, Sarai Martinez Luna ’24, John Yates ’23, and Kathryn Westcott, Charles A. Dana Professor of Psychology; “Factors Related to Career Decidedness: Exploring Socioeconomic and First-Generation Status” with Grey Goldman ’23, Vianca Escobar ’25, and Westcott; “Parenting Style and Substance Use Behaviors” with Abby Angus ’23; and “Family Connections: How College Students Connect with Their Families” with Takera Jones ’23, Angus, and Emily Williams ’23.
Monika Malewska, professor of art, exhibited artwork in the following exhibitions: “Maake Summer Group Show” at Maake Projects Gallery in State College, Pa.; “Portals” at Maryland Federation of the Arts, an online exhibition, in Annapolis, Md.; “Delectable” at d’Art Center Main Gallery, juried national exhibition, in Norfolk, Va.; Art Biologic 2023, a juried exhibition, at Limner Gallery in Hudson, N.Y.; “New Masters” and “Aukcja Prac na Papierze,” exhibitions and auctions, at Piękna Gallery in Warsaw, Poland.
Scott McKenzie, associate athletic director for external engagement, was instrumental in bidding
for and hosting the NCAA Division III Men’s Regional Volleyball Tournament at Juniata
and the ECAC Men’s Basketball Tournament at Juniata.
George Merovich, associate professor of environmental science, with Brenden Nauman ’23, presented “Linking in-stream and landscape-level conditions to macroinvertebrate
assemblages in the Little Juniata River watershed” at the 2023 Technical Meeting of
The Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Fisheries Society in February at Lock Haven
University. This was awarded Best Student Presentation. At the same event, he joined
Autumn Holdsworth ’24, Andrew Garman ’23, and Nauman, to present “Evaluating walleye (Sander vitreus) spawning effort on constructed
rock rubble reefs in Raystown Lake.”
Jonathan Reveley-Cohen, lead counselor, presented with Mantra Health on “Widening Access to Mental Health
Services on Campus: The Role of Telehealth” at NASPA II Conference at Pace University
on June 6. Reveley-Cohen founded the Mental Health Campus Community Coalition (MHCCC)
to develop and share programs and information supporting mental health awareness and
intervention among campus and community professionals. Nearly 20 professionals from
over 10 organizations in the tri-county area have joined and attended quarterly meetings.
Kim Roth, professor of statistics and mathematics, published “A mathematician knits an afghan
and counts the number of possible patterns” in the Journal of Mathematics and the
Arts. Roth presented “Mathemalchemy: math + art” at the Allegheny Mountain Section
Meeting of the Mathematical Association of America at Penn West: Edinboro. This included
“A Student Learning Outcomes Perspective on the College Geometry Course for Secondary
Teachers,” by Henry Escuadro, professor of mathematics. With Roth, Heather Mitchell ’23 and Emily Sarro ’23 presented their distinction research projects, “The Diversity Discrepancy: A Statistical
Approach to Understanding Diversity at Juniata College” and “What is a P-Value Anyway:
Correcting Students’ Misconceptions” respectively. Aakash Gurung ’26 presented “Continued fractions and Fibonacci numbers,” a solution to a problem published
in the Pi Mu Epsilon Journal. Roth was also recognized with Juniata’s Beachley Award
for Distinguished Academic Service. With Erika Ward ’02, associate professor of the practice in mathematics at Boston College, she co-authored
“Math and Democracy” which appeared in the Special Issue on Mathematics and Society
of the Journal of Humanistic Mathematics.
Li Shen, associate professor of marketing, attended the Lilly Conference in California with Hannah Bellwoar, associate professor of English and director of writing and general education, and Katy Johanesen, associate professor of geology. Shen conducted a peer-review for two papers, “Nested Local, National, and Global Identities in the Context of Existential Threat” and “Composition-based view towards organizational resilience: Analysis using fsQCA,” published in the Academy of International Business. She received a SoTL summer grant for research, “Are we on the same page about diversity, inclusion and justice in instructional design and teaching?—Disparity between instruction challenges of shifting from faculty instructional goals/needs vs. student learning needs.” She was recognized with Juniata’s Henry H. ’57 and Joan Gibbel Award for Teaching Excellence on May 2. Shen attended the annual conference of AIB (Academy of International Business), presented two papers and co-presented “Global Disruptions from US-China Decoupling: Reshoring, Near-shoring and Friend-shoring and the Chinese Responses.” She also co-authored and co-presented “Acculturation Determinant Logic in The Luxury and Fashion Industry Across Cultures,” which won the Best Research Methods Paper Award.
President James A. Troha has been named chair of the NCAA Division III Presidents Council, the highest governing body for NCAA’s largest division. He served as vice chair over the past year and has also been a member of the NCAA Board of Governor’s Finance and Audit Committee and chair of the Strategic Planning and Finance Committee.
Neal Utterback, associate professor of theater arts, adapted Steven Kotler’s book, West of Jesus,
for a performance that was invited to Teatro Uno Mas in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. The
play was student-directed by exchange student Rosie Margree, and featured Juniata student actors, exchange student Leila Black, and Moira McAninch ’25. The play captures the magic of Kotler’s text and serves as a love letter to the
sport, lifestyle, and art of surfing.
Jim Watt, vice president for advancement and new strategic initiatives, authored an article “Making the Case, Making the Ask. Soliciting unrestricted giving takes care, commitment, and candor” for CASE (the Council for Advancement and Support of Education) that was published in the May/June 2023 issue of CASE’s magazine, Currents.
David Widman, professor of psychology, co-authored and published “The point of nipple erection 4: Male nipple erection signals similar emotions as female nipple erection but elicits different reactions from men and women” and “She’s got legs: Longer legs in female comic book characters correspond to global preferences” with Rebecca L. Burch in Evolutionary Behavioral Sciences. At the annual meeting of the NorthEast Evolutionary Psychology Society (NEEPS) in New York, He presented a data blitz, “The possible influence in psychological distance to competition in intrasexual competition” and co-presented five posters, including “I (might) have your back: Adult attachment and friendship quality” with Burch, Maryanne L. Fisher, T. Joel Wade, S. Rice, H. Komatsu, N. Tanaka, and Catherine A. Salmon; “How many? The big 5 and the number of children across three cultures” with Wade, Fisher, Rice, Komatsu, H. Kubota, Tanaka, Burch, and Salmon; “The darkest 1%: A profile of the top dark triad scorers in three countries” with Burch, Komatsu, Kubota, Tanaka, Fisher, Rice, Salmon, and Wade; “Sex on Stiltz: Long legs, high heels, and tiptoes in comics” with Burch; and “Psychophysical measures during the priming of intrasexual competition” with Jason Brandon ’24, Alexandra Carrol ’24, Sydney Garner ’25, Geun Min Kim ’25, Weston Phares ’23, and Renee Waite ’24. Widman also co-presented four posters and one paper at the Human Behavior and Evolution Society in California in June: “How Many?; The big-5 and the number of children across three cultures,” with Komatsu, Wade, Rice, Fisher, Kubota, Tanaka, Burch, and Salmon; “Perception of female nipple erection by a western European sample,” with Burch and Wade; “Male nipple erections engenders similar emotions as female nipple erection but triggers different altruistic and sexual expectations,” with Burch; “The darkest 5%: A profile of the top dark triad scorers in three countries,” with Burch, Komatsu, Kubota, Tanaka, Fisher, Rice, Salmon, and Wade; and “The possible influence in psychological distance to competition in intrasexual competition in women.”