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Faculty Handbook, Georgia Southern University

Faculty Handbooks

Faculty Handbook for Georgia Southern University for the 2026-2027 academic year. The Faculty Handbook is published online by the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs and archived in Digital Commons@Georgia Southern.

Midweek Memo, Georgia Southern University

Midweek Memo

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Collaborative Curriculum Design For Culturally And Historically Responsive Education: Implications From Initial Program Evaluation, Christine L. Craddock, Rachel Juergensen, Shelley Rouser, Michael Ryan, Diamond Lee

Current Issues in Middle Level Education

This article discusses a unique program initiative of one university’s education department to interrogate teacher education coursework together as educators and researchers. We evaluated the course curriculum of five different courses together as a team on a routine basis and documented our thoughts and discussion through video and an organized survey tool. This tool was developed according to Muhammad’s five pursuits of culturally and historically responsive education which include: identity, skills, intellect, criticality, and joy. This produced qualitative and quantitative findings related to methods for adapting and adjusting course instruction, content, and assessments according to the pursuits. Relatedly, it promoted …

Message From The President, Georgia Southern University

Messages from the President

No abstract provided.

Midweek Memo, Georgia Southern University

Midweek Memo

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Obstructions To Some Injective Oriented Colourings, Russell J. Campbell, Nancy E. Clarke, Gary Macgillivray

Theory & Applications of Graphs

Each of several possible definitions of local injectivity for a homomorphism of an oriented graph $G$ to an oriented graph $H$ leads to an injective oriented colouring problem. For each case in which such a problem is solvable in polynomial time, we identify a set $\mathcal{F}$ of oriented graphs such that an oriented graph $G$ has an injective oriented colouring with the given number of colours if and only if there is no $F \in \mathcal{F}$ for which there is a locally-injective homomorphism of $F$ to $G$.

The Connected Vertex Cover In Graphs, Kamran Mirasheh, Elham Mirashe, Ebrahim Vatandoost

Theory & Applications of Graphs

This paper presents tight bounds and characterizations for the vertex cover number and the connected vertex cover number of graphs. In particular, we identify all graphs for which βc(G) = |V (G)| − 1, proving that these are exactly the cycles and complete graphs. The analysis employs tools such as the degree matrix and the Rayleigh quotient to derive new and sharp upper bounds.

The $K$-Total Bondage Number Of A Graph, Jean-Pierre Appel, Gabrielle Fischberg, Kyle Kelley, Nathan B. Shank, Eliel Sosis

Theory & Applications of Graphs

Let \(G=(V,E)\) be a connected, finite undirected graph. A set \(S \subseteq V\) is said to be a total dominating set of \(G\) if every vertex in \(V\) is adjacent to some vertex in \(S\). The total domination number, \(\gamma_{t}(G)\), is the minimum cardinality of a total dominating set in \(G\). We define the \(k\)-total bondage of $G$ to be the minimum number of edges to remove from \(G\) so that the resulting graph has a total domination number at least \(k\) more than \(\gamma_{t}(G)\). In this work we establish general properties of \(k\)-total bondage and find exact values for …

Hyper Face-Magic Graphs, Ross Belgram, Donald Mcginn

Theory & Applications of Graphs

For a planar graph G of order n, let F(G) be the set of all faces of G embedded into R 2 , including the exterior face. A bijective vertex labeling f : V (G) → {1, 2, ..., n} induces a face labeling f ∗ : F(G) → N defined by setting f ∗ (F) equal to the sum of all labels of the boundary vertices of F. The graph G is said to be hyper face-magic if there exists a vertex labeling whose induced face labeling is constant. In this paper, we state properties of hyper face-magic graphs …

Marketing As Practice: Resolving The Hunt-Anderson Stalemate Through Practice Theory, Stephen A. Lemay, Martin Svendsen

Journal of Applied Marketing Theory

This paper revisits methodological debates in marketing theory, tracing the progression from Sidney Levy’s work on symbolic consumption to the Hunt–Anderson empiricist–relativist debate. We argue that this debate rests on a category error: marketing has been misclassified as either a science or an interpretive discipline. Drawing on contemporary practice theory, we reconceptualize marketing as a professional practice oriented toward creating and managing exchange relationships within cultural contexts. This perspective resolves the Hunt–Anderson stalemate, clarifies the epistemological foundations of Consumer Culture Theory (CCT) and Transformative Consumer Research (TCR), and generates distinct research questions and methods. Through comparative exemplars, we show how …

Fostering Student Inquiry With Perspective Taking And Music: The Geography Detective Activity, William Gary G. Cole

Teaching Social Studies in the Peach State

This article introduces the Geography Detective activity, an inquiry-based instructional strategy that integrates perspective taking and music to foster student engagement and disciplinary thinking in a ninth-grade World Geography classroom. Centered on the song “Cecilia” by The Mulligan Brothers, the activity invites students to analyze lyrics as historical evidence, investigate geographical and historical contexts, and construct evidence-based interpretations of time, place, and events embedded within the narrative. Through guided and open-ended inquiry, students adopt the role of “history detectives,” grappling with ambiguity, evaluating sources, and defending plausible conclusions rather than seeking predetermined answers. Grounded in research on inquiry-based learning, perspective …

Bayesian Or Frequentist? Testing The Association Between Statistical Approach In A Research Methods Class Project And Research Attitudes, Jacob B. Rode

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

Research methods courses commonly include an empirical project. This quasi-experimental study examined whether using Bayesian statistics to analyze data would be associated with more positive student perceptions of research methods projects. At a private university in the U.S., two research methods courses were taught using frequentist statistics and two using Bayesian statistics for the project analyses. Students (N = 88) reported their attitudes towards research three times across the semester, and their perceptions of the project at the end of the course (Time 3). At Time 3, there were no significant differences between frequentist and Bayesian classes in their …

"Better Than A Boring Textbook": Studying Development Through Middle-Grade Literature, Heidi A. Sackreiter

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

College students are sometimes reluctant to purchase textbooks for various reasons, but they still must study the necessary content in a course or academic program. This Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) research project examined college students’ perceptions of reading middle-grade novels in place of a traditional, formal textbook within an Adolescent Development course. All participants were part of a teacher education program at a four-year, public institution in the Midwest United States. Questionnaires were administered at the conclusion of two semesters, and respondents shared impressions about the middle-grade reading. Response to studying middle-grade novels instead of a textbook was …

Deep Or Surface? Understanding Learning Approaches Among Undergraduate Students, Kelzang Tentsho, Jigme Wangchuk, Kencho Pelzom

International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning

Student approaches to learning (SAL) have a significant impact on the quality of their learning and academic achievement. In this study, we examined the preferred learning approaches of undergraduate students and how these approaches change over time. The Revised Study Process Questionnaire (R-SPQ-2F) was administered to 75 students enrolled in the Anthropology program to evaluate students’ preferred learning approaches. The qualitative data were collected through focus group discussions involving 20 participants. Results showed a significantly higher deep score than surface score. Final year students had the highest deep approach score compared to other cohorts. The results also indicated that students …

Comprehensive Analysis Of Spray Development And Low Temperature Combustion Characteristics In A Cvcc With Nvh Of Renewable Aerospace Fuels: Hefa & Ft Synthetic Kerosene (S8) Compared To Jet-A & Ulsd, Coleman Norton

Honors College Theses

A comprehensive analysis was conducted to research the viability of Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids (HEFA) and S8 Synthetic Kerosene fuels as a drop-in replacement for conventional petroleum-based fuels, Jet-A and ULSD (Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel). Global transportation remains heavily dependent on liquid fossil fuels, while renewable aerospace fuels offer a promising pathway to reducing life cycle greenhouse gas emissions and pollution. However, the combustion performance and long-term feasibility of these fuels remain insufficiently characterized. This study performed a thorough assessment of each fuel's thermophysical and combustion properties. Thermophysical characterization encompassed viscosity, freezing point, energy density, spray atomization, and volatility. …

Messages From The Provost, Georgia Southern University

Messages from the Provost

• Message from the Provost

• Georgia Southern Recognized as Top Place to Work

• Dr. Jennifer Schroeder to Lead Graduate Education

• Graduate Student Earns National Fellowship for Clean Energy Research

Using Vortices To Probe Bose-Einstein Condensate Flow, Ian A. Iucker, Mark Edwards

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

We present a model for probing the flow of a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) trapped in a double-target potential. A target potential BEC contains a disk-shaped condensate surrounded by a ring condensate. A double-target BEC consists of two overlapping target BECs. Flow can be induced in one ring of the double-target BEC and will persist in that ring if left undisturbed. When a barrier potential is applied in the overlap region it is possible for this flow to transfer to the other ring. The mechanism for this transfer can be probed by imprinting a small vortex at a point along the …

The Fischer-Tropsch Process For Diesel Synthesis: A Literature Review, Mayanne W. Beach

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Currently, the global energy grid and economy is highly dependent on crude oil, coal, and other non-renewable "fossil fuels". This dependence poses a variety of problems. The consumption of fossil fuels contributes to global warming and environmental pollution, and access to these fuels is often mired in geopolitical conflict. These roadblocks have driven a growing interest in researching the production of renewable fuels. One such production method is the Fischer-Tropsch (FT) process for renewable synthesis of diesel from syngas. This review explores the FT process in detail, describing the mechanism, selectivity factors, product composition, and byproducts. The various choices of …

Assessing Decision Making Under Risk And Dynamic Task Environments In Humans, Dylan J. Cato

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

This research evaluates the theoretical foundations of recent embodied and enacted decision- making models(Baker., et al  2022) , specifically investigating whether "urgency" serves as a domain-general mechanism for reward-rate maximization. Across three experiments using a reward-performance contingency, we compare traditional decision-making frameworks with urgency-based theories to determine how participants navigate task demands and whether optimality assumptions hold (Reynaud, et al 2020). A primary focus involves testing whether motor excitability increases directly with evidence, or if "higher-level" deliberation occurs in parallel with se Using the Generalized Drift-Diffusion Model (GDDM) framework via PyDDM  (Shinn, et al 2020), we will …

Modeling Social Media Mob Dynamics Using A Hybrid Scvir System With Time-Varying Parameters And Recurrent Neural Networks, Noushin Gauhar

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

In this work, we develop a discrete-time susceptible-counter-infected-vaccinated-recovered (SCIVR) epidemiological framework to model the spread of mob-like information on social media. The model captures the interaction between susceptible neutral attention, infected mob-spreading narratives, counter or corrective discourse, low-visibility (vaccinated) content, and collective disengagement. COVID-19 twitter data were transformed into daily compartmental aggregates using sentiment polarity and retweet-based visibility thresholds, facilitating high-resolution modeling of information diffusion processes. The dataset comprises globally collected tweets between April and June 2021, filtered using keywords including “COVID19”, “coronavirus”, “quarantine”, “socialdistancing”, “staysafe”, “stayhome” and “lockdown”. Qualitative analysis of the SCIVR system includes derivation of the mob-free …

Optimal Control Analysis Of Mob Dynamics Using Generation Z Youtube Channel Behavior, Tahidu Alhassan

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Digital media communication technologies have changed how people organize and act together. During the Generation Z event, social media platforms (e.g., X, YouTube, Facebook) played a major role in spreading information and mobilizing collective actions online and offline. In this work, we modified a mathematical dynamic model of the social media mob using an optimal control technique to adjust the rate of spread in response to social interactions. We examined the susceptible-quarantined-counter-infective-recovered (SQCIR) epidemiology model on a YouTube dataset covering Gen-Z data spread in Nepal from 8 to 13 September 2025. Using high-temporal-resolution real-world social media data will help to …

Assessment Of Airborne Cultural Fungi Indoors And Outdoors In A Rural Veterinary Clinic, Elena Ortez, Oluwatosin Jegede, Dorothy Seybold, Daeshjea Mcgee, Atin Adhikari, Ally Holmes

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Background and Objectives: Veterinary clinics can inadvertently release and propagate bacteria through several mechanisms, primarily due to contaminated surfaces, insufficient cleaning protocols, and, in some instances, direct transmission from infected animals or staff. Given that these clinics are high-traffic environments, they can serve as hotspots for clinic-acquired infections if rigorous hygiene practices are not upheld. This study evaluated airborne bacterial concentrations in different areas of a veterinary clinic compared to outdoor ambient air by calculating the indoor-to-outdoor ratios.

Methods: Airborne culturable bacterial samples were collected using a Biostage Impactor across eight internal zones including waiting areas, treatment rooms, and wards …

Coupling Deep Learning With Time-Dependent Scir Model For Predicting Social Media Mob Behaviors, Bismark Ampaw Offei

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

In this study, we modified an epidemiological model of social media mob using deep learning methods to investigate information transmission using COVID-19 Twitter data from April to June 2021. Data collection was done using keywords, such as “covid 19”, “vaccine”, “lockdown”, and “quarantine” to simulate activity trends during the pandemic. In this work, we combine deep learning methods, including LSTMs and GRUs, with the susceptible-counter-infective-recovered (SCIR) model to forecast time-dependent parameters. Primary qualitative analyses, including the social media mob free equilibrium (MFE) point, the endemic equilibrium point, and the basic reproduction number ℜ₀, were performed. Our analysis shows …

Multigraded Betti Numbers Of Squarefree Monomial Ideals From Maximal, Nonattacking Rook Arrangements, Gwendolyn Flaherty

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

This project investigates algebraic structures that arise from combinatorial constructions using tools from commutative algebra, combinatorics, and topology. Many natural combinatorial objects give rise to squarefree, pure monomial ideals. One can construct minimal free resolutions of these ideals and study their graded and multigraded Betti numbers, which measure the complexity of the resolution. The connection between monomial ideals and Betti numbers is provided by Hochster’s formula, which expresses the Betti numbers of a squarefree monomial ideal in terms of the reduced homology of associated simplicial complexes.

The primary goal of this work is to develop combinatorial interpretations of these Betti …

Temporal Variation In Dna Methylation Over 115 Years Post Introduction Facilitate Success Of House Sparrows, M. Ellesse Lauer, J. Dylan Maddox, Kevin D. Kohl, Mark Ravinet, Lynn B. Martin, Aaron W. Schrey

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

House sparrows (Passer domesticus) have colonized most continents within the last 200 years. As such, they represent a unique study system for understanding the role that epigenetic mechanisms play in an individual’s responses to rapid environmental changes. DNA methylation facilitates the introduction success of non-native sparrows by compensating for reduced genetic diversity and supporting changes to phenotypes. In non-native populations of house sparrows, more recently introduced populations have higher variance in DNA methylation and respond to simulated infections with a greater magnitude of change in DNA methylation. To determine how DNA methylation changes temporally across 115 years post …

Epigenetic Variation Of American Alligators (Alligator Mississippiensis) In The Okefenokee Swamp, Mark Hoog, Kimberly M. Andrews, Aaron W. Schrey

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

An animal's survival is heavily influenced by how well adapted it is to the environment in which it lives; however, phenotypes are only able to change so quickly. Epigenetics allows for greater phenotypic plasticity through molecular mechanisms without altering the DNA sequence. DNA methylation is the most widely studied epigenetic mechanism. It has shown the ability to alter gene expression and may even be able to compensate for a lack of genetic variation. Changes in DNA methylation are often caused by stressors that range from anthropogenic causes to natural occurrences. We sought to examine the effect of environmental factors on …

2026 Conference Program, Georgia Southern University

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Conference Program

2026 Conference Program, Georgia Southern University

GS4 Student Scholars Symposium

Conference Program

Bringing Worlds Together: How Social Studies Teachers Make Content Meaningful, Harley A. Payne

Honors College Theses

Secondary educators in social studies classes face the challenge of maintaining the attention of dozens of students during instruction, often on content that seems irrelevant or unimportant. Educators must find ways to emphasize that the content their students are disinterested in is useful and crucial for their development into adults. Research suggests that bridging the gap between the classroom and the real world improves classroom engagement (Cooper, 2014; Tagliaferro, 2012). Students who are engaged and exert more effort in class derive academic benefits, such as placement in advanced pathways and increased test scores (Carbonaro, 2005). Civics education and the inclusion …

Midweek Memo, Georgia Southern University

Midweek Memo

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