A new study by Dr. Carmen G. Montaña, assistant professor of biology, and Dr. Christopher Schalk, assistant professor of forest wildlife management, in the journal Neotropical Ichthyology highlights the effects of mercury contamination from gold mining operations on fish in the Mazaruni River, Guyana, South America.

Montaña has been working in Guyana and collaborating with local Guyanese scientists for several years. This new study investigated how mercury, which is used during gold mining extraction, is being transferred from the mining operations to fish, and ultimately, to humans via fish consumption.

In this study, Montaña and Schalk quantified not only mercury accumulation, but also biomagnification, in 39 fish species that are important food source for local riverine people living along this river. Results from this study suggest that the medium-to-large fishes eaten by local people contain high mercury levels exceeding the thresholds from the World Health Organization. The fish are the main protein source for local people along the Mazaruni River, but their continual consumption of these fish poses a risk to their health.

Pannell worked with a group of educational leadership researchers in Georgia to explore the programmatic experiences of current practicing school leaders. The study, "Evidence-based leadership preparation program practices: From the perceptions of rural school leaders in the southern region," was part of a larger University Council for Educational Administration initiative to explore current principal preparation program practices and identify ways to improve upon these practices to produce more effective school leaders. It was published in Georgia Educational Researcher.

School leadership is the second most influential factor on student achievement, behind the classroom teacher. Principals either directly or indirectly impact every facet of the school so it is imperative educational leadership preparation programs prepare leaders who are ready to face the challenges of today's schools. This study explored the perceptions of a group of current rural school leaders in Georgia to determine their preparedness to lead in a rural school setting based upon the coursework and experiential learning in their principal preparation program. Pannell is replicating this study in other regions to further explore rural and urban principal preparation practices.

The Steen Library's Convocation began Monday and will continue through Oct. 8. This year, the event is fully online. For more information, email Nancy Breen at breennl@sfasu.edu.

Steen Library’s second Reemergence Lecture Series session of the fall semester is planned from 3 to 5 p.m. today in the Wyatt Room, located on the first floor of Steen Library.

Dr. Jared Barnes, associate professor of agriculture, will present "Emergence: A Plant's Perspective."

The Early Childhood Laboratory is sponsoring the Be a Hero blood drive from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 24, at the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center's Donor Coach, which will be parked by the Janice A. Pattillo Early Childhood Research Center located at 2428 Raguet St.

To sign up to donate, click here, or visit the ECHL's new Facebook page.

SFA's Office of International Programs will present Global Gateway to Netherlands at 3 p.m. Friday, Sept. 24, in the Ferguson Building, Room 375.

SFA international students will give an informative and entertaining presentation on their home country.

Attendees also may view the presentation via Zoom.

Meeting ID: 935 4349 2800 Passcode: 783087

The Department of Kinesiology and Health Science is hosting the Texas American College of Sports Medicine Lecture Series at noon Oct. 20 in the McGee Business Building, Room 133.

Dr. Matt Green, associate dean of the college of education and human sciences at the University of North Alabama, will be the guest speaker and will present “Exercise and Perceptual Responses: Mediating Factors and Novel Applications."

SFA's Master of Science program in speech-language pathology is undergoing review for reaccreditation by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

The CAA is seeking community input on the program’s compliance with ASHA’s Standards for Accreditation of Graduate Education Programs in Speech-Language and will host a virtual public meeting from 4 to 4:30 p.m. Oct. 4.

A copy of the Standards for Accreditation and the CAA’s Policy on Public Comment may be obtained by contacting the accreditation office by mail at 2200 Research Boulevard #310, Rockville, MD 20850, by calling ASHA’s Action Center at 1-800-498-2071, or by accessing the online documents.

To register for the virtual public meeting, click here.

For more information, contact the program office at (936) 468-7109.

SFA's Organization for Women's Leadership and Equity, or OWLE, elected Dr. Lauren E. Brewer, associate professor of psychology, as their inaugural parliamentarian.

In this newly created position, Brewer will ensure the organization follows its bylaws and will act as a resource to the OWLE co-chairs in the conduct of the organization’s meetings. Additionally, Brewer will continue to serve as chair of the Governance Committee and will be responsible for updating and revising bylaws when necessary. Brewer was elected to serve a two-year term.

Those interested in joining the organization can email OWLE@sfasu.edu or visit the OWLE website.

The Axe Handle, SFA's one-stop shop for students' and parents' needs, had a successful August.

On average, the Axe Handle answered more than 252 calls per day. Axe Handle staff members have a question/answer success rate of 83%. Jack the chatbot experienced his busiest month ever, engaging in more than 2,300 conversations.

To see a full report, click here.

Moving operations will begin Oct. 6 for the 36-ton Shay locomotive located outside SFA's Forestry Building. Following its transport to Harbor Springs, Michigan, the Harbor Springs Area Historical Society and its partners will conduct much-needed renovations and display the locomotive where it will introduce visitors to the contributions of Ephraim Shay, inventor of the Shay locomotive and longtime Harbor Springs resident.

Built in October 1907 by the Lima Locomotive and Machine Works of Lima, Ohio, the two-truck Shay locomotive ferried countless loads of cut timber from East Texas forests to sawmills located in Manning and Camden, Texas, until the early 1920s. After remaining idle for nearly half a century at a railroad siding facility in Camden, the locomotive, originally owned by W. T. Carter and Brother Lumber Company, was donated to SFA in 1970. Since then, it, along with the accompanying Angelina County Lumber Company log car, has stood on the SFA campus as a symbol of the economic and cultural impact of the forest industry on the region.

Men's Golf

The team placed 12th in The University of Texas at San Antonio's Lone Star Invitational.

Volleyball

SFA - 3 vs. Prairie View A&M University - 0

SFA baseball coaches and players will make a special appearance at the inaugural Home Run Derby Fundraiser, hosted by the Piney Woods East Fellowship of Christian Athletes, planned for 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 23 at Jaycees Field.

For information or to register, visit fcapwe.org/homerun.

The SFA School of Theatre will present the student-directed full-length play “The Shadow Box” at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 24, and at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 25, in Regents' Suite A in the Baker Pattillo Student Center.

Directed by Houston senior Johana Lenington, “The Shadow Box” is written by Michael Cristofer. Winner of the 1977 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award for Best Play, “The Shadow Box” is about death and dying and explores the end-of-life experiences for three terminal cancer patients.

“The play follows the patients as they live out their last days with family and friends while they process the reality of their illnesses,” Lenington said.

Faculty production advisor for “The Shadow Box” is Rick Jones. The play is recommended for mature audiences.

For more information, including ticket prices, click the "Read More" button.

On Sept. 1, two Japanese sisters broke the Guinness World Record for the world’s oldest living identical twins.

Hopefully the pair gets along well because on that day, Umeno Sumiyama and Koume Kodama turned 107 years and 300 days old, and that’s a long time to spend together.

To read more about these record breakers, click here.