This summer, faculty members at McDaniel College pioneered new education programs, traveled to other countries to present their work to a world audience, and reinforced their commitment to students by involving them in research projects on campus and beyond.

Music Professor Margaret Boudreaux led the Carroll Festival Chorus at the prestigious Festival 500 in Newfoundland.

The choir, organized by Boudreaux and Student Affairs Vice President Philip Sayre, combined voices from the College Choir - including Alexander Meyer-Stokes '08, alumni Lisa Moore '05, Chava Roth '05 and James Reddan '99, and members of the Masterworks Chorale of Carroll County - among them College Historian and Emeritus Mathematics Professor James Lightner '59.

Biology Professor Michael Brown stayed on campus in order to guide rising senior Biology majors working on a project that involved making copies of DNA in order to identify bacteria. The students include Rosslyn Benn '06, Brandon Boring '06, Amy King '06, and Aaron Taylor '06. The six-week project will be a part of the students' capstone projects.

Janet Conley, associate coordinator of Deaf Education, Assistant Professor of Education Marsha Virts, and instructor Mary Eidukevicius started the first post-master's program in Maryland for teaching literacy and reading skills to the Deaf. A group of five graduate students completed their certification by utilizing their new skills to serve eight children at the Maryland School for the Deaf in Frederick.

English Professor Terry Dalton led a panel at the Journalism Education Association Convention in San Antonio. White House correspondents including Dana Bash of CNN and Bill Douglas of Knight-Ridder discussed the state of White House reporting during the presidency of George W. Bush.

For the fifth year, Music Lecturer Kyle Englar co-directed the vocal and piano divisions of "Music Naturally," a music festival held at the Pennsylvania Academy of Music. Kerry DeBusk '05 attended the festival and will be completing her degree with a senior recital Nov. 11.

Linda Kirkpatrick, senior lecturer in Music, participated in the National Flute Association's Professional Flute Choir at the annual convention in San Diego, Ca.

Theatre Arts Professor Ron Miller taught the first "June term" course at McDaniel College's Budapest campus to students from 10 nations. "Interactive Theatre and Cultural Identity" used dramatic techniques to explore students' cultural differences and relationships to each other. Miller also led two workshops in California and Oregon on the subject of innovation in drama therapy.

English Professor LeRoy Panek finished most of his eighth book about why detectives become heroes in novels. It is tentatively titled, "Finding a Hero: the Beginning of the American Detective Story."

Assistant Professor of Art and Art History Steven Pearson worked on a series of paintings that explore light and color. McDaniel College students Brian Belida '06, Elizabeth Cosby '06, Kenny Ditto '06, Jessica Lepson '06, and Jennifer Perry '05 provided Pearson with color chips that he worked into paintings on display Oct. 11 through Nov. 11 at the Rice Gallery in Peterson Hall. "Elements and Principles, Memories and Meanings: New paintings by Steven Pearson" will also include paintings from students Elizabeth Cosby '06 and Alexandra Gargon '07.

McDaniel Chief Information Officer and Library Director Michele Reid attended a summer institute for women in higher education. The program aims to improve the status of women in higher education administration.

Theatre Arts Professor Elizabeth van den Berg demonstrated dialect coaching at the Voice and Speech Trainer's Conference Glasgow, Scotland. With the help of student actors Jessica Behar '07 and Allison Dower '07, Van den Berg showed experts from around the world how to coach dialect in a rehearsal hall rather than the traditional voice studio.

Peggy Ward, violin and viola lecturer, held the first McDaniel Orchestra camp in July. Students across Maryland ages 14 to 19 attended the weeklong intensive orchestra study that culminated in a performance of pieces from the symphonic repertoire.