With a 100% placement rate this year, the Clinical Psychology PhD program's student applicants have entered into highly competitive internships leading them to rewarding mental health careers. 

"The program is one of the top doctoral programs in clinical psychology in the country," said Tamara Loverich, director of clinical training. "It is highly competitive and prepares students selectively chosen from all over the United States and worldwide to become outstanding researchers, clinicians, teachers, and managers in universities, hospitals, veterans administrations, and other health service facilities."

Eastern's doctoral program is a full-time, full residency for students, designed to take up to five to six years to complete. In their final year, students complete their full-time internship in various industries, including academia, health care, and college counseling centers, among others. The highly competitive positions lead to postdoctoral training opportunities that foster specialization and careers that benefit the community and the students. 

"My experience at EMU helped me immensely in preparation for my current position," said Dr. Jennifer Battles, clinical psychologist for the VA St. Louis Healthcare System. "I learned the basic skills of a good psychologist in assessing, diagnosing, and treating behavioral health concerns. Also, I gained invaluable skills as a scientist that have helped me acquire and maintain administrative and teaching opportunities within my organization."

Read the full story at EMU Today.

Alex Thiessen, a French major who graduated in May 2023, is a recipient of the Teaching Assistant Program in France (TAPIF) program. A cultural service of the French Embassy, TAPIF places around 1,300 Americans into French public schools to work as English language teaching assistants every year. This month Alex will head to Villefranche de Lauragais in southwest France to teach English in a French public high school. Alex is already familiar with the Occitanie region, having spent one month there last summer.

Elizabeth Russell, a French minor, was awarded the Edward Chalom Scholarship by the Alliance Française de Detroit / French Institute of Michigan. In her essay, Elizabeth discusses how her French minor greatly assisted her in her major in Fashion Marketing Innovation: "French Language is my minor at Eastern Michigan University, and my major is Fashion Marketing Innovations. I purposely chose to learn French because of how intertwined the language is within the fashion industry. My knowledge of French has already been helping me greatly in these classes because so much of the vocabulary relating to historical fashion and garment construction is in French. One project that my knowledge of French has been especially helpful in is my final project in Fashion of the Haute Couture. Haute Couture itself is a French term, roughly translating to 'high fashion' in English. Our final for this class is to research a couture designer and write a paper detailing their life, achievements, and most iconic designs. Haute Couture began in Paris, and so the vast majority of couture designers are French. Knowing French has helped me so much when researching for this project because I was able to use sources that were written in French, while my classmates who don't study a language are limited to English sources."

Marissa Panzarella, a French major, after presenting her poster titled "La Laïcité (Secularity) in French schools" at the Undergraduate Symposium at EMU, decided to present an updated version of her poster at the Mid-Michigan Symposium for Undergraduate Research in July 2023.

Biology grad students Dallas Haselhuhn and Bradley Allendorfer have been doing field work with tarantulas in Colorado. Members of EMU's Arachnid Research Lab directed by Professor Cara Shillington, Haselhuhn and Allendorfer have been working with the brown tarantula, Aphonopelma hentzi, an abundant U.S. species at the northernmost edge of its range in southern Colorado. 

In his second summer at the field site in the Comanche National Grasslands, Bradley Allendorfer has been tracking female tarantulas in their burrows and recording activity times and behaviors of females caring for egg sacs as well as the spiderlings as they emerge from the egg sac. Using a combination of GoPros at the surface and an endoscope camera that provides a more intimate view into the burrow, he has been able to record interactions among siblings and mothers. You can read more about his work in an article by Sue Keefer from SECO News and watch a video from journalist Adrian Hart, who spent time out in the field with Bradley.

For his project, Dallas Haselhuhn was in the field from August to October in 2022 to collect data on the mating season, and in particular to track movement of the males to examine the role of temperature on activities during this period. The mating season is often described as a "tarantula migration" by locals and this annual phenomenon receives large-scale public interest and fasciation. Because of his background with the tarantulas, Dallas joined the planning committee and participated as an educational specialist in the first annual Tarantula Fest in La Junta, CO 2022. He will be returning to his support role this year for the 2nd annual festival on 29-30 September. 

Dallas contributed footage to the Youtube video True Facts: Tarantulas, and both he and Dr. Shillington are listed in the credits. Dallas also mentored local high school students Zoey Montoya and Everett Ediger in their science fair project that examined correlations between soil type and numbers of tarantula burrows at the same field site. These students won 1st place in their county state fair, went on to the Colorado State Science Fair, where they won several awards, and then presented at the International Science Fair in Texas. Dallas reports that "the amount of sheer joy they had in telling me about every little thing they experienced there was so rewarding." He adds, "I am so incredibly proud of all the work they've done, and believe me I am trying to push them to become fellow Eagles, because any university would be lucky to have their minds." This article by Sue Keefer of SECO News tells more about his research and outreach work.

Haselhuhn and Allendorfer received a combination of external and internal grants to partially support their efforts in Colorado. They are also currently writing their Masters theses and will be submitting articles for publication in appropriate scientific journals. There is surprisingly little known about tarantulas in their natural environment so their work will contribute significantly to our understanding of these fascinating animals.

Professor of TESOL Cynthia Macknish has published Reflective Practice in TESOL Service-Learning (Equinox, 2023). This book provides both theory and practical tools for TESOL educators to use as they guide pre-service teachers of English to reflect in meaningful ways in a service-learning context. Service-learning in TESOL is valuable because it enables pre-service teachers to collaborate with a community partner in implementing projects that benefit culturally and linguistically diverse learners, while concomitantly improving their own academic and professional skills through increased opportunities to practice and reflect on teaching and learning. 

Dr. Macknish explains that this book grew out of her experiences teaching pre-service teachers at EMU. Descriptive and generic comments like, "I read the book to students and asked questions along the way", "There was a lack of classroom management", and "The kids liked the activity" made by Macknish's students when reflecting on their service-learning experiences at a local elementary school became the catalyst for this book. Macknish says, "I knew that the teacher candidates were capable of more meaningful reflection that demonstrated significant learning, such as identifying incidents of learner development (or lack thereof), characterizing interactions, suggesting reasons for particular behaviors or responses, demonstrating links between theory and practice, and commenting on the impact on their future practice. My desire to encourage learning through reflection led me to explore the research on reflective practice. After customizing what I learned to fit my context, I was pleased that the teacher candidates' reflections improved, and I wanted to share some techniques with others. While most of the examples and suggestions in this book are framed in the context of service-learning in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), this book can be helpful for anyone wanting to help students reflect more meaningfully on different experiences in a variety of disciplines."

Professor Wallace Bridges and Full-time Lecturer John Seibert acted in the professional world premiere production of Paul Stroili's play, A Jukebox for the Algonquin, at the Purple Rose Theatre in Chelsea, Michigan this summer.  

Bridges played the pivotal role of Johnny and Seibert played his best friend Denny. The comedy centers on Johnny's efforts to secure a jukebox for their senior retirement center, Placid Pines. The production ran from July 7 to September 2, 2023. A Jukebox for the Algonquin sold out two weeks before closing and regularly received standing ovations from full houses.

Alumnus Scott Duimstra (BA, Philosophy, 2001) has been selected as the new Director of the Hennepin County Library System. Serving the Twin Cities, the Hennepin County Library System is Minnesota's largest library system, with 41 locations, a $72 million operating budget, more than 600 employees and 461,222 cardholders.

After graduating from EMU, Duimstra earned a Master of Science in Information degree from the University of Michigan School of Information. Duimstra currently serves as executive director of the Capital Area District Library system in Lansing, Michigan. Duimstra also was elected by his peers to serve on the Michigan Library Association's Board of Directors in 2019, and was made president in 2022.  

The Detroit News has named alumnus Loren Estleman (BA, English and Journalism, 1974) a 2023 Michiganian of the Year. Estleman graduated from Eastern with a degree in English and Journalism in 1974 and has since enjoyed an enormously prolific writing career. Garnering comparisons with fellow Detroiter and master of the crime fiction genre Elmore Leonard, Estleman has written more than 90 books and hundreds of short stories and articles over the last 50 years.

An authority on both criminal history and the American West, Estleman has been called the most critically acclaimed author of his generation. Reflecting on his literary accomplishments, Estleman simply says, "I'm a lucky fellow." He has been nominated for the National Book Award and the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Allan Poe Award and has received 22 national writing awards in both the mystery and western genres.

In 2014, Estleman donated his papers to the EMU Archives, a collection that contains correspondence, manuscripts, notes, and promotional materials. Estleman currently resides in Whitmore Lake. 

Read the Detroit News feature.

Alumna Jayme Anderson (BME, Music Education, 2002) teaches music at Randall Elementary School in Taylor. When she learned that her student Roza Williams was going through cancer treatments and had shaved her head, Ms. Anderson decided to support Roza by shaving her head too. 

Roza told WDIV, "I'm 9 years old and I’m in third grade. I'm happy because my teacher Ms. Anderson, she makes me feel beautiful with these headbands."

"I didn’t want school to be her trauma like it was for me," Anderson said. "I made a video the week before just explaining to her what I was going to do and just to build her back up so she could walk through those doors the first day. Then I made a video of myself shaving my head the night before school."

"It made me really happy to know that I’m not alone in the school," said Williams.

Read the full story at WDIV / clickondetroit

The Department of Computer Science leads the College in enrollment growth, with an 18% increase in credit hours taught from fall 2022 to fall 2023. Since fall 2012, enrollment has increased more than 75%.

This growth has been powered by increases among populations that have historically been underrepresented in computer science. Over the past eleven years, the number of women Computer Science majors and Masters students has grown from 49 to 107, a 118% increase. Enrollment by Asian, Black, Hispanic, and Multiracial students has also grown rapidly; total enrollment for these groups has swelled from 48 to 166, a 246% increase.

Department Head Gus Ikeji credits this growth in part to high employer demand for graduates with expertise in computer science. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that employment in computer and information technology occupations will grow 15% from 2021 to 2031; this increase is expected to result in about 682,800 new jobs over the decade. In addition to new jobs from growth, opportunities arise from the need to replace workers who leave their occupations permanently. About 418,500 openings each year, on average, are projected to come from growth and replacement needs. The median annual wage for this group was $97,430 in May 2021, which was higher than the median annual wage for all occupations of $45,760.

Dr. Ikeji says that the Department has been able to capitalize on this market demand because of the strength of the Computer Science faculty. "I tell prospective students that our program is based on the ACM curriculum that is used by most other Computer Science departments at other universities. The difference is in the support structure that they'd get by coming here and the quality faculty members that we have. Our graduates are highly sought after in the job market and several of our students have gone on to successfully complete their post-graduate/PhD programs in other institutions including the Ivy League schools. As a graduate of the EMU Computer Science program who has gone on to get a PhD in Computer Science, they can see the evidence."

Dr. Ikeji describes several initiatives undertaken by the Department over the past decade to foster recruitment and retention of students:

• It started with the re-evaluation of our intro level classes to improve student performance. This led to the introduction of separate labs/practical assignments that get our students to try hundreds of multiple-choice/short answers/small programming assignments online resulting in immediate feedback. Also, for more hands-on experience, we have a 2+2 teaching modality where our students get two hours of lecture and 2 hours of face-to-face labs weekly. All of our 100/200 level classes are structured this way. We have mostly full-time faculty/professors teaching intro-level classes that are capped at no more than 30 students per class. In other institutions, the intro classes may be capped at 150 to 200, and sometimes these classes are taught by TAs who have nowhere near the experience or knowledge level of professors.

• We introduced in-house tutoring that is staffed by Computer Science graduate assistants via synchronous online and in-person sessions Monday to Thursday from 10am-8pm and Fridays from noon to 2pm.

• In the area of recruitment, we have extended our community college articulation agreements from Washtenaw and Henry Ford Community Colleges of a few years ago to other community colleges within 70-miles of EMU. Additional resources had to be dedicated towards the needs of transfer students to handle things like transfer course equivalency evaluation, prerequisite overrides not recognized by the Banner registration system, and general advising.

• The new crop of students is quite technologically savvy. They come to us with interest in AI, Data Science, Games Programming, etc. We have to accommodate them by keeping pace with the advancements in the discipline. In the past few years, we have introduced several courses in the areas of Software Engineering, Data Science, Cyber Security, Digital Forensics, Neural Networks and Deep Learning.

In addition, the Computer Science faculty have worked to recruit women students and welcome them to the Department through initiatives like the Bits and Bytes camps and the Women in Computer Science Club.

The College of Arts and Sciences and the Eastern Michigan Writing Project are partnering with the Great Michigan Read for 2023-24. Every year, Michigan Humanities' Great Michigan Read creates a statewide discussion around a Michigan themed book. The text for this year is Firekeeper's Daughter, the award-winning debut novel of Angeline Boulley. Angeline Boulley is an enrolled member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians who writes about her Ojibwe community. 

As partners, EMU will receive 22 copies of the book, and from September 20 to October 18 the ebook and audiobook will be free to access from a Michigan IP address. EMU has also applied to host the author on campus in Winter 2024. 

The Dean's Office and the Eastern Michigan Writing Project are planning a series of discussions and talks about Firekeeper's Daughter. Secondary Education students will organize talks around the book, its themes, and related issues on campus and in the local Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor communities. CAS and the EMWP intend that conversations about Firekeeper's Daughter will inform critical conversations about Indigenous sovereignty and sexual violence, as well as engagement with the Formosa Quartet's American Mirror Project and the History Speaker Series lectures on Native American history. 

If you are interested in organizing or participating in CAS and EMWP events in connection with Firekeeper's Daughter, please contact Angela Knight at aknight2@emich.edu or Jim Egge at jegge@emich.edu.

On Saturday, September 9th, approximately 75 members of the Michigan Earth Science Teachers Association (MESTA) convened at EMU's Fish Lake Environmental Education Center for their annual Rock Party. EMU Geography and Geology faculty member Dr. Hannah Blatchford was on hand to provide insight into the rock and mineral specimens being displayed and raffled off at the event. Dr. Blatchford also shared information about EMU's Geology and Earth Science undergraduate degree programs, and the original geoscience research EMU undergraduates conduct with faculty. She also discussed opportunities for student professional development offered through EMU's GeoClub.

The information was well received by attendees, many of whom are high school Earth Science teachers who interact with EMU's future Geology and Earth Science majors. By engaging in outreach with the MESTA community, the Department of Geography & Geology is able to share their subject area expertise and increase awareness of the robust undergraduate programs in Geology and Earth Science available at EMU.

MESTA, founded in 1967, is a group of Michigan-based, K-12- and college-level Earth science educators with the mission of "the advancement, stimulation, extension, improvement, and coordination of Earth and Space Science education at all educational levels."

Sandra Murchison, Director of the School of Art and Design, was recently interviewed by Deb Polich, President and CEO of Creative Washtenaw, for the WEMU program creative:impact.

Director Murchison explained how the Windgate Arts Complex, which is currently under construction, will strengthen 3D arts instruction at EMU. "We are taking what is currently in three different buildings and placing them in one unified arts complex, in the same building, so that students can actually make work that includes mixed materials. So, if you are a furniture designer, you don't have to be restricted to only making furniture without hardware or within the means of a certain scale. You are able to more readily bend metal for some sort of sculpture piece that you're working on. You're able to throw a pot and think about the larger space that it's going to be in."

"It seems like a space that you actually want to be creative in. And the fact that I know people will be working alongside one another. The faculty offices are next to each other. There's going to be a marvelous studio for advanced undergraduate and graduate students to have their own quiet corner of the building where they can to also work side by side with one another. There's a marvelous critique atrium in the front to display students' work, as well as it becomes a gathering space for students in all these different disciplines to just sit with one another and talk in between classes, see what's happening in the other spaces, be much more aware of what's going on in the art school."

Listen to the WEMU interview.