FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Four members of Sacred Heart University’s faculty have been selected to present in the Academic Research Showcase portion of the Presidential Inaugural Lecture Series. One proposal from each of SHU’s four colleges was selected.

The Academic Research Showcase is an opportunity for Sacred Heart University to feature its outstanding and talented faculty. Proposals needed to be within the lecturer’s academic field and, in keeping with SHU’s inaugural theme for the year -- A Time for New Beginnings -- participants were asked to choose a topic related to the theme.

The four winners are Anne M. Barker, Ed.D.; Jacqueline, Kelleher, Ph.D.; Peter Maresco, Ph.D., and Jennifer McLaughlin.

Dr. Barker will represent the College of Health Professions with Complexity Science: A Theoretical Model to Inform New Beginnings. She will apply complexity science to Sacred Heart University as a macro-system and to departments as microsystems; discuss the major concepts of complexity science, citing examples both in the organization and classroom; contrast complexity science paradigm with Newtonian paradigm and suggest strategies for working and teaching in a complex adaptive system. Her lecture is scheduled for Wednesday, February 8, at 7 p.m.

“I was very honored and humbled to be selected for this lecture knowing the talents and expertise of the rest of the faculty,” she said. “My lecture will focus on the application of complexity science to SHU. Despite its name, the basic principles of complexity science are quite simple and when people learn about complexity science in organizations, it often resounds for them and helps make sense of what they see every day.”

Dr. Kelleher, of the Isabelle Farrington College of Education, will present Film and Perspective-Taking: Educating Educators on Youth with Autism on Tuesday, February 28, at 8 p.m. She will explore the role that multi-media can play in providing teachers with the tools, understanding and empathetic viewpoints needed to effectively work with autism spectrum disorders.

“I am very excited to share the innovative work we are doing with my colleagues and the public,” she said. “This kind of project is exactly the reason I came to Sacred Heart.” The project is especially dear to her because she has 14-year-old twin sons with autism. The two boys co-directed the pilot film that she will present during her lecture.

The Expanding Christian Marketplace: If You Can Name It, or Make It, the Christian Marketplace Probably Sells It! is the topic of Dr. Peter Maresco of the John F. Welch College of Business. His proposal is the introduction to a book he is writing entitled The Business of Christianity: The Growing Market for All Things Christian. He will examine the growth and development of the market for items with a Christian theme during his presentation on Wednesday, March 14, at 7 p.m.

“I was thrilled to learn my proposal had been selected. It’s a project I have been working on for about four years, and it’s a fascinating topic. The Christian marketplace ranges from a Christian wrestling organization to movies, T-shirts, dolls, candy and more,” Dr. Maresco said. “I’m looking forward to sharing my research with the Sacred Heart community.”

Jennifer McLaughlin will represent the College of Arts and Sciences with her talk entitled Reflecting on the Bicentennial of the War of 1812. Scheduled for Wednesday, January 25, at 7 p.m., she will focus on the “new beginnings” in the United States that resulted from the Treaty of Ghent in 1814.

“I was shocked and really surprised and pleased to learn that my proposal had been selected, and I’m honored to be representing the College of Arts and Sciences,” Ms. McLaughlin said. “I’m looking forward to sharing my research with the Sacred Heart community, and I’m excited to hear from my three colleagues who were also chosen.”

The Academic Research Showcase lectures will take place in the Schine Auditorium on the Fairfield campus of Sacred Heart University. They are open to the public and free of charge.