McDaniel College welcomes 14 new faculty members. The eight tenure-track and six visiting professors and lecturers have conducted extensive research on a diverse number of topics: from computer security to marine biology; from African American and Medieval Literature to Organic Chemistry and Mathematics; and languages such as German, Spanish and American Sign Language.

These distinguished scholars and teachers include an expert on the Arab-Israeli conflict, a primate psychologist and a Physical Education professor who is as practiced in the field as she is in the classroom. They have published literature, edited academic volumes and presented their research at conferences around the world. 

Assistant Professor of Chemistry Peter Craig, an expert in organic, inorganic and physical chemistry, has performed extensive research on chemical synthesis with applications of both environmental and biological significance. He has lectured and presented posters at conferences across the country and as far away as Japan. Craig, who comes from Albertson College of Idaho where he was assistant professor of Chemistry, says he is looking forward to teaching in classes with fewer students where he can be a mentor. Craig earned his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. at the University of Auckland, New Zealand.

Rebecca Davis joins the Department of English as an assistant professor. She is an expert in Middle English language and literature, Medieval religious writing and the history of the English language. A winner of numerous grants and fellowships, Davis earned her B.A. from Southern Methodist University and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Medieval Literature from the University of Notre Dame.

Andria Hoffman, assistant professor of Exercise Science and Physical Education, most recently taught courses in community health and methods of teaching physical education at Gettysburg College. Hoffman has been featured in several articles in USA Field Hockey’s official publication. She earned her B.S. from Lock Haven University, her M.S. from Northern Illinois University and her doctorate in Physical Education from Temple University.

Sara Miner More, assistant professor of Computer Science, believes in incorporating enthusiastic students in her research because they provide fresh perspectives. More has conducted extensive research in cryptography, computer network security, user privacy, and electronic voting, among other subjects. Most recently, she was a faculty fellow postdoctoral lecturer in Computer Science and Engineering at the University of California San Diego, where she earned her M.S. and Ph.D. More earned her B.S. from the University of Dayton.

Uriel Quesada, assistant professor of Spanish, authored five books and numerous short stories that have been featured in more than 50 anthologies and periodicals. He recently won the Ancora prize in Literature, given by the national newspaper of Costa Rica, for his collection of short stories “Lejos, Tan Lejos” (Far, Far Away). The collection of stories is based on the theme of travel in the margins of society throughout the Western Hemisphere. Quesada served most recently as assistant professor of Spanish at Loyola University. He earned his Bachillerato from the University of Costa Rica, his M.A. from New Mexico State University, and his Ph.D. in Spanish American Literature from Tulane University.

Italo Simonelli, professor of Mathematics, believes teaching and research go hand in hand. “I always work with students outside class and encourage them to expand on the material covered in the lectures,” he says. Interested in probability, statistics and graph theory, Simonelli recently coauthored a book chapter in statistics. For the last decade, he taught at Texas A&M University, for which he earned a distinguished teaching award. Simonelli earned his B.A and Ph.D. from Temple University.

The Biology department welcomes Marine Biologist Greg Szulgit, its new assistant professor. Szulgit believes in working with students to further their professional careers, and his collaborations have led undergraduates to collect data that has resulted in publication. He taught for the last five years at Hiram College, where he earned the Outstanding Faculty Award in 2004. Szulgit earned his B.A. from Boston University and his Ph.D. in Marine Biology from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego.

Reanna Ursin, assistant professor of English, is a specialist in 20th-century American literature and African American literature. Her research interests include race, subjectivity and the historical novel. Ursin was most recently an Erskine A. Peters Dissertation Fellow in the Department of Africana Studies at the University of Notre Dame, where Ursin earned her M.A. and Ph.D. She earned her B.A. from Xavier University of Louisiana.
 
Michael A. Brittingham, visiting assistant professor of Political Science and International Studies, is an expert on world politics and comparative politics. He has conducted a great deal of research on the politics of East and Southeast Asia. Brittingham earned his B.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh and his M.A. from Northeastern University. He most recently taught at the University of Louisville.

Annette Budzinski-Luftig, lecturer in German, likes to immerse her students in the language from the moment they enter the classroom. “I seek to create an environment that continually fosters a student’s independent thinking and active participation in shaping the learning process,” she says. An expert in German literature, Budzinski-Luftig has taught courses in German language, culture, history and literature at Johns Hopkins University and Goucher College. She earned her B.A. and M.A. from Universitat Heidelberg and is currently completing her Ph.D. in German Literature at Johns Hopkins University.

Joseph Erwin, visiting lecturer in Psychology, has more than 30 years of experience teaching and researching topics such as primate psychology, biomedical sciences and physiology. Erwin has held appointments and teaching positions at a dozen colleges and has also worked with the National Geographic Society, the Chicago Zoological Society and the Smithsonian Institution. He holds two patents for animal caging systems. Erwin earned his B.A. from the University of the Pacific, Stockton, and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis, in 1974.

Amal Khoury, visiting assistant professor of Political Science and International Studies, is an expert in international peace and conflict resolution, specializing in the Middle East. Khoury’s research focuses on integration of peace building and development in post-conflict areas. As an American University School of International Service Dissertation Fellow, she traveled to Lebanon to conduct fieldwork involving displaced citizens of Lebanon. Khoury earned her B.A. and M.A. from the American University of Beirut and is earning her Ph.D. from American University in Washington, D.C.

Kristin Nelson, visiting assistant professor in Psychology, most recently taught at California State University, East Bay. She studies how people retell sad memories, and how linguistics interacts with emotions. An expert in Developmental Psychology, Nelson has also worked as a research supervisor and associate at the Institute of Personality and Social Research, overseeing a longitudinal study of marriage. She earned her B.A. from Harvard University, a Ph.D. in Psychology from Stanford University, and a Ph.D. in Geography from the University of California, Berkeley.

Last spring, Kimberly Pudans-Smith returned to the Hill to become a lecturer in Deaf Education, having earned her M.S. at the College in 2000. She previously taught at Towson University, the Community College of Baltimore County, USDA Graduate School and Delaware Technical and Community College. Her research interests focus on designing the Deaf education curriculum, American Deaf culture, literature, the linguistics of American Sign Language and multicultural communications. Pudans-Smith earned her B.A. at Gallaudet University.