9 new faculty bring expertise to Cornell College

Cornell is welcoming nine new faculty members for the 2020–21 academic year. They come from all over the country to bring their knowledge and expertise to Cornell’s students. 

Jonathon Dreeze (history) will teach military, Russian, Soviet, European, and international history courses this year. His research interests focus on Communist Party propaganda in the Soviet Union, specifically in Kazakhstan, during Joseph Stalin’s rule over the country from 1929–1953. He is especially interested in how the mechanics of propaganda production and dissemination affects propaganda’s message and how people internalized the content. Dreeze holds a Ph.D. in history from Ohio State University.

Eduard Forehand (theatre and dance) will teach all of Cornell’s dance movement classes. His dance expertise lies in answering the question: What can dance do for you? He enjoys teaching about injury prevention through proper technique. Forehand has an M.F.A. in choreography from the University of Iowa. He was a professional ballet dancer for 18 years and says he has collaborated with just about every type of dancer imaginable. 

Tyler George (mathematics and statistics) will teach introductory and advanced statistics courses including Introduction to Time Series, and Advanced Regression Analysis. His professional interests lie in a wide range of topics including data science, data analytics, advanced regression, hypothesis testing, and statistics education. George holds a Ph.D. in Statistics and Analytics from Central Michigan University. 

Lewis Kanyiba (kinesiology) will teach Elementary Physical Education Methods, Secondary Physical Education, Adapted Physical Education, Motor Learning, Foundations of Kinesiology, and Individual/Family Life Education and Wellness. Kanyiba is interested in health and physical education pedagogy, sports and exercise psychology, and youth sports. He also enjoys studying sport administration, history and philosophy of physical education, and technology application in movement science. He holds a Ph.D. in physical education–teaching and administration from Springfield College.

Melanie King (mathematics and statistics) will teach linear algebra and calculus. King, who is originally from Atlanta, will be sharing her expertise in applied mathematics (math to solve real-world problems) with Cornell students. King has been a teaching assistant at the University of Iowa for the past five years where she also earned her Ph.D. in applied mathematics and computational sciences. Her research interests include applications of mathematics in image analysis and math education. Outside of mathematics her interests are broad and include a love for the arts: dance, music, and spoken word.

Alex McKenzie (art) will teach digital art and 2D art courses. McKenzie enjoys researching and studying sound design and sound design installation, digital and internet culture, and memetics. He previously taught at Catawba Valley Community College in Hickory, North Carolina, and his work has recently been exhibited at The Mint Museum of Art in (Charlotte, North Carolina), 500X Gallery (Dallas, Texas), and Project 1612 (Peoria, Illinois). He holds an M.F.A. in time-based art from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.

Christopher Nakielski (music) will direct Cornell choral ensembles and will teach Fundamentals of Music and Methods and Materials for Music Education. He’s interested in research related to Polish choral music during the fall of communism. Nakielski has taught at the high school and college level, most recently at Washington State University, and enjoys helping students become great teachers. He holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Choral Conducting and Pedagogy from the University of Iowa.  

David Zabner (computer science) will teach Foundations of Computer Science, Discrete Mathematics, and Data Analytics at Cornell College. Zabner’s area of expertise is computer science, computer science education, cloud data storage, and web development. In the past, he has worked as the web development lead instructor for Startup Institute and Instructor for Coding 101 at Tufts University. He was also a Lecturer at Beihua University for Cornell College as part of the partnership developed with the school in 2018. Zabner holds a master’s in computer science from Tufts University.

Dhanushka Kudathanthirige (physics and engineering) will teach Signals & Systems Analysis, Electricity and Magnetism, Digital Signal Processing, Communication Theory, and Wireless Communication System. He’s interested in research on communication theory, specifically its applications to wireless communication systems. His current research interests include designing and analyzing deep learning-based intelligent communication networks, millimeter-wave massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems, and smart wireless networks through reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RISs). He is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering.