Kevin Du

It’s a mentality that has served Du, an electrical engineering and computer science professor in the , well as he has carved out a decorated career as a global cybersecurity expert. His labs have been used by more than 1,100 institutions and universities across the world, and it all started with the launch of the , which developed hands-on instructional laboratory exercises known as SEED labs for cybersecurity education.

But at the time of its creation in 2002, the experiences Du wanted to provide to his students around cybersecurity education didn’t exist in a practical fashion. He set out to create a virtual training tool that could help prepare cybersecurity experts on how to handle the pressing issues they would face in the future.

The initiative launched thanks to $1.3 million in funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The SEED project’s objectives are to develop an instructional laboratory environment and accompanying laboratory exercises that help students comprehend the practical security principles, concepts and technologies associated with cybersecurity issues; apply those principles to designing and implementing security mechanisms that can counter cybersecurity attacks; analyze and test computer systems for potential security issues; and apply these security principles to resolving real-world cybersecurity problems.

“I designed the SEED project so students can actually walk through those attacks by themselves on their computer,” says Du, who is a fellow of both the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the Association for Computing Machinery. “Not just talk about the attack, but now they can actually see the attack and think about what they would need to do to stop the attack.”

Since its founding, the open-source (software that is made freely available to interested parties) SEED project, which operates by having the students access the lab work through virtual machines, has accomplished the following:

• Developed more than 40 labs exploring computer and information security topics like software security, network security, web security, operating system security and mobile app security, and
• through its SEED emulator, users can replicate the internet on a single computer, introducing students to hands-on cybersecurity research activities related to the internet, Border Gateway Protocols (the internet’s routing protocol), Domain Name System (the internet’s directory), and Blockchain, Botnet, the Dark-net and more.

“We are not teaching students to carry out these attacks, but if you don’t know what’s happening behind the attack, you won’t know what to do when you encounter an attack,” Du says.

Kevin Du (second from right) has carved out a decorated career as a global cybersecurity expert. His labs have been used by more than 1,100 institutions and universities across the world. (Photo by Jeremy Brinn)

A Safe, Hands-On Environment for Resolving Cybersecurity Attacks

Before Du created these virtual labs, cyberattacks would be explored on paper, with professors describing how a theoretical cyberattack could be carried out. While it is important for students to understand the theoretical workings of cyberattacks, Du says this approach leaves out the equally important practical application, the actual stopping of a cyberattack as it is happening or once it has happened.

Professors would discuss cyberattacks in theory, but gaining hands-on, practical experience was very limited, for one very good reason, according to Du. Working through cyberattacks represents a security threat, one that can’t be tackled on a normal University-issued computer, because some of the cyberattacks being studied could bring down the entire internet if they were successfully carried out.

The solution, according to Du, was to build virtual machine technology that would allow ���ϲ����� students—and students in classrooms all across the country—to access and run the cybersecurity software on their own personal computers.

At the time, virtual machine technology was still relatively new on college campuses. Du fine-tuned the project’s goals and objectives, focusing on educating students about the dangers of the different kinds of attacks while emphasizing ways to keep these attacks from happening.

“There was a huge gap between the theory and the practice of a cybersecurity attack. We needed to fill that gap,” Du says. “The big achievement with the SEED lab is we brought the ideas that students were learning about in their research and we simplified those ideas and made this hands-on component that compliments the theoretical teachings.”

Becoming a Global Leader in Cybersecurity

Since starting as a professor at the University in 2001, Du’s research papers have been cited 17,800 times, and he has won two ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security Test-of-Time Awards.

In 2015, Du, who was always interested in hands-on learning, began offering training workshops funded through a $1 million NSF grant for interested cybersecurity educators at colleges and universities across the country. Each summer, approximately 80 instructors converge on Link Hall for a weeklong intensive training workshop where they learn the ins and outs of Du’s open-source software. Since offering the sessions, Du estimates that more than 400 college professors were trained on the software and are now teaching their students many of the same cybersecurity awareness and prevention lessons Du teaches through his labs.

“I’ve found that many instructors share my teaching philosophy that they want to have hands-on practice with their classes, but they’re finding there weren’t many opportunities,” Du says. “Now, my SEED lab can fill that gap and it’s very easy for the instructors to use. Because I put a lot of thought into designing this SEED lab, it makes it easier for other professors to bring the teachings back to their campuses.”

Du has also written a textbook based on the SEED labs, “Computer and Internet Security: A Hands-on Approach,” that is used by nearly 300 universities. Knowing the source material can be a bit dry when digested only in a textbook, Du built a recording studio in his basement and produces video lessons complete with hands-on demonstrations to accompany his lectures. The videos are posted online and available at a cost of $10 per class.

“The videos certainly help enhance the teachings through demonstrations of the attacks or the lessons we’re learning and have helped more people benefit from my SEED labs,” says Du, who hopes to one day introduce artificial intelligence topics into his SEED labs’ educational environment.

The Executive Board for ���ϲ�����’s Student Veterans of America are all military veterans, and they’re all full-time students at the University. In addition to their academic responsibilities, many also hold jobs, have families and take on additional responsibilities on and off campus. It is because of their desire to be of service to something bigger than themselves that fuels the time and effort they give back to the campus community.

Get to know these impactful��student veterans.

Leonel “Leo” Aviles ’26 – U.S. Marine Corps Veteran
School of Information Studies

Leonel “Leo” Aviles

Leo, as he is affectionately known among friends and the military-connected community, is president of the Student Veterans Organization (SVO) at ���ϲ�����. Originally from Florida, Aviles found ���ϲ����� through the Warrior-Scholar Project and credits the University’s admissions staff, along with OVMA’s staff with why he ultimately decided to enroll at ���ϲ�����.

“The staff at this university has open arms for veterans out there wanting to pursue higher education. The amount of people wanting to help veterans with school is incredible,” says Aviles. “I would highly encourage any military-connected student to reach out to the SVO to find out more about what opportunities are available on and off campus.”

Derick Ramos G’26 – U.S. Marine Corps Veteran
College of Arts and Sciences

Derick Ramos

Ramos served as a tank crewman in the Marines for four years and is currently the SVO’s vice president. A graduate student, Ramos is pursuing a Ph.D. in physics. One of the biggest reasons why Ramos chose ���ϲ����� was because of the competitive academic programs available, particularly for doctoral studies.

“When transitioning from the service we may believe that we are behind in some instances compared to other students attending college after high school,” says Ramos, “Keep your head down and work hard, your dreams and goals will come true. Always remember the words of Winnie the Pooh, ‘You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.’”

Jurgen Baeza ’26 – U.S. Navy Veteran
College of Engineering and Computer Science

Jurgen Baeza

Baeza discovered ���ϲ����� while still in high school in San Diego, California. His journey to Central New York required a brief stint in the U.S. Navy, serving as an aviation structural mechanic specializing in the F/A-18 Super Hornet’s safety equipment.

With an interest in computers starting at an early age, Baeza began teaching himself to code and is pursuing that interest as a computer science major. While trying to adapt to life as a non-traditional college student, Baeza came in contact with other student veterans on campus and quickly got involved with the SVO.

“As I started going to more events and talking to more of the student veterans, I would talk to them about our similar life experiences and I was able to relate to them a lot easier than those students who are a lot younger than me,” Baeza says.

Savion Pollard ’26 – U.S. Navy Veteran
College of Engineering and Computer Science

Savion Pollard

Pollard served in the Navy for eight years working on board nuclear submarines as a nuclear electronics technician. His time at ���ϲ����� has been marked by significant accomplishments, including being the first local hire for Micron and being an honored guest of U.S. Sen. Charles E. Schumer during the 2023 State of the Union Address��from President Joseph R. Biden L’68.

“I chose to come to ���ϲ����� because it brought me closer to family, and because of its proclamation as the ‘Best Place for Vets,’” says Pollard, who is currently studying electrical engineering with a minor in computer science. “I’ve grown to love the campus community, the ���ϲ����� city community and the deep connection between the two.”

Pollard has been a member of the SVO’s executive board for a few years and says his biggest advice for new military-connected students is to “buy into the campus culture and to try new things along the way. All of my greatest achievements as a student have been due to being involved and making myself uncomfortable,” Pollard says.

Tojyea “TJ” Matally ’27 – U.S. Marine Corps Veteran
College of Visual and Performing Arts

Tojyea “TJ” Matally

Matally is a sophomore pursuing a degree in communications design, and he served as a combat photographer in the Marine Corps until 2023, when he opted to pursue higher education and found ���ϲ����� because of its reputation for providing educational opportunities for veterans and military families.

“I chose to attend ���ϲ����� because I had heard it was an ideal place for veterans to assimilate into higher education; plus, I wanted to remain in the New York area after being stationed on Long Island for five years,” Matally says.

His advice to other student veterans is to “be honest with your limitations and strengths, and enjoy your new transition. It’s a privilege to pause and invest in yourself for four or more years. Be grateful and lean on your community to support you throughout the journey,” Matally says.

To learn more about the military-connected students at ���ϲ����� and the programs and services available for student veterans, please visit the .

Doctoral student Cijun Zhang explains his research to BioInspired Symposium attendees. Zhang studies in the Xiaoran Hu functional organic materials lab.

The event featured poster presentations by 79 undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral scholars. Several researchers presented “lightning talks” on topics such as how and how the human body reacts; fabricating and creating and new technologies to address��problems from clean energy to robotics to medicine. Guest speakers from several universities made special presentations. Awards were presented to recognize researchers in multiple ways.

Three recipients were chosen in the Best Overall Poster category:

• ’25, a dual mathematics and physics major in the (A&S), for “.” (Principal investigators are , physics professor, and Antun Skanata, research assistant professor of physics.)
• , a doctoral student in physics in A&S, for “.” (Principal investigator is , William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Physics.)
• , an M.D./Ph.D. student in cell and developmental biology at SUNY Upstate Medical University, for “.” (Principal investigator is , associate research professor of biology.)

Two presenters were recognized as Stevenson Biomaterials Poster Award winners:

• , a biomedical and chemical engineering doctoral student in the (ECS), for her work on “.” (Principal investigator is , associate professor of .)
• G’21, a mechanical and aerospace engineering doctoral student in ECS, for “.” (Principal investigator is , associate professor of .)

Two researchers received awards recognizing Best Lightning Talks:

• , a doctoral student in chemistry in A&S, whose topic was “.” Her work involves testing to find an improved diagnostic biomarker��for prostate and other cancers. (Principal investigator is , professor and director of biochemistry.)
• , a doctoral student in biomedical and chemical engineering in ECS, for her research on bone tissue, described in “.”(Principal investigator is , professor of biomedical and chemical engineering.)

A project by , “,” was recognized as having the best commercialization potential. Can is a biomedical and chemical engineering doctoral student in ECS. (Principal investigator is Mary Beth Monroe.)

Receiving honors for her “social impact” initiative was , G ‘22, an assistant teaching professor in the , for her work, “ The project explored an interdisciplinary collaboration between the University’s Departments of Chemistry and Architecture that aimed to foster societal impact through sustainable innovation in architectural materials.��(Her collaborator was , associate professor of chemistry in A&S.)

Winston Oluwole Soboyejo, SUNY Polytechnic Institute President, asks Alexia Chatzitheodorou, a graduate research assistant, about her work on “Shape Morphing of Twisted Nematic Elastomer Shells.” Soboyejo was one of several university representatives to speak at the symposium.

Winner of the People’s Choice Award was , a biomedical and chemical engineering doctoral student in ECS. His project, “”

His research examines how hemostatic materials with antibacterial and antibiofilm properties can reduce infection rates and enhance the healing of traumatic wounds. (Principal investigator is Mary Beth Monroe.)

Best Publication Awards went to:

• G’22, a graduate of the applied data science program who is now a doctoral student in bioengineering and biomedical engineering in ECS. He is exploring the use of hiPSC-CMs to study and understand cardiomyocyte biology through biology with artificial intelligence. His paper, “,” published in Cell Reports Methods in June, presented new methods for investigating the physiological functioning of cardiac organoids using machine learning algorithms.

• , a doctoral student in bioengineering at ECS, studies wound healing and tissue regeneration. His paper, “,” was published in the journal ACS Applied Biomaterials in February.
• , a doctoral student in bioengineering at ECS, received an honorable mention. His paper, “” was published in the journal ACS Biomaterials Science and Engineering in June.

Jackie Anderson (right) receives the College Educator of the Year award from James VanDusen, current TACNY president. (Photo courtesy of TACNY)

Three faculty members from the (ECS) were among the honorees recognized at the (TACNY)’s 24th Annual Celebration of Technology Awards banquet recently.

Jackie Anderson, associate teaching professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, received TACNY’s College Educator of the Year award in recognition of her student-centered approach to teaching and mentoring. At ECS, Anderson also directs the Industrial Assessment Center and is director for the engineering management graduate degree program.

, associate teaching professor of , was presented with the STEM Outreach/Individual award.

Doug Yung (right) was presented with the STEM Outreach-Individual honor by Howie Hollander, TACNY president emeritus. (Photo courtesy of TACNY)

The award cited his passionate advocacy for STEM education and his focus on creating inclusive, engaging learning environments for underrepresented youth in Central New York. Yung also serves as program director for the ECS biomedical engineering undergraduate program.

, emeritus professor of , received TACNY’s Lifetime Achievement award. The organization said it chose Chin based on his vast and sophisticated research in computer security, systems assurance and formal verification that has spurred advancement locally and worldwide.

Shiu-Kai Chin (right) receives TACNY’s Lifetime Achievement award from Howie Hollander, TACNY president emeritus. (Photo courtesy of TACNY)

In announcing the award, the organization said it is “honored to recognize Dr. Chin not only for his extensive technological contributions and innovations, but also for his dedication to and impact on education and on human endeavors at large.”

At ���ϲ�����, Chin has been recognized as a Provost Faculty Fellow, a Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Professor for Teaching Excellence, and recently was awarded the Chancellor’s Citation for Outstanding Contributions to the University’s Academic Programs.

Keynote speaker for the TACNY banquet was��, ECS professor��of mechanical and aerospace engineering and Executive Director of the University’s (CoE). He spoke on the topic, “Managing Indoor Air Quality at Multiple Scales–from Urban to Personal Microenvironments.”

TACNY is a not-for-profit organization that has served the Central New York community since 1903. It says its is to facilitate community awareness, appreciation, and education of technology and to collaborate with like-minded organizations across Central New York.

The six recipients are the following:

• Dominique Camp ’24 (David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics), founder of clothing brand Camp Collective, will use the funds for the organization’s first collection inventory, photo shoot and mockup designs.
  

  Dominique Camp

• Olutosin (Tosin) Alabi G’25 (Martin J. Whitman School of Management), founder of Diabetech, will use the grant to develop a proof-of-concept prototype for the smart sensor/bandage for diabetic foot ulcer monitoring.
• Aidan Turner ’25 (School of Architecture), founder of clothing brand Grater Things, will use the grant for legal services, including project and membership agreements and privacy policy, as well as website development and product research expenses.
• Antonio (Tony) Goncalves ’27 (College of Engineering and Computer Science), founder of fitness app GymIn, will be using the grant to incorporate and other legal business processes.
• Lars Jendruschewitz ’27 (Whitman School and S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications), founder of Photos by Lars, will use the funds for equipment.
• Ania Kapllani ’25 (College of Visual and Performing Arts), founder of Sunset Music, will use the grant to register as an LLC and to create a logo and website.

Applications must specifically define the need with identified outcomes to be achieved within a set time. Initial money in the fund was provided by Jeffrey Rich L’67, partner at Rich Michaelson Magaliff LLP, and a member of the ���ϲ����� Libraries Advisory Board. Rich provided a multi-year pledge of $25,000 per year for five years from 2020 to 2025. “I wanted to contribute in a way that directly supports student new ventures and removes any obstacles to startup development,” Rich says.

John E. Breyer

Breyer was first elected to the Board of Trustees in 2001, co-chaired the Budget Committee from 2003-2006 and was a life trustee participant on the Board Finance Committee. He was a member of the Dean’s Leadership Council at ECS and the Atlanta Regional Council.

His deep connection to the University began when he moved to Central New York to pursue a career with General Electric. For nearly three decades, Breyer worked for this Fortune 500 company’s underseas business division and rose to serve eventually as general manager of the entire underseas systems business. He took graduate courses at ECS and became the company’s representative for GE Corporate-sponsored programs on campus. Several of his employees were adjuncts in the college, and he appointed a member of his human resources department to initiate a program to help support minority students in engineering.

“We feel strongly that all citizens should support education, and we wanted to do something that would make a difference for many years to come,” said Breyer when it was announced that he and his wife bestowed a $1.1 million faculty endowment gift to establish the John E. and Patricia A. Breyer Professorship in Electrical Engineering to attract world-class faculty specifically to the electrical engineering program, and advance excellence in engineering research and teaching. The couple also established an endowed scholarship fund to support deserving students.

“John was such an ardent supporter of the College of Engineering and Computer Science and ���ϲ�����,” says J. Cole Smith, dean of the . “He and his family have made a tremendous impact in supporting our students and our research enterprise. I will miss him and will be forever grateful for the generous and sincere way John helped advance the aspirations of so many people in ECS.”

Breyer himself earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1961, after serving in the United States Navy as an enlisted soldier and continuing in the Navy Reserve. Described as a lifelong learner by his family, Breyer graduated from GE’s rigorous Advanced Engineering and General Management Programs. He was recognized as an innovator and leader in multiple fields related to communication, signal intelligence and antenna measurement.

Breyer joined Scientific-Atlanta Inc. in 1989 as the company senior vice president and president of two divisions before ascending to become president and chief executive officer of MI Technologies, a company he founded along with other investors. He continued to lead in these roles as the company expanded and merged to become NSI-MI Technologies, a high-tech company that develops and manufactures testing and measurement systems, equipment and products used to test communications, radar, satellite, wireless and EMC/EMI systems. He retired in 2021 at the age of 86.

Breyer’s connection to ���ϲ����� was personal and professional. His daughter, Deborah Knoblock ’88, G’90, earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the School of Education and is chair of the School of Education’s Advisory Board. He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Patricia, his daughters Deborah and Tamara, and three grandchildren. The family has requested that memorial contributions be directed to benefit ECS or the School of Education or the Tunnel to Towers Foundation that serves veterans and first responders.

Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser (left) presenting FedEx CEO Raj Subramaniam with a CED Award. (Photo courtesy of CED Distinguished Leadership Awards)

The Committee for Economic Development (CED), the public policy center of The Conference Board, awarded Raj Subramaniam G’89, president and chief executive of FedEx, with a 2024 CED Distinguished Leadership Award for Business Stewardship and Corporate Citizenship. The ceremony took place on Oct. 9, in New York City.

The CED Distinguished Leadership Awards honor leaders who demonstrate a strong commitment to corporate citizenship, business stewardship and advancing public policy in the nation’s interests.

The 2024 awards pay special tribute to business leaders and their companies who have demonstrated exceptional leadership in challenging times. These include advancing equal opportunity during a time of national economic uncertainty, building a more civil and just society, and upholding a rules-based international order.

“The US continues to face economic and geopolitical uncertainty. This year’s distinguished honorees have demonstrated steadfast, innovative leadership amid these transformational times, working tirelessly to advance policies and practices that benefit our nation’s well-being,” says Lori Esposito Murray, former president of CED. “They embody the best of business stewardship and corporate responsibility, and truly epitomize CED’s vision of integrity in business leadership. By recognizing these exemplary leaders and companies, CED aims to inspire other leaders across the public and private sectors to follow in their footsteps.”

“Raj is a visionary leader on an international scale,” says J. Cole Smith, dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science. “He has been at the forefront of transformational change and next-generation problem solving. It is wonderful to see him recognized with such a prestigious award.”

Subramaniam is the president and chief executive officer (CEO) of FedEx Corporation. Over the last 50 years, FedEx has built a well-connected network linking 220 countries and territories around the world. FedEx was also responsible for delivering the COVID-19 vaccine worldwide.

With more than 30 years of industry experience at FedEx, one of the world’s largest transportation companies, Subramaniam’s forward-thinking, innovative ways have helped revolutionize the transportation and logistics industry.

Subramaniam earned a master’s degree in chemical engineering from ���ϲ����� in 1989.

The other recipients of the 2024 Distinguished Leadership Awards for Business Stewardship and Corporate Citizenship included:

• Nikesh Arora, CEO and Chairman, Palo Alto Networks
• Jenny Johnson, president and CEO, Franklin Templeton
• Robert��F. Smith, founder, chairman and CEO, Vista Equity Partners
• Julie Sweet, chair and CEO, Accenture
• Hamdi Ulukaya, founder and CEO, Chobani, and founder, Tent Partnership for Refugees

The transition from a center to an institute marks a significant step forward, positioning it for increased growth and broader impact. As a sustainability engagement institute, ISE focuses on connecting communities with university resources such as academic departments, faculty and students, while leveraging new opportunities for funding, partnership and impact.

Within the realm of sustainability, the ISE team has expertise in climate resiliency, water systems (including drinking water, stormwater and wastewater), materials management infrastructure (waste reduction, reuse, recycling and composting) solutions and resource conservation (soil health restoration). Through active listening and participatory processes, the organization supports community capacity-building, communications, policy and infrastructure improvements to foster economic well-being, environmental stewardship, and social equity.

Building upon more than 30 years of experience and hundreds of relationships, ISE meets communities where they are, recognizing their diverse values and perspectives to provide tailored support for their unique challenges and circumstances.

The institute will continue to house the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) designated , including New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and eight Native Nations. ���ϲ����� was chosen to host this important center in 1993. While Region 2 remains a primary geographic focus, the ISE will broaden its scope to include the Northeastern U.S., the Caribbean and Latin America, as well as national collaborations and projects.

The shift to ISE also strengthens important and longstanding inter-university ties between ���ϲ����� and the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) through a collaborative agreement that will serve to leverage resources across campuses.

“At the Institute for Sustainability Engagement, we co-create solutions with communities to achieve locally informed sustainable strategies. This is done by connecting local insights with academic expertise, building strong relationships between researchers, policymakers and community members, and, at our core, engaging with others—meeting people where they are to get them where they want to go,” says ISE Director Melissa Young.

She continues, “The need for sustainability engagement is undeniable—and exponential—in our world’s ever-evolving climate crisis. Together, with our dedicated team and partners, we will continue to innovate and expand our impact, working to create a more sustainable and resilient future for all.”

“Universities are increasingly being called upon to directly engage with communities, as reflected in the priorities of both federal and philanthropic funders. The shift to the Institute for Sustainability Engagement allows the team to better align with the goals of their programs and the communities they serve, broadening both the breadth and impact of the Institute’s work,” says Andria Costello Staniec, associate professor and chair of civil and environmental engineering.

This story was written by Carly Stone

From left: Professors Bing Dong, Jackie Anderson, Ian Shapiro and Jensen Zhang (Photo by Alex Dunbar)

The University has received funding from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to create new Building Training and Assessment Center (BTAC) to train undergraduate and graduate engineering students and build a clean energy workforce. The SU-BTAC, aligned with the vision of the DOE BTAC program, will educate and provide hands-on training for engineering students to perform assessments focused on reducing the energy burden for commercial and institutional buildings with a focus on disadvantaged communities.

The SU-BTAC will be housed at the (���ϲ�����CoE), New York State’s Center of Excellence in Environmental Energy Systems which engages more than 200 private companies, organizations and academic institutions to create new products and services in indoor environmental quality, clean and renewable energy, and water resource management.

With ���ϲ�����CoE, the SU-BTAC will create relationships and company screening opportunities to connect commercial and institutional buildings with existing programs in the region relating to unions, apprenticeships, trade organizations, community programs and others.

“I see the SU-BTAC as an expansion of the ���ϲ����� Industrial Assessment Center (SU-IAC), now SU-ITAC, and as a great experiential learning opportunity for our students. Not only are we able to help commercial and institutional buildings with reducing their energy burden, but we are also able to teach and mentor the next generation of energy engineers,” says , director of IAC and associate teaching professor in mechanical and aerospace engineering.

SU-BTAC will be led by faculty from ���ϲ����� and supported by faculty from the City University of New York. The center will be co-directed by Professor , with involvement from professors and .

When it comes to sustainable construction materials, there’s no contest: mass timber buildings require less heavy equipment, save on labor costs and take less time to install than concrete and steel. By utilizing mass timber, the construction industry can utilize green building practices without compromising efficiency.

That was the message of “Managing Mass Timber: From Forest to Future,” a lecture delivered by , and ��of Kent State University. Presented on Sept. 30 at the , the lecture was part of a national tour showcasing Mirando and Onsarigo’s research at Kent State’s .

Mass timber refers to a class of engineered wood products (EWPs) that are often used for wall, roof and floor construction. Because commercial-scale mass timber construction projects are on the rise across the United States, Professors Mirando and Onsarigo highlighted the importance of educating the next generation of professionals about these green building materials.

The lecture featured data from one of the tallest mass timber buildings in the United States:�� in Cleveland, Ohio. A mixed-use structure with 300 apartment units and ground-floor commercial space, the project was uniquely efficient because of the use of mass timber materials such as Glued-Laminated Timber (GLT) beams and columns, as well as Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) slabs. The real estate developer reported that construction time was about 25% faster than typical concrete or steel construction.

“Managing Mass Timber: From Forest to Future” also included a weeklong exhibit in Link Hall where students could examine real-life examples of mass timber building materials, including dowel laminated timber, nail laminated timber, and connections and assemblies used in mid- and high-rise construction projects. The “Managing Mass Timber: From Forest to Future” national exhibition tour is funded by the (SLB) headquartered in Portland, Oregon.��, department chair of civil and environmental engineering, and Reed Kelterborn, director of education for SLB, delivered welcoming and opening remarks.

The visit from Kent State University faculty was organized by��, associate teaching professor and undergraduate civil engineering program director, and , civil and environmental engineering professor emeritus. “We were thrilled to host Drs. Mirando and Onsarigo’s national touring exhibition on the construction management aspects of the mass timber building industry, and to highlight the benefits of mass timber as a sustainable construction material to the Engineering, Architecture and Construction (EAC) community here in Central New York,” says Professor Shi. “Interest in mass timber buildings is rising rapidly throughout the country. Skilled labor and seasoned professionals are in great demand. This state-of-the-art exhibition and lecture can help bring our students up to speed and get them ready for the next generation’s EAC industry.”

“In addition, we are training students to design and build more sustainable and resilient infrastructure to approach the immense challenges of climate change and natural disasters,” Professor Davidson adds. “Mass timber can be one of the most effective construction materials to meet these challenges.”

Students in engineering, architecture and other disciplines who are interested in the topic of sustainable building materials may also want to register for the��, which will be held in ���ϲ����� this coming March.

Elizabeth Carter

, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at ���ϲ�����’s College of Engineering and Computer Science, and her research team have received a water resource grant from the U.S. Geological Survey to develop a sensor network that measures flooding. This sensor network will help predict different types of flooding caused by natural disasters, particularly flooding in areas where people live, which is referred to as urban flooding. This project is known as the Urban Flood Observing Network, and you can learn more about it here.

Related to Hurricane Milton specifically, she writes: “We design flood control infrastructure, like storm sewers, reservoirs, floodwalls, and levees, to handle a storm that we think has a 1% chance of happening every year. The primary physical driver of these 1% flood events in the eastern and central United States are tropical cyclones (tropical depressions, storms, and hurricanes). More hurricanes directly translates to more frequent infrastructure failure. More intense hurricanes means more catastrophic infrastructure failure. In 1970, the most intense storm we’d see in an average year was a category 3. In 2010, it was a category 4. If these trends continue into 2050, we could expect at least one category 5 storm annually. We are not prepared.��Flood control infrastructure upgrades in the eastern United States are urgently required, and a critical public health and equity issue.”

Sarah Pralle

, associate professor of political science at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at ���ϲ�����, specializes in environmental politics and policy, climate change and energy, flood mapping, flood insurance, and more. Pralle also serves as a senior research associate for the Campbell Public Affairs Institute. She was recently quoted in The Atlantic story ““:

“Many people assume that they face little risk if they aren’t living in an area included in high-risk zones on FEMA’s flood maps, Sarah Pralle, a political-science professor at the Maxwell School at ���ϲ�����, told me. But FEMA’s maps don’t capture the full picture of flood risk. They are drawn ‘based on the assumption that the past will help us predict the future. In a rapidly changing climate, that’s not the case.’ The maps can quickly become outdated as climate risks evolve, she noted, and don’t take into account pluvial flooding, or flooding from heavy-rain events, which is what North Carolina saw last week. Even people who have personally experienced flooding sometimes drop their policies, Pralle said, adding that ‘if people have lived in a place where it hasn’t flooded in decades, they lose that memory of what can happen and what kind of losses they might suffer. Those who do buy flood insurance usually live in areas prone to flooding. The result is a system in which the risk is not evenly spread out, making flood-insurance premiums hugely pricey—Pralle likened it to a health-insurance system in which only the sick buy coverage.'”

And then: “So much of the response following disasters can feel piecemeal and reactive, Pralle said. Insurance is important—but not the full story. ‘Every dollar we put into prevention is going to be a lot more efficiently spent,’ she explained. In a world reshaped by climate change, ‘this idea that there’s safe places you can go hide is unrealistic.’”

Robert Wilson

, associate professor at ���ϲ�����’s Maxwell School, studies animals and society, climate change, geography, and more. He can speak to human-pet relationships and the need to prepare for your pets ahead of natural disasters.

Wilson writes: “As Hurricane Milton barrels ashore in Florida, we’re reminded of how owning pets can complicate evacuations during natural disasters. When asked, most pet owners say they consider their cats and dogs to be like family. This affection for pets can complicate evacuation decisions during emergencies.

Pet owners often face a difficult choice. They can evacuate to a hotel or shelter that doesn’t accept pets, potentially leaving their animals behind. Or they can remain in place, facing the worst of a hurricane to stay with their pets. This dilemma underscores the need for emergency planning that considers the needs of pets as well as people.

In areas prone to hurricanes, wildfires, or other natural disasters, pet owners should develop evacuation plans that include their animals. This could involve plans that identify hotels and shelters that accept pets, preparing an emergency kit with supplies for people and animals, and making sure pets have proper identification. Being prepared can help save the lives of people and the pets they love.”

Patrick Penfield

, professor of supply chain practice at ���ϲ����� Univeristy’s Whitman School of Management, can speak to supply chain issues related to Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton.

Penfield writes: “Hurricane Helene and Milton will adversely impact US supply chains. Unfortunately, we have a high concentration of critical manufacturing facilities in the South such as IV plants (North Carolina and Florida) and quartz factories (used in the electronics industry) which could be shut down for several months because of the hurricanes. In addition to southern manufacturing plant and distribution centers being closed, we will see a significant loss of vegetable and fruits which will impact availability and drive-up prices. Penfield further stated that significant infrastructure will need to also be rebuilt such as roads, bridges and ports which could further impact the ability of other companies in the South to function.”

Derek Seward

is an associate professor at ���ϲ�����’s School of Education. Dr. Seward’s scholarly interests focus primarily on the multicultural and social justice development of mental health professionals, with a particular interest in professionals of color.

Seward writes: “Repeated exposure to hurricane disasters can be devasting as the opportunity for hurricane survivors to have sustained psychological recovery time is disrupted. Hurricane survivors can experience a range of short-term psychological struggles including immense anxiety as their lives are threatened, intense feelings of helplessness as they deal with uncertainty regarding potential loss of life (i.e., family, friends, pets) and belongings, and increased stress from physical displacement. The impact on families can be particularly profound as children may lack psychological preparedness and resilience to handle acute unexpected adversities. Physical clinginess, refusal to be separated from parents or guardians, and nightmares or other sleep disruptions are behavioral responses children may display. During disasters, children struggle with experiencing that their world is not stable, secure, and safe. To protect their children, parents may withhold expressing their fears and anxieties which can be problematic as they are not attending to their own mental health needs. Parents and guardians should reassure their children they are being protected. Limiting children’s exposure to media coverage of hurricanes can help to avoid elevating their anxiety. Parents should consider seeking mental health support to deal with any symptoms of stress and anxiety they experience. Longer-term psychological struggles for hurricane survivors include increased substance use and post-traumatic stress symptoms such as having intrusive and distressing thoughts that interfere with concentration mood, irritability, avoidant behavior, and depression.”

Jennifer Genovese

is an assistant teaching professor in the School of Social Work at ���ϲ�����’s Falk College. She can speak to mental health and trauma related to natural disasters; and, specifically in this case, back-to-back hurricanes. She was recently interviewed for the ABC News story “

Jurgen Baeza ’26 at The Atlanta White House during an OVMA Career Immersion trip to Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo courtesy of Jurgen Baeza)

“I didn’t really know what I wanted to major in, so I was balancing out different majors. By the end, I was just running out of funds, and I needed to get my life together. One thing that really intrigued me was how the military would pay for college, which was my main objective because I didn’t want to put my family in debt to pay for me going to school–especially having two younger brothers and how they needed to go to school too,” says Baeza, who wound up enlisting in the U.S Navy.

Baeza is currently enrolled at the College of Engineering and Computer Science, where he majors in computer science, following a passion that began back in high school when he, as he recalls, began dabbling a little bit in coding.

Baeza served as an aviation structural mechanic specializing in the F/A-18 Super Hornet’s safety equipment, but in his off time, he pursued those interests with computers and started taking online courses in other coding languages like Java and Python.

“To me, I thought it was like a puzzle to try and solve. You just piece pieces together and make sure that the code runs smoothly. It’s been really fun and also challenging, but it’s very rewarding when you see your code running and there’s no more bugs or anything,” Baeza says.

From Ejection Seats to Classroom Desks

U.S. Navy portrait of Jurgen Baeza ’26 (Photo courtesy of Jurgen Baeza)

When F/A-18 pilots find themselves in trouble while soaring through the skies at more than 1,300 miles per hour, one of their last options is to eject from the aircraft. Baeza was primarily responsible for ensuring the aircraft’s ejection seat would work when all else failed on the jet aircraft. Using small rockets, the ejection seat separates a pilot from a failing aircraft at speeds up to 52 feet per second. Once the pilot has effectively cleared the aircraft, the ejection seat automatically falls away, leaving the pilot to fall back to Earth under the canopy of a fully deployed parachute.

After serving six years and ten months in the U.S. Navy, Baeza got out in 2022 and soon found himself landing on campus at ���ϲ�����. Much like pilots orienting themselves with their surroundings after safely ejecting, Baeza had to figure out his own surroundings now that he was once again a full-time college student.

“I made the mistake of thinking that ���ϲ����� was going to be like New York City, and when I got here, it was definitely not. I don’t mind it though, it’s nice, I love it so far,” says Baeza, who also states that he had some problems associating at times with traditional students due to the age difference. While trying to find a community to connect with, he stumbled upon a fellow student veteran who helped connect Baeza with other student veterans on campus.

“The Student Veterans Organization was very welcoming, and I have to give a shout out to Savion Pollard, he was my mentor my first semester here. He kept pushing me to go to events with the SVO,” Baeza recalls. He says he was a little “stand-offish” at first, like many veterans he wasn’t looking to participate with the military culture, he was seeking a new path forward. With Pollard’s encouragement, Baeza began going to some of the SVO’s meetings, where he found most of the student veterans shared similar experiences and, like him, weren’t looking to revive their days in the military but instead help each other in the pursuit of their academic goals.

“It’s nice when you don’t want to go to the library, and you just want to go somewhere to decompress and relax. Everyone in the student veteran lounge is the same way, we’re not looking to talk about the military, or school, but we talk about life and different stuff going on outside of class,” Baeza says.

The student veteran lounge and the student veteran quiet study space are both amenities provided exclusively to military-connected students inside the National Veterans Resource Center at ���ϲ�����. Serving as locations where military-connected students can unwind, relax or get ready for their next class, the spaces are crucial when other quiet areas are tied up by traditional students on campus, particularly around mid-term and final exams.

New Heights Ahead

With graduation looming on his horizon, Baeza says he’d like to stay in New York to work in software engineering, but going back to the West Coast isn’t off the table either. Additionally, Baeza says he’s interested in several master’s programs that are available through the College of Engineering and Computer Science. While figuring out what the future holds for him, he’s started giving back to the military-connected community on campus.

With a few semesters under his belt, Baeza ran for and was elected to the SVO’s Executive Board, serving as the organization’s secretary. Like many student veterans before him, he not only understands the value of the SVO’s community but also advocates for other military-connected students on campus to check the group out.

“The more students we have involved in our events, the more support we get from the University in terms of funding and opportunities. So, it’s always great to see student veterans coming out to support their community on campus, and I would highly recommend anyone who is interested in supporting veterans to check us out,” says Baeza.

Those interested in learning more about the Student Veterans Organization can check out the SVO’s Website hosted by the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs.

Jurgen Baeza ’26 (fourth from left) with other members of ���ϲ�����’s Student Veterans Organization, including mentor Savion Pollard ’25 (third from left).

Phloat co-founders Nathan Thor Brekke ’26 (left) and Malak Aljerari ’27 (right) with LaunchPad program manager J Wess (middle)

���ϲ����� Libraries’ Blackstone LaunchPad (LaunchPad) hosted its annual ’Cuse Tank entrepreneurial competition on Friday, Sept. 27, during Family Weekend in Bird Library. More than 35 student entrepreneur teams from various schools and colleges across campus participated in a “Shark-Tank” style business pitch to win $20,000 in cash prizes. The panel of judges consisted of University parents and affiliated family members. The judges selected two first-place teams, which each won $10,000 and two honorable mention runners-up:

• Iconnic.Cloud, founded by Waqar Hussain, G’25 (Martin J. Whitman School of Management), won first place for the second year in a row. Iconnic.Cloud is a fully managed cloud hosting platform, engineered with proprietary software, that crafts tailored hosting solutions.
  

  Iconnic.Cloud founder by Waqar Hussain G’25 (left) with LaunchPad program manager J Wess

• Phloat, founded by College of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS) students who participated in the 2024 Invent@SU program, Elijah Alexander ’27, Joshua John Varkey ’26, Malak Aljerari ’27 and Nathan Thor Brekke ’26, also tied for first place. Phloat is a phone case that has a super compact, deployable flotation feature that triggers in the event of a phone falling and sinking into deep water.
• Gym-In, another startup from Invent@SU and founded by ECS students Alexander Hamza ’26, Antonio Goncalves ’27, Jack Friedman ’27 and Armani Isonguyo ’25 tied for runner-up. Their invention provides gym users with an app to determine how full a gym is and what machines are being used in live time.
• Papa Box, co-founded by Aleks Djordjevic G’25 (Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs) and Amos Kiplimo Bungei G’25 (College of Engineering and Computer Science) was also tied for runner-up. The company aims to provide and scale a battery-charging infrastructure through its interoperable PAPA Boxes swapping stations in transportation hot zones in Kenya.

This year’s group of “family” judges included:

• Todd Arky, executive vice president, Sharebite and co-founder/CEO of TipOff Sports
• Anthony Campagiorni ’91, vice president, Central Hudson Gas & Electric Company
• Melinda Dermody, associate dean of academic success, ���ϲ����� Libraries
• Melissa Gwilt ’15, G’22, director of budget and administration, ���ϲ����� Libraries
• Corey Lieblein ’93 , CEO of CP8 Capital
• Ajay Nagpal, president and COO Millenium
• Alice Villafana, retired
• Tonya Villafana, global franchise head, research and development, for Astra-Zeneca
• Mark Wassersug, former COO Intercontinental Exchange

Edward C. Magee Sr.

“My dad was serious about work, community, country and ���ϲ����� athletics,” says Magee. The senior Magee died in 1989 at the age of 78. In recognition of his son’s gift to the John A. Lally Athletics Complex and the Athletics Opportunity Fund, the dining hall will be commonly referred to as Magee One Team Dining.

“My father was a low-key guy, but I know he would have wanted to help student-athletes and the athletics program in meaningful ways,” says Magee. Both father and son shared an appreciation for the power of sports to enhance the visibility and reputation of the entire University. “He turned me into an avid ���ϲ����� sports fan at a young age,” says Magee. “We had football season tickets forever!”

When his father became too ill with congestive heart failure to attend games, he would watch from his recliner chair at home. “This was before the internet, and he would create his own score sheets,” says Magee. On the day he died, Magee Sr. was watching the ���ϲ����� basketball team play Missouri. “Five to ten minutes into the game, he took his last breath. My brother Tom, who graduated from ���ϲ����� College of Law in 1973, still has that score sheet.” Now, Magee Sr.’s dedication to the Orange is memorialized in a place that honors the dedication of more than 600 student-athletes across 20 sports.

“Since we launched a dedicated campaign in 2021 to raise $150 million to enhance the student-athlete experience, we’ve been amazed and gratified by the support of donors like Ed,” says John Wildhack, director of athletics. “They truly appreciate the value of student-athlete focused facilities and services in attracting the most talented student-athletes and staff and ensuring competitive excellence in the athletics program.”

Edward “Ed” C. Magee

The athletics fundraising goal is part of the $1.5 billion for ���ϲ�����. “Philanthropy has always been critical to creating an environment where all our students can thrive, in the classroom and beyond, and in their chosen careers,” says Chancellor Kent Syverud. “I am grateful to Ed for recognizing that his gift can elevate the entire student experience, along with the reputation of the entire University.”

Magee graduated from the in 1970 with a bachelor of science in aerospace engineering, and earned an MBA in management data systems from the in 1972. He says he wasn’t a great athlete or an outstanding student, but he learned from his father and mother, a teacher, the value of hard work and dedication to family, community and country. He signed up for Air Force ROTC while in college, earning a scholarship that “would help out my parents.”

His father, Magee Sr., graduated from the in 1933 and completed a law degree in 1936. He joined the U.S. Army, served with the 84th Infantry Division in the South Pacific and Asiatic theaters, and trained soldiers for combat. He was a reservist for 20 years and retired as a major. He was equally devoted in his professional life, spending 40 years at the Utica Mutual Insurance Company.

Similarly, his son Ed was loyal in service to both country and a corporation that gave him the means to build wealth that could be used in service of others. Magee served four years at Eglin Air Force Base as an officer in the Air Defense Command and, as an air force captain, he designed real-time software to drive the world’s first phased-array Space Track Radar. Following the Air Force, he devoted himself to PepsiCo, first developing information systems and ultimately rising to the level of Pepsi-Cola International chief information officer. He retired at the young age of 48 and has spent his time since consulting and investing in promising ventures, giving back to community through various charities, and supporting his beloved alma mater.

Rendering of dining hall at the One Team Olympic Sports Center

In 2018, Magee established the Edward C. Magee Endowed Scholarship to provide financial assistance to undergraduate students in the and “help students who need a helping hand.” Believing students and student-athletes across all disciplines and sports can contribute to a thriving university and a culture of competitive excellence, Magee targeted his latest gift for the benefit of student athletes who will “fuel their bodies” at Magee One Team Dining.

About ���ϲ�����

���ϲ����� is a private research university that advances knowledge across disciplines to drive breakthrough discoveries and breakout leadership. Our collection of 13 schools and colleges with over 200 customizable majors closes the gap between education and action, so students can take on the world. In and beyond the classroom, we connect people, perspectives and practices to solve interconnected challenges with interdisciplinary approaches. Together, we’re a powerful community that moves ideas, individuals and impact beyond what’s possible.

About Forever Orange: The Campaign for ���ϲ�����

Orange isn’t just our color. It’s our promise to leave the world better than we found it. Forever Orange: The Campaign for ���ϲ����� is poised to do just that. Fueled by more than 150 years of fearless firsts, together we can enhance academic excellence, transform the student experience and expand unique opportunities for learning and growth. Forever Orange endeavors to raise $1.5 billion in philanthropic support, inspire 125,000 individual donors to participate in the campaign, and actively engage one in five alumni in the life of the University. Now is the time to show the world what Orange can do. Visit����to learn more.

Below, five students share their experiences; what they did and what they learned.

Fulbright Canada-Mitacs Globalink Research Internship

Five ���ϲ����� students were selected as Fulbright Canada-Mitacs Globalink Research Internship recipients this year. They were Sofia DaCruz ’25, a women’s and gender studies and citizenship and civic engagement major in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and the College of Arts and Sciences; (McGill University); Abi Greenfield ’25, a history and political philosophy major in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and College of Arts and Sciences (University of Victoria); Chloe Britton Naime ’25, a mechanical engineering and neuroscience major in the College of Engineering and Computer Science (University of British Columbia); Kerrin O’Grady ’25, a biomedical engineering and neuroscience major in the College of Engineering and Computer Science (University of Victoria); and Kanya Shah ’25, an aerospace engineering major in the College of Engineering and Computer Science (University of Quebec at Chicoutimi).

Abi Greenfield

Greenfield worked with Penny Bryden, professor of history at the University of Victoria. Greenfield was first research assistant on Bryden’s Canadian constitutional culture project; she created a dataset of political cartoons about the Canadian Constitution from five periods in Canadian history.

Abi Greenfield

She mined the databases of past editions of four major Canadian newspapers and developed a dataset of approximately 500 cartoons. “I then analyzed the cartoons from the 1980-82 period to understand what major themes appeared in relation to the Constitution reform debates during this period and what these themes and metaphors demonstrated about public thought around these topics,” Greenfield says. She produced a report for Bryden analyzing four major themes she identified, along with any regional or temporal variations. Greenfield’s research will form part of a forthcoming collaborative article on editorial cartoons and Canadian constitutional culture.

Greenfield says this work strengthened her skills in research design, dataset creation and analysis, and analysis of images as historical documents, as well as deepened her knowledge of Canadian political and legal history.

“This experience has been invaluable in informing the topic and goals of my undergraduate thesis for the Honors program and the Distinction program in History, as well as how I have gone about designing my project,” Greenfield says. “The chance to connect with established scholars in my field helped me to understand the breadth of research areas available to me and led me to change my thesis topic from what I had originally planned.��My improved knowledge of Canadian legal history will also help inform my work as a research assistant on the Global Free Speech Repository Project in the Campbell Institute in the Maxwell School, where I work with Canadian free expression decisions, among others.”

After graduation, Greenfield hopes to return to the University of Victoria to pursue a master’s degree in history under Bryden’s direction.

Kanya Shah

Kanya Shah

Shah interned at the University of Quebec at Chicoutimi (UQAC)’s Anti-Icing Materials Laboratory (LIMA-AMIL), where she worked on the “Evaluating Passive Protection Systems for Solar Panels Against Snow and Ice Accumulations” project. Under the supervision of Research Professor Derek Harvey and with LIMA-AMIL faculty support, she conducted extensive literature review to aid the team in designing a test bench to evaluate the effectiveness of superhydrophobic and icephobic coatings against snow and ice accretion on a solar panel placed in a cold climate chamber.

The freezing rain and snowstorm tests performed honed her laboratory techniques for testing and developing coating application methods to address snow and ice adhesion on solar panels in cold climates.

“This program provided invaluable international research exposure, solidifying my commitment to advancing sustainable solutions in mechanical and aerospace engineering,” Shah says. “As I look ahead, I’m excited to pursue this passion further, either through a master’s program or an industry-related career.”

Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship (SULI)

Corinne Motl ’25, a physics major in the College of Arts and Sciences, engaged in an internship at Argonne National Laboratory this summer through a Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship (SULI) awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy.

Corrine Motl

Quantum networks are of significant interest within the commercial and scientific communities as they hold potential for complete information security, as well as connecting dispersed quantum technologies. Quantum memories are a key part of realizing these networks.

Motl worked on simulations to test parameters when designing a nanophotonic cavity to optimize the quality factor of the cavity. “What this means on a larger scale is that we aim to develop quantum memories that are able to get an input, preserve that single then reemit it. This is a critical part in creating technologies such as quantum repeater,” she says.

“This research involved my simulation work, as well as creating a data analysis software for X-ray detraction (XRD) data. I also worked on creating optical set up as well as alignment and matinee of a separate optical set up,” she says.

Motl says her work at Argonne gave her new skills and helped her develop her problem-solving abilities. “The more problems you solve the better you get at solving new ones. I learned to try to find the simplest solution,” she says.

Motl is currently helping to organize a branch of the 2025 conference, which will be held at ���ϲ����� in January.

Public Policy and International Affairs Junior Summer Institute (PPIA)

Four students were selected as PPIA JSI Fellows this year. They were Linda Baguma ’25, an international relations and political science major in the Maxwell School and College of Arts and Sciences (Carnegie Mellon); Victoria Knight ’25, a policy studies and economics major (pre-law track) in the Maxwell School (UC-Berkeley); Caroline Ridge ’25 a political science and policy studies major in the Maxwell School (Carnegie Mellon) and Evelina Torres ’25, a political science and citizenship and civic engagement major in the Maxwell School (Carnegie Mellon).

Linda Baguma

As part of her PPIA experience, Baguma completed rigorous coursework on quantitative methods, economic analysis and policy research, all aimed at addressing real-world public policy challenges. The program also emphasized diversity in public service and leadership development.

Linda Baguma

Baguma worked on a project analyzing the impact of social policies on low-income communities, using data to evaluate the effectiveness of various poverty reduction programs. “This experience directly complements my studies at ���ϲ�����, especially my concentration in international security and diplomacy within the international relations major,” she says. “I plan to apply the quantitative analysis skills I gained to my coursework, particularly in areas related to policy design and evaluation, and to further explore how international policies impact African development, which is my regional focus.”

She says her experience was made even more meaningful by the opportunity to move beyond the classroom and apply what she learned to real-world challenges. Baguma contributed to an additional project focused on abandoned mine lands (AMLs) in the Pittsburgh area. “Our goal was to analyze the impact of AMLs on surrounding communities, using a variety of data sources to uncover the relationships and effects these sites have on public health, environmental justice and economic outcomes. I even learned how to run regressions to better understand the correlations between AMLs and the well-being of nearby communities,” she says.

Baguma says the PPIA experience gave her a broader understanding of public service. “I’m eager to incorporate this perspective into my academic and professional trajectory, and I look forward to continuing this work as I prepare for a career in public policy, particularly in U.S.-Africa relations,” she says.

Victoria Knight

The UC-Berkeley PPIA program offered a law track that gave Knight valuable insights into succeeding at top law schools. She took four courses: Law and Public Policy, Economics for Public Policy, Policy Analysis and Quantitative Methods for Public Policy.

Victoria Knight

Beyond the classroom, the program provided numerous opportunities to connect with notable alumni and guest speakers, including Dean David Wilson, Robert Reich (former U.S. secretary of labor) and Janet Napolitano (former secretary of Homeland Security and president of the University of California).

“These experiences not only prepared me for law school and a master’s in public policy, but also for my final year at ���ϲ�����. I’m working on my honors thesis, which examines the economic impact of varying abortion laws. The skills I gained through PPIA are invaluable in helping me write a more substantial thesis and better analyze questions at the intersection of law, policy and economics.”

At ���ϲ�����, Knight serves as a task force coordinator for the Skills Win! Coaching Program in the ���ϲ����� City School District, teaching students critical skills like budgeting, typing and public speaking. “Thanks to PPIA, I now have the skills to understand better the impact of New York State education laws, enabling me to analyze the data we collect and recommend meaningful program improvements.”

“The PPIA experience was incredibly eye-opening and rewarding. I’m grateful for the connections I made with the guest speakers and other participants and for everything I learned during the program,” Knight says. “I highly encourage anyone who gets the chance to apply—it was easily one of the most memorable and impactful parts of my college experience.”

Elizabeth Carter (left), assistant professor in civil and environmental engineering, received a water resource grant from the United States Geological Survey to develop a sensor network that measures flooding.

After Hurricane Katrina ravaged the southern coastline of the United States in 2005, found herself on the Gulf Coast following the tropical storm’s aftermath. Witnessing the devastating impact of the hurricane on infrastructure and communities, she decided to place her undergraduate education on hold and join the efforts to rebuild—an experience that would be the catalyst for her future research.

“It was pivotal a time in U.S. history. It exposed a lot of the ways that structurally our publicly funded infrastructure is shunting risk down socioeconomic gradients,” Carter says. “As a young person figuring out what I wanted to do in the world, I didn’t think I could walk away from something like that and retain my humanity.”

Ignited with a passion for the environment, Carter returned to school and received her bachelor’s degree in soil science, a master’s in environmental information science and a Ph.D. in environmental engineering with a concentration in water resources.��Now working as an assistant professor in civil and environmental engineering in the����with a joint appointment as an assistant professor in Earth and environmental sciences in the , Carter is a computational hydrologist who studies the movement of water from space. Using data from satellites, these observations of water movement allow her to develop ways to respond to natural disasters and manage water resources.

She and her research team at ���ϲ����� have received a water resource grant from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) to develop a sensor network that measures flooding. This sensor network will help predict different types of flooding caused by natural disasters, particularly flooding in areas where people live, which is referred to as urban flooding. This project is known as the Urban Flood Observing Network.

Elizabeth Carter (far left) is working on a sensor network that will help predict different types of flooding caused by natural disasters, particularly flooding in areas where people live, referred to as urban flooding.

“We’re hoping to build a sensor network for better urban flood response and labels for satellite images so they can map urban flooding everywhere,” says Carter.

Fatemeh Rezaei G‘25 (environmental engineering), Huantao Ren G’21, Ph.D. ‘27 (computer science), Manu Shergill ‘24 (computer science) Nhy’ere Scanes, Ike Unobhaga, Kaitlyn Gilmore and Sharif Jafari are students from ���ϲ����� and Onondaga Community College (OCC) who have helped with the development of the Urban Flood Observing Network. Collaborators on the project include electrical engineering and computer science professor and , associate professor in the .

“It’s been a great way to engage a lot of different students from different backgrounds and stages in their careers in hardware design, 3d printing, algorithm design, and photogrammetry,” Carter says.

Shergill is the primary developer leading the project and has been working on the sensor network since 2021. During a summer internship in his freshman year at OCC, he assembled the initial version of the water sensor camera. He’s also been working on adding higher-quality sensors, wireless communications, machine vision, and other features to the water sensor camera. He hopes to install it on the roof of ���ϲ�����’s Center of Excellence for testing.

“The next thing I’m tackling is a remote start function, so we can trigger continuous data collection when a storm is moving into the area the sensor is monitoring,” Shergill says.

Carter has hopes the USGS will install these sensor networks in different locations where quick responses to flood events are needed which can help manage future flood events.

“It’s been great to collaborate with different students on this project and make an impact on tackling natural disasters that are a result of climate change,” Carter says.

The OVMA created this award to remove barriers that often prevent student veterans from accessing internships, one of the most effective pathways to post-graduation employment. The award, which is needs-based, covers the cost of one internship credit hour, travel and living expenses, or both, with a maximum award of $5,000 per student. It’s part of the ongoing efforts by ���ϲ����� to support student veterans and ensure their success in the job market.

“Student veterans often face the difficult choice between pursuing full-time summer studies or finding seasonal work to meet their financial needs,” says Jennifer Pluta, director of Veterans Career Services with the OVMA. “It’s challenging to focus on securing internships when financial concerns are pressing. Since its launch, the Internship Award has successfully helped 24 of our student veterans gain valuable job experience, giving them a significant advantage in the job market.”

According to the University’s , more than 650,000 veterans nationwide are currently pursuing higher education, often with one primary goal in mind: finding employment afterward. While veterans highlight finding employment after their military transition as a top priority, connecting with employers can sometimes be challenging. Initiatives like the OVMA’s Internship Award are crucial in bridging this gap, providing student veterans with opportunities to gain practical experience and build networks that will support their career goals.

At ���ϲ�����, students across all schools, colleges and degree levels have access to resources that help them find and secure internships in their chosen fields. However, student veterans, who often juggle complex schedules, family commitments and financial responsibilities, can find it particularly challenging to participate in internships. The OVMA’s Internship Award helps alleviate these challenges by providing financial support, enabling student veterans to focus on gaining valuable professional experience without the added burden of financial strain.

“Since its start, the internship award program has grown tremendously, providing invaluable opportunities for our student veterans to gain real-world experience and advance their careers,” says Ron Novack, OVMA’s executive director. “We are committed to expanding this program even further, reaching more student veterans and building strong partnerships with organizations that recognize and value the exceptional skills and dedication that veterans bring to the workforce.”

This year, military-connected students secured internships across a diverse range of industries, with many gaining experience in government agencies and tech companies. From working on policy initiatives and supporting service members through government roles to contributing to innovative projects in the tech sector, these students gained invaluable experience that will serve them well in their future careers.

Read more about three of the recipients and their unique experiences below.

Laurie N. Coffey G’25, U.S. Navy Veteran

Laurie Coffey

Laurie N. Coffey, a U.S. Navy veteran with over 20 years of service, is now a second-year law student in the . This summer, she interned with the Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office, where she gained valuable experience in public service law. Unlike the previous summer, when financial demands led her to take a highly paid corporate internship, this year was different.

“Receiving the scholarship allowed me to take a position that was unpaid and in public service,” Coffey says. “Having a family, mortgage, and going to school has financial demands that pushed me into a highly paid corporate internship last summer. The scholarship allowed me to pursue something more aligned with my passions and hopes to work in the advocacy arena.”

Curtis Cline ’25, U.S. Army Veteran

Curtis Cline

Curtis Cline, a senior majoring in aerospace engineering at the , is a U.S. Army veteran who completed three combat tours. During his service, he held such roles as crew chief, overhaul maintenance technician and downed aircraft recovery program manager. This summer, he interned at the Griffiss Institute, where he immersed himself in collaborative aerospace research.

“A lesson I gained during my internship is the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration. Working alongside experts in various fields, I learned how to effectively communicate complex ideas, integrate diverse perspectives and contribute to a collaborative research environment,” Cline says. “This experience has equipped me with enhanced problem-solving skills and a deeper understanding of how different disciplines converge in aerospace research.”

Marriler Wilson G’25, U.S. Air Force Veteran

Marriler Wilson

Marriler Wilson is a graduate student in the , pursuing a master’s in public administration and international relations.�� Willson served in the Air Force National Guard, focusing on security forces and base defense, while also serving as a traffic enforcer with the New York Police Department. This summer, Wilson interned at the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) in the Office of Congressional Public Affairs.

“One particularly memorable experience occurred on the second day of my internship when I had the unique opportunity to visit Capitol Hill. I observed a general counsel from my congressional and public affairs unit articulate the significance of MCC’s work,” says Wilson. “The counsel eloquently explained how MCC’s mission aligns with the interests of both political parties and how the corporation’s initiatives serve as a vital conduit for international cooperation and development.”

The OVMA Internship Award application period is open from September to May 31. For more details and to apply, visit . For more details about the award, reach out to Jennifer Pluta at jrpluta@syr.edu.

Story by Lissette Caceres

Shikha Nangia

is professor and interim chair of biomedical and chemical engineering in the (ECS). is a distinguished professor of physics in the (A&S). They succeed outgoing co-directors and .

Nangia joined the University in 2012 as a tenure-track professor. Her work involves the creation of computational models to examine the body’s blood-brain barrier at the molecular level. Those findings help develop drugs that can penetrate the barrier to advance medicinal treatments for neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

Marina Artuso

Artuso is an experimental physicist who works in experimental particle physics. Her research focuses on interesting properties of beauty and charm quarks and on the novel instrumentation needed to study their decay properties. She came to the University as a research assistant professor of physics in 1993, was appointed a professor of physics in 2005 and recently was named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

WiSE faculty co-directors serve as advocates, engaging with university leadership, the campus community and external audiences. They also develop strategic vision for the organization, offer budget input, and actively participate in programming. WiSE was created by and is led by faculty. Its goals are to increase the representation and retention of women faculty members in STEM fields, to highlight women scholars and to develop advising and mentoring programs.

WiSE serves members across 18 departments in six colleges and schools: A&S, ECS, , , and the .��It presents social, academic and professional development programming for undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral scholars and faculty in tenure, tenure-track and non-tenure-track positions.

One of the programs WiSE hosts is the career-focused Future Professionals Program (top).

Faculty present workshops, act as mentors, offer portfolio reviews and serve in many capacities to support learning and teaching, says WiSE director Sharon Alestalo.

“Their active involvement helps direct how we can support faculty success. We do that through programming for them and by providing activities and events that support the students and scholars they work with,” Alestalo says.

WiSE also supports the recruitment of women faculty in STEM. When the program was founded, there were 18 women faculty members teaching in 10 A&S and ECS departments. Today, there are 174 tenure, tenure-track and non-tenure women faculty members working in 18 areas, Alestalo says. STEM women faculty in WiSE have also attracted more than $104 million in research funding during the last five years, she says.

WiSE also supports programming for Women of Color in STEM.

The organization is open to all. Undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral scholars and faculty women and their allies of any gender, race, ability and identity who work, study or are interested in the STEM fields are welcome.

Davis Hood ’26, Carter Thompson ’26, Jennifer Mason ’26, and Matthew Pinto ’27 with Jim DaRin and professor and Invent@SU director, Alex Deyhim. (Photo by Alex Dunbar)

Former ���ϲ����� student��Jim DaRin��is one of many wheelchair users who rely on adapted vehicles to drive. These vehicles are equipped with a docking system designed to secure the wheelchairs in place while users focus on the road. However, even when the wheelchair is locked in, it’s not completely secure, causing DaRin to move back and forth while driving.

“The docking system moves and I’m rocking back and forth. I’m paralyzed from my waist down and have my hands on the steering wheel and throttle. It’s not secure or safe,” says DaRin. “The wheelchair’s pin also has a tendency to get caught on certain surfaces and the bolt drags on the pavement.”

DaRin is far from the first to complain about docking systems for adapted vehicles, but very few attempts have been made to fix these issues. That’s when he reached out to engineering students Davis Hood ’26 (electrical engineering), Jennifer Mason ’26 (mechanical engineering), Matthew Pinto ’27 (biomedical engineering) and Carter Thompson ’26 (aerospace engineering) to explore ways to improve his docking mechanism.

“I showed them the challenge I was having and the problems with my current docking system,” DaRin says.

Jennifer Mason ’26 and Carter Thompson ’26 measuring Jim DaRin’s docking system. (Photo by Alex Dunbar)

As part of , a six-week summer program where student teams prototype, design and pitch original devices to judges, Hood, Mason, Pinto and Thompson created MagniClaw, a device that securely locks wheelchairs in moving vehicles. Their device has a lightweight bar attachment on the back of the wheelchair and a docking mechanism that holds a clamping and electromagnet.

“We’ve gone through multiple different design iterations, and we are always trying to keep in mind Department of Transportation standards,” says Hood. “Our device is easy to use, has a universal design, and can go on a majority of manual wheelchairs.”

MagniClaw’s lightweight attachment can easily be connected to wheelchairs using two small clamps. Once attached, the user can connect to the docking frame. The attachment has a steel plate in the center that interacts with the electromagnet to securely hold the wheelchair in place.

“Our device has a clamping mechanism. With this, wheelchair users can back into clamps without any extra input from the control center and the clamp’s shape provides enough security for the electromagnet to turn on,” says Pinto.

The electromagnet, which holds the wheelchair in place, can pull up to 600 lbs. and is activated by a remote. The remote has a Bluetooth feature that can communicate whether the electromagnet is on or off.

Matthew Pinto ’27, Jennifer Mason ’26, David Hood ’26, and Carter Thompson ’26 examining Jim DaRin’s adapted vehicle and docking system. (Photo by Alex Dunbar)

“All wheelchair users have to do is back up, and the system gets locked in, holding them in place until they press a button that activates the electromagnet. They’re held for the car ride, and when they’re done, they press a button to release the electromagnet, and they can roll away freely,” says Mason.

MagniClaw’s hitch-less design and customizability not only sets it apart from competitors but also provides more freedom and mobility for wheelchairs with a more accessible docking system. They showcased their original device at Invent@SU’s final presentations to a panel of 14 expert judges and guests, including faculty, staff, Dean Cole Smith, ���ϲ����� Life Trustee Bill Allyn and program supporter Mike Lazar. The team tied for second place, winning a cash prize of $1,200.

“It was nice to have a broad spectrum of engineers in our group. It also feels great to help Jim out,” says Thompson.

“My previous docking system was not good. Their system is a hundred times better,” says DaRin. “It’s much more safe and secure. The potential for MagniClaw is huge.”

“Mr. Jim Darin, a former student of ���ϲ�����, approached me with a problem that he hoped an Invent@SU team could solve,” says Kenneth and Mary Ann Shaw Professor of Practice in Entrepreneurial Leadership��Alex Deyhim. “It was amazing to watch the students work directly with Mr. Darin to design and prototype MagniClaw, a magnetic wheelchair docking system that could be helpful to the millions of Americans who use wheelchairs full-time. This project is a wonderful example of what our students can accomplish when they work across engineering disciplines.”

Carter Thompson ’26 examining Jim DaRin’s docking system. (Photo by Alex Dunbar)

The faculty are and of (ECS); and of the ��(A&S); and of the .

, vice president for research and Charles Brightman Endowed Professor of Physics, says the awards demonstrate the exceptional promise of junior faculty in both research and education. “It is exciting to see such a diverse range of research projects recognized by the federal government and philanthropic foundations,” Brown says. “The awards provide funding that will help our researchers find ways to reduce inequality, develop new forms of energy, build better aircraft, secure computer systems and advance the frontiers of mathematics.”

Endadul Hoque, Yiming Zhao��

Hoque, assistant professor of electrical engineering and computer science in ECS, and Zhao, assistant professor of mathematics in A&S, both earned Awards—the NSF’s most competitive award for early-career faculty.

Endadul Hoque

Hoque will use the to enhance computer network security by developing an innovative technique known as “fuzzing.” Fuzzing injects invalid or unexpected inputs into a system to find security vulnerabilities in software, but current techniques have limitations. His work involves creating a language to encode complex structures of inputs that change depending on the context and creating techniques that can mutate inputs to systems without losing their context sensitivity. The research will create new methods to find loopholes in real-world security-critical systems. Hoque also plans to hold workshops for K-12 students to promote cybersecurity awareness and support students from historically marginalized communities to pursue careers in STEM.

Yiming Zhao

Zhao, a mathematician who specializes in convex geometry, geometric analysis and partial differential equations, will use the to explore new variations of two of geometry’s oldest problems: the isoperimetric problem and the Minkowski problem. These problems focus on recovering the shape of geometric figures from their geometric properties, such as their volume and surface area. Applications of the techniques developed can be used to create new solutions to science and engineering problems ranging from antenna reflector design to urban planning. He will host special educational sessions at the Milton J. Rubenstein Museum of Science and Technology for K-12 students to encourage them to think about math as discovery, not just as applying a set of formulas on an exam.

Yiyang Sun

Yiyang Sun��

Sun was presented with a from the , the basic research arm of the Air Force Research Laboratory. That program enhances career development for outstanding young researchers who advance the Air Force’s mission in science and engineering. Only 48 scientists and engineers received the award in 2024.

Sun’s grant of $446,360 is for her project, “Multi-Modal Interactions in Three-Dimensional Unsteady Flows.” Her research uses a cutting-edge technique to analyze multi-modal interactions in fluid flows to analyze and understand unsteady aerodynamic problems. The research outcomes could have a significant impact on advancing the designs of aircraft with improved aerodynamic performance for challenging operation conditions.

Craig Cahillane

Craig Cahillane��

Cahillane was awarded an��by the . He was one of only 23 researchers selected nationally in the first class of IGNIITE fellows and received the award at a The program supports early-career innovators who are working to convert disruptive and unconventional ideas into impactful new energy technologies.

The $500,000 award supports two years of work in fusion energy optimization on the project, “Ultra-High Power Photoneutralization Cavity for Neutral Beam Injection in Fusion Reactors.”��Cahillane is developing a prototype that has the potential to make fusion reactors nearly twice as efficient as they are with current technology. His lab will develop an ultra-high power laser cavity designed to help efficiently reheat and refuel a fusion reactor.

Ying Shi

Ying Shi

Shi received $350,000 from the Scholars Program for her exploration of Asian American students’ exposure to victimization and hate crimes in school. That program supports early-career researchers who are working to reduce inequality in youth outcomes and improve research evidence in decisions that affect young people in the United States.

Only four to six scholars are selected for this award each year, and Shi is the first scholar��from ���ϲ����� to receive it. Shi’s project, “School Victimization and Hate Crime Exposure Among Asian Students: An Evidence Base to Reduce Well-Being Inequality,” is funded for five years. Shi plans to use administrative data from studies across multiple U.S. cities and states to collect information on the prevalence and consequences of exposure to school victimization and hate crimes for Asian students, as compared with their peers.

The program, NRT-URoL: Emergent Intelligence Research for Graduate Excellence in Biological and Bio-Inspired Systems (EmIRGE-Bio), will support the integration of research and education on emergent intelligence in both biological and bio-inspired systems and allow doctoral students to work and experience team-building across disciplinary and departmental boundaries.

Lisa Manning speaks at a previous BioInspired Symposium. (Photo by Angela Ryan)

“Many of society’s most pressing challenges—including food security, sustainability and supporting aging populations—will require breakthroughs in biotechnology and bio-inspired science,” says , William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Physics in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S), who is principal investigator (PI). “This program will train a new generation of scientists and engineers who can evaluate and harness complex systems, such as biological tissues or next-generation materials, to drive intelligent responses such as sensing, actuating and learning, leading to breakthrough technologies.”

Co-PIs are , associate professor of biology and chemistry in A&S; , associate director of BioInspired and Renée Crown Professor in the Sciences and Mathematics and associate professor of biology in A&S; , Samuel and Carol Nappi Research Scholar and associate professor of biomedical and chemical engineering in the College of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS); and , associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering in ECS.

BioInspired director , professor of biomedical and chemical engineering in ECS, says, “the Research Traineeship Program is currently one of—if not the most—competitive funding programs at the National Science Foundation. Receipt of the award speaks to the existing strength of graduate education in BioInspired fields at ���ϲ����� and to the exciting new opportunities and programming that Lisa and the team designed and proposed and now stand poised to deliver.”

The EmIRGE-Bio program will feature advanced core disciplinary courses in areas foundational to biotechnology and bio-inspired design; the development of two new courses utilizing team-based learning paradigms; and a longitudinal professional development program. It will also include a STEM entrepreneurship course offered by the Martin J. Whitman School of Management, an internship program and a co-curricular workshop series on project management and technology transfer.

Some 115 Ph.D. students from fields that span the life and physical sciences and engineering are expected to take part in the training, which the research team says will address a STEM workforce gap identified by local and national partners in industry and academe.

“Emergence in biology and bio-inspired design is one of the University’s signature areas of strength, and we have seen that borne out by the success of BioInspired since its founding in 2019,” says Interim Vice Chancellor, Provost and Chief Academic Officer . “This initiative draws on that strength and supports our long-term strategic goal to transform STEM at ���ϲ����� and enhance graduates’ potential for success in a swiftly evolving marketplace.”

Adds , vice president for research: “The NRT award will advance BioInspired in ways that are core to ���ϲ�����’s identity: recruiting and retaining a diverse student population, advancing cutting-edge interdisciplinary research and education and providing our students with the entrepreneurial skills needed in the 21st century workforce.”

���ϲ����� Libraries has selected four students as the 2024-25 Orange Innovation Scholars. This prestigious recognition highlights their dedication to innovation and entrepreneurship. These four students exemplify the spirit of innovation and leadership that the Orange Innovation Scholars program seeks to promote. The four Orange Innovation Scholars are:

• Ava Lubkemann ’27 (College of Engineering and Computer Science) is studying environmental engineering with a passion for sustainable construction, design and entrepreneurship. She founded “Sustainable Concepts,” a business that sells upcycled clothing to support environmentally conscious organizations. Additionally, Lubkemann volunteers with STEM Explorer, helping local middle-school students engage in hands-on STEM learning. At ���ϲ�����, she has been a researcher at the Dynamic Sustainability Lab, focusing on carbon capture sequestration. Lubkemann is a recent graduate of the summer accelerator program.
• Jair Espinoza ’25 (College of Engineering and Computer Science) is actively involved in several student organizations, including the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, the Mexican Student Association, Lambda Alpha Upsilon Fraternity and the ���ϲ����� Men’s Gymnastic Club. Espinoza brings a wealth of experience in organizing large-scale events, securing funding and promoting cultural understanding. As a software developer, his experiences have provided him with valuable insight in full stack development, artificial intelligence and mobile app development. He is a recent graduate of the summer accelerator program.
• Aidan Turner ’25 (School of Architecture), a fifth-year architecture student, is also completing a minor in real estate from the Martin J. Whitman School of Management. He is a licensed real estate salesperson in Massachusetts. Turner has been recognized as ���ϲ����� Student Entrepreneur of the Year in both 2022 and 2024. He is the CEO and founder of Grater Things Threads, a premium garment design and supply company dedicated to crafting bespoke, sustainable garments with meaningful designs.
• Thomas O’Brien ’25 (College of Visual and Performing Arts) is an entrepreneur who combines the art of filmmaking with business and marketing. With experience in audience development for music artists and actors combined, O’Brien looks to revolutionize how narrative filmmaking is produced, shared and consumed in the new digital age. His work across all practices has generated millions of views on several social media platforms. He is an Invest in Success Scholar, a member of the ‘CUSE50 steering committee (where he was emcee for last fall’s gala) and a speaker at the ‘CUSE50 student summit.

Orange Innovation Scholars support commercialization programs offered through ���ϲ����� Libraries, including the and the , along with Universitywide entrepreneurship and innovation initiatives such as . They will engage University faculty, post doctorates and Ph.D. students, graduate and undergraduate students engaged in research, technology commercialization, venture development, innovation and entrepreneurship. Orange Innovation Scholars will also engage with SU alumni who are founders and leaders at top innovation companies. Orange Innovation Scholars work across all disciplines and academic units to build a pipeline of innovation and tell success stories.

The program is for university-based science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) researchers and early-stage startup founders who are interested in exploring the market potential of their work and learning entrepreneurial skills. Participants will learn to apply discovery methodology to help translate technology innovation from the lab into a successful product and/or service through a better understanding of how to achieve product-market fit.

The monthlong virtual course is offered through the University as a partner in the , funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), led by Cornell University, with other collaborators, including Dartmouth College, Rochester Institute of Technology, SUNY Binghamton, SUNY Buffalo, University of Pittsburgh, University of Rochester, University of Vermont and West Virginia University. The hub is part of the , connecting researchers, entrepreneurial communities and federal agencies to help commercialize research.

Course Overview

This virtual course combines self-directed online learning activities, with six Zoom-based class meetings (one to two hours long) and one-on-one instructor check-ins. The course is technology-agnostic, and any sufficiently developed (i.e., beyond ideation) tech innovation team is welcome to apply.

In the first half of the course, teams learn how to identify target customer segments, develop hypotheses about the value proposition offered to each customer segment and effectively interview potential customers about their problems/needs. In the second half of the course, teams will conduct customer discovery and join personalized calls with instructors to share progress and receive coaching. In the final class, teams present their findings, receive additional coaching, learn about other local entrepreneurship programs and receive information about applying for the national I-Corps Teams program and Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer grants.

Applicant Information

Successful applicants should have an early-state technology innovation, with either a prototype or some form of scientific validation. Teams of one to three people may apply. All team members are required to attend and participate fully in every course session and complete all coursework to be considered for NSF lineage and a nomination for the national I-Corps Team.

While all applicants are welcome, preference is given to those with University-affiliated technology (i.e., faculty working with the Office of Technology Transfer), as well as post-docs, graduate students and undergraduate students who are commercializing research. Applications are also encouraged from researchers and early-stage founders engaged with other campuses as well as community incubators and accelerator programs.

Course Schedule

• The program opens for precourse work on Friday, Aug. 30.
• Session 1: Monday, Sept. 9, 1-3 p.m.
• Session 2a: Wednesday, Sept. 11, individualized coaching
• Session 2b: Friday, Sept. 13, 1-3 p.m.
• Session 3: Monday, Sept. 16, 1-3 p.m.M
• Session 4: Wednesday, September 18, individualized coaching
• Session 5a: Wednesday, Sept. 25, 1-2 p.m.
• Session 5b: Monday, Sept. 30, 1-3 p.m.
• Session 6: Wednesday, Oct. 2, 1-3 p.m.

The programming is being co-led by Linda Dickerson Hartsock, strategic initiatives advisor, ���ϲ����� Libraries, who was founding director of the Blackstone LaunchPad; Jeff Fuchsberg, director, ���ϲ����� Center for Advanced Systems and Engineering (CASE); and Cristiano Bellavitis, assistant professor of entrepreneurship at the Martin J. Whitman School of Management. Both Hartsock and Fuchsberg led the ���ϲ����� Tech Garden before joining the University. NSF certified instructors will be teaching the course modules.

More information

Read more about�����ϲ�����’s participation in the new NSF I-Corps Interior Northeast Region Hub��(IN I-Corps) Consortium and its $15 million STEM innovation program. The new initiative aims to create a cohesive innovation ecosystem through inclusive models of education and workforce training designed to catalyze innovation in economically underserved areas.

Partners in the University’s NSF I-Corps programming are resource providers across campus, including the Office of Research, Office of Technology Transfer, ���ϲ����� Libraries, the College of Law’s Innovation Law Center, the College of Engineering and Computer Science and its Center for Advanced Systems and Engineering, and the Whitman School of Management.

For more information about the upcoming NSF I-Corps course, contact Linda Dickerson Hartsock,��Ldhart01@syr.edu; Jeff Fuchsberg,��Jrfuchsb@syr.edu; or Cristiano Bellavitis, crbellav@syr.edu.

Pardha Sourya Nayani

Pardha Sourya Nayani G’28, a Ph.D. student in electrical engineering and computer science (EECS), has received the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Antennas and Propagation Society (AP-S) Fellowship Award. The award is for his research on “Unleashing Bandwidth: Passive Highly Dispersive Matching Network Enabling Broadband Absorbers with Record-High Bandwidth-to-Thickness Ratio.”

The AP-S Fellowship Program aims to support graduate students and postdoctoral fellows worldwide interested in antenna analysis, design, development and other research areas related to AP-S.

Nayani joined EECS Professor Younes Radi’s research group in the Radiation Laboratory in the summer of 2023. “I am deeply honored to receive this award and look forward to making significant contributions in the field of electromagnetics and microwave engineering,” Nayani says.

“As a faculty member at ���ϲ����� and the prior institutions I have been involved with, I have had the opportunity to see and work with many talented students and researchers,” says Radi. “Rarely have I had the opportunity to work with a student as passionate, talente, and hardworking as Pardha. I am happy and proud that IEEE awarded him this prestigious fellowship.”

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To get in touch and learn more about ���ϲ����� faculty members available for interviews, please contact��media@syr.edu.

“���ϲ����� is so fortunate to count outstanding teachers, scholars and administrators like Julie and Elisa among its faculty members, and I am truly grateful for their willingness to serve in these important roles,” Agnew says. “Their past leadership experiences and fresh perspectives position them to make a positive impact not only on the Academic Affairs team, but also across the University and in the local community.”

Julie Hasenwinkel

Julie Hasenwinkel

As associate provost for academic programs, Hasenwinkel will support teaching, learning and student success. Her portfolio will include oversight of a wide range of University offices and programs in these areas, including the , the and . She assumes the role from Agnew, who was named interim vice chancellor, provost and chief academic officer July 1.

, a Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Professor of Teaching Excellence, is currently chair of the Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering in the (ECS). She is also a faculty affiliate of the . She has served as ECS associate dean for academic and student affairs and senior associate dean.

Her professional and scholarly areas of expertise include faculty development in teaching and learning; engineering education and active learning pedagogies; student success initiatives; orthopedic biomaterials; and biomaterials for nerve regeneration. She holds a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering from Northwestern University, an M.S. in bioengineering from Clemson University and a B.S.E. in biomedical engineering from Duke University.

“I’m very excited to take on this role and to have the opportunity to work with colleagues across the University and the leadership team in Academic Affairs to enhance our academic programs, student success, experiential inquiry and teaching and learning excellence,” Hasenwinkel says. “I look forward to implementing the goals of the academic strategic plan and exploring innovative ways that we can meet the current and future needs of our students so they can thrive at ���ϲ����� and beyond.”

Elisa Dekaney

Elisa Dekaney

In the role of associate provost for strategic initiatives, Dekaney will work to strengthen the academic experience through strong connections with campus and community-based programs, particularly in the arts and humanities. In this role, she will oversee University-based cultural organizations like the , and , among others. Dekaney will also have oversight of the University’s study abroad and study away initiatives. She assumes the role from Marcelle Haddix, who was recently named dean of the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

, now the associate dean for research and global engagement and a professor of music education in the , is also a Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Professor of Teaching Excellence.

Her scholarly research focuses on aesthetic response to music, world music and cultures, International Phonetic Alphabet, Indigenous and Afro-Brazilian culture and clinical simulation applied to music education. She holds a Ph.D. in choral music education from Florida State University, a master’s degree in choral conducting from the University of Missouri-Kansas, a bachelor’s degree in sacred music (piano) from the Seminário Teológico Batista do Sul do Brasil and a bachelor’s degree in communications from the Universidade Federal Fluminense.

“I am honored to join Interim Provost Lois Agnew and the entire Academic Affairs team. This role presents an incredible opportunity to collaborate with ���ϲ����� faculty, staff and students in driving innovative projects and fostering a culture of excellence in an environment welcoming to all,” Dekaney says. “I am committed to advancing our strategic goals with a strong focus on diversity and inclusion. By ensuring that our initiatives reflect these core values, we can create a transformative educational experience that benefits all members of our community.”

When she first started thinking about a career in design while in high school, her father suggested space architecture—a field that combines her love of both science and design—“and it clicked,” she says. Those interests brought her first to the University’s , where she earned a bachelor’s degree in architecture in 2023.

Doctoral student Andrea Hoe examines one of several compressed regolith cylinders she is testing.

Starting With SOURCE

Now, Hoe is a graduate research assistant in Assistant Professor�� Yeqing Wang’s in the . (ECS). She first contacted Wang in spring 2022 regarding her interest in research on lunar regolith, the dry, loose soil found on the Moon. Wang encouraged her to apply for an undergraduate research grant from the (SOURCE). She was awarded a grant, and, with Wang as her sponsor, began working in his lab that summer.

After Hoe completed her undergraduate degree, Wang encouraged her to pursue graduate studies at ECS, starting as a master’s student in the program. That allowed her to continue her work on lunar regolith composites.

Based on her excellent academic record and outstanding research experience, Wang says, he offered her a graduate research assistant position, a role that covers tuition, living expenses and insurance. The position was co-sponsored by Jensen Zhang, executive director of the ���ϲ����� Center of Excellence and professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering. In addition to researching lunar regolith composites, Hoe has collaborated with Zhang and Wang on developing metal-organic-framework materials and devices for air purification applications. In fall 2023, Wang encouraged Hoe to apply to pursue a doctoral degree.

The NASA award was presented for Hoe’s proposal, “,” with Wang serving as principal investigator. The recognition provides her with a prestigious designation as a NASA Space Technology graduate research fellow, Wang says.

Compression Testing

In her research, Hoe uses urea and carbon nanotube additives and integrates them into the lunar regolith material with an acidic solution, then compresses the composite cylinder that forms from the substances to test how varied compositions affect its strength. The lunar regolith and urea can be sourced on site in space, a factor that significantly reduces the payload required to transport the materials from Earth to space.

Soon, Hoe will add experiments that examine the impact of lunar freeze/thaw cycles on the composite and test mechanical strength to gauge fabrication ability. Ultimately, she wants to identify an optimum formulation of the composite that is sufficiently strong and remotely mixable so it can be extruded from 3D printers to form lunar habitats. NASA believes the technology will permit structures to be built in outer space for use by humans on the moon and Mars, Hoe says, and its Marshall Space Flight Center is conducting regolith research for that purpose. She also believes the push for space exploration now being made by several companies will create a need for the habitats.

Regolith material, like what is found on the Moon, is used in Yeqing Wang’s Composite Materials lab.

Hoe has already sketched some designs for those space pods, envisioning small, connected, 3D-printed modules. Her ideas are partially inspired by biomimicry and her work with School of Architecture Assistant Professor . Biomimicry design takes its cues from nature, such as the way ants or bees build colonies.

Two Perspectives

Hoe believes her dual perspectives and the expertise she is developing will be particularly appealing to employers in the future. “We see the architecture aspect, the engineering aspect and the commercialization aspect to space structures. What we don’t commonly see right now is an architect who also has an engineering degree. That’s where I hope to fit in and meet the industry—between the architectural side that considers design for human comfort and the engineering side that incorporates the practicality of how to fabricate the structures. I am hoping that by the time I’ve completed my doctorate there will be more opportunities for space architects, and NASA is definitely where I want to be,” she says.

Wang says the NASA award “provides an exciting opportunity to collaborate closely with our NASA partners on researching composite material systems for space habitation. It also acknowledges our talented graduate student for her pioneering research in lunar regolith composites and allows her to continue pursuing her dream of materials research for space habitation.”

Hoe prepares to test a compressed regolith cylinder to assess the strength of the material.

Out-of-the-Box Pursuits

The student researcher has a history of out-of-the-box pursuits and believes that motivation and persistence can pay off. She is accustomed to others thinking that her goals may be unattainable, but most people have a positive reaction to her research, she says.

And though she began regolith design and testing in an engineering lab as an undergraduate, moving from an architectural focus to an engineering one has had its challenges, Hoe admits.

“It’s been a difficult transition from architecture to engineering since I’ve had to catch up on engineering requirements,” she says, though with her professor’s support and her passion for the work, she knows her goals are achievable. Her three engineering-oriented summer internships have provided learning experiences that have helped her understand how her strong design focus will assist her in engineering work, given current industry norms.

“I was able to demonstrate that an architecture background is useful in many projects and there were times engineering team members changed their opinions based on my contributions,” she says. “That’s why I encourage others to be passionate about something and to not give up on their dreams, even if others are not supportive.”

Professors Karin Ruhlandt, Shobha Bhatia, Eleanor Maine and Suzanne Baldwin participate in a Women in Science and Engineering panel discussion this past spring.

Four women STEM faculty members, all longtime members of the University community, have recently retired with emerita status, but they leave behind a significant legacy—as valuable researchers, dedicated teachers and inspiring mentors to the next generation.

Suzanne Baldwin, Shobha Bhatia, Eleanor Maine and Karin Ruhlandt are renowned in their respective science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. They were key leaders in establishing the University’s Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE) initiative and growing it into the strong support network it is today.

In the spring, they were celebrated for their distinguished careers during a WiSE reception and panel discussion.

“These four women are an inspiration to us all,” says Kate Lewis, Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Professor of Teaching Excellence and professor of biology in the College of Arts and Sciences. “They have had, and are continuing to have, a tremendous impact on their respective fields and STEM in general, here at ���ϲ����� and also internationally—through their research, their mentoring of students and colleagues and their work for diversity, equity and inclusion.”

Below, the four faculty members reflect on their careers and the importance of mentoring younger faculty members to help them reach their fullest potential.

Suzanne Baldwin, Thonis Family Professor Emerita: Thermochronology and Tectonics, Department of Earth Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences

Baldwin retired in January after 24 years as a faculty member. The roots of her career in STEM were planted during her college years, when she had to make a decision whether to pursue a dance major or science major.

Suzanne Baldwin

“They are certainly very different fields,” Baldwin says. “I always loved science, so I took a bunch of science courses—physics, math, chemistry and biology—and didn’t really settle on any one science. I ended up taking a geology course and then I was hooked.”

Baldwin loved field trips and being outdoors, working to find out how the Earth evolved. “It was really my curiosity and passion that led me down this path,” she says. “I’ve never looked back.” She earned an M.Sc. degree and a Ph.D. at the State University of New York University at Albany.

Her research has focused on how the Earth’s plate boundaries evolve over time, in particular around the Pacific Rim. That research has led to a number of discoveries in Papua New Guinea, for example. Baldwin has conducted field work globally, including in Antarctica. “The Earth is my lab,” she says.

Along with her research group, Baldwin built the internationally recognized ���ϲ����� Noble Gas Isotopic Research Laboratory (SUNGIRL), which she directed for 23 years. Baldwin and her team studied noble gases in minerals from Earth and lunar samples to reveal their thermal histories. She is proud of the research community she built, providing opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, postdocs, faculty and visiting researchers.

She is also proud of the community that has been built through WiSE, especially her role in leading the Faculty Peer Mentoring Committee. Her desire to help and mentor other faculty comes from challenges she experienced throughout her career.

There were times when, because of her responsibilities, Baldwin was not able to be as active in WiSE as she wanted. But she always made sure that her students, post docs and lab manager, attended and benefited from WiSE programs. “We’ve seen over the years that many of the programs started in WiSE have expanded to help the entire University community,” Baldwin says. “So that’s been very gratifying.”

Baldwin was elected a fellow of the Geological Society of America in 2005 and was the inaugural Marie Tharp Fellow at the Earth Institute of Columbia University in 2006. She was awarded ���ϲ�����’s Chancellor’s Citation in 2010. She was appointed the inaugural Susan G. and Michael T. Thonis Professor of Earth Sciences in 2014.

In retirement, she continues to conduct research and mentor students, and is returning to writing projects. In June 2025, she will co-convene an international conference on her research specialty (eclogites) in Sonoma, California. It will be the first time the International Eclogite Conference will be hosted in the United States.

“Basically, I’m doing everything that brings me joy,” she says. “I’m proud of so many things that I’ve accomplished. I’m not done yet.”

Shobha Bhatia, professor emerita of civil and environmental engineering, College of Engineering and Computer Science

Bhatia, who retires in August, has been a member of the faculty for 42 years. As a child, she had a natural affinity for math and science. When it came time to choose a path for college, she decided she did not want to follow in the footsteps of her older sister, who was in medical school.

Shobha Bhatia

“I made the decision to carve my own path,” she says, and she chose engineering. Her uncle was a civil engineer and took her to his work sites. “I like working with soil; I thought this is a great profession. And so I chose civil engineering, following his path,” she says.

After completing undergraduate and master’s degree studies in India, Bhatia worked for two years at an earthquake engineering research institute on projects with a nuclear power plant and an oil refinery. “At the time, I didn’t realize how important those projects were and the kind of training and experience I got,” she says.

Bhatia came to Canada in the late 1970s as a Commonwealth Scholar at the University of British Columbia. She worked in a lab with six research scientists from Japan; she was the only student. Instead of being intimidated, she formed good, collaborative working relationships with the others in the lab. “They were wonderful mentors,” she says.

“Since joining ���ϲ�����, I have a chance to work on many exciting projects with my students and with colleagues, and I am very proud of what we have been able to produce,” she says. Bhatia received a Chancellor’s Citation for Faculty Excellence and Scholarly Distinction and designation as a Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Professor of Teaching Excellence, and this past April, received the Chancellor’s Citation Lifetime Achievement Award during the One University Celebration.

There have been challenging times for Bhatia early in her academic career, particularly in being the first female full professor in the College of Engineering and Computer Science. “I didn’t know who to talk to, who to really go to for advice, so it was a very isolating experience,” she says. “I now have wonderful colleagues here in engineering and in the STEM disciplines across campus.”

That was the impetus to start WiSE in 1999. At the time, Bhatia was department chair of civil and environmental engineering. She worked with Cathryn Newton, dean emerita of the College of Arts and Sciences and then professor and chair of Earth sciences, to write the grant proposal for funding and get WiSE off the ground.

“Now, after 25 years, WiSE is a vibrant community of extraordinary faculty, post-docs, graduate and undergraduate students. Not only have we maintained that community, but it has grown,” she says. “It’s ever evolving because there are so many people involved. It remains really vibrant.”

As she reflects on her career, she is proud of what she helped to build. “I feel this is my university. I’m not just coming to work, I’m contributing to something that is mine. And I think if you create that kind of network of students and colleagues around you, work becomes a pleasure,” she says.

While Bhatia will greatly miss her students and colleagues, she says it’s time to move on to the next phase of her life. “It has been a wonderful experience, but I think it is time to give the baton to other people who can run with it. I need to move on to the next phase of my life.”

In retirement, Bhatia and her husband, Tej Bhatia, who has also just retired from his faculty position in the College of Arts and Sciences, plan to continue working on projects they have underway. She will be presenting the first of four keynote lectures at Geotechnical Frontiers in March 2025 and will start her work as a consultant for a World Bank-funded project with the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India, in 2025.

Eleanor Maine, professor emerita of biology, College of Arts and Sciences

Eleanor Maine

Maine retired in May after a 34-year career on the faculty. As a child, she was drawn to the natural world, and both of her parents had science backgrounds. She found her passion in her introductory biology class in college. “The first thing we studied was animal development, and I just loved it,” Maine says. She didn’t start her college journey aiming to be a professor, but that is where her path led her after earning a Ph.D. at Princeton and postdoctoral fellowships at Princeton and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Her research interests include genetic regulation of development, cell-signaling, germline development and RNA silencing, and the Maine lab’s research team studied how cells and tissues form during animal development. Beyond the successes realized in her lab and the publications she got out, one of her greatest joys has been working with students, “just seeing them blossom,” she says.

One of her greatest challenges was the social side of being a professor. “I had zero training in teaching, so I really had to become a more outgoing person,” she says. It was all about a delicate balance of nurturing students who felt that they could do everything themselves to those who needed constant reassurance, and everyone in between. “That was a big challenge,” Maine says. “Most of the time it worked out, and I am proud of that.” Maine was the 2022 recipient of the William Wasserstrom Prize for the Teaching of Graduate Students.

“I think for me, the important thing is building community,” Maine says. “I’d been here many years when WiSE was founded, but still it was so helpful to meet women scientists in engineering and other departments in arts and sciences.”

“I was also very much wanting to foster an easier, more welcoming atmosphere for new faculty in general,” Maine says. “It’s helpful to talk with other people about these things, like difficult conversations with people.”

For many years, Maine was one of three women in the biology department. She says that over the years, she has seen silos come down. “I feel that there’s more acceptance of different research and teaching styles than when I came here,” Maine says. “And also more acceptance of ongoing outside obligations that some people have.” She has also witnessed more collaboration between departments and schools and colleges.

In retirement, Maine will continue to work on projects. Once a professor, always a professor.

Karin Ruhlandt, Distinguished Professor Emerita of Chemistry and Dean Emerita, College of Arts and Sciences

Ruhlandt was a member of the faculty for 31 years before retiring in May.

Karin Ruhlandt

A native of Germany, Ruhlandt grew up being fascinated by nature. What she loved even more, though, was art history and literature. She found resistance from her father in pursuing that passion. “Even finishing high school, he said, ‘Why are you doing this? You’re going to get married anyway, why bother?’ Ruhlandt found support from her mother in pushing back. When it came time to enter university, her father relented somewhat—under the condition that Ruhlandt pursue a field that he felt would keep a roof over her head and fed. To him, that was not art history and literature.

“So I became a chemist, it was really that. I must admit that I struggled with it a lot,” she says. At the time, there were a few other fellow female students but no role models in the professoriate. All courses were taught by men.

After earning a Dr. rer. nat. (the Ph.D. equivalent) in chemistry from Philips University in Marburg, Germany, she came to the United States to pursue postdoctoral work at the University of California, Davis. It was in her research that Ruhlandt began to truly find her passion for chemistry. She found a supportive advisor in California who gave her the independence within his lab to pursue the research she wanted to do. That freedom also had a downside. While she and her advisor were incredibly productive, publishing more than 30 papers together, she did the experimental work and data collection. “When I became a faculty member I regretted it, because there were certain aspects of the job I never learned. I had never written in my life a paper before,” she says.

Ruhlandt’s research specialty is the chemistry of highly reactive metals and their applications in such areas as computer memory and bone therapeutics. In 2009, she was appointed Distinguished Professor—the only female on campus to receive such an honor in the sciences—and chair of the Department of Chemistry, the latter of which she held until 2014. Named dean of the College of Arts and Sciences in 2015, Ruhlandt led A&S until 2022.

She is proud of the work she did as dean to enhance the student experience in A&S. Her accomplishments that are evident today in the retention of international students and students winning nationally competitive scholarships and awards, as well as gains in research, funding and admissions. Ruhlandt also laid the groundwork for a program in Madrid to allow science students to study abroad.

When she started at the University in 1993 as an assistant professor, she was the only woman faculty member in the department for eight years.

As with the other professors, Ruhlandt’s work as a co-founder of WiSE has been very important to her. “I find it incredibly important to show young scientists what is possible despite the obstacles. That is what I’m really passionate about,” she says.

Mentorship, she says, is also about showing young faculty members how to navigate through their careers. “That, I think, is what really is ultimately driving my passion for WiSE, and also making sure that they don’t feel isolated. … That there is a support network and that they see it’s not just them doing what they’re doing and that there are others who share their values and their passions,” Ruhlandt says.

Ruhlandt is proud that the support network that she and her colleagues built 25 years ago is still strong today. “I’m incredibly proud of the women we have hired over the last few years. They are incredibly successful in bringing in funding and writing really high-profile research publications,” she says. “The caliber of the papers produced is astonishing. We have hired incredibly good women, and they need to be nurtured and supported.”

Ruhlandt began a new position as vice principal, academic and dean at the University of Toronto at Scarborough on July 1. In her new role she will oversee the building of a medical school on campus.

H. John Riley Jr.

On his journey from his first job in a corporate mailroom to the executive suite, H. John Riley Jr. ’61 often credited the education and opportunities he received at ���ϲ����� for his success. His gratitude shaped his approach to both service and philanthropy at his alma mater. Riley was still serving as a life trustee and co-chair of the Forever Orange Campaign and its $1.5 billion goal when he passed away on June 1, 2024, at the age of 83.

“John was incredibly thoughtful and generous in all things, including his support for ���ϲ�����,” says Chancellor Kent Syverud. “John was committed to ensuring meaningful student experiences—in and out of the classroom—were accessible to all ���ϲ����� students. His philanthropy opened doors and carved paths of opportunity for engineering students to succeed in the business world, just as he had over his lifetime.”

The 2017 endowed gift from John and Diane Riley establishing the H. John Riley Dual Degree Engineering/MBA Program was designed to give ���ϲ����� students the opportunity to set themselves apart. Earning a bachelor’s degree in engineering along with an MBA in five years prepares students to make an immediate impact.

“John recognized that successful business executives understand multiple disciplines and that it was important for students to have both theoretical and experiential learning in interdisciplinary ways of thinking,” says J. Cole Smith, dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS). Since the dual degree program’s inception, it has drawn high-achieving students to both ECS and the Martin J. Whitman School of Management and helped carve a path that was so important to Riley’s own career success.

Riley was the first in his family to go to college, an opportunity made possible with a scholarship from The Gifford Foundation. He was only 16 when he graduated as valedictorian from his high school. After four years of riding the bus from his parent’s home on ���ϲ�����’s North Side to campus and back, Riley earned a degree in industrial engineering. During college, he worked in the mail room of Crouse-Hinds, the electrical products manufacturing company that Riley once described as a “kind of family affair.” His father, three sisters and brother all worked there for a time.

Shortly after graduation, Riley entered a training program at General Electric, but eventually returned to Crouse-Hinds where he rose through the ranks, given more executive responsibilities as the company grew and acquired other firms. Riley, who also completed Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program, eventually became the CEO of Cooper Industries, the multi-billion-dollar parent of Crouse-Hinds. The Riley family moved to Houston, Texas, where Cooper was headquartered.

Still, the loyal alumnus never left ���ϲ����� far behind. Riley was first elected to the Board of Trustees in 2004 and served as a voting trustee until 2016. He served on the Audit and Risk and Student Experience Committees and chaired the Student Experience Committee from 2008-2012. He also served as a lifetime member of the Whitman Advisory Council. In 2019, he was recognized with the Dritz Life Trustee Award. When he died he was serving as tri-chair of the National Campaign Executive Committee for the Forever Orange Campaign, alongside trustees Patricia Mautino ’64, G’66, and Michael Thonis ’72.

“John was an exemplary alumnus and trustee,” says Board Chairman Jeff Scruggs. “He was laser-focused on ensuring that the University had the vision, guidance and resources to meet the evolving needs of our students, faculty and staff. He will be sorely missed.”

At his funeral mass at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church in Houston, Riley’s daughter Beth recalled that her father never missed a Board meeting or an event at his alma mater. “How did he accomplish so much? Well, my dad had a no-nonsense way about him that cherished truth over fanfare, responsibility over impulsiveness, long-term value over short-term gain.” She said he taught his children to be curious and empathetic, to “do it once and do it right. He was a great man and lived a great life.”

Throughout their marriage, Riley and his wife were generous in their time and financial contributions to many organization. They established the H. John and Diane M. Riley Family Fund when he retired in 2006, directing their philanthropy to education, health, welfare and civic improvement. Major beneficiaries include ���ϲ�����, the Women’s Home, Baylor Breast Center, Discovery Green, the Hobby Center, the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Michael’s Catholic Church, YMCA of Martha’s Vineyard, the MV Preservation Trust, the MV Youth Scholarship fund and many others. The Rileys have chaired many major fundraising events: the United Negro College Fund, the Star of Hope, Houston Grand Opera, Ronald McDonald House and the Women’s Home.

The Rileys have supported many other initiatives at ���ϲ�����, including in ECS, the Whitman School, ���ϲ����� Athletics and the Winnick Hillel Center for Jewish Life. The family has requested that memorial contributions be directed to

Riley is survived by his wife of 60 years, Diane; his daughter, Beth (Marcus) St. Raymond; Thomas (Dr. Lizabeth) Riley; and Patrick ’90 (Beatrice) Riley; seven grandchildren, Emma and Charlotte St. Raymond; Matthew Riley, Megan Riley ’24 and Tristan Riley ’26; and John and Connor Riley.

Conway, who revolutionized global information technology by inventing methods for designing Very Large Scale Integrated (VLSI) silicon chips, was at ���ϲ����� on May 12 to receive an honorary doctor of science degree.

Lynn Conway is pictured with Chancellor Kent Syverud after receiving an honorary doctor of science degree at the University’s 2024 Commencement ceremony on May 12. (Photo by Jeremy Brinn)

As a young engineer at IBM Research in the 1960s, Conway made pioneering innovations in computer architecture. IBM fired her in 1968 upon learning she was undergoing gender transition. She restarted her career in a new identity in “stealth-mode” after completing her transition.

While working at Xerox Palo Alto Research Center in the 1970s, Conway innovated breakthrough methods that enabled engineers to design very powerful, complex chips. In 1980, Conway’s seminal textbook��“Introduction to VLSI Systems,” co-authored by Caltech Professor Carver Mead, became an instant classic, forever transforming computing and information technology.��The late John V. Oldfield, then a professor of electrical and computer engineering in the College of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS), brought the new VLSI methods to ���ϲ����� right at the beginning of that revolution.

In the early 1980s, Conway became assistant director for strategic computing at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. In 1985 she joined the University of Michigan as professor of electrical engineering and computer science and associate dean of engineering.

When nearing retirement in 1999 she began quietly coming out as a trans woman, using her new����to share her story with friends and colleagues. Conway became active in transgender advocacy.

“Lynn made this world a better place in so many ways. Her work on VLSI revolutionized microelectronic education and manufacturing, and her advocacy for women and transgender people was courageous and important,” says ECS Dean Cole Smith. “She was a role model to many, and she helped to broaden the image of what an engineer or a computer scientist looks like. I am incredibly grateful that we had the chance to honor her at ���ϲ����� and recognize her for the tremendous impact she made.”

In 2012 Conway published a��memoir��that revealed how—closeted and hidden behind the scenes—she conceived the ideas and orchestrated the events that disruptively changed global industries.

Conway was a life fellow of the IEEE, fellow of the AAAS, winner of Computer Pioneer Award of the IEEE Computer Society, member of the Hall of Fellows of the Computer History Museum, a member of the National Academy of Engineering and held several honorary degrees. In 2023 she was inducted into the����for the invention of VLSI. She was awarded the����by the����and the��.

In 2020, IBM CEO Arvind Krishna����on behalf of the company for����back in 1968.����the IBM Lifetime Achievement Award.

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J. Cole Smith

Vice Chancellor, Provost and Chief Academic Officer today announced that has been reappointed to a five-year term as dean of the . Today’s announcement follows a comprehensive review process that includes feedback from key stakeholders, including ECS faculty, staff and advisory board members.

“In Cole’s nearly five years as dean, the College of Engineering and Computer Science has grown stronger on multiple counts and made great strides towards reaching a new level of excellence,” Provost Ritter says. “This is an exciting time for the college, and I can think of no better leader to shepherd the students, faculty, staff and alumni into this new era.”

Smith assumed leadership of ECS in October 2019. His tenure has been marked by several high points for the college. A massive renovation, which included multiple new lab spaces and the Allyn Innovation Center, served to modernize ECS buildings and facilities. The pending new Campos Student Center, supported by a recent $2 million gift that Smith helped secure, will further enhance the college’s physical space.

Smith oversaw the development of the new ���ϲ����� Center for Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing, an interdisciplinary center that brings together expertise in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, manufacturing processes, optimization and robotics to advance the science of semiconductor manufacturing. He also helped launch a new master’s degree program in , as well as the .

Under Smith’s leadership, ECS research expenditures grew by 30% during the 2022-2023 academic year over 2019 levels. Enrollment, faculty size and staff size are also on track to grow by 50% in the next four years as part of a plan Smith developed. He also helped guide the college toward .

“Engineering and Computer Science is driving regional, national and international growth in areas such as advanced manufacturing, sustainable infrastructure, healthcare engineering, advanced computing technologies and materials science,” Smith says. “I have never been a part of a more exciting moment at the nexus of college, University, city and national growth. What we are doing here matters and will resonate for decades to come, and it is a true privilege to have the opportunity to realize the transformational opportunity that awaits ���ϲ����� and the College of Engineering and Computer Science.”

Smith came to ���ϲ����� from Clemson University, where he held positions as associate provost for academic initiatives and chair of the Department of Industrial Engineering. His research focuses on integer programming and combinatorial optimization, network flows and facility location, computational optimization methods and large-scale optimization due to uncertainty or robustness considerations. In 2023, he was .

“The biggest issues we see right now are public safety, the environmental impact of infrastructure and a long-term shortage of skilled laborers,” says Liu. “My vision for this institute is to build a platform to facilitate different people from different sections to work together.”

Professor Min Liu speaks at a reception for the Infrastructure Institute

Liu earned her Ph.D. in engineering project management from the University of California, Berkeley in 2007. She then worked as an assistant and later associate professor at North Carolina State University until 2022. During her tenure, she conducted research on construction engineering and management, collected large amounts of empirical data and used modeling programming to analyze the data and improve productivity.

Additionally, Liu worked with the North Carolina Department of Transportation and the Construction Industry Institute. She was chair of the ASCE Construction Research Council from 2020-21. She joined ���ϲ����� in 2022, bringing years of experience to her respective roles.

The Infrastructure Institute is developing academic programs, research opportunities and internships for students and educational programs for public officials and professionals. The institute also collaborates with a wide range of professionals, including information technology experts, data analysts, architects, environmental design professionals, journalists and business professionals.

Liu’s goal is to create a platform that consists of three main pillars: the public, private, and student and faculty sectors. “Public authorities provide the direction and funding for infrastructure. Universities and faculty provide education to students. Students will then become the fresh blood for the public authorities and construction industry. These three sectors are crucial and it’s important they work together,” Liu says.

Liu has organized various events to integrate the different disciplines within the institute, including a reception attended by nine different departments and centers at the University. During the event, lightning talks were hosted, and attendees discussed their vision for the future and ongoing research. This event also provided an opportunity for people to socialize and get to know each other.

“With the support of the Office of Research and collaborating with the School of Architecture, the institute developed a request for proposal to encourage and facilitate collaboration across the SU campus to improve infrastructure policy and delivery based on the I-81 project,” says Liu.

Liu taught a capstone course that included various students across the college with the goal of helping them prepare for their roles in infrastructure project management and delivery.

Julia Fancher, a rising junior majoring in physics and mathematics in the and a member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program, has been named a 2024-25 Astronaut Scholar by the .

Founded by the Mercury 7 astronauts, the foundation awards scholarships to students in their junior or senior year who are pursuing a science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) degree with intentions to pursue research or advance their field upon completion of their degrees. Astronaut Scholars are among the best and brightest minds in STEM who show initiative, creativity and excellence in their chosen field.

The Astronaut Scholarship includes funding of up to $15,000 toward educational expenses, a paid trip to the ASF Innovators Week and Gala in Houston in August, where Fancher will receive the award, and lifelong mentoring and engagement opportunities with astronauts, Astronaut Scholar alumni, industry leaders and the ASF.

Fancher worked with the University’s on her application. “Julia’s commitment to research in astrophysics since her first semester on campus at SU, combined with her extraordinary publication and presentation record, make her a superb fit for the Astronaut Scholarship,” says CFSA Director Jolynn Parker. “We’re thrilled that she’ll benefit from the program’s tuition support and excellent mentorship and professional development opportunities.”

“For 40 years, ASF has been at the forefront of nurturing the next generation of STEM leaders and fueling their passion for exploration and innovation,” says Caroline Schumacher, ASF president and CEO. “Each year, it’s thrilling to see the exceptional talent and dedication each new scholar brings to the ASF community. We welcome the 2024 class and look forward to supporting them in their quest to make their unique mark on our society.”

Fancher, who is also minoring in computer science in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, was recently named a 2024 Goldwater Scholar. When she was in middle school, her aunt gifted her Nathalia Holt’s 2016 book “Rise of the Rocket Girls: The Women Who Propelled Us, from Missiles to the Moon to Mars.”

“I was captivated by the stories of these women, and they inspired me to pursue STEM research,” Fancher says. She now plans a career researching theoretical high-energy astrophysics.

As a first-year student at ���ϲ�����, she joined the high-energy astrophysics lab of Eric Coughlin, assistant professor of physics. Under Coughlin’s guidance, Fancher researches tidal disruption events (TDEs), astrophysical transients that occur when a star is destroyed by the tidal field of a black hole. She uses a combination of numerical simulations and analytical methods to accurately model TDEs, which reveal properties of distant galaxies. “I want to continue contributing to our understanding of the sources of astrophysical transients and expand our knowledge of the universe,” she says.

Fancher’s research has overturned previously held convictions about the physical effects of shocks during the disruption of a star in a TDE and established the importance of self-gravity for understanding how stellar debris behaves once a star has been destroyed. She published this research as first author in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society in December 2023. She is now testing a new model developed by Coughlin and Chris Nixon, associate professor of theoretical astrophysics at the University of Leeds, and she is creating a library of PHANTOM stars with realistic structures that will be publicly available for future TDE research.

With support from ���ϲ�����’s undergraduate research office (SOURCE) and a Young Research Fellowship, Fancher presented her work at the 243rd meeting of the American Astronomical Society and was a finalist in the Chambliss poster competition. She has presented posters at SOURCE research fairs and at the Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics at West Point. She is second author on a paper published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters in January 2024. Her publications and presentations have implications for how observational data from TDEs is interpreted and could lead to new insights into distant black holes and stellar populations in galactic centers.

Fancher supports local ���ϲ����� high school students through the ���ϲ����� Research in Physics (SURPh) program during the summer and mentors students through the Society of Physics Students. She also volunteers for Friends of Inkululeko, through which she works with learners in South Africa. “I want to ensure that students from a variety of backgrounds have the opportunity to explore their interests and are encouraged to pursue careers in STEM just as I was,” she says. Outside of the classroom and lab, she plays alto saxophone in the ���ϲ����� Marching Band and completed a half marathon last fall.

Fancher plans to enroll in a doctoral program that focuses on computational and analytical astrophysics, with the goal of joining a research university or national laboratory to conduct research in theoretical high-energy astrophysics.

“I aim to build my own astrophysics lab focusing on discovering possible mechanisms of observed astrophysical transients through a combination of analytical methods and computational modeling,” Fancher says. ‘The mentoring that the ASF provides will be invaluable as I work towards a career in research, and I am excited to meet the other scholars in my cohort as well. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to join this community.”

Created in 1984, ASF awarded its first seven scholarships in honor of the Mercury 7 astronauts—Scott Carpenter, Gordon Cooper, John Glenn, Virgil “Gus” Grissom, Walter Schirra, Alan Shepard and Deke Slayton. Seven students received $1,000 scholarships. To fundraise and support future scholarships, the founders ̶ which included the six surviving Mercury 7 astronauts, Betty Grissom (Gus’s widow), Dr. William Douglas (the Project Mercury flight surgeon) and Henri Landwirth (an Orlando businessman and friend) ̶ began donating proceeds from their speaking engagements. The incredible efforts of these legends have shaped ASF’s mission to support and reward exceptional college students pursuing degrees in STEM. Forty years later, more than $9 million has been awarded to more than 800 college students.

As a university partner of the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, ���ϲ����� can nominate two students for the Astronaut Scholarship each year. Interested students should contact CFSA for information on the nomination process (cfsa@syr.edu; 315.443.2759). More information on the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation can be .

The Retention and Student Success team receives the “Best Use of Results” award from Lois Agnew, associate provost for academic programs. From left: Hope Smalling, Radell Roberts, Lois Agnew, Kal Srinivas, Samantha Trumble, ShawnMarie Parry, Priyasha Sinha Roy ’24 and Prabin Raj Shrestha ’24

Academic Affairs and Institutional Effectiveness (IE) presented awards to several faculty and staff members, students, offices and programs during the One University Assessment Celebration on April 26, in the School of Education, Education Commons.

In her opening remarks, Lois Agnew, associate provost for Academic Programs, highlighted the importance of celebrating the various ways faculty, staff and students have engaged in assessment practices, illuminating our strengths but also reinforcing a commitment to continuous improvement. Awards were given in five categories:

• Assessment Champion: Recognizing campus community members who advocate for meaningful assessment to enrich the student experience and who have made outstanding contributions to the University’s culture of improvement.
• Outstanding Assessment: Recognizing a distinguished academic, co-curricular and functional area for overall robust assessment.
• Best Engagement Strategies: Recognizing programs/units for engaging faculty, staff and students to participate and contribute to the assessment process.
• Best Use of Results: Recognizing an academic, co-curricular and functional area for how assessment results are used in making decisions.
• Collaborative Inquiry and Action: A new award recognizing a unit that collaborates with others outside of their primary school, college or division to use assessment methods and data, resulting in actions to improve student learning and campus operations.

This year’s recipients included:

• Assessment Champion | Academic: Blythe Bennett, program manager, School of Information Studies
• Assessment Champion | Co-Curricular/Functional: Jessica Newsom, assistant director, Living Learning Communities
• Assessment Champion | Shared Competencies: Maureen Thompson, undergraduate director and associate professor, Department of Public Health, Falk College
• Outstanding Assessment | Academic Programs: Forensic Science Undergraduate and Graduate Programs, Forensic and National Security Sciences Institute, College of Arts and Sciences (A&S)
• Outstanding Assessment | Co-Curricular: Student Outreach and Support, Student Experience
• Outstanding Assessment | Functional: Future Professoriate Program, Graduate School
• Best Faculty Engagement Strategies: Human Development and Family Science program, Department of Human Development and Family Science, Falk College
• Best Staff Engagement Strategies: College of Professional Studies Dean’s Office
• Best Student Engagement Strategies: Living Learning Communities, Student Experience
• Best Use of Results | Academic: Film program, Department of Film and Media Arts, College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA)
• Best Use of Results | Co-Curricular: ���ϲ����� Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Engagement (The SOURCE)
• Best Use of Results | Functional: Retention and Student Success
• Collaborative Inquiry and Action: Barnes Center at The Arch

After the awards, 2023 Assessment Leadership Institute participants were recognized for their poster presentations detailing assessment activities over the past year:

• Keonte Coleman, director of assessment and program review and assistant professor, Newhouse School of Public Communications
• Nadeem Ghani, assistant teaching professor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, College of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS)
• Dimitar Gueorguiev, Chinese studies program director and associate professor, Political Science, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs
• Jody Nyboer, associate professor, School of Design, VPA
• Kathleen Roland-Silverstein, associate professor, presenting with Isabel Hampton ’24 and Katie Weber ’24, Sentor School of Music, VPA
• Darwin Tsen, Chinese language minor coordinator and assistant teaching professor, Languages, Literatures and Linguistics, A&S
• Andrea Willis, director of academic programs, College of Professional Studies

Recipients of the inaugural “Student Engagement in Assessment” grant were also acknowledged for their poster presentations showcasing the collaborative experiences of students, faculty and staff:

• Biomedical and Chemical Engineering: Tessa DeCicco ’25, Kerrin O’Grady ’25, Jade Carter ’24, Carly Ward ’24, Natalie Petryk ’21, Bridget Sides ’25, Mia Paynton ’25 and Doug Yung, associate teaching professor, Biomedical Engineering undergraduate program director, ECS
• Center for Learning and Student Success (CLASS): Student Success Advisory Council, which includes Eadin Block ’26; Margot MacKechnie ’26; Gary Shteyman ’26; Karen Toole, coordinator of academic support, Center for Disability Resources; Tasha Terzini, advisor, A&S; Kate Bussell, assistant director of academic expectations CLASS; and George Athanas, associate director, CLASS
• New Student Programs: Winnie Naggar ’24 and Butch Hallmark, interim director, New Student Programs
• Retention and Student Success: Prabin Raj Shrestha ’24 and Hope Smalling, functional business analyst, Retention and Student Success

Jerry Edmonds, senior assistant provost, shared final remarks. He noted that ���ϲ����� achieved “two important milestones this year. It is the fifth annual celebration highlighting the dedicated efforts of faculty, staff and students to assess and improve, as well as 10 years since the University embarked on a campus-wide initiative of systematically collecting evidence to inform decision-making across our campus.” He concluded with thanks and appreciation for everyone’s continued efforts.

Visit the�� for event photos, presentation materials highlighting recipients’ achievements and posters.

Story by Laura Harrington, associate director, Institutional Effectiveness��

Natasha Brao (left), Emeka Ossai (center) and Xheneta Sopjani are among the recipients of the Spring 2024 Orange Innovation Fund grant.

Nine student teams will each receive $5,000 through the , a grant program administered through designed to help students commercialize their research ideas.

This semester’s recipients, who will be honored during a Zoom event on May 23, are:

• Emeka Ossai G’25 (), founder of Campus Labs, a pilot program launching this summer for ten startup labs in the CampusLabs Nigeria incubator for young entrepreneurs in Nigeria.
• Xheneta Sopjani G’24 (Whitman School), Fulbright Scholar, founder of Revive by Deinde, to fabricate five units for testing a device that helps with cell rejuvenation and scientifically proven skincare.
• Waqar Hussain G’25 (Whitman School), Fulbright Scholar, founder of Iconnic.Cloud, a managed cloud service platform providing digital products, web applications and software for small businesses.
• Brielle Young ’27 ( and Whitman School), Leadership Scholar and Renee Crown Honors Program, founder of Aggregate, an agritech company connecting communities of producers and consumers via a digital platform and e-commerce search engine.
• Natasha Brao ’22 () G’23 and G’24 (Whitman School), founder of Root & Seed Brands and Shooka Sauce, for production of a second flavor of her successful Mediterranean spiced tomato sauce gaining popularity among US restaurants and food bloggers.
• Max Sulik G’24 (), ���ϲ����� Ambulance emergency medical technician, founder of Vital Air Quality Sensor, a portable sensor that delivers real-time data regarding current temperature, humidity, particulate matter and CO levels to users.
• Ashtha Singh G’24 (), Chancellor’s Citation of Excellence recipient, Downey Scholar and vice president of Phi Sigma Pi National Honor Fraternity, founder of Step Ahead Tech, a nonprofit organization that bridges the gap in STEM education, including robotic workshops, for underserved and underrepresented students in four locations in her home community.
• Angelo Niforatos G’20 (Engineering and Computer Science), G’24 (Whitman School), founder of Niffy Drone Solutions, a drone developer and fabricator specializing in military and defense and smart home/building repair detection and analysis.
• Cory Mitchell G’24 (Whitman School), veteran, co-founder of EntreVita, a food tech startup focused on evidence-based human-centered technology for precision health using artificial intelligence.

Funding for the Orange Innovation Award program comes from a gift from Raj-Ann Rekhi Gill ’98, a member of the ���ϲ����� Board of Trustees who is an operating partner of Silicon Valley Quad, an angel investing syndicate.

“The list of this year’s recipients of the award is truly inspiring and a testament to the burgeoning entrepreneurial ecosystem, which is nurtured by SU Libraries, Blackstone LaunchPad and campus partners,” Rekhi Gill says.

“I am honored to have won an Orange Innovation award,” says Sopjani.” This will certainly be a pivotal moment for Revive by Deinde, enabling us to establish a strong foundation and turn this vision into reality.”

“I am thrilled to pursue the opportunities that the Orange Innovation Fund will allow us. Step Ahead Tech is dedicated to bridging the educational and digital divide, and the robotics program we will be launching brings us one step closer,” says Singh.

“Aggregate empowers producers to share their goods, whether they are artisanal crafts or farm-fresh produce. Funding will support the development of a viable product, working with farmers and small businesses to meet their needs. I am grateful for the support of the Orange Innovation Fund award which will continue to advance our goal of fostering vibrant agriculture communities,” says Young.

“The Orange Innovation Fund takes a major restraint off the development of Vital Air Quality Sensor, while providing an opportunity to expand in new directions,” says Sulik. “The award is immensely valued and appreciated.”

Demonstrating a wide range of student diversity and backgrounds, four of the ventures are led by women founders, five are led by founders of color and one is led by a combat veteran.

The Orange Innovation Fund supports student research initiatives emerging from campus innovation programs. It is intended to help move graduate and undergraduate student research or scholarly projects from ideation to proof of concept and commercialization, supporting the University’s goals of excellence in research, scholarship, student experiential learning and innovation.

“The call for spring proposals received an unprecedented high number of proposals,” says Linda Dickerson-Hartsock, advisor for strategic initiatives at ���ϲ����� Libraries. “The proposals from across campus spanned many sectors, from agriculture and food to biology and life sciences, cleantech, medtech, edtech, fintech, hardware, digital platforms and nonprofit impact ventures. A multidisciplinary team of faculty and alumni founders reviewed applications, with recipients selected on the merit of the applications, along with research rigor and the clarity of the proposed project.”

. If you have questions or want to receive information about upcoming workshops and the upcoming funding cycle,��please email��orangeinnovation@syr.edu.

Researchers, faculty, graduate students and semiconductor innovators selected for this prestigious cohort will have the opportunity to attend from July 9-11, as a guest of the NSF I-Corp program. Accepted teams can receive up to $5,000�� in travel reimbursement, depending on team size.

The monthlong virtual course is taught by NSF-trained instructors through ���ϲ�����, in collaboration with the University of Rochester as a partner in the , funded by the NSF, led by Cornell University and with other collaborators, including Dartmouth College, Rochester Institute of Technology, SUNY Binghamton, SUNY Buffalo, University of Pittsburgh, University of Rochester, University of Vermont and West Virginia University. The Hub is part of the��, connecting researchers, entrepreneurial communities and federal agencies to help commercialize research.

This NSF I-Corps course is an extraordinary opportunity to be part of a semiconductor-focused national program to catalyze innovation and commercialization.�� Application criteria include:

• Applicants should have an early-state technology innovation, with either a prototype or some form of scientific validation.
• Teams of one to three people may apply, and all team members are required to attend and participate fully in every course session and complete all coursework to be considered for NSF lineage and a nomination for the national I-Corps Team.
• While all applicants are welcome, preference is given to those with university-affiliated technology, as well as postdocs, graduate students and undergraduate students who are commercializing research. Applications are also encouraged from researchers and early-stage founders engaged with other campuses as well as community incubators and accelerator programs.

Spaces are limited and the application deadline is Wednesday, May 22. .

NSF I-Corps course programming at ���ϲ����� is co-led by , strategic initiatives advisor for ���ϲ����� Libraries and founding director of the Blackstone LaunchPad, and Jeff Fuchsberg, director of the ���ϲ����� Center for Advanced Systems and Engineering. Both Hartsock and Fuchsberg led the before joining the University. Fuchsberg will also be a co-instructor for the semiconductor course.

Read more about ���ϲ�����’s participation in the new IN I-Corps Consortium��and its $15 million STEM innovation program. The initiative aims to create a cohesive innovation ecosystem through inclusive models of education and workforce training designed to catalyze innovation in economically underserved areas.

Partners in ���ϲ�����’s NSF I-Corps programming are resource providers across campus, including the Office of Research, Office of Technology Transfer, ���ϲ����� Libraries, the College of Law’s Innovation Law Center, the College of Engineering and Computer Science and its Center for Advanced Systems and Engineering, and the Martin J. Whitman School of Management.

For more information about the upcoming NSF I-Corps course, contact Linda Dickerson Hartsock (ldhart01@syr.edu) or Jeff Fuchsberg (jrfuchsb@syr.edu).

Rendering of the ���ϲ����� Center for Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing

���ϲ����� today announced its plans to launch the ���ϲ����� Center for Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing, an interdisciplinary center that will bring together expertise in artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, manufacturing processes, optimization and robotics to advance the science of semiconductor manufacturing. The center will be funded by a $10 million investment from the University, as well as a $10 million grant from Onondaga County. The center is part of a more than $100 million investment in strategically transforming STEM and expanding the College of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS) at ���ϲ����� over the next five years.

Housed in the University’s Center for Science and Technology and situated within ECS, the new center will position the University and Central New York as a global leader in research and education on the intelligent manufacturing of semiconductors.

“���ϲ����� and Onondaga County have a longstanding history of collaborating in ways that are mutually beneficial for our students, faculty and staff; the Central New York community and the economic prosperity of our region,” says Chancellor Kent Syverud. “I am grateful for the county’s support. I look forward to the teaching and research that will occur at this new center as well as the meaningful ways that its educational outcomes will contribute to a thriving advanced semiconductor manufacturing industry in Central New York.”

Today’s announcement comes as Micron Technology continues its $100 billion investment in Central New York, which is expected to create 50,000 new jobs in the region, including 9,000 high-paying jobs directly with Micron. Micron will also invest $500 million in community and workforce development, focusing on assisting traditionally underrepresented and disadvantaged populations while training or retraining the region’s ��workforce.

Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon, who was central to attracting Micron to Central New York, says this new facility will play a significant role in helping to drive economic development, cultivate the talent pipeline, attract federal research and development funding and build the semiconductor supply chain in ���ϲ�����.

“As Onondaga County prepares to become the hub for memory technology chip production, we know that we will need our partners in higher education to help develop the necessary workforce critical to ensuring our success,” says McMahon. “With this historic investment by Onondaga County and ���ϲ����� to launch the Center for Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing, we are taking a huge step forward in that effort. This new center will serve as a vital workforce pipeline as Micron proceeds with the largest investment in the country at White Pine Business Park. I want to thank Chancellor Syverud and the entire team at ���ϲ����� for their commitment and partnership in making this important initiative a reality.”

The new ���ϲ����� Center for Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing will drive progress in manufacturing processes across the semiconductor supply chain. A state-of-the-art teaching and research facility, it will replicate an autonomous-advanced manufacturing floor enabling research and design that will make ���ϲ����� and the United States globally competitive in semiconductor manufacturing technologies. Students will be trained in the manufacturing technologies of today and create the new ideas that will drive the industry tomorrow. This university’s ongoing partnership with Micron and the county will ensure that Onondaga County can deliver chips through the most high-quality and cost-effective manufacturing processes possible for years to come.

“Central New York is about to undergo a once-in-a-generation transformation and ���ϲ����� will play a critical role as one of the region’s key higher education partners,” says Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives and Innovation J. Michael Haynie. “We are proud to partner with the county, Micron and other community and business leaders to prepare a workforce in a way that capitalizes on all of the economic opportunities facing our region today.”

Rendering of the ���ϲ����� Center for Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing

The new center is aligned with the University’s academic strategic plan and leverages the investment it has already made in AI, manufacturing, quantum technologies and precision measurement. Over the next five years, the University will hire more than 10 new faculty at various ranks with expertise in manufacturing process engineering and automation, optimization and artificial intelligence, materials science engineering and other related fields.

“Not only will this center support economic and workforce development, it will also generate significant academic opportunities for both our students and our faculty from a teaching, learning and research perspective,” says Vice Chancellor, Provost and Chief Academic Officer Gretchen Ritter. “There is huge demand for trained professionals in and across these fields and ���ϲ����� will be at the forefront of preparing the next generation of scientists, engineers and leaders in the advanced semiconductor manufacturing space.”

The center’s research will drive the improvements in manufacturing needed to give designers the ability to create tomorrow’s most advanced chips. It will also deliver the skill sets needed by today’s semiconductor industry by educating graduate and undergraduate students in cutting-edge manufacturing and supply-chain technologies.

ECS Dean Cole Smith, who is leading the efforts to expand engineering at ���ϲ�����, says the new center will allow the University to attract and retain diverse and talented student scholars from across the globe who will come to ���ϲ����� to live, learn, study and work.�� The University will also work closely with the county and the City of ���ϲ����� to recruit students from area high schools, including the new STEAM High School. These efforts directly support the College of Engineering and Computer Science’s plan to grow its undergraduate enrollment by 50% by 2028.

“We want to make advanced manufacturing tangible, exciting and accessible for all students, even if they have not yet seen engineering and computer science as a potential career field,” says Dean Smith. “One of the most exciting aspects of this center is in its dual use for research and education. Prospective students, especially those coming from Central New York, will see amazing opportunities for themselves in the field of semiconductor manufacturing. Instead of just reading about the industry, they will both witness exciting research and interact with an automated, intelligent factory floor when they visit the center.”

Work to transform existing space into the new facility is underway.

The symposium included a networking breakfast and panel discussion with young startup founders who have successfully raised funds: Sean Lattimore ’23, founder of Suptho; Aidan Meany, founder of Found Surface; Ben Haber, founder of Monark Markets; and Matt Schneider, founder of e-States.

The panel was followed by an open session where student entrepreneurs learned about the various types of early-stage investors, including a distinguished panel from across the country, including Libraries Advisory Board member and angel investor, Yvonne Hyland; Andrew Schwartz ’20, Zenyatta Capital co-founder; Andy Reed, ESD–NY Ventures director; Sashi Tripathi, Nurture VC managing director; Dustin Doucette, director of Upstate Venture Connect; and David Tsung, co-founder of Oculus VC, a local venture capital firm. The symposium wrapped up with a lightning round of elevator pitches by current LaunchPad student founders to the panelist judges.

Student startups competed for the People’s Choice Awards during the Blackstone LaunchPad’s first Investor-Ready Symposium.

The following student startups were the People’s Choice awardees for the event:

• First place: Sam Hogan, founder of HireBird, from SUNY Albany’s Blackstone LaunchPad
• Second place: Natasha Brao ’22 (College of Visual and Performing Arts), G’23, G’24 (Martin J. Whitman School of Management), founder of Shooka Sauce
• Third place (tie): Frank Marin ’24 (College of Engineering and Computer Science), founder of Marhold Space Systems; and Yaneeka Nichols ’26 (School of Information Studies), founder of SNDER
• Honorable mentions: Motolani Oladitan ’24 (College of Arts and Sciences), founder of Tá Beautie; Neil Adams ’25 (S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications), founder of Band Launch Media; and Chris Cherniakov, founder of Telemetree, from Colgate University.

Funds for the awards were generously donated by Andrew Schwartz ’20.

Prior to the symposium, the LaunchPad hosted a series of workshops designed to prepare students to meet potential investors on the topics of contract negotiation; due diligence-data room preparation; term sheet overview; and financial instruments review.

Faculty members Beth Myers (left) and Don Carr. (Photo by Angela Ryan)

Seven student-designed products, services and technologies meant to assist people with intellectual and developmental disabilities won recognition and seed funding at the Showcase on April 25.

Fashion design major Shelstie Dastinot showed adaptive clothing having Haitian-inspired designs. (Photo by Angela Ryan)

The showcase is the culmination of the two-semester course taught by , professor and program coordinator for industrial and interaction design in the , and , Lawrence B. Taishoff assistant professor of inclusive education and executive director of the in the .�� They and the students are also supported by co-instructor , founder of entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises adjunct faculty member in the ��and strategic initiatives advisor, .

The interdisciplinary course and the open-call design competition is open to undergraduate and graduate students from across the University, including students studying in the program, and it is sponsored by ���ϲ����� Libraries. “It’s a unique program,” says Carr. “To my knowledge, Intelligence ++ is the only integrated design and innovation incubator in which students from a program such as InclusiveU work as part of a team to develop a wide range of product ideas.”

As part of the course, students learn about steps taken at the University to help address accessibility and neurodiversity across campus. Myers says the fact that students come from a range of majors and programs helps widen the understanding of access, disability and inclusion needs and abilities.

Policy studies major Ryan Brouchard emphasizes the planned journey for his team’s innovation, AdaptEd, created with computer science student Adya Parida. (Photo by Angela Ryan)

“We’re thinking about disability, accessibility and disability language and content, as well as the possibilities [for] disability and neurodiversity. We’re designing not for disabled people, but with disabled people, so it’s really meaningful,” says Myers.

Shelstie Dastinot ’24, a fashion design major in VPA, says her perspective on disability is formed by personal experience. “I realized that we all separate ourselves from the disabled community, but we can all become disabled at any point. We are all temporarily able, is what I like to say.”

Ryan Brouchoud ’25, a policy studies major in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, says the class taught him how to think in practical and functional ways about disability needs. “I’m learning about the best way to go about making products and programs that are accessible to all but that are also feasible to create. I’m interested in creating something that fixes problems that need addressing.”

Xiaochao Yu ’25, an interior design major in VPA, spoke to both disabled and non-disabled individuals as he worked on his project, and found the groups had similar concerns regarding public study spaces. “They expressed that the environment was distracting both visually and acoustically. I decided to create a product that would provide the privacy students were looking for.”

His project, Portable Sensory Enclosure, uses low-budget structural elements and materials to create temporary, movable barriers that offer more privacy and acoustic and visual improvements for use in public study areas.

The other winning projects were:

Four members of the team of UpliftU present how their website makes reporting incidents of bias and accessibility barriers easier, with a built-in feedback and assessment system. (Photo by Angela Ryan)

Uplift U,�� a website that allows reporting on barriers to accessibility, such as the lack of an access ramp at a building, and issues and incidents related to diversity and inclusion, such as a bias situation.

It was created by InclusiveU students Tanner Knox Belge ’27 an undeclared major; Devin Braun ’27, a food studies major; Sean Bleaking ’24, a food studies major and Arturo Tomas Cruz Avellan ’27, an undeclared major; along with Jasmine Rood, ’27, a design studies major in VPA, Caitlin Kennedy Espiritu ’25, a public communications major in the Newhouse School of Public Communications, and Megan Gajewski ’27, a fashion design major in VPA.

Cuse Up, an app to help InclusiveU students more easily discover social groups and campus activities, created by students Tojyea Matally ’27, a communication design major and Faith Mahoney ’26, an industrial and interaction design major, both studying in VPA.

Shelstie, a line of sustainable, adaptive clothing featuring bright colors and Haitian-inspired looks, designed by Dastinot.

AdaptEd, an educational tech platform that uses AI-powered software to support varied learning styles, created by Brouchoud and Adya Parida ’25, a computer science major in the College of Engineering and Computer Science.

Echo Classroom, a platform that provides resources to aid in lesson interpretation, developed by Alexandra Gustave ’24 and Charlotte Chu ’26, fashion design majors in VPA.

VocaLink, a concept by graduate data science students Dhruv Shah and Sampada Regmi, offers computer-based vocational training. (Photo by Angela Ryan)

VocaLink, a computer-based vocational training and interactive learning tool, developed by graduate students Dhruv Shah ’25 and Sampada Regmi ’24, who are both students in the applied data science program at the School of Information Studies.

Judges were Matthew Van Ryn, a ���ϲ����� attorney; Hanah Ehrenreich, a development associate at Jowonio School who also advises entrepreneurs; Brianna Howard ’20, G’21, founder of Faithful Works virtual assistant and grant writing services;�� and Gianfranco Zaccai ’70, H’09, co-founder and chief designer of Continuum Innovation, who helped establish the program through a gift to ���ϲ����� Libraries from the .

Team members, faculty and judges gathered to celebrate the innovations presented at the 2024 Intelligence++ Showcase. (Photo by Marilyn Hesler)

First-generation college students Melanie Salas (left), Jean Castilla (center) and Brianna Gillfillian discuss the challenges they faced, the lessons they learned and their plans for after graduation.

A trio of first-generation college students have demonstrated hard work and resiliency and shown how they ultimately set themselves on the path that will culminate Sunday morning inside the JMA Wireless Dome when they become the first members of their families to earn college degrees during ���ϲ�����’s .

• Melanie Salas ’24 was inspired by a high school coach to challenge herself to realize that she could do anything she set her mind to.
• Jean Castilla ’24 worked hard to strengthen his knowledge base and earn admission into a prestigious New York City high school that would prepare him for the rigors of college.
• Brianna Gillfillian ’24 pushed the limits of her comfort zone to leave her home country of Jamaica to earn a college degree and rely on the kindness of strangers to pay her way to ���ϲ����� through a GoFundMe account.

Surrounded by the nearly 6,700 fellow degree recipients, and in front of their families and friends, Salas, Castilla and Gillfillian will join the ranks of the more than 250,000 proud Orange alumni around the world, knowing that, hopefully, their stories will inspire other would-be college students to overcome their fears and blaze their own paths.

Leading up to convocation, these talented first-generation students sat down with SU News to discuss the challenges they faced, the lessons they learned and their plans for after graduation.

Melanie Salas ’24

Melanie Salas

Path to ���ϲ�����: “When I was in elementary school, people always told me I wouldn’t be anything in life. It motivated me and forced me to grow into the person I am today. When I was in high school, my softball coach helped me discover that I could do anything in this world, and that really inspired me to go out and learn as much as I can. My parents [Juan Salas and Lorena Granados] did everything for me to get to ���ϲ����� and now I am set to graduate early, and I’m just so thankful for the mentors on campus who helped me overcome the struggles I faced.”

Academic major: Biology ()

Involvement on campus: Our Time Has Come Scholar, Ronald E. McNair Scholar, Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation, orientation leader, Research Experience for Undergraduates, research assistant with SUNY Upstate Medical University, Food Recovery Network (part of the Catholic Center)

Best piece of advice: “Always put your foot in every single door, because you never know when the opportunity will come along that could change your life. Whenever I could, I represented myself, stood up and spoke out and from those moments, I grew into the person I wanted to be, who helped make change on campus. All those people who told me I would never be anything inspired me to bring about change to my community. You truly start on the path toward your dreams once you come to campus.”

Plans after graduation: Will be enrolling in Baylor University’s cell, molecular, health and disease biology graduate program, with the goal of earning a Ph.D. and one day opening her own research lab focused on studying ways to improve the overall health and well-being of society. “I want to help those who don’t have access to opportunities I’ve had. I want to give back to those less fortunate and help make a difference in our community.”

Jean Castilla ’24

Jean Castilla

Path to ���ϲ�����: “It’s been a mission of mine to attend college since I was in middle school. When I was in the eighth grade, instead of playing with my friends or playing video games, I was studying for the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test, which is used to determine who gets into one of the top eight specialized high schools in New York City. I was admitted into the High School for Math, Science and Engineering at City College, and was on a path to college from there. The decision to focus on my studies changed the trajectory of my life and my family’s life. My mom, Rosa, made a lot of sacrifices so I could pursue an education, and knowing what she sacrificed drove me and inspired me.”

Academic major: Entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises ()

Involvement on campus: Our Time Has Come Scholar, Hendricks Chapel Scholarship, Whitman Internship Scholarship, Veteran Legacy Fund Scholarship, Lois and Martin J. Whitman Scholarship, Office of Veterans and Military Affairs Scholarship, Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello Florence Scholarship, student liaison in the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs

Best piece of advice: “Especially for my fellow first-generation students, a big thing is to have faith that everything will work out. Having faith in yourself and believing in your abilities is something we all need to practice. If you can’t believe in yourself, it won’t happen. I know I’ve gone through a lot of obstacles and adversity in my life, but every time I remind myself that I’m just being tested to see if I’m ready to move on to the next chapter in my life.”

Plans after graduation: Castilla currently serves as a crew chief in the Air National Guard’s 174th Attack Wing and has a job lined up in the military once he graduates. He’s also planning on continuing his career as an entrepreneur, “creating an established business where I’m the CEO and I can help other people in my community. That’s my ideal situation. I want to be able to give back because I’ve been helped tremendously on my journey.”

Brianna Gillfillian ’24

Brianna Gillfillian

Path to ���ϲ�����: “My high school curriculum in Jamaica emphasized math, English and information technology, so I had a lot of experience in those fields and it was something I was genuinely good at and enjoyed. My parents didn’t graduate from high school, so after I graduated, people asked me ‘why don’t you stay in Jamaica for college?’ I knew I had to come to America, but I didn’t have the money to pay for a flight to ���ϲ�����, so I personally launched a GoFundMe to get me to ���ϲ�����. Because nobody in my family went to college, I relied on my high school guidance counselors for advice, and in terms of my finances, I had to do everything on my own. I learned that I am resilient from this process. It would have been easy to just stay in Jamaica, get a scholarship and get my degree but I knew if I didn’t go away to college I would regret it. I had a vision for myself and would stop at nothing to make it happen.”

Academic major: Computer science ()

Involvement on campus: Our Time Has Come Scholar, National Society of Black Engineers, Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation, Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program, Alpha Kappa Psi (business fraternity), Delta Sigma Theta (sorority), Kalabash Dance Troupe, Scholars on a Mission, Save our Child’s Heart Foundation

Best piece of advice: “I feel being as outgoing as possible helped me connect with the University and discover my community. I love being involved in organizations, and I feel that through my involvement I was able to put myself out there and become the person and the leader I wanted to be.”

Plans after graduation: Will be enrolling in ���ϲ�����’s engineering management program in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, with the goal of one day working in product management or project management within the field of technology or engineering. “I’m a very creative person, and I’m always thinking in terms of the user experience and design when it comes to the different apps. I want to make sure that whatever product I’m helping to develop is suitable and maximizes the user experience.”

Ellie Parkes (left), AJ Bekoe (center) and Sandy Lin say their experiences at ���ϲ����� have helped prepare them for careers in historically male-dominated fields.

Women have traditionally found themselves outnumbered by their male counterparts when it comes to jobs in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields, as only 21% of engineering majors and 19% of computer and information science majors are women, according to the American Association of University Women.

Thankfully over the years, the field has become more inclusive and progress has been made to help more women earn STEM degrees and land a job working in STEM once they graduate.

Three current students—Juanitta “AJ” Bekoe ’24 (aerospace engineering), Sandy Lin ’25 (computer science) and Ellie Parkes ’26 (electrical engineering)—have set their sights on leveling the playing field and helping more women enter these traditionally male-dominated industries.

They sat down with SU News to share their stories of how the is preparing them for career success, the most valuable lessons they’ve learned during their time on campus and how they plan to utilize their degrees once they graduate.

“This well-deserved honor acknowledges the groundbreaking work and professional contributions of Professors Artuso and Qiu and, at the same time, honors them for their tremendous impact on the University and our students,” says Vice Chancellor, Provost and Chief Academic Officer Gretchen Ritter.

Marina Artuso

Marina Artuso

Artuso is an internationally recognized expert in experimental particle physics. Since 2005, she has worked on the at the CERN laboratory in Geneva, and since 2021 has served as the principal investigator of the LHCb team at ���ϲ�����. Her scholarship challenges the dominant understanding of how the particles that make up all matter work, and she is a global expert in designing and building detectors to see these particles. The detector, recently completed under her leadership, is part of a new and improved LHCb detector that is expected to greatly increase sensitivity to new physics.

CERN researcher Monica Pepe Altarelli describes Artuso as “one of the world’s most experienced and recognized experts in experimental flavor physics… [with] broad expertise in both instrumentation and data analysis.” Carl Haber, a senior scientist with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, says she “is among the rare individuals who have successfully bridged the worlds of data analysis and instrumentation, and achieved the highest reputation in the process.”

Artuso was recently named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for extraordinary achievements in her field and her efforts on behalf of the advancement of science. She is one of the most widely cited faculty members at ���ϲ�����. She holds a laurea in engineering from Politecnico di Milano and a Ph.D. in physics from Northwestern University. She worked as a postdoctoral research associate at Columbia and Cornell Universities before joining the ���ϲ����� faculty in 1991.

Qinru Qiu

Qinru Qiu

Qiu is a world leader in the field of energy-efficient computing, a research area with deep technological and societal impacts that is transforming many fields, including major computation centers, cloud computing, mobile computing, next-generation artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. Her work has fundamentally changed the principles of runtime power management design and enabled a systematic method to search for optimal power management policies. She has contributed groundbreaking research on brain-inspired neuromorphic computing, offering a new computing paradigm that overcomes hardware constraints in traditional GPU design and enables the handling of AI operations in an energy-efficient manner.

Vijay Narayanan, associate dean for innovation at the Penn State College of Engineering, says, “Her groundbreaking research, innovative contributions and unwavering dedication have solidified her reputation as a leader in the realm of computing systems and energy efficiency… she is known for her mentorship, leadership and collaborative spirit, fostering a vibrant and inclusive research community.”

Hai “Helen” Li, Clare Boothe Luce Professor and chair of electrical and computer engineering at Duke University, says, “Dr. Qiu has garnered widespread recognition for her recent pioneering efforts in neuromorphic computing, which have not only advanced the field but also gave inspiration for many researchers who now follow in her footsteps.”

Qiu holds a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from Zhejiang University and a master of science degree in computer engineering and Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of Southern California. She joined the ���ϲ����� faculty in 2011.

Traci Geisler, director of Blackstone LaunchPad at ���ϲ����� Libraries, and Bruce Kingma, professor of entrepreneurship in the School of Information Studies and Whitman School of Management, co-organizers of the 2024 RvD iPrize and Spirt of Entrepreneurship Award.

Winners of the Raymond von Dran (RvD) iPrize for Student Entrepreneurship competition and the Hunter Brooks Watson Spirit of Entrepreneurship Award were announced at the student entrepreneurship competition held April 12 at Bird Library. The competition was coordinated by the Blackstone LaunchPad at ���ϲ����� Libraries (LaunchPad) and Bruce Kingma, professor of entrepreneurship at the School of Information Studies (iSchool) and Martin J. Whitman School of Management.

The following 10 student startup teams each won $2,000 in RvD funding:

• Brielle Young ’26 (iSchool), founder of Aggregate, an online platform that enables small-scale farmers to sell directly to customers via the Internet.
• Olutosin “Tosin” Alabi G’24 (Whitman School), founder of DiabeTech, a healthcare startup developing an innovative smart bandage solution for managing diabetic foot ulcers.
• Mariah Brown ’25 (Whitman School) and Fernanda Kligerman, founders of Dormbank, a used goods store which specializes in supplying college students with reduced cost dorm goods, appliances and home electronics.
• Jonah Wassersug ’26 (S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications), Alexa Shoiock ’25 (College of Visual and Performing Arts) and Tomoyoshi Takita ’26 (iSchool), founders of GEN, an AI-powered personal stylist and shopper.
• Waqar Hussain G’24 (Whitman School), founder of Iconic.cloud, offering small to medium enterprises a streamlined cloud server management solution, enabling them to easily deploy and scale their digital products on dedicated cloud platforms.
• Motolani Oladitan ’24 (College of Arts and Sciences), founder of Latita Wellness (Tà), a virtual marketplace connecting African beauty and wellness brands with the diaspora by making it easier for consumers to discover and purchase high-quality, authentic African products.
• Elizabeth Paulin ’25 (Arts and Sciences), founder of Paulin Ventures, a venture capital firm uniquely focused on investing in early-stage startups founded by diverse and disabled entrepreneurs—an underserved market with immense untapped potential.
• Xheneta Sopjani G’24 (Whitman School), founder of Revive, a powerful skincare device that combines advanced technologies to stimulate collagen, tighten facial muscles and reduce wrinkles.
• Natasha Brao G’24 (Whitman School), founder of Root & Seed Brands, which launched its first product, Shooka Sauce, a commercially packaged good brand that celebrates the mixing and melding of cultural cuisines to promote creative, adaptable cooking and bringing new experiences to the modern table.
• John Bol Ajak Deng G’25 (Newhouse School), founder of The HumBol Fund, which aims to give academically gifted South Sudanese students from Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya a sense of hope through scholarships and a network of private school partners to pursue their education in the U.S.

The Hunter Brooks Watson Spirit of Entrepreneurship Award is awarded to students who best exemplify the spirit of entrepreneurship. Prizes honor the memory of Hunter Brooks Watson, an SU student who died tragically in a distracted driving accident. The winners of $2,000 each are:

• Adya Parida ’25 (College of Engineering and Computer Science) and Ryan Brouchoud ’25 (Maxwell School), founders of AdaptEd, a technology company that offers AI-powered adaptive learning software designed to support students with different learning styles.
• Bintou Manneh ’24 (iSchool), Maram Ahmed ’24 (iSchool), Marangelis Uben ’24 (iSchool) and Ashley Romero ’24 (Arts and Sciences), founders of BearBot, a stuffed toy that acts as a reading tool for children, fostering a safe and comforting learning environment.
• Mariah Brown ’25 (Whitman School) and Fernanda Kligerman, founders of Dormbank, a used goods store which specializes in supplying college students with reduced cost dorm goods, appliances and home electronics.
• Za’Tozia Duffie G’25 (Newhouse School), founder of MirrorZ60, an innovative mirror designed to revolutionize personal hair care, providing users with visibility to the back of their heads.
• Jordan Pierre G’25 (Whitman School), founder of VOICE, fostering a community that empowers and uplifts marginalized students, enabling them to unearth their voices, recognize their collective agency in effecting change, and harness their platforms to cultivate community solidarity—all through the medium of storytelling.

��The award competition highlights the University’s entrepreneurial focus. Raymond von Dran, who served as dean of the School of Information Studies from 1995 until his passing in 2007, was a longtime academic entrepreneur and staunch supporter of student innovation. Gisela von Dran, Raymond’s wife and the former director of the School of Information Studies’ library and information science master’s program, served as one of this year’s judges.

The Spirit of Entrepreneurship Award began in 2018 through the Hunter Brooks Watson Memorial Fund. Speaking on behalf of Hunter’s memory was John “Jack” Rose ’24 (Whitman School) of Management), this year’s Hunter Brooks Watson Remembrance Scholar, along with Hunter’s parents, Jerry Watson and Judith Fister, who joined from McLean, Virginia.

Three ���ϲ����� students have been awarded prestigious graduate research fellowships through the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), and two students have been recognized with honorable mentions.

The fellowship recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees in the U.S. The five-year fellowship includes three years of financial support, including an annual stipend of $37,000 and a $16,000 educational allowance.

The 2024 recipients of the NSF GRFP are the following:

• Edward (Cole) Fluker, a senior chemical engineering major in the College of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS). Fluker will be joining the Ph.D. program in chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of Pennsylvania upon graduation.
• Dan Paradiso, a second-year Ph.D. student in physics in the College of Arts and Sciences.
• Melissa Yeung, a first-year Ph.D. student in mechanical and aerospace engineering in ECS.

��Edward (Cole) Fluker

Fluker, who was recently named a University Scholar, initially got involved in research in his sophomore year and took on his first significant research project the following summer. Through the University’s Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program, he worked under Ian Hosein, associate professor of biomedical and chemical engineering, analyzing a gel polymer electrolyte system as an alternative to liquid electrolytes in calcium-ion batteries. The research resulted in a paper, on which Fluker was first author, in the American Chemical Society’s Journal of Physical Chemistry.

That experience led him to pursue more research opportunities in energy storage. In summer 2023, he completed the Internet of Things for Precision Agriculture REU at the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied the power and energy performance of aluminum air batteries (AABs) with Ag-based cathodes.

“By the end of the project, I had successfully fabricated cathodes that resulted in power performance of 70% of the commercial option at less than 1/4,000th of the cost,” Fluker says. “I was especially interested in creative efforts to improve efficient agricultural practices, and I hope to continue contributing to them while at UPenn.”

Fluker says the NSF GRFP will give him financial resources to help broaden his research to be more sustainable and inclusive. “There is a severe underrepresentation of Black students pursuing advanced degrees, and I believe this program will help me launch a pipeline program for African American students to support their advanced degree aspirations,” he says. “On top of my research goals committed to next generation energy storage, I want to pave a path for underrepresented students that opens doors they never thought were meant for them.”

Dan Paradiso

Paradiso’s research is focused on the deaths of massive stars in the universe, known as core-collapse supernovae. These stars, which have masses of around 10 to 100 times the mass of the sun, end their life in a cataclysmic and explosive death that produces light that can be detected with ground and space-based telescopes. Decades of research, however, suggests that not all stars that undergo core-collapse result in a successful explosion and instead the star can continue to implode until a black hole is formed. These events are referred to as failed supernovae, and it is estimated that approximately 20-30% of stars that undergo core-collapse result in a failed supernova.

“In my research I focus on the dynamics of shockwaves, which are ubiquitous with core-collapse supernova physics, using analytical and numerical methods to understand these failed supernova explosions,” Paradiso says. “I then use these techniques to make predictions about observable properties of failed and sub-energetic explosions.”

“As a second-year graduate student, the generous support from the GRFP is very welcome, and I am excited to continue my research with this support,” he says.

��Melissa Yeung

Yeung works in the fluid dynamics lab of Yiyang Sun, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, where she focuses on supersonic jet engines.

High noise levels have always been associated with supersonic aircraft, restricting their flight range to over sea. “The goal of my work is to alleviate the undesired features through strategically placed small micro-jets of air. I am currently focused on optimizing these micro-jets such that they can continuously modulate themselves to adapt to various flight conditions. By doing so, the flow can be controlled even in off-design conditions and with minimal energy input,” Yeung says. “Understanding these complex flow physics is vital for the development of next-generation high-performance aircraft. Successfully controlling this flow can improve upon the aircraft’s performance and ensure the safety of nearby workers or civilians. This work is one of many steps in pushing supersonic flight for commercial use.”

Yeung says the GRFP fellowship will allow her more flexibility in her research direction, fund her research activities and allow her to attend more conferences.

Yeung also notes the tremendous amount of support she received from Sun, Professor Emeritus Mark Glauser and Gina Lee-Glauser, retired vice president for research, throughout the application process. “Their guidance has been crucial to my success and without them I would have not have the honor of being an NSF GRFP recipient, she says.

Nicholas Rubino and Elizabeth Su

Two students also received honorable mentions in this year’s NSF GRFP competition. Nicholas Rubino, a second-year Ph.D. student in mechanical and aerospace engineering in ECS who is researching robotic devices for physical rehabilitation, and Elizabeth Su, a senior graduating with a bachelor’s degree in bioengineering and neuroscience from the College of Arts and Sciences. Su will pursue a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering at Purdue University, researching enhanced visual prosthetics.

The CFSA will hold an the week of June 10-14. The bootcamp is for rising seniors and first- and second-year graduate students who are eligible for and plan to apply for the NSF GRFP this fall.

Students interested in learning more about or applying for the next NSF GRFP award cycle or any other nationally competitive scholarships and fellowships should visit the����or email��cfsa@syr.edu��for more information.

Members of ���ϲ�����’s military-connected community pose for a group photo with Otto before the 2024 SVO Ball & Awards Banquet.

���ϲ�����’s military-connected community came together for an evening of celebration during the annual Ball & Awards Banquet. The formal event, held each year during the Spring semester, acknowledges the accomplishments within the veteran community at ���ϲ����� and serves as an evening of camaraderie before the academic calendar is overtaken by final exams.

SVO President John Nipper ’23, G’24, speaking to guests at the 2024 SVO Ball & Awards Banquet.

SVO President and U.S. Navy Veteran John Nipper ’23, a graduate student in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, opened the formal portion of the evening by acknowledging those military-connected students who will graduate this year, even if they were unable to attend the festivities. “Congratulations on all your successes here at ���ϲ�����, you should be proud of all your accomplishments and to now be recognized as an alumni of these hallowed halls. We know that you will do great things in your future endeavors,” Nipper said.

This year’s event featured a Gatsby-themed evening that welcomed the largest crowd in attendance since the SVO Ball first found a home at the National Veterans Resource Center since its opening. The evening features a formal dinner, guest speaker, awards presentation, announcement of the next year’s SVO executive board, music and dancing, as well as a raffle drawing to help raise money for next year’s SVO functions.

Theodore “Ted” Walker

Theodore “Ted” Walker, a U.S. Army veteran and guest speaker of this year’s event, is an assistant professor with the Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering in the College of Engineering and Computer Science. Walker shared some of his own experience in the military as a U.S. Army ranger with multiple deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Walker also spoke about the importance of having an engaged community for veterans, highlighting the unique camaraderie that exists among those who have served and the underlying purpose of the SVO’s existence.

Each year, both the SVO and Office of Veteran and Military Affairs (OVMA) use the event to present their annual awards of recognition. Both organizations present awards to acknowledge the contributions and impact of key individuals, some more light-hearted than others. Among the more impactful awards presented, the following members of the University’s military-connected community were acknowledged:

The SVO Community Service Award is presented to an SVO member who goes beyond expectations in supporting not just our veteran community but extends their generosity and kindness to all those in need around them. This year, the award was presented to Jose A. Baeza-Ruiz ’25, a business analytics student in the Whitman School of Management.

The SVO Best for Vets award is presented to the student veteran who has done the most to help student veterans succeed both on and off campus. This year, the Best for Vets award was presented to SVO Secretary Raul “Rudy” Rosique ’23.

The SVO acknowledged OVMA Executive Director Ron Novack, a retired U.S. Army Colonel, with the SVO’s Staff Appreciation Award, and the SVO Faculty Appreciation Award was presented to retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Elizabeth Kubala, executive director of the Betty and Michael D. Wohl Veterans Legal Clinic and a teaching professor at ���ϲ�����’s College of Law.

Retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Elizabeth Kubala (left), executive director of the Betty and Michael D. Wohl Veterans Legal Clinic and a teaching professor at ���ϲ�����’s College of Law, receives the SVO Faculty Appreciation Award from SVO President John Nipper.

“I’m truly humbled and honored to be recognized by the SVO for this award. Here at ���ϲ�����, we pride ourselves on cultivating a strong sense of community on campus and in the classroom for our veteran and military-connected students, and I’m really proud to be part of that collective effort,” said Kubala. “I’ve seen first-hand how our programs, like the Betty and Michael D. Wohl Veterans Legal Clinic, make a tremendous impact by exposing our campus community to veterans, showing others what it means to serve, and fostering a more supportive and welcoming environment for veterans here at ���ϲ�����.”

The OVMA also presents awards at the event each year to several military-connected students who have gone above and beyond in their dedication to supporting the University’s military initiatives.

The Danny Facto Student Veteran Work Study Award, presented by the Office of Veteran Success (OVS), is presented in the name of Danny Facto, a decorated U.S. Army combat veteran and Purple Heart recipient. Facto attended the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics with the goal of obtaining a bachelor’s degree in Social Work and was the first VA work-study student at ���ϲ�����. Facto died tragically in a motorcycle accident in 2009, his death was felt throughout the military-connected community at the University and each year the OVS presents an award in his name to a current VA work-study student they feel is deserving of the recognition.

Retired U.S. Army Colonel Ron Novack (left), executive director of the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs (left), presents the OVMA Student Veteran of the Year Award to Raul “Rudy” Rosique.

This year, the Danny Facto Student Veteran Work Study Award was presented to Andrew Patterson, a 3L law student in the College of Law.

The OVMA Student Veteran of the Year Award was also presented at the banquet, awarded to a student veteran who makes the most standout commitment to the military-connected community at ���ϲ�����. This year, the award was presented to Raul Rosique ’24.

To close out the event each year, the SVO announces the results of the SVO’s Executive Board election. Those elected will go on to serve in the next academic year to help support veteran and military-connected students as well as welcome all students who wish to learn more about service members, veterans and the military community at large.

SVO Executive Board Results:

President: Raphael Grollmus, a graduate student in the College of Arts and Sciences

Vice President: Marriler Wilson, a graduate student in the Maxwell School of Public Affairs and Citizenship

Secretary: Jurgen Baeza ’26, a computer science major in the College of Engineering and Computer Science

Treasurer: Savion Pollard ’25, an electrical engineering major in the College of Engineering and Computer Science

Public Affairs Officer: Tojyea “TJ” Matally ’27, a communications design major in the College of Visual and Performing Arts

Community Outreach Officer: Leonel Aviles ’26, an information management and technology major in the School of Information Studies

“I first started attending in the Fall of 2021 and have seen a night and day difference within the SVO. The lounge seemed more like a doctor’s office than a place to eat and gather, and socials were nonexistent due to COVID. Every year since there have been new faces, a significant increase in events and overall, it’s been more welcoming. It’s like seeing something being built from the ground up,” said Grollmus, who served for nine years in the U.S. Marine Corps prior to enrolling at the University. “If there is something the veteran community as a whole could benefit from or an event that would be excited to do, let us know so we can put it into action.”

The SVO Executive Board for the 2024-25 Academic Year (from left to right):
Public Affairs Officer, Toyyea “TJ” Matally; Secretary, Jurgen Baeza; Vice President Marriler Wilson; President Raphael Grollmus; Treasurer, Savion Pollard; and Community Outreach Officer, Leonel Aviles.

Photos by Sophia Simmons, student in the Advanced Military Visual Journalism

Qinru Qiu

Electrical engineering and computer science (EECS) Professor has been named a distinguished professor by the College of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS).

Qiu previously received the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) SIGDA Distinguished Service Award and the National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award. She has also been a since 2022 and was recognized as a in 2023. Qiu also serves as the EECS graduate program director.

Her current research focuses on improving the energy efficiency of computing, from runtime power and thermal management of computer systems, and energy harvesting real-time embedded systems, to her recent works in brain-inspired hardware and software for neuromorphic computing.

“I am delighted to learn that Professor Qinru Qiu is being elevated to the rank of distinguished professor,” says EECS Distinguished Professor Pramod Varshney. “Qinru is widely known for her seminal work on energy-efficient computing as well as neuromorphic computing. Her contributions to scholarship, education, and service at ���ϲ����� are exemplary. She truly deserves this timely recognition.”

“I am very excited and truly honored to receive this special award,” says Qiu. “I want to thank my colleagues for their support and trust. This is a new start for me, and I will continue performing my best.”

Oliver Fernandez ’08

Oliver Fernandez ’08 graduated with a civil engineering degree and played for the ���ϲ����� football team. He now lives in Washington D.C. with his wife, Leah, and their two children. Fernandez owns McKenzie, a construction company that has successfully completed over $100 million worth of projects.

Fernandez will be the keynote speaker at the College of Engineering and Computer Science’s 2024 Convocation at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 11. The convocation will be held at the Lally Athletics Complex.

We asked Fernandez to talk about how he established his career and his advice for current students.

The pathway program, “Roadmap Into ���ϲ����� Engineering Undergraduate Programs and the Profession” (“RISEUP²”), aims to attract academically talented, low-income students from Central New York who historically have been excluded from those types of careers, including adult learners, first-generation students, traditionally under-represented minorities, veterans and students with high levels of financial need.

The grant also allows a multi-school project team to plan for and prepare to submit a later for NSF funding that would provide student scholarships for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) studies.

That step recognizes the need to educate, grow and retain a diverse and highly skilled STEM workforce in the Central New York region, a realization catalyzed by of plans to build a $100 billion megafab semiconductor manufacturing facility in the region and New York State’s subsequent in community and workforce development, says , Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Professor of Teaching Excellence and chair of biomedical and chemical engineering in the College of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS), who is the project’s principal investigator.

Julie Hasenwinkel

“This is a really exciting opportunity for ECS to envision different ways to bring students into our undergraduate program. With the growing regional and national need for engineers, we want to attract students who don’t just come to us straight out of high school. This planning grant gives us the opportunity to dig deeply into assuring that we would give those students the best opportunity to succeed if they come here,” Hasenwinkel says.

The NSF award funds information-gathering, program research and partnership-building efforts that the multi-school, multi-organizational project team is undertaking through spring 2025, when the Track 3 S-STEM NSF grant proposal will likely be submitted, Hasenwinkel says. That type of grant would directly fund scholarships for engineering students and underwrite the support services to help assure the academic, social and career success of RISEUP² program participants, Hasenwinkel says.

Goals for the planning phase include:

• Strengthening current connections between the University and Onondaga and Mohawk Valley Community Colleges and expanding partnerships with additional regional community colleges (potentially Jefferson, Cayuga, Tompkins Cortland and Broome Community Colleges)
• Formalizing transfer agreements with the regional community colleges to provide direct admission to ���ϲ����� ECS programs
• Conducting a comprehensive needs assessment across all partner institutions to determine what kinds of programming best support low-income engineering students at their two-year college, during their transition to a four-year university and throughout their time at ���ϲ�����
• Developing formal partnerships with Micron and other area STEM employers and strengthening alliances with the Manufacturers Association of Central New York and the Technology Alliance of Central New York to solidify internship and employment opportunities
• Conducting research to better understand how a scholarship-based cohort model focused on workforce development can improve outcomes for low-income community college engineering transfer students

Project team members envision a program that offers a clear pathway to a bachelor’s degree within a “360-degree” system of student support. Beginning in the earliest years of college, it would offer ongoing guidance in financial aid, academic counseling, student success and educational and social programming at both the community college and University campuses. It would also offer living-learning residency opportunities, summer internships, professional development training and ultimately, job placement assistance.

Michael Frasciello

Working with Hasenwinkel are co-principal investigators ,��professor of mathematics at ; , associate professor of higher education in the ; , dean of the School of STEM Transfer and associate professor at ; and , dean of the at ���ϲ�����. Other ECS faculty and staff in admissions, recruitment and enrollment, student success and inclusive excellence are also part of the process, as are their counterparts at the community colleges.

David Pérez

Though the team fully plans to proceed with a Track 3 S-STEM proposal, this year’s planning activity and research will be useful in and of itself, creating knowledge and new information regarding the group of students the proposal aims to help, Hasenwinkel says.

“We’ll also be learning as we go, and we’ll be able to contribute to the educational literature on the most effective practices for supporting this population of students.”

Hoque has received the National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award to research context-sensitive fuzzing for networked systems. This grant supports early career faculty with their professional development and will build upon Hoque’s research on computer networks and systems security, program analysis and software engineering.

“Many big tech companies like Google and Microsoft have been investing in fuzzing techniques and have seen the importance of finding bugs in existing software,” Hoque says. “The National Institute of Standards in Technology also endorses fuzzing as an automated technique for security testing. This project will push boundaries within the field and have an impact on cybersecurity.”

Endadul Hoque (Photo by Alex Dunbar)

Hoque’s project has three research goals. The first goal is to create a language that can encode complex structures of inputs that change depending on the context and develop algorithms that can quickly generate correct inputs based on this language. The second goal will create techniques that can mutate these inputs without losing their context sensitivity, which is essential for the process of fuzzing. The final goal is to create mechanisms that ensure the internal state of a protocol is accurately maintained. This will allow each fuzz input to be tested in a suitable state for the protocol being tested.

“In this area of research, people tend to focus on strengthening the system by finding flaws in the existing system that we use in our day-to-day life,” says Hoque. “How can we find loopholes in real-world security-critical systems? This research award falls under that category to advance the limitations of existing methodologies.”

As part of his project, Hoque plans to improve cybersecurity courses and hold K-12 workshops to promote cybersecurity awareness, integrating his research findings into these initiatives. The project will also encourage undergraduate and graduate students from historically marginalized communities to get involved with educational and research activities.

Additionally, Hoque will form a team for cybersecurity competitions such as capture-the-flag competitions, where participants search for hidden text strings in vulnerable websites or programs. These gamified competitions are also an effective way to improve cybersecurity education.

“This project has the potential to significantly enhance the robustness of protocol implementations and cybersecurity education, benefiting society. I’m happy to have received this prestigious award,” says Hoque.

Thirty-five students have been chosen as the 2024-25 ���ϲ����� Remembrance Scholars.

The scholarships, now in their 35th year, were founded as a tribute to—and means of remembering—the students studying in London and Florence through ���ϲ����� who were killed in the Dec. 21, 1988, bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. Those students were among the 270 people who perished in the bombing. The scholarships are funded through an endowment supported by gifts from alumni, friends, parents and corporations.

Significant support for the Remembrance Scholarships has been provided by Jean Thompson ’66 and ���ϲ����� Life Trustee Richard L. Thompson G’67 in memory of Jean Taylor Phelan Terry ’43 and John F. Phelan, Jean Thompson’s parents; by Board of Trustees Chairman Emeritus Steven Barnes ’82 and Deborah Barnes; by The ���ϲ����� Association of Zeta Psi in memory of Alexander Lowenstein; and by the Fred L. Emerson Foundation.

Selection Process

Remembrance Scholars are chosen in their junior year through a competitive selection process. Applicants submitted an essay and a reflective response in multimedia, artistic, musical or written format as part of a comprehensive application. The application evaluation committee is composed of University faculty and staff and current Remembrance Scholars. The $5,000 scholarships are awarded on the basis of scholarship, leadership and service to the community.

Additionally, two students from Lockerbie come to ���ϲ����� each year for one year of study through the ���ϲ�����-Lockerbie Scholarships, also in their 35th year. The scholarships are jointly funded by ���ϲ����� and the Lockerbie Trust. Cameron Colville and Anna Newbould were recently selected as the 2024-25 Lockerbie Scholars.

“Remembrance Scholars represent ���ϲ����� at its best through their academic achievements, their leadership skills and their contributions to the University,” says Vice Chancellor, Provost and Chief Academic Officer Gretchen Ritter. “They reflect the talent and promise of those students whose memories they honor. We are very proud to call them members of our University community.”

The Remembrance and Lockerbie Scholars plan the Remembrance activities held at the University each year. The scholars will be recognized during a convocation in the fall.

The 2024-25 Remembrance Scholars, their hometowns, majors and schools and colleges are the following:

• Alba Aljiboury of ���ϲ�����, New York, a policy studies major in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and College of Arts and Sciences (A&S), an information management and technology major in the School of Information Studies and a member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program;
• Linda Baguma of Iowa City, Iowa, a double major in international relations and political science in the Maxwell School and A&S and member of the Crown Honors Program;
• Adam Baltaxe of Arlington, Virginia, an international relations major in the Maxwell School and A&S, a Spanish major in A&S and a member of the Crown Honors Program;
• Tanner Boshart of Jackson, New Jersey, an economics major and history major in the Maxwell School and A&S, a finance major in the Whitman School of Management and a member of the Crown Honors Program;
• Danis Cammett of Washington, D.C., an international relations major in the Maxwell School and A&S, applied data analytics major in the School of Information Studies, a member of the Crown Honors Program and a member of the University’s Army Reserve Officer Training Program;
• Natalie Dolenga of Lincolnshire, Illinois, an international relations major in the Maxwell School and A&S and a member of the Crown Honors Program;
• Charlotte Ebel of Urbana, Illinois, a public relations major in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, a women’s and gender studies and German major in A&S and a member of the Crown Honors Program;
• Luke Elliott of Leesburg, Virginia, a citizenship and civic engagement major in the Maxwell School, a public relations major in the Newhouse School and a member of the Crown Honors Program;
• Mason Garbus of Hannibal, New York, a music education major in the College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) and the School of Education;
• Joshua Garvin of Houston, Texas, a music industry major in VPA;
• Tabitha Hulme of Saratoga, California, a public health major in the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics and health humanities major in A&S;
• Abigail Jones of Mashpee, Massachusetts, a public relations major in the Newhouse School, a policy studies major in the Maxwell School and A&S and a member of the Crown Honors Program;
• Rajan Joshi of Dallas, Texas, an economics major in the Maxwell School and A&S and a member of the Crown Honors Program;
• Sierra Kaplan of New York, New York, a health humanities major in A&S; a political science major in the Maxwell School and A&S and a member of the Crown Honors Program;
• Kelsey Leary of Mahopac, New York, an art photography major in VPA;
• Nadia Lyngdoh-Sommer of Singapore, a sociology major in the Maxwell School and A&S, a law, society and policy major in the Maxwell School and a member of the Crown Honors Program;
• Sophia Moore of Burbank, California, a television, radio and film major in the Newhouse School, a sociology major in the Maxwell School and A&S and a member of the Crown Honors Program;
• Zachary Murray of Kingston, Jamaica, a political science and policy studies major in the Maxwell School and A&S, a modern foreign languages major in A&S and a member of the Crown Honors Program;
• Ryan Myers of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, a public relations major in the Newhouse School, a psychology major in A&S and a member of the Crown Honors Program;
• Mark Nzasi of Scranton, Pennsylvania, a neuroscience and psychology major in A&S and a member of the Crown Honors Program;
• Cheryl Olanga of Nairobi, Kenya, a computer science major in the College of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS);
• Adya Parida of Odisha, India, a computer science major in ECS and a member of the Crown Honors Program;
• Jenna Poma of Queens, New York, a policy studies major in the Maxwell School and A&S, a citizenship and civic engagement major in the Maxwell School and a member of the Crown Honors Program;
• Tia Poquette of Brooklyn, New York, a policy studies major in the Maxwell School and A&S:
• Alekhya Rajasekaran of Visalia, California, a biotechnology major in A&S and a member of the Crown Honors Program;
• Olivia Reid of Richmond, California, a policy studies major in the Maxwell School and A&S and a member of the Crown Honors Program;
• Mason Romero of Olathe, Kansas, a music education major in VPA and the School of Education, a music history and cultures major in A&S and a member of the Crown Honors Program;
• Alie Savane of Bronx, New York, a biology major in A&S;
• Abigael Scott of Plattsburgh, New York, a neuroscience and biology major in A&S and a member of the Crown Honors Program;
• Yifan “Ivan” Shen of Shanghai, China, a student in the School of Architecture, a music history and cultures major in A&S, and a member of the Crown Honors Program;
• Justine Smith of Somerville, New Jersey, a political science and policy studies major in the Maxwell School and A&S and a member of the Crown Honors Program;
• Joshua Spodek of Wayne, New Jersey, a history major in the Maxwell School and A&S, a social studies education major in the Maxwell School and the School of Education and a member of the Crown Honors Program;
• Alyssa Sutherland of St. Louis, Missouri, a public health major in the Falk College; a women’s and gender studies major in A&S and a member of the Crown Honors Program;
• Evelina Torres of Houston, Texas, a political science major in the Maxwell School and A&S, a citizenship and civic engagement major in the Maxwell School and a member of the Crown Honors Program; and
• Leondra Tyler of Cicero, New York, a neuroscience and psychology major in A&S.

Jones joins ���ϲ����� from the University of Pittsburgh, where he had a 21-year career in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) with courtesy appointments in computer science (CS) and physics and astronomy.

Alex K. Jones

“I’m thrilled to join ���ϲ����� at this important time,” says Jones. “The designation of ���ϲ����� as a core partner in a Regional Tech Hub for computer chips along, with the establishment of the new Micron fabrication facility, is a tremendous opportunity to become a national leader in the semiconductor space with direct access to opportunities through the CHIPS and Science Act. I am also excited about the outstanding potential within EECS in topics like artificial intelligence, sustainable energy, quantum science and information, and many others thanks to the talented faculty, students and staff. In partnership with ECS and ���ϲ�����, broadly, I think you will see great things from EECS in the coming years that will benefit our students, our city, our state and beyond.”

Jones’ research interests are broadly in the areas of computer architecture and compilers. He is best known for research and leadership advancing the field of sustainable computing. His contributions are related to applying full lifecycle thinking to the study of environmental impacts and optimizations for computing systems including projections of environmental impacts, such as with servers in data centers.

Jones demonstrated that the critical environmental impacts from manufacturing these servers can meet or exceed those from the powering their operation in data centers. This trend has started to be noted by industry over the last half decade. More importantly, in handheld systems like mobile phones, 80% or more of the greenhouse gas emissions comes from manufacturing.

Among his research contributions in this area, Jones’ work has demonstrated that leveraging existing silicon in novel ways, such as processing-in-memory, creates an opportunity to holistically reduce greenhouse gas emissions. He has created a tool suite called GreenChip to help encourage the use of environmental-related metrics in the development of next generation computing systems. Jones has received a Carnegie Science Award, a Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation Faculty Fellowship and was elevated to Fellow of the IEEE for his contributions to sustainable computing.

Jones has a significant background in academic leadership. He served as Pitt’s director of computer engineering from 2011-17, a joint program comprised of faculty from the CS and ECE departments. He led the program to unprecedented growth and an increase in visibility and rankings nationally. Jones’ philosophy combined better engagement between students and faculty in the program and a curriculum that included the newest developments in the field and aspects of the excellent research undertaken by computer engineering program faculty. During his tenure as director, computer engineering at Pitt became a top 50 program nationally, where it remains today.

Following his tenure with computer engineering, Jones joined the National Science Foundation Space, High Performance and Resilient Computing (SHREC) Center and served as associate director from 2018-20. He led a project team in memory reliability for high performance and space applications. He demonstrated that off-the-shelf dynamic random access memory (DRAM) used in commodity computers had specific radiation properties such that 95—99% of the faults were from predictable locations. He developed a technique that combined a fault repository and low-level error correction that could protect standard DRAM from radiation faults in space, avoiding the need to use radiation hardened devices that are expensive and trail the state of the art by several generations.

In August 2020, Jones joined the NSF as a program manager in the Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE) directorate in the Computer and Network Systems (CNS) Division as part of the Computer Systems Research (CSR) cluster. A significant accomplishment was his creation of the Design for Environmental Sustainability of Computing (DESC) program. He was also the managing program director of the ATHENA AI Institute led by Duke University. In his third year at the NSF, he was elevated to serve as cluster lead for CSR. In his fourth year, he was appointed as the deputy division director for the Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems (ECCS) Division, which is a member of the senior leadership team of the Engineering (ENG) Directorate.

While at NSF, Jones established a new personal research direction in quantum computing. Attracting nearly $3 million in funding from foundation and Department of Defense grants with his physics colleague Michael Hatridge (Pitt/Yale) and the latter with Hatridge and Robert Schoelkopf (Yale) to develop modular computer architectures, Jones’ research demonstrates better target quantum gates and interconnection topologies that can be realized with high fidelity superconducting systems. These approaches improve the size of quantum applications that can be solved in noisy quantum machines.

Jones received his Ph.D. from Northwestern University, where he was a Walter P. Murphy Fellow. His first major paper at Northwestern on translating MATLAB applications into hardware descriptions went on to be a seminal work (top 25 paper of all time) in the IEEE Field Programmable and Custom Computing Machines (FCCM) Conference. His Ph.D. work in compilation/high-level synthesis of C/C++ codes into hardware descriptions crystallized his interest in compilation and configurable computing.�� This work informed some of his early work at Pitt in design automation of coarse-grain reconfigurable computing fabrics and radio frequency identification (RFID) devices. Compilation remains a core focus of Jones’ research as applied to configurable architectures and most recently in terms of programming quantum systems (transpilation).

In his spare time, Jones is a freelance clarinetist. In Pittsburgh he was the principal clarinetist of the Pittsburgh Philharmonic, where he has been a featured soloist, served briefly as its artistic director, and served as guest conductor. He also enjoys downhill skiing.

Marco Campos

Since childhood, Marco Campos has carved his own path, one that took him from poverty to great success. Today, Campos, together with his sister, Deanna Campos-Miller, are committed to creating opportunities for educational institutions and communities in support of student success through their foundation, .

Through the foundation, Campos, whose son is a third-year student in the , has just pledged $2.15 million to ���ϲ����� as part of the Forever Orange Campaign. The gift will fund a new student center in the . The student center will offer programming designed to attract underrepresented students to the college and support the academic success of all ECS students. It comes at a time of tremendous growth for ECS. As part of the University’s Academic Strategic Plan, ECS will grow its enrollment and faculty ranks by 50% by 2028.

“The Campos Student Center will provide dedicated space for our students with a home for collaboration, community and access to resources that maximize their success,” says ECS Dean . “This space will facilitate club activities that enhance the experience of our diverse student body. More than that, it will be a home on campus that is inviting and welcoming to all.”

The Campos Student Center will be housed on the second floor of the Center for Science and Technology.

Marco and his sister grew up in West Denver, Colorado, raised by a single mother with limited resources. Campos-Miller says her brother literally wore the boots in the family. “Marco got the snow boots, but I didn’t have any, so when we had to walk to school in the snow, he would walk in front of me and pave the way to school,” says Campos-Miller. “He told me, ‘Walk right behind me in my footprints.’”

Today, the siblings are paving the way for student success through the Campos Foundation.

“As a young teenager, I didn’t have role models,” says Campos. “I sensed there was something bigger, but there wasn’t a clear path.” He was talented in math but received little encouragement or support until becoming part of a summer bridge program in his senior year of high school. That opened the door to engineering at the University of Colorado in Boulder where, for the first time, his potential was recognized and cultivated. “I never loved engineering and math, but I saw the pathway to a career in an engineering degree,” says Campos. “It was grueling work, but the perseverance and grind ultimately get you there. You have to be consistent and hold the course.”

Campos-Miller says her brother has never forgotten where he came from. “Marco wants to elevate as many people as possible, and he can do that by funding the right kinds of programs,” says Campos-Miller. “Grit, perseverance and compassion are the best ways to describe Marco. He was always a really good dreamer!”

Marco Campos with three of his four children. (Photo by Alex Dunbar)

Campos’ gift was inspired by a recent visit to campus and by the success of an earlier gift made by his foundation to the University of Colorado in Boulder. He says he saw the geography and the demographics of ���ϲ����� and thought he could make a similar impact. He believes the new student center will be a welcoming and inclusive home where engineering, computer science, and other STEM students can go for academic support, financial advice and career direction. The student center is intended to inspire those who have big hopes and dreams but maybe haven’t been empowered in the past, he says.

“This kind of philanthropic support represents a true endorsement of and investment in the vision, mission and strategic planning of the College of Engineering and Computer Science,” says . “I am grateful to Marco and Deanna for their commitment to ���ϲ����� and am confident this center will have an impact on generations of students pursuing career paths in engineering.”

Campos’ career began with an internship at Texaco during his college years, and he was hired immediately upon graduation. By age 30, he had accumulated enough work and consulting experience, confidence and wealth to start his own company and start giving back. , established in 2005 with headquarters in Denver, offers engineering, procurement and construction counsel for utility, energy and midstream organizations. The company also offers STEM education initiatives through a community outreach program, while the foundation supports summer bridge programs, scholarships and SmartLabs at primary and secondary schools, among other initiatives.

“When I talk about the company, I rarely talk about the business,” says Campos. “Everyone can engineer. Everyone can project manage, but I want to be known for trying to improve the community and improve quality of life.”

He credits his hard-working employees for their commitment to giving back and driving the success of the Campos Foundation. He notes that the guiding principle of Campos companies is, “Our People are our Power,” and the power of philanthropy rests with his employees.

Campos and his sister believe the foundation’s intensive focus on mission through philanthropy, and the recruitment of specialized talent to lead and manage these kinds of student-centered programs helps universities “move the needle” when it comes to attracting students of all backgrounds to engineering fields. “This has become our corporate and social responsibility,” says Campos. “You have to be focused and disciplined and patient in your approach. Working with the University, we set up metrics to make sure the funding is accomplishing our established goals.”

Campos-Miller says the naming of the new student center aligns the hopes and dreams of students with the man who forged an enviable path to success. “Campos isn’t just a name. It’s the story behind the name. It represents possibilities and pathways to get there.”

“We all have a sphere of influence and it’s incumbent on each of us to affect our sphere of influence in the most positive ways we can,” says Campos. “Putting good out there in the universe brings back good, even more than we put out.”

The One University Awards Ceremony, an annual event to honor members of the ���ϲ����� community who are making a difference through academics, scholarship, creative work and dedicated service, will be held Friday, April 19, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in Hendricks Chapel.

“Every year, we come together to celebrate the outstanding contributions and tremendous success of our students, faculty, staff and broader community,” says Chancellor Kent Syverud. “The accomplishments of this year’s recipients reinforce what it means to be Orange. This ceremony also shines a bright spotlight on the work being done around campus, much of which happens behind the scenes. I thank the many members of our community who organized this event and look forward to recognizing this year’s winners.”

Two major awards—the Chancellor’s Medal and the Chancellor’s Citation for Excellence—will be bestowed. The ceremony will also include the presentation of the Student-Athlete Award, Judith Seinfeld Scholarship, Meredith Professorship for Teaching Excellence, Teaching Recognition Award, Diversity and Inclusion Award, William Pearson Tolley Medal for Distinguished Leadership in Lifelong Learning and Chancellor’s Forever Orange Award.

and�� will also be recognized. This year’s��University Scholars,��, and Remembrance and Lockerbie Scholars will also be honored.

All members of the University community are invited and encouraged to attend. A reception will follow in the lobby of the Heroy Geology Laboratory.

American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation and Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) will be provided at the ceremony. For questions about accessibility or to request accommodations, contact Gabe Coleman at gbcolma@syr.edu.

Award Recipients��

The��Chancellor’s Medal��is the University’s highest honor and is awarded to individuals in honor of their trailblazing and extraordinary contributions to the University, to an academic body of knowledge or to society. This year’s recipient is��, Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Professor for Teaching Excellence and professor of electrical engineering and computer science in the College of Engineering and Computer Science.

The��Chancellor’s Citation for Excellence��recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions in four overarching categories:

• The award for��Excellence in Student Research recognizes students who have engaged in collaborative research that has the potential to make a deep and lasting impact on greater society. This year’s recipients are Jingjing Ji, a doctoral candidate in chemical engineering in the Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering in the College of Engineering and Computer Science (graduate), and Ashtha Singh, an international relations major in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and citizenship and civic engagement major in the Maxwell School (undergraduate).
• The award for��Outstanding Contributions to the Student Experience and University Initiatives acknowledges faculty and staff who, through their work, enhance the undergraduate experience for students or make invaluable contributions to supporting and advancing the University’s mission and goals. The recipients are��, associate professor of communications in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications (faculty); , chief operating officer for the D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families (professional staff); , program coordinator of citizenship and civic engagement in the Maxwell School (professional staff) and , events coordinator at Lubin House (support staff).
• The��Faculty Excellence and Scholarly Distinction award is intended for faculty members who are collaborators in work of intellectual richness that has the potential for future impact. The work of these nominees offers possibilities for collaboration within the University and outside in partnership with others. This year’s honorees are��, Distinguished Professor in the Department of Art and Music Histories in the College of Arts and Sciences, and , associate dean of research and professor of Public Health in the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics.
• Chancellor’s Citation for Excellence, Lifetime Achievement Award. This award honors those who have made extraordinary contributions toward advancing all four pillars of excellence over the arc of their careers while at ���ϲ����� and beyond. This year’s recipient is��, Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Professor for Teaching Excellence and professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering in the College of Engineering and Computer Science.

The other awards to be presented are:

• The��Student-Athlete Award recognizes the top female and top male student athletes and are presented to the senior student-athletes with the highest cumulative grade point average over the course of their academic and athletic careers. This year’s recipients are Izabela Krakic, an international relations major in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and College of Arts and Sciences and member of the women’s rowing team, and Julius Rauch, an entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises major in the Whitman School of Management and a member of the men’s soccer team.
• Seinfeld Scholarship: Each year ���ϲ����� honors the talents of outstanding faculty or students through an��, a distinguished alumna and member of the University Board of Trustees. Awards are made to those who have been determined by their peers to have made outstanding contributions to the beauty of the world, to have added to human values and to ending human abuse anywhere in the world, and to have demonstrated passion for excellence, creativity and originality in academic or artistic fields. This year, the designation is bestowed upon a faculty member,��, associate professor of advertising in the Newhouse School.
• The��Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Professorships for Teaching Excellence were created in 1995 to recognize and reward outstanding teaching among faculty. The 2024-27 Meredith Professors are��, professor in the School of Information Studies, and , Bond, Schoeneck and King Distinguished Professor in the College of Law.
• In 2001, the Meredith Professorship Program was expanded to recognize teaching excellence by non-tenured faculty and adjunct and part-time instructors. Awards are given in two categories:��Early Performance and��Continuing Excellence. This year’s honorees in the Early Performance category are��, assistant professor of television, radio and film in the Newhouse School; , associate teaching professor of electrical engineering and computer science in the College of Engineering and Computer Science; , assistant professor of visual communications in the Newhouse School; , assistant teaching professor of Chinese and Chinese language in the College of Arts and Sciences; and , assistant professor in the School of Architecture. The two honorees in the Continuing Excellence category are��, assistant dean of online and distance education and associate teaching professor of social work in the Falk College, and , teaching professor and graduate director of nutrition and food studies in the Falk College.
• The��Diversity and Inclusion Award��recognizes an individual who is integral in helping us achieve academic excellence at a university that is welcoming to all through our investments in a diverse, inclusive, accessible and equitable community. This year’s recipient is��, teaching professor in the College of Law and faculty fellow for the Office of Strategic Initiatives and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.
• The��William Pearson Tolley Medal for Distinguished Leadership in Lifelong Learning is based in the School of Education and honors national or international leadership in support of lifelong learning. This year’s recipient is ’77, executive director of MidPenn Legal Services, adjunct professor of law at PennState’s Dickinson Law and an alumna of the School of Education.
• The��Chancellor’s Forever Orange Award recognizes individual students, faculty or staff who—by virtue of extraordinary hard work, good values and commitment to excellence—have come to embody the best of ���ϲ�����. This year’s recipients are , associate vice president of parent engagement and student experience, and , head coach of the men’s soccer team.

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Professor Kasey Laurant (left) and student Cody Van Nostrand ’24 running an experiment in the water channel lab.

Boasting an impressive wingspan of over seven feet, the golden eagle is one of the largest birds of prey in North America. In addition to being cunning, skilled hunters and their ability to soar effortlessly for hours, golden eagles might also utilize strong gusts of wind to assist their flight – an ability that piqued the interest of , an aerospace and mechanical engineering professor in the .

During her Ph.D. studies at Cornell University, Laurent conducted research on golden eagles by recording their acceleration as they flew, and the study formed the foundation for her dissertation on bird and drone flight. She also participated in Cornell’s Raptor Program, which provides a home for injured or non-releasable birds for research, training and rehabilitation. This experience gave her valuable insights into bird flight and behavior.

“Slowly throughout my Ph.D., I became more of a bird person. That’s what motivates my research here at ���ϲ�����,” Lauren says.

Laurent’s research aims to enhance flight and aerodynamics by measuring wind speeds and unsteadiness within air flows. Her work’s interdisciplinary nature also enables collaboration with biologists to explore ideas for improving aerodynamics by learning from nature.

“If you step outside on a windy day, you’ll feel the wind coming from various directions and at varying strengths at random intervals,” says Laurent. “If we measure the wind at a single point in time, that value will be random, but if we measure the wind over a long period of time and evaluate the statistics of how the wind changes over time, we’ll find patterns.��My research looks at how these patterns, or signatures, may be deduced by looking at the locomotion of animals in turbulent environments. Will a bird fly a certain way in the turbulent atmosphere?”

Kasey Laurant (left) and Cody Van Nostrand ’24 conducting an experiment in the lab.

As Laurent puts together a proposal for gust soaring seen with golden eagles, she’s also interested in gathering data from crows, goshawks, and turkey vultures, large birds that also use strong wind gusts to aid their flight.

“Goshawks fly through the forest and can maneuver very fast in different environments.�� When flying close to treetops, turkey vultures’ wings have an angle to them, allowing them to restabilize. It would be difficult to replicate this in man-made vehicles since they’re not flexible and don’t have joints like birds, but there’s still much we can learn.”

Studying how birds utilize wind and atmosphere to aid their flight would assist in improving the flight of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs.) Smaller aircraft often face issues when encountering wind gusts, causing them to lose control and potentially crash. Understanding how to maneuver around gusts could open up new possibilities for aircraft to fly in without sustaining damage from wind gusts and even utilize gusts to their advantage, similar to birds.

This research can be useful in creating smaller and lighter UAVs for various applications, including search and rescue missions. The main challenge with drones is that they have a limited range, which requires them to return to a base to change batteries and repeat the process. If the drones have a longer lifespan, they can continue with their search without the need to land or replace the battery.

“If we find a way to let the gusts move aircraft around, power won’t be an issue. We’ll just need to know how to maintain stability in that gust,” Laurent says. “Most research looking at flight in turbulence aims to develop methods to reject gusts, but it seems, according to the eagles, that may not be the best approach. We can learn a lot from nature to improve aerodynamics and locomotion.”

Mary Spio (right) and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade have collaborated on virtual reality learning experiences on how to become a better basketball player.

None of it made sense.

Whenever Mary Spio ’98 wore a virtual reality (VR) headset, she would feel nauseous and get sick. She wasn’t alone. Other women who tried on a VR headset told Spio they felt the same way.

Spio set out to determine the root cause of these issues, even after some of the largest virtual reality companies rejected her idea that there was an issue specifically for women. What she discovered would revolutionize the VR industry, making the technology accessible and enjoyable for everyone.

“VR headsets involve the interpupillary distance [IPD] or the eye distance, and women and men have very different eye distances. The lower limit of everything that had been built at that time was at the upper limit for women, which meant when the average woman put on the VR headset, the eyeballs were being pulled apart and she suffered from audiovisual incoherence. They would get sick and couldn’t enjoy the experience as it was intended,” says Spio, who earned an electrical engineering degree from the .

Working with an ophthalmologist and a scientist that built nothing but lenses, Spio started studying VR headsets. She quickly learned that the dynamic range of the lenses being used was way outside the range for women and children, which motivated Spio to build the first headset with the IPD adjustment and featured the correct lens range for users of all ages.

For users who didn’t grow up playing video games, Spio also created a patent-awarded, easy-to-use controller that eliminated another barrier to entry.

“Men and women just see the world differently, and that carries over into VR. I filled this gap that no one was looking at. It was a gap they didn’t even know existed. In a way, I was able to build this technology and now we have more women using our platform,” Spio says.

Mary Spio

Today, Spio is the founder and CEO of CEEK VR, a developer of premium social virtual and augmented reality experiences that simulate communal experiences, such as attending a live concert, learning in a classroom or cheering on your favorite team at a sporting event. She has even collaborated with Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade on virtual reality learning experiences about becoming a better basketball player.

The technology is being leveraged by industries ranging from health care to entertainment to offer participants hands-on training that mimics real-world scenarios and can be more impactful than traditional learning measures.

Her career accolades include being named an NBC News 100 History Makers in the Making, receiving Boeing’s Outstanding Achievement in Electrical Engineering Award, and earning an Arents Award in 2017, the highest award ���ϲ����� bestows on its alumni.

Spio sat down with SU News to discuss her revolutionary career, why she’s driven to use the technology to help underrepresented members of society and the indelible impact ���ϲ����� has had on her life.

Attendees will have the opportunity to hear from several student organizations who will be , enjoy a spirited awards ceremony hosted by student Nicole Aponte ’24 and mingle with honorees and each other during a reception following the ceremony.

Get to know the outstanding alumni across generations who will be honored April 12 during the ���ϲ����� Alumni Awards.

Traditionally held in the fall during Orange Central, the 2024 awards ceremony was shifted to the spring to facilitate greater interactions between award recipients and the ���ϲ����� student body. The honorees, selected by the awards committee of the Board of Directors, were selected for their achievements and success, truly highlighting what it means to be Forever Orange.

The George Arents Award is ���ϲ�����’s highest alumni honor and recognizes individuals who have excelled in their fields. In 2024, three alumni will receive the Arents Award: former NFL quarterback turned philanthropist Donovan McNabb ’98; president and chairman of Wilmorite Thomas Wilmot ’70; and former litigation attorney turned civic leader Melanie Gray L’81.

Marc Malfitano ’74, L’78 will receive the Melvin A. Eggers Senior Alumni Award for his loyalty and service to ���ϲ����� over the past 50 years. Malfitano is a member of the 50th reunion class, and both the Classes of 1964 and 1974 will celebrate milestone reunions during the weekend.

Amanda Quick ’14, G’16 will be awarded the Generation Orange Award, which recognizes graduates from the past decade for career success and community engagement, along with their overall commitment to ���ϲ�����.

Major General Peggy Combs ’85, H’21 will receive the Military/Veteran Award for exceptional meritorious service while serving in the United States Military.

New in 2024, Tracy Barash ’89 will receive the Volunteer of the Year Award in recognition of her consistent volunteerism to ���ϲ�����.

Also new in 2024, the Outstanding Future Alumni Award will highlight student Leondra Tyler ’24 for her commitment, involvement and leadership outside of the classroom.

, then make plans to .

Story by Laura Verzegnassi ’25, student intern in the Office of Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving

Five ���ϲ����� students have been selected for the 2024 Goldwater Scholarship, the preeminent undergraduate scholarship awarded in the natural sciences, engineering and mathematics in the U.S. This is the first time ���ϲ����� has had five students selected for the cohort and the third consecutive year the University has had at least three scholars selected in one year.

The recipients are:

• Julia Fancher, a sophomore physics and mathematics major in the (A&S) and a member of the ;
• Sadie Meyer, a sophomore biomedical engineering major in the (ECS) and mathematics major in A&S;
• Kerrin O’Grady, a junior biomedical engineering major in ECS and neuroscience integrated learning major in A&S;
• Serena Peters, a junior chemistry major in A&S; and
• Gianna Voce, a sophomore computer science major in ECS and neuroscience Integrated learning major in A&S.

“The fact that five students from ���ϲ����� were selected as Goldwater Scholars this year is a testament to our University’s robust support for undergraduate research and the high quality of faculty mentoring here.” Jolynn Parker, director, Center for Fellowship and Scholarship Advising

All five are research grant recipients from the .

The����was established by Congress in 1986 to honor U.S. Sen. Barry Goldwater, the five-term senator from Arizona. The purpose of the program is to provide a continuing source of highly qualified scientists, mathematicians and engineers by awarding scholarships to students who intend to pursue research careers in these fields.

The Goldwater Foundation received 1,353 nominations this year from around the country and 438 students were selected for the scholarship.

Each ���ϲ����� Goldwater Scholarship nominee worked with the (CFSA) to prepare their application. A faculty committee, headed by James Spencer, professor of chemistry in A&S, selected ���ϲ�����’s nominees for the national competition.

“We’re so proud of Julia, Sadie, Kerrin, Serena and Gianna. They are exceptional young scientists and it is gratifying to see them honored with this award,” says Jolynn Parker, CFSA director. “The fact that five students from ���ϲ����� were selected as Goldwater Scholars this year is a testament to our University’s robust support for undergraduate research and the high quality of faculty mentoring here.”

Julia Fancher

Fancher, a physics major, is also minoring in computer science and draws on those skills to create effective theoretical models of astrophysical phenomena.

“I have always loved space, and I now get to use physics and math to learn more about distant galaxies and black holes,” she says.

As a first-year student, Fancher joined the high-energy astrophysics lab of Eric Coughlin, assistant professor of physics. With Coughlin’s guidance, Fancher researches tidal disruption events, which occur when a star is destroyed by the tidal field of a black hole.

Fancher has published two papers in national journals on this topic and presented her research at the local Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics and the national American Astronomical Society conference in January 2024, and was a finalist in the undergraduate AAS Chambliss poster competition. She participated in the “Education and Inclusion in Post-Apartheid South Africa” program through ���ϲ����� Abroad last summer.

Fancher plans to enroll in a doctoral program that focuses on computational and analytical astrophysics, with the goal of becoming a professor at a research university to conduct research in theoretical high-energy astrophysics.

“I aim to build my own astrophysics lab focusing on discovering possible mechanisms of observed astrophysical transients through a combination of analytical methods and computational modeling,” Fancher says.

Sadie Meyer

Meyer grew up surrounded by research with widespread impacts on healthcare and recognized the importance of such work early on. She developed a strong purpose to advance new approaches to women’s health and infertility, specifically with a biomedical engineering perspective.

In her first semester on campus, wanting to get more involved with research, Meyer joined the laboratory of James Henderson, professor of biomedical and chemical engineering and director of the . The lab specializes in functional shape-memory materials and biocompatible platform development.

Meyer has learned material synthesis and combined mathematical approaches with experimental design to conduct characterizations of programmed shape memory polymer topography to serve as a dynamic cell culture substrate. Her current project analyzes bacterial response to shape-memory actuated 3D silk wrinkled surfaces as a strategy for biofilm prevention. Meyer is third author on a manuscript published in February 2024 in the Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute journal, “Polymers.”��She will present her research at the 50th Northeast Bioengineering Conference on April 4 at the Stevens Institute of Technology. This summer, she will participate in a National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) at Northwestern University’s Soft and Hybrid Nanotechnology Experimental Resource Facility. There, she will study the ultrastructure of yeast mitochondria, working toward a better understanding of cellular function, health and evolution.

Meyer plans to enroll in a Ph.D. program with strengths in regenerative medicine, biomaterials and mechanobiology. “After earning my Ph.D., I will pursue a faculty position where I can oversee a lab of my own and conduct research to address challenges in fertility and reproductive health,” she says.

“Being selected for the Goldwater Scholarship encourages and supports my ambitions for further inquiry in my fields and makes a tremendous difference to my development as a researcher,” she says.

Kerrin O’Grady

In high school, O’Grady volunteered at a camp for neurodivergent children and adults. “I have seen the need for adaptive and customizable everyday devices for individuals with impaired motor control,” she says.

She is now pursuing degrees in biomedical engineering and neuroscience, with a minor in philosophy. “As a bioengineer, I am eager to support communities that may not have the same opportunities I have been afforded,” she says.

O’Grady has engaged in research in the Henderson Lab since the beginning of her sophomore year. There, she has focused on creating silk-wrinkled topographies on 3D shape-memory polymeric scaffolds and optimizing the attachment and proliferation of mammalian, specifically neuronal, cells on the scaffolds. Her current work focuses on using silk-wrinkled shape-memory polymeric conduits to aid in peripheral nerve injury repair.

O’Grady plans to enroll in a Ph.D. program in biomedical engineering, focusing on neuro-engineering. After completing her Ph.D., she aims to pursue a career focused on neural engineering research, working closely with the neurodivergent and physically disabled communities.

“I want to lead experiments and to create devices and repair in vivo damage, similar to the work that Argonne National Laboratory is conducting on repairing spinal cord damage by injecting a treatment directly into paralyzed mice,” she says. O’Grady will continue this work at the University of Victoria this summer through a Fulbright MITACS research internship. There, she will work in a lab on 3D bioprinting neural tissues from stem cells.

“The Goldwater Scholarship will help me in a financial sense and will provide me with a community of dedicated students who have similar passions and goals as me,” she says.

Serena Peters

Peters is pursuing a major in chemistry because of her interest in applications for environmental sustainability. She has contributed to a research project with Professor Jonathan French quantifying students’ sense of belonging in general chemistry courses. Currently, in Professor Timothy Korter’s lab, she is using high-complexity experimental and computational techniques to study the polymorphism of two antiviral compounds, acyclovir and ganciclovir.

Peters purposefully chooses assignments that allow her to delve deeper into the realm of sustainable chemistry. “Whether presenting on how zeolites can be employed for nuclear waste cleanup or writing a paper on innovative carbon capture strategies, I consistently integrate environmental chemistry into my academic pursuits,” she says.

Peters plans to pursue a Ph.D. in chemistry with a concentration on applications for environmental sustainability. Her career goal is to work in aquatic cleanup as a research professor at a university.

“I aspire to guide undergraduates who, much like myself, may harbor uncertainties about venturing into the field of research. I hope to continue researching in the field of environmental chemistry, specifically using different forms of spectroscopy to analyze water contaminants. My goal is to foster a research environment that demonstrates that research is an inclusive pursuit open to anyone, regardless of their background or identity,” she says.

“The Goldwater Scholarship has helped me build my confidence. I long wondered if research was for me, partially since it’s such a male-dominated field. However, receiving this scholarship has shown me that I am capable and I deserve to be a researcher as much as anyone else,” Peters says.

Gianna Voce

Voce has always loved the problem-solving of computer science and its endless possibilities to intersect with other fields. “Computer science was originally inspired by the human brain and continues to be influenced by neuroscience, so seeing the parallels between my two majors is fascinating to me,” she says. “I love seeing the ways two seemingly disconnected fields interact and discovering new ways for them to do so.”

Voce transferred to ���ϲ����� from Clarkson University; she has sought out research opportunities since the summer before her freshman year, when she participated in a PreFrosh Summer Research Experience through Clarkson’s Honors Program. There, she studied the effects of commonly used fluorescent dyes on tendon mechanics, research that was published in the Journal of the Mechanics of Biomedical Materials.

In the summer of 2022, she participated in an REU at Texas State University focused on cybersecurity in connected vehicles. She helped create a reinforcement learning algorithm that could successfully identify which vehicles had been compromised by a cyberattack for networks that were more than 90% corrupted. She published and presented this research at the Association for Computing Machinery REUNS 2023 conference in Washington, D.C., and at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ International Conference on Consumer Electronics 2024 in Las Vegas. She will be studying abroad in Florence this summer through ���ϲ����� Abroad.

After transferring to ���ϲ�����, Voce joined the lab of Qinru Qiu, professor of electrical engineering and computer science, where she researches algorithms for neuromorphic computing. Her team focuses on developing software and artificial neural networks to run on Intel chips.

Voce plans to pursue a Ph.D. in computer science or neuroscience with a concentration in computational neuroscience. After obtaining her degrees, she plans to take a research position within the tech industry, working as either a computational neuroscientist or a machine learning engineer. “I aim to contribute novel insights toward the development of artificial intelligence systems that mimic the qualities of biological neural networks with the goal of increasing efficiency and accuracy in AI learning,” she says.

“The Goldwater Scholarship is an incredible honor that will not only assist me in my education but provide the opportunity to be a part of an amazing network of researchers that offer inspiration to pursue this career path,” Voce says.

CFSA seeks applicants for the Goldwater Scholarship each fall; the campus deadline is mid-November each year. Interested students should contact CFSA at��cfsa@syr.edu.

Twelve seniors have been named as the 2024 ���ϲ����� Scholars, the highest undergraduate honor the University bestows.

The ���ϲ����� Scholars Selection Committee, a Universitywide faculty committee, selected the scholars using criteria that included coursework and academic achievement, independent research and creative work, evidence of intellectual growth or innovation in their disciplinary field, a personal statement and faculty letters of recommendation.

“These accomplished students have made the most out of their educational experience at ���ϲ����� and have also contributed to our vibrant University community through research, creative work, public service and many other areas,” says Vice Chancellor, Provost and Chief Academic Officer Gretchen Ritter. “We are proud to recognize them for their outstanding achievements.”

The 2024 ���ϲ����� Scholars are:

• Marwa Abedrabbah, a psychology major in the College of Arts and Sciences and member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program;
• Nicole Aponte, a broadcast and digital journalism major in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications;
• Alana Coffman, an international relations major in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and College of Arts and Sciences, a citizenship and civic engagement major in the Maxwell School and member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program;
• Edward (Cole) Fluker, a chemical engineering major in the College of Engineering and Computer Science;
• Alison Gilmore, a sport analytics major in the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics;
• Yvonne Kuo, a psychology and forensic science major in the College of Arts and Sciences and a member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program;
• Mitchell Mazza, a psychology and neuroscience major in the College of Arts and Sciences and member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program;
• Yasmin Nayrouz, an English and textual studies major in the College of Arts and Sciences, a public relations major in the Newhouse School and member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program;
• Mariana Pérez Lugo, a nutrition science major in the Falk College and member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program;
• Julius Rauch, a finance and entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises major in the Whitman School of Management;
• Matthew Snyder, a psychology and neuroscience major in the College of Arts and Sciences and member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program; and
• Iona Volynets, an international relations and history major in the Maxwell School and College of Arts and Sciences and member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program.

Master’s and doctoral students from across the College of Engineering and Computer Science presented their research at the 2024 ECS Research Day.

Master’s and doctoral students from across the (ECS) presented their research during the 2024 ECS Research Day, held at the National Veterans Resource Center. From fundamental studies to prototype development, a total of 113 posters and 20 oral presentations highlighted the broad research activities across the college.

A keynote address, “The Crucial Role of Strategic Decision-Making in Career Progression: A Personal Journey” was delivered by Melur K. “Ram” Ramasubramanian G’87, executive vice chancellor for academic affairs and provost at the State University of New York (SUNY) and the President of the SUNY Research Foundation. Ramasubramanian, who earned a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from ���ϲ�����, shared his experience and insightful career advice with the attendees.

“ECS Research Day is a signature event that we organize every year to celebrate graduate research in our college. This year is particularly exciting with record participation and high-quality research presented. It showcases the strong scholarly work in many areas.” said Dacheng Ren, associate dean for research in ECS.

Below is a list of awards handed out during ECS Research Day:

ORAL PRESENTATION AWARDS

Communications and Security

First Place: Feng Wang. “Maximum Knowledge Orthogonality Reconstruction with Gradients in Federated Learning.” Advisor: Dr. M. Cenk Gursoy.

Second Place: Nandan Sriranga. “Detection of Temporally Correlated Signals in Distributed Sensor Networks.” Advisor: Dr. Pramod Varshney.

Energy, Environment and Smart Materials

First Place: Johnson Agyapong. “The Formation of Deterministic Wrinkle Morphologies via 4D Printing of Shape Memory Polymer Substrates.” Advisor: Dr. James Henderson.

Second Place: Ashok Thapa. “Passive Oscillating Heat Pipes for High-Heat Dissipation.” Advisor: Dr. Shalabh Maroo.

Health and Well-Being

First Place: Yikang Xu. “A New Anti-Fouling Indwelling Urinary Catheter with Embedded Active Topography.” Advisor: Dr. Dacheng Ren.

Second Place: Natalie Petryk. “Hydrolytic and Oxidative Degradation of Polyurethane Foams for Traumatic Wound Healing.” Advisor: Dr. Mary Beth Monroe.

Sensors, Robotics and Smart Systems

First Place: Yasser Alqaham. “Energetic Analysis on All Possible Bounding Gaits of Quadrupedal.” Advisor: Dr Zhenyu Gan.

Second Place: Zachary Geffert. “Multipath Projection Stereolithography for Rapid 3D Printing of Multiscale Devices.” Advisor: Dr. Pranav Soman.

POSTER PRESENTATION AWARDS

First Place: Omkar Desai. “A Caching System for Concurrent DNN Model Training.” Advisor: Dr. Bryan Kim.

Second Place (tied): Zifan Wang. “Catch You if Pay Attention: Temporal Sensor Attack Diagnosis Using Attention Mechanisms for Cyber-Physical Systems.” Advisor: Dr. Qinru Qiu.

Second Place (tied): Shreyas Aralumallige. “Chandregowda. Exploring the Role of Bio-Flocculant Interactions with Clay Minerals in Addressing Mining Industry Challenges.” Advisor: Dr. Shobha K Bhatia.

Third Place (tied): Matthew Qualters. “Experimental Flow Control Techniques on a Supersonic Multi-Stream Rectangular Jet Flow.” Advisor: Dr. Fernando Zigunov.

Third Place (tied): Pardha Nayani. “Unleashing Bandwidth: Passive Highly Dispersive Matching Network.” Advisor: Dr. Younes Ra’di.

Honorable Mention:�� Ziyang Jiao. “The Design and Implementation of a Capacity-Variant Storage System.” Advisor: Dr. Bryan Kim.

Honorable Mention:�� Ratnakshi Mandal. “The Dance of DNA and Histone Proteins: Molecular Insights Into Chromosome Formation.” Advisor: Dr. Shikha Nangia.