Angelica Carpenter (Henry Madden Library) edited “In the Garden: Essays in Honor of Frances Hodgson Burnett” (Scarecrow Press; $46), inspired by the 2003 conference of the Arne Nixon Center for the Study of Children’s Literature, housed in the library. Carpenter is the curator of the center and organized the Burnett conference.

Matthew Darling (Music) will be honored in May by the Fresno and Madera Counties Music Education Association for his support of music education in 2006. The group’s award will be presented at a banquet and Darling also will be considered for a state-level award in 2007. (Photo at left)

Barlow Der Mugrdechian (Armenian Studies) attended the 40th Anniversary meeting of the Middle East Studies Association, held in Boston, Nov. 18-20. He organized a panel, "Historical Memory and Identity: Exploring the Impact of the 1915-1916 events in Armenian and Turkish Literature," and gave a paper in the same panel on "Three Apples Fell From Heaven: Memory and Identity in Post-Genocide Armenian Literature." He also chaired a panel on "Narrative and Identity in the Armenian Press, 1850-1923." Der Mugrdechian participated in the annual membership meeting of the Society for Armenian Studies, where he presented a report as treasurer of the Executive Council. He was the guest speaker at San Joaquin Gardens in Fresno, where gave a talk on William Saroyan (Nov. 9) and the Armenians of Fresno (Nov. 16). Der Mugrdechian was the author and was awarded a grant for $64,158 for the "Armenian Remittances Study 2006."

Christine Edmondson (Psychology) was interviewed about seasonal affective disorder, a mood disorder commonly called the “Holiday Blues,” by KMJ radio and for a Web cast by the Central Valley Business Times. Click here for details.

Jill Fields (History) has had her book, “An Intimate Affair: Women, Lingerie and Sexuality” picked up for publication next summer by the University of California Press. (Photo at right)

Matthew Jendian (Sociology) led a team of scholars who conducted an organizational analysis of the Armenian General Benevolent Union, an international nonprofit organization that has been operating for a century. The evaluation report was delivered Oct. 28 at the organization’s Centennial Symposium at the University of Southern California.

Isabel Kaprielian (History) was awarded a Certificate of Merit in Regional History for her book, “Like Our Mountains: A History of Armenians in Canada,” by the Canadian Historical Association. The citation praises Kaprielian’s scholarship and a writing style that makes the book enjoyable for general and academic readers, saying, “Her writing is engaging, and given the nature of the topic, is never too sentimental.” (Photo at left)

George B. Kauffman (Chemistry, Emeritus) published “Sandwich Compounds of Transition Metals: A Retrospective View of Sir Geoffrey Wilkinson (1921-1996) on the 10^th Anniversary of His Death,” “A History of Chemical Warfare,” “Dear Professor Einstein: Albert Einstein’s Letters to and from Children” and “The Chemistry of the Actinide and Transactinide Elements” in The Chemical Educator, Volume 11, Number 5, (Oct. 1). 

Yaw Oheneba-Sakyi (Ethnic Studies) was one of 10 scholars across the nation selected to be a Fulbright New Century Scholar. His focus will be access and equity in higher education in his native Ghana. (Photo at right)

Ashley Swearengin (Community and Economic Development) will add lead executive responsibilities of the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley to her duties. The partnership was created by Gov. Schwarzenegger to bring together decision makers to identify challenges in the region and advocate for solutions to them. Swearengin also is chief operating officer of the Regional Jobs Initiative, a partnership trying to boost regional job growth, and director of the university Office of Community and Economic Development. (Photo at left)

Steve Yarbrough’s (English) newest work, “The End of California,” was one of 27 novels on the Kansas City Star’s list of 100 Notable Books of 2006. The newspaper’s list was compiled with the help of 24 expert panelists and input from book readers. (Photo at right) Click here for details.
Related link: http://www.fresnostatenews.com/2006/11/yarbroughnovel.htm