His research interests include graph partitioning and other optimization problems and software systems for experimental algorithmics. He holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in computer science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a B.S. in computer science and economics from American University.

William C. Bissell, assistant professor of anthropology and sociology, earned a Ph.D. in anthropology from University of Chicago in 1999 and taught several courses as lecturer in anthropology, social thought and analysis, and African and Afro-American studies at Washington University-St. Louis. He also holds an M.A. from Chicago and a B.A. in English literature from Columbia University. Former visiting part-time instructor of Spanish at Lafayette, Denise Galarza Sepúlveda joins the department of foreign languages and literatures as assistant professor. She earned a Ph.D. in Spanish from Emory University this year. She also holds an M.A. from Purdue University and a B.A. in English from University of Connecticut.

New faculty are (first row, L-R) Denise Galarza Sepúlveda, Sharon A. Jones; (second row, L-R) Jeffrey D. Helm, William C. Bissell, Alastair R. Noble; (back row, L-R) Jonathan W. Berry, Stephen J. Kurtz

Jeffrey D. Helm, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, comes to Lafayette following more than two years as general manager and lead engineer of a firm specializing in the design and sale of non-contacting measurement systems. He earned a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from University of South Carolina in 1999 with a dissertation on out-of-plane buckling of large, thin, middle crack tension specimens. He also holds B.S. and M.S. degrees from South Carolina.

Associate professor of civil and environmental engineering Sharon A. Jones comes from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology where she directed the M.S. degree program and undergraduate minor in environmental engineering. She holds a Ph.D. in engineering and public policy, with an emphasis on environmental engineering, from Carnegie Mellon University and earned an M.P.A. in public works policy from California State University-Long Beach, M.E. in civil engineering from University of Florida, and B.S. in civil engineering from Columbia University.

Stephen J. Kurtz, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering, earned a Ph.D. in structural engineering from Rutgers University in 2000. He was assistant professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia. His research interests include structural repair and retrofit, fire-safe composites, high- performance concrete, fiber-reinforced concrete, and nondestructive test methods. Kurtz also earned an M.S. in structural engineering, B.S. in civil engineering, and B.A. in economics from Rutgers.

Assistant professor of art Alastair R. Noble has displayed his sculptures and other works in several solo exhibitions and many group shows during the last 25 years. He was visiting professor of sculpture at Cornell University, and has also taught at Cedar Crest College and Brookdale Community College, Lincroft, N.J., among others. He holds an M.F.A. from Rutgers University and a B.A. from Hull College of Art, England.