Faculty/Staff Activities

MU Faculty and Staff Receive Awards, Earn Certifications and more

Dr. Christine Filippone, associate professor in art and design, has been awarded a highly prestigious national fellowship at the Smithsonian Institute. More information about Smithsonian Internships and Fellowships is available at smithsonianofi.com.

Dr. Scott Helfrich, director of Housing & Residential Programs, recently earned the prestigious Certified Educational Facilities Professional (CEFP) credential. APPA, the association dedicated to leadership in educational facilities, announced the award. The CEFP is the only certification that validates the specific knowledge and competency required for ongoing success in the educational facilities-management field.

Dr. Janet Josephson, associate professor in Early, Middle and Exceptional Education recently became a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). To receive the certification, Josephson was engaged in coursework and supervision activities from 2019-2021 amidst the pandemic, teaching, service and scholarship requirements. She passed the exam after engaging in 18 graduate credits and just over 1,500 hours of clinical supervision in behavior analytic activities. She is the only Board-Certified Behavior Analyst in the department.

Mark Mullen, media specialist, communication/theatre, recently ran for and won the position as the Philadelphia Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) Section Chair. This is his third year in the position. Philadelphia is the fourth largest broadcast market in the U.S. Mullen will serve as chair from July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022.

Dr. Keishla Rivera-Lopez, assistant professor in English, received special recognition in the Virginia Sanchez Korrol Dissertation Award competition from the Puerto Rican Studies Association. Rivera-Lopez was part of an international panel hosted by the association on May 21. Her recognition was for “Writing Freedom: Puerto Rican Women’s Literary Conceptualizations of Motherhood and Memory Beyond Archives.”

Dr. Scott Warner, Graduate Program Coordinator for the Department of Applied Engineering, Safety & Technology, was the lead author on an article in the “Technology & Engineering Teacher,” which is published by the International Technology & Engineering Education Association. The article, titled “Designerly Thinking: A Tool for Citizenship in a Democratic Society,” appeared in the December/January issue of the publication. Warner’s co-authors, all of whom are practicing teachers, included a current MU graduate student Korbin Shearer, MU alumni Korbin Shoemaker and design-based education expert Garreth Heidt.