Biology graduate students Kendra Perkins and Alex Miller are invertebrate keepers at the Toledo Zoo. In celebration of National Zoo Keeper Week, the Zoo recently featured their work on the Zoo's Youtube channel. Kendra and Alex are students of Biology Professor Cara Shillington and have conducted their Master's research under her supervision. They presented some of their data at the Graduate Research Conference at EMU. Kendra also presented both her undergraduate and graduate research at the national meeting of the American Arachnological Society. In their videos, Kendra and Alex share their enthusiasm for these fascinating creatures.

"I've always loved creepy crawly things," Kendra said. "I went to EMU in Ypsilanti and I got involved in an arachnid lab when I was an undergrad and I absolutely loved it. I did research with tarantulas and I took care of a variety of invertebrates and I loved it so much that I actually decided to apply for a graduate teaching assistantship in my Master's degree, so I was teaching while I was going for my Master's degree and also doing research with tarantulas for my thesis."

"Inverts are wildly understudied which is crazy to me and they're wildly misunderstood, so it's really exciting to not only get to work with them but bring my passion to people that maybe aren't as excited, but sometimes I can get it to grow on them a little bit."

By Najat Hachemi for the Eastern Echo

This year marks the 129th season of Eastern Michigan University's Marching Band (EMUMB). Despite the university's enrollment numbers gradually decreasing, the marching band's enrollment numbers have seen an increase this school year.

"While this is not the largest enrollment in the history of the EMU Marching Band, it still represents a significant achievement that, while the university's enrollment has been gradually decreasing, our enrollment is spiking. We are up 70% since COVID-19 (2020)," EMU's Marching Band Director, J. Nick Smith said.

In 2019, the marching band's enrollment stood at 153. In 2020, that number decreased to 101. In the current year, however, enrollment for the band has reached 170, with the possibility of that number increasing as the university heads into the fall 2023 semester.

"The marching band is a team-based organization that operates with a variety of staff, graduate students, and faculty," Smith said. "It takes the full force of all of these individuals for our organization to be successful and fulfill the roles we have accepted as ambassadors for EMU, our alumni, and our football team."

Continue reading at the Eastern Echo

Fifty years ago, the Endangered Species Act was passed, and now, in spite of its success, the Act is in peril because some policymakers say it stifles property rights and economic growth. Biology professor Allen Kurta defended the Endangered Species Act in recent Associated Press coverage, which has received national newspaper and television distribution. The story presents the research of Kurta and fellow EMU biologist Ashley Wilson on Michigan's endangered bat species.

Kurta and Wilson understand the ramifications of letting the ESA fizzle. They have spent much of their summer searching for increasingly scarce Indiana and northern long-eared bats, which have historically migrated to the southern Michigan countryside for birthing season, often sheltering behind the peeling bark found on dead trees. Despite pleas to the contrary, the Senate recently voted to nullify the northern long-eared bat's endangered designation after opponents said disease, not economic development, has been responsible for the population decline. According to Professor Kurta, that's an ominous sign, as he noted that the population of some species of bats has dropped 90% in a very short period of time. Kurta went on to add that "If that doesn't make the bat go on the endangered species list, what's going to?" Still, Kurta and Wilson proceed with their research – and their desire to save endangered species of bats. To them, the Endangered Species Act is now more important than ever.

Professor Marshall Thomsen of the Department of Physics and Astronomy has annually taught a course called PHY 406 Ethical Issues in Physics for more than 20 years. This course became a requirement on the Physics Major program in 1993 and continues to be a distinctive feature of our physics programs compared to other programs in the United States. The inclusion of this course is consistent with the Summary of American Physical Society (APS) Ethics Guidelines, to ensure that "students receive training that specifically addresses" ethics. Thomsen's expertise in this area was recognized when he was tapped to be a contributing author to the APS's Effective Practices for Physics Programs section on Ethics.  Consequently, it is no surprise that Professor Thomsen, together with Grigoris Argeros, Associate Professor of Sociology, and Dr. Sonia Chawla, Director of EMU's Office of Research Compliance, recently won a $335k National Science Foundation grant to study the long-term impact of PHY 406 on the professional practices of his former students.

Thomsen will serve as the Principal Investigator (PI) with Argeros as Co-PI. Together, they aim to determine the long-term impact that PHY 406 has had on the way individuals detect, approach, and resolve ethical issues in their professional spheres. Collecting data from students of this course, Thomsen, Argeros and Chawla seek to learn what knowledge is retained from the course, how long the knowledge is retained and applied, and how they use and apply the knowledge in their professional setting. Thomsen observed, "The database of twenty years' worth of students in a course on ethics in physics is very likely unique in this country. Using a mix of survey and interview data, we will evaluate the impact of formal ethics education on a much longer timeline than is conventionally studied."

Desyrée Nicole (BS, Art, 2014) and her luxury menswear brand Todd Patrick have been drawing attention with her New York Fashion Week debut in 2022 and her appearance on Netflix series Next in Fashion this year. 

With an Eastern Michigan degree in Art but self-taught as a fashion designer, Nicole's take on men's clothing is fresh and innovative. She told Byrdie, "I didn't come into the game with a fashion school background. I wasn't bound by the rules that the fashion world usually plays by, I was in the mindset of 'I'm going to make what I think is fly and you can consume it or not,' and I think that translated into me being 'rebellious.' As far as from the outside looking in for the brand, it definitely started out as me catering to athletes and they have that rebel air to them, but I was still using bright purples and pinks. I was blending those lines before everyone moved to a more gender-fluid space."

Nicole attended EMU on a basketball scholarship and played four seasons for the Eagles. She had planned to play professionally after graduation, but instead moved to New York where she found success as a celebrity stylist. With her partner Gabriella Paulino, in 2016 Nicole launched menswear line Todd Patrick, which she named after her little brother. Nicole and Paulino have opened two Todd Patrick retail stores in Atlanta, and they presented Todd Patrick's Spring/Summer 2023 collection, "Small Town, Big Dreams," at New York Fashion Week in 2022. Nicole reached a wider following as a popular contestant on season two of Next in Fashion, raising her profile as an up-and-coming designer.

Governor Whitmer has appointed Ryan Schumaker (MS, Historic Preservation, 2007) as Michigan's State Historic Preservation Officer. Ryan is the first EMU graduate to be appointed to this position. In her appointment, Governor Whitmer noted: "Our state has a rich past and we are making strides to build on our legacy while writing the next chapter of our story. I look forward to the work Ryan and the preservation office staff will continue to do to uplift historic places and ensure they last for future generations to enjoy."

Ryan will lead a team of fifteen preservation professionals (five of whom are EMU Historic Preservation graduates) in administering three programs: Preservation Incentives (historic preservation tax credits, lighthouse grants, supporting "certified local governments" in navigating preservation grants, and grants to support rehabbed properties on the lakeshore); Program Review and Compliance (archaeology projects, and "Section 106" work which requires federally-funded projects to consider and mitigate any adverse effects to Michigan's historical and cultural sites); and Historic Designation and Survey (overseeing National Register of Historic Places nominations for the state and assisting communities in surveying their heritage sites). 

This appointment is based on professional qualifications and experience, and Ryan's work in preserving Michigan's places that matter is impressive. Ryan most recently served as Architectural Historian Team Leader for The Mannik & Smith Group, Inc. He has also worked for the City of Detroit as Deputy Director and Grant Coordinator for the Historic Designation Advisory Board, where he successfully applied for and was awarded three National Park Service grants to document and preserve the history of underrepresented communities. Ryan previously worked for the City of Detroit's Housing & Revitalization and Planning & Development departments leading its administration of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act reviews for the City's U.S. Housing & Urban Development funding. In addition to earning his M.S. in Historic Preservation at EMU, he holds a B.A. (2004) in Public History from Western Michigan University, where he received the Knauss-Burnham History Award for Outstanding Senior in Public History. 

The 5-week EMU Archaeology Field School - founded, directed, and taught by Professor of Anthropology Dr. Bradley Ensor - completed its 17th summer season in August. The field school provides professional training for students, produces materials for student research projects (culminating in Undergraduate Symposium presentations and Honors theses), and services the Huron-Clinton Metroparks Authority with cultural resource management information on prehistoric and historic sites within the Metroparks along the Lower Huron River – a major transportation route in prehistoric times. Students learn and apply standard methods for survey (to find ancient sites) and excavations (to investigate those sites). LBC Group 4 field options include an intensive 4-week course for students intending to enter professional archaeology, a 2-week course for students in related fields, and a 1-week course for any students wanting to experience archaeology first-hand. After the field courses, students pursuing the profession learn to recognize and record important attributes for artifact dating and interpreting functions in a lab-based artifact analysis course. The 2023 season included an intensive survey to clarify prehistoric site boundaries in Willow Metropark and excavations at a Late Woodland Period site in Oakwoods Metropark dating to around AD 1000 that was subsequently occupied by a 19th century farmstead. 

As students rush from their parking spot to class, many pass by one of the best-kept secrets on EMU's campus—the Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Research Facility, more commonly known as the EMU Greenhouse. EMU students and faculty run experiments out of the greenhouse, but the space is also open to plant aficionados who appreciate lush greenery from around the world. 

The greenhouse and research laboratory are housed in an unassuming building on the southern side of Mark Jefferson Hall. While the building may be understated, the inside is anything but subtle. Visitors are greeted by an entry that has two laboratory rooms where there are currently research projects on sturgeon and plants that require a controlled environment.

But past the on-site laboratories is the greenhouse. The space is divided up into three areas, including a dedicated space for biology experiments. "We like to have hands-on experiences for students," says Natalie Dove, Interim Biology Department Head. "One of the niche things we can offer here at Eastern is that you can look at plants, you can touch them, you can understand their needs for hydration and their growth patterns."

Continue reading at EMU Today

The Preservation Studies program is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its Digital Heritage Preservation Lab.

"The Digital Heritage Preservation Lab serves the community in several ways,” said Dan Bonenberger, Professor of Preservation Studies. "We train students how to use digital tools for preservation and interpretation in the community. They conduct broad surveys to identify historic places and intensive surveys of significant sites utilizing 2D and 3D scanning and modeling. Additionally, the lab conducts digital archival research that enables us to find historic records, evaluate how and why a place is significant, write site histories and historical contexts, and tell the stories of the people who lived there."

Over the decade, dozens of outstanding student projects have emerged from the Digital Heritage Preservation Lab, including the Mullett Street project where a group of students digitally rebuilt a section of Detroit's Black Bottom neighborhood as it appeared in historical maps and photographs before its demolition for urban renewal. In another memorable project, students created a digital model of the Willow Run bomber plant and one of the bombers. 

This past year also brought compelling discoveries related to civil rights heritage in Detroit, including the endangered homes of Malcolm X, Sara Elizabeth Ray, and Gladys Mitchell Sweet. Using the latest digital technology, students identified, visited, and documented the sites of these civil rights activists. The work continues this fall as students will continue to dig deeper into the stories of these homes and their neighbors and create digital models as tools for preservation and interpretation.

Continue reading at EMU Today

Our hearts remain heavy in Political Science as we mourn our dear friend, Doreen Mendelssohn, who passed away on July 16, 2023 after a long illness. The heart and soul of the Political Science department since 1999, Doreen provided administrative support to seven department heads and many faculty members with whom she worked over the years. Doreen ran the department with competence, calm, and good cheer. She was especially beloved by the graduate assistants and student workers with whom she worked, who have responded to her passing by calling her "an amazing mentor with a heart of gold," "a true beacon amongst all the chaos, "a second mom and mentor," and a "welcoming and supportive cheerleader" who was always there for her students, even after they graduated and left the university. We will never forget the ladybug decorations everywhere in her office, the joy she took in her interactions with our students (including jokingly trying to get them to pay for course overrides), and her signature expression, "Gotta love it!" as she coped with all the job threw at her.  

Doreen was a kind and generous friend, a dedicated mentor to so many students, and was much beloved by all of us. We hold her in our hearts and will always remember the impact she had on so many. May her memory be for a blessing.

A memorial service honoring her memory has been scheduled for 3:00 pm August 19th at the Eagles Club in Redford, Michigan. If you would like to contribute to a memorial fund that will honor her memory and work at EMU you may contribute to the Doreen Mendelssohn Award through the University Foundation.

John Nick Pappas, retired Professor of Sculpture and Drawing, died on July 6. He was 88.

Pappas taught in Art and Design for more than 40 years and retired in 2000. His sculptures can be found in public places throughout Southeast Michigan, including EMU, Highland Cemetery, Trinity Health Ann Arbor, the University of Michigan Medical School, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan in Detroit, and Wayne State University. He won numerous prizes and awards, including the Prix de Rome Fellowship in Sculpture and the Wayne State University Alumni Arts Achievement Award.  

In 2015 Pappas' daughter Catherine Pappas wrote in Ypsilanti Gleanings, "He still runs into former students, even though he's been retired for many years now. I've been with him on more than one occasion when this has happened and I can tell you, it is pretty special. It makes me beam with pride when I see and hear about the incredible role he has played in the lives of many of his students. Back in the late 70's, three of his graduate students; Ed Olson, Paul Mauren, Jeanne Flanagan and my oldest brother Nick worked with him in his studio to help create the Blue Cross piece, which took four years to complete."

In a 2022 WEMU interview with Deb Polich, Pappas said that he decided to become a sculptor at the age of nine. "I loved doing what I did, and I was lucky."