Diana Napolitano — ϲ Wed, 09 Oct 2024 14:52:57 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.2 50 Years of Advancing Language Proficiency for a Multilingual World /blog/2024/10/09/50-years-of-advancing-language-proficiency-for-a-multilingual-world/ Wed, 09 Oct 2024 14:50:48 +0000 /?p=204101 A vintage film projector with spinning reels casts a beam of light, set against a vibrant background of blue and purple smoke.In 1974, students wearing mood rings and flared pants strode across campus, toting paperback copies of “Jaws” or “Carrie” while making plans to see “The Great Gatsby” or “The Godfather Part II” at the local movie theater (where tickets cost less than $2).

They were also witnesses to major political events, such as President Richard Nixon stepping down after the Watergate scandal and President Gerald Ford taking office (and being memorably lampooned the next year on new television program “Saturday Night Live”). At ϲ, a less known yet still consequential development occurred.

That year, the department that became  was born.

On July 1, five College of Arts and Sciences departments came together to become “one new department under the chairmanship of Louis W. Roberts,” according to a press release from the time. The Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures unified the former individual departments of classics, German, linguistics, Romance languages and Slavic languages and literatures to create, as then-Dean Kenneth Goodrich noted, “a needed synthesis of the traditional and the progressive in the field of foreign language and literature education.”

Press release from ϲ announcing the formation of a new department under Louis W. Roberts. The department will include Classics, German, Linguistics, Romance Languages, and Slavic Languages, starting July 1, 1974.

Excerpt from the 1974 news release creating LLL’s forerunner (Photo courtesy of the Special Collections Research Center)

The department’s name was changed under Dean Robert Jensen to “Languages, Literatures and Linguistics” in 1995 to recognize the breadth of world languages and cultures being taught and the strength of the linguistics program.

As part of celebrating its 50 years as a multilingual, multicultural department, the Department of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics (LLL) is hosting a film series this semester, including a discussion evening on Oct. 30. “Film is a critical medium through which students can develop cultural and linguistic competencies,” says , professor of Spanish and LLL chair.

The films span genres, cultures and times, reflecting the department’s commitment to global perspectives and the exploration of language through art.

The film series includes the following screenings:

October

  • “” (Italy, 1994)—Oct. 9, 5:30 p.m., Kittredge Auditorium
  • “” (France, 2023)—Oct. 10, 7 p.m., Kittredge Auditorium
  • “” (France, 2011)—Oct. 17, 7 p.m., Kittredge Auditorium
  • “” (Lebanon, 2018)—Oct. 18, 2 p.m., 341 Eggers
  • “” (Italy, 1975)—Oct. 23, 5:30 p.m., Kittredge Auditorium
  • “” (France, 2012)—Oct. 24, 7 p.m., Kittredge Auditorium
  • “” (Taiwan, 2010)—Oct. 28, 7 p.m., 113 Eggers
  • —Oct. 30, 5:30-10 p.m., Kittredge Auditorium:
    • “There’s Still Tomorrow” (Italy, 2023)
    • “Perfect Days” (Germany, Japan, 2023)

November

  • “” (Germany, 2012)—Nov. 4, 6:45 p.m., Kittridge Auditorium
  • “” (Italy, 2023)—Nov. 14, 6:30 p.m., Kittredge Auditorium
  • “” (Soviet Union, Japan, 1977)—Nov. 21, 11 a.m., 107 Huntington Hall
  • “Mal-Mo-E: The Secret Mission” (Korea, 2019)—TBD

For more information about the film series, contact Gail Bulman.

Other events celebrating LLL’s 50th anniversary in 2024 included the annual Wor(l)ds of Love Valentine’s Day poetry festival in February, Women across the World events in March, theater and musical performances, an LLL majors and minors’ celebration and the department’s annual Culture(s) on the Quad in April.

Spring 2025 event dates will be announced at a later time.

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How the Eclipse May Change What You See and Sense /blog/2024/04/04/how-the-eclipse-may-change-what-you-see-and-sense/ Thu, 04 Apr 2024 22:17:20 +0000 /?p=198547

solar eclipseWhen the moon completely blocks the sun on April 8, you’ll notice more than the darkness. Here are some things you may pick up on. If you don’t, that’s OK. There may be variation depending on your location, your area’s geography and other factors. But it’s still fun to keep an eye out for these potential changes!

You’ll feel colder.

With the entire sun blocked, temperatures will drop, potentially up to 10 degrees in mountainous areas. Plus, April is the cruelest month weatherwise if you are in the Northeast, so be sure you’ve got an extra layer handy.

You may also feel more humidity.

This is because the dew point, which measures how much moisture is in the air, and the air temperature start converging, making the air feel damper during the eclipse.

You’ll notice a change in the breeze.

The abrupt shift to darkness sets off changes in the atmosphere, which cause winds to weaken and shift direction.

Clouds may disappear.

Fluffy, fair weather (cumulus) clouds are formed by heat rising from the Earth’s surface. They may dissipate, thanks to less heat being reflected off during totality.

You may experience cell or GPS disruption.

Radio waves and satellite communications, including cell service and GPS, may be temporarily disrupted. This is because the abrupt blocking of the sun’s radiation causes changes to the ions in the upper atmosphere, which in turn affects how the radio and satellite waves can (or cannot) pass through. Any blips in service should disappear after the eclipse passes.

Fish may be biting, but boaters may be seasick.

Sunlight will be dim about an hour before and after the eclipse. This will stimulate nighttime behaviors in some animals, including fish who feed in lower light. If you are planning a fishing trip during the eclipse, plan to be on the water at that time. You may also experience the rough waters of a high spring tide then, with the moon being in its new phase (a condition for a solar eclipse), so you may just want to stay on dry land to view the eclipse!

Flying will give you a whole new perspective.

It’s safe to fly during the eclipse. In fact, skies may be even friendlier with airlines offering special flights along the path of totality. Even if you can’t book those flights (many sold out immediately), you can still find routes that will let you see part of the eclipse’s path. Check out this information from and .

(Notice anything interesting during the eclipse? Tell NASA! .)

Visit the for more helpful information and interesting facts. Check out a Q&A with Walter Freeman, an associate teaching professor of physics in A&S, about his take on the solar eclipse and information on campus events on April 8.

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‘Moving Forward’: 10-Minute Performances on the Quad April 13 /blog/2023/04/10/moving-forward-10-minute-performances-on-the-quad-april-13/ Mon, 10 Apr 2023 22:48:03 +0000 /?p=186882 “Two minds are better than one,” the saying goes. For many of us, collaboration with colleagues helps us creatively reframe our thinking and better achieve our goals.

Likewise, humanities scholars benefit from cross-pollinating their ideas. Working with colleagues within and beyond their home institutions and across disciplines helps researchers identify new lines of inquiry and develop projects that can be richer and more wide-ranging than they might otherwise be. In addition to fostering innovation, collaboration deepens intellectual community and widens scholarly impact.

head shot

Gail Bulman

Thanks to the , Gail Bulman and fellow humanist faculty have access to a vibrant network of potential partners throughout the region. The corridor is an 11-institution endowed research consortium supported by an award from the : its administrative home is at the . The consortium supports a robust roster of working groups and provides seed funding to encourage collaborative activities among researchers pursuing similar interests.

For Bulman, in the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics, the corridor and its ALACI (Afro-Latin American, Latinx, Caribbean, and Indigenous) working group enabled her to take the PICS theater project—a festival of 10-minute performances on thought-provoking topics—beyond ϲ to new audiences, performers and partners.

head shot

Vivian May

“ALACI-PICS 2023 blends research with performance to invite audiences to reflect on a range of lived experiences across cultural and national boundaries,” says Vivian May, professor of women’s and gender studies and director of the Humanities Corridor and of the ϲ Humanities Center. “This year’s ALACI Signature Event builds on layers of collaboration, enhances networks around questions of performance, race, and place, and focuses on interactivity and engagement. These collaborations are having important curricular and scholarly impacts across the region.”

A Fulbright Global Scholar

Bulman specializes in Latin American theater and literature. This semester, she is traveling on a Fulbright Global Scholar award to Argentina, Peru and Spain, researching the community-based artistic form (“micro theater”), founded in Madrid in 2009 and now expanded to Argentina (pictured), Peru, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Colombia and Miami.

Microteatro offers a unique approach to theater: its productions are works of 15 minutes for audiences of 15 spectators, conducted in multiple theater spaces of less than 15-by-15 square meters. The rooms are grouped together with a central area for socializing. Plays are presented several times each evening for rotating audiences, and each performance focuses on a topic of concern, such as the environment, migration or discrimination. By viewing many short performances on the same topic in small quarters, audiences are encouraged to reflect more deeply and encounter more diverse perspectives on the topic—and potentially find a way forward for that issue.

poster on wall with words microteatro rosanoThis theatrical form’s capacity to educate and catalyze social action is what Bulman and other Corridor colleagues are trying to recreate in Central New York through ALACI-PICS.

“Performance is something people experience and enjoy together as a community, and it can be a less threatening way to talk about challenging topics,” Bulman says. “The intimacy created through impactful performances staged in close quarters can inspire spectators to reflect on, discuss and move toward action on important community matters.”

Bulman’s research on Microteatro was the seed of a collaboration closer to home.

Joining Forces, Seeing Results

Bulman wasn’t the only one interested in examining the power and potential of this form of theater.

Several scholars from different institutions had already known each other from conferences or had been working together through the CNY Humanities Corridor in the working group, which focuses on Latin American and Latinx literatures and cultures.

Two years ago, Bulman—a member of other corridor working groups—joined with some of those individuals to create a new working group, (Afro-Latinx, Latin American, Caribbean and Indigenous Performance), with co-organizers at Colgate University, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, and Cornell University. Working group participants came from ϲ, Colgate, Cornell, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, SUNY Oswego, SUNY Albany and the University of Rochester.

Their shared vision was to explore theater and live performance as a tool for equity and social justice, especially in the diversity of productions emerging from Spanish-speaking regions.

Being part of the MP7: ALACI Corridor group has helped to expand collaborations across the region, enhance creativity and deepen diversity in PICS productions.

“I love the expansion of possibilities in, for instance, our multi-year discussion of microteatro as a concept and performance form,” says working group organizer Debra Ann Castillo, the Stephen H. Weiss Presidential Fellow, Emerson Hinchliff Chair of Hispanic Studies, professor of comparative literature, and director of the migration studies minor at Cornell. “Personally, it’s great to hang out with smart, positive people who always make me think more deeply!”

Since 2021, the ALACI working group has implemented a new vision of the Microteatro model—PICS (Performing Identities Across Cultures)—throughout Central New York and beyond. For example, previous PICS performances were by students and faculty from Colgate, Cornell, University of Rochester, SUNY Oswego, Penn State University and ϲ.

ALACI’s work is garnering recognition at the national level, with the group being selected in 2021 and 2022 to present its work at the National Humanities Conference. Bulman and ϲ professors , and presented “Performing Identities Across Cultures (PICS): A Collaborative Arts Model to Expand Dialogues on (In)justice” at the National Humanities Conference in Los Angeles in November 2022.

“The corridor broadens and deepens our collective knowledge base,” says Bulman. “Not just for faculty, but also for graduate students and undergrads too.”

Working group organizer Osvaldo Sandoval-Leon, assistant professor of Spanish at Colgate University, notes, “This group has led me to rethink certain aspects of my research and teaching. I found valuable sources that I could incorporate not only in my academic articles, but also in the classroom. At the personal level, being able to participate in this diverse group has…created a sense of belonging and community.”

Alyeska Reimer, a senior double major in Spanish and theater management at ϲ, has worked on PICS for three years, advertising and promoting the event and participating on the selection committee and with operations. “PICS has opened my eyes about finding different perspectives and taking different approaches,” says Reimer. “I’ve been able to meet new people and keep my mind open to new experiences. It’s made me see art in a new way.”

Working with PICS helped Reimer win a , which she used to travel to Chile in January 2023 to do research on the Santiago a Mil International Theater Festival, now in its 30th year.

“Moving Forward”: ALACI-PICS as Corridor Signature Event for 2023

PICS, an annual performing arts festival, showcases diverse perspectives and encourages new dialogues around themes such as “Recharging Home (2022), “Together-Apart” (2021) and “We are Orange” (2020). It began four years ago at ϲ and is part of the , funded by a CUSE grant for Innovative and Interdisciplinary Research.

The 2023 PICS festival, now ALACI-PICS thanks to CNY Humanities Corridor support, takes place Thursday, April 13, from 3-6:30 p.m. in tents on the ϲ Quad. This year’s performances will center on the theme of Moving Forward to explore questions such as, how do we move forward as individuals and as communities in the face of a global pandemic, racial violence and unprecedented human-caused and natural disasters? Students and faculty from across Central New York applied to be part of the event earlier this year, and winners will each receive a $500 award to support their performance.

“Moving Forward involves the reconstruction and redefinition of a past that might be painful and uncomfortable, but necessary to reevaluate its effects on our communities,” says Bulman. “It ties to questions of migration, mobility, unrest, belonging and change.”

Performance Highlights

Diverse topics and approaches are reflected in ALACI-PICS 2023. Some performances are bilingual in Spanish, Igbo or Greek. Others reflect Latin American and/or Latinx experiences, examine gender violence or highlight autism. Given ALACI’s focus, several performances will highlight African cultures and Indigenous cultures, such as:

  • “Reflejo,” about South American Indigenous roots
  • “N’ihu, N’ihu” reflecting on Igbo spirituality
  • “122 Rows” highlighting and mourning violence toward African Americans in the U.S.

What to Know About ALACI-PICS

Check the full for specific events.

person sitting on a stool reading from a book to an audienceAll are welcome to attend ALACI-PICS 2023, including ϲ students, faculty and the surrounding community. A series of short, original pieces will be performed live on the ϲ Quad on April 13, 2023, beginning at 3 p.m. Additional video performances will be shown on the big screen in Schine Center student atrium from noon to 3 p.m. that day.

PICS plays, organized around the theme Moving Forward, are 10 minutes each, staged in tents for up to 25 spectators, and repeated four times to maximize engagement. Socializing, reflection, and discussion—key to the experience—are encouraged!

Check the full and the for specific events.

Language Matters

ALACI-PICS 2023 is part of a larger, CUSE grant-funded , April 13-14, also thematically organized around the concept Moving Forward. Scholars, artists and community experts will present work focused on cultures and languages across the curriculum, in particular questions of “language in action” in the community; language and human security; performance, cultures and identity; and digitally open borders.

Notably, many Language Matters’ research strands had their origins, inspiration, and some funding from engagement with other CNY Humanities Corridor working groups, specifically Amanda Brown’s and Stefano Giannini’s work with , Rania Habib’s collaborations in and Maria Emma Ticio Quesada’s work with .

The Language Matters conference is free and open to the public and will culminate with a keynote presentation by journalist Stephen Marche, who will speak about “The Chatbot Problem: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Language” on Friday, April 14, at 3 p.m. in Room 001 of the Life Sciences Building.

Check the full and the for specific events.

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A Warm Winter Welcome to Newest Arts and Sciences Faculty /blog/2023/01/26/a-warm-winter-welcome-to-newest-arts-and-sciences-faculty/ Thu, 26 Jan 2023 21:34:00 +0000 /?p=184094

Continuing its trajectory of robust faculty hiring in , the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) announces the following new professors in the humanities and the sciences, whose appointments began in January 2023.

“We are pleased and proud that these new professors are joining our A&S community of top-tier faculty and high-achieving students,” says Interim Dean Lois Agnew. “With their unparalleled subject matter expertise and dedication to teaching, they will be instrumental in helping students gain the flexibility and knowledge needed for success, wherever the future takes them.”

Read more about their research and teaching interests in the profiles below.

African American Studies

Dima

, professor and department chair

Dima is a film specialist interested in sound studies (how cinematic sound generates its own stories and sonic spaces), cultural studies and tracing the genealogy of meaning in African visual texts. While his main interest lies in African Francophone cinema, he has also researched and written about French cinema, film theory, Hitchcock, Tarantino/American auteur cinema and other topics.

“I aim to nurture a relationship built on mutual trust and open communication with my students, through the core teaching philosophy of the liberal arts: close student-teacher interaction, a sense of openness and flexibility, underlining the importance of finding one’s passion and offering students the tools to realize that passion.”

Earth and Environmental Sciences

, assistant professor
(joint appointment in civil and environmental engineering in the College of Engineering and Computer Science)

Mohammed’s research focuses on the hydrology and hydrogeology of environments undergoing rapid changes due to climate change and increased development. He is interested in the movement of water, energy and chemicals through landscapes, and their interacting effects on hydrologic processes such as permafrost thaw, groundwater recharge, seawater intrusion and contaminant transport.

Aaron Mohammed and Joshua Russell portraits

Mohammed (left) and Russell

His research aims to improve understanding of, and ability to predict, hydrological processes in a changing climate and develop management strategies to enhance the resiliency of water and ecosystem resources.

, assistant professor

Russell specializes in seismology. His research uses measurements of ground vibrations from seismic waves to create images of Earth’s interior and illuminate its structure, composition and dynamics. This involves collecting new datasets from unexplored reaches of the globe as well as developing leading-edge computational and analytical tools. He teaches courses in Earth science, earthquake seismology and geophysical imaging and is a member of ϲ’s Energy and Environment Research Cluster.

“Central to my teaching philosophy is a lowering of the divide between teaching and research in order to bring the excitement of research and scientific discovery into the classroom. Development of data-driven lectures are a key component of this effort. By infusing openly available datasets directly into lectures via interactive elements, students can explore complex phenomena and ideas in an approachable way.”

Maria Pettolina portrait

Pettolina

Forensics

, professor of practice

Pettolina is a forensic expert with more than a decade of experience. She has been involved in thousands of cases and has appeared as an expert witness in numerous trials. She has more than 1200 hours of specialized certificate training and is certified as a senior crime scene analyst through the International Association of Identification.

“My teaching philosophy aims to enhance student engagement through an active learning method that cultivates critical thinking and students’ analytical abilities. I aim to bring an open mind, a positive approach and high expectations to my classroom. I encourage my students to review past and current research on national best practices and I expose my students to hands-on approaches to contribute to the body of research. My pedagogical focus is to develop the next leading forensic experts in the field.”

Languages, Literatures and Linguistics

, assistant professor

Singerman is a linguist specializing in the Indigenous languages of the Amazon Basin. Since 2013, he has conducted field research into Tuparí, a Brazilian language spoken by approximately 350-400 people. His research seeks to contextualize Tuparí grammar in the broader landscape of linguistic typology and to investigate areas of Tuparí grammar of interest to linguistic theory. His research synthesizes various strands of linguistic inquiry, including historical linguistics.

Adam Singerman and Lauren Surovi portraits

Singerman (left) and Surovi

“My goal as a teacher of linguistics is to present material in a way that builds upon my students’ innate knowledge as speakers/signers of natural languages, while also challenging them to recognize the value—cultural, historical, intellectual—of minoritized languages, including Indigenous languages. I provide my students with plenty of opportunities to work directly with data; by doing so, I aim to show them the major empirical phenomena that have motivated the development of linguistic theory.”

, assistant teaching professor and Italian language program coordinator

Surovi specializes in Italian Renaissance literature and culture and has taught both undergraduate and adult learners. She also has extensive experience with college in prison initiatives. Surovi is an active member of several professional associations in Italian and Renaissance studies and has also published a number of book reviews in journals such as Italica, Forum Italicum and Quaderni d’italianistica.

“My teaching promotes a communicative, multiliteracy approach in the classroom and encourages a welcoming and positive environment that motivates students to move beyond their comfort zone to discover new perspectives through the study of Italian language, literature and culture.”

Physics

, assistant professor

Mansell’s research background is in optics, lasers and instrumentation for interferometric ground-based gravitational-wave detectors. Her Ph.D. research was on squeezed states of light for gravitational-wave detectors and her postdoctoral work was on commissioning the advanced LIGO (laser interferometer gravitational-wave observatory) detectors. She will be building an inclusive research group at ϲ and setting up a new lab space focused on testing technologies for future gravitational-wave detectors.

Georgia Mansell and Alex Nitz portraits

Mansell (left) and Nitz

“I hope to share my knowledge and excitement around experimental physics with students. I plan to maintain close ties to the LIGO observatories and hope to send students to the sites to work on gravitational-wave detector hardware. Some of the technical skills integral to gravitational-wave detection include classical and quantum optics, electronics, controls and mechanical design. I also strongly believe in the importance of diverse collaboration.”

, associate professor

Nitz’s research focuses on understanding the Universe with gravitational-wave astronomy and the astrophysics of compact objects. He has contributed to the detection of the first observed binary black hole merger (GW150914) and neutron star merger (GW170817). His interests include the study of neutron stars, black holes and dark matter in addition to high-performance data analysis techniques and the development of next-generation gravitational-wave observatories.

“My hope is to share the excitement of scientific discovery and the wonder present in the Universe around us. Students should see how cutting-edge science is conducted while getting opportunities inside and outside the classroom to explore and work with publicly available astronomy datasets. My goal is for students to cultivate their curiosity in addition to their critical thinking capabilities.”

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Arts and Sciences Faculty, Students and Alumni Take Fresh Look at Key Curricular Requirements /blog/2022/03/11/as-faculty-students-and-alumni-take-fresh-look-at-key-curricular-requirements/ Fri, 11 Mar 2022 14:08:34 +0000 /?p=174321

Think how much life has changed in the past few decades. Technology alone has evolved exponentially—flip phones and Myspace, anyone?

To ensure the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) curriculum is reflecting and responding to this social and cultural transformation, Dean Karin Ruhlandt has charged a cross-disciplinary committee from the College of Arts and Sciences | Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs with a major overhaul of the foundational , which last took place more than two decades ago.

“As we embark on the important work of reexamining and reimagining the LAC, we’ll be exploring innovative ways to enhance students’ learning, while preparing them to take on longstanding issues such as social justice, climate change and medicine, health and well-being—some of A&S’ historic areas of academic strength,” Ruhlandt says.

Through the carefully crafted LAC, students in A&S | Maxwell have a foundational, flexible roadmap of course requirements, allowing them to customize their undergraduate studies. The LAC is also used by the University’s other schools and colleges as a resource in building their own curricular requirements.

The LAC guides students through a range of courses in the humanities, sciences, social sciences and mathematics so they can develop the timeless—and priceless—tools of critical and creative inquiry, applicable throughout life and in every career. It is intended to assure a consistent academic experience from year to year, and so major revisions are infrequent.

“With the updated core, students will continue to be assured of a top-tier, contemporary liberal arts education—one that reflects our world today and fosters the academic inquiry and ethical compass that are hallmarks of the A&S experience,” says Lois Agnew, associate dean of curriculum innovation and pedagogy in the College of Arts and Sciences. Agnew is also a professor of writing and rhetoric, and interim chair of the Department of African American Studies.

As part of their ongoing, broad evaluation of instruction and curricula, leaders determined in 2020 that an update to the LAC would be appropriate, considering new approaches and developments across academic disciplines and in the larger social, cultural and economic environments.

“Our aim with the new liberal arts core is to provide a comprehensive foundation for the education of ethical, global citizens confidently oriented to the world around them,” says Erin Mackie, LAC committee chair and professor in the Department of English.

group of students gathered around laptop

Faculty Representatives

Since last summer, the college has been working on multiple fronts to review and refresh the LAC requirements for a new generation of students.

A committee with representatives from the humanities, science/math and social sciences, is evaluating the current liberal arts core and will be recommending changes, with a draft proposal anticipated later this semester. Students will have an opportunity to review and comment on the draft.

Committee Members

Humanities:

  • Erin Mackie (English), Chair
  • Luvell Anderson (Philosophy)
  • Theo Cateforis (Art and Music Histories)
  • Jeanette Jouili (Religion)

Sciences:

  • Jay Hubisz (Psychology)
  • Robert Moucha (Earth and Environmental Sciences)
  • Leonard Newman (Psychology)
  • Melissa Pepling/Scott Erdman (Biology)

Social Sciences:

  • Alan Allport (History)
  • Peter Castro (Anthropology)
  • Margarita Estevez-Abe (Political Science)
  • Azra Hromadzic (Anthropology)

Timeline of Work

  • Spring 2022: Core curriculum proposal draft will be shared with faculty and students for feedback.
  • Fall 2022: Core curriculum proposal will be submitted to the Curriculum Committee.
  • Spring 2023: Core curriculum in place, if approved.

Alumni Sharing Their Experiences

In addition to input from faculty and students, alumni are also contributing to the reimagining of the liberal arts core. Over the past year, the college has hosted more than 25 virtual roundtables where alumni share their opinions on what liberal arts students need to succeed today.

“A&S alumni consistently acknowledge the importance of their liberal arts education in their careers and their lives,” says John Quigley, assistant dean for advancement. “They’re successful in a wide range of fields including health care, government, education, finance, communications and law. Their feedback is incredibly relevant and insightful.”

While feedback is still being collected, alumni comments centered around some recurrent themes, including:

  • The liberal arts core needs to emphasize communication, analytical and problem-solving skills;
  • It should promote experiential learning and entrepreneurial thinking;
  • The liberal arts need to offer flexibility and breadth in academic programs; and
  • Diversity, equity, and inclusion—including cross-cultural competencies and social justice—should be a focus.

“Through the liberal arts—that powerful combination of humanities, sciences, math and social sciences—our students are equipped with the intellectual heft, ethical thinking and interpersonal skills to take on whatever the future holds,” says Ruhlandt. “I am grateful to the members of the committee for updating the core while staying true to those values, and I look forward to seeing their recommendations.”

For more information about the LAC revision, contact Professor Erin Mackie.

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Early Assurance Program Eases Path to Medical Schools /blog/2020/01/31/early-assurance-program-eases-path-to-medical-schools/ Fri, 31 Jan 2020 21:19:28 +0000 /?p=151488 Applying to medical school can be stressful. Students have to submit lengthy applications, secure committee letters of recommendation and prepare for the MCAT—all while staying on top of their undergraduate studies.

people in lab coats looking in containerBut now, the process will be substantially smoother thanks to between ϲ and a growing number of medical and other health-profession-related professional schools.

Early assurance allows students to apply concurrently to ϲ and to one of its partner schools. Assuming they meet GPA and other requirements, students can go straight from ϲ to the medical, dental or other school—no separate application required.

Agreements so far have been signed with Albany Medical College (AMC), Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) and Upstate Medical University (UMU). Early assurance can help prospective students, as well as all current ϲ students (not just students in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) and Maxwell School).

Lauren Hunter, director of pre-health advising for A&S and the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, says, “Early assurance programs will be extremely helpful to students planning to go into the medical field. They’ll be confident knowing where they’re going after graduation and won’t have to take the MCAT or pay hundreds of dollars in application fees.”

Students already enrolled in ϲ can take advantage of early assurance, too. After earning a certain amount of credits and taking specified coursework at ϲ, the student can then apply to AAMC, LECOM and UMU.

“This is a game-changer for ϲ,” says Steve Schaffling, assistant dean for student success for A&S and the Maxwell School. “It’s exciting to offer this new opportunity to our students interested in the health professions.”

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Biology Graduate Student Receives National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship /blog/2019/11/14/biology-graduate-student-receives-national-defense-science-and-engineering-graduate-fellowship/ Thu, 14 Nov 2019 16:16:57 +0000 /?p=149372 head shot

Julia Zeh

Julia Zeh is a Ph.D. student in the Bioacoustics and Behavioral Ecology Lab under biology Associate Professor Susan Parks, working on a project that ultimately will contribute to the conservation of endangered whales.

Her interest in ecology and animal behavior led her to this research. And now a special fellowship is helping her pursue it.

Zeh was recently awarded a . This fellowship is awarded to students intending to pursue a doctoral degree in one of 15 disciplines. (.) Since its inception in 1989, NDSEG has awarded only 3,600 fellowships from more than 58,000 applicants. NDSEG Fellowships last for three years, covering full tuition and all mandatory fees. They also provide a $3,200 monthly stipend and some medical insurance.

Zeh’s doctoral research involves developing methodologies to better determine the number of whales in an area. Where whale counts were previously estimated based on visual sightings, she is part of a team that is analyzing whale sounds instead. With this more accurate understanding of whale population size, scientists and conservationists can implement more effective measures protecting these whales and their marine ecosystem.

“We record the calls using underwater microphones and suction-cup acoustic recording tags, and then we analyze them back in the lab using specialized computer programs,” Zeh says. “I chose to study acoustic communication in animals because of the interdisciplinary nature of the field. I get to combine biology, physics, computer science and statistics for my research. For example, we are using statistical methods to determine how many individual whales are in an area, based on the number and types of calls recorded.”

“It’s really exciting to have my work recognized like this,” Zeh says. “This fellowship gives me the opportunity to fully focus on my research, while also connecting me with a wider community of fellows and professional mentors.”

“Julia is deserving of this honor,” says Parks. “Her research blends her strengths in biology and mathematics to help advance solutions to real-world marine wildlife conservation challenges.”

The NDSEG is open to senior undergraduates and first-year graduate students in designated areas of study seeking to complete their doctoral degrees. Applications are due in early December.

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Hush, Little Baby: Mother Right Whales ‘Whisper’ to Calves /blog/2019/10/10/hush-little-baby-mother-right-whales-whisper-to-calves/ Thu, 10 Oct 2019 19:54:01 +0000 /?p=147892 right whale in water

Photo by Dana Cusano; NMFS Permit #775-1875

On June 20, a whale researchers had named Punctuation was found dead in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, a busy international shipping channel. Punctuation—so named for her comma-shaped scars—was a North Atlantic right whale, a species severely threatened by human activity. With only 420 left in the world, it is one of the most endangered whale species. Any additional death, especially of a reproductive female, puts the species further in jeopardy.

News of this death was particularly difficult for ϲ biology , who had studied and written about Punctuation in a paper exploring acoustic communication among North Atlantic right whales.

was recently published in Biology Letters by Parks, along with Dana Cusano, also of ϲ; Sofie Van Parijs, Ph.D., of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries, Northeast Fisheries Center; and Professor Douglas Nowacek of Duke University. It sheds new light on behavior between mother and calf North Atlantic right whales.

Parks has studied North Atlantic right whale behavior and acoustic communication since 1998. She leads the in the College of Arts and Sciences, whose researchers study the sounds animals make, including those of right whales.

The recent study in Biology Letters explores whether mother-calf pairs change their vocalizations to keep predators from detecting them. Right whales, due to their large size, have few natural predators and are only vulnerable to orca or sharks when they are young calves.

One way to reduce the risk of predation for young calves would be for mothers to hide their young. Because the water is murky, predators are most likely to find right whales by eavesdropping on their communication signals. Any hiding by a mother and her calf would have to be acoustic—that is, producing little or no sound.

Parks and her collaborators studied whether mothers with young calves stop using the usual loud, long-distance communication signals to talk to other right whales. To collect the data, the team listened to whale sounds in the North Atlantic right whale calving grounds off the coasts of Florida and Georgia, using small recording tags attached to the whales by suction cups. Collecting data from mother-calf pairs, and from other juvenile and pregnant whales in the habitat that have less need to hide, the researchers sought to determine if mothers were modifying their behavior to be less conspicuous.

The Biology Letters study shows that mother-calf pairs drastically reduce the production of these common, louder sounds but they also produced a very soft, short, grunt-like sound. These grunts, previously unknown in right whales, were only detectable by the attached recording devices and were not audible more than a short distance from the mother-calf pair.

“These sounds can be thought of almost like a human whisper,” Parks says. “They allow the mother and calf to stay in touch with each other without advertising their presence to potential predators in the area.

“Right whales face a number of challenges, including a very low number of calves born in recent years combined with a number of deaths from collisions with large ships or entanglement in heavy fishing gear. There have been in the past three years, including the recent death of Punctuation in June of this year. There are still so many things we don’t know about their behavior, and it is my hope that studies like these will help to improve efforts for their conservation.”

The study was supported by the U.S. Office of Naval Research (ONR Award N000140410709); and the U.S. Fleet Forces Command (managed by Naval Facilities Engineering Command Atlantic as part of the U.S. Navy’s Marine Species Monitoring Program). The team’s research was approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use committees of ϲ and Duke University and collected under U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service Permits.

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Students Can Apply for Paid Internship in Germany Through Oct. 15 /blog/2019/09/23/students-can-apply-for-paid-internship-in-germany-through-oct-15/ Mon, 23 Sep 2019 13:41:08 +0000 /?p=147322 logo for German American ExchangeIn our internationalized economy, employers look for candidates with experience living and working abroad. Consequently, students who have been able to study or intern abroad often have an advantage in the workplace.

Today, ϲ students have a unique new opportunity to develop their understanding of different cultures and business practices, and enhance their employability.

ϲ recently joined the  allowing students to take part in a unique and prestigious summer internship program. The German-American Exchange is an unrivaled opportunity for undergraduates to gain real-world experience in some of Germany’s top companies. Plus, accepted students will receive a minimum gross stipend of EUR 735 per month, and up to four days of vacation time, depending on the company policy. The internships will run May 12-Aug. 7, 2020.

Who can apply?
Students from any major who have completed four semesters of study are invited to apply, but they must have successfully completed German 202 or have the equivalent language proficiency.

About the internship
Participating companies include Bosch, Commerzbank, KPMG, Lilly and Porsche.The internship includes:

  • procurement of German work permit (“Arbeitserlaubnis”), if needed;
  • internship handling and placement at top-tier globally renowned companies;
  • pre-departure orientation meeting with all participating interns; and
  • excursions to destinations, such as Munich and Berlin.

Learn more and apply
For more information, visit .To apply, contact Professor Mona Eikel-Pohen in the College of Arts and Sciences at meikelpo@syr.edu or 315.443.5903.

Applications are accepted until Oct. 15, 2019.

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