Welcome to Dr. Stephen J. Mullin, who becomes chair of Biological Sciences, effective July 1. Mullin completed his undergraduate degree at the University of California, his master’s at the University of South Florida, and his Ph.D. at the University of Memphis. Since 2015, he has served as a professor and department chair at Stephen F. Austin State University. More details on Mullin and his research are online.

April Sheppard, assistant director, Dean B. Ellis Library, was recently awarded a Carnegie-Whitney Grant to create a scholarly guide on Arkansas and Mississippi Delta heritage. The two-year award, based on a special fund first established by Andrew Carnegie in 1902, is administered through the American Library Association. A faculty member since 2005, Sheppard earned her Master of Library Science degree at Texas Woman's University.

Best wishes to Dr. D. Mike McDaniel, professor of communication disorders, who is retiring this month. An A-State alumnus who earned master's and doctoral degrees at the University of Memphis, he came to A-State in 1989. Often a mentor to faculty colleagues, McDaniel was a strong proponent for scholarship, and often inspired his students to conduct research. He also served more than once as Faculty Association president.

Dr. Heloisa Cursi Campos, assistant professor of psychology, is the sole author of a paper, "Strategies to Reduce Procrastination in College Students," which has been accepted for publication by the Journal of Teaching and Learning with Technology. It will be part of a special issue covering the use of learning management systems to promote self-regulated learning. This issue is expected to be released during the summer.

Congratulations to Dr. Javier Miguelena Bada, biology faculty, Campus Queretaro, and his colleague Paul Baker, University of Arizona, who have authored a paper published in the journal Sociobiology. In their study, they tested the capacity of two insecticides to change the activity of termites at a distance from where they were applied. They conducted their research on small plots in the desert. The article is online.