Recent accomplishments earned by members of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln community include faculty Dipra Jha and Rebecca Roston. Other achievements include a one-year grant to a doctoral student from the Buffett Early Childhood Institute.

Faculty/Staff

Dipra Jha, assistant professor of practice in Hospitality, Restaurant and Tourism Management, recently traveled to India to deliver a keynote presentation at the International Conference on Tourism, Hospitality and Aviation. The event was hosted by Amity University Sept. 2 and 3 in New Delhi, India. Jha’s presentation on “Creative Economy” argued that with millennials poised to become dominant consumers in travel and tourism, providers need to engage customers using Unique Creative Input as the key differentiator. Citing examples like 21C Museum Hotels in the United States, which incorporates an art museum as part of their hotel design, Jha suggested convergence of creative processes, personalization and smart data would be the way forward for the industry. For more information, click here.

Rebecca Roston, assistant professor of biochemistry, has co-authored a new study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study identifies a specific enzyme necessary for transferring building blocks between the inner and outer membranes of chloroplasts, the plant cell organelles responsible for photosynthesis. Roston authored the study with researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology; the University of Bonn; the Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research; and Michigan State University. To read the study, click here.

Students

Jordan Allen, communication studies doctoral candidate, was selected to participate in the National Communication Association’s Doctoral Honors Seminar. The 2016 seminar was July 21 through 24 at the School of Communication Studies at Ohio University. The seminar bring together promising doctoral students and distinguished faculty members from across the discipline and around the nation to discuss current topics in communication. For more information, click here.

Aaron Gewecke, graduate student in earth and atmospheric sciences, was chosen to serve as diatom biostratigrapher on Expedition 368 of the International Ocean Discovery Program. The expedition will address the mechanisms of lithosphere extension during continental breakup. For more information, click here.

Amanda Moen, doctoral student in educational psychology, was awarded a one-year grant from the Buffett Early Childhood Institute. The institute’s graduate scholars program provides financial support and mentoring for advanced students and is designed to foster the growth of diverse, exceptional graduate students conducting research about young children and their families. Moen’s project will contribute a valid and psychometrically sound measure for assessing and supporting family-school partnerships to the field. The importance of family-school and parent-teacher partnerships is essential for supporting children’s development and learning. For more information on Moen’s research, click here.

This column is a regular Friday feature of Nebraska Today. Faculty, staff and students can submit their achievements to be considered for this column via email to achievements@unl.edu. For more information, call 402-472-8515.