The excitement of innovative research and teaching projects becomes palpable while listening to Jana Hawley describe her work. As an assistant professor in the Textile and Apparel Management (TAM) department at MU, Hawley manages several ongoing projects related to electronic commerce, yet the initiatives she is most passionate talking about involve aspects of textile recycling. Hawley has been looking at clothing at numerous levels of "the discard stage," that is, clothing that people have thrown away as unwanted items.

Hawley's ongoing research regarding the business practices of an Old Order Amish community in Missouri, which emphasizes cooperation and sharing of resources over competition.

Amish women's quilting practices and codes for in-group use and out-group use; how the process of creating reflects community values whether creating "for hire" or "for family."

American mainstream misunderstanding of Amish communities, particularly their institutional rite of passage called rumspringa and their rules for the use of technology.