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

Recent presentations, awards and publications include the following:

Presentations

Basia Moltchanov, assistant professor of Spanish and world language pedagogy in the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, presented at the Delaware Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (DECTFL) fall conference on Oct. 13 with a talk titled: “What We Learned: A Pilot Study Abroad Program to Support the Teaching of Culture.” Five UD graduate students also presented at DECTFL’s fall conference on “Incorporating Culture and Research-Based Best Practices into the Second Language Classroom: A Poster Presentation.” UD’s world languages education undergraduate student teachers (future Spanish and French teachers) also attended the conference.

Margaret Stetz, Mae and Robert Carter Professor of Women's Studies and professor of humanities, was invited to participate in an international virtual seminar on Oct. 23 sponsored by the Working Group in Aestheticism and Decadence, which is a project sponsored by the Central New York Humanities Corridor (and underwritten by a Mellon grant), where the topic was "Decadent Conservatism."

Rudi Matthee, John and Dorothy Munroe Distinguished Professor of History, presented “Shah Sultan Husayn and the Christians: New Julfan Armenians and European Missionaries in Late Safavid Iran” at “The Inexorable Conversation: Islamo-Christian contacts and Contests in Early Modern Eurasia” on Oct. 12 at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice.

The Institute for Public Administration’s (IPA) Water Resources Center (UDWRC) participated in the 11th Annual Delaware River Watershed Forum held at the Chase Center on the Riverfront in Wilmington, Delaware, on Sept. 28 and 29. The Watershed Forum was hosted by the Coalition for the Delaware River Watershed (CDRW), featuring engaging sessions, keynote speakers, networking with over 270 watershed advocates, a reception dinner and field trip excursions. UDWRC’s director Gerald Kauffman and policy scientist Martha Narvaez led a field trip of 15 cyclists at the forum during the “Bicycle Reconnaissance of the Lower Brandywine and Christina Rivers.” Narvaez also presented a panel discussion on “Building Future Environmental Professionals in the Delaware River Watershed.” UDWRC associate policy scientist Andrew Homsey and Lydia Franks, UDWRC graduate research fellow, presented the “Value of the Upper Delaware Watershed in NJ.” IPA is a research and public service center in the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration.

Farley Grubb, professor of economics, presented “The Origins of the Continental Dollar, 1775-1777: Explaining the Choices that Congress had to Make when Creating a New Money” to the Treasury History Association, which is affiliated with the U.S. Treasury Department, virtually on Oct. 17

Awards

The Delaware Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages recently honored Chad Gasta, Chair of the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, as the 2023 Friend of Languages at its annual awards banquet on Oct. 12 for his exceptional support of language teacher education and promotion of world languages in Delaware. 

Publications

Margaret Stetz, Mae and Robert Carter Professor of Women's Studies and professor of humanities, continues her career as a poet with two new publications: her poem titled "Class Assignment," which was published in The Bluebird Word: An Online Literary Journal for Poetry and Flash, October 2023, and a second poem, "Dead Fish," which appeared in the print edition of Blue Collar Review: Journal of Progressive Working Class Literature, Vol. 26, no. 4 (Partisan Press, Summer 2023), p.24.

Jennifer Trivedi, assistant professor of anthropology, and Tricia Wachtendorf, professor of sociology, published an article, “Evacuating Pets and People: Time, Decisions, and Resources,” in Practicing Anthropology.

UD’s Grant Assistance Program (GAP), housed within the Institute for Public Administration (IPA), was highlighted by the White House in a press release detailing the various technical assistance resources available to communities across the country. GAP is a state-funded initiative that provides free technical grant assistance to local governments for infrastructure initiatives and other competitive and formula grant opportunities. GAP was listed as a model among other organizations dedicated to helping local leaders drive innovation, equity and ultimately economic growth, especially for disadvantaged communities. The White House recognized GAP as one of the model technical assistance programs providing instrumental “support accessing and deploying funding from the President’s Investing in America agenda.” GAP has also shared best practices with the States of Utah, Virginia and Maine. Utah replicated GAP's online funding portal for use in their state. In addition to this recognition, GAP was highlighted in the State Directed Technical Assistance Resources document, which provides a comprehensive list of both state and local resources that assist communities with accessing infrastructure and clean energy funding. IPA is a research and public service center in the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration.

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