Jeff Karnicky publishes book
The University of Nebraska Press has released Jeff Karnicky’s book Scarlet Experiment: Birds and Humans in America, an investigation of the intersections among environmental control policy, ornithology, and literature. The book—explicitly written “for the birds”—focuses on cultural, scientific, literary contexts shaping human interactions with five species of birds in North America: the blue jay; the European starling; the red knot; the Canada goose; and the titmouse (both black-crested and tufted). In Scarlet Experiment, Karnicky, associate professor of English, uses his experience as a birdwatcher and bird enthusiast as the starting point for examining the larger ethical and ideological implications of how we conceptualize our avian neighbors as both individuals (friends, pets, and so on) and as populations (to be counted, studied, and managed), arguing that even our most pedestrian interactions with birds are shaped by layers of cultural, scientific, historical, and personal meanings.

Karnicky teaches courses in contemporary literature and critical theory. Scarlet Experiment is Karnicky’s second book; his first, Contemporary Fiction and the Ethics of Modern Culture, was published by Palgrave-MacMillan in 2007.

John Rovers receives Principal Financial Group Global Citizenship Award
John Rovers, professor of practice in the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, recently was honored with the second annual Principal Financial Group Global Citizenship Award.

The award recognizes one Drake faculty or staff member who has made “outstanding contributions to global engagement and internationalization of the campus and curriculum.” A selection committee appointed by the provost reviews all nominations and makes an award recommendation to the provost. Read more about Rovers’ work in the Drake Newsroom.

Michael Haedicke receives award from the American Sociological Association
Michael Haedicke, associate professor of sociology, recently was selected as the recipient of a Fund for the Advancement of the Discipline (FAD) award by the American Sociological Association (ASA). Haedicke will receive $8,000 to support his research on the social and political organization of coastal restoration initiatives in southeastern Louisiana. Learn about Michael’s work in the Drake Newsroom.