Loyola Faculty
Loyola is home to many distinguished faculty members who continually enrich themselves through research projects and extensive study, and then share that knowledge and discovery with students in the classroom, encouraging dialog and instilling in students an innate desire to learn.
Loyola professors seek to provide their students with applicable experiences that will better prepare them for their careers and life. Many faculty members offer students the opportunity to assist them in their research and thereby gain real-life, hands-on experience, while some faculty members oversee academic clubs that allow students to dive deeper into their area of study.
Below is some information on just a few of Loyola’s many distinguished faculty members, outlining their areas of interest, academic achievements, and educational background.
Robert Pond, Jr.
Position:
Associate professor of engineer science and department chair, associate dean of the natural sciences
Education:
B.E.S., Johns Hopkins University; M.S., Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania
Areas of interest:
Solidification, mechanical deformation and fracture, corrosion, nondestructive evaluation of materials, and failure of engineering systems
One of his larger projects: Dr. Pond served as an advisor on the phase II safety panel of Massachusetts’ Big Dig project. The $15 billion project, which began construction in 1991, was conceived to revitalize Boston and to help resolve the city’s excessive traffic congestion with a series of tunnels, motorways, and bridges. In 2006, following safety concerns, the project team hired an engineering firm and established a five-member panel of experts—including Dr. Pond—to critically review the firm’s work.
Technology leader:
With Robert Bailey, associate professor of engineering science, Dr. Pond is leading the integration of wireless HP tablet PCs in engineering computational tools courses—using an HP Technology for Teaching grant.
Diana Schaub
Position:
Professor of political science
Education:
A.B., Kenyon College; M.A., Ph.D., The University of Chicago
Presidential appointment:
George H.W. Bush appointed her in 2004 to the President’s Council on Bioethics, a body charged with advising the president on ethical issues related to advances in biomedical science and technology. Topics of concern include cloning, end-of-life issues, organ transplantation, and stem cell research.
Who opposed her appointment to the council:
Senator John Kerry, among others
Also a member of:
The Hoover Task Force on the Virtues of a Free Society, which brings together a group of scholars to clarify—and craft policies to support—the beliefs, practices, and associations on which liberty depends.
Her position on embryonic stem cell research:
That it resembles slavery in many ways; in a 2005 article her students told The Baltimore Sun that her views are not apparent in the classroom.
Contributing editor to:
The New Atlantis, a quarterly journal devoted to science and technology issues and their relation to social and political affairs.
Roger Eastman
Position:
Associate professor of computer science, department chair
Education:
B.A., University of Missouri; M.S., Ph.D., University of Maryland
Teaches:
Introductory programming, introduction to computer science, and computer imaging courses—three-dimensional graphics, user interface design and image processing
Research:
Dr. Eastman is helping lead a three-year, $2 million NIST project to develop standards for advanced robot vision systems. Loyola is partnering with Ford, General Motors, NASA, the Army Research Laboratory, Perdue University, and other organizations on the program.
Student scientists:
Dr. Eastman regularly involves students in his research—including in his work for NASA. His students have gone on to graduate study at University of Maryland-College Park, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, and Johns Hopkins.
Lia Purpura
Position:
Writer in residence, affiliate assistant professor of writing
Education:
B.A., Oberlin College; MFA, Iowa Writers’ Workshop
Her genre:
Essays and poems
Honors include:
On Looking, a collection of essays, was a National Book Critics Circle nominee in 2007, and one of its essays, Glaciology, received a Pushcart Prize in 2005. Her works have also been named among Best American Essays’ “Notable Essays” in 2004, 2005, 2007, and 2008.
Her latest book:
King Baby, published in 2008, is a collection of poems about an odd doll she and her young son found while walking in their Baltimore neighborhood.
Prior to joining the Loyola faculty:
Purpura received a Fulbright Fellowship to Poland.
Where you’ll find her:
She frequently gives readings on campus and throughout Baltimore. She has encouraged and arranged for her students to do the same, most recently at the Baltimore Book Festival in Fall 2008.
Has held visiting writer positions at:
University of Alabama, University of Iowa, Ohio State, Ohio University, and UNC-Wilmington. She has also held residencies at a number of writers’/artists’ colonies.
Joseph Walsh
Position:
Professor of classics and history, classics department chair
Education:
A.B., Fairfield University; M.A., State University of New York (Buffalo); Ph.D., University of Texas, Austin
His classes:
Greek and Latin and literature in translation and courses on the ancient world in the history and Catholic studies programs.
How great is his teaching?
In 2007, Dr. Walsh received the Excellence in Teaching at the College Level Award from the American Philological Association, the principal learned and professional society for classical studies in North America.
His published works:
Dr. Walsh has published in both American and European journals on the classical tradition, the Roman conquest of Greece, Charles Dickens, and early Christianity. He is also the author of a popular book, Were They Wise Men or Kings? The Book of Christmas Questions.
Fellow of:
The American School of Classical Studies in Athens and of the American Academy in Rome. He is also a recipient of a DAAD fellowship.
His blog:
http://blogs.loyola.edu/walsh/default.aspx
Richard Klink
Position:
Associate professor of marketing, department chair
Education:
B.S., Duquesne University; MBA, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh
Jobs he has held:
Accountant with KPMG Peat Marwick; market research analyst for a real estate firm; and market researcher and admissions specialist for the University of Pittsburgh
Specializes in:
New product development and management with a focus on branding issues—such as what to name new products and how to manage the name over the life of the product
Outside academia:
As a consultant, Dr. Klink has helped develop a business plan for a new oncology building at Johns Hopkins and contributed to the marketing plans of several new products represented by Nvision Product Design & Development.
How he gets students outside the classroom:
He incorporates service-learning by having students provide marketing support to non-profits.
And even further from the classroom:
Dr. Klink recently took his international marketing students to Europe to visit companies such as BMW, Lloyd's of London, and The Economist.