Faculty accolades: Winter 2026

Pittsburg State University faculty are experts in their disciplines who regularly take part in service, leadership, and creative activity, and often earn state, regional, and national accolades. Through these experiences, they make a difference to their profession, to the university, and to the community.

Among the many recent difference-makers on our campus:

Business
Assistant Professor David Sikolia

Sikolia won The Paper-A-Thon at the International Conference on Information Systems 2025 The "paper hackathon" is designed to foster research collaborations, help scholars develop ideas and make connections, and accelerate publication review for promising projects. It begins with a two-day session in which researchers form project teams under the mentorship of senior Information Systems scholars. Teams pitch their projects to senior scholars, who select up to three for presentation at ICIS. After ICIS, selected papers may be supported toward journal submission.

College of Education
Assistant Provost/Associate Professor Mark Diacopoulos

Diacopoulos was honored by old Dominion University as a Darden Fellow from the Darden College of Education and professional Studies. Selected from a pool of 47,000 alumni, Darden Fellows are recognized for their significant contribution to their professional fields and for exemplifying service and excellence in their communities.

Diacopoulus earned his MSEd In Secondary Education in 2007 and his PhD in Curriculum and Instruction in 2018 from Old Dominion University. He began his career teaching high school history in England before teaching social studies and coaching soccer in Virginia. His passion for inquiry-based teaching and educational technology led to roles such as technology specialist and social studies coordinator while completing his doctoral studies.

Diacopoulos later served as a teacher educator in curriculum design and social studies methods, with a research focus on teacher education, technology integration, and educator identity. He currently serves as assistant provost, overseeing accreditation, assessment, and program review, and is known for his active mentorship and scholarship in education.

Assistant Professor Joanie Brillant

Brillant and her students participated in the Westside Elementary Family Night in partnership with Pittsburg Community Schools. Brillant guided Pitt State students in providing structured literacy learning activities for Westside students and families.

Chemistry
Assistant Professor Mazeyar Parvinzadeh Gashti

Gashti has received multiple grants for innovative research in sustainable materials and insect-repellent technologies. Most recently, he was awarded a crop and livestock research grant from the Kansas Department of Agriculture to develop corn starch-reinforced hemp geotextiles for soil stabilization and water conservation.

He also received a Phase II NSF SBIR project award in collaboration with InsectaPel, Inc., to develop a long-lasting insect repellent system based on coconut fatty acids and derivatives.

His work demonstrates a strong commitment to research that addresses real-world problems in agriculture and public health, contributing to both the university's research mission and community impact.

Health, Human Performance, and Recreation
Professor Janice Jewett

Jewett completed her term as president of the Kansas Recreation and Parks Association, earning her state and regional recognition for her leadership in the parks and recreation field. KRPA is a non-profit organization representing more than 1,800 members across Kansas, including professionals, agencies, board member, students, and retirees dedicated to advancing park and recreation services throughout the state.

During her time as president, Jewett helped guide initiatives that strengthen professional development, collaboration, and engagement across the field. The association hosted its annual conference with more than 525 professional attendees organizing four regional member meetings across the state and offered more than 30 educational workshops and training opportunities.

KRPA also supported more than 95 members pursuing professional certification, expanded strategic partnerships, and continued advocacy efforts such as support for Kansans for Conservation.

Jewett helped advance the mission of improving the quality of life in Kansas by providing high quality parks, recreation services, and outdoor spaces that serve millions of residents and visitors each year.

Manufacturing Engineering Technology
Assistant Instructional Professor Quentin Holmes

Holmes was named a Key Professor by the Foundry Educational Foundation, a national organization dedicated to supporting excellence in metal casting education.

Additionally, Pitt State's foundry program, part of the Crossland College of Technology, earned a five-year certification from FEF, showing the programs strong commitment to preparing students for careers in the manufacturing industry.

Technical Teacher Education
Professor Julie Danty

Dainty received the Leaders Award from the Kansas Association of Family and Consumer Sciences at the United Associations Conference. She played a critical role in preparing the next generation of Career and Technical Education educators across Kansas.

Dainty teaches graduate courses, advises future educators, and coordinates the Technical Teacher Education program. She also serves as the Family and Consumer Sciences mentoring consultant for the Kansas Center for Career and Technical Education, working with new teachers throughout the state.

Her leadership has strengthened Family and Consumer Sciences education, improved teacher preparation, and advanced research related to teacher retention and effective CTE programs, ultimately helping educators provide the highest quality of instructions to classes across the state.

In addition to her state recognition, she will receive a national award at the American Association of Family and consumer Sciences Annual Conference in Louisville, Kentucky.