Faculty & Staff Experts

Frostburg State University's experts list offers members of the media the expertise of the University's faculty and staff. Experts are listed by subject area.

To search the Experts List from your PC, type CTRL-F (from Apple computers, type CMD-F).

Advancement

John T. Short
University Advancement
jtshort@frostburg.edu
301.687.4161

Animals

Dr. Daniel Moorehead
Sociology
dlmoorehead@frostburg.edu
301.687.7965

• Animals and Society

Appalachia

Dr. Kara Rogers Thomas
Sociology
krogersthomas@frostburg.edu
301.687.3124

• Appalachia and environmental justice movements
• Appalachian folklore and folklife
• Music and community in Appalachia
• Music in the mountains

Astronomy

Dr. Jason C. Speights
Physics and Engineering
jcspeights@frostburg.edu
301.687.4339

Atmospheric dynamics

Dr. Tianna A. Bogart
Geography
news@frostburg.edu
301.687.4751

• Principles of atmospheric dynamics

Brain development

Dr. Jamelyn C. Tobery-Nystrom
Educational Professions
jctoberynystrom@frostburg.edu
240.527.2735

Branding

Dr. Carol Gaumer
Marketing and Finance
cjaumer@frostburg.edu
301.687.4052

• The branding process
• Mapping out a re-brand

Broadband and home network technologies

Dr. John Lombardi
Mass Communication
jlombardi@frostburg.edu
301.687.4146

• Net neutrality

Business

Dr. Martha Mattare
Management
news@frostburg.edu
301.687.4751

• Assistance with business startups
• Entrepreneurship

Dr. Shakil M. Rahman
Management
srahman@frostburg.edu
301.687.4189

• Crisis preparedness (how to enhance resilience during the strategic planning process
• Business operational improvement and management
• Business productivity analysis and improvement
• Inventory planning and management
• Quality management with a customer focus
• Resource optimization and business decisions)

Dr. Sandy Mehalko
Small Business Development Center
smmehalko@frostburg.edu
301.687.1080

• Evidence-based management
• Regional innovation clusters
• Small business/entrepreneurship

Chemistry

Dr. Benjamin Norris
Chemistry
bnnorris@frostburg.edu
301.687.4157

• Biorenewable chemistry
• Biorenewable solvents
• Conducting polymers
• Conjugated polymers
• Deep eutectic solvents
• Green chemistry
• NMR spectroscopy
• Organic chemistry
• Organic photovoltaics (solar cells)
• Organic synthesis
• Organometallic chemistry
• Polymer chemistry (plastics)
• Polymers for energy applications
• Sustainable chemistry

Climate modeling

Dr. Tianna A. Bogart
Geography
news@frostburg.edu
301.687.4751

Climatology

Dr. Tianna A. Bogart
Geography
news@frostburg.edu
301.687.4751

• Physical climatology
• Synoptic climatology

China

Haiyun Ma
History
hma@frostburg.edu
301.687.4163

Dr. Sally Stephenson
Educational Professions
sstephenson@frostburg.edu
301.687.4094

• The arts and culture of China

Civil War

Dr. Mary Anne Lutz
English
mlutz@frostburg.edu
301.687.4237

• Women in the Civil War

Comics

Andy Duncan
English
arduncan@frostburg.edu
301.687.4241

• Comics, their history and aesthetics

Communications

Dr. Elesha L. Ruminski
Communication Studies
news@frostburg.edu
301.687.4751

• Organizational narratives

Community

Dr. Elesha L. Ruminski
Communication Studies
news@frostburg.edu
301.687.4751

• Community dialogue
• Community mediation supported by Community Mediation Maryland and the Maryland Judiciary's Mediation and Conflict Resolution Office

Dr. Kathleen H. Powell
Social Work
kpowell@frostburg.edu
301.687.4695

• Community organizing
• Neighborhood relations in college towns
• University-community relations in campus-adjacent neighborhoods
• Universities as anchor institutions in communities

 

Composition

Dr. John F. Raucci Jr.
English
jfraucci@frostburg.edu

• Composition studies

Dr. Rochelle Smith
English
news@frostburg.edu
301.687.4751

• Freshman composition

Computer science and information technology

Dr. Xunyu Pan
Computer Science and Information Technologies
xpan@frostburg.edu

• Communication networks
• Computer vision
• Machine learning

Conflict management

Dr. Elesha L. Ruminski
Communication Studies
news@frostburg.edu
301.687.4751

Convention circuit

Andy Duncan
English
arduncan@frostburg.edu
301.687.4241

Counseling

Rev. Dr. Cynthia Zirlott
Philosophy; Student Services – Religious Life on Campus
c.zirlott@frostburg.edu
301.687.7490

• Marriage and family counseling
• Spiritual direction and spiritual counseling

Course redesign

Dr. Benjamin Norris
Chemistry
bnnorris@frostburg.edu
301.687.4157

• Redesigning introductory courses to increase student engagement and success

Cross-curricular assignments between geography (sciences) and English

Dr. Phil Allen
Geography
ppallen@frostburg.edu
301.687.4891

Dr. Sydney Duncan
English
sduncan@frostburg.edu
301-687-4225

Customer relationship management

Dr. Carol Gaumer
Marketing and Finance
cgaumer@frostburg.edu
301.687.4052

• Client-based projects
• Managing customer relationships
• Students as business consultants

Depression

Dr. Michael Murtagh
Psychology
mpmurtagh@frostburg.edu
301.687.4446

• Causes, effects and treatments

Descartes, René

Dr. Shoshana Brassfield
Philosophy
news@frostburg.edu
301.687.4751

Developmental students

Dr. Jill Morris
English
jamorris@frostburg.edu
301.687.4238

• Working with developmental students

Disease

Dr. Rebekah Taylor
Biology
rtaylor@frostburg.edu
301.687.4355

• Infectious disease and the immune response to infection, host-pathogen interactions
• Lyme Disease and its prevalence in wildlife in Western Maryland

Domestic violence

Dr. Michael Murtagh
Psychology
mpmurtagh@frostburg.edu
301.687.4446

Economics

Dr. Gerald Venezia
Marketing and Finance
gvenezia@frostburg.edu
301.687.4010

• East Asian economy, Asian regional integration
• Globalization
• RCEP and TPP

Entrepreneurship

Dr. Martha Mattare
Management
news@frostburg.edu
301.687.4751

Estate Planning

John T. Short
University Advancement
jtshort@frostburg.edu
301.687.4161

Ethics

Dr. Elesha L. Ruminski
Communication Studies
news@frostburg.edu
301.687.4751

Experiential learning

Dr. John F. Raucci Jr.
English
jfraucci@frostburg.edu

Dr. Benjamin Norris
Chemistry
bnnorris@frostburg.edu
301.687.4157

• Incorporating undergraduate research and experiential learning into the curriculum

Fiction markets

Fiction writing

Andy Duncan
English
arduncan@frostburg.edu
301.687.4241

• Short fiction
• The teaching of fiction writing

Film

Dr. John F. Raucci Jr.
English
jfraucci@frostburg.edu

• Horror film genre

First Amendment issues

Andy Duncan
English
arduncan@frostburg.edu
301.687.4241

Forensic psychology

Dr. Michael Murtagh
Psychology
mpmurtagh@frostburg.edu
301.687.4446

Fundraising

John T. Short
University Advancement
jtshort@frostburg.edu
301.687.4161

Gaming studies

Dr. Jill Morris
English
jamorris@frostburg.edu
301.687.4238

Geography

Dr. Phil Allen
Geography
ppallen@frostburg.edu
301.687.4891

• Cross-curricular assignments between geography (sciences) and English

Dr. Sydney Duncan
English
sduncan@frostburg.edu
301-687-4225

Dr. Tianna A. Bogart
Geography
news@frostburg.edu
301.687.4751

• Physical geography

Graphic design, illustration

Susan E. Dodge
sedodge@frostburg.edu
301.687.4173

Imaging technology

Dr. Xunyu Pan
Computer Science and Information Technologies
xpan@frostburg.edu

• Image analysis
• Medical imaging

Immune system

Dr. Rebekah Taylor
Biology
rtaylor@frostburg.edu
301.687.4355

• The immune system of the gut – probiotics, the microbiome, the commensal bacteria living in our intestines

International Brotherhood of Teamsters

Dr. Elesha L. Ruminski
Communication Studies
news@frostburg.edu
301.687.4751

• Gender order
• Hybridized organizing rhetoric
• Organizational narrative

International education experiences

Dr. Sally Stephenson
Educational Professions
sstephenson@frostburg.edu
301.687.4433

Inventory management/policy

Dr. Shakil M. Rahman
Management
srahman@frostburg.edu
301.687.4189

The Islamic world

Haiyun Ma
History
hma@frostburg.edu
301.687.4163

Journalism

Andy Duncan
English
arduncan@frostburg.edu
301.687.4241

• Business Magazines
• Editing
• The journalism classroom
• Law and ethics
• Newspapers
• Reporting
• Student Media

Land-atmosphere interactions

Dr. Tianna A. Bogart
Geography
news@frostburg.edu
301.687.4751

Law and ethics

Andy Duncan
English
arduncan@frostburg.edu
301.687.4241

Leadership

Dr. Elesha L. Ruminski
Communication Studies
news@frostburg.edu
301.687.4751

• Women’s leadership development and its integration into higher education

Learning

Dr. Jamelyn C. Tobery-Nystrom
Educational Professions
jctoberynystrom@frostburg.edu
240.527.2735

• Universal design for learning

Literature

Dr. Amy C. Branam Armiento
English
abranam@frostburg.edu
301.687.4293

• African-American literature
• African-American women’s literature
• Antebellum American drama
• Gothic (American South and European)
• Literature as motive for murder
• Nineteenth-century American and English literatures
• Poe, Edgar Allan
• Romanticism
• Sexuality and pornography in literature
• Women’s literature

Dr. Mary Anne Lutz
English
mlutz@frostburg.edu
301.687.4237

• Behn, Aphra
• Irving, Washington
• Scott, Sir Walter
• Transatlantic 19th-century literature
• Wollstonecraft, Mary
• Women science fiction writers

Dr. Rochelle Smith
English
news@frostburg.edu
301.687.4751

• Literature of the 16th century
• Literature of the 17th century
• Shakespeare

Andy Duncan
English
arduncan@frostburg.edu
301.687.4241

• Science fiction and fantasy

Dr. Sydney Duncan
English
sduncan@frostburg.edu
301-687-4225

Management

Dr. Shakil M. Rahman
Management
srahman@frostburg.edu
301.687.4189

• Business operations management
• Inventory management/policy
• Quality control and management

Dr. Elesha L. Ruminski
Communication Studies
news@frostburg.edu
301.687.4751

• Change management

Marriage, family

Dr. Robert Moore
Sociology
rmoore@frostburg.edu
301.687.4995

• Interracial dating and marriage on college campuses

Rev. Dr. Cythia Zirlott
Philosophy; Student Services – Religious Life on Campus
c.zirlott@frostburg.edu
301.687.7490

• Marriage and family counseling

Media

Dr. John Lombardi
Mass Communication
jlombardi@frostburg.edu
301.687.4146

• "Effects" of media on individuals

Meteorology

Dr. Tianna A. Bogart
Geography
news@frostburg.edu
301.687.4751

• Descriptive meteorology

Microscopy

Dr. Rebekah Taylor
Biology
rtaylor@frostburg.edu
301.687.4355

• Fluorescent microscopy
• Producing images of the “MicroCosmos” and biological specimens
• Scanning electron microscopy
• Sharing and teaching children about microscopes and how they work
• The use of advanced microscopes

Multimedia issues

Dr. Xunyu Pan
Computer Science and Information Technologies
xpan@frostburg.edu

• Multimedia security

Beth Kenney
Director of Technology Services
bkenney@frostburg.edu
301.687.4244

• Multimedia technology tools

Music

Dr. James H. Lyons
Music Education; WFWM Radio
jhlyons@frostburg.edu
301.687.4143

• Community music education and schools of the arts
• Educational outreach and use of the media for music and arts
• Music education – elementary general and choral
• Philosophy of music

Dr. Michael Murtagh
Psychology
mpmurtagh@frostburg.edu
301.687.4446

• Use of music in teaching

Dr. Mary Anne Lutz
English
mlutz@frostburg.edu
301.687.4237

• Women protest singers

National Security

Dr. Stephen Twing
Political Science
stwing@frostburg.edu
301.687.3097

• American political culture on U.S. Cold War national security policy
• Intelligence failures
• National security policy
• National security strategy and decision making
• Terrorism and counterterrorism

Natural hazards in the physical environment

Dr. Tianna A. Bogart
Geography
news@frostburg.edu
301.687.4751

Online education

Beth Kenney
Director of Technology Services
bkenney@frostburg.edu
301.687.4244

• Design for online courses

Organizational narratives

Dr. Elesha L. Ruminski
Communication Studies
news@frostburg.edu
301.687.4751

Phenomena

Andy Duncan
English
arduncan@frostburg.edu
301.687.4241

• Anomalous
• Fortean
• Paranormal
• Weird

Photography

Robert Hein
Visual Arts
rmhein@frostburg.edu
301.687.4354

• Alternative process
• Archival practices with media
• Digital
• Film
• Fine art
• Image editing
• Photographic history
• Portrait
• Studio
• Traditional B&W and color

Physics

Dr. Jason C. Speights
Physics and Engineering
jcspeights@frostburg.edu
301.687.4339

• Astrophysics

Poe, Edgar Allan

Dr. Amy C. Branam Armiento
English
abranam@frostburg.edu
301.687.4293

Pseudoscience

Andy Duncan
English
arduncan@frostburg.edu
301.687.4241

Psychology

Dr. Michael Murtagh
Psychology
mpmurtagh@frostburg.edu
301.687.4446

• Alcohol and other drug use and prevention
• College student mental health
• Depression: causes, effects and treatments
• Forensic psychology
• Psychological treatment and testing
• Sexual abuse: effects of, treatment for survivors, treatment of perpetrators

Race Relations

Dr. Robert Moore
Sociology
rmoore@frostburg.edu
301.687.4995

• The future of race relations
• Interracial dating and marriage on college campuses
• Race and ethnic relations in the United States
• Race relations on college campuses

Reacting to the Past teaching technique

Dr. Shoshana Brassfield
Philosophy
news@frostburg.edu
301.687.4751

Renewables

Dr. Benjamin Norris
Chemistry
bnnorris@frostburg.edu
301.687.4157

• Fluorescent sensors
• Materials for energy applications (including light-emitting diodes and solar cells)
• Renewable fuels and solvents

Research

Dr. Jamelyn C. Tobery-Nystrom
Educational Professions
jctoberynystrom@frostburg.edu
240.527.2735

• Action research
• Self-study research

Rhetoric

Dr. John F. Raucci Jr.
English
jfraucci@frostburg.edu

• Classical rhetoric
• John Quincy Adams' civic rhetoric
• Nineteenth-century U.S. rhetoric

Dr. Elesha L. Ruminski
Communication Studies
news@frostburg.edu
301.687.4751

• Hybridized organizing rhetoric of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters

Dr. Amy C. Branam Armiento
English
abranam@frostburg.edu
301.687.4293

• Rhetoric and composition

Dr. Jill Morris
English
jamorris@frostburg.edu
301.687.4238

Sales Promotions

Dr. Carol Gaumer
Marketing and Finance
cjaumer@frostburg.edu
301.687.4052

• Couponing dos and don'ts (do sales promotions work and when)

Science fiction and fantasy

Andy Duncan
English
arduncan@frostburg.edu
301.687.4241

• Awards
• Convention circuit
• Markets
• Short fiction
• Secularism/skepticism

Self-efficacy

Dr. Jamelyn C. Tobery-Nystrom
Educational Professions
jctoberynystrom@frostburg.edu
240.527.2735

Sexual Abuse

Dr. Michael Murtagh
Psychology
mpmurtagh@frostburg.edu
301.687.4446

• Effects of, treatment for survivors, treatment of perpetrators

Sexuality

Dr. Amy C. Branam Armiento
English
abranam@frostburg.edu
301.687.4293

• Sexuality and pornography in literature

Social welfare

Dr. Kathleen H. Powell
Social Work
news@frostburg.edu
301.687.4751

• Social entrepreneurship
• Social welfare policy

Southern culture

Andy Duncan
English
arduncan@frostburg.edu
301.687.4241

Special education

Dr. Jamelyn C. Tobery-Nystrom
Educational Professions
jctoberynystrom@frostburg.edu
240.527.2735

Spirituality

Rev. Dr. Cynthia Zirlott
Philosophy; Student Services – Religious Life on Campus
c.zirlott@frostburg.edu
301.687.7490

• Pastoral ministry and church leadership
• Spiritual direction and spiritual counseling

STEM

Dr. Benjamin Norris
Chemistry
bnnorris@frostburg.edu
301.687.4157

• Increasing STEM freshmen engagement through residential programming

Student media

Andy Duncan
English
arduncan@frostburg.edu
301.687.4241

Sustainability

Dr. Sydney Duncan
English
sduncan@frostburg.edu
301-687-4225

• Teaching sustainability in the humanities

Teaching

Dr. Jamelyn C. Tobery-Nystrom
Educational Professions
jctoberynystrom@frostburg.edu
240.527.2735

• Action research
• Self-study methodology
• Teacher self-efficacy
• Universal design for learning

Dr. Shoshana Brassfield
Philosophy
news@frostburg.edu
301.687.4751

• Innovative teaching strategies/Reacting to the Past

Dr. Sydney Duncan
English
sduncan@frostburg.edu
301-687-4225

• Teaching sustainability in the humanities

Dr. Michael Murtagh
Psychology
mpmurtagh@frostburg.edu
301.687.4446

• Use of music in teaching

Terrorism

Dr. Stephen Twing
Political Science
stwing@frostburg.edu
301.687.3097

• Terrorism and counterterrorism

University-community relations in campus-adjacent neighborhoods

Dr. Kathleen H. Powell
Social Work
kpowell@frostburg.edu
301.687.4695

Video projects

Dr. John Lombardi
Mass Communication
jlombardi@frostburg.edu
301.687.4146

• Techniques and processes

Violence

Dr. Michael Murtagh
Psychology
mpmurtagh@frostburg.edu
301.687.4446

• Domestic violence

Visual arts

Susan E. Dodge
sedodge@frostburg.edu
301.687.4173

• Foundations-level instruction

Women's issues

Dr. Mary Anne Lutz
English
mlutz@frostburg.edu
301.687.4237

• Women in the Civil War

Dr. Elesha L. Ruminski
Communication Studies
news@frostburg.edu
301.687.4751

• Women’s leadership development and its integration into higher education

Workplace issues

Dr. Rebecca M. Chory
Management
rmchory@frostburg.edu
301.687.4278

• Antisocial behavior (e.g., aggression, deception) in the workplace and classrooms
• Fairness in the workplace and classrooms
• Workplace friendships
• Workplace romance

Writing

Andy Duncan
English
arduncan@frostburg.edu
301.687.4241

• Fiction writing
• Science fiction and fantasy writing
• Short fiction
• The teaching of fiction writing

Dr. Jill Morris
English
jamorris@frostburg.edu
301.687.4238

• First-year writing
• Multimedia writing
• Website writing
• Writing centers
• Writing with databases

Dr. John F. Raucci Jr.
English
jfraucci@frostburg.edu

• First-year writing pedagogy
• Public/community writing
• Writing program administration