Jaime Jimenez is a senior in the environmental studies and journalism department. He is currently working on his capstone project which involves creating standing snags in Picayune, MS. This conservation project hopes to create habitats to draw in more bird and insect species. He has special consideration of invasive Tung trees in the area. When Jaime isn’t girdling trees you can find him working on a story for The Maroon, cycling on the levee or trying new recipes.
Professor Everett Fulmer presented at a panel about mob violence in the US Capitol. Dr. Fulmer discussed the role of social media in the insurrection. Other members of the panels included Loyola University Professors Mitchell Crusto, John Lovett, Isabel Media, and Justin Nystrom.
Raquel Zumaeta received the Access Path (AP) to Psychology and Law Award for her research project titled, " Community Based De-escalation and Crisis Intervention." The award includes a $3,600 stipend across two semesters, $100 to cover research expenses, and a reimbursement to attend the 2022 AP-LS conference. Raquel's project aims to examine what the Loyola community knows about mental health crisis intervention and de-escalation techniques.
Loyola Law school professor, Robert Verchick, who worked in the Environmental Protection Agency under the Obama Administration and has conducted research abroad in India, is now onto his next project, representing Loyola in Louisiana’s effort to protect the planet. Louisiana State Governor John Bel Edwards appointed Verchick to the state’s new Climate Emissions Task Force, the first of its kind in the Gulf South. The task force aims to cut the state’s net greenhouse gas emissions, as well as aid in adjusting to climate change.
Frank Jordan and his students study the ecology of freshwater and estuarine systems, with special emphasis on the biology, management, and conservation of fishes. He is also interested in developing and evaluating new methods for monitoring and modeling population dynamics of imperiled and non-native aquatic organisms. He is always seeking highly motivated students to conduct research in his lab.
Victoria Rodrigues is conducting research on an asian species of swamp eel recently discovered in Bayou St. John. She also received two dive certifications through Loyola and hopes to use these experiences to start a career in coral reef conservation and restoration research.
Seven new members of the Spanish Honor Society, Sigma Delta Pi, were inducted into the honor society on April 26. Several Spanish and Latin American Studies professors were on hand at the ceremony as well.
Pictured from left to right are:
Dr. Pablo Zavala, Dr. Andrea Gaytan (initiate), Prof. Angela Ramirez, Sabah Bashi, Christopher Bowlin, Dr. Isabel Durocher (Chapter Advisor), Nicholas Burtchaell, Kaliah Rodgers, Sierra O’Brien, Alanna Olsen, and officers Vairleene Einstein and Kimberly Diaz.
Latin American Studies and sociology major Sasha Solano-McDaniel knew her final research project for her History of Food in America class last fall would be uploaded on Loyola University’s Documentary and Oral History Studio website, but she didn’t know it would be so well received by Loyola’s Languages and Cultures Department. Says Solano-McDaniel of the project, “Our task was to create an article stemming from a historical menu in 1930’s America.” The result was an historical look at the formation of Mexican-American cuisine.
LAS alumna Shoshana Shattenkirk is writing the music for her musical, "Fever Dreams," which is about pandemics and started as part of an invitation from the New York Public Library to create musicals based on materials in its archives. Shattenkirk collaborated with a lyricist and book writer to create the musical based on the correspondence of a doctor during the Yellow Fever pandemic of 1798. A draft of the first portion of the musical was performed virtually and is on The New York Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center website.
Dr. Paul Barnes has recently contributed to the UNEP (United Nations Environmental Program) Environmental Effects Assessment Panel on the environmental effects of ozone depletion, UV radiation and climate change. He was also the lead author of a shorter summary report for Policy Makers.