Faculty and Staff Notes

Rian Brown-Orso, associate professor of cinema studies, gave video commentary for CAN Journal that included her reflections about teaching art online during the time of COVID-19. 

Associate Professor of Sociology Greggor Mattson published a journal article on his research on small-city gay bars in City & Community, a journal of the American Sociological Association. This research, on which several Oberlin undergraduate research assistants worked, is the first description of the qualities of gay bars outside large-city gay neighborhoods. The paper explores the similarities of 55 lone small‐city gay bars to each other and the challenges they pose to the sexualities and urban literatures.

Professor of Mathematics Jim Walsh authored "A Discontinuous ODE Model of the Glacial Cycles with Diffusive Heat Transport," with E. Widiasih. The featured paper appeared as the cover story in the open access journal Mathematics. The paper concerns a mathematical model of the glacial cycles and, in particular, considers competing climate feedbacks that determine the extent of the ice sheet throughout the glacial-interglacial cycles.

Sebastiaan Faber, professor of Hispanic studies, was interviewed in a segment on the Real News Network about the impact of COVID-19 on the Spanish public healthcare system.  

Meredith M. Gadsby joins the board of the Fund for Our Economic Future (FFOEF) as a Civic Member. FFOEF is a funding alliance made up of more than 40 organizations and individuals dedicated to advancing economic growth with equitable access to opportunity for the people of Northeast Ohio.

Chanda Feldman, assistant professor of creative writing, published the poem "To the Old Square," in the 2020 anthology, Furious Flower: Seeding the Future of African American Poetry, from Northwestern University Press.

Professor of Psychology Stephan Mayer gave an invited talk at the University of Akron on his book Transforming Psychological Worldviews to Confront Climate Change.

The Early Music America 2020 Laurette Goldberg Award, for achievement in early music outreach, has been awarded to the Oberlin Baroque Performance Institute (BPI). The summer institute's faculty is led by Artistic Director Kenneth Slowik and four Oberlin Conservatory faculty members who make up the Oberlin Baroque Ensemble—Mark Edwards, Michael Lynn, Marilyn McDonald, Catharina Meints. 

Oberlin's BPI was created in 1972 by former Oberlin Conservatory oboe professor James Caldwell in order to bring famous Swiss musician, August Wenzinger, to the United States to perform, teach, and conduct. Catharina Meints, who was closely involved with the beginnings of BPI, continues to be the senior faculty member 48 years later.

On behalf of the faculty and participants of BPI, Catharine Meints said: “I can say that we are delighted to receive recognition from EMA for our work over the last 49 years. We are proud of what we have accomplished and are honored to be presented the Goldberg Award.”

Associate Professor of Politics Kristina Mani was one of seven women scholars interviewed in a piece about gender equality in the field of International Relations.

Assistant Professor of Sociology Christie Parris gave an invited talk on February 27, 2020, at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology Preconference on Sustainability. The talk outlined her ongoing research regarding environmental concerns among U.S. residents who identify as Black and/or African American.