Faculty News
Steve Hager, Bo Dziadyk, and Kelly McKay just published a paper in The Wilson Journal of Ornithology (http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1676/08-161.1?journalCode=wils) in the form of a literature review on bird-plant entanglement in North America. This was inspired after Bo found a Least Flycatcher fatally entrapped in the hooked and spiny seed head of Burdock, an invasive plant native to Europe, at Augustana's Beling Ecological Reserve. It appears that the seed head and feathers interact in the same fashion as Velcro®. How birds become entrapped is a mystery, but may happen while foraging for insects and a wing accidentally brushes up against a plant. Kelly, a professional ornithologist based in Hampton, IL, assisted with identifying the flycatcher since this species is virtually indistinguishable from four others found in the region in the genus Empidonax.
Randall Hall (Music) announces the release of a new CD with the saxophone/laptop improvisation ensemble Pendulum on Medusa Critical Publications. In July performed at the World Saxophone Congress, held in Bangkok, Thailand. At the Congress Randall also performed with the North American Saxophone Ensemble of the Conservatoire National de Région de Boulogne-Billancourt (France), a group made of former students from the United States, Canada and Mexico. In addition Randall gave a lecture recital "The Primordial Image: Toward an understanding of the aesthetics of Giacinto Scelsi" which looked at the influence of Perennialism on the work of this twentieth century Italian composer and included a performance of Scelsi's Tree pezzi for saxophone.
Upcoming performances include a lecture recital on experimental saxophone techniques at the University of Southern Illinois, Carbondale (September 18) and a performance -interview on WDBX-FM radio, Carbondale (September 19, 4:00-6:30 am - live streaming for the early birds!)
Michelle Richmond, Visual Resources Librarian and Manager for the Centre for Whistler Criticism in the Department of Art History, graduated in August with a Master's Degree in Library and Information Studies from The University of Wisconsin-Madison. Michelle is also a 1996 graduate of Augustana College with double-majors in Art History and English and additionally earned an MA in Art History from Vanderbilt University. Congratulations, Michelle!
Dan Rosenberg (English) learned last week that his poetry chapbook, "A Thread of Hands," will be published yet this academic year (late winter/early spring) by Tilt Press. We look forward to reading more of Dan's excellent work when that publication is available. Check out the website: http://tiltpress.com/index_files/Page997.htm
Dr. Marsha Smith (Sociology, Anthropology and Social Welfare) presented two papers at the 16th World Congress of the International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences (IUAES) conference in Kunming, China, July 27- Aug. 1, 2009. The first paper was presented at the session titled "Perspectives of Aging in Diverse Cultures" sponsored by the Commission on Aging and the Aged. The title of the paper is "Intergenerational Tensions and Exchanges between Older Wuhan Women and Their Children."
The second paper was an invited paper sponsored by the section on Chinese Minority Nationalities Research hosted by Zhongnan Minzu Daxue (South Central China University for Nationalities) and was titled "Contemporary Tensions Among the Iu Mien Community in Northern California "
Marsha also was the first recipient of the newly created William A. Freistat Center for Peace Studies Faculty Travel Award to help support her travel to this conference.