Haya Ajjan

Assistant Professor of Management Information Systems | Joined Elon’s faculty in 2010

Haya Ajjan’s research focuses on the use and impact of emerging technologies, social media, mobile technologies and enterprise systems on individuals, groups and organizations. She is interested in how social media and technology improve a company’s performance and how it influences the lives of individuals. Her most recent work concentrates on women entrepreneurs in the Middle East and how they are using social media to be empowered, whether it’s to improve their financial status or their self-confidence.

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Process, Systems and Technology; Introduction to Management Information Systems; Topics in Management Information Systems (Business Analytics, Social Media and Mobile Technology); Analytics I: Spreadsheet Modeling; Analytics II: Data Mining

• Ph.D. in Information Technology from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte
• M.B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte
• B.A. in Business Administration – Management Information Systems and Industrial Operations

• Rodriguez, Ajjan, Honeycutt publish article in Atlantic Marketing Journal
• Haya Ajjan presents at Academy of Management conference
• Haya Ajjan guest lectures at ESAN University in Peru

Ann Cahill

Professor of Philosophy | Joined Elon’s faculty in 1998

Ann Cahill finds an unending sense of inquiry exhilarating. She believes that thinking deeply and carefully about inequality—its structures and its meanings—transforms lives. Her own scholarship is often situated at the intersection of feminist philosophy and philosophy of the body, where she develops new analyses of common concepts, such as sexual violence or objectification. Recently, she and some of her colleagues noticed there was very little philosophical work on miscarriage, despite its fairly common occurrence. To fill this gap, she is co-editing a journal issue on the theme of miscarriage, subfertility and death and is contributing an article to the volume. In all her work, she contributes to scholarly conversations by aspiring to identify meaningful philosophical problems and addressing them in innovative ways.

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Critical Thinking; Methods of Philosophical Inquiry; Sex, Gender, Power; and Politics of Beauty

• Ph.D. in Philosophy from the State University of New York at Stony Brook
• B.A. in Philosophy from College of the Holy Cross

• Ann Cahill interviewed by 3:AM Magazine
• Distinguished Scholar Lecture featuring Ann J. Cahill
• Ann Cahill selected as Distinguished Scholar
• Ann Cahill publishes book about objectification

Stephen Folger

Department Chair, Program Director & Professor of Physical Education Therapy | Joined Elon’s faculty in 1998

Stephen Folger focuses his research on the brain. When a person functions, whether it’s by moving, thinking, seeing or touching, the brain is activated. Folger studies sensory processing in the brain and how different conditions, such as prolonged stimulation, exercise and pain, affect the neural response. In addition, Folger is one of several Elon faculty involved with Elon BrainCARE, a program with a multidimensional approach to concussion research. BrainCARE has resulted in targeted education and vital pre- and post-concussion assessments for student-athletes as well as high school football players in the surrounding area.

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Neuroscience

• Ph.D in Biomedical Engineering from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• B.S. in Physical Therapy from Ithaca College

• Stephen Folger: a fair, compassionate and engaging educator
• Faculty and staff honored at annual awards banquet

Steve Friedland

Professor of Law and Senior Scholar; Director, Center for Engaged Learning in the Law | Joined Elon’s faculty in 2006

Steve Friedland's research focuses on privacy, specifically the impact of mass surveillance in the digital age. He has researched several emerging technologies, including the Internet of Things, cell phone tracking and biometric facial recognition software. He has co-authored several constitutional, evidence and criminal law textbooks as well as three books on law school teaching. He is one of 26 law school teachers included in the Harvard University Press book by Michael Hunter Schwartz and Garry Hess, What the Best Law Teachers Do.

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Evidence, Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Constitutional Law and Property

• L.L.M. and J.S.D., Columbia University
• J.D., Harvard Law School
• B.A. in Mathematics, Binghamton University

• Steven Friedland named one of the nation’s best law teachers
• Steve Friedland elected to The American Law Institute
• Steve Friedland presents on innovation in legal education at Western Law
• North Carolina Lawyers Weekly spotlights Steve Friedland

Kenn Gaither

Associate Dean of the School of Communications & Associate Professor of Communications | Joined Elon’s faculty in 2004

Internationally, public relations is used differently than it is in the United States. Public relations can impact how a country develops and builds its brand. In his research, Kenn Gaither focuses on international public relations with an emphasis on lower-income nations. He is intrigued by how nations brand themselves and how that brand is translated into a better quality of life for the country. He is captivated by cultural differences and how those differences are communicated to the world.

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Public Relations/Civic Responsibility, Public Opinion through New Media, Communications in a Global Age and Inquiry in Istanbul

• Ph.D in International Public Relations and New Technology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• M.F.A. in Literary Journalism from the University of Pittsburgh
• B.A. in English Writing/Portuguese from the University of Pittsburgh

• Kenn Gaither publishes in Public Relations Review
• Kenn Gaither co-authors book about globalization and PR
• Kenn Gaither participates in Scripps Howard Leadership Academy

Lynn Huber

Associate Professor of Religious Studies & Chair of the Department of Religious Studies | Joined Elon’s faculty in 2004

Lynn Huber’s work delves into the Book of Revelation, one of the most misunderstood books in the Bible, and shows how imagery and visual language are used to persuade readers. She examines how gendered metaphors are used to depict the cities of Rome and heavenly New Jerusalem as the prostitute and the bride, respectively, and how select women in medieval times and in the late 20th century have used art to interpret the text. While most scholarly interpreters of Revelation have been men, Huber focuses on how women read the book as well. In her work, Huber argues the power of Revelation’s imagery is in shaping how readers think and also how the book invites a variety of interpretations. In addition, some of her most recent work explores the ways in which LGBTQ readers engage the Revelation’s text. She regularly presents nationally and internationally and was recently invited to present on her work by the Norwegian Institute in Rome.

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Introduction to the New Testament and Early Christian Literature, Apocalyptic Imagination, Ancient and Modern, Sex Lives of Saints: Gender, Sex and the Family in Early Christianity, Gods and Monsters in Biblical Traditions

• Ph.D in Religious Studies from Emory University
• M.Div. from Emory University
• B.A. in Philosophy from Northwest Nazarene University

• Lynn Huber publishes column in The Huffington Post
• Lynn Huber presents work in Rome
• Lynn Huber has article on Revelation’s male virgins reprinted in Volume
• Lynn Huber presents at the annual meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature

Joel Karty

Associate Professor of Chemistry | Joined Elon’s faculty in 2001

Organic chemistry has been taught the same way for more than 50 years and often without student success. As a result, Joel Karty decided to take a different approach to teaching the yearlong course in his textbook, Organic Chemistry: Principles and Mechanisms. Released in January 2014, the textbook is the culmination of 10 years of work and the only one of its kind currently on the market. In the past, organic chemistry lessons were organized according to the kinds of features that molecules possess in their structure, and it typically meant students had to memorize hundreds of reactions. Karty organized his textbook to help students better understand what happens when molecules undergo a reaction. Karty shifted the emphasis from a molecule’s appearance to how the molecule behaves. He has used a version of the textbook’s manuscript for several years, tweaking it based on the approach that worked best to help students master the subject.

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Organic Chemistry I, Organic Chemistry II, General Chemistry I, General Chemistry II, Physical Chemistry I, Physical Chemistry II, Physical Organic Chemistry, Basic Concepts in Chemistry and The Global Experience

• Ph.D. in Chemistry from Stanford University
• B.S. in Chemistry from University of Puget Sound

• New book by Joel Karty reshapes the way organic chemistry is taught
• Dr. Joel Karty uses clickers to hold chemistry students accountable
• Elon professor Joel Karty awarded NSF research grant
• Laura Roselle, Joel Karty awarded Senior Faculty Research Fellowships

Rissa Trachman

Associate Professor of Anthropology | Joined Elon’s faculty in 2008

In an ongoing research project, Rissa Trachman is excavating the ancient Maya site of Dos Hombres and its hinterlands in northwestern Belize. She has been investigating ancient Maya households in the periphery of Dos Hombres for more than a decade and, more recently, began excavating in the civic-ceremonial center. Trachman is asking questions about the everyday life of the inhabitants of Dos Hombres including the political, economic and social organization of the ancient city as well as the ritual, religion and ideology of the Classic Period Maya. Beyond looking at everyday life, she is interested in how the city-state of Dos Hombres interacted with other cities in the region.

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Introduction to Cultural Anthropology, Human Evolution and Adaption, Introduction to Archaeology, From the Ground Down, Summer Archaeology Field School in Belize, The Ancient Maya, Gender and Archaeology, Archaeology of the Maya, Aztec and their Ancestors and Gender in Archeology.

• Ph.D in Anthropology from The University of Texas at Austin
• M.S. in Anthropology from The University of Texas at Austin
• B.A. in Anthropology from The University of Texas at Austin

• Research by Rissa Trachman featured in aerial camera company’s video
• Professor Rissa Trachman presents at International Conference
• Elon professor introduces students to the ‘Heart of the Maya’

Raven Bennett ’14

Strategic Communications | Hometown: Raleigh, North Carolina

Prudence Layne, Associate Professor of English

Analyzed and examined current stereotypes and box office figures and surveyed Elon students, faculty and staff members to determine how media portrayals helped or harmed views about larger women of color.

Bennett saw that Hollywood perpetuated a caricature of overweight black women and started to question how it affects public perceptions.

Spring Undergraduate Research Forum, National Council of Black Studies Conference and Jamaica at Mico University College Research Day

Working at Edelman, a public relations firm in Atlanta, and pursuing a master’s in strategic communications at American University

D. Patrick Brown ’14

Economics & Political Science double major | Hometown: Midlothian, Virginia

Jim Barbour, Associate Professor of Economics

Examined the economic and ethical implications of privatizing passenger rail travel in the U.S. to show the impact that economics has on every service and product used on a daily basis.

Brown received the Love Award for Excellence in Business Leadership, which provided financial support to do an independent research project on a business-related topic over the course of two years.

Student Undergraduate Research Forum

He works as an analyst at Transact Capital

James Carter ’14

Political Science & Public Administration | Hometown: Eden, North Carolina

Chalmers Brumbaugh, Professor of Political Science & Policy Studies
Betty Morgan, Associate Professor of Political Science

Spent the spring semester of his senior year as a public policy intern with the International Economic Development Council in Washington, D.C. Carter generated a public policy blog to keep council members informed about events on Capitol Hill; worked on special projects for The Federal Economic Development Forum; prepared reports from economic development-related conferences; and attended meetings and kept the minutes for the council’s Public Policy Advisory Committee. In addition, Carter participated in Elon’s Executive Intern Program that provides a select group of student leaders the chance to learn about higher education administration by working with university officials.

After having a conversation with Chalmers Brumbaugh during his first year at Elon, Carter aspired to intern in Washington, D.C., through The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars.

Plans to pursue a master’s degree in public administration

Andrew Fischer ’14

Biochemistry & Applied Mathematics | Hometown: Stevensville, Maryland

Kathy Matera, Associate Professor of Chemistry

Re-created chemical reactions that take place in the brains’ of Parkinson’s patients to determine why certain proteins clump together and then break apart, damaging the cells responsible for movement and coordination. Fischer was a recipient of the Lumen Prize, a prestigious award given to fund undergraduate research.

His grandmother is a Parkinson’s patient.

Summer Undergraduate Research Experience and Southeastern Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society

Attending medical school at the University of Maryland

Ashley Fowler ’14

Political Science & International Studies | Hometown: Mount Pleasant, North Carolina

Terry Tomasek, Associate Professor of Education
Safia Swimelar, Associate Professor of Political Science & Policy Studies

Conducted research on the evolution of LGBT rights in Central and Eastern Europe and organized and facilitated training for the Lithuanian Gay League in Vilnius, Lithuania. She also created an Elon summer service trip to Malawi, Africa, which will be offered as Winter Term course beginning next year.

Since her sophomore year, Fowler served as the student director of the Center for Leadership. Her involvement in the Center for Leadership helped her to better appreciate all aspects of leadership and provided an understanding of how use those leadership skills in any community. Fowler was a recipient of the Lumen Prize, a prestigious award given to fund undergraduate research.

National Conference of Undergraduate Research and Student Undergraduate Research Forum

Fowler is working as a Global Engagement Program Assistant at the Human Rights Campaign in Washington, D.C.

Leigh Iler ’14

Elementary Education | Hometown: Cary, North Carolina

Stephen Byrd, Associate Professor of Education

Created and assessed a tutoring program at Graham Middle School in Burlington, N.C. Iler implemented new scripts for math tutors to follow as they work in a sixth-grade classroom. Iler was a recipient of the Lumen Prize, a prestigious award given to fund undergraduate research.

After realizing that Response to Intervention (RTI) research in the middle grades, especially in math, was scarce, Iler made that the focus of her research. RTI allows teachers to develop individualized instruction for struggling students.

N.C. Council of Teachers of Mathematics conference, National Conference of Undergraduate Research and Spring Undergraduate Research Forum

Plans to work as a teacher in North Carolina to fulfill her commitment as a Teaching Fellow

Claire Mayo ’14

History & French | Hometown: Knoxville, Tennessee

David Crowe, Professor of History

Examined the political evolution of Charles de Gaulle and his impact on France. She studied abroad in France and located hundreds of letters de Gaulle wrote between 1940 and 1942. She also translated the letters from French to English. Mayo was a recipient of the Lumen Prize, a prestigious award given to fund undergraduate research.

It all started with a question Mayo heard in a course on European history: “Why did France have a slice of Berlin after World War II?” That’s when she first heard the name Charles de Gaulle, the man historians refer to as the father of modern-day France.

National Conference of Undergraduate Research, Phi Alpha Theta National Conference, and Student Undergraduate Research Forum

Pursuing a master’s degree in French history at New York University’s Institute of French Studies

Wesley Rose ’14

Music Education & Music Performance | Hometown: Rocky Mount, North Carolina

Victoria Fischer Faw, Professor of Music

Explained how Franz Liszt, a famous 19th century composer, used mortality and superstition to shape the evolution of classical piano performances. Rose was a recipient of the Lumen Prize, a prestigious award given to fund undergraduate research.

Franz Liszt pushed himself to write music that was groundbreaking. While his work was well known, there wasn’t a detailed analysis of how often death, the diabolical or the afterlife inspired him to compose some of the most influential works of 19th century classical music.

National Conference of Undergraduate Research, Spring Undergraduate Research Forum, and Summer Undergraduate Research Experiences

Pursuing a doctorate degree in musicology at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University in Bloomington