Two University of Hartford faculty have been named North Star Collective Faculty Fellows for 2024: Mohammadmehdi Danesh, PhD, Assistant Professor of Architecture, College of Engineering, Technology, and Architecture (CETA); and Nayomi Walton, PhD, Assistant Professor of Nursing, College of Education, Nursing and Health Professions.
Affiliated with the New England Board of Higher Education, the North Star Collective (NSC) is a group of colleges and universities in the New England region that are committed to transforming their institutions and uplifting BIPOC faculty on their campuses. The vision for the NSC is two-fold: to support institution leaders in their transformative work and create spaces that nourish and uplift BIPOC faculty.
The NSC Faculty Fellowship is a semester-long fellowship that promotes healing and repair by providing a nourishing community of care, mentorship, and professional development for early-career BIPOC faculty in New England. The Fellowship is created by BIPOC faculty for BIPOC faculty to support their professional development. It is focused specifically on supporting fellows’ writing and publishing endeavors and overall well-being, which are both essential to advancement, tenure, and promotion. The Fellowship provides a support network for BIPOC faculty to help navigate the challenges they face in their academic careers, to promote wellness and healthy work-life balances, and to foster a community of care for Fellows’ holistic growth. The Fellowship is unique in its focus on racial trauma healing.
Nayomi Walton is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Hartford. She was awarded the Jonas Nurse Scholar Program Scholarship. Walton holds a PhD in nursing, a master’s degree in nursing, and a bachelor of science in nursing from the University of Connecticut. Walton’s research interests include improving the quality of life for people with dementia, improving care for people with psychiatric needs, and research related to enhancing the scholarship of teaching in the nursing profession.
Mohammadmehdi Danesh, an Assistant Professor at the University of Hartford, specializes in Sustainable Design, Building Science, and Resilient Buildings. With a prior role as an Assistant Professor at South Dakota State University and Keene State College, he has extensively taught Sustainable Design and High-Performance Building. His research, including a PhD dissertation, primarily focuses on enhancing energy efficiency in High-rise Buildings through Double Skin Façade optimization using Building Information Modeling. He has published several articles and a book chapter in his field and is proficient in various energy simulation and sustainable design software.