My areas of interest in scholarship have always focused on learning more about meaning and meaning making.  From performance studies, laughter, and art I have investigated how we use language and communication to make sense out of our world.  I have focused on creativity as an important factor in effective communication and meaning-making and I anticipate continuing to investigate that topic from a variety of perspectives in the future.

ACADEMIC PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS

bulletDirected Reader’s Theatre production “The Marriage of Savatri and Satyavan” which was taped for CUTV Fall 2000
bullet“Stories as Building Blocks in the Architecture of the Classroom”  panelist at Eastern Communication Association Conference, Pittsburgh, PA, April 27-30, 2000.
bullet“Stories that survive:  Focusing Memetic Theory Through the Lens of Gebserian Consciousness Structures.”  Presented at the XXIII Annual Conference of the International Jean Gebser Society, November 5-7, 1998.
bullet"Myth Creation and Imagination."  Presented at the XXI International Jean Gebser Society Conference, Athens, OH, October 29th - November 1st, 1997.
bullet"Michael Scott and the Role of Irish Storytelling."  Presented at the Midatlantic Regional Annual Conference of the American Conference for Irish Studies, California, PA, November 10-11, 1995.
bullet"Listening to Self: The Creative Process" presented at the International Listening Association Conferences, Boston, MA March 1993.
bullet"Finding Women's Resources on the Internet" presented at the PA-SSHE Women's Consortium Conference, East Stroudsburg, October 22-23, 1994.
bullet"Oral Histories:  What Working-class women of Southwestern Pennsylvania Say about Listening in their Marriages" presented at the International Listening Association conference, Seattle, WA March 7-10, 1992.
bulletQualitative Research Workshop International Listening Association Annual Conference, Seattle, WA, March, 1992.
bullet"Experiential Mosaic of Aesthetic Listening" presented at the International Listening Association Conference, Seattle, WA, March, 1992.
bullet"The Functions of Laughter in Empathetic Listening." presented at the International Listening Association Annual Conference, Jacksonville, FL, March, 1991.
bullet"Pedagogical Issues of Gender in Text Performance." presented at Eastern Communication Association Conference, Philadelphia, PA, April 19-21, 1990.
bullet"Communicating to Learn:  A Study in Application." presented at Speech and Writing Conference, Canadian speech Communication Association, June 2-4, 1989.
bullet"Interpreting Literature Crossculturally." presented at Eastern Communication Association Conference, Ocean City, MD, May 4-7, 1989.
bullet"A Voice Cries Out:  Reading Hour” Original Poetry reading emphasizing the convention theme "Communicating in a Multicultural World."  Eastern Communication Conference, Ocean City, MD, May 1989.
bullet"Listening to Laughter." Workshop presented at the International Listening Association Annual Conference, Atlanta, GA, March 1989.
bulletPh.D. Dissertation presented to the Pennsylvania State University Graduate School in 1980:  Perception of Laughter and Its Acoustic Properties.
bulletMasters Thesis presented to Eastern Michigan University Graduate School 1977:  A Model of the Interpersonal Communicative Functions of Laughter.
bullet"Laughter as Communication:  Intercultural Implications." International Communication Conference, Acapulco, Mexico.  June 1980