Meet the Team

Hasitha Mahabaduge received his Bachelor of Science degree in Computational Physics from the University of Colombo, Sri Lanka, and his PhD in Physics from the University of Toledo, Ohio. He is currently serving as an Associate Professor of Physics and the Director of Vertically Integrated Projects Program at Georgia College & State University. He was inducted to the Felton Jenkins, Jr. Hall of Fame for Excellence in Teaching in 2020 by the University System of Georgia, and was named a Fellow of the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. Prior to joining GCSU, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the National Renewable Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado. He was instrumental in setting the world record for the highest efficient flexible Cadmium Telluride solar cell, and won the NREL Director’s Award for Outstanding Research. His research interests include fabrication and characterization of solar cells. As a Physics Education researcher, he has held several fellowships including the University System of Georgia Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (USG-SoTL) Fellowship and the Governor's Teaching Fellowship. His research is funded through NSF and Georgia Research Alliance.

Dr. Ania Izabela Rynarzewska has been an Assistant Professor in Marketing at J. Whitney Bunting College of Business and Technology since 2022. She received her Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, and PhD from Florida State University, where she also played on the Division I women’s tennis team. After graduation, she worked as a global pricing analyst at Corning Cable System. Prior to her appointment at GCSU, she played an instrumental role in designing and implementing a Master of Science in Business Analytics at Mercer University, which she later directed. Her research focused on social media marketing, including influencers and the dark side of marketing. She teaches research and decision making in marketing, marketing analytics, and social media marketing.

Dr. Christina C. Smith, an associate professor of communication in the Department of Communication, earned her Ph.D. in in mass communications in 2015 from the University of Iowa. She teaches an array of courses within the department’s curriculum, including feature writing, enterprise journalism, magazine production, senior career development, and professional media writing. Before joining the academy, Dr. Smith worked in the newspaper industry for more than a decade as a daily and weekly news reporter. As a scholar, Dr. Smith’s primary research interests focus on news-academic partnerships as contemporary journalistic business models and community journalism, specifically the role of U.S. journalism and journalists in rural towns. Her community journalism expertise has made her a routine source for a variety of news outlets, including T_he New York Times_ and _National Public Radio._ She has published award-winning scholarly works in N_ewspaper Research Journal, Community Journalism Journal_, and _Teaching Journalism and Mass Communication Journal_. Additionally, her leadership extends from serving as the Department of Communication’s former Mass Communication Coordinator to serving on University Senate to serving as former head chair of the Community Journalism Interest Group for the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.

Katie Smith (she/her/hers) is an Administrative Assistant II (primarily working with the Center for Teaching and Learning here at GCSU) from Ivey, Georgia. She assists MURACE in supporting undergraduate student travel to present research. She is also a non-traditional third-year student, majoring in management information systems. When not working or studying, Katie loves to spend time with family and friends. Katie's favorite part of her work with MURACE is getting the chance to work with some very awesome people! Katie's favorite things to research are gluten-free recipes, growing houseplants, and personal finance. 

Haley (she/her/hers) is an English literature student here at GCSU, set to graduate with her BA in December and to start the MA program next spring. She works at the Georgia College Writing Center alongside MURACE, doing web design for both campus entities. After graduation, Haley hopes to get her MA in literature at Georgia College and then go on to be a business analyst or copy editor. She loves her dog, her friends, and her family!

Joel Saucedo (he/him/his) is a second-year physics major. He is interested in renewable energy and fundamental physics, having conducted undergraduate research at both Georgia College and Duke University. He is interested in connecting motivated students to opportunities through the MURACE Student Research Circle. "This is an environment that's ripe for cultivating new heights of passionate, multidisciplinary practitioners and future leaders in the world," he said, “aligned with values our society is in desperate need of.”

Alexandra is a senior biology/Spanish double major, with a minor in Latin American and Caribbean Studies. Alexandra is from Johns Creek, GA. She has been involved in biology research since January 2022, working with Dr. Arnab Sengupta to study mRNA translation regulation. She has presented at numerous research conferences, from Wisconsin all the way to Germany. She has such a strong passion for research that she is pursuing graduate school, where she plans to obtain a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology or Biochemistry. She loves animals, movies, and crocheting.

Sarah is a senior marketing major with a concentration in sales, thrilled to utilize her skills as the Social Media Marketing Assistant for MURACE. Sarah envisions post-graduate adventures exploring global perspectives on social media marketing. Beyond her professional aspirations, Sarah enjoys live music, spending time with friends and family, playing tennis, and creating designs in art and/or fashion.