Faculty and staff highlights: Hoover, Weeks, Chace, Gorga, Carter and Tuncel

Elizabeth Hoover

Elizabeth Hoover, PhD, assistant professor of English, represented Missouri in Dykes of the Roundtable's spring workshop themed "Flyover Country," hosted at the Lesbian Herstory Archives in Brooklyn, New York. The workshop supports diverse queer voices; organizers said this season was their most competitive to date. Hoover used the workshop to finalize edits on her nonfiction manuscript "Found in Collection," which examines how art can serve as a thinking partner in addressing contemporary political and social challenges.

Edythe Weeks

Edythe Weeks, adjunct full professor in the Department of History, Politics and International Relations, delivered four presentations, two keynote addresses and two poster sessions, at the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) Open Science Conference in Norway, Aug. 8-19. Her keynotes, "Bridging Knowledge, Power, and Participation: Advancing Equity and Inclusion in Antarctic Research" and "Future Past, Imagined Futures, and the Sociocryosphere," examined power imbalances in polar science and the social and political forces shaping Antarctica's future. Her poster sessions, "Antarctic Governance Between Power and Possibility" and "Reimagining Antarctica," introduced an early-warning framework for governance risks and explored how communication and education can build public understanding of the region. The conference coincided with the announcement that Norway will host the International Coordination Office for the Fifth International Polar Year in 2032-33. Weeks has taught at Webster since 2008 and has received several teaching awards.

Adelia Chace

Adelia Chace, ESL adjunct full professor, published two contributions this year. Her article "Mock Interviews: Bridging Classroom Learning to Professional Success" appeared in TESOL Connections, the digital magazine of TESOL International Association, on May 15. The article outlines a three-stage process Chace developed to help international students build oral communication and interview skills for an increasingly AI-driven job market. Chace also contributed two classroom activities, "Using Visuals to Help Brainstorm Arguments" and "Enhancing Writing with Visual Comparisons," to the TESOL Press volume "New Ways in Teaching Visual Literacy," edited by Lisa Horvath and Susan Iannuzzi.

Allison Gorga

Allison Gorga, associate professor and director of criminology and criminal justice, was selected for the American Sociological Association's Policy Outreach Program Fellowship for the 2026-2027 academic year. As a POP Fellow, Gorga will partner with the Brookings Institution to write policy briefs and communicate research findings to policymakers, helping bridge the gap between sociological research and policy.

Jeffrey Carter

Jeffrey Carter, professor of music, was elected historian of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) at the organization's July national board meeting in San Antonio, capping four years as governor of its Central Region. Carter was also elected to the Nominating Committee for national officers and re-elected to the Investment Committee, which oversees NATS' investment funds. He has been a NATS member since 1990 and has served the association at the local, regional and national levels as an officer, adjudicator and conference presenter. Founded in 1944, NATS is the largest professional association of teachers of singing in the world, with more than 7,000 members in the United States, Canada and more than 35 other countries.

Ece Tuncel

Ece Tuncel, PhD, professor of organizational behavior in the Walker School of Business & Technology, received a $7,000 Negotiation and Team Resources research grant for her project "The AI in the Room: When Founders Follow Advice They Don't Endorse," which examines how AI is shaping entrepreneurial judgment in high-stakes decisions such as dividing equity with a cofounder. Earlier work on the project, supported by a Webster University Faculty Research Grant, helped lay the groundwork for securing the external funding. Tuncel also presented her research "Should I Ask? AI and the Decision to Negotiate" at the International Association for Conflict Management conference in Vienna, Austria, exploring how AI can help people navigate everyday workplace negotiations.