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Share Your Work: An Interview with Jessica Malisch

August 5, 2019 by Jillian Sandy

Jessica Malisch

Jessica Malisch is an Assistant Professor of Biology who has worked at St. Mary’s for 3 years.  After completing a Bachelor’s of Science at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, she earned a PhD in biology at the University of California, Riverside.  Fun fact–her doctoral diploma is signed by Arnold Schwarzenegger, the “governator” of California at the time. Jessica was a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Montana, then a visiting professor at Claremont Colleges in California before landing here at St. Mary’s (you’ll recognize that as a brilliant pun shortly).  We sat down with Jessica to learn more about her approaches to research and antics set to the music of Britney Spears.

What are your current research interests?

I’m an ecological physiologist with a speciality in endocrinology.  Specifically, I study hormones and their influence on the metabolism and behavior of songbirds.  I conduct research on the songbirds here at St. Mary’s and in Yosemite during the summer with a group of SMCM student researchers.

Additionally, I’m conducting research with Dr. Pam Mertz, Professor of Biochemistry, and rising senior Ivy Atunes (recent Flores Award recipient) to develop a novel assay for hormone transport proteins in bird blood. This assay (the scientific word for “method to measure something”) will enable students in my lab to measure the protein and help us understand the role of this protein in the stress response. We plan to share this assay with other labs to encourage more research in this area. These types of interdisciplinary collaborations with faculty and students is one of the many reasons I enjoy being a part of the liberal arts experience and the St. Mary’s community.

I am looking forward to a year of intensive research ahead, as I was recently awarded a 1 year fellowship.  The fellowship from the American Association of University Women gives me an opportunity to focus almost exclusively on conducting research and mentoring undergraduate research students here at St. Marys. Mentoring student researchers is my favorite aspect of my job.

What are some of your recent publications?

In the journal Physiological and Biochemical Zoology, I published this article: “Stress-Induced Hyperglycemia in White-Throated and White-Crowned Sparrows: A New Technique for Rapid Glucose Measurement in the Field.”  (You can read it here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29847208)  This paper examines the relationship between acute stress and glucose mobilization in 2 songbird species, taking a unique approach to studying this phenomenon.  Researchers hold songbirds for 30 minutes (thus inducing acute stress) and take 3 blood samples at different intervals to compare their blood glucose levels. In general, I’m interested in what predicts the amount of glucose levels produced under stress and the ways this links to the survival of individuals. I am particularly proud that his paper has three St. Mary’s undergraduate co-authors, these students contributions were essential to complete the research.

How does the library help you in your research and/or the classroom?

InterLibrary Loan (ILL) is my best friend for conducting research.  All of my students in my class are required to create an ILL account so they can get familiar with it and find articles for their research using this fantastic service. I also teach First-Year Seminar so, I rely on the library during that course to help my students learn research skills and information literacy.

What’s one thing you think students or faculty should know about the library, archives, or media center?

In addition to ILL, know the library faculty and staff–they’re here to help you!

What are some interesting books or articles you’ve read recently?

This will tell you a lot about me:  I’ve been finding a textbook on avian physiology absolutely fascinating.  I was excited to find my work cited several times in the book, Sturke’s Avian Physiology, as I happened to pick up the book more or less by chance.

Favorite book?

The Last Season by Eric Blehm.  The story follows the disappearance of Randy Morgenson, an Eastern Sierra ranger who worked along the Muir Trail in Yosemite for many years. Because I also migrate to the Sierras each summer and have annual field seasons, Morgenson’s story really resonates with me.

Favorite class you’ve taught?

My absolute favorite is working with pre-SMP students in directed research classes.  We design research projects together, and I really enjoy helping students get to know what ecological research is like. Shout-out to Comparative Animal Physiology too, this is my upper division specialty and I teach it using a flipped classroom design. It is highly interactive.

If you could invite anyone, dead or alive, to guest lecture in your class, who would it be?

David Attenborough in POB2 (Principles of Biology II).  The class focuses on the diversity of life on the planet, and there’s no other expert who knows more about this field of study.  He clearly has a passion for the subject.

What else would you like our readers to know about you?

I love to play practical jokes.  In one of the classes I co-taught, I planted a Bluetooth speaker in the ceiling, playing bird calls and then Britney Spears while another instructor held class.  Pranksters be cautioned: this type of stunt requires a great deal of planning ahead and a scientist’s attention to detail!

Filed Under: Faculty and Staff Profiles

Share Your Work: An Interview with Daniel Yu

June 20, 2019 by Jillian Sandy

Daniel Yu is a Visiting Assistant Professor of English at St. Mary’s College of Maryland who joined the faculty in August 2018.  Daniel sat down with us for an interview about his research and the library services that prove useful in the classroom.

What is your academic background?

After earning a BA in English at UC Irvine, I completed an MFA in creative writing with an emphasis on poetry there.  While earning the Master’s degree, I took some literature and critical theory classes, choosing to shift my focus to comparative literature.  My PhD from Emory University is in Comparative Literature. As I completed the PhD program, I was a fellow for Emory’s Center for Faculty Development & Excellence.

What are your current research interests?

Through comparative literature, I draw parallels between linguistic and cultural literary traditions.  Specifically, I am interested in the concepts of generosity and reciprocity in 18th century literature.  I take an interdisciplinary approach to examine the question of what makes a good gift, making connections between literary depictions of generosity and the rise of industrial capitalism.

During the 18th century, ideas about self-interest are changing; individual greed becomes a force understood to have a positive influence on general prosperity.  I’m interested in examining the question of what role generosity or beneficence plays in this context. I look at the ways morality, aesthetics, and economics are tied together in sentimental novels, and the ways morality provides a contrast to reason or logic.  In contemporary society, the act of generosity has utility, meaning even gestures of radical generosity undergo a cost-benefits analysis, which I explore through the frame of continental philosophy and postmodern thinkers.

Alongside the major socioeconomic changes happening in the 18th century is the novel as a form coming into its own.  I think of 1719 as a seminal year (and, coincidentally, this year marks the 300th anniversary!), when two significant works were published:  Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe, and Eliza Haywood’s Love in Excess.

Do you have recent publications or presentations you’d like to tell us about?

Most recently, I presented at the ASECS conference — the American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies — on “snuffbox spirituality” in the Laurence Sterne’s novel A Sentimental Journey.  In the 1700s, tobacco represents an exemplary gift; it’s a luxury, not a necessity, and it’s shared as a way to solidify a friendship or alliance.  In the novel, the protagonist exchanges snuff boxes with a monk, Father Lorenzo, and uses the box as a religious or magical implement. I examined the religious and social connotations here in my presentation.

I also have a recent article on Robinson Crusoe in the journal 18th Century Fiction, “Sociality and the Good Faith Economy in Robinson Crusoe.” (Btw, SMCM users can read the full text here!)

The English department here at SMCM is fortunate to have a long-standing partnership with the University of Ljubljana that has involved a student and faculty exchange for several years.  I’m taking a trip to Slovenia this summer to give a talk on the novel The Woman of Colour, about a Creole heiress who must travel to England to marry her cousin.  

How does the library help you in your research and/or the classroom?

It’s indispensable.  The access to databases is vital to my research–there’s no other way to do research in literary studies.  I’ve depended on the library’s copies of novels taught in class for students to get access to materials. I haven’t yet made Interlibrary Loan requests, but I’m looking forward to getting access to such a breadth of materials through that service!

What’s one thing you think students or faculty should know about the library, archives, or media center?

The library is staffed with experts who will help you.  One thing I find unique about St. Mary’s is how engaged the librarians are across campus–they are in classes teaching and are integrated into many courses.

What is one 18th-century novel more people should read?

The sequels to Robinson Crusoe are great:  The Further Adventures of Robinson Crusoe and Serious Reflections of Robinson Crusoe.  Many people don’t realize the novel is the first in a trilogy published from 1719 to 1720.  The third volume is actually a series of moral lessons drawn from the novels, as Daniel Defoe was unapologetically a moralist.

Favorite reads, whether research related or not?

I love The Expanse, both the book and the TV series.  There are 8 books in the series written under the pen name James S.A. Corey.  Since I commute an hour each way, I listen to the audiobooks to keep the drive interesting.  The novels and the show are really well done in terms of racial representation and, from a science nerd perspective, provide a realistic depiction of space travel.

Can you tell us about an interesting class you’ve taught?

ENG 284 is a course I’m looking forward to teaching again in the fall.  The course examines literature and history before 1800, and I approach this through the lens of self-writing, or autobiography.  I’m hoping to build on the reflective journal writing students completed as a way to think about the self. Introspection is so important, and we don’t take enough time to do it.

If you could invite anyone, dead or alive, to guest lecture in your class, who would it be?

Adam Smith — he must have been a very conflicted guy.  Within a few years, he wrote The Theory of Moral Sentiments and The Wealth of Nations:  two texts that contain almost contradictory messages about human nature.

Filed Under: Faculty and Staff Profiles

Summer Reading: Five Reasons to Participate

June 6, 2019 by Jillian Sandy

Summer reading is off to a running start! From now until August 16, read books and write reviews for a chance to win prizes. Still not convinced? Read our first listicle below for our favorite 5 reasons to participate in summer reading. Find more details here at our summer reading blog!

1. Win prizes!
Need we say more? Up for grabs are library and book-themed water bottles, notebooks, buttons, tote bags, and incredibly cute pins. Our grand prize winner will receive an Amazon gift card! Check out the prizes at our summer reading blog here!

2. Keep your brain engaged…or escape from reality
Learn something new, ponder life’s great mysteries, or sit on the sidelines of intense space fights with lasers. Your call.

3. Be an influencer
To enter to win prizes, all you have to do is submit your book reviews to us. They will be posted on our summer reading blog–and we already have our first review! Better catch up! Your review could inspire others to pick up their next great read, or perhaps your review will go viral (probably not. But maybe).

4. Multi-task
With our eAudiobook collection on OverDrive, you can easily read while you work or lounge lazily on a hammock. I know what I’d rather be doing.

5. Be a long-distance reader
Whether you will be right here in St. Mary’s this summer or elsewhere, you can participate in summer reading! Alumni, students, faculty, and staff are all welcome to join in, even if you no longer live nearby. Just make sure what you’re reading is available at the SMCM library, USMAI, or COSMOS (St. Mary’s County and other Southern Maryland public libraries). You don’t even have to check out your books from these places, though of course we always encourage you to use libraries!

For more information about summer reading, check out our FAQ page here! Happy reading!

Filed Under: Summer Reading

Primary Source Database: AM Explorer

May 2, 2019 by Jillian Sandy

The St. Mary’s College of Maryland community now has access to over 60 significant collections of digitized archival material.

Adam Matthew Digital is a UK-based publisher of unique primary source material from leading archives and libraries around the world. Content spans the humanities and social sciences, from medieval manuscripts to 20th century global politics.

Adam Matthew provides access to all of their collection through one search engine called “AM Explorer.” Alternatively, you can access individual collections directly through the library’s A-Z Databases list.

Read on to learn about just a few of the collections available, some of the primary source materials they contain, and ideas for use in research and classes.

Colonial America

This collection features manuscripts and other documents from the National Archives (UK) from the early 17th through early 19th centuries. Content focuses on the early settlement of the colonies, American Indians, the American Revolution, legislation, trade, and the frontier–perhaps of special interest to local historians of St. Mary’s.

Maryland: Correspondence with the Secretary of State, 1688-1696: Addresses from Maryland to Their Majesties King William and Queen Mary: Council proceedings, 1693-1696 (Part 1), CO 5/718 Part 1

Highlight from the collection

Librarian Kent Randell, immediately upon finding out that the College has subscribed to AM Explorer, eagerly utilized this valuable resource and has already cited their Colonial History collections for his series of articles on the Susquehanna estate for the Maryland Genealogical Society Journal. Above is an excerpt of a memorandum regarding the case of Richard Smith, Jr., who was one of the most prominent Protestants to support the Catholic Third Lord Baltimore’s government until the “bitter end,” even after the Protestant Associators razed Lord Baltimore’s government in the Fall of 1689.  Richard Smith, Jr. refused to recognize the provisional rebel government and was imprisoned by the Protestant Associators, and above is an excerpt of a memo regarding his case prepared for the English Lords of Trade. Smith’s wife, Barbara (Morgan) (Rousby) Smith, traveled to England and successfully appealed to the Lords of Trade to have her husband removed from “gaol” (jail).

American Indian Newspapers

Forty-five digitized titles are available here, spanning around 200 years of U.S. history.  These newspapers include publications by tribal nations, students, and Christian missionaries in English and indigenous languages of the U.S. and Canada.  All of these papers are fully searchable and may allow for research contrasting the coverage and interpretation of events in indigenous versus mainstream publications.

Wassaja, May 1916, © The Newberry Library

Highlight from the collection

Indian School Journal was published by the Chilocco Indian Agricultural School from 1900-1980.  The monthly edition’s contents are the work of the Office of Indian Affairs (OIA), while the weekly edition was written by students.

Some of the issues provide a look into the everyday life, thoughts, and activities of the students, while others give insight into the OIA’s agenda.  Articles in the April 1906 issue, for example, seem to push assimilation as an imperative, bringing up negative stereotypes about the so-called blanket Indians, who remained committed to tribal traditions.  However, at times the articles directly respond to racist ideas with tongue in cheek humor; a mention of Comanche Chief Quanah Parker praises him as one good Indian who isn’t dead.

African American Communities

Focusing on communities in Atlanta, New York, Chicago, and North Carolina, the collection includes primary sources from the 19th and 20th centuries.  Researchers can find items including oral histories, newsletters, correspondence, family papers, and photographs. These materials may interest those studying race relations, housing problems, desegregation, the Civil Rights movement, and African-American culture and identity.

“All We Want is Freedom …”, n.d., © Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center

Highlight from the collection

Interview with Kara Walker

The collection contains many video and audio oral history interviews, along with their transcripts.  Subjects include Quincy Jones, Koko Taylor Spike Lee, Gloria Naylor, and Cornel West. In this interview with visual artist Kara Walker, she describes the influence of artist Adrian Piper on her work, and the ways she uses silhouetted figures to interpret minstrelsy and romantic novels of the South.  Interviews may give viewers context for the work of the individuals highlighted, and a greater appreciation for the experiences shaping their lives and responses to overt and institutionalized racism.

Medical Services and Warfare

This collection gathers materials related to the Crimean War, the American Civil War and the First World War. The emphasis is on medical developments and their relationship to these conflicts, examining treatment during war and the influence in turn of war on medical breakthroughs.  Materials in this collection include clinical notes and medical records, correspondence, personal accounts, studies, military records, and the Florence Nightingale papers, containing handwritten letters that are searchable by keyword.

The Red Cross Magazine, Vol. 15, No. 5, May 1920, © Hoover Institution Library & Archives

Highlight from the collection

HMS Terrible: Medical and Surgical Journal, available in 3 volumes from 1853-1856

It may not surprise researchers to learn that life aboard the HMS Terrible was…difficult.  The Royal Navy ship, which fought in the Crimean War, records the health problems of its crew in this journal.  The ship’s surgeon tracked the name, age, role on the vessel, date, and outcome of the visit; i.e. sent back to duty, hospitalized, or occasionally, death.  The last pages of the journal give a tally of the incidents of particular medical issues, as well as offer the surgeon’s additional notes. Major culprits for infirmary visits include contusions (bruises), wounds, ulcers, phlogosis (inflammation), and rheumatism, with the most common communicable disease as syphilis.  Researchers may gain insight into the health of sailors aboard ships in the Crimean War, as well as sympathize with at least one soul sent to the hospital due to the severity of an ulcer on his foot.

Filed Under: Teaching & Education, Web Resources Tagged With: featured

Share Your Work: An Interview with Shanen Sherrer

April 23, 2019 by Jillian Sandy

Shanen Sherrer is an Assistant Professor of Biochemistry at SMCM.  She joined the college faculty in August 2017. After earning a B.S. in Biochemistry at Miami University (Ohio) and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry at the Ohio State University, Shanen completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Duke University.

portrait of Shanen Sherrer

I sat down with Shanen for an interview to learn more about her research–and to get a crash course in the basics of biochemistry.  For starters, an introduction to what exactly biochemistry is.

For the novice, how do you define biochemistry?

Biochemistry means describing what you see in nature (biology) in terms of chemistry.  For example, a biologist may look at human nails and record things like their growth and appearance.  A chemist would observe the structure of the nail, identifying the minerals and elements in nails. A biochemist will combine these concepts, conducting experiments that search for reasons why nails are growing, such as looking for the absence or presence of particular chemical elements.

Tell us about your research experience (please).

As a postdoctoral research fellow at Duke, I worked with Paul Modrich on DNA mismatch repair and its relationship to preventative cancer treatment.  While I was there, Modrich won the Nobel prize for his research and I had to dodge some persistent reporters!

During my doctoral studies, I worked with Zucai Suo conducting research on enzymes and the time scale of reactions.  I also managed the work of undergraduates and other postdoctoral students because, according to Dr. Suo, I was one of the few people who told him no for some research requests!  My research at this time led to 12 publications, and for 6 of these I was first author (meaning I was the primary researcher and writer for these).  Despite never having touched a human heart in the lab, I had a fellowship with the American Heart Association–I learned from this that the worst thing to do is never apply.

Before this, I worked with Ann Hagerman, best known as the author of the Tannin Handbook.  My research with her involved characterizing the tannins in Lipton iced tea as well as other plants and an exercise study of the oxidative stress in rats.  Unfortunately, it was from this study that I learned I’m allergic to rats, so the research I pursued after this point doesn’t involve any interaction with them.  I did also learn how to manage a lab and that I can do great research in a small setting, like at SMCM. It was at this time the teaching bug was planted too.

What are your current research interests?

I have a continued interest in DNA mismatch repair and its relationship with particular metals; for example, why the presence of zinc may be effective in treatment against cadmium exposure only up to a certain point.

I’m working with several students as they conduct research and experiments for SMP projects.  One student, Martin Yepes, is working on research related to DNA mismatch repair and the impact cadmium has on the development of cancerous appearances.  Another student, Danielle Spaulding, is studying glyphosate, the main ingredient in weed killers like Round Up, and the ways it can cause health concerns by replacing the glycine in the body.  Kelly Healy is mapping metal binding sites on proteins using protein modeling software, molecular biology and fluorescent spectroscopy. Julian Heller is working on applying Kelly’s methods to a DNA mismatch enzyme.

How does the library help you in your research or the classroom?

In the classroom, students complete a bio-informatics project that uses library tools to find substantive sources that explore a subject beyond the surface level.  Students in this class learn about approaches like using InterLibrary Loan (ILL), completing subject searches, and other librarian secrets to success.

In my own research, I have used ILL countless times.  I have my own library on Google Classroom that contains over 2,000 articles I’ve accumulated.  When I work with students on research projects and SMPs, I usually direct them to pick a few articles of interest as they form hypotheses and find related information through searching library databases.

What’s one thing you think students or faculty should know about the library?

The use of the library is in your best interest to avoid wasted effort.  It’s easier to read a paper than to spend a year in the lab only to realize your topic isn’t feasible or already solved.

What have you read lately that you’ve found interesting?

I have a couple of articles sitting on my desk about oysters and exposure to metals (for example, through environmental pollution).  Once the metals are absorbed by the oyster, they can reduce their resilience to changes in temperature, which is one reason climate change can be so devastating for certain oyster populations.  When people ingest these oysters, the contaminant can affect us too.

What’s your favorite class you’ve taught?

Advanced Biochemistry.  This is a lab without a lecture attached, which can be intimidating, but it gives students the chance to really feel like biochemists.  Students conduct 3 experiments that are essential to biochemistry: a Western blot, protein purification, and enzyme experiments.

If you could invite anyone, dead or alive, to guest lecture in your class, who would it be?

Baldomero Olivera.  He’s known for his studies of poisonous snails and their chemical make-up, which has led to medical applications in the development of pain medication.  He always shows up with a big bag of snail shells and probably has a lot of great stories to share about dives in the Caribbean.

What else would you like our readers to know?

I have several reputations (that I’m aware of).  One is being known as “UV eyes” because I’m very sensitive to subtle color changes in solutions that others don’t always see.  I’m also the person who has survived living in a haunted dorm with a ghost for 2 years at Miami University. People may also know me for bringing my bird into the office, where she gets to roam freely (don’t worry–she’s potty trained!).  She’s not very talkative now, but you might hear some sound effects from her if you’re lucky!

Filed Under: Faculty and Staff Profiles

Student Profile: Dirk Dupre

April 17, 2019 by Jillian Sandy

A Film and Media Studies major with a Religious Studies minor, Dirk Dupre has a passion for filmmaking and video production. Previously a double major in religious studies, he was inspired to declare the major after taking classes with Dr. Meckel focusing on Indian religion and modern India (but opted for graduating on time in May over the double major!).

portrait of Dirk Dupre

Religious Studies brings another perspective to Dirk’s work with film, and Dr. von Kellenbach’s Religion and Ecology class had a direct influence on his film work. The class inspired an idea for an SMP related to religion, the environment, and surfing by framing environmentalism in a new way. Though Dirk would still like to pursue this idea, he ultimately decided to hold off on the project. “It would take years just to learn enough about surfing for the project,” Dirk says.

While he considered film schools, Dirk decided a liberal arts school would provide a broader education, along with the analytical and philosophical perspectives of classes in the humanities. SMCM happened to make the best offer, and the rest is history. Even though SMCM was chosen based on practical considerations, Dirk has enjoyed getting to know the people here and the beautiful campus. By necessity, he has learned to find things out for himself and seek film production opportunities beyond campus, experiences that challenged him to take initiative. Along with Media Center colleague Kevin Glotfelty, Dirk made a short film to practice filmmaking techniques and experience more of the technical elements of film production.

Dirk has worked with the Media Center for nearly 2 years, beginning during his sophomore year. After spending a lot of his time in the Media Center working on film projects, Justin Foreman mentioned an opportunity to work on a PFP project that Dirk was eager to participate in. Working with a team, Dirk has been producing, editing, and filming one minute videos to highlight the different majors at SMCM. He also helps students working with Photoshop or video production in the LAMC’s 3rd floor.

What has kept Dirk at the Media Center for so long? The staff has been supportive and invaluable in terms of providing creative feedback and professional advice. Justin has worked as both a supervisor and mentor, sharing practical advice about putting together demo reels, and giving student employees a sneak peek at his current projects.

When not behind the camera, Dirk is often at the mic hosting a radio show with Kevin or climbing the rec center’s rock wall. In addition to resetting the college’s climbing wall every semester, Dirk helps with rock climbing competitions held in the fall and spring semesters.

After graduation, Dirk plans to relax and enjoy bicycling along the C&O Canal starting from the Washington, DC area. He would like to continue working in DC with the film production company where he completed his internship. Ultimately, Dirk has his sights set on a city with a bigger film scene, like New York, Los Angeles, or Atlanta. He’d later like to find his own crew and make documentaries.

Can Dirk be a true film major without recommending a film or two?  Of course not! He suggests the documentary Free Solo, which follows the journey of a free soloer* attempting the first such climb of El Capitan in Yosemite. Dirk is also a fan of the highly stylized 1990s teen film Trust directed by Hal Hartley.

We’re sad Dirk is leaving the LAMC team soon, but we can’t wait to watch his documentaries!

*Free soloing: rock climbing by yourself without a harness

Filed Under: Library People, Student Employees Tagged With: featured

Share Your Work: An Interview with Jeff Eden

March 28, 2019 by Jillian Sandy

Jeff Eden is an Assistant Professor of History at SMCM, and a (friendly) rival with our librarians for number of hours clocked at the library.  With a recently published book and strong opinions about suitable guest lecturers, Jeff answered some questions for us about his research and the role of the library in scholarship.

portrait of Jeff Eden

How long have you been here at SMCM?

This is my second semester at SMCM. I love it here: the beauty of the place; my wonderful students and colleagues; the liberating atmosphere of “sanctioned weirdness”; the feeling of deep history all around; and the beet salad I had a while ago at our unusually good dining hall, which was the best beet salad I’ve had in my life. And I’ve lived a life rich with beet salads.

What is your academic background?

I got a Ph.D. at Harvard, an M.A. at Indiana U, a B.A. at the U of Chicago, and a Participation Trophy from the Owings Mills Little League Baseball “Minors Division” (1993).  

What are your current research interests?

Right now I’m working on two projects: one about the Soviet Union during the Second World War, and one about slaves’ lives in Central Asia. My research agenda also includes dabbling, false starts, acid reflux, and awkward hallway smalltalk.

Tell us about your book (please)!

My most recent book is called Slavery and Empire in Central Asia (Cambridge, 2018), and I’ll let the official blurb take it from here: “The Central Asian slave trade swept hundreds of thousands of Iranians, Russians, and others into slavery during the eighteenth–nineteenth centuries. Drawing on eyewitness accounts, autobiographies, and newly-uncovered interviews with slaves, this book offers an unprecedented window into slaves’ lives and a penetrating examination of human trafficking. Slavery strained Central Asia’s relations with Russia, England, and Iran, and would serve as a major justification for the Russian conquest of this region in the 1860s–70s. Challenging the consensus that the Russian Empire abolished slavery with these conquests, Eden uses these documents to reveal that it was the slaves themselves who brought about their own emancipation by fomenting the largest slave uprising in the region’s history.”

How does the library help you in your research or the classroom?

Every research project I do starts with a tower of library books. The SMCM library’s collection is discerning and terrific, and our broader USMAI library system is the research resource that dreams are made of. Millions of books can be delivered right to the SMCM library circulation desk–one at a time, ideally!–within 2-4 days. And then there are the millions of articles available through the library’s online databases. And then there is Interlibrary Loan (ILL), which expands our reach from millions of sources to tens of millions.

What’s one thing you think students or faculty should know about the library, archives, or media center?

Students should definitely know the people. Librarians and archivists are experts in research methods and resources, and seeking their help is likely to yield great results. Their expertise extends to online research tech too: a couple weeks ago I learned some amazing Google search “hacks” from Kent Randell that I wish I’d learned years ago!

What are some interesting books or articles you’ve read recently?

The best book I’ve read recently is The Foundation Pit by Andrei Platonov– a dark, surreal satire of the Soviet Union written by a committed socialist & proud Soviet citizen. It’s one of those books where you keep trying to laugh and it keeps coming out as a deathly wheezing sound. For more modern (and less weird) stuff, the best book I’ve read lately is Zadie Smith’s Swing Time. It goes off the rails at times, but stick with it (and ignore the critics!)– it is wonderful.

Favorite reads, whether research related or not?

Fathers and Sons (Turgenev). The older I get, the better it gets. Loving this book is a requirement for passing my Russian Civilization class.

Favorite class you’ve taught?

I love all of my classes and all but one of my students.

(Yes, everyone but that mean guy back in 2013, when I was a TA. Why was he so mean? I hope he’s alright…)

If you could invite anyone, dead or alive, to guest lecture in your class, who would it be?

The only right answer is Genghis Khan. Deduct points for any other answer.

What else would you like our readers to know?

There are some really great book recommendations on this library blog!

Filed Under: Faculty and Staff Profiles Tagged With: faculty authors, featured

Women’s History Month: Women in Science

March 12, 2019 by Jillian Sandy

March is Women’s History Month, though we can celebrate women in STEM every month!  As part of the library collection, we have a series of digital images, “Beyond Curie,” created by Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya.  The images highlight women in the STEM fields and are licensed by Creative Commons, meaning anyone in the SMCM community can use these images for non-commercial purposes as long as they give credit.  Be sure to give credit–it’s important in all fields but especially in STEM! (Looking at you, Watson and Crick!)

Access the entire collection and get more information on using, downloading, and attributing these images, at our guide here.

Check out a few highlights from the collection below to learn more about some of the accomplishments of women in STEM.  The women featured in this post are pioneers who made discoveries both in and outside of Earth’s atmosphere, from the deep sea to outer space.

Mae Jemison (1956 – )

poster of Mae Jemison depicts a woman in an astronaut suit in black and white in front of a pink background

Image by Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya CC BY-NC-SA

In 1992, Dr. Jemison became the first African-American woman in space.  While working as a general practitioner in California, Jemison took graduate classes in engineering and was accepted into NASA’s astronaut program.  Let’s pause on that: she was a doctor who just happened to have the hobbies of engineering and being an astronaut (for reference, my hobby is making sticker collages that look like cats).  Jemison was the science mission specialist on the space shuttle Endeavour, conducting experiments in the life and material sciences. After returning to Earth, she founded a private research company to implement technology in the developing world.  She currently leads the 100 Year Starship project and has her own Lego minifigure.

Mary Golda Ross (1908 – 2008)

In the early years of space exploration, Ross was a pioneer in a new field and as a Native American woman in mathematical and scientific pursuits.  After teaching math and science in rural Oklahoma, Ross found work with the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Washington, D.C. She returned to school, earning her Master’s degree in mathematics, and soon after began working with Lockheed to develop fighter planes and missile systems.  As the space race took off, Ross focused on hydrodynamics and the launch of the Agena rocket, a turning point for U.S. space endeavors. After retiring, Ross became an advocate for math and engineering education for Native Americans and women.

Sylvia Earle (1935 – )

poster of Sylvia Earle includes a black and white image of the scientist and picture of the ocean on a salmon pink background with blue blocks of color

Image by Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya CC BY-NC-SA

Dr. Earle is an oceanographer and environmentalist who led the first aquanaut team composed of women.  Initially blocked from participation in the diving expedition Tektite I because she was a woman, Earle went on to lead the Tektite II Project:  part ecological study, and part data gathering on the effects of the deep sea environment on its human participants. In 1979, Earle walked untethered on the seafloor at the depth of 1,250 feet, a record that remains unbroken.  Earle has written and published prolifically to share her research and raise awareness of ocean conservation issues, and continues to advocate for the preservation and protection of the marine world.

Sources for more information:

  • “Dr. Mae C. Jemison” profile in National Library of Medicine exhibition Changing the Face of Medicine
  • Power in Numbers: The Rebel Women of Mathematics by Talithia Williams
  • “Sylvia A. Earle” profile in the National Women’s Hall of Fame

Filed Under: Library Collection Tagged With: Women's History Month

Tournament of Books: Digital and/or Print

March 8, 2019 by Jillian Sandy

March 8 is here, and that means one thing only at SMCM:  round 2 of the Tournament of Books! And spring break. Can the alignment of these important events be mere coincidence?  We don’t think so–in fact, spring break offers the perfect opportunity to catch up on the books facing off in the competition.

Didn’t have time to check out your reads before break?  No worries! The Library has your back with our Overdrive collection, where you can find eBooks and eAudiobooks, available whether you’re on campus or away.  Prefer the experience of turning the pages of a print book? We’re open March 11-14 and have plenty of titles from the Tournament of Books available for check out!

Keep scrolling for suggested reads from the Tournament of Books in Overdrive and in print.

eBooks

Call Me Zebra by Azareen Van der Vliet Oloomi

Zebra is the last in a line of anarchists, atheists, and autodidacts. Alone and in exile, she leaves New York for Barcelona, retracing the journey she and her father made from Iran to the United States years ago. Books are her only companions—until she meets Ludo. Their connection is magnetic, and fraught. They push and pull across the Mediterranean, wondering if their love—or lust—can free Zebra from her past.

The Dictionary of Animal Languages by Heidi Sopinka cover art for the book The Dictionary of Animal Languages

Born into a wealthy family in northern England and sent to boarding school to be educated by nuns, Ivory Frame rebels. She escapes to inter-war Paris, where she finds herself through art, and falls in with the most brilliantly bohemian set: the surrealists. Torn between an intense love affair with a married Russian painter and her soaring ambition to create, Ivory’s life is violently interrupted by the Second World War. She flees from Europe, leaving behind her friends, her art, and her love.

eAudiobooks

Census by Jesse Ball

When a widower receives notice from a doctor that he doesn’t have long left to live, he is struck by the question of who will care for his adult son—a son whom he fiercely loves, a boy with Down syndrome. With no recourse in mind, and with a desire to see the country on one last trip, the man signs up as a census taker for a mysterious governmental bureau and leaves town with his son.

cover art for the book My Sister, the Serial KillerMy Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite 

Korede is bitter. How could she not be? Her sister, Ayoola, is many things: the favorite child, the beautiful one, possibly sociopathic. And now Ayoola’s third boyfriend in a row is dead. Sharp as nails and full of deadpan wit, Oyinkan Braithwaite’s deliciously deadly debut is as fun as it is frightening.

So Lucky by Nicola Griffith

So Lucky is the sharp, surprising new audiobook by Nicola Griffith—the profoundly personal and emphatically political story of a confident woman forced to confront an unnerving new reality when in the space of a single week her wife leaves her and she is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

The Golden State by Lydia Kiesling cover art for the book The Golden State

In Lydia Kiesling’s razor-sharp debut novel, The Golden State, we accompany Daphne, a young mother on the edge of a breakdown, as she flees her sensible but strained life in San Francisco for the high desert of Altavista with her toddler, Honey. Bucking under the weight of being a single parent-her Turkish husband is unable to return to the United States because of a “processing error”-Daphne takes refuge in a mobile home left to her by her grandparents in hopes that the quiet will bring clarity.

The Parking Lot Attendant by Nafkote Tamirat 

A haunting story of fatherhood, national identity, and what it means to be an immigrant in America today, Nafkote Tamirat’s The Parking Lot Attendant explores how who we love, the choices we make, and the places we’re from combine to make us who we are.

Print

cover art for the book MilkmanMilkman by Anna Burns

In Northern Ireland during the Troubles of the 1970s, an unnamed narrator finds herself targeted by a high-ranking dissident known as Milkman.

America Is Not the Heart by Elaine Castillo

An increasingly relevant story told with startling lucidity, humor, and an uncanny ear for the intimacies and shorthand of family ritual, America Is Not the Heart is a sprawling, soulful debut about three generations of women in one family struggling to balance the promise of theAmerican dream and the unshakeable grip of history. With exuberance, grit, and sly tenderness, here is a family saga; an origin story; a romance; a narrative of two nations and the people who leave one home to grasp at another.

Washington Black by Esi Edugyan cover art for the book Washington Black

Washington Black is an eleven-year-old field slave who knows no other life than the Barbados sugar plantation where he was born. When his master’s eccentric brother chooses him to be his manservant, Wash is terrified of the cruelties he is certain await him. But Christopher Wilde, or “Titch,” is a naturalist, explorer, scientist, inventor, and abolitionist. He initiates Wash into a world where a flying machine can carry a man across the sky; where two people, separated by an impossible divide, might begin to see each other as human; and where a boy born in chains can embrace a life of dignity and meaning.

There There by Tommy Orange

Twelve Native Americans came to the Big Oakland Powwow for different reasons. Jacquie Red Feather is newly sober and trying to make it back to the family she left behind in shame. Bobby Big Medicine has come to drum the Grand Entry. Opal Viola Victoria Bear Shield has come to watch her nephew Orvil Red Feather. Orvil has taught himself Indian dance through YouTube videos, and he has come to the powwow to dance in public for the very first time. Tony Loneman is a young Native American boy whose future seems destined to be as bleak as his past, and he has come to the Powwow with darker intentions — intentions that will destroy the lives of everyone in his path.

cover art for the book The OverstoryThe Overstory by Richard Powers

A novel of activism and natural-world power presents interlocking fables about nine remarkable strangers who are summoned in different ways by trees for an ultimate, brutal stand to save the continent’s few remaining acres of virgin forest.

Need some help with Overdrive?  See if our guide here can answer your questions or contact us for assistance.  Happy reading!

Featured photo of person using an eReader by Perfecto Capucine on Unsplash

Filed Under: Library Collection Tagged With: books

Student Profile: Kevin Glotfelty

March 1, 2019 by Jillian Sandy

As a Film and Media Studies major with a minor in English, Kevin Glotfelty has spent a lot of the past 4 years in front of the screen, behind portrait of Kevin Glotfeltythe camera, and onstage.

Growing up, Kevin learned to love films, spending a lot of time watching movies with his dad.  If you’re looking for a film recommendation, some of Kevin’s favorites include The Lobster, Dead Man (an acid Western), and Audition (a Japanese horror film).  When deciding on the major, Kevin chose film because of his love of movies and interest in learning about the behind-the-scenes of film production.

While studying at SMCM, Kevin has especially enjoyed Mark Rhoda’s Horror Film class as it made a horror fan of him by framing the genre as a way to look at and understand contemporary society.  Garrey Dennie’s classes have also been rewarding because of the instructor’s knowledge and insight into African studies. Specifically, Kevin highlights Africa and the African Diaspora and Redemption Songs, the latter of which makes interesting connections to reggae music.

Kevin is currently completing a nature documentary for his SMP, which focuses on the conservation of salt marshes in St. Mary’s County.  The film will address why these ecosystems should be conserved, what we can gain by protecting salt marshes, and what may happen if we do not.

In his free time, Kevin participates in Philosophy Club, hosts The Lit Hour on Wednesdays on Seahawk Radio, and has played a role in SMCM productions including Machinal, Spring Awakening, and Happy Birthday, Wanda June.

Kevin is a Marylander from Bowie, though his mother is a St. Mary’s County local.  When considering colleges, Kevin was looking to stay in-state, but hadn’t seriously considered SMCM or even been to visit.  He decided on a whim to attend and doesn’t regret it.

At the LAMC, this spring marks Kevin’s 4th semester working in the 3rd floor Media Center.  As someone with an interest in cameras and sound equipment, Kevin enjoyed learning about the equipment and services available there.  After getting to know supervisor Justin, Kevin was able to get paid to do what he already enjoys. When new equipment comes in, Kevin relishes the opportunity to “play with the toys.”

Kevin will graduate at the end of spring semester in May 2019.  After graduation, Kevin plans to find freelance production work in the Washington, D.C. area, eventually moving on to Atlanta.  Though he’s not looking forward to the heat, Kevin finds the film production opportunities in Atlanta exciting, as well as the Southern food and trap music.

We will miss Kevin when he leaves St. Mary’s and the LAMC, but we’re looking forward to seeing his name appear in the credits of many a film on IMDb!

Filed Under: Library People, Student Employees Tagged With: featured, student workers

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