Dr. Xiuzhen Huang, professor of computer science and director, Center for No-Boundary Thinking, is on the Scientific Steering Committee for the National Science Foundation's EPSCoR project, "Data Analytics that are Robust and Trusted (DART).” She also is principal investigator (PI) at A-State, and co-lead of the social awareness thrust that includes faculty members from four universities. Huang will conduct research and advise students in machine learning and deep learning for privacy-preserving analytics in genomics and health. She was featured last week in Arkansas Money & Politics.

Dr. H. Steve Leslie, instructor of business communication, and Dr. Natalie Johnson-Leslie, associate professor of secondary education, co-authored “Gender Equity in Business Schools – Perception or Reality: A Conventional Content Analysis” in the double-blind peer-reviewed Global Journal of Business Disciplines. The article examines gender equity issues faced by business school faculty in Finland, Jamaica and the U.S. Their findings confirm that female faculty/academic staff in business colleges continue to experience inequitable working conditions.

Four faculty members in education, Dr. Latwayla Knowlton, Dr. Timberly Baker, Dr. Kimberley Davis, and Dr. Audrey Bowser, will present their research next week during the annual meeting of the Mid-South Educational Research Association. Their presentation for the virtual conference is titled "Diversifying the Profession: Educational Leaders of Color in Online Graduate Programs," in which they take the position that online education degree attainment is more accessible for graduate students of color, and thus becomes an effective avenue for recruiting and retaining educators of color.

Dr. Javier Miguelena, who teaches biology at Campus Queretaro, was a participant in the podcast Ciencia al Chile on the topic “Can We Speak with Molecules?” He discussed the mechanisms that insects use to communicate through molecules. His portion starts about 33 minutes into the podcast, which is available online. His participation reflects the emphasis by faculty at A-State CQ to bring science to the general public.

Sandra L. Combs, associate professor of multimedia journalism production, received the “Unsung Hero” award from the Craighead County NAACP during its annual Freedom Fund Gala. Combs was nominated by her pastor, the Rev. Curtis R. Wilson, for her advocacy that helped lead to the City of Jonesboro naming a street, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. She served a mayoral appointment to the Unity Coalition Advisory Committee.