As part of its ninth annual Academic and Creative Excellence (ACE) Festival, EMU held its 17th annual Authors’ Reception and Award Presentation on Thursday. The ceremony, hosted by the Provost’s Office in Old Commons Grounds (University Commons 177), celebrated the university’s Excellence in Teaching Award winners.

The awards honor three outstanding educators who exemplify excellence in teaching across four dimensions: impact on students, effective teaching practices, subject knowledge, and continual growth. This year’s recipients are:

• Dr. Ryan Good (professor or associate professor category)
• Dr. Kathryn Howard-Ligas (assistant professor or instructor category)
• Kevin Carini (adjunct faculty category)

Dr. Ryan Good
Associate professor of urban studies and director of the EMU Washington Semester

Professor Good’s teaching extends far beyond the classroom. He invites students into the lived realities of Washington D.C., helping them critically engage issues of race, space, and inequality. His deep knowledge of the region, combined with intentional course design, creates transformative learning experiences. Students describe “eureka moments” that reshape how they understand the world and their place in it. Ryan is reflective in his teaching, constantly refining his approach, and deeply committed to his students’ academic, professional, and personal growth. Simply put, he is the heart of the program.

“Not only does he work hard to prepare lessons that get students to think critically about what they are seeing in the city, he brings the city to them,” a colleague wrote. “They visit key organizations and events so that they can experience the real D.C. and gain deep insights about this city’s issues and how residents are overcoming them.”

“Ryan is enthusiastic about Washington and all the lessons it has to offer young minds,” another colleague wrote. “He loves this place. And he helps students to fall for it as well. A good number of our alums end up staying here afterwards or returning at a later point to live and work here.”

“Ryan would be the first to say that teaching and learning is a dance, and he is only a partner in their process, but I would say that he lays down the right tune and tempo and steps for them to succeed,” wrote another.

Dr. Kathryn Howard-Ligas
Assistant professor of psychology

Students consistently speak to Professor Howard-Ligas’s dynamic presence in the classroom. Her ability to balance interactive learning with deep disciplinary knowledge makes her courses both engaging and accessible. Drawing on her background in theater, she brings energy and clarity to complex psychological concepts. More importantly, she is intentional about connection, ensuring students feel supported, seen, and able to succeed.

“I appreciate the ways Kathryn connects with her students and ensures they have the support they need,” a colleague wrote. “Kathryn has been a great addition to the psychology department and has felt like a steady presence during all the transitions that the psychology department has endured.”

“Dr. Ligas is the most energetic teacher I have ever come across,” a student wrote. “Early morning classes are not for the weak but she speaks with such enthusiasm that it keeps you engaged throughout the class. And I genuinely love how she makes us do a ton of group activities, which to me, are a great way to learn. She also has great mastery over psychology concepts and clears all confusion and doubts with absolute clarity.”

Kevin Carini
Adjunct faculty in natural sciences

Students describe Professor Carini as deeply caring, engaging, and committed to their success. Even in challenging moments, he meets students with understanding and encouragement. His classroom is one of respect and energy, where learning physics becomes interactive, creative, and even joyful. Whether incorporating students into problem-solving or bringing humor into complex concepts, he creates an environment where students feel both challenged and supported.

“He takes time to listen and actually wants to see us succeed,” one student wrote. “In the classroom, he always incorporates the students into learning by writing his own problems with our names in them or making silly noises while crossing out variables to keep us interested and focused. He brings a positive and enthusiastic attitude to the classroom and EMU.”

In addition to the teaching awards, Dr. Tynisha Willingham, provost and vice president of academic affairs, recognized three faculty members who reached significant milestones at EMU this year:

• Dr. Hongtao Li has been awarded tenure and promoted to associate professor
• Dr. Timothy Seidel has been promoted to full professor
• Dr. Kristopher Schmidt has been promoted to full professor

Student writing awards

The ceremony recognized recipients of EMU’s First-Year Writing Awards, given to first-year students for their “excellent research papers.” The recipients are:

• First place: Ash Dixon for “The Environmental and Economic Effects of Fast Fashion”
• Second place: Monica Ehrenfels for “Assessing the 15-Minute City: Walkability in Modern Urban Spaces”
• Third place (tie): Malia Yoder for “Protecting our Forests: The Fight Against Deforestation” and Joshua Henkel for “AI Among Students”

Student academic awards 

The winners of EMU’s student academic awards were also announced at the event. Dr. Michael Horst, dean of Behavioral, Health and Natural Sciences, and the Rev. Dr. Sarah Ann Bixler, dean of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, presented the awards.

Behavioral, Health and Natural Sciences

• The Judy H. Mullet Award for Psychology Internship Excellence: Hollyn Miller
• The Galen R. Lehman Award for Outstanding Achievement in Research in Psychology: Lauren Kauffman and Leah Frankenfield
• Outstanding Second-Year Biology Student: Malachi Peachey-Stoner
• Outstanding Senior Biology Student: Maria Longenecker
• Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research: Maria Longenecker
• Natural Sciences Award for Exceptional Service: Sophia Nguyen and Dulce Shenk Zeager
• Outstanding First-Year Chemistry Student: Lisa Zimmerman and Mara Zimmerman
• Outstanding Senior Chemistry Student: Ethan Neufeld 
• Outstanding Senior in Engineering: Levi Stutzman
• Outstanding Senior Environmental Science Student: Madelynn Hamm and Jenna Oostland
• Outstanding Senior in Computer Science: Rebekah Copeland
• Outstanding Senior in Mathematics: Katie Tanous

Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences

Music

• Outstanding Student in Music: Naomi Kratzer and Eli Stoll
• Excellence in Musical Leadership: Jacob Nissley

Business and Leadership

• Outstanding Business Administration Senior: Sarah Prroj
• Outstanding Business Analytics Senior: Erik Wilkinson
• Outstanding Accounting Senior: Guadalupe Tenorio Ramirez
• Outstanding Achievement Award: Fadi Michael
• Outstanding Marketing Senior: Zazkia De la Vega
• Exceptional Research in Business and Leadership: Roumany Sefin
• Exceptional Service Award: Zazkia De la Vega
• Exceptional Leadership Award: Ben Knutsson

Center for Justice and Peacebuilding

• CatiAdele Slater for the dedicated organizing work as a graduate assistant, particularly the D.C. field trip
• Hannah Gilman for the innovative work advancing peacebuilding and conflict transformation tools in education through your practicum
• Toya Fernandez for the innovative work on restorative justice and racial healing, particularly bringing the Sankofa Circles to EMU
• Mercy Francis-Harris for your dedicated, thoughtful and quality work in all your classes
• Tyler Stanley for the dedicated work developed in all your classes, particularly PAX 509

Undergraduate Teacher Education

• Virginia Scholars Award in Undergraduate Teacher Education: Arelys Martinez Fabian

Authors’ Reception

The event showcased faculty and student scholarly works published since Jan. 1, 2025. Featured authors included:

Faculty

Ann Schaeffer, associate professor of nursing; James M. Yoder, professor of biology; Bryce Van Vleet, assistant professor of psychology; Mary Ann Zehr, assistant professor of rhetoric and composition; Wendell J. Shank, instructor of Spanish; Carol Grace Hurst, associate professor of social work; David F. Evans, professor of history and intercultural studies; Jacob Alan Cook, assistant professor of Christian ethics; Doug Graber Neufeld, professor of biology; Kathryn Mansfield, adjunct faculty for Center for Justice and Peacebuilding; Stephanie Day Powell, assistant professor of Hebrew bible; Timothy Seidel, associate professor of community and international development; Mark Metzler Sawin, professor of history; Debbi DiGennaro, instructor of social work; Heike Peckruhn, associate professor of religious studies; Jeff Copeland, professor of biology; Paula Ditzel Facci, assistant professor of peacebuilding; Dr. Cherelle Johnson, instructor of business and leadership; Benjamin Bergey, associate professor of music; Mary Sprunger, professor of history; Daniel Showalter, professor of mathematics; Benjamin J. Guerrero, assistant professor of music; and Steven David Johnson, professor of Visual and Communication Arts.

Students

Ash Dixon, first-year psychology major; Monica Ehrenfels, first-year music major; Joshua Henkel, first-year sociology major; and Malia Yoder, first-year natural sciences major; as well as the authors and artists of The Phoenix (2025), which was edited by Alexis Lewis and Zoey Mongold.

First-year student Monica Ehrenfels and junior Micah Wenger, both music and peacebuilding majors, provided music for the authors’ reception.

Photos by Aric Berg and Jon Styer/At Ease Design & Consulting

The stars, projected onto the dome of SSC 101—formerly home to the M.T. Brackbill Planetarium and now part of the D. Ralph Hostetter Natural History Museum—became a reality thanks to recent renovations and improvements by a group of EMU engineering students. For their senior capstone project, Adam Stoltzfus, Laura Benner, Hellena Gebremedhin, Micaiah Landis, Lleyton Stutzman, and Rebecca Tezazu, under the guidance of faculty mentor Stefano Colafranceschi, restored and modernized the EMU planetarium projector, which was originally installed in 1968 and had been unused since 2007.

On Thursday, as part of EMU’s eighth annual Academic and Creative Excellence (ACE) Festival, the students presented their work and led demonstrations of the star projector. Their project was one of 32 oral presentations and 64 poster sessions, featuring more than 200 students throughout the day across campus. Poster and presentation topics covered a wide range, from the effects of energy drinks on physical activity and an analysis of homemade kombucha to the repatriation of cultural artifacts at EMU and the rise of populist movements throughout history.

Click here to view the schedule from this year’s ACE Festival.

The campus-wide academic conference, held on Wednesday and Thursday, offered students the chance to learn from their peers and showcase their research, creative projects, and papers. It also provided an opportunity to continue conversations sparked by the university’s annual Common Read. 

EMU President Dr. Susan Schultz Huxman, providing opening remarks before the keynote address on Wednesday, discussed how fitting the festival’s name is. “I love that acronym,” she said. “We have many ‘ACE’ scholars at EMU, both among the student body and faculty.”

Author David Williams delivers keynote

The ACE Festival kicked off on Wednesday morning with the keynote by the Rev. Dr. David Williams, whose novel When the English Fall served as the EMU Common Read for the 2024-25 school year. Written as the diary of an Amish farmer near Lancaster, Pennsylvania, the novel follows him as he tries to protect his family and way of life in the wake of a catastrophic solar storm that brings about the collapse of modern civilization. It was one of Amazon’s top 100 books of 2017, was selected as a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice, and was nominated for the 2019 International Dublin Literary Award.

Williams, pastor of Poolesville Presbyterian Church in Maryland, read selections from his book and answered questions from moderator Dr. Marti Greene Eads, professor of English at EMU. In between readings, Williams spoke about the dangers of doomscrolling social media, the imaginative visions that inspired him to write his novel, and the ways in which our world, and its climate, are changing.

“Has anyone had to clean Texas dust off their car recently?” Williams asked the crowd at Lehman Auditorium. “I’ve lived in Virginia since 1975, and I can’t ever remember that happening—or seeing skies tinged with color and clouded by smoke from northern Alberta. For those who’ve lived in Virginia a while, when’s the last time you remember something like that?”

Watch a recording of the keynote .

Faculty members receive Excellence in Teaching Awards

The 16th annual EMU Authors’ Reception and Awards Presentation recognized and celebrated the winners of the university’s Excellence in Teaching Awards. Professors Chad Gusler, Hannah Ferguson, and Hilary Moore were announced as this year’s recipients. 

For testimonials about each award winner, as well as the recipients of the student writing awards, student academic awards, and the names of the 16 faculty authors recognized for their published scholarly works, click on the post below:

Senior VACA majors unveil art installations

Digital media and communication majors Oslyn Mejia Gomez, Noussaiba Garti, and Zack Furr presented their senior capstone projects at the Margaret Martin Gehman Gallery and Lee Eshleman Studio Theater during an opening reception on Thursday afternoon. Inspired by street art, graffiti, and paintings of Christian icons, Mejia Gomez used wheatpaste to affix portraits he captured with a fisheye lens. Garti drew from cinema set design and crime scene storytelling to create an installation that explores personal growth and the journey of overcoming self-destructive habits. Furr incorporated photography and interviews with survivors of sexual assault to share their stories with empathy.

At the exhibition, Professor Jerry Holsopple announced EMU junior Jasmin Ruiz as the recipient of the Matthew Alan Styer Scholarship Grant, awarded for “exceptional skill and dedication in design and/or photography.”

Matthew Alan Styer ’05, a graduate of EMU’s Visual and Communication Arts (VACA) program, worked for EMU’s marketing and communications department as a videographer, designer and photographer until 2008. The scholarship endowment honors the memory of Styer, who died from leukemia at age 30 in 2011.

The sound of musical excellence

A student recital at Lehman Auditorium featured performances from vocalists Elie Hoover (soprano), Erin Batten (soprano), Eli Stoll (baritone), Mac Rhodes-Lehman (bass), trombonist Caden Bradley and pianist Fernando Sanchez. Student musicians were accompanied on piano by Harold Bailey. 

Posters made perfect

The winners of this year’s STEM Celebration poster competition are: 

Independent research division

• First place: Abigail Forrest, Maria Longenecker, Elaine Miranda Perez, and Marciella Shallomita
  Knockdown of Cox6b (Complex IV) and ATPsyn𝜷L (Complex V) of the electron transport chain in Glutamate Neurons increases sleep and lifespan of Drosophila
• Second place: Aja Laun, Malachi Peachey-Stoner, and Ella Richer
  Improved methods of eDNA detection of salamanders using probe-based qPCR analysis
• Third place: Iris Anderson, Daisy Hamsher, and Sarah Peak
  Emotional regulation, bullying, and mental health: Exploring the interplay and outcomes in college students

Projects division

• First place: Micaiah Landis, Adam Stoltzfus, and Lleyton Stutzman
  Design and control of a low-cost inverted pendulum system
• Second place: Mariana Acosta and Levi Stutzman
  Bridging communities: Constructing a suspended footbridge in Eswatini

Upperclass division

• First place: M Lashway and Ben Perkin
  Effects of D. stramonium on C. elagans behavior and motility
• Second place: Seungmin Cha, Elaine Miranda Perez, and Whitney Showalter
  Analysis of homemade kombucha
• Third place: Alex Belisle, Maria Longenecker, and Kate Stutzman
  Physiological response to pain: Male and female pain tolerance under cold stress

General chemistry division

• First place: Bennett de Tenley and Emily Donovan
  Comparing the antioxidant capacity of store-bought vs farmer’s market fruits
• Second place: Apekshya Karki and Isaac Miller
  Race to relief: Which tablet dissolves faster-gel or firm tablet?
• Third place: Ephrata Amare and Melissa Miller
  How does the pH of a beverage affect ibuprofen dissolution?

The posters from STEM disciplines (biology, chemistry, environmental science, psychology, biomedicine, and engineering) were judged by an interdisciplinary panel of EMU STEM faculty, with winners selected in the four divisions. 

Toys for tykes

Students in the Nursing Care of Children course designed and built toys tailored to the gross and fine motor skills, social skills, and cognitive development of an infant or child of the assigned age, aiming to engage each area of growth through play. Those students were Odesa Elezi, Elijah Spicher, Abigail Foltz, and Gabriella Seal.

Swipe through the photo gallery below for more pictures from the 2025 ACE Festival.

Thanks to everyone who contributed their time and efforts to making the festival a success, including Kirsten Beachy, ACE Festival Chair, and Diane Farrar, ACE Festival Coordinator, EMU’s Language and Literature Program, Convocation at EMU, Clay Showalter, Daniel House, Aramark staff, Shannon Grinnan and Pioneer College Caterers. Additional thanks to the many faculty mentors and session moderators and to those who helped set up poster shows, administrative support staff, anyone who provided festival assistance, and to everyone who presented and shared their work!

Photos by Macson McGuigan/EMU and Jon Styer/At Ease Design & Consulting

Hosted by the Provost’s Office, the 16th annual EMU Authors’ Reception and Awards Presentation on Thursday, April 17, recognized and celebrated the winners of the university’s Excellence in Teaching Awards. Professors Chad Gusler, Hannah Ferguson, and Hilary Moore were announced as this year’s recipients.

The award celebrates the outstanding teaching work of faculty in three categories: professors and associate professors, assistant professor and instructors, and adjunct faculty. Recipients were selected based on four criteria: impact on students, effective teaching practices, subject content knowledge, and continual growth, according to Dr. Tynisha Willingham, provost and vice president of academic affairs at EMU, who presented the awards.

“Educating our students is our most important task, and these awards honor faculty members whose teaching not only imparts knowledge, but also transforms lives, embodies our mission and values, and most of all, advances what it means to be part of a peace and justice university,” Willingham said.

Chad Gusler
Associate professor of language & literature

Students remarked on Gusler’s passion for teaching and the creative ways he brings material to life. One student shared: “He captured our attention every day. We read a book that was so thought-provoking that it pushed us all to think beyond what we were used to. He connected the book to olive oil, and we had a tasting with crackers that was fun and interactive. Chad cares so deeply for his students and wants us all to succeed in and out of class.”

Hannah Ferguson
Assistant professor of nursing

Students spoke highly of Ferguson’s impact in the classroom. One student wrote about her ability to connect classroom content to real-life personal experiences, “which allows the material to feel real and not just a lecture slide.” Another student wrote that Ferguson is “always reassuring us of our capabilities as students and future nurses.”

Hilary Moore
Adjunct faculty in criminology and criminal justice

Students wrote passionately about Moore’s teaching abilities. One shared: “Her teaching style is straightforward and clear, ensuring we’re all well-prepared. Her exams are based on class discussions and lecture materials, reinforcing what we’ve learned in a fair and meaningful way.”

Members of the Faculty Senate, which facilitates the nomination and election process for the awards, handed out plaques to the recipients. 

Student writing awards

The ceremony also recognized the winners of the First-Year Writing Awards, which are given to three first-year students for their “excellent research papers,” according to Dr. Mary Ann Zehr, director of the writing & communication program. 

• First place: Nataly Almendarez Funez for “Emotional Intelligence: Influence in Academic Success.” 
• Second place: Luke Buckwalter for “Bombs, Terrorists, and Automobiles: Stories of Tree Resilience Through Tragedy, and the Role of Much Needed Human Intervention.”
• Third place: Leah Blough for “Purls of Wisdom: What Knitters Want to Express.”

Student academic awards

The ceremony also honored the recipients of EMU’s student academic awards, which were presented by Daniel Ott, dean of the School of Theology, Humanities and Performing Arts and interim dean of the School of Social Sciences and Professions; and Tara Kishbaugh, dean of the School of Sciences, Engineering, Arts, and Nursing.

Awards for Theology, Humanities and Performing Arts 

• History Student of the Year: Ella Brubaker
• Political Science Student of the Year: Meredith Lehman
• Outstanding Student in Music: Reah Clymer and Cassidy Williams
• Excellence in Music Performance: Thaddeus Jackson
• Excellence in Musical Leadership: Mikayla Pettus

Awards for Sciences, Engineering, Arts, and Nursing 

• Outstanding Second-Year Biology Student: Zoe Clymer and Sophie Nguyen
• Outstanding Senior Biology Student: Meredith Lehman and Elaine Miranda Perez
• Excellence in Undergraduate Research: Aja Laun and Ethan Neufeld
• Natural Science Award for Exceptional Service: Ethan Neufeld and Adesola Johnson
• Outstanding First-Year Chemistry Student:  Malachi Peachey-Stoner and Claire Reichenbach
• Outstanding Senior Chemistry Student:  William Bartel and Kate Krabill
• Outstanding Senior in Engineering: Laura Benner
• Special Recognition in Engineering: Adam Stoltzfus
• Outstanding Senior Environmental Science Student: Allysen Welty Peachey
• Outstanding Senior in Computer Science: Kervens Hyppolite
• Outstanding Senior in Mathematics: Sarah Deputy and Marciella Shallomita
• Kryptos Codebreaking Contest winners: Mana Acosta, Laura Benner, and Renae Benner, who were awarded for Turing level achievement
• Judy H. Mullet Award for Psychology Internship Excellence: Rachel Tusing
• Galen R. Lehman Award for Outstanding Achievement in Research in Psychology: Sarah Peak

Awards for Social Sciences and Professions

• Exceptional Service and Leadership in Business and Leadership: Caleb Chupp
• Outstanding Recreational and Sport Management Senior: Brendan Apgar
• Outstanding Business Administration Senior: Grace Fravel
• Outstanding Business Analytics Senior and the Leadership Award: Levi Myers
• Outstanding Accounting Senior: Isaac North-Sandel
• Outstanding Economics Senior and Outstanding Achievement in Business and Leadership: Garrett Nyce
• Outstanding Marketing Senior: Eli Ours
• Exceptional Research in Business and Leadership: Laney Cline
• The Center for Justice and Peacebuilding’s Academic Awards for 2025: Hannah Gilman, Josiah Ludwick, Mariana Meksimous, and Jacob Sankara
• The Virginia Scholars Award in Undergraduate Teacher Education: Erika Lopez

Authors’ Reception

In addition to the awards presentation, the event showcased the published scholarly works of faculty, staff, and students from the past two years. Featured faculty authors included: Kirsten Eve Beachy, Benjamin Bergey, Peter Bunton, Martha Green Eads, Paula Facci, Ryan Good, Benjamin Guerrero, Jim Leaman, Gaurav Pathania, Heike Peckruhn, Mark Sawin, Timothy Seidel, Ron Shultz, Andrew Suderman, Paul Yoder, and Mary Ann Zehr. 

EMU student Jadon Harley performed saxophone music for the reception, which was held in University Commons at the Orie O. Miller Hall of Nations and in the Student Union. 

Thanks to Clay Showalter for assisting with audiovisuals for the event and to the “three Jens”—Jennifer Ulrich, Jennifer North Bauman, and Jen Jones—and Debra Pardini for their role in coordinating aspects of the reception.