For the Record provides information about recent professional activities and honors of University of Delaware faculty, staff, students and alumni.

Recent publications, honors and service include the following:

Publications

Caitlin Gallagher, academic program manager and success coach in the Office of Academic Enrichment, along with coauthors Charles A. MacArthur (UD professor emeritus), Michelle Blake (West Chester University) and alumna Kate Cottle, AS92, EdD19 (Wilmington University),  published an article in the winter 2024 issue of the Journal of the National Organization for Student Success (J-NOSS), "Supporting Metacognition in Writing Strategy Instruction: Effective Learning Strategies for the First-Year Student and Beyond." In the article, the authors share how they flexibly adapted the Supporting Strategic Writers project's learning, reading and writing strategies for use across the curriculum, including first-year experience courses, summer bridge programs, ESL and upper-level writing-intensive courses. The article highlights the need to teach college readiness, not just through academic strategies, but also using metacognition, transfer and self-regulated learning alongside strategic writing instruction.

Heinz-Uwe Haus, professor emeritus of theatre, is the author of Heinz-Uwe Haus and Theatre Making in Cyprus and Greece, which has now been published as a paperback by Cambridge Scholars Publishing, Newcastle upon Tyne,bU.K. This book presents to the reader a selection of the considerable amount of material written and published in relation to Haus's productions of Brecht's plays and Brechtian productions by other dramatists, especially ancient Greek drama, in Cyprus and Greece since his production of The Caucasian Chalk Circle marked the launch of the Cyprus National Theatre in 1975 after the country's political turmoil that had culminated in the Turkish invasion. This includes material written by Haus at the time for his cast, reviews and academic articles about the productions, conference contributions and reflections by cast members (both professional actors and university faculty) and designers (set, costume, light, music). His work in Cyprus and Greece led to further collaborations on productions of ancient Greek plays across the world. 

Honors

Robert Hampel, professor emeritus in the College of Education and Human Development’s School of Education, received the 2024 Outstanding Service Award from the national History of Education Society (HES). From 2002 to 2011, Hampel was the secretary/treasurer of HES, and he later co-chaired the Foundations for the Future endowment campaign. He now serves on the editorial board of the HES journal, and in 2025, the society will rename its annual book prize in his honor.

Abigail Donovan, professor of art and design, is one of five artists who have accepted invitations to participate in the Artist-in-Residence program at Acadia National Park in 2025. She will be leading one outreach activity for park visitors and completing a finished work of art for display in park gallery spaces, as well as a permanent online catalog. Founded in 1993, the program is dedicated to creating new and interesting ways for visitors to experience Acadia through the arts. Since 2023, the program's operational costs have been fully funded by donations from sales proceeds at America’s National Parks (Eastern National) stores throughout the park.

Deb Jaisi, professor of environmental biogeochemistry, was awarded the 2024 Jackson Soil Chemistry and Mineralogy Award by Soil Science Society of America in American Society of Agronomy (ASA) Crop Science Society of America (CSSA) Soil Sciences Society of America (SSSA) Annual Meeting in November 2024. 

Esun Selvam, a doctoral candidate in chemical engineering, has been recognized with third place in the prestigious Borealis Scientific Innovation Award (BSIA) 2024 for his groundbreaking work on recycling polyolefin plastic waste using rapid joule heating. Mentored by Dion Vlachos, the Unidel Dan Rich Chair in Energy Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Selvam was honored during the award ceremony at Borealis Innovation Day in Linz, Austria. The Borealis awards highlight cutting-edge advancements in sustainable polymer production and recycling, with this year’s winners selected by an expert panel for their potential to drive transformative environmental solutions. Selvam’s recognition underscores the University of Delaware’s growing prominence in circularity and sustainability research.

Service

Hong Li, associate professor of animal science, was reappointed for a second two-year term to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Task Force on Agricultural Air Quality Research by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. As a member of the task force, Li advises the secretary on research activities and coordination of matters impacting agricultural air quality and related issues. Read the press release.

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