Celebrating National Arts and Humanities Month with the CEAH

We at the Center for Excellence in the Arts and Humanities invite you to join us in celebrating National Arts and Humanities Month at the CEAH Fall Reception. We will hear from ISU faculty whose scholarship has benefited from CEAH funding.

Previous CEAH Grant Recipients to speak the reception:

Rachel Meyers

Rachel Meyers (PhD Duke University) is Associate Professor of Classical Studies in the Department of World Languages and Cultures and Director of the Classical Studies Program. Meyers has diverse research interests in the material culture and social history of the ancient Roman world. Her scholarship is centered broadly on Roman art, architecture, and social history and, more specifically, on women in the Roman world and imperial representation and propaganda. In addition, Meyers explores the functions and values of the practice of benefaction in the Roman Empire. Her research encompasses a large body of evidence, including marble portraits and portrait statues, coinage, architectural monuments, written documents, and inscriptions. She is currently working on projects that document and examine benefactions by women across the Roman world and sculptural displays within urban contexts in Roman Hispania.

Sinem Sonsaat-Hegelheimer

Sinem Sonsaat-Hegelheimer is an assistant professor in the Applied Linguistics and Technology Program at ISU. Sinem’s research interests include pronunciation teaching, the use of GenAI for pronunciation instruction, materials evaluation and development, and teacher training. She published her work in TESOL Quarterly, Speech Communication, Language Teaching Research, Journal of Second Language Pronunciation, TESOL Journal, and CATESOL Journal. Sinem is the co-editor of Second language pronunciation: Bridging the gap between research and practice (Wiley Blackwell) with John M. Levis and Tracey M. Derwing. Additionally, she was the chair of Speech Pronunciation and Listening Interest Section (SPLIS) of TESOL International association between 2020-2021 and is the editor of AAALetter of American Association of Applied Linguistics (AAAL) since 2024.

Alenka Poplin

Alenka Poplin is an Associate Professor of Geoinformation Science at Iowa State University, where she directs the Game Design Major and GeoGames Lab. Her interdisciplinary research explores geogames, game design for community engagement, digital participation, and mapping emotions and places. She develops and studies games that connect people with real-world environments and support learning, participation, and positive societal change. Poplin holds a PhD in Geoinformation Science from Vienna University of Technology, an MBA from Clemson University, and a Master of Surveying from the University of Ljubljana. Her work bridges game design, geospatial technologies, urban planning, and human-centered approaches to engagement.