Celebrating a Year of Notable Contributions

ENDOWED PROFESSORSHIPS ADVANCE RESEARCH

The recipients of this year’s Cooney-Jackman Endowed Professorship award are Dr. Douglas King, Dr. Russell Minton and Dr. Saeed Tiari.

The Cooney-Jackman Endowed Professorship was established in 2011 by Gannon alumni Christopher Cooney '63 and Brian Jackman '63. Funds like these from donors provide the awarded faculty the necessary time and resources to start or continue significant research projects and other scholarly activities to benefit students, instruction and the national reputation of the university.

Cooney and Jackman both enjoyed long and successful careers with Tellabs, a designer and developer of telecommunications networking products for communications service providers globally. Cooney was one of the company’s co-founders.

As this year’s recipients, King, Minton and Tiari began their professorship in August and will complete a three-year period of research, ending in June 2025. Through the endowment there are approximately $22,500 available annually for each professor. These funds are used for purposes such as to offset research activity expenses; purchase specialized equipment; hire a graduate assistant; and/or fund research-related travel.

The endowed professorships provide faculty the opportunity to connect their scholarly work in a formal and meaningful way to the learning environment for our students both during and after the project completion. Drs. King, Minton and Tiari are proud to share more on the research and projects they are currently developing.

Q: WHAT IS YOUR RESEARCH PROJECT?

A:

Performance enhancement of latent heat thermal energy storage systems used in concentrated solar power generation systems using fins and porous media.
- Saeed Tiari, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Chair, Biomedical, Industrial and Systems Engineering Department

My project takes an integrated approach to understanding freshwater snails from the Chihuahuan Desert of West Texas and the bacterial communities they host.
- Russell Minton, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Biology

I am working to raise awareness of Native American history, culture and present-day life. This will include bringing to Gannon various speakers, scholars and artists to share their work and experiences. I will also be creating scholarship and enhancing courses along these lines. For example, the newly created Native American Literature and Culture course, which will become part of our new Liberal Studies core, will also feature a trip to the Seneca/Iroquois Reservation in New York, where students will engage in scholarly discussion, service work and cultural immersion.
- Douglas King, Ph.D., Professor of English

Q: WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACHIEVE FROM YOUR RESEARCH OUTCOMES?

A:

I hope that anyone who interacts with any facet of my project will better understand Native peoples as a living, vibrant force in present-day U.S. societies rather than as forgotten historical artifacts. Despite all our focus on multi-cultural awareness, it's often the case that Native Americans are the 'forgotten minority' group. I hope my project will shed light on both the challenges and opportunities faced by Native peoples today. We have a wonderful Alternative Break Service Trip that goes to the Navajo Nation in Arizona, and I hope students will learn that Native peoples are here, there and everywhere. – King

Q: WHY IS THIS PROJECT SIGNIFICANT TO YOU, TO YOUR STUDENTS, OR TO GANNON?

A:

The project is significant generally because it increases our understanding of a fragile ecosystem. Freshwater habitats and the species they support are highly threatened in the Chihuahuan Desert. Urbanization, groundwater withdrawal and other human activities have led to habitat loss. Along with these changes is an overall decline in the number and diversity of organisms. It is important to understand the components of these desert water systems so that efforts can be made to manage and conserve water resources while still maintaining the unique biodiversity found within them.

As someone who has studied freshwater snail diversity and conservation for over 20 years, the project is significant to my students and I because it gives us a chance to generate data that can make a difference in a threatened system. The project also reinforces Gannon’s commitment to high-quality research and undergraduate experiences. –Minton

Q: WHY ARE OPPORTUNITIES SUCH AS THE COONEY-JACKMAN ENDOWED PROFESSORSHIP SO IMPORTANT TO HAVE AT GANNON?

A:

Opportunities such as the Cooney-Jackman are important because they provide financial support for faculty-led scholarly activities. Our students will be involved in these activities, which will be a great practical and hands-on experience for them, which directly improves their career readiness. Also, the outcomes of these activities can be used to serve our community. -Tiari

Endowed funds like this are made possible by our many friends and alumni contributing gifts to the university. It is because of these gifts that we can continue to enhance future educational opportunities for our students.