2019 Malcolm and Virginia Marsden Award Presented

Elmira, NY (05/10/2019) — The 2019 Malcolm and Virginia Marsden Endowed Fund Award has been presented to Dr. Heidi Dierckx, professor of classical civilizations, Dr. Christopher Terry, associate professor of psychology, and Dr. Jim Twombly, professor of political Science.

The award, established in 2008 with gifts from members of the Class of 1958, is used to support faculty development for professors and instructors in the humanities. Dr. and Mrs. Marsden were the Patron Saints for the Class of 1958. The funds assist faculty with presentations, travel, and research, specific to their respective fields.

Dr. Dierckx will use her award funds to travel to an international archaeological conference in Rethymno, Greece. According to Dierckx, "The aim of the meeting is to communicate the archaeological results of the last three years (2016 - 2019). I have been asked to present a paper on the recent finds of the house tombs, specifically jewelry made from shell, bone and semi-precious stones."

Dr. Christopher Terry will utilize his award funds for research in the development of a new Term III course at EC. Terry will travel to the The Drs. Nicholas & Dorothy Cummings Center for the History of Psychology (CCHP) at the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio, in order to tour the museum, attend a lecture, and meet with an archivist to assist in research needs for the course development.

"My primary reason for requesting funding to visit the CCHP is to use this visit to inform the development of a new spring-term course that would incorporate a field trip to the museum, a possible research project involving use of the archives, and attendance at the annual Benjamin Lecture" stated Terry.

Dr. Jim Twombly will use the funds to attend and present a paper at the New York State Political Science Association (NYSPSA) Annual Meeting at Wagner College on Staten Island in New York City. The paper, titled "Polarization and Presidential Approval," is part of a larger body of work that Twombly plans to incorporate into a book in a series he is editing for Peter Lang Publishing.

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