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Richard Becraft, Computer Science
B.S., Purdue University, 1982; B.S., 1983; M.S., 2011.
Visiting Instructor in Computer Science
No Biography Provided.
Margaret Brown Vega, Anthropology
B.A., University of Texas, 1998; M.A., University of Illinois, 2003; PhD, 2008.
Assistant Professor of Anthropology
Margaret Brown Vega is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology. She received her PhD from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (MA 2003, PhD 2008) and undergraduate degree from University of Texas at Austin (BA 1998).
She is an anthropological archaeologist. Her research examines the circumstances, social experiences, and ramifications of warfare among prehispanic societies, specifically in Peru. When she was a child she became fascinated with Egypotology, and decided she wanted to be an archaeologist when she grew up. After doing archaeology in her home state of Texas, then in neighboring Louisiana, Florida, and Minnesota, she decided to become an Andeanist and specialize in the archaeology of the Central Andes.
In 2005, she was selected as a Fulbright fellow to Peru. Her research has been funded by Fulbright-Hays, the Wenner-Gren Foundation, and the National Science Foundation. She is currently directing a long-term project to systematically document and study prehispanic mountaintop fortifications along the central Peruvian coast.
Connie Carunchia, RN-BC, MDI, NP-C, Nursing
A.S., Purdue University, 1995; B.S.N., Indiana Wesleyan University, 2009; M.S.N., Purdue University, 2011
Visiting Instructor in Nursing
Connie Carunchia is a Visiting Instructor in the Department of Nursing. She has worked in the nursing department at IPFW for the past 3 years in various roles. She received her undergraduate degree at Indiana Wesleyan University and her Graduate Degrees at Indiana University - Purdue University at Fort Wayne. Her primary research interest was in Geriatric nursing Forensics. She chose this area of study because caring for the elderly is very fulfilling. Connie’s decision to stay at IPFW was an easy choice. She said, “I completed my graduate degree as a nurse practitioner at IPFW and found the faculty to be knowledgeable and approachable. IPFW also is a respected name in the community.”
In Connie’s free time, she enjoys many fitness related activities or spending time with her golden retriever Chewy. She enjoys long distance running and triathlon. She is training for several goals including the Chicago Marathon in hopes of qualifying for the Boston Marathon and a 2013 half ironman triathlon.
Her background includes nearly 30 years in healthcare (CNA, LPN, RN) mostly in long term care. She has worked with geriatrics all her life and has found it to be extremely rewarding work. Many of these years were in administration as a director of nursing, however, recently she has worked as a nurse practitioner treating nursing home patients in rural Noble County. She also works as a deputy coroner for Noble County conducting death investigations, assisting in autopsies, fluid, toxicology and tissue sample collection, death scene investigation and evidence collection.
She is currently taking classes through Purdue West Lafayette for my DNP degree.
David Cochran, Engineering
B.S., Auburn University, 1986; M.S., The Pennsylvania State University, 1989; PhD, Auburn University, 1994.
Associate Professor of Systems Engineering and Director of the Systems Engineering Center
No Biography Provided.
Adolfo Coronado, Computer Science
B.B.A., University of Texas at El Paso, 2005; M.S., 2007.
Visiting Instructor in Information Stystems
No Biography Provided.
Slyvere Coussement, Consumer and Family Sciences
B.Ch.E., University of Detroit, 1964; Ed.S., University of Alabama, 1996; PhD., 1999.
Visiting Instructor in Consumer and Family Science
No Picture Provided.
No Biography Provided.
Melissa Deitrich, Communication
B.S., Indiana University, 2001; M.S., Purdue University, 2004.
Visiting Instructor in Communication
No biography provided.
Stephen Gillam, Physics
B.S., University of London, 1979; M.S., 1983; PhD., University of Wyoming, 1994.
Assistant Professor of Physics
No Biography Provided.
Michelle Kearl, Communication
B.S., University of Northern Iowa, 2004; M.S., Illinois State University, 2006; PhD., Arizona State University, 2011.
Visiting Instructor in Rhetoric and Research Methods
Michelle Kelsey Kearl is a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication
She received her PhD from Arizona State University and her undergraduate degree from the University of Northern Iowa.
Stephen Kleinschmit, Public Policy
B.S., East Carolina University, 2001; M.S., 2005; PhD., North Carolina State University, 2010.
Assistant Professor of Public Policy
Stephen Kleinschmit is an Assistant Professor of Public Policy. He received his undergraduate degree from East Carolina University and his graduate degree from North Carolina State University. His research interests include: environmental policy, land use governance, eGovernment, urban planning, coastal & water resource management, and transportation policy. He is a strong supporter of conservation, which lead him to his undergraduate programs in urban & regional planning and geography. His masters degree allowed him to study the more technical aspects of environmental planning, and he strongly considered pursuing a doctoral degree in coastal resource management. After gaining professional experience, he found that the true impediments to sustainability were less technical and more political in nature. His doctoral program allowed him to study public administration and governance, and he feels that research in these areas will prove useful for obtaining improvements in our nation's environmental quality.
Stephen was initially drawn here by the kindness of the people and felt that IPFW would be a good fit for him, both professionally and personally. The Department of Public Policy's course offerings allows him to teach in his areas of interest, and provides excellent support for advancing his research agenda. Additionally, both the institution and the department highly value service, which is an important to a person who teaches public servants.
In Stephen's personal life, he enjoys vintage scooters (think 60s Vespas and Lambrettas), adventure touring, camping, and cooking. He was born in Illinois, but spent most of his life in North Carolina (with stops in Florida, Louisiana and Texas). His parents grew up in Michigan (Benton Harbor/St. Joe area), and are both MSU Spartans. He grew up watching both Duke and UNC basketball, but is now a solid Wolfpack fan. When he is not working, you can often find him on the coast. His favorite beach is Ocracoke Island, NC, though he looks forward to seeing what the Great Lakes region has to offer. He arrived in Fort Wayne in early June, and he believes he has gotten a fairly good idea of where everything is. In addition to developing research collaborations, He has spent his time running on the greenways, learning to make sushi and traveling to vintage bike shows (there are quite a few in the region). He is genuinely happy to be in the Fort, and he look forward to all the adventures to come.
His post-undergraduate employment experience includes working for local governments, most notably for municipal planning agencies and a water utilities commission. He also spent time as a civil engineering consultant on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. While completing his PhD. at N.C. State, he spent five years teaching for the Department of Political Science. Upon graduating, he spent a year as a visiting professor at Eastern Kentucky University before I came to IPFW.
In the future , he hopes to grow as a teacher, researcher and public servant.
Anyi Liu, Computer Science
B.E., Dalian University of Technology, China, 1997; M.E., 2001; PhD., George Mason University, 2011.
Assistant Professor of Computer Science
Anyi Liu is an Assistant Professor in Computer Science. He earned his PhD from George Mason University. He also studied at Dalian University of Technology for his undergraduate.
Some of his research interests lie in the area of computer network and system security, including intrusion detection, prevention, and correlation, software security, mobile and cloud computing security, steganography, and digital forensics. In his free time, he enjoys hobbies such as reading, painting, oriental calligraphy, crafting.
Paresh Mishra, OLS
B.S., Osmania University, India, 1996; M.A., University of Lucknow, India, 1998; M.S., Indiana University, 2009; PhD., 2012.
Visiting Instructor in Organizational Leadership and Supervision
No Biography Provided.
Martha McComas, LDH, Dental Education
A.S., Indiana University, 2002; B.G.S., 2009; M.S., The University of Texas, 2012.
Visiting Instructor in Dental Education
Martha McComas is a Visiting Instructor in the Dental Education and Dental Hygiene program. Martha received her undergraduate degrees at IPFW in 2002 and 2009. For graduate school, she studied at University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio where she completed her Master of Science in Dental Hygiene.
Some of Martha’s research interests are Critical Thinking, Assessments, and the Dental Hygiene Process of Care. She chose this are of study because she LOVES teeth! She has been a private practicing dental hygienist for 10 years. She loves teaching patients about their oral health. Now she loves teaching students about what they need to be learning to optimize their patient’s oral health and over-all wellbeing! She chose to come to IPFW because she went here. She says, “This is my school! I began here, it seems logical to stay here!”
In her personal life, she is just a busy working mom. She has been married to Brian McComas for 12 years. He currently works for a local uniform company. They have 3 children together: Hannah -9, Seth -8, and Douglas -4. They also have animal additions to their family in Tony Romo--our Dog, and Calico --our cat, Pixie, Fishie and GoGo our glow fish. She tries to be active in her children's school and extracurricular activities, while attempting to provide healthy meals (at home) keep the house clean, and maintain some form of communication with her wonderful husband. She loves her work, she loves her family, and she loves life. She is happy-go-lucky and enjoys humor. She is not a bit serious... unless she has to be, which she would rather not have to be. She plans on living a very long life, and traveling the world! She hopes to stay here at IPFW for a very long time, God willing!
Previously, she was a dental hygienist in a private practice here in town for 10 years. She still works there occasionally to "keep her fingers wet." She has been employed by at IPFW as a part-time clinical instructor since 2007.
She hopes to travel, and learn a new language. She also wants to re-learn piano. She wants to read all the "classic" books that she should have in high school when she was not interested in classical literature.
Lisa Menegatos, Communication
B.S., Syracuse University, 1993; M.A., University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 2004; PhD., Arizona State University, 2011.
Assistant Professor
Lisa Menegatos is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication. She joins IPFW from Arizona State University, where she earned her PhD and taught a wide range of courses, including family communication, conflict and negotiation, and communication theory. Dr. Menegatos earned her MA from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where she taught interpersonal communication and public speaking. Before beginning her graduate education, Dr. Menegatos worked as a television news journalist. She received her BS from Syracuse University. Her research interests include college drinking and the hook-up culture, as well as parental influences on college students' drinking.
Joy Musser, Communication Sciences & Disorders
B.S., State University of New York, 1999; M.A., University of Cincinnati, 2001; PhD., 2009.
Visiting Instructor in Communication Sciences & Disorders
No Picture Provided.
No Biography Provided.
Punya Nachappa, Biology
B.S., University of Agricultural Sciences, India, 2001; M.S., University of Georgia, 2004; PhD., Kansas State University, 2008
Assistant Professor of Biology
Punya Nachappa is originally from Bengaluru in South India, where she obtained her BS degree in Agriculture. Early in her career, she knew that she wanted to study ecology and management of crop pests and diseases. She moved to the U.S. in 2002 to pursue her graduate education in entomology. She obtained her MS degree from The University of Georgia and her PhD from Kansas State University. Her research is interdisciplinary, encompassing entomology, plant pathology, plant biology, and molecular biology. Her research seeks to understand the patterns and mechanisms underlying the interactions between plants, pathogens, and insect vectors. Dr. Nachappa is coming to Fort Wayne from Texas, where she held a Post-doctoral position at Texas A & M University. She is looking forward to the cooler temperatures in Indiana including the snow! In their free time, she and her husband like going on walks and exploring new and interesting places. They also enjoy trying new restaurants and cuisines. She is excited to join the faculty in the Department of Biology and is looking forward to making Fort Wayne her home away from home.
Kimberly O'Connor
B.A., Purdue University, 1998; J.D., Loyola University, 2002.
Visiting Instructor in Organizational Leadership and Supervision
Kimberly O'Connor is a Visiting Instructor in the School of Organizational Leadership and Supervision. She received her Bachelor of Arts Degree from Purdue University and her Juris Doctorate from Loyola University. Professor O'Connor is a licensed attorney in the state of Indiana and has worked in private practice. She has previously served as adjunct faculty at IPFW, Ivy Tech, ITT Tech, and Indiana Wesleyan University.
In her spare time, Professor O'Connor enjoys spending time with her family. She and her husband, James, have three little girls.
Mari Sanders, MHA, Radiography
A.S., Indiana University, 1984; B.G.S., 1999; M.S., University of St. Francis, 2011.
Visiting Instructor in Radiography
Mari Sanders is a Clinical Assistant Professor in Radiography. She received her MHA from the University of St. Francis and her undergraduate degree from Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne.
She is interested in research addressing disparities in health and health care. Dose containment and control of image quality in digital imaging are also important to her. The fact that radiography is a progressive field has always been attractive to her. Advanced technical developments continue to create new challenges and learning opportunities for radiographers. She wanted to work in a field that afforded her privilege to care for patients, work as a member of a team, and test her understanding of theory. She came to IPFW because she has tremendous respect for the faculty of the radiography program and she believes in the mission of the university. She was previously employed as an adjunct faculty member here for a period of 15 years. She truly believes that IPFW offers students the best education possible in the field of radiography and is proud to have the opportunity to make a contribution here.
In her free time, she enjoys watching her daughter play tennis, attending Cubs games, swimming, and shopping. She is a very active volunteer in the Decatur community. She and her husband have been married for nearly 29 years and are the parents of four wonderful children. She is married to Keith and their children are Ashleigh, Ian, Brittany, and Aubrie. They also have Golden Retriever named Woody. They love to travel in their free time.
Her professional career began at St. Joseph Hospital in the very early 1980's. She left there to follow her husband to Germany where he was stationed in the U.S. Army. She gained priceless professional experience working in a military hospital and establishing a community clinic in the three years that they lived there. She has been in health care education and/or management for nearly thirty years.
Her motivation and passion lies in health care education. Her experience as a hospital administrator and radiologic technologist has led her to believe that in order to meet the needs of the patient we must offer them evidence based medical assistance in an efficiently managed health system. She looks forward to working with the department of radiography faculty to engage our students in significant clinical and professional opportunities combined with rigorous academic components in order to build the future leaders of our profession.
Daniel Tamul, Communication
B.A. Berry College, 2004; M.A., Syracuse University, 2007; PhD., The Pennsylvania State University, 2011.
Assistant Professor of Communication
Dr. Tamul received a master’s degree in media studies from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University in 2007 and earned his Ph.D. from The Pennsylvania State University in 2011. His dissertation examined the social construction of immigrations as a public issue in the time preceding and following the passage of the controversial SB1070 legislation in Arizona during the spring of 2010. The law mandated that all law enforcement officials investigate the immigration status of anyone they believed to be in the country without proper paperwork, raising fears that police were—in essence—being forced by the state legislature to engage in racial profiling.
Over the last several years, he has presented his research at both national and international conferences, earned two top faculty paper awards and the Moeller Student Competition at the Association for Education and Journalism in Mass Communication, and published an article in Journalism & Mass Communication Quaterly, a flagship journal in the communication field.
During his years as a graduate student at PSU, he taught courses which helped students explore various topics such as the role that news and entertainment media play in the shaping of public opinion and the way in which new media technology have altered culture and behavior. Last year, he served as a visiting professor at Juniata College, a small liberal arts college in central Pennsylvania, and taught The Art of Public Speaking, Digital Media Design, and Mass Media and Society.
Outside of the classroom, Dr. Tamul has spent time as a freelance journalist, photographer, and graphic designer. He also worked for WAER in Syracuse, NY as a reporter for NPR.
Daniel Tembras, Music
B.A., Michigan State University, 1998; M.M., 2008; D.M.A., University of Texas, 2012.
Visiting Instructor in Music, Interim Director of Instrumental Studies
Daniel Tembras serves as the Director of Instrumental Studies at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne. His duties include conducting the Symphonic Wind Ensemble and the Symphonic Band, teaching conducting and music education courses, and coordinating the woodwind, brass, percussion, and string areas. Dr. Tembras holds a DMA degree in Wind Conducting from The University of Texas at Austin. Prior to this, Dr. Tembras served as the Assistant to the Director of Bands at the University of Texas at Austin, Director of the Longhorn Jazz Band and Combo, and Assistant Director of the Longhorn Basketball and Volleyball Bands. Dr. Tembras received the Master of Music degree in Wind Conducting from Michigan State University.
While in Michigan, Dr. Tembras served as a director in the Mason Public Schools in Mason, MI where he conducted the sixth through eighth grade bands, and middle school jazz band, as well assisting the high school symphonic, concert, and marching band. He also held the position of Associate Director of Bands in the Kearsley Community Schools in Flint, MI. A native of Lansing, Michigan, Dr. Tembras also holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Michigan State University.
In 2011, Dr. Tembras transcribed Aaron Copland’s The Tender Land Suite for Wind Ensemble and Voices. The world premiere was on November 28, 2011 with The University of Texas Wind Ensemble.
Dr. Tembras is a member of the College Band Directors National Association, the Michigan State Band and Orchestra Association, the Texas Music Educators Association, and the International Trumpet Guild and is a frequent clinician in the state of Michigan. He has also served as guest conductor of the East Lansing Kiwanis Band as well as the Michigan State University Community Music School summer music camp band.
Eric Tippmann, Chemistry
B.Sc., Purdue University, 1998; PhD., The Ohio State University, 2003.
Assistant Professor of Chemistry
No Biography Provided.
Graydon Vanderwall, MHT, Human Services
A.A.S., Purdue University, 1992; A.A.S., 2004; B.S., 2007; M.S., Capella University, 2010.
Visiting Instructor in Human Services
No Picture Provided
Graydon Vanderwall is Visiting Instructor/ Clinical Coordinator in Human Services. He received his undergraduate degree from IPFW and his graduate degree from Capella. In terms of research, he is looking at achieving a better understanding of child abuse and how to establish identifying predispositional indenifiers of potential abusers. He chose this field because he has been involved with working with abused children for several years. In his own words, " I feel that the Human Services Program at IPFW is an outstanding program and I feel that helping students become great social services providers is something I can help with."
In Graydon's free time he enjoys reading and playing football. His family consists of his wife Dawn, and children Elizabeth, Whitney, Samantha, Alec, and Grandson Hayden. They also have Duke the Great Dane and Lille as pets. He Enjoys his children and grandchild. He is Currently pursuing his PhD in Human Services at Capella University. He has a daughter that is disabled and he is a strong advocate for children with disabilities.
Prior to being at IPFW, he was a case manager at DCS investigating allegations of child abuse and neglect. He has taught part-time at IPFW since 2010. His ambitions for the future are to complete his PhD and continue to teach at IPFW.
Yuan Zhang, Mathematics
B.S., Wuhan University, China, 2002; PhD. Rutgers University, 2009.
Assistant Professor of Mathematics
No Picture Provided.
Yuan Zhang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematics. She received her undergraduate degree from Wuhan University in China and her PhD from Rutgers University. In her research, she has been working on Several Complex Variables and Partial Differential Equations. Before coming to IPFW, she spent three years at UCSD as a postdoc.
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