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University of Houston
July 2014

UH Small Grants Program funds scholarly research in CLASS

Top Story
It took more than multi-million dollar grant awards for the University of Houston to achieve its status as a Carnegie-designated Tier One public research university. A consistent flow of scholarly and creative activity funded by micro research grants helps to maintain and enhance UH's national reputation. And the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences contributes much of that cost-efficient research. read more
Prof. Susan Scarrow

Political Science Department Chair Susan Scarrow awarded $264,000 NSF grant

Susan Scarrow, professor and chair of the Department of Political Science has been awarded a $264,000, three-year grant from the National Science Foundation to support her research on how political parties structure political participation and representation in parliamentary democracies. read more

Professor Margot Backus

English Professor Margot Backus Named Fulbright Scholar

Margot Backus, professor in the Department of English, has been selected for the Fulbright — Queen's University Belfast Award in Anglophone Irish Writing and Literature. read more

More in the News

CLASS Faculty in the Media

Funny Once: Stories, the recently published story collection by Antonya Nelson, professor of English, has garnered significant attention and praise. “First Husband,” a story in the collection, was published in January in The New Yorker magazine ahead of the book’s publication in May. Another story from the collection, “The There There” was included in the May 2014 issue of Harper’s magazine.
The Houston Chronicle recently ran Q&A: University of Houston professor Elizabeth Gregory writes that school schedules should fit with modern realities. Elizabeth Gregory is a Professor of English and Director of Women's Gender & Sexuality Studies.

David Ashley White, Professor of Composition and Music Theory, was recently profiled in the Houston Chronicle article, Early influences led composer to a lifetime of musical delights.

Jim Johnson, Director of the School of Theatre and Dance, was featured in the Houston Matters program, Teaching Actors to Perform Accents.

Temple Northup, assistant professor School of Communication, and his research on food labeling were featured in local, regional, national and international publications. Dr. Northup will be featured on the Sunday morning show for Fox & Friends on August 10 in New York City and in an upcoming piece in Consumer Reports next month. Here are some of the articles based on interviews with Professor Northup:
Abinadi Meza, assistant professor of art, was featured in the Houston Chronicle article, Abinadi Meza is on a roll, detailing his journey from college student to college professor who established UH’s graduate program in Interdisciplinary Practices and Emerging Forms.

A new book written by Gerald Horne, professor of history and African-American studies, was featured in the Salon article, White supremacy and slavery: Gerald Horne on the real story of American independence. The article is a Q&A with Horne, whose book looks more closely at slavery and the slave trade in order to better explicate the founding of a slave-owning republic in 1776.

WIA Report ran a feature article about research conducted by Daphne Hernandez, assistant professor of health and human performance, titled University of Houston Study Finds a Link Behind Childhood Poverty and Risk of Adult Obesity for Women.

The Blaffer Art Museum is hosting an exhibit by New York artist Francesca DiMattio that was featured in the Houston Chronicle article, Two exhibits explore tough themes with unusual media.

The Texas Music Festival was featured in the News 92FM story, Texas Music Festival Promotes Young Artists with Famous Conductors.

The Houston Chronicle recently ran a feature article on Andrzej Grabiec, professor of violin, titled Violin professor proves music transcends borders. The story details Grabiec’s accidental start in music and his immigration from Poland to the U.S. through his performance at this year’s Texas Music Festival.

Robert Zaretsky, professor of history, authored several published articles recently:
How the French saw D-Day in the Boston Globe
Never Teach a Class Outdoors and Other Key Lessons I Have Learned in The Chronicle of Higher Education
Quick Trigger in Inside Higher Ed

The Providence Journal recently ran an article titled, Kyle Scott: Flat screens in classrooms produce students with flat minds, which was written by Kyle Scott, political science lecturer. The Desert News also ran an article by Scott titled, My view: All that glitters is not gold: Why books are better than screens in the classroom.

CLASS Alumni/ae Notes

Gail Hedrick
Something Stinks! by Gail Hedrick ‘ 72 has been selected as a “2014 Outstanding Science Trade Book for Kindergarten- 12th Grade” by the National Science Teachers Association and the Children’s Book Council. Ms. Hedrick earned a Bachelor of Science in health and physical education with a minor in speech and theatre.
   
Case Keenum
In his second year in the National Football League, Case Keenum has been promoted by the Houston Texans team to second-string quarterback. The Houston Chronicle is covering his progress extensively. Keenum earned his bachelor’s degree from the Department of Health and Human Performance.
   
Darius Clark Monroe
The Houston Chronicle recently ran the feature article, Houston robber’s amazing transformation into film maker, about Darius Clark Monroe, who earned a B.A. in Communication and Media Production from the Jack J. Valenti School of Communication. Monroe directed and produced Evolution of a Criminal, a documentary about his personal journey from 16-year-old straight-A high school student to convicted and incarcerated bank robber. Once out of prison, Monroe attended UH and later New York University. His documentary was executive produced by film director Spike and included in the Los Angeles Film Festival.
   
Carlos Spierer
Carlos Spierer recently performed with his father, Leon Spierer, as part of the Texas Music Festival Orchestra. The story of the father-son violinists was detailed in the CultureMap article, A dad's hope: Legendary violinist and son unite for special Father's Day weekend at Texas Music Fest. Carlos studied Music at the UH Moores School of Music.
   
Bryan Brown
Cartoonist Jason Poland studied Creative Writing and Studio Arts in CLASS. The Houston Press article, 100 Creatives 2014: Jason Poland, Cartoonist Behind Robbie and Bobby featured Poland and his cartoon characters, Robbie and Bobby.

Calendar
June 1 — Sept. 6: Candice Breitz: The Woods exhibition at Blaffer Art Museum
The Woods delivers a trilogy of video installations exploring the performance of childhood and capturing adolescent actors on and off camera working in the entertainment industries in Los Angeles (Hollywood), Mumbai (Bollywood) and Lagos (Nollywood.)

August 1 — 10: Houston Shakespeare Festival
Presented by the School of The School of Theatre & Dance, this summer's 40th anniversary production of the Houston Shakespeare Festival presents The Two Gentlemen from Verona and Henry IV, Part 1. All performances at the Miller Outdoor Theater in Hermann Park begin at 8:30 p.m. and are free. Learn more about the festival here.

For more events, check the CLASS calendar.

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