December 8, 2023

In the Know – Issue 86

Musical Numbers: Understanding How Mathematics and Music Merge

In building a thongophone for mathematical analysis of its pipes for pitch, students find the connection between music and math.

The Center for Strategic Communication and the Global Center on Human Trafficking’s study saw an uptick in online activity for the debunked conspiracy.

Meet Darius Edwards, Assistant Director of the Office for Social Justice and Diversity

Te Wu (Management) contributed a piece to Healthcare Business Today about the human constraints that must be tackled in order for AI to make significant headway in improving project performance.
Tony Spanakos (Political Science and Law) wrote a review for Law & Liberty on the book Traffic: Genius, Rivalry, and Delusion in the Billion-Dollar Race to Go Viral by Ben Smith.
Jason Williams (Justice Studies) is quoted in this NJ Spotlight News article about how the state could spend the $1.1 billion it is receiving from settlement agreements with several opioid manufacturers, distributors and retailers.
Sumi Hagiwara (Academic Affairs) and Mark Toback, community partner and Wayne Public Schools Superintendent, were interviewed by NJ Spotlight News about Montclair’s historic Teacher Certification Apprenticeship Program.

To prepare for the 2023 tax season, log into Workday to review and update all personal information by Friday, December 15 for accuracy, year-end reporting and W-2 distribution. To avoid waiting for your 2023 W2 to arrive by mail, you can opt to go paperless and receive your W2 electronically via Workday. The deadline to choose the paperless W-2 option for the 2023 tax year is Friday, January 5, 2024. For questions,contact Workday Support at: wccsupport@montclair.edu or 973-655-5000, Option 3.
Faculty and staff are invited to submit publications to be entered in the University Authors Recognition Program. Published monographs, textbooks, exhibit catalogs and/or produced creative endeavors resulting in CDs or DVDs in 2023 or 2024 are eligible. To submit publications, use this form. For media (CDs, DVDs), use this form. Submission deadline is January 31, 2024. Publications will be listed in Montclair State University Digital Commons. For questions, contact Paul Martinez, martinezp@montclair.edu.

Join the Office for Experiential Education and Career Connections for a discussion with John Ehret, labor market analyst with the New Jersey Department of Labor, who will explore the evolving employment landscape and trends. The event will take place virtually and in person on Tuesday, December 19, 2:15 to 4 p.m., in Cole Hall Room 340. Registration required.
Employees and alumni can save 35% on tickets for two New Jersey Symphony concerts at which the Montclair student vocal ensembles will perform: Handel’s Messiah on Sunday, December 17 at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart and Orff’s Carmina Burana on March 1 at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark. Use discount code MONTCLAIR35 at the New Jersey Symphony website or call 1-800-255-3476.

Take advantage of the State Employee Discount Program with access to discounts in various categories.
Worried about a student’s well-being? Please fill out a CARE Report form to connect students to mental health support and resources. Faculty and advisors can complete an alert via Navigate for academic concerns.
EMS has installed hemorrhage/bleeding control kits and Narcan in Automated External Defibrillator (AED) cabinets on campus and is offering training sessions on how to use the hemorrhage control and Narcan kits. If you or your department would like to participate in these training sessions, contact EMS at 973-655-7836 or ems@montclair.edu.
Did you know the Center for Writing Excellence is open to all University employees? The center provides free, confidential appointments for feedback on all types of writing including professional documents, emails, memos and improving general writing skills. In-person and virtual appointments are available.
Visit the Volunteer Center’s updated site for ongoing volunteer opportunities through the 2023-2024 academic year.
Land on a broken link or dead end on montclair.edu? Report your experience here.
The new University Calendar is here. Powered by the University’s room booking system, 25Live, all event listings should be entered here. Still need training? Register for online or in-person training.

The Employee Assistance Program provides free, confidential support services for employees and their families – including locating resources for substance abuse, mental health and self-help. For more information, view the CONCERN brochure.
If you or a loved one is experiencing a mental health crisis or thinking about suicide, call or text 988, the nationwide 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline for free, confidential support, 24/7.
Mindfulness Meditation is held every Monday online, 12-12:30 p.m. and open to all with an interest in learning about meditation and developing mindfulness. Register here.

To Kelly Fitzpatrick and Jaison Frazier (University Police), for being promoted to the rank of lieutenant. Both will serve in the Patrol Division as squad commanders.
To Todd Tumelty, Joe Cullen, Dwight Ceballo, Marlon Pollard, Antonio D’Andrea (Intercollegiate Athletics), who were named Coaching Staff of the Year by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for Division III men’s soccer.
To Denis Sheeran (Mathematics), who will present his dissertation research at the 9th IAFOR International Conference on Education in January 2024. He will livestream the presentation titled “Understanding COVID-19 Pandemic Related Effects on Secondary Mathematics Teachers’ Perception of Their Professional Identity.” Sheeran was also selected as a conference peer reviewer.
To Lauren Dinour and Renata Blumberg (Nutrition and Food Studies), who were invited to speak at the NJ State of the Food System Summit held at Rutgers University.
To Monica Taylor (Educational Foundations), who facilitated a workshop titled “Letting Our Bodies Tell the Story: Conducting a Feminist Co/Autoethnography” at the University of Iceland on Thursday, December 7.
To Sheetal Ranjan (Justice Studies), who won the Distinguished Scholar Award from the Division of Feminist Criminology at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Criminology in Philadelphia, in November.

Have an item you’d like included in Kudos or Reminders? Want to nominate a staffer for our spotlight? Use this form to tell us. Read more about our people and programs in the University News Center and in back issues of In the Know. And find out what’s happening on campus in the Events Calendar.