Indiana University East presented several faculty and staff with awards during the Faculty and Staff Recognition celebration held April 15.

Nayeong Kong, assistant professor of mathematics, received the Horizon Teaching Award. This award recognizes excellence in teaching by an untenured faculty member during some or all of their first four years at IU East.

Nayeong Kong receives the Horizon Teaching Award at IU East Staff and Faculty Recognition celebration. The annual event recognizes excellence in teaching and outstanding support of staff and professional staff members. She is presented with the award by Duretta Callahan, human resources generalist at IU East.

Kong received her Ph.D. in Mathematics from Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She received a doctorate, master’s and Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Pusan National University in Pusan, South Korea. Previously she was a graduate teaching assistant at Temple and Pusan. She formerly taught middle school and high school mathematics at Sila Middle School in Pusan. Her research interests include probability, random matrix theory and random graph theory.

Sanga Song, assistant professor of marketing, received the Horizon Research & Creative Activity Award. This award recognizes excellence in research and/or creative work by an untenured faculty member during some or all of their first four years at IU East.

Song received her Ph.D. in Retail Merchandising and Consumer Studies at the University of Minnesota. She received her Master of Science in Clothing and Textiles with a concentration in Fashion Marketing and her Bachelor of Arts in Human Environment and Design with a minor in Political Diplomacy from Yonsei University, in Seoul, Korea. Her areas of research include online consumer behavior and social media marketing.

Wes Tobin, assistant professor in physics, received the Horizon Service Award. This award recognizes excellence in service by an untenured faculty member during some or all of their first four years at IU East.

Tobin received his Ed.D. in Science from Ball State University, his Master of Astrophysics from Iowa State University, and his Bachelor of Science in Physics and Mathematics from Indiana State University. His current research interests include observational astronomy and educational research in the physical sciences.

Paula Baumann, associate dean for graduate programs and associate professor in nursing, received the Distinguished Service Award. This award recognizes distinguished and sustained service of ten years or more — campus, community or professional — by a full-time faculty member above and beyond the standard expectations of any compensation or release time provided for the service.

Baumann received her Ph.D. in Nursing from Indiana University School of Nursing, her Master in Business Administration from Ball State University, and her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Miami University. Her current research interests include nurse innovation, nurse leadership, holistic admissions, and innovative teaching strategies.

Ann Kim, associate professor of fine arts, earned the Distinguished Research Award. This award recognizes distinguished research and/or creative work by a full-time faculty member over a sustained period of time of 10 or more years.

Kim received her Master of Fine Arts from Mills College and her Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Fine Arts from UC Berkeley. Her interests include antipodes; constructing meaning in paintings through physical actions as metaphors; layering, shredding, and weaving translucent surfaces; cutouts as drawings; mythological archetypes; and the collapse of the way we understand time and location.

Rosalie Aldrich, Edwina Helton, Arkadiusz Mironko, and Jaynne Rivas received the Trustees Award for Teaching Innovation. This award recognizes accomplishment and innovation in teaching by faculty members at IU East. Up to seven awards are granted each academic year.

Aldrich, John and Corinne Graf Professor, received her Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Kentucky. She received her Master of Art in Communication from Michigan State University and a Bachelor in Business Administration in Marketing and Management from Grand Valley State University.

Aldrich’s research interests include health communication, suicide prevention and intervention, willingness to intervene with a suicidal individual, message design, teaching and learning online and in-person.

Helton, professor of English and director of Women’s and Gender Studies program, received her Ph.D. in English from Miami University. She has a Master of Arts in English, a Bachelor of Arts in English, and a Graduate Certificate in Composition and Rhetoric from the University of Akron. She also holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Maryland.

Helton’s research and creative activity interests include historiographical approaches to women’s and gender studies, digital humanities and the arts, new literacy studies and language development, online teaching pedagogies and reading and composition theory.

Mironko, assistant professor of management, received his Ph.D. in International Business and his Master of Science in Global Affairs from Rutgers University and a Bachelor of Arts in Management and Marketing from Felician College. His research interests include international business strategy, corporate knowledge for flow management, entrepreneurship, innovation in MNCs, foreign direct investment, economics in transition, and virtual teams.

Rivas, assistant professor of management, received her Ph.D. in Business Administration and her Master of Science in Management from Tulane University. She has a Master of Science in Public Policies from IESA Business School in Caracas, Venezuela, and her Bachelor of Science in Agronomic Engineering from the Central University of Venezuela. Her research interests include institutional theory, franchise system and international business expansion.

Kelly Blewett, assistant professor of English, earned the Erwin and Priscilla Boschmann Scholarship of Teaching & Learning Grant. This grant is possible through the generous contribution of Erwin and Priscilla Boschmann. This award is offered annually to full-time faculty to support research in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) at IU East.

Blewett received her Ph.D. in English and Comparative Literature from the University of Cincinnati. She received her Master of Arts in English from the University of Louisville and her Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Miami University of Ohio. Her research interests include composition theory and pedagogy, teacher feedback and reading.

KT Lowe, Tanya Perkins, and Rivas (see bio above) received the Chancellor’s Community Engagement Course Development Grant. This grant is designed to assist faculty as they develop new or modify preexisting courses based on the use of best practices in service-learning course design and assessment.

Lowe, assistant librarian for instruction, received her Master of Science in Information, a Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies, and a Bachelor of Arts in Asian Studies degree from the University of Michigan. Her current teaching interests include first-year experience, library instruction for humanities and social sciences. Her research interests are misinformation and information literacy, and community information seeking.

Perkins, assistant professor of English, received her Master of Fine Arts in fiction from Murray State University, and a Master of Arts and Bachelor of Arts in English Studies, both with an emphasis in creative writing, from Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington. She teaches courses in fiction, professional and technical writing, digital writing and creative writing studies. Her research and creative interests include short story cycle, contemporary fiction, digital media, online teaching and learning, and program assessment.

Yan Liu, assistant professor of business administration and management, received the Center for Faculty Development Faculty Fellowship Award. This award is an opportunity designed to offer faculty members an opportunity to cultivate and share their knowledge, techniques, and information on a particular teaching topic. This is an excellent opportunity for new and experienced faculty to build a foundation or develop a new research trajectory in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.

Liu received her Doctor of Business Administration and her Master of Business Administration with a concentration in Management from Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, Louisiana. She received her Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Nanchang University in Nanchang, China. Her research interests include positive organizational behavior, leadership, proactive behavior, deviance behavior, human resource practice and research methodology.

Nichole Mann, director of nursing student services and school of nursing and health service, was voted by IU East faculty and staff to be the first recipient of the Martin Luther King Jr. Distinguished Service Award. She is presented with the award by Duretta Callahan, human resources generalist at IU East.

Nicole Spear received the award for Excellence in Teaching – Part-time, which recognizes excellence in teaching by part-time faculty members. She received her Master of Science in Human Nutrition from the University of Bridgeport. Spear earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Western Carolina University, and a Bachelor of Science in Biology and an Associate of Science in Chemistry from IU East. Spear is a registered nurse, certified nutrition specialist, functional medicine practitioner, writer and owner of owner of Pure Life Health & Wellness, LLC. Spear uses an integrative, science-based approach to disease prevention and wellness.

Awards were presented to an outstanding support staff member and professional staff member who have made significant contributions to IU East during the past year. Recipients of the Professional Council Service Award and the Staff Council Service Award are nominated by their peers.

Nichole Mann, director of nursing student services and school of nursing and health service, is the first recipient of the Martin Luther King Jr. Distinguished Service Award. This annual award honors an outstanding faculty or staff member who has made significant and lasting contributions to creating an environment where diversity is honored and respected on campus and within the broader community.

Jessica Baker, academic advisor for the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, received the IU East Council Service Award. This award is presented annually to an outstanding member of the non-exempt staff who has made significant contributions to IU East during the past year.

Amanda Bellew, financial administration coordinator, academic advisor for the School of Humanities and Social Sciences Office of Administration and Finance, received the Exempt Council Service Award. This award is presented annually to an outstanding member of the exempt staff who has made significant contributions to IU East during the past year.