Donald P. Cushman of the Department of Communication has been named as the 1996 recipient of the Gerald M. Phillips Award from the Speech Communication Association of America for his distinguished research in applied communication and developing theories that have had an impact on practice outside of academia. The award will be presented at the SCA National Speech Conference on Nov. 23.
“In the 22 years since receiving his Ph.D.,” said a SCA announcement, “Cushman has contributed to applied communication scholarship in not one, but in three distinct areas: rhetoric and debate, interpersonal communication, and high-speed management.”
In the former field, Cushman has published three books, and nearly 40 articles, chapters, and reports. In the area of interpersonal communication, he has published three books and 35 chapters, articles and reports. Most recently he turned his attention to high-speed management, and to that area of study has contributed 12 books and over 40 chapters, articles, and reports.
Julia Wood, chair of the Phillips Award Committee, said, “Committee members and I were impressed by the breadth of his contributions to applied communication and by the originality of his work. We think that his ongoing program of research exemplifies the kind of scholarship that Jerry Phillips valued and that he and his wife Nancy wished to honor with this award.”
The Gerald M. Phillips Award will be the third honor that Cushman has received from the SCA. He won the T. Wolbert Award “for research of exceptional originality and influence which has stood the test of time” in 1982, and the Donald Ecroyd Award as The Outstanding Teacher in Higher Education in 1992.
Gottlieb Oehrlein of the Department of Physics and two of his graduate students, Peter Matsuo and Bernd Kastenmeier, have applied for a patent on Highly Selective Chemical Dry Etching Process and Apparatus. It is a method of surface cleaning in a dry process using a vacuum system.
Joel Chadabe of the Department of Music has been chosen by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers as one of its 1996-97 award for his catalog of original compositions as well as recent performances of those works.
Jean-Francois Briere, chair of the Department of French Studies, was one of four chairs of U.S. French programs invited to participate in an evaluation of programs supported by the French Cultural Services in New York.
The evaluation was conducted by Alain Fantapie of la Sorbonne Nouvelle. Also in attendance were Barry Cooperman and Francoise Gramet of the French Institute for Culture and Technology at the University of Pennsylvania.
Jeanette Altarriba of the Department of Psychology is the recipient of the “Early Career Award for Teaching and Training,” bestowed by the Minority Fellowship program of the American Psychological Association.
NEW FACES
Anthony DeBlasi joins the faculty of the Department of East Asian Studies this year. The Chinese language and history expert has had teaching experience in the positions of sophomore tutor and head teaching fellow (1995-96), assistant head tutor (1994-95), and as a junior tutor (1992) at Harvard University in the department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations.
“DeBlasi is a graduate from one of the best Chinese history programs in the U.S., located at Harvard,” said James Hargett, department chair. “We especially need his skills as an East Asian historian because the program is expanding in student enrollment and course offerings and also because the Asian-American population on campus is growing and it is attracted to our courses. He answers a pressing need.”
DeBlasi received his bachelor’s degree, summa cum laude, from Georgetown University in 1986, his A.M. from Harvard in 1988, and his Ph.D. from Harvard in 1996.
DeBlasi has also had experience abroad in language study as a tour leader for China Educational Tours, Inc. (1990-91) and at the Mandarin Training Center of the National Taiwan Normal University in Taipei, Taiwan (1984).
The first three years of funding for the DeBlasi position came from the Luce Foundation, a philanthropic organization based in New York City that is dedicated to furthering understanding of and scholarship on China.
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Marilyn Masson comes to the Department of Anthropology this year from the department of anthropology at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Wash. (1995-96), where she was visiting professor. At Albany, her first class of instruction will be in archeology and religion.
Prior to her work in Washington, Masson was co-principal investigator and project manager for the Wilson-Leonard Site Paleoindian Project at the University of Texas at Austin (1994-95); and instructor at the department of anthropology at the University of Texas at San Antonio (1993-94). She received her bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University, her masters degree from Florida State University, and her doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin (where she was also a two-year teaching assistant).
Gary Gossen, chair of the Department of Anthropology, said “Masson is a top-flight archaeologist with an area of specialization in the Maya Indians; and she has had valuable experience working in Belize.”
Masson has also written reports, monographs, and presented papers on Mesoamerica and North America and had work experience as an operation director of the Monte Alban and Dainzu Projects at the Instituto Nacional de Antropologia e Historia in the Central Region of Oaxaca, Mexico (1990).
Linda Chavis