From left: Juan Medina, Laura Salazar and Pablo Sequero of salazarsequeromedina

School of Architecture faculty member ’s firm, , has been named to the newest cohort of winners in the biennial , one of North America’s most prestigious awards for young practitioners.

“An open call for designers with a story to tell,” the 2025 competition asked entrants to interrogate “Plot,” this year’s theme, by mapping out the throughlines that shape their work and examining how architecture engages with plot, whether as “land, drawing or scheme.”

Like , this year’s theme was developed by the Young Architects + Designers Committee, a rotating group comprising previous winners. For the latest cycle, the committee included Rayshad Dorsey, Liz Gálvez and Miles Gertler. Joining them on the competition jury were Behnaz Assadi, Mario Gooden, Jia Yi Gu and William O’Brien Jr.

In its prompt, the committee asked designers to plot it all out: “Every building has its lore, and plots are known to thicken. Which dramas are shaping architecture’s arc today? The truth may be stranger than fiction. Despite the best-laid plans, design so often deals in circumstance. That is, while architects may endeavor to write their own stories, projects always present twists. … We invite young designers to chronicle that which bookends their practices and to demonstrate plot’s persistent role as main character.”

The Outdoor Room, Pavilion at the Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism (2023), Seoul, South Korea (with Frank Barkow)

This year’s League Prize theme programming will be explored through a hybrid onsite and online model. A three-part online lecture series will be held at midday on Wednesdays, starting in June. Each lecture will feature presentations from two of the winners followed by a moderated discussion and Q&A session. Salazar, Sequero and Medina will present on June 11 at 12:30 p.m. ET; is required. Winners will also create installations of their work either onsite in their respective locations or in entirely digital formats, all of which will be presented in an online exhibition on .

“Congratulations to Pablo and his firm on this remarkable accomplishment,” says Michael Speaks, dean of the School of Architecture. “The exceptionally talented designers and educators at salazarsequeromedina are at the forefront of contemporary architecture. Their innovative approach blends civic engagement, sustainability and repurposed materials to create projects that bridge cultural, environmental and social contexts.”

Now in its 44th edition, the portfolio-based competition is open to architects and designers less than 10 years out of a bachelor’s or master’s degree program and has represented an important career milestone for several generations of designers. The program exemplifies the League’s longstanding commitment to identifying and nurturing the development of talented young architects and designers. To learn more about past winners, visit archleague.org/leagueprize.

Greenhouse for plants and humans (2023), El Carmen, Peru

About salazarsequeromedina

is a collaborative architecture practice founded in 2020 and led by Laura Salazar, Pablo Sequero and Juan Medina. Their projects in Peru, Spain, South Korea and the U.S. focus on civic works engaging diverse communities and geographical contexts. The practice addresses the environmental impact of building and aims to establish a sensitive dialogue with what is found. Their work considers the transmutability of building function and the role of open-ended structures as two vectors capable of reconciling building practice with the challenges of our time.

In 2024, the practice was shortlisted for the Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize (U.S.), as well as named finalists at the XIII Ibero-American Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism (Peru), ARQUIA/Próxima Festival for Emerging Practices (Spain) and the COAM Awards (Madrid). The work of salazarsequeromedina has been exhibited at the 4th Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism (2023) and the Oslo Triennale (2022), and has been published in The Architectural Review, Arquitectura Viva, Revista PLOT, Revista Casas and Space Magazine, among others.

Laura Salazar holds a master of architecture degree from Princeton University’s School of Architecture. She is an assistant professor of architecture at Pratt Institute and has previously taught at ���ϲ�����’s School of Architecture and Montana State University.

Pablo Sequero holds a master of architecture degree from the Technical University of Madrid (ETSAM) and is a licensed architect in Spain. He is currently a at ���ϲ�����’s School of Architecture and a visiting professor at PUCP Pontificia Universidad Católica de Lima, in Peru. Sequero has previously taught at Cornell AAP and Montana State University.

Juan Medina is a Ph.D. candidate at the Technical University of Madrid (ETSAM). He is currently a professor of practice at Tulane University and has taught previously at the ETSAM.

The number of school districts considering banning cell phones during the school day is on the rise nationwide.

At least eight states have banned smartphones in public school classrooms, while in New York, a proposed “bell-to-bell” is going to the State Legislature for a full vote. Additionally, 27 other states have proposed a ban on student smartphone usage, while other states are exploring a variety of ways to limit cell phone usage.

Proponents argue that students need to have their undivided attention focused on classroom lessons; parents feel strongly about being able to contact their child in an emergency.

Matthew Mulvaney

, associate professor and department chair of human development and family science in the , looks at the impact of cell phone use on children as a researcher and also has firsthand knowledge as the parent of a 14-year-old.

“I’ve always been interested in this field and this research of looking at mobile technology and how it might impact kids, especially now with my daughter being immersed in the world of cell phones and social media,” says Mulvaney, a parenting researcher whose focus is on how parents and families support optimal child development.

Sabrina Butler

, an assistant teaching professor in the counseling and human services department in the and a licensed mental health counselor, looks at process addictions (including cell phone usage) in children and adolescents and recognizing when behaviors become problematic.

Butler sees both sides of the debate and suggests ways to find the balance.

“Parents have a legitimate concern about the safety of their child, and it would be difficult to enforce no cell phones in schools,” says Butler, whose research focuses primarily on process addictions in children and adolescents. “Plus, a lot of kids use tablets or Chromebooks in the classroom. We can’t just take technology completely out of the classroom. How do we ensure they’re not distracted by social media or games while they’re supposed to be learning?”

Mulvaney and Butler sat down with SU News to discuss cell phone bans and limits in schools and what steps can be taken to help children liberate themselves from their phones.

What are your thoughts on limiting the use of cell phones in school and the impact of cell phone use on adolescent development?

Sabrina Butler: Coming from a harm reduction lens, we want to put limits and boundaries on cell phone usage. And while there isn’t research that necessarily supports that cell phone usage is causing depression and anxiety, what we do know is that our cell phones are like other addictions out there. If you have individuals that are already experiencing anxiety, depression or self-esteem issues, being on your phone and on social media is going to exacerbate that.

Matthew Mulvaney: Kids functioned for a very long time in schools without cell phones. More people are starting to be concerned about cell phone use. Parents see the changes their kids are going through and they want them to not be so tied up with their phones.

There’s a psychologist, Jean Twenge, who published a book in 2017 that showed the impact of cell phone usage and social media on this generation. Around the age of 11, 12 or 13, children, particularly girls, experience this mental health cliff where their well-being drops off suddenly, and how much time they spend on their phones and on social media is closely correlated and negatively associated with their mental health.

How is being on your cell phone a process addiction?

Butler: Process addictions hack and utilize the same brain mechanisms as other addictions, like nicotine. With cell phones and social media, we’re pairing these positive emotions with external stimuli, which is the behavior. That’s where it can become problematic, wiring those two things [phones and social media] together that make me feel good or less stressed. It’s that feeling that we’re getting addicted to and we’re associating with that behavior.

How young is too young for a child to get a cell phone? To be active on social media?

Mulvaney: The later you can wait, the better. Kids will say not having one cuts them off from their social networks and that all their friends have phones, but there are few developmental benefits to having one early on. As for social media, researcher Jonathan Haidt studies the impact of social media on adolescent mental health, and he suggests 16 for starting off on social media.

What can we do to help alleviate the addictive impact of cell phones?

Mulvaney: I see a lot of parallels with cigarette smoking. Smoking was commonplace when I was growing up, but smoking cigarettes has basically gone away from the adolescent experience because of how bad it was for our kids. It took a collective understanding, a collective will to say, “we’re not going to have spaces for kids to smoke.”

I think schools will adopt a phone-free policy from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and that will have a significant impact on changing the expectations of being on your phone all the time. If we come to this shared understanding that being on your phone all the time is really bad, we can make changes in the same way we did with smoking.

Butler: It goes back to limits and an age barrier. Some parents take away phones at night because they don’t want their child up all night on their phone. Others turn off the Wi-Fi after a certain point. Those parental control measures are really helpful because they lead into how we monitor usage among children.

We need to get back to engaging with each other, having family dinner without looking at our phones. Getting children active through activities and sports are great because they get kids out playing, interacting and connecting with their peers.

To request interviews, contact:

Chris Munoz
Media Relations Specialist
cjmunoz@syr.edu

Recipients of the 2025 Excellence in Graduate Education Faculty Recognition Award were honored by the Graduate School at a campus ceremony April 24. Pictured from left are Joon Young Kim, Scott Landes, Natalie Russo, Eman Tadros, Catherine García, Angela Oliverio and Qiu Wang.

Ten ���ϲ����� faculty members were honored with the Excellence in Graduate Education Faculty Recognition Award at a campus ceremony April 24. The award, given annually by the , honors professors who have had a significant impact on graduate education through teaching, service and research or creative activities.

This year’s awardees, chosen by an interdisciplinary committee of graduate students, are the following:

• , associate professor of communications, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications
• , assistant professor of human development and family science, David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics
• , assistant professor of exercise science, Falk College
• , associate professor of sociology, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs
• , professor of mathematics, College of Arts and Sciences
• , assistant professor of biology, College of Arts and Sciences
• , associate professor and associate chair of psychology, College of Arts and Sciences
• , mechanical and aerospace engineering, College of Engineering and Computer Science
• , assistant professor of marriage and family therapy, Falk College
• , professor of higher education, School of Education

“We know that talented faculty members are the cornerstone of a quality graduate education,” says Peter Vanable, dean of the Graduate School. “This awards program gives us an opportunity to hear directly from our students, as well as from faculty, staff and alumni, about which professors have had a significant positive influence on their studies. We are delighted to recognize these ten individuals for their dedication and contributions to the University.”

The bottom portion of the sculpins’ pectoral fin helps them grip onto surfaces and even walk. (Photo by Emily Kane)

On a wave-battered rock in the Northern Pacific Ocean, a fish called the sculpin grips the surface firmly to maintain stability in its harsh environment. Unlike sea urchins, which use their glue-secreting tube feet to adhere to their surroundings, sculpins manage to grip without a specialized adhesive organ like tube feet or the suction cups of octopuses.

So, why is this significant and why are scientists so keen to understand it? Marine organisms thriving in high-energy environments serve as excellent natural models for designing more efficient and effective human-engineered devices, such as robots, grippers and adhesives. Improved adhesives could have wide-ranging impacts, from enhancing medical devices to creating tires with better road grip.

New research has uncovered a surprising microscopic feature on the fins of sculpins, potentially aiding their ability to grip their surroundings. (Photo by Emily Kane)

A team of researchers from ���ϲ����� and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette who specialize in functional morphology—how the shape and structure of an organism helps it function—recently uncovered a new and surprising traction trait in sculpins. They found microscopic features on their fins, potentially allowing them to adhere strongly to surfaces underwater to fight currents and waves. Their results were published in the journal Royal Society Open Science.

“In order to prevent being swept away, these sculpins need another way to keep themselves in position,” says Emily Kane, professor of biology at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette who co-authored the study with Austin Garner, a biology professor in the at ���ϲ�����. “One feature that sets this group apart is the modification of their pectoral fins such that the bottom portion has reduced webbing that allows the fin rays to poke out further than the fin. They can use these for holding onto rocks or other substrates, but some species have further modifications that allow for walking and sensory functions.”

Previous research has shown that sculpins use hydrodynamic mechanisms—like having a small, streamlined body and using their fins to create negative lift—to maintain balance and grip. Additionally, physical mechanisms, such as gripping the substrate with flexible fin rays on the bottom part of the fin (similar to having fingers), have been described. This study documents a new surface texture, suggesting that these bottom fin rays might also create friction or adhesion at a microscopic level, enhancing their grip even further.

Kane and her team first discovered these features during fieldwork in summer 2022 in Friday Harbor, Washington. While observing fins at a microscopic level using a scanning electron microscope, she immediately recognized the similarity between the sculpins’ features and the fine hairs on gecko feet. She then reached out to Garner, who is an expert in animal adhesion and attachment.

“My lab is interested in how animals interface with surfaces in their environment during both stationary and locomotory behaviors, particularly in those organisms that take advantage of adhesive or frictional interactions using specialized attachment organs,” says Garner, who is also a member of the at ���ϲ�����, where researchers collaborate to develop and design smart materials to address global challenges. “Using a very similar framework to studies I have conducted in lizards and sea urchins, we worked together to design and execute this study.”

The team focused on traits such as density, area and length to outline the texture of the skin on the fin rays.

“We compared these measures to values in other animals with similar features that are known to produce a friction gripping force, like having sandpaper on the fins,” says Kane. “There are some similarities in sculpins that make us think they could be doing something similar.”

Garner notes that their work is the first description of these microstructures on the fin rays of sculpins. “We not only described the form and configuration of these structures in this work but also generated testable hypotheses that serve as strong intellectual foundations for us to continue probing in our future work on this topic,” he says.

So, what will this forthcoming research involve, and could studying these structures lead to the development of new bio-inspired adhesives for societal use?

Garner suggests that the form and function of sculpin fins could be effectively integrated into bio-inspired robots or grippers for underwater navigation and exploration. As the research progresses, their team anticipates that understanding the microstructures on sculpin fins will offer new possibilities for designing synthetic attachment devices that can attach securely yet detach easily, even underwater.

Who knows, maybe one day an underwater robot with sculpin-inspired grippers will be exploring the ocean depths and making waves in the world of bio-inspired technology.

Maloney joined ���ϲ����� in 2024. His research focuses on the connections between quantum information theory, field theory, statistical mechanics and quantum gravity.

Chancellor Kent Syverud, Dr. Ruth Chen, Alexander Maloney, Interim Vice Chancellor and Provost Lois Agnew and A&S Dean Behzad Mortazavi pose for a group photo following Maloney’s installation as Kathy and Stan Walters Endowed Professor of Quantum Science.

The Walters Endowed Professorship was established through a $2.5 million gift from ���ϲ����� Board of Trustees Chair Emeritus and her husband, Stan ’72, as part of the Faculty Excellence Program supporting the recruitment and retention of high-caliber faculty.

Speakers at the installation ceremony included Interim Vice Chancellor, Provost and Chief Academic Officer , A&S Dean and Chancellor . Maloney also spoke after receiving his medallion.

“This endowed professorship represents a bold investment in the future of discovery, and the College of Arts and Sciences is proud to be home to both this research and Professor Maloney,” Mortazavi said. “Through his groundbreaking work, he is helping to unlock some of the most profound mysteries of nature—work that not only deepens our understanding of the cosmos but also holds transformative potential for fields as diverse as computing, cryptography and medicine.”

Maloney’s distinguished career includes serving as James McGill Professor of Physics and Sir William Macdonald Chair in Physics at McGill University, where he received the John David Jackson Award for teaching excellence. His previous positions include membership at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton and research associate at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center. A 2013 Simons Fellow in Theoretical Physics, Maloney earned his Ph.D. from Harvard University and both his M.S. in mathematics and B.S. in physics from Stanford University.

At ���ϲ�����, Maloney will grow teaching and research in quantum science while providing students with opportunities to advance understanding of nature and design next-generation quantum technologies.

Corri Zoli

“Corri is an amazing thinker and has a great strategic mind. She has the ability to integrate various perspectives into a coherent agenda for the future. The Lender Center is fortunate to have her joining our team,” says center director .

Zoli joins , associate professor of management in the , who was named Lender Center senior research associate in Fall 2022. They will work together with Phillips to bring existing research to culmination, maximize impact and find new research opportunities focused on social justice.

Zoli is also an affiliated faculty member with��the . Her research and teaching focus on U.S. military veterans and national and international security, with an emphasis on law and policy challenges, problems of new technologies in warfare and the role of cross-cultural dynamics in conflicts and humanitarian efforts.

“I’m thrilled to be appointed as a research associate at the Lender Center and to be working with Kendall, Kira and our many dedicated colleagues who have made the Lender Center’s mission of interdisciplinary, community-engaged research a priority,” Zoli says.

The Brooklyn, New York, native has called Central New York home for more than 40 years. Nestled on a quiet cul-de-sac in Fayetteville, New York, the 1960s-era Craftsman house he shares with his wife, daughter and their cat “Spice” not only features many attractive upgrades in aesthetics and design, but most importantly cuts back on their climate footprint with every improvement plan and project.

“I think what probably got me on the path was I believe in science,” says Wirth, co-founder of the group. “I’m trying to remove or reduce our consumption of fossil fuels in the house.”

Wirth keeps energy efficiency at the center of his home upgrades, generating his own renewable energy with rooftop solar panels, and getting his hot water on demand through an updated tankless water heater. His sustainability goals led him to make one of his biggest home upgrades yet—adding an air-sourced heat pump to his natural gas furnace, creating a hybrid heating and cooling system that runs much more efficiently.

“I think once you go to an electric heat pump, you’d never think about doing a gas furnace again,” says Wirth.

Professor Ian Shapiro demonstrates the functionality of a heat pump system.

Getting more people to consider heat pumps for their homes and businesses has been a mission point for , professor of practice in the College of Engineering and Computer Science and the associate director of Building Science and Community Programs at the ���ϲ����� Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems. He launched his mechanical engineering career more than three decades ago with designing heat pumps.

Systems That Heat and Cool

While the word heat can lead people to limit the technology to only its warming effect, these systems work to both heat and cool structures.

Shapiro says heat pumps work by moving heat from the outdoor air to the indoor space, similar to how a refrigerator moves heat from the inside to the outside. The heating and cooling system uses electricity to move heat rather than generating it directly. Even on a cold Central New York day with an outdoor temperature below freezing, the pump can effectively pull warm air from the outdoors to heat the inside of a home or building.

“That free outdoor heat is renewable,” Shapiro says. “And much of the electricity is carbon free from sources such as hydroelectricity and solar. If New York state meets its goals by 2040, it will all be clean electricity.”

Residence as a Living Lab

Wirth opened his home to Shapiro’s graduate mechanical engineering students as a “living lab” to execute research questions and learn directly from homeowners about the real-world implications of heat pump technology. The collaboration has proven fruitful for researchers and Wirth. ���ϲ����� researchers were able to identify ways to make his heat pump and home more efficient, and the hands-on work will help students in their professional fields.

“���ϲ����� has been an ideal place to study heat pump performance in cold climates and older homes,” says mechanical and aerospace engineering Ph.D. student, Sameeraa Soltanian-Zadeh ’26. “These field studies help bridge the gap between lab-tested efficiency and real-world performance.”

“As more buildings transition from traditional fossil fuel heating systems to heat pumps, improving their operational efficiency will be crucial,” says Ji Zhou ’28, another Ph.D. student in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, who plans to work in a heat pump research lab post-graduation.

, with requirements for all new buildings to use electric heat and appliances by 2026 and all existing buildings by 2030. Shapiro estimates there are more than 100,000 heat pumps currently in use in New York state. He anticipates more growth in the years to come as fossil-fuel powered energy becomes more expensive.

For homeowners like Wirth, finding ways to cut down on carbon consumption and reduce greenhouse gases is a personal mission now powering his home and his life.

“For me to recommend to other people to do things without doing them myself, I just can’t do it,” says Wirth. “It would feel hollow. I need to walk the talk.”

Video captured, edited and produced by Amy Manley, senior multimedia producer

Lauren Woodard

, assistant professor of anthropology, has received the Spring 2025 Association for Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies (ASEEES) First Book Subvention for her upcoming book on Russia’s migration policies on the Russia-China border.

Woodard’s book is titled “Ambiguous Inclusion: Migration and Race on the Russia-China Border” (University of Toronto Press, 2026). It draws on her 17 months of ethnographic fieldwork, including interviews and immersive participant observation in Moscow and Vladivostok, Russia, and Almaty, Kazakhstan, from 2014-17.

Further, it explores how those who immigrate to Russia through its Resettlement of Compatriots Program experience challenges adapting to life in the country, despite receiving expedited citizenship and state benefits. Migrants’ uneasiness, she argues, reflects racial hierarchies that are shaped by complex configurations of ethnicity, language and culture.

The ASEEES is a nonprofit scholarly society that supports teaching, research and publishing about Central Asia, the Caucasus, Russia and Eastern Europe. It hosts an annual convention, book prizes and the Slavic Review—the leading peer-reviewed journal in the field. The first book subvention prize is awarded twice annually to three winners for individually authored books.

Woodard’s research has been supported by the Wenner-Gren Dissertation Fellowship, Fulbright research grants to Russia and Kazakhstan, and the Social Science Research Council. She was also awarded the Title VIII Research Scholar fellowship by the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C., in 2022 for her research on migration, race and belonging in Russia’s Far East. She received the International Relations Teaching Award for the 2022-23 academic year, which recognizes excellence in teaching and contributions to the international relations undergraduate program.

Woodard is a senior research associate in the Center for European Studies. She teaches courses on political anthropology, Eastern Europe, anthropological theory and global encounters.

Story by Michael Kelly

For a vast range of foods and other technologies, scientists have devised emulsifying agents which help stabilize mixtures. By incorporating small granular particles to certain foods, it can help prevent spoilage and extend shelf life, important for safeguarding our food supply. When added to chemical mixtures, emulsifying agents can reduce viscosity, making liquids such as petroleum easier to pump and transport through pipelines, potentially leading to energy savings.

Joseph Paulsen

Researchers are continually investigating new emulsifiers to improve the control of liquid-liquid mixtures. Recently, , a physics professor in the College of Arts and Sciences, collaborated with scientists from the and to make a surprising discovery.

They found that when magnetized particles are added to a simple oil-and-water “salad dressing,” the mixture consistently separates into patterns resembling the elegant curves of a Grecian urn immediately after being shaken. The team’s results, published in ,��uncover a novel method of using magnetic particles to control liquid-liquid mixtures.

The study, led by UMass Amherst, began when UMass graduate student Anthony Raykh was experimenting in the lab. He added magnetized nickel particles to a batch of “salad dressing” instead of spices, which are normally what allow the oil and water in dressing to remain mixed. He chose magnetized particles because fluids containing them can be engineered to exhibit unique and useful properties. After shaking his mixture, Raykh was astonished to see it consistently form a pristine urn shape. Regardless of how many times or how vigorously he shook the mixture, the urn shape always reappeared.

The spices in salad dressing enable water and oil, which typically don’t mix, to combine through emulsification. Researchers have now discovered that adding magnetized nanoparticles to an oil-water mixture produces a completely different effect.

To help explain this shocking phenomenon, the UMass team invited in Paulsen from ���ϲ�����, along with colleagues from Tufts, to conduct theoretical analysis and simulations. Paulsen, whose research focuses on soft condensed matter, explores the ways in which materials like liquids and soft solids bend, deform and mix—research which lent itself well to this study.

Typically, particles added to an oil-and-water mixture, such as spices, decrease the tension at the interface between the two liquids, allowing them to mix. But in a twist, the team found that particles that are magnetized strongly enough actually increase the interfacial tension, bending the boundary between oil and water into a graceful curve.

“We turned the nature of particle-decorated interfaces on its head,” says Paulsen. “Now, you can have an emulsion droplet that you can imagine controlling in a variety of ways with a magnetic field, but the droplet will nevertheless coalesce with other droplets — something that particle-coated droplets typically resist.”

Figure A graphically depicts individual nanoparticles of magnetized nickel that form a boundary between the water and oil. Figure B shows how the magnetized particles cause the oil and water to separate into a pattern resembling a Grecian urn immediately after being shaken. (Graphic courtesy of Anthony Raykh/UMass Amherst)

Their research on magnetic particles uncovered two surprising effects. First, the particles, being small magnets, form large networks with many holes due to magnetic interactions. These holes help droplets coated with the particles merge quickly into single oil and water portions. Second, the strong attraction between the magnetic particles increases the surface tension at the interface, further promoting droplet merging.

While there’s no application for this novel discovery yet, the team is excited to see how this never-before-seen state can influence the field of soft-matter physics.

“Liquid-liquid mixtures are ubiquitous in consumer products and industrial processes,” says Paulsen. “This discovery, which offers a new approach to managing these mixtures, could one day help produce better products with longer shelf lives or save energy in chemical transport and processing. I’m eager to see the future implications of this breakthrough.”

This research was funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy.

Editor’s note: Portions of this article have been adapted from a .

Kendall Phillips, director of the Lender Center, welcomes the audience to the 2025 Lender Symposium.

Representatives from some 80 regional community-based organizations gathered at the Marriott ���ϲ����� Downtown March 27 for an expo event hosted by ���ϲ�����’s . About 300 people attended.

The event was designed to facilitate dialogue and strengthen collaboration between individuals and organizations that serve Central New York, according to Lender Center Director Kendall Phillips. “The Lender Center is focused on increasing economic inclusion for all people and allowing them to create intergenerational wealth and stability. These organizations are on the front lines of providing support, resources and opportunities for all the communities in our region,” Phillips says.

Participants included organizations like Peace Inc., ���ϲ����� Housing Authority, Vera House, Alzheimer’s Association of Central New York, Helio Health and InterFaith Works. Roundtable discussions, open forums and breakout sessions focused on the unique opportunities and challenges facing community-based organizations, including funding, burnout and effective advocacy. The event also featured tabling and networking opportunities.

The event was part of the Lender Center’s ongoing focus on the racial wealth gap, funded by a three-year, $2.7 million grant from MetLife Foundation.

Kira Reed (far right), senior research associate at the Lender Center, introduces the participants in the Funders Roundtable (from left to right): Jonathan Snow, president of the John Ben Snow Foundation; Melanie Littlejohn, president and CEO of the CNY Community Foundation; Meg O’Connell, executive director of the Allyn Family Foundation; and moderator Lyndsey Hodkinson, director of foundation relations.

Lender Center postdoctoral fellows brought their expertise to the Lender Symposium. Pictured are (from left to right) Yolanda Christophe, Mauricio Mercado and J Coley.

Community members and nonprofit leaders engaged in priority setting exercises organized by the Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration.

Local nonprofit organizations shared information and created connections during the Lender Symposium.

Susan Albring and Willie Reddic from the Whitman School of Management join in the community discussion about priorities and strategies for the future.

Haowei Wang

Wang’s research focuses on understanding the social determinants of healthy aging in a global context. In particular, she investigates the transformation of family networks, how multiple dimensions of family relationships impact well-being and caregiving in later life, and how demographic shifts and social policies shape physical and mental health across the life course.

The APC Fellowship program is designed to help early-career population researchers network, increase their profile and develop skills for disseminating research. Fellows are invited to give a talk at an APC research center, present at an APC virtual event and receive support in preparing a policy brief. Founded in 1991, the APC is an independent group of over 40 research institutions in the U.S. that brings together scholars across disciplines to educate policymakers and collaborate on research related to demographics and population change.

“Professor Wang is doing important policy-relevant work on healthy aging and family structures that impact not just individuals but whole communities,” says Shana Kushner Gadarian, associate dean for research. “We are so happy to see this recognition of her research and her strong trajectory.”

Wang is a research affiliate at the Center for Aging and Policy Studies, a faculty associate at the Aging Studies Institute and a research affiliate at the Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion and Population Health. Her areas of expertise are in social gerontology, family demography, aging and population health. She has contributed to many articles in interdisciplinary journals on topics including population aging, health disparities, family structure changes, intergenerational relationships, and COVID-19 experiences among middle-aged and older adults.

Story by Michael Kelly

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 11, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. in Hendricks Chapel.

“The One University Awards are one of the great traditions at ���ϲ�����,” says Chancellor Kent Syverud. “This ceremony highlights the incredible accomplishments, scholarship, and innovation of our students, faculty, staff, and community. Every year I look forward to celebrating the talented and dedicated people who come together to make this a great university.”

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, Enduring Values 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 building.

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 Major Events at��majorevents@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 recipients are Cydney Johnson, deputy county executive for physical services for Onondaga County and ���ϲ�����’s former vice president for community engagement and government relations, and , Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Professor for Teaching Excellence and professor of policy studies in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

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 Qingyang Liu, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Human Development and Family Science in the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics (graduate), and Abigail Greenfield, a history major in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, a political philosophy major in the College of Arts and Sciences, and member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program (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 teaching professor in the College of Engineering and Computer Science (faculty);��, assistant dean for undergraduate programs in the Whitman School of Management (professional staff); , director of international student success in the College of Arts and Sciences (professional staff) and��Emma Karp, operations assistant in Campus Dining and Catering (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��, professor of teaching and leadership and director of the Center for Experiential Pedagogy and Practice in the School of Education, and��, professor and chair of biomedical and chemical engineering in the College of Engineering and Computer Science.
• 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��, professor and program coordinator for theater management in the College of Visual and Performing Arts.

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 Jordan Beck, a finance major in the Whitman School of Management and a member of the men’s lacrosse team, Charlotte Ebel, majoring in public relations in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and German language, literature and culture and women’s and gender studies in the College of Arts and Sciences and a member of the women’s rowing team, and Emma Klein, a chemical engineering major in the College of Engineering and Computer Science and a member of the women’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 Claire Ceccoli, a senior public relations major in the Newhouse School, and Elizabeth Paulin, a senior sociology major in the Maxwell School and College of Arts and Sciences.

The��Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Professorships for Teaching Excellence��were created in 1995 to recognize and reward outstanding teaching among faculty. The 2025-28 Meredith Professors are , associate professor in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, and��, professor and associate dean of human dynamics in the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics. The 2022-2025 Meredith Professors, Julie Hasenwinkel and Lauryn Gouldin, will also be recognized. 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��, associate teaching professor of biochemistry and director of undergraduate program in the College of Arts and Sciences;��, assistant teaching professor of political science in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs;��, Kenneth and Mary Ann Shaw Professor of Practice in Entrepreneurial Leadership in the College of Engineering and Computer Science;��, assistant professor of public relations in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications; , assistant professor in the School of Information Studies; and��, associate professor of law in the College of Law. The two honorees in the Continuing Excellence category are��, teaching professor and associate dean of students in the College of Law, and��, associate teaching professor of writing studies, rhetoric, and composition in the College of Arts and Sciences.

The��Enduring Values Award recognizes an individual who is integral in helping us achieve academic excellence at a university that is welcoming to all. This year’s recipient is Craig Tucker, director of Higher Education Opportunity Program and Trio Student Support Services programs.

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 , founder and president of H.G. Adams & Associates Inc., and an alumnus 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 recipient is��, founding director of the Shaw Center for Public and Community Service.

According to national surveys conducted by the , close to half of U.S. adults say politics are a significant stress point. Respondents listed problems such as lost sleep, shortened tempers and obsessive thoughts. What steps can people take to protect their health, maintain relationships with those they may disagree with and address their anxiety?

Afton Kapuscinski

, associate professor of psychology and director of the Psychological Services Center in the College of Arts and Sciences, says being present in the moment, regulating your body and focusing on your gratitude list can help combat negative emotions. Kapuscinski’s research relates to the treatment and prevention of mental health issues in adults.

Professor Kapuscinski has talked extensively about navigating family conflict and mental health as it relates to political discourse. She sat down with SU News to provide practical strategies to protect mental and physical health and build bridges with those we disagree with.

Professor Kapuscincki is available for interviews.

What are the differences between healthy political concern and anxiety that could negatively impact your health?

All emotions, including uncomfortable ones like anxiety, have the potential to serve adaptive functions. Fear helps us to stay alert for threats, avoid danger and mobilize to action. Anxiety also serves as a critical reminder of what is most meaningful to us. However, distress also has the potential to impede us from taking constructive action and fully participating in our lives, which may be a sign it has crossed the line into a mental health concern. However, it is important to emphasize that high levels of distress and disruption can be normative under very stressful conditions such as grief and trauma, which is important to remember in a political climate where certain groups may experience greater vulnerability. Not all strong reactions are pathological, and self-reflection can often help us identify when our response to stress has become problematic.

What are the best ways to set healthy boundaries with your news and social media consumption to avoid feeling overwhelmed or helpless by political information?

The constant barrage of political headlines we encounter on a daily basis leaves people of all political leanings feeling hopeless and powerless. If we accept that our influence as an individual person is indeed limited, and level with ourselves that the costs of “doomscrolling” outweigh the benefits, then choosing to narrow the focus��our energy may be an empowering option. Identifying a few issues to follow closely frees up time and energy to engage in political activism and advocacy in those areas, which in turn may buffer against feelings of helplessness. Alternatively, we might consider shrinking the time available for getting sucked into social media by purposefully filling our schedule with valued activities, such as sports, socialization and volunteer work.

How can people navigate difficult conversations about politics with friends and family?

If your aim in the conversation is solely to change another person’s viewpoint, then you may want to consider that most people’s beliefs only become more entrenched through argumentative exchanges.�� Therefore, some people find that avoiding political topics or agreeing not to discuss them leads to less conflict with their loved ones. That being said, I believe that having more conversations across the political divide also has the potential to strengthen individual relationships as well as our own capacity for complex thinking, empathy and self-reflection. ��Conversations work better when both parties are genuinely open to learning about what underlies the other’s beliefs and noticing points of overlap. Even if these conversations do not result in agreement, they may lead to other valuable outcomes like increased intimacy with a loved one. A compelling example of this type of dialogue was featured on a recent podcast episode of “This American Life” (Episode 854:��Ten Things I Don’t Want to Hate About You).

What are some healthy ways to process and cope with feelings of grief, anger, or hopelessness related to political events?

• Avoid fixating on uncertainty and concerns that you cannot change. Make a commitment to being more present in your life through meaningful engagement with people and activities that leave less time for rumination.
• Regulate your body. Emotions are often referred to as feelings because they are deeply connected to our physical state; we experience them in our bodies. When our heart is pounding and our muscles are tense, we’re more likely to perceive threats around us. By calming our bodies, we can help ease our minds. This can be achieved through activities like exercise, guided meditation, physical touch or any method you know helps your body relax.
• Use gratitude to balance negativity during stressful times. Make an effort to reflect on positive experiences, thank others, and lean in to aspects of your life that make you feel grateful. A parallel idea involves seeking news outlets that specifically publish good news or frequenting sections of media websites devoted to inspiring and uplifting stories.

You provided excellent recommendations��back in 2020 about managing your mental health around election season. Based on today’s political climate, is there anything you would change or add to those recommendations?

Addressing the polarization that contributes to the heated political climate and our own individual stress levels is complex, but we can each control how much we contribute to that dynamic in our relationships and communities. I am not suggesting we compromise our beliefs, but instead consider that, from a psychological perspective, polarized groups tend to characterize each other in stereotypes and view the opposing group as more threatening, which results in reduced willingness to have meaningful dialogue and lower expectation of finding any common ground. Research suggests that the more news and social media we consume (which has become highly polarized), the more likely we are to hold stereotyped views of others and to inaccurately estimate the percentage of people who hold both moderate and more extreme views on political issues. Thus, seeking out varied news sources and conversations across the political divide has the potential to reduce harmful bias and promote more productive dialogue.

To request interviews or get more information:

Daryl Lovell
Associate Director of Media Relations
Division of Communications
M��315.380.0206
dalovell@syr.edu |

A warmer future could lead to less salty rivers by reducing the need for road salting. (Photo courtesy of Shutterstock)

The chemistry of U.S. rivers is changing—and will change further in complex ways in different regions of the country. Scientists are exploring ways to predict future changes in watershed chemistry, which could improve managing them for climate change and community health.

University researchers are combining traditional geochemistry with artificial intelligence to predict how alkalinity—a measure of a solution’s ability to neutralize acids—and salts in rivers around the country could be affected by further climate warming and population growth, according to a study published in .

Tao Wen

The research team was led by��, assistant professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences. Wen also directs the��Hydrogeochemistry��And eNvironmental��Data��Sciences (HANDS) and��Noble Gases in��Earth��Systems��Tracing (NEST) research laboratories.

An excess of salt can make water undrinkable, increase the cost of treating water and harm freshwater fish and wildlife.

Past research shows that as salt levels in U.S. rivers have gone up, these waters have also become more alkaline, which can damage water, wastewater treatment and aquatic life. Increased alkalinity is occurring because of rising temperatures and more rainfall. Human activities, such as more people living in certain areas, might also contribute to it.

Yet alkalinity is also beneficial. When river waters are more alkaline, they help draw carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and limit climate warming over time. However, before rivers can be harnessed for this purpose, researchers must first understand the basic chemistry at play.

Using machine learning models, the Wen team projected how salinity—measured through sodium levels—and alkalinity will change in 226 U.S. rivers between 2040 and 2100 under different climate and human population scenarios.

In northern states, rivers would become less salty because warmer winters mean less salt will be applied on icy roads. However, in the South and West, where people don’t use much road salt, river salinity will likely stay the same. But as these areas get hotter and drier, more salt from the soil might accumulate and wash into waterways.

The study also found that rising temperature can affect alkalinity. In watersheds rich in carbonate rocks, such as limestone, researchers found that alkalinity flux—the product of the natural breakdown of rock minerals—declines when temperatures surpass 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit). This finding suggests that warming past a certain temperature level could suppress alkalinity in rivers.

Researchers from the College of Arts and Sciences are integrating traditional geochemistry with artificial intelligence to forecast the impact of climate warming and population growth on the alkalinity and salt levels in rivers nationwide.

However, in watersheds dominated by silicate rocks or organic carbon, higher temperatures accelerate silicate weathering and the decomposition of organic material, leading to increased alkalinity levels. More rainfall can also increase the amount of these chemicals in rivers, but only up to a certain point.

In the future, some watersheds with lower alkalinity could be manipulated to take up additional alkaline from watersheds, allowing rivers to sequester more carbon from the atmosphere.

For this and other multidisciplinary research, Wen received a 2025��. The award highlights excellent work by independent researchers in their early career that bring new insights into the field of geochemistry or to promote geochemical applications.

Visit the ��to read the full story.

Story by John H. Tibbetts

Plastic components are commonly used in infrastructure and transportation that we depend on—from water and sewer pipes to planes, trains and automobiles. But plastic materials experience stresses that degrade them over time. That’s why plastics in many critical applications are replaced on pre-set schedules, which is expensive but crucial for maintenance and public safety.

Xiaoran Hu

“When mechanical forces cause stress and deformation that go unnoticed in the plastic engineered parts of an airplane, for instance, it can cause significant consequences that we want to avoid,” says Xiaoran Hu, assistant professor of chemistry and member of the .

Supported by the University and the American Chemical Society (ACS) Petroleum Research Fund, Hu and his team have created new molecules that someday could cut down on these risks and expenses. Mechanophores are molecules that respond to mechanical stress by changing characteristics such as their colors, and their incorporation into plastic components could enable visualization of mechanical stress. Hu’s team developed exceptionally sensitive mechanophore molecules—called “configurational mechanophores,”—that undergo mechanochemical isomerization reactions. The activated material can exhibit a color to indicate that a mechanical event has happened in a component. This visible signal would be useful in applications such as autonomous damage monitoring of materials.

“These new molecules could enable research into previously unobservable mechanical events in different materials, including synthetic plastics and biomaterials,” Hu says.

Ultrasensitive molecular force sensors facilitate structural health monitoring in plastic components and could enable scientists to investigate previously unobservable mechanical events in biological systems.

The ���ϲ����� team’s mechanophores are unique. According to a new study in the Journal of the ACS, their chemical transformation is triggered by minus mechanical forces as low as 131 piconewtons, which is below what is required to trigger any other mechanochemical reactions known up to date. For comparison, mechanochemical reactions involving carbon-carbon bond scission typically require nanonewton scale of forces (1 nanonewton = 1000 piconewton). Hu’s mechanophores, on the other hand, are more sensitive than the tiny forces relevant in many biological molecules, such as the unzipping of DNA strands (~300 pN), the unfolding of protein domains, and the breaking of antibody-antigen bonds (~150-300 pN). The new mechanophores could be effective tools in biology, allowing scientists to study stress changes at the nanoscale that were previously unobservable or difficult to measure. This could lead to a better understanding of how mechanical forces influence and regulate various processes in biology.

Additionally, unlike most traditional mechanophores, which are prone to damage by heat or light, the new molecules are stable upon thermal and light exposure, and therefore are well suited for applications in different complex environments.

Hu’s research on configurational mechanophores paves the way for the development of mechano-responsive materials with unprecedented mechanosensitivity. These materials could enable the study of previously unobservable nanoscale mechanical behaviors, playing a crucial role in advancing our understanding across scientific disciplines ranging from polymer physics, materials science, to mechanobiology.

“Our lab is developing the next-generation molecular force sensors with further enhanced mechanosensitivity and capable of exhibiting fluorescence signals or other functional responses,” Hu says. “We also aim to apply our mechanophores to different materials platforms such as mechanosensitive elastomers and paints to develop safer and smarter plastics that autonomously monitor and report mechanical damage. Additionally, we will explore the potential of these molecular force sensors to investigate cellular processes in the future.”

Story by John H. Tibbetts

The cutting-edge weight loss and diabetes research developed by medicinal chemist has offered significant and consistent weight loss and glucose control to its recipients through peptide-based treatments.

Doyle and his fellow collaborators reported that two new peptide compounds­­—GEP44 and KCEM1—considerably reduce body weight and normalize blood glucose levels without causing the typical negative side effects experienced by patients who take currently available GLP-1-based anti-obesity drugs.

Doyle, the Jack and Laura H. Milton Professor and Dean’s in the , focuses his research on pharmaceutical drug development for the treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes. He says that while the first-generation of weight-loss drugs did lead to results, there was a problem: while weight loss occurred, it was almost a reaction to taking the GLP-1 peptide, and that weight loss came with a cost.

Due to side effects like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain, 70% of patients who started taking these drugs were not taking them one year later, and that 30% stopped taking the drugs within three months, generating a very low patient tolerability for the drugs, Doyle says.

Robert Doyle

The recent discoveries Doyle and his collaborators introduced at conferences of the American Chemical Society and The Obesity Society give hope for those battling obesity and type 2 diabetes. The methodology behind these peptide and similar weight-loss compounds could also hold the key to treating two other public health crises: cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in the U.S., and opioid addiction.

“As medicinal chemists, we are focused on using peptides, or small proteins, to treat neuroendocrine disorders, primarily disorders that affect the brain,” says Doyle, the Dean’s Professor of Chemistry and adjunct associate professor of medicine and pharmacology. “We are looking at addiction, cravings, food intake, body weight reduction, glucose regulation, all those complex endocrine issues that are prevalent today.”

On this “’Cuse Conversation,” Doyle discusses his breakthrough weight loss research, the important role students play in advancing his research, and how, through philanthropy, his work has come to life.

Check out�� featuring Doyle. A transcript [PDF]��is also available.

How has this field evolved over the years?

A team of researchers at ���ϲ�����, led by medicinal chemist Robert Doyle, has co-developed a novel treatment for obesity and type 2 diabetes without any of the harmful side effects.

The major change in the last 10 years is the creation of these GLP-1 drugs, exemplified by Ozempic and Zepbound. Until these drugs existed, there were no safe, viable weight loss alternatives. Diet and exercise have always been on the table, of course, but for people who needed or wanted a pharmaceutical intervention, there was nothing that could achieve anything greater than the 5% body mass index [BMI] loss that you’d be looking for to have any kind of clinical benefit.

With the creation of the first real breakthrough drug, Victoza, you were seeing that 5% BMI decline from a pharmaceutical perspective, and that was a huge success. That set the stage for these newer, more potent and more active weight-reducing drugs. But those initial drugs were often once- or twice-a-day injectables, and patients didn’t want to do that. In these last few years, we have upwards of 10% and greater body mass reduction coupled with once-a-week injectables. That has really broadened the appeal and created quite a phenomenon.

How did we proceed from the first generation of weight loss drugs to where we are now?

There was this discovery that this little hormone that you make in your stomach, if made long-acting and then injected, could trigger food intake reduction. We realized that and did pharmacological science to improve its half-life, make it hang around longer so it would maintain what was normally only a very short activity in a human. We drove that appetite off switch. The discovery of GLP-1—and what GLP-1 could do—hasn’t won a Nobel Prize yet, but it is going to. I wouldn’t be surprised this year if you see the Nobel Prize awarded for the discovery of GLP-1 because it has revolutionized weight loss.

How has ���ϲ�����’s Center for Science and Technology enhanced your studies?

Robert Doyle works alongside student researchers. (Photo by Evan Jenkins)

Within my own lab, we have multiple large scale peptide synthesizers that allow us to produce gram quantities of these drugs. We have multiple purification setup systems so that we’re able to purify to 99%, and we have cell labs that can screen for the required receptor binding.

We also have artificial intelligence and a molecular operating environment, these computational chemical approaches to aid in design. We can start from a concept on a piece of paper, begin to design something computationally and then physically make it in the lab. If it makes the grade, we put something in place that outlines what we want the drug to be able to do, and if it meets those criteria, it goes out into preclinical animal models at the University of Pennsylvania in this case. We’ll look and see if what we’ve created here is manifesting the effect we want it to in that preclinical model. If not, we go back to the drawing board. But if it does, we call that a hit and we’ll begin the process of optimizing it for development.

How do our students assist with your research?

They’re the ones who are in there grinding out the production, the purification, the screening, the failures and the redesigning. They bring passion and intellect. They’re wonderful. They roll up their sleeves. They jump wholeheartedly into all the aspects of drug development. I have to be willing to trust them that they’ll do it right. They have that sense of confidence, inquisitiveness and can-do. Every day they surprise me with some wonderful question or clever idea.

Robert Doyle talks with lab member Emily Ashlaw G’27, a Ph.D. candidate interested in peptide therapeutics.

Those are a few of the questions examined by a multidisciplinary panel of Maxwell School faculty experts during a recent “What’s at Stake” panel discussion hosted by the Center for Policy Research (CPR).

More than 250 people joined the virtual event held four days before the swearing in of Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. The same day, she sent her staff an email titled “Our Department’s Final Mission” fueling speculation that an executive order to abolish the Department of Education would soon follow. On March 11, the department announced it would cut its workforce nearly in half, to about 2,183 workers.

Sean Drake

Robert Bifulco, professor of public administration and international affairs, moderated the conversation with colleagues Elizabeth Martin, assistant professor of sociology; Michah Rothbart, associate professor of public administration and international affairs; and Sean Drake, assistant professor of sociology. All four panelists are senior research associates at CPR.

Robert Bifulco

To open the session, Bifulco provided some factual context about the Department of Education. In its 2024 fiscal year budget, he pointed out, the department administered programs totaling $268 billion—about 4 percent of the federal budget, a far smaller piece than agencies such as the Department of Health and Human Services or the Department of Defense. About 60 percent of the Department of Education budget is spent on Pell grants and federal student loan programs; 17 percent on Title I grants to high poverty schools; and 14 percent to support the education of students with disabilities. “Each of these programs, which together account for over 90 percent of the department’s budget, was established prior to 1979, when the department itself was established,” said Bifulco, who serves as director of CPR’s Program on Educational Equity and Policy.

“President Trump claims the department has been overtaken by radicals, zealots and Marxists, that it promotes liberal ideologies in schools, and that it wastes taxpayers’ money,” Bifulco said. “But when you look at the overwhelming bulk of what the department focuses on and what its budget allocations go for, it’s not clear what most people would want to see cut.”

Martin, whose own research focuses on economic insecurity, credit and debt burdens and financial shocks, spoke to the broad impact of the Department of Education’s programs for students pursuing higher education.

Elizabeth Martin

“This is everything from Pell grants that help lower income students, to work study to student loans, both subsidized and unsubsidized,” she said. “So dismantling the Department of Education, moving the federal aid functions either to states or to the Department of Treasury, which is one proposal I’ve seen, would affect a lot of people. Something like 20 percent of all U.S. households have student loan debt; 30 to 40 percent of students who are currently enrolled are taking on loans every semester.”

One potential consequence of shifting student aid programs out of the federal government, she added, would be to increase gaps between states in higher education opportunities, particularly at public institutions.

“We see huge inequalities in appropriations per student, credit hour and tuition costs and merit- and need-based scholarships,” Martin said. “If federal aid or student loans are moved down to the state level, I imagine that we would see even more widening inequality between states.”

Shifting educational loans away from the federal government may also result in greater reliance on private loans—and the loss of key protections, pointed out Rothbart, who studies public finance and financial management particularly in education.

Michah Rothbart

“Federal student loans provide protections against inability to pay in some circumstances,” Rothbart said. “I could imagine a world where there would be a large increase in the use of private borrowing to pay for higher education, and then students would not have those protections as they move out in their careers.”

In the area of public school funding, Rothbart noted that cutting the Department of Education’s programs, or shifting them outside the federal government, could have unintended consequences on the department’s influence over policy.

“The federal government only provides a small portion of public school funding, but it leverages that to nudge educational priorities,” Rothbart said. “That approach has been in place for years, even predating the formation of the Department of Education. I think it’s important to note that the use of this funding to shape policies can be effective. It actually presents a catch-22 for conservative administrations like the one that’s currently in the office of the presidency, because if the federal government makes cuts to these programs, they could lose some of that leverage to incentivize their other priorities.”

Bifulco said the elimination of Department of Education programs that account for more than 90 percent of its spending would require congressional action. “I think that’s very unlikely,” he said. More likely, he said, is a shift of functions to other federal departments, for instance, moving the Office of Civil Rights out of the Department of Education into the Department of Justice. “That could have big effects on how civil rights are enforced, and what data is collected on civil rights,” he said.

Rothbart said the reshuffling of programs under federal departments “is actually a pretty fruitful discussion.” He pointed out several programs that fall under the purview of education yet are not overseen by the Department of Education. For instance, Head Start is administered by the Department of Health and Human Services, national school meals programs are run by the Department of Agriculture, and the GI Bill is overseen by the Department of Veterans Administration. “You could imagine moving programs from other agencies into the Department of Education if it were a different administration,” he said, later adding, “There hasn’t been a major reshuffling of the federal government across agencies in a long, long time.”

Visit the to read the full story.

Story by Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers

“Monumental Concerns 2”—a continuation of the first “Monumental Concerns” symposium held on campus in fall 2023—is scheduled for Friday, March 21, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at The Museum of Modern Art’s Titus 1 Theatre, 111 West 53 Street, New York City. The event is free and open to the public. .

“As artists we are all profoundly engaged in our mutual practices, yet the water gathers us into a single pool,” Weems says. “I invite you to stand on the bridge as we consider contested sites of memory and monuments.”

The symposium seeks to evoke an examination of the politics of disagreement in order to collectively create a framework for moving towards a sense of belonging for all. Questions to be addressed include: How might we understand the stakes of the dialogue and debate around monuments and the sites they commemorate? How do we negotiate among multiple—and often conflicting—narratives and the way they show up in public space? Is disagreement crucial to transformation?

In addition to Weems, event participants include:

• , art historian and director of research programs, The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
• , curator and director, Monument Lab
• , director of transformative art and monuments, City of Boston
• , civil rights lawyer and founder, 14th Amendment Center for Law and Democracy, Howard University
• , composer and pianist
• , assistant professor of English, College of Arts and Sciences, ���ϲ�����
• , founder and principal strategist, Equity Empowerment Consulting
• , artist and associate professor of art, Brooklyn College, City University of New York
• , professor of communication and rhetorical Studies, College of Visual and Performing Arts, and director, Lender Center for Social Justice, ���ϲ�����
• , founder and CEO, Beyond Conflict
• , composer and 2025 Adobe Creative Resident, MoMA
• , poet and playwright
• , historian and director, Institute for Historical Justice and Reconciliation
• , composer and trumpeter
• , lawyer and founder, Equal Justice Initiative
• , architect and Nancy and George Rupp Professor of Architecture Planning and Preservation, Columbia University
• , assistant professor of art, architecture and design, Lehigh University

The event will conclude with “Defiant Life,” a musical performance by Iyer and Smith, from 6 to 7 p.m.

“Monumental Concerns 2” is co-organized by ���ϲ����� and The Museum of Modern Art, and supported in part by the Mellon Foundation. For more information, contact Kate Schwartz at 315.443.8017 or kschwa03@syr.edu.

Their research, recently published in the Journal of Behavioral Public Administration, is the result of a collaboration between the and the to address teaching disparities in K-12 public school districts. Numerous studies have shown that students are more likely to be successful when they can identify with their teachers.

The two-fold endeavor was launched in the fall of 2021 with a gift from ���ϲ����� alumni couple Marcia Baldanza and her late husband, Ben, who passed away this past November. While the School of Education developed the Baldanza Fellows Program that provides a full-tuition grant, a partial cost-of-living stipend and the promise of a teaching job in a partner school district, the X Lab used behavioral science to test the effectiveness of various types of email recruitment to prospective applicants.

Messages that were crafted as letters and promoted a long-term career opportunity were more successful in recruiting applicants to a School of Education teacher recruitment fellowship, their findings revealed.

X Lab researchers developed an email list of thousands of candidates, some of whom had recently completed their undergraduate degrees at ���ϲ�����. They then developed different types of email messages with trackable links to determine which elicited the most interest in the form of opens, clicks and ultimately, applications. The first message was delivered to approximately 6,000 candidates in November 2021, followed by a second email six weeks later.

Leonard M. Lopoo

The email recipients received either an official letter with the University seal, signed by the dean of the School of Education, or a message that was formatted as an informational flyer with photos. “Individuals also received one of two different message framings,” says Len Lopoo, director of the X Lab and associate dean, chair and professor of public administration and international affairs. “One appealed to those who want to pursue a challenging new endeavor, while the other appealed to those who may be looking for stable and long-term career prospects.”

Each email had a link to the fellowship website, which included details on the program and a link to the application.

The findings show that the emails in the form of an official letter were 15 to 17 percent more likely to be opened than emails that resembled a flyer for both the introductory email and the reminder email. The letter was also more effective at getting recipients to click on the link to the Baldanza Fellows website, but only for the reminder email, Lopoo says.

The official letter reminder email increased the likelihood of clicking by over 80 percent, relative to the flyer.

“The findings also demonstrate that messages that emphasized the long-term career opportunity of teaching were more successful at pushing recipients to open the follow-up message than those that highlighted the challenge of a career in teaching,” says Lopoo. “How does one communicate effectively with an email? The question is small, but I think the implications are important. This project has massive important implications in lots of fields.”

For example, says Lopoo, the findings can be applied by employers seeking job candidates as well as by social welfare organizations wishing to better align their services with those who could most benefit.

Ashraf Haque, a Ph.D. student in the Public Administration and International Affairs Department, was part of the X Lab’s research team. “I learned how to approach research systematically, how to analyze data in the most transparent way and how to communicate my findings,” he says. “Also, I learned about the academic publication process, which is immensely beneficial for my future research and publication.

In addition to Haque and Lopoo, the Maxwell research team included Robert Bifulco, professor of public administration and international affairs, and Hannah Patnaik, managing director of the X Lab. Professors Christine Ashby and George Theoharis represented the School of Education.

Ashby and Theoharis continue to run the using the outreach findings to recruit applicants. This year’s cohort of nine fellows will graduate in May 2025 and applications for the fourth cohort are currently under review.

“Collaborating with our Maxwell colleagues has been a delight. The same is true for working with our partner school districts,” says Theoharis of four area public school districts.

Theoharis meets three times a semester with the school district administrators. “They tell us ‘This is important to us—this is an issue we’re deeply committed to. We need teachers with varied life experiences and perspectives.’”

All are welcome to attend and honor the important contributions of respected members of the University community. For more information about the service, contact Hendricks Chapel at chapel@syr.edu or 315.443.2901.

The names of those who have passed away will be read and candles will be lit collectively in their memory. The service will also include prayer, spoken remarks and music. Communication Access Real-Time Translation (CART) and American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation will be available.

The service is inspired by the Remembrance Scholars’ motto of “Look Back, Act Forward,” a call to action to remember those we have lost and act forward in their memory.

The Service of Commemoration provides a moment to honor those who have recently passed away. “As we honor those who embodied the spirit and soul of our campus community, our time of ritual and reflection can bring hope and healing,” says Brian Konkol, vice president and dean of Hendricks Chapel.

If you know of someone who passed away between Jan. 1, 2024, and the present who should be honored, please forward their name and affiliation to Hendricks Chapel at chapel@syr.edu by Thursday, March 13.

The (QDR), established in 2014, provides social scientists with an avenue to qualitative data for the benefit of others.

“QDR is a valuable national resource for managing complexities of qualitative data across the social sciences. Qualitative data presents unique challenges for its archival, sharing, citation and management,” says , vice president for research. “QDR has been at the cutting edge of research in making qualitative data broadly accessible for more than a decade. As the leader in the field, their activities set the standard for best practices and are teaching others how to manage qualitative data.”

Pictured from left to right: Bharat Dhungana, Qualitative Data Repository graduate assistant; Christiane Pagé, associate director of the Center for Qualitative and Multi-Method Inquiry; Sebastian Karcher, CQMI director; and Dessi Kirilova, QDR senior curation specialist.

The QDR was created by qualitative methods expert , professor of political science in the . It is now led by , director of the University’s and research associate professor of political science.

“This isn’t just an archive. We’re an active place of cutting-edge social science research and constantly engage with other qualitative data researchers. We’re interested in what the next generation of qualitative data looks like, what avenues it opens, how it can be challenging and can be shared ethically,” Karcher says. “There are a lot of questions we’re actively working on and we love to be involved in conversations with others who are doing that work.”

Working with Karcher are Carole Palmer and Nic Weber, University of Washington collaborators and co-technical directors; Dessi Kirilova, senior curation specialist; Derek Robey, the 2023-25 postdoctoral fellow; and Christiane Pagé, data specialist for qualitative research. Three Maxwell School graduate students typically assist in the center. Thirty-five prominent U.S. universities are .

Karcher says QDR stores data from national and international researchers. Holdings have recently expanded to include more qualitative health data, which has been especially helpful for researchers since the COVID-19 pandemic. “That data helps researchers who are trying to figure out how people relate to medical science and assess questions such as not just what makes drugs work, but also what makes people want to get vaccines,” Karcher says.

Pictured from left to right: Sebastian Karcher, Dessi Kirilova and Christiane Pagé.

The repository assists researchers in many ways, Karcher says. “If you’re teaching and engaging in research, there’s likely something here in your area to work with and benefit from. If you are doing qualitative research yourself, more and more funders are expecting grantees to share the data they collect, so we can be a help. That isn’t always easy to do, and there are practical and ethical challenges, but we’re experienced and quite good at it. We are also available to read grant applications to offer data-related pointers.”

Karcher says the staff is excited about the types of data the QDR has received. “Some of the items getting the most use are transcripts of interviews, which are very hard to come by. Being able to get real, qualitative data for research reuse and for instruction is incredibly valuable. It’s important to researchers who are doing this work. We are also getting tons of views from classrooms. There are students in Amsterdam, in Cardiff and at other universities around the world who are learning from instructors who are using our repository to .”

Some data sets deposited in the QDR are:

• Two years’ worth of online collected by medical anthropologists during the COVID-19 pandemic containing 30,000 data points and 1,500 pieces of imagery, audio and video diaries, photos and Snapchat posts.
• Almost 2,000 human rights reports from , cataloging that took place from 1968 to 1998 in Northern Ireland.
• Campaign videos from Latin America elections strategies (“”).
• Notes from interviews with sex workers and program staff used by Corey Shdaimah, Daniel Thursz Distinguished Professor of Social Justice at the University of Maryland School of Social Work, to assess alternative criminal justice models (“”).

says she was pleased to have such a reliable resource. “When researchers collect qualitative data, the people who share their stories know their information will be made use of. I felt very good about having a place to deposit data that I knew was secure and that would protect the confidentiality of my respondents. It’s also been important to have people from different disciplines see my work there. Some reached out and we’ve had conversations about the data that have been fruitful to me as a researcher.”

Senior Research Data Management Consultant of Duke University Libraries has referred researchers to the QDR and has worked with its staff for data management and sharing training. “One of the key outcomes for our researchers is easier compliance with funder and journal data sharing policies,” Lafferty-Hess says. “QDR has provided reviews of data management and sharing plans as a solution for those whose data may have some sensitivities. It has been an advocate for participants and a partner for researchers to build ethical approaches to data sharing,” she says.

, data services librarian, underscores the repository’s uniqueness. “The QDR is really quite useful and important because it’s one of the very, very few data repositories that specializes in qualitative data. Its uniqueness makes QDR invaluable. The people there are knowledgeable, helpful, friendly and respected all over the world.”

Michel incorporates biotechnology into his work to design sustainable, innovative products. By employing natural processes, he is able to exceed the limitations set by artificial technology.

Yves Michel

“Nature is 3.8 billion years of free research and development,” Michel says. “We look at our iPhones, and we think it’s the end all be all. The reality is that when you compare our technology to the ‘technology of biology,’ we have a ways to go.”

In the fall, Michel traveled to Barcelona, Spain, to present his paper, “: Creating A Design Process To Grow Products,” at .��The Symbiosis Project, the research lab branch of Michel’s design practice, Studio Yami Creative, explores potential methods to create products through speculative design as a research method.

Speculative design allows a designer to work outside the bounds of what is currently possible. Speculative designs, for example, may incorporate materials that don’t exist today but could potentially be produced.

Inspired by a conversation about freediving, Michel is currently working on PULMO, a concept mask. Conceived as an extension of the human body, the mask would cycle air from the diver’s initial surface breath, allowing for an extended dive.

The Symbiosis Project breaks down the design process into five phases. PULMO is in the first phase, where Michel creates a concept aimed at solving a problem. At the end of phase one, PULMO would be theoretically feasible.

The next phase explores the steps needed to make PULMO a reality. Collaborating with experts in fields like biology, chemistry and computer science, the lab would work on creating a concept and various models, which it could then show to potential collaborators and investors.

A speculative design can also be presented to the public in an effort to spark conversation and give designers a glimpse into public perceptions.

Michel has been introducing students to the limitless possibilities of speculative creation in Biodesign Workshop. The class brings together students majoring in design and architecture, among others. It offers students from the life sciences an opportunity to engage in biodesign research. Students in this class work in teams to design a product. They have the opportunity to represent the University in the in New York City.

In addition to teaching Biodesign Workshop this semester, Michel hopes to get PULMO to the next phase. In the world of speculative design, each step is a victory.

“The goal here is to explore the potential of biodesign to create new ways of making sustainably, from biomaterials to novel product concepts, and create a symbiosis between the built environment and the natural environment,” Michel says. “As designers, our strength is being creative and pushing the limits. Collaborating and accessing the knowledge of life science and computer science experts, especially in the age of AI, opens up new possibilities to solve salient design problems.”

The College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) has welcomed five new professors for the Spring 2025 semester. According to A&S Dean Behzad Mortazavi, this group of innovative researchers brings important expertise to ���ϲ�����’s largest and oldest college.

“I am delighted that these new faculty members are joining A&S, bringing their research specializations and teaching excellence to benefit our students and contribute to knowledge in service of the public good,” Mortazavi says. “Together with the rest of our faculty, they will help us further our collective mission of solving the grand challenges we face today.”

Meet the new A&S professors

Li-En Jao, associate professor, biology, affiliated with BioInspired Institute

Li-En Jao

Instructional philosophy: I approach teaching in a similar manner as I study the assembly of cellular structures in my research—which seeks to understand the genesis of certain diseases such as cancer—as a systematic process of building knowledge while emphasizing the interconnections that make biology fascinating. Making abstract concepts tangible through clear examples and hands-on experiences helps students grasp both the molecular details and their broader significance in human health.

• Ph.D., cell and developmental biology, Rutgers University
• Specializations: cell biology, developmental biology, biochemistry, molecular biology, microscopy, zebrafish genetics, mass spectrometry, CRISPR gene editing, macromolecular assembly, biomolecular condensates, intracellular transport, mRNA metabolism and neurological disorders
• Previous position: associate professor, Department of Cell Biology and Human Anatomy, UC Davis School of Medicine

Eun-Deok Kim, assistant professor, biology

Eun-Deok Kim

Instructional philosophy: I guide students to discover both the fine details and bigger picture of biology, just as I study how plant cells adapt and develop in changing environments, so that people can better understand how plants may adapt in the face of climate change.

I combine fundamental principles with hands-on experience using modern techniques, aiming to nurture students’ natural curiosity about how living things work and change. My goal is to guide them in connecting their knowledge to real-world challenges and crafting personalized pathways for their academic and professional growth.

• Ph.D., plant molecular biology, University of Texas at Austin
• Specializations: epigenetics, molecular genetics, plant biology, genomics, developmental biology and biochemistry
• Previous position: research scientist, Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Chih Hung Lo, assistant professor, biology and neuroscience

Chih Hung Lo

Instructional philosophy: To help prepare the next generation of researchers with the potential to address brain-related illnesses, such as Alzheimer’s disease, I foster interdisciplinary learning, empowering students to explore biology, engineering and medicine through theory and real-world applications. Through mentorship, I promote critical thinking and innovations, encourage independence and guide students in crafting personalized paths that merge foundational knowledge with practical problem-solving skills.

• Ph.D., biomedical engineering with minor in management of technology, University of Minnesota
• Specializations: neurobiology of aging, Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, body-brain interaction, intrinsically disordered proteins, lysosome biology, receptor signaling, protein biophysics, biosensor engineering, nanobiotechnology and drug discovery
• Previous position: Dean’s Postdoctoral Fellow, Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
• Key honor/award: ��in Biochemistry & Biophysics (2024)

Heather Meyer, assistant professor, biology, affiliated with BioInspired Institute

Heather Meyer

Instructional philosophy: Knowledge is not innate; it is acquired through personal experiences and by systematically testing the relationships between facts and theories. As an educator, my overarching goal is to provide students with the skills to observe and question the world around them and to research, evaluate and refine their own analyses. This way, students can better understand how their knowledge can be applied to help solving real-world challenges.

• Ph.D., genetics, genomics and development, Cornell University
• Specializations: plant biology, intrinsically disordered proteins, live cell-imaging, molecular genetics and biochemistry
• Previous position: senior scientist, Mozza

Caitlin Miller, professor of practice, Forensic and National Security Sciences Institute

Caitlin Miller

Instructional philosophy: My student-centered learning approach emphasizes critical thinking and problem-solving, important traits for those entering the forensics field. I aim to create supportive classroom and laboratory environments that foster creativity, inquiry and collaborative learning, helping students build confidence and appreciation for the scientific content.

• Ph.D., chemistry, ���ϲ�����
• Specializations: analytical chemistry, biochemistry, aptamer-based technology and biosensing
• Previous position: chief science officer, AptaMatrix Inc.
• Key award/honor: Faculty Unsung Hero Award, Le Moyne College (2020)

This story was written by Sean Grogan

Opening Friday, Feb. 7, and on view through Monday, March 3, “Overture: 2025 Faculty Survey” features 26 faculty artists and designers who have received both national and international recognition for their thought-provoking work.��An opening reception will be held on Friday, Feb. 7, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. The Warehouse Gallery is located on the ground floor of the Nancy Cantor Warehouse, 350 W. Fayette St., ���ϲ�����. The exhibition and reception are free and open to the public.

The collection of works in “2025 Faculty Survey” highlight the VPA faculty’s creative achievements while emphasizing that their scholarship and pedagogy is grounded in an art-making practice. On view is a range of media and practices that resonate with contemporary inquiries and ruminations, including ceramics, digital, drawing, illustration, installation, jewelry, mixed media, painting, performance, photography, printmaking, sculpture, set design, textiles and video.

The exhibiting faculty are , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , and .

Jaleel Campbell’s digital illustration, “Like it Never Happened,” is part of the College of Visual and Performing Arts’ new Warehouse Gallery exhibition celebrating the work of ���ϲ����� faculty.

Recently constructed and featuring four exhibition spaces, the Warehouse Gallery is the realization of one of the goals of VPA’s academic strategic plan: to offer a professional college art gallery where faculty and student work is exhibited year-round. Upcoming exhibitions include work by VPA master of fine arts and bachelor of fine arts degree candidates.

The gallery is managed by Lauren Ashley S. Baker, VPA art exhibition operations coordinator, with consultation by a steering committee of VPA faculty. In addition to employing students as attendants and assistants, the gallery will work closely with the graduate program in museum studies, housed at the Nancy Cantor Warehouse and part of VPA’s School of Design.

“This gallery is a permanent place for VPA’s students and faculty to display their work in a professional and public-facing manner,” says Baker. “This space offers opportunities for experiential learning through exhibition planning, production and participation. Meaningful conversations will happen through this platform, enriching our community.”

Gallery hours are Tuesdays and Wednesdays from noon-6 p.m.; Thursdays from noon-8 p.m.; and Fridays and Saturdays from noon-4 p.m. To contact the gallery, email warehousegallery@syr.edu.

Kevin Adonis Browne

The program is designed to facilitate cross-institutional networking and collaboration among academic leaders while building leadership capacity at participating ACC institutions.

���ϲ����� members included in the 2025 cohort are:

• , associate professor of writing studies, rhetoric and composition and chair of the Humanities Council,

  Brad Horn

• , professor of practice in public relations and associate dean for strategic initiatives,
• , teaching professor, executive director of clinical education and executive director of the Betty and Michael D. Wohl Veterans Legal Clinic,

  Elizabeth Kubala

• , assistant dean for undergraduate programs,
• , assistant provost for arts and community programming, Office of Strategic Initiatives,

  Lindsay Quilty

Miranda Staats Traudt

The program will kick off with a virtual event on Feb. 7, followed by three on-site sessions at Wake Forest University (March 26-28), the University of Miami (June 23-25) and Georgia Institute of Technology (Oct. 20-22).

The sessions will focus on leadership topics and trends in higher education while promoting leadership growth, awareness and effectiveness.

Participating faculty members from all member institutions have received foundational leadership training and served at least one year in a relevant leadership role.

Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to provide feedback on the value of the resources and services offered by the Libraries.

is conducting two awareness and perception surveys: one directed to all ��and one directed to .�� The surveys, launched on Jan. 15, will remain open through Feb. 10.

Both surveys will allow the Libraries to benchmark against results and feedback received in 2020, when similar surveys were implemented. The surveys, which take about 10 minutes to complete, provide a gauge of the University community’s perception of the value of various resources and services offered by the Libraries, and an opportunity to gather open-ended responses about ways the Libraries can meet the changing needs of its users.

Information gathered from the surveys will be shared with the Libraries’ leadership and staff and will inform strategic direction.

Pictured from left to right: Steven Blatt, Sarah Reckess and Suzette Meléndez.

The College of Law is adding the ���ϲ����� Medical Legal Partnership (SLMP) to its Office of Clinical Legal Education starting with the Spring 2025 semester. Professor Suzette Meléndez will be the co-director of the new clinic along with of Upstate University Hospital and Professor of Upstate Medical University.

The SMLP is an interdisciplinary collaboration between the pediatric unit at SUNY Upstate Medical University and ���ϲ�����’s College of Law. SMLP provides legal advocacy to improve the overall health and well-being of vulnerable patient populations. SMLP also works to achieve systemic change through the multidisciplinary education of law students, medical students, residents and other professionals whose expertise is important to this goal. Doctors and lawyers will learn to work collaboratively to attain favorable outcomes for patients. Through this partnership, patients receive critical legal assistance while professionals learn about using community resources and employing cooperative strategies to benefit patients and clients in their practices.

“The main goal of the SMLP is to educate law students about the role lawyers can play in positively affecting the lives of children facing significant medical and sociological obstacles,” says Meléndez. “Likewise, we hope to educate medical and social work professionals in how to best work with legal representation to deliver the best patient outcomes.”

The SMLP combines a clinical offering and the Child Health Policy and Legal Practice course for students interested in developing legal skills and policy analysis in children’s health. Students will provide non-litigation legal services (intake, advice, research and referrals) for a busy pediatric clinic in ���ϲ����� around legal issues that impact healthcare access and outcomes. This may include children’s access to education, safe housing, medical equipment, family court issues, government aid programs, transition-age youth and more. Special populations served by SMLP will be patients who have complex medical needs and patients who are aging out of pediatric health care and social services and need to preserve their legal rights.

“The SLMP is a unique approach to bridging the legal and sociological gap among a vulnerable population that is often faced with navigating the complicated systems during a crisis,” says Dean Terence Lau L’98. “Likewise, ���ϲ����� Law students will gain critical skills such as interviewing clients and researching legal and policy solutions that are invaluable to their legal careers.”

Students can register for the clinic when they select classes for the Spring 2025 semester. Students enrolled in the SMLP must be co-enrolled in Child Health Policy and Legal Practice as the classroom component of this experiential course.

The College of Law now offers students the opportunity to participate in eight clinics: Bankruptcy, Betty & Michael D. Wohl Veterans Legal Clinic, Criminal Defense, Disability Rights, Housing, Sherman F. Levey ’57, L’59 Low Income Taxpayer Clinic, ���ϲ����� Legal Medical Partnership and Transactional Law.

The Libraries now offer fifteen read and publish agreements, which expand the reach of researchers’ scholarly contributions by enabling all University-affiliated authors to publish their work open access at no charge to the authors. Open access allows for anyone to use these scholarly works, free of charge and free of most copyright and licensing restrictions for further use, thereby exponentially increasing the reach and impact of the University authors’ works.

• the agreement with Taylor & Francis enables University-affiliated authors to publish their work open in hybrid and fully open access journals, including Routledge titles;
• the agreement with Elsevier allows University-affiliated authors to publish openly in all eligible Core Hybrid journals;
• the agreement with De Gruyter allows University-affiliated authors to publish openly in hybrid, gold open access and subscribe to open titles.

“The expanded disciplinary coverage of these agreements ensures that cutting-edge research across the humanities, sciences and social sciences reaches a global audience, bolstering ���ϲ����� Libraries’ commitment to advancing open scholarship and maximizing the global impact of scholarship produced at SU,” said Dylan Mohr, open scholarship librarian.

More information and instructions on how authors can take advantage of these agreements can be found in the .

Stephen Maisto (left) and Jennifer Ross

College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) Associate Dean of Research (ADR) returns to his research program after serving as ADR since October 2023. The ADR’s responsibilities include advancing the College’s mission by collaborating with faculty to increase grant funding and research expenditures and ensuring that the College’s research activities align with the University’s and A&S’ Academic and Strategic Plans (ASPs).

“Professor Maisto served as associate dean of research at a critical time as I came up to speed as a new dean,” says Dean Behzad Mortazavi. “I’m very grateful for his counsel and expertise during that crucial period, and for helping to position us well as we look to operationalize A&S’ new academic strategic plan.”

Stephen Maisto

Since joining the ���ϲ����� faculty in 1994, Maisto has focused much of his research on assessment and treatment of alcohol and drug use disorders. His cutting-edge work also extends to HIV prevention and intervention. He has authored or co-authored more than 300 publications and secured over $50 million in research funding.

Maisto has held several leadership positions at the University, with Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) centers and other professional organizations throughout his career, including serving as director of clinical training and interim department chair of the Department of Psychology. An accomplished professor, mentor and researcher during his nearly three decades at the University, Maisto received the Chancellor’s Citation Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2018 and was awarded emeritus status in 2020.

Prior to joining the University faculty, Maisto taught at Vanderbilt University, Brown University Medical School and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He received an M.A. and Ph.D. in experimental psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and completed a postdoctoral specialization in clinical psychology in 1985 at George Peabody College of Vanderbilt University. Maisto is also Board Certified in Clinical Psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology.

Jennifer Ross

, professor of physics, has assumed the role of Associate Dean for Creativity, Scholarship and Research effective Jan. 1. In this new capacity, Ross will oversee efforts to increase research productivity, applications for funding, prize and award nominations and research expenditures. She will also work to enhance communication among interdisciplinary and convergent groups of faculty, and to ensure that faculty feel more supported and connected to the research mission of their departments and the shared mission of the entire College.

Ross has been a faculty member in the Department of Physics since 2019, serving as chair from 2020 to 2024. An award-winning biophysicist, she researches how cells organize their insides without a manager. By harnessing the fundamental and autonomous physics principles of biological cells, her group is working toward designing and creating next-generation materials inspired and empowered by biology.

Grants from government agencies, including the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and several private foundations, have funded her research. Ross��has been honored with numerous awards and professional recognitions, including being named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Physical Society, a Cottrell Scholar by the Research Corporation, a recipient of the Margaret Oakley Dayhoff Award from the Biophysical Society and a recipient of the National Science Foundation INSPIRE Award.

Through her advocacy for diversifying STEM, Ross has been part of the EUREKA! summer program, working with middle and high school girls to teach them about science, health and self-care. She also co-leads the (SUPER-Tech SHIP), which offers paid science internships at the University to students and recent graduates from the ���ϲ����� City School District.

Prior to joining ���ϲ�����’s faculty, Ross was a professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst from 2007 to 2019. She received a Ph.D. in physics from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and bachelor’s degrees in physics and mathematics from Wellesley College in Massachusetts.

Audie Klotz

Founded in 1959, the ISA is comprised of more than 7,000 members around the world, including academics, practitioners, policy experts, private sector workers and independent researchers. A hub for the exchange of ideas, networking and programmatic initiatives, its conferences, virtual programs and sponsored journals (published by Oxford University Press) encompass a range of topics that foster the development of new ideas, relationships and skillsets.

Klotz will serve a three-year term—as president-elect, president and past-president—starting at the annual convention in March 2025. She previously served a two-year term as a vice president-elect and vice president (2016-2018), among other roles within the association.

Shana Kushner Gadarian, associate dean for research and professor of political science, praised Klotz for her selection and says she is highly qualified to lead the prestigious organization.

“Over the course of her career, Professor Klotz has developed a body of scholarship that is well-known and widely cited and that has influenced several distinct areas of research in political science and international studies,” Gadarian says, adding that the position will be mutually beneficial, as it will “create opportunities for Maxwell faculty and students to more deeply engage with critical international issues of our time.”

A specialist on global migration and international norms, Klotz has received awards and accolades for her scholarship and teaching, including the 2023 Wasserstrom Prize from ���ϲ�����, the 2020 Distinguished Scholar Award from the International Organization Section of ISA, and the 2018 Distinguished Scholar Award from the Ethnicity, Nationalism and Migration Studies Section of ISA.

Klotz is the author of “Migration and National Identity in South Africa, 1860-2010” (Cambridge University Press, 2013), and Cornell University Press will publish a second edition of her book, “Norms in International Relations: The Struggle against Apartheid,” later this year. Her research has been supported with a Fulbright fellowship and by several funders including the National Science Foundation, the Social Science Research Council and the MacArthur Foundation.

This story was written by Mikayla Melo

Erin Cuevas (Boghosian Fellow 2024-2025)

Erin Cuevas

will teach the visiting critic studio, “Leotard 2.0: Redefining Performance,” which will extend the body into spatial architecture, exploring the performer’s body as a canvas for creating inhabitable, kinetic environments that embed social narratives within the wearables we design. Traditionally a functional garment that accentuates movement while maintaining freedom of motion, the quintessential ballet leotard will be the studio’s point of departure, beginning with a standard pattern and transforming it into an extension of the dancer’s body. Students will explore how the garment can complement and contrast movement while investigating the potential for wearables to mediate between body and space. Using both analog and digital media, they will refine and obsess their craft through detailed construction and tectonic experimentation. Throughout the course, students will investigate themes of embodiment and the potential for wearables to provoke social discourse on contemporary issues. Their final deliverable—a leotard garment to be photographed and captured on a dancer’s body—will bridge audience and performer relationships, becoming a canvas for discussion and interaction between parties. Given the interdisciplinary nature of the work, students will collaborate with experts in fields such as fashion design, dance, computational design, and film; workshops with these professionals will guide the process of constructing and evolving their apparel. This studio is co-enrolled with the in the , and students will work in collaborative groups.

Cuevas’ fellowship research will culminate in the form of a participatory public performance in the fall of 2025.

Sekou Cooke (sekou cooke STUDIO)

Sekou Cooke

will teach the visiting critic studio, “Community Collaborations: Urban Farms, Collaborative Design, and Prototyping,” which, partially funded by the at ���ϲ�����, is primarily invested in models of collaboration between community partners and designers, particularly urban farms around ���ϲ�����. While learning from multiple urban farms in the city, students will work directly with the community garden of the Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ in the Southside neighborhood of ���ϲ�����. They will assess the needs of the community garden for storage, shading, water collection, etc. then produce designs and full-scale prototypes for a new intervention on the site. Each design will be reviewed by local partners, stakeholders, and the directors of the Lender Center. Prototypes will also be displayed temporarily on-site for community feedback. To further familiarize themselves with the site, client, and community, students will dedicate their entire Tuesday studio session each week to working with local urban gardens providing any necessary volunteer services needed on those dates.

Alex Sheft and John Farrace (Sheft Farrace)

Alex Sheft and John Farrace

and will teach the visiting critic studio, “Brick Lust,” which will focus on the comprehensive design of a brick-and-mortar flagship store for “digitally native brands” in Los Angeles’ rapidly evolving Arts District in Downtown L.A. Conceived as an immersive introduction to retail design, the studio will delve into the history and core principles of store design while addressing the unique challenge of translating a brand’s digital identity into a compelling physical retail experience. Divided into four key phases—brand research dossier, retail lexicon, concept design pitch deck, and flagship store design—the course’s curriculum will go beyond design fundamentals, emphasizing practical strategies that architects can leverage to enhance their impact and agency throughout a project.

Farrace will give a on Tuesday, March 25 at 5:30 p.m. in the atrium of Slocum Hall.

Pablo Sequero (salazarsequeromedina)

Pablo Sequero

will teach the visiting critic studio, “Rural Assemblies: Climate, Affordability and Adaptation” which will explore the relationship between climate adaptation, affordability, and material assembly through the design of a series of small-scale additions to pre-existing vernacular structures. The studio will focus on the hinterlands of Spain, the so-called “Emptied Spain.” In the past decades, the rural exodus has left most towns and villages as ghost towns, currently struggling between depopulation, lack of infrastructure, and the climate emergency. These areas of high historic, ecological, and cultural value have also been subject to extreme weather events throughout 2024, highlighting their climate vulnerability. Heat waves, extreme drought and flash flooding continue to proliferate, including the most recent “Gota-fria” heavy rainfall storms that have caused severe damage. As cities remained resilient to these weather events, small and rural villages were almost destroyed. Further, the housing affordability crisis in metropolitan areas, mostly on the coast, and the accelerated depopulation of rural municipalities due to a lack of infrastructure, make the promise of reimagining the hinterlands a necessary utopia. For their explorations, students will travel to Madrid, Spain, and the hinterlands around the Madrid region, where they will visit, document, survey, and redraw a long list of recent remarkable case study projects—from adaptive re-use of historic structures, to projects that foreground circular initiatives and new materialities, to collectives that provide climate-resilient frameworks—for communities to reinhabit almost abandoned rural municipalities.

The entire campus community is invited to participate in these four virtual events, which focus on key areas of the plan:

• Monday, Jan. 27, 3 to 4:15 p.m.: , facilitated by , associate provost for strategic initiatives, and��, associate vice president for academic operations
• Monday, Feb. 17, 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.: , facilitated by , vice president for research,��, associate provost for academic programs, and Dekaney
• Friday, March 21, 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.: , facilitated by Brown, Eiffe and Hasenwinkel
• Tuesday, April 29, 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.: , facilitated by Brown and��, professor of women’s and gender studies in the College of Arts and Sciences and director of the ���ϲ����� Humanities Center

The town halls are designed to create an inclusive environment that promotes the sharing of diverse viewpoints, opinions and ideas, reflecting the participatory nature of the plan’s development during the 2022-23 academic year. Following an introductory presentation about the town hall topic, moderators will facilitate conversation centered on five key questions.

“These events will allow our community to come together to discuss progress on the plan and what it means for the future of the University,” says Interim Vice Chancellor, Provost and Chief Academic Officer in a message to the campus community. “We look forward to hearing from all of you.”

All events will be held on Zoom. To register, .

The competitive grant program, open to New York State-based individuals and teams who work in any of the design fields, helps to fund self-generated projects that seek to answer the question: Where can design go next? Recognizing design as an art form that can enhance our quality of life, the Independent Projects program seeks proposals that emphasize artistry and design excellence that may contribute to a broader understanding of design, and/or that advance a design discipline. Grants are made possible by NYSCA with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

As part of the 2024 cycle, a panel of 10 designers and educators active in the fields of architecture, landscape architecture, industrial design, fashion, materials research and fabrication, history and preservation, graphic design, and community-centered design, selected 25 creative and research proposals to receive Independent Projects grants of $10,000 each.

Representing an array of locales, disciplines, formats and modes of practice, the selected projects demonstrate the potential for creative innovation and exemplify the program’s goal of making design accessible to the communities of New York state.

“Congratulations to our ���ϲ����� Architecture faculty on their selection for an Independent Projects grant by the Architectural League of New York and the New York State Council on the Arts,” says Michael Speaks, dean of the School of Architecture. “These prestigious grants will fund their forward-thinking design projects and research, reflecting the innovative mindset and strong commitment to social engagement that distinguishes our school.”

⁠Freeway Futures

���ϲ����� is fractured by the presence of the I-81 viaduct. As its demolition looms imminent, the interdisciplinary team of School of Architecture faculty and ; , assistant professor in the department of landscape architecture at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry; and Yuting Fang and Gianna Rullo, School of Architecture student research interns, will work to design scenarios to assess the present condition of the freeway and to identify catalytic solutions for creating a sustainable and livable post-freeway future for the greater ���ϲ����� community. This process will culminate in an exhibition and strategic plan that will be disseminated to community collaborators.

“We are excited to be selected by the Architectural League of New York and the New York State Council on the Arts to take on this very important research for the Central New York region,” says Ali. “Although this grant will support the initial research, the ambition is to grow the work into a body of knowledge on systems thinking and strategies for approaching post-infrastructural sites through landscape remediation and civic-minded architecture.”

Birthing in Alabama: Design and Redesign of Reproduction

Featuring the work of School of Architecture Distinguished Professor , “Birthing in Alabama” is a research and design project about the historical, social and political dimensions of birthing, and engages the inherently political practice of architecture through this study. Consisting of an installation and a mockup of a wall section for the Alabama Birthing Center site, the project makes visible numerous structural inequities creating immense challenges to birthing healthcare across Alabama and brings the voices of those fighting to improve access into the conversation. The project is one of 25 site-specific, newly commissioned installations currently on view in the exhibition, “” at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, in New York City.

“Being selected to receive a NYSCA grant is always an immense honor,” says Brown. “The award was instrumental in helping support my installation, Birthing in Alabama: Designing Spaces for Reproduction, for the Cooper Hewitt Design Triennial.”

In-Process: Alternative Methods in Reading Evolving Buildings

In-Process is an upcoming exhibition in the historic GereBlock building, a 150-year-old former warehouse in ���ϲ�����, New York, located along the Erie Canal. Designed by a collaborative team of seven architects— School of Architecture faculty , , and ; Rocio Crosetto, MIT Belluschi Fellow; Laura Salazar-Altobelli, assistant professor at Pratt Institute School of Architecture; and Pablo Sequero, School of Architecture visiting critic—the exhibit highlights adaptive reuse and the cultural significance of underutilized industrial structures in post-industrial cities, inviting visitors to engage with strategies of continual adaptation and collective narratives in their own built environments.

Designed as an immersive experience, the project showcases innovative methods of documentation, analysis, and public engagement to transform perceptions of historic building stock, inspire similar preservation efforts in Central New York’s underserved communities, and to establish a framework for adaptive reuse that balances historical integrity with contemporary needs.

“As a collective of designers, educators, researchers, and practitioners committed to socially impactful projects, receiving this grant provides a platform to showcase our recent efforts in ���ϲ�����,” says Rodríguez. “The exhibition will serve as a valuable opportunity to deepen and expand conversations with community stakeholders, creatives, students, and policymakers, highlighting the importance of reimagining adaptive reuse in post-industrial cities across the United States.”

To view all of the 2024 Independent Projects grant recipients, visit . Continuing a successful collaboration since 2022, the League and NYSCA are pleased to once again partner to administer the Independent Projects program again in 2025.

Lori Brown

Distinguished Professor Lori Brown and her collaborators, Trish Cafferky and Dr. Yashica Robinson, are included in this year’s Design Triennial with their installation “.

The work is one of 25 site-specific, newly commissioned installations at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, home to the exhibition “.” The exhibition explores design’s role in shaping the physical and emotional realities of home across the U.S., U.S. territories and tribal nations.

The installation, featuring Brown’s work, centers on the efforts of obstetrician-gynecologist Dr. Robinson to create a new and expanded network of home health care services and alternatives to hospital births. This work reveals ongoing inequities in the state—resulting from economics, racial injustice, public policy and distance from health care facilities.

“Birthing in Alabama: Design of Reproduction” extends two decades of research, advocacy and activism focusing on reproductive health care by Brown. The installation provides a platform to question where and how architecture contributes to a wide and diverse public and to examine questions of how law and policy shape spaces of birthing access across geographic boundaries and spatial conditions.

For “Birthing in Alabama,” Brown and a team of architectural researchers mapped the legacy of laws and building and zoning codes to contextualize these challenges and present designed alternatives to alleviate their impact.

Lori A. Brown, Trish Cafferky, and Dr. Yashica Robinson’s “Birthing in Alabama: Designing Spaces for Reproduction” exhibition, which delves into a history of birth in Alabama to better understand the various systems that affected the ability of caregivers to provide access to safe and affordable reproductive healthcare. (Photo courtesy of Elliot Goldstein with the Smithsonian Institution)

The installation shows the complicated history of maternity care and access from 1865-2024 and the high rates of maternal mortality for pregnant Black women during this time period. It includes excerpts from Brown’s interviews, bringing the voices of those on the frontline working to expand birthing access across Alabama into the gallery experience.

Brown is an internationally recognized scholar and educator whose research focuses on the relationships between architecture, social justice and gender. She is the co-founder of, a nonprofit dedicated to gender equity in architecture.

Brown’s research has focused on the physical structures of abortion clinics and how the debate has shaped access to reproductive health care. She is the author of “,” and many articles including “” that discusses the call for design ideas for what was the sole remaining abortion clinic in Mississippi.

The exhibition is on view now until the summer of 2025 and is installed throughout the Andrew and Louise Carnegie Museum. Each floor is organized on themes of home: “Going Home,” “Seeking Home” and “Building Home.”

“Going Home” examines how people shape and are shaped by domestic spaces; “Seeking Home” addresses a range of institutional, experimental and utopian contexts that challenge conventional definitions of home; and “Building Home” presents alternatives to the single-family concept of home.

Brown and her co-collaborators are featured in the “Seeking Home” section. Installation of the exhibition was supported by the New York Council on the Arts and additional support from the ���ϲ����� Office of Academic Affairs; Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Engagement and the School of Architecture.

Serving as Universitywide faculty representatives, committee members advise the Vice Chancellor, Provost and Chief Academic Officer and work to ensure consistent promotion and tenure processes and promote high academic standards. Members, who must be tenured full professors, serve two-year, staggered terms and are not eligible to serve consecutive terms.

Newly elected committee members are:

• , William Safire Professor of Modern Letters and University Professor, College of Arts and Sciences
• , director, electrical engineering and computer science graduate program, College of Engineering and Computer Science
• , Marjorie Cantor Professor of Aging Studies, Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics
• , associate dean for academic affairs, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications
• , Albert & Betty Hill Endowed Professor, Martin J. Whitman School of Management
• , Iris Magidson Endowed Professor of Design Leadership and director, School of Design, College of Visual and Performing Arts

Promotion and tenure cases that meet the criteria for review—for example, those that have substantial disagreement between layers of recommendation or a strong probability of a negative determination—are taken up by committee members. They offer an advisory vote to the provost but do not issue a formal report or consider appeals.

The committee is convened by Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs Jamie Winders. Provost Lois Agnew is chair of the committee, and Vice President for Research Duncan Brown serves in an ex-officio capacity.

, Baylor University professor of physical therapy and founder of mobility design studio , and , founder of the and a fellow, point to the work on and the adaptive design circles here as a model for other communities to follow.

Connor McGough, center, prepares to board a kayak at the Creekwalk Inner Harbor access point.

The Creekwalk is a 4.8-mile paved pathway that runs from the Southside neighborhood to . When city planners and engineers decided to make accessibility a major focus of the Creekwalk, they tapped into local individuals with a range of backgrounds—medical and social model disability advocates, inclusive design experts, students at and local individuals with disabilities. , a city facilities engineer, and , City of ���ϲ����� deputy commissioner of planning and sustainability, first invited local resident to provide a first-person perspective on the plans. McGough, a quadriplegic as the result of an accident��at age 21, is the program coordinator at ARISE Inc., a local independent living center.

Don Carr

The project soon drew in others McGough knew: faculty members , professor of industrial and interaction design, and , professor and coordinator of the , who are both ARISE volunteers.

Also joining the group were Upstate Medical University developmental pediatrician and staff members from the , an inclusive preschool in ���ϲ�����. Galloway and Truesdell were aware of the initiative through their involvement with the adaptive design community here.

James W.R. Fathers

Carr involved School of Design master’s students because he recognized how the project presented an exceptional opportunity to learn inclusive design via a “living laboratory” at a site adjacent to their class space. He also knew the project supported key University goals for students: experiential learning; community-engaged scholarship; enhanced awareness of diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility; and a commitment to human thriving.

The city’s project leaders welcomed student involvement, Houck says. “These projects are something we’ve collaborated on with Don Carr and with other organizations in the community. Our projects are better for it, and it’s wonderful we can have that resource. Carr is raising the profile of the work that’s being done and it’s great that he’s involving his students in these efforts.”

Russell Houck, City of ���ϲ����� facilities engineer, and Owen Kerney, deputy commissioner of planning/sustainability, worked with several disability advocates on the Creekwalk project.

Kerney agrees. “Whether it’s the first fully inclusive and accessible playground, our sidewalks, our recreational amenities, boat launches or trails that are available to all users, increasing access is an important part of serving the entire community. It’s something Mayor Walsh and the whole administration has prioritized,” he says. “The city has a responsibility to serve everybody, and these types of improvements do just that.”

The User View

The student designers began determining how to create a practical experience at the Inner Harbor site based on the disability community maxim, “Nothing about us without us is for us.” Their first step: borrowing a wheelchair to look at the pathway from a disabled user’s perspective.

They digitally mapped the entire Creekwalk path, then started ideating. One student created a video game to familiarize users with the trail virtually before they visit. Another made an app that offers information about all pathway features. A third designed an accessible interactive information kiosk housing electrical ports to recharge electric wheelchairs. Others created an animation of the trail that featured a series of accessible kiosks, each equipped with a joystick controller for those with limited dexterity.

Amaan Khan ’23

Amaan Khan ’23, a student who worked on that project and who is now a product and branding designer, said the class with Carr was “an absolute pleasure. It taught us that even though societal paradigms are shifting toward inclusivity, we must unlearn many of our ways to better connect people with disabilities to the facilities that already exist. Doing that can unite people and guide them forward as a collaborative community.”

McGough says he welcomed the chance to offer ideas based on his lived experience. “I was excited that they listened to my feedback and wanted to follow up on it, and that they were open to suggestions about accessibility in the community spaces,” he says.

Connor McGough

McGough was able to try the kayak launch last fall. It’s built so someone can comfortably transfer into and out of a boat via a bench, pull bars, hoists and a gradual rolling launch system. “I was so excited about this project. Getting out in the boat is such a great experience, getting some sun, being around water and nature, having some exercise and recreation,” McGough says. “It’s really freeing because once the boat is in motion, it’s all me making it happen. It’s a really nice thing to have when a lot of the time you require assistance from other people and aren’t able to feel so independent.”

Three Phases

The project has three access points—the kayak launch at the Inner Harbor and a wheelchair-accessible waterside access ramp at Kirk Park have been built. An access/launch point at Dorwin Avenue is planned as part of the third phase of the Creekwalk trail that is now under design.

A $70,000 grant from the Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration program supported the Inner Harbor site, and $380,000 from the Honeywell remediation settlement, for improvements connected to Onondaga Lake, was used for the more extensive construction at Kirk Park. The city continues to apply for grants for ongoing accessibility projects.

A wheelchair ramp at this Kirk Park access point allows users to descend from street to water level.

A Model Partnership

Working together came naturally to this group, so it’s unlikely they were aware of the “ripple effect” of their cooperation. Fathers believes the city’s openness to including disabled users from the start, the involvement of interested supporters and the inclusion of University faculty and students in the project helped the group gel. “The way the group came together was kind of an organic thing—because disabled people, designers and clinicians began working together in a matter of hours,” he says.

Fathers tells how Truesdell, who was involved in ���ϲ�����’s adaptive design collaboration, referenced that coalescing as “the ���ϲ����� effect”—something she said she had not seen previously in her experience, he says. “She means that in ���ϲ�����, it’s very easy to connect to people with disabilities, their advocates, their families and designers in a way that she hasn’t seen in any other place. It’s all about the people here. She said it was a very powerful thing to observe,” Fathers says.

Lu Hao ‘23, standing at left, plays a Creekwalk video game created by students in the inclusive and interaction design class. With him are local arts activist Michael John Heagerty (seated left); Peyton Sefick, a ���ϲ����� adaptive fitness consultant (seated right); Cole Galloway, noted physical therapy professor and founder of mobility design studio GoBabyGo (center back); and Jean Minkel, an internationally recognized expert on seating and mobility. (Photo by Don Carr)

Galloway says the collective advocacy spirit here “is particularly rare. It’s a model the world needs to come here to look at to see what ���ϲ����� does and how they continue it,” he says. “Where ���ϲ����� jumps into the ‘I’ve never heard of this before’ category is that here, the people with the lived experience are the ones with the power. To step back and let the disability community lead and to have city planners listen and take direction from the folks having lived experience, that’s very unique. So many people in ���ϲ����� break the mold—you’ve got a really radical set of individuals who, from the beginning of the idea, listened and believed and took action from the disability community.”

Hands-On Rewards

The hands-on learning students experienced was important to their training as designers, Carr says. “In teaching design, this is a great way to get students to co-design with individuals in our community to address real needs. Together, we’re able to build, test and modify these ideas on the fly. It’s very rewarding to work alongside someone and then see their immediate reaction vs. purchasing a product that, in the end, might not address their actual need.”

From an inclusive design standpoint having projects where faculty can jump in helps ���ϲ����� be a leader in the accessibility space, and having an adaptive design focus is a major attractor for the University’s graduate design program, Carr says. “That’s because there are opportunities for students to do grant-based work as part of their studies and then apply ideas throughout their careers.”

This is the seventh year the Lender Center has awarded the two-year for research focused on a contemporary social issue. Faculty fellows work with a team of student research fellows. They receive $5,000 each year and $7,500 each of two summers for research support, plus another $5,000 to help publicize and present findings at the annual Lender Center symposium.

The fellowship is open to all full-time faculty members. Applications are due by Friday, April 11, at 5 p.m. Details about the and submission process are available on the��. Questions can be directed to��lendercenter@syr.edu.

“We encourage faculty to think of social justice in a broad sense and to develop projects that engage local, regional, national or global topics,” says Kendall Phillips, Lender Center director. “Lender Fellows projects have engaged a wide spectrum of social justice issues. Beyond providing support for research, this program creates a robust community of researchers, and past faculty and student fellows have described their programs as being rich, engaging and transformative experiences.”

Lender Center 2022-24 Faculty Fellow Mona Bhan, left, worked with doctoral students Aren Burnside, center, and ParKer Bryant on projects researching community impacts of artificial intelligence.

Previous Lender Faculty Fellows are:

• (2024-26), assistant professor of public health in the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics, who is researching the effects of redlining on employment.
• (2023-25), assistant professor of magazine, news and digital journalism in the , who is examining media coverage of Muslim people and communities and the impact of that coverage.
• (2022-24),��associate professor of anthropology and the Ford-Maxwell Professor of South Asian Studies in the��, whose research used a cultural anthropology lens to assess how artificial intelligence (AI) weaponry and AI systems can transform the realities of autonomy, accountability, human rights and justice.
• (2021-23), associate dean for Research and Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility; associate professor of environmental and interior design and Georgia Miller Associate Professor. She and her team studied whether the design and location of a new wellness center building affected whether the center reached its objectives.
• (2020-22), associate professor of geography and the environment in the Maxwell School, who continued the work of Evan Weissman, late associate professor of food studies and nutrition in Falk College, who researched the effectiveness of food systems in ���ϲ����� in meeting community needs, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Casarae Gibson-Abdul-Ghani (2019-21), then an assistant professor of African American studies in the��, who researched the utilization of social media platforms as a way of uncovering social justice trends.

For millions around the world, degradation of their land due to factors like climate change, deforestation, overgrazing and unsustainable farming practices have caused harm to both human health and the environment. Desertification, which is when fertile land turns into desert because of natural and human factors, can lead to food and water scarcity, loss of biodiversity and forced migration. In December 2024, the United Nations hosted a conference in Saudi Arabia, bringing together leading environmental experts and policymakers from around the globe to discuss strategies for combating desertification and safeguarding both the environment and human well-being.

Mariaelena Huambachano (second from left) speaking during one of the panel presentations at the UN Desertification Conference High-Level Interactive Dialogue

(Quechua, Peru), an Indigenous scholar and assistant professor in the College of Arts and Sciences, gave three talks during the 11-day United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). Huambachano is among the faculty in A&S’ . She teaches courses that include Food Fights and Treaty Rights, Indigenous Food Cosmologies and Reclaiming Indigenous Intellectual Sovereignty.

Huambachano’s talks came during the UNCCD’s . An internationally recognized scholar of Indigenous food sovereignty, Huambachano researches and advocates for Indigenous peoples’ rights to control their own food systems. In August 2024, she published “” (University of California Press), based on 10 years of fieldwork with the Quechua of Peru and Māori of New Zealand. The book explores their philosophies on well-being, food sovereignty, traditional ecological knowledge and sustainable food systems.

A&S Professor Mariaelena Huambachano (second from left) was a panelist at the UN Desertification Conference High-Level Interactive Dialogue along with (from left to right) Nichole Barger (University of Colorado), Michael Obersteiner (Oxford University) and Becky Chaplin-Kramer (World Wildlife Fund for Nature).

During the conference, she spoke on the importance of recognizing and integrating Indigenous knowledge into climate change policy development. She also highlighted how Indigenous values foster healthy land, safeguard biodiversity and enhance climate resilience.

“I provided examples drawn from my years of work on the value of integrating Indigenous science in improving sustainable food systems,” Huambachano says. “We have been informed that the policy recommendation we presented has been endorsed by the host country, Saudi Arabia. I am particularly happy to see that Indigenous science, innovation and practices are being recognized internationally.”

This is Huambachano’s fifth distinguished appointment to a United Nations High-Level Panel, showcasing her expertise and commitment to global issues. .

With the arrival of the new year, many people view this as the ideal time to figure out the changes they’d like to make in themselves as part of a new year, new you mentality.

Instead of making huge, sweeping goals, , a professor of practice in the School of Social Work in the , says focus on a few small, implementable changes.

Tracey Marchese

Marchese, a licensed clinical social worker, is a big proponent of the benefits of small tweaks leading to sustainable change when it comes to successfully following through on resolutions.

“If you are looking to who you want to be, that’s great, but you need to consider who you are and where you are,” says Marchese, whose research explores mind-body wellness. “Realize that you’re a work in progress who is going to be a work in progress your entire life.”

The challenge is not to compare ourselves to others and accept who we are right now. Marchese encourages people to figure out “what you would want to change about yourself and how can you begin that change?”

On this “’Cuse Conversation,” Marchese offers tips and best practices for sticking to those New Year’s Resolutions, provides tips to help achieve the change you want to see and examines how mental health and well-being impacts overall well-being.

Check out featuring Marchese. A transcript [PDF]��is also available.

What pointers can you offer up to help people stick with their resolutions?

A lot of us enter the new year with high expectations, and oftentimes we’re setting ourselves up for failure. It’s really the small changes that are more attainable.

There’s an old saying that says three weeks is a habit. Many people have weight loss goals. Instead of saying ‘I need to lose this much weight by this time,’ what about my eating could I change? And it can’t be I need to restrict everything that I eat. Let me start with one thing I am going to change. Perhaps it’s what I have for breakfast. Let me focus on that for three weeks or a month, changing the types of food I’m eating and not necessarily the amount of food I’m eating. Maybe it’s snacking throughout the day. What snacks can I change up instead of just trying to diet?

Being able to set smaller, more attainable goals and then tweak the goal moving forward leads to more satisfaction, and a greater ability to feel proud of an accomplishment because you set a smaller goal instead of this long-term, unattainable goal.

What are some accountability recommendations to help people reach their goals?

Because everything is electronic, we can constantly be tracking our goals, and sometimes trackers can be extremely helpful. Other times, they can be harmful. If people are looking at their fitness tracker and thinking they’re a failure because they didn’t get in their 10,000 steps today, that’s not going to be helpful because all it will do is serve to defeat you. What are the things that can serve to motivate you versus defeat you?

Having a buddy, someone to work on your goals with, is great. It helps keep you accountable and it makes pursuing your goals more fun. Journaling can be super helpful if it’s done in the right context of tracking your progress.

But you need to cut yourself some slack because there are going to be days where you aren’t able to work on your goals because you weren’t feeling well. And that’s okay.

How you would define self-care, and what are the different kinds of self-care?

Self-care can show up in a lot of different ways. Do you feed yourself nutritious food? Do you have a regular sleep routine? Do you exercise your body if you’re able to do so? When we talk about holistic health, there are five parts that make us whole: our physical, mental, social, emotional and spiritual parts of self. When there’s a disruption or a problem in one area, it’s going to permeate all of those other areas.

When it comes to the social piece, do you make time to call or spend time with the people that you care about? Do you do things in your life that give you meaning and purpose? Can you find a work-life balance? For a lot of folks, that’s hard, but not all of this has to be on you. In workplace settings, could we have shared care or communal care that’s going to help everyone’s wellbeing?

Yes, there are ways that we’re responsible for our self-care, but there are also ways our friends, the agencies and organizations that we work for and our communities can help with our self-care too.

The Economist described “Venice: The Remarkable History of the Lagoon City” (Oxford University Press, 2024) as “a sparkling account of Venice’s past and future” and said it “will become the history of choice for readers who want to better understand the lagoon city.”

In the book, Romano provides a comprehensive account of the political, economic, cultural, ecological, military and art history of Venice from the city’s origins to the present. Drawing from a wealth of archival material, he traces Venetian history across a long range, from the Ice Age emergence of the lagoon, its first permanent settlements and the rise of Venice’s maritime and commercial empire to industrialization, 20th-century fascism and contemporary tourism. In addition to covering elites like merchants and doges, the book offers portraits of Venetian commoners, drawing from documents such as diaries and last wills and testaments.

Emeritus Professor Dennis Romano

In an April��, The Economist wrote, “The result is a triumph.” It continued, “This is contemporary historical writing of the highest quality: clear, entertaining and yet academically rigorous.”

Romano has published eight books and over 20 articles on medieval Italy and Venetian history, politics, culture, art and kinship. He has received numerous grant awards spanning five decades from institutions such as the Guggenheim Foundation, the Folger Shakespeare Library, the National Gallery of Art and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Romano’s academic work explores medieval and Renaissance Italy, early modern Europe, and Venice’s social and cultural history.

Story by Mikayla Melo

“” features the work of 2024-25 ���ϲ����� Art Museum Faculty Fellows , associate professor of communication and rhetorical studies in the , and , assistant teaching professor of management in the Martin J. . Another exhibit, “,” is curated by , assistant professor of Latinx literatures and cultures in the .

The works will be on display in the Joe and Emily Lowe Galleries at the Art Museum from Tuesday, Jan. 21, through Saturday, May 10.

The ���ϲ����� Art Museum Faculty Fellows program supports innovative curriculum development and experiential learning and aims to more fully integrate the museum’s collection into the University’s academic life, says , museum director.

Gestures Study

Gratch’s exhibition, “Performance, Gesture and Reflection,” mirrors her performance studies course CRS 314, which explores the social, cultural and political dimensions of performance in various forms, including theater, dance, rituals, everyday life and media. The display features 23 objects that examine the social, cultural and political dimensions of performance, including how human gestures shape identity, power, memory and social relations.

This screen print by Robert Rauschenberg is one of the central pieces in Lyndsay Gratch’s exhibition, “Performance, Gesture and Reflection.”

Gratch says the portrayals “show gestures as more than isolated movements in a single time and place. Gestures are dynamic, culturally loaded and ever-changing symbols which have a wide range of social, political and historical meanings based on when, where, how, by whom and why a gesture is made and also interpreted.”��Gratch says the course and the exhibition illustrate how performance “is not necessarily something that’s theatrical or fake or put on, but actions we do as part of everyday life.”

Culture as Economy

Wimer’s exhibition consists of a dozen different artistic works that express key ideas regarding the global economy from an African perspective. These include viewing culture as an economic component; how culture is represented by proverbs and sayings passed from generation to generation; and how climate change and health care infrastructure affect people very differently depending on whether they live in the global south versus the global north.

The exhibition was created to complement Whitman’s required core class for all sophomores, Managing in a Global Setting, to bring a different perspective on key course concepts such as infrastructure, human capital and globalization.

A custom pet portrait by a Kenyan artist involved in Elizabeth Wimer’s immersion course is an example of using artwork to create an economic revenue stream.

As an extension of that course, Wimer and students who have applied for and been accepted to Whitman’s Kenya Immersion Experience undertake a 10-day business immersion trip to Kenya. There, they can see firsthand how creative and artistic works provide paths to financial opportunity for people who live in limited economic situations, while also sometimes meeting the Kenyan artists.

“[They see that] artist creations are not solely artistic expression as a work of art but as works that help them sustain a living. Both have beauty, but the inspiration behind the beauty is very different,” she says.

Tropical Images

Pardo Porto’s exhibition is a collection of work by acclaimed New York City-based Dominican artist in conversation with selected works from the ���ϲ����� Art Museum collection. It examines the visual culture of tropicality through stereotypical depictions of landscapes like pristine beaches and sunny skies, as well as racist portrayals of women as exoticized figures, Pardo Porto says.

A work by Joiri Minaya represents the visual culture of tropicality through combined stereotypes of an exoticized woman who is wearing tropical-themed swimwear.

The exhibition consists of objects including postcards, tourist brochure images, fabric from Hawaiian shirts, posters and photographs, and video and sound performances ranging from the late 19^th century to the present. “This emphasizes part of my research into how the images surrounding us shape our perception, our thinking and our feelings about places like the Caribbean and how we relate to images in our daily lives,” Pardo Porto says.

The exhibit is being incorporated into two of Pardo Porto’s courses. An undergraduate course on contemporary Latinx art, conducted entirely in Spanish, uses the Spanish-language artwork labels and tags in the exhibit as part of class lessons. A graduate seminar focuses on theorizing race and diaspora and how an artist like Minaya, who was born in New York City but has Dominican heritage, examines how diasporic identities are constructed and how being separated from community can complicate identity. Pardo Porto says Minaya will visit campus to give a talk, work with students and share interpretations of her art with the community.

Curated by Irina Savinetskaya, curator of early to pre-20th century, the exhibition showcases SCRC’s collection of predominantly Western European medieval manuscripts from the 13^th to the 16^th centuries, alongside examples of bookmaking from Persia, Japan and Ethiopia. The exhibition also features early printed and modern books inspired by the medieval book.

Medieval manuscripts have long fascinated the public with their hand-painted illuminations and decorated bindings. Often viewed as esoteric, precious works of art, they can seem largely inaccessible to all but specialists. Much more than treasures to be gazed upon, medieval manuscripts are dynamic and unique objects that hold a variety of stories, including about the natural and animal worlds, trade, religious movements and the everyday lives of their makers and owners. By examining how medieval books were made, used and reused by various individuals and communities, along with their place in modern imagination and book design, the exhibition explores the storied history behind the making of the medieval book.

The exhibition’s opening reception is on Thursday, Feb. 6 from 4:30-6 p.m. on the 6^th floor of Bird Library. Those interested in attending the reception can . Communication Access Realtime Translation will be provided at the reception. Those requiring other accommodations can email mlwagh@syr.edu by Jan. 20.

Here is how these attacks typically work and how you can protect yourself.

How The Attacks Work

• Spoofed emails: Attackers send emails that seem to originate from trusted peers or partners at other universities.
• Fake document links: The emails contain links you are expected to click on. Recent attacks have used the pretext that a document that needs to be shared is encrypted and, in order to decrypt it, you must log in to the link.
• Fraudulent validation: If recipients email the sender for confirmation because they are suspicious, attackers respond with reassuring but fake replies.
• Credential theft: Trusting the response, recipients enter their credentials into a counterfeit Microsoft login page at the other end of the link.
• MFA exploitation: The attackers harvest the credentials and use them to trigger a legitimate Microsoft multi-factor authentication (MFA) request, which victims will see in the Microsoft Authenticator app. Bad actors email their victims the two-digit code to enter into the app. If the victim enters it, the bad actors gain complete access to their accounts. If the victims use SMS as their MFA method, the bad actors will send an email trying to get the victim to send them the provided code.
• Account misuse: Attackers use compromised accounts to attempt changes to payroll direct deposit information and/or to launch further attacks from the victim’s email account.

Protect Yourself

• Be cautious of unexpected emails: Avoid clicking on links or providing information unless you are certain of the sender’s legitimacy.
• Validate by phone, not email: If you suspect a phishing attempt, verify directly by calling the sender. Never rely on email validation for suspicious requests.
• Beware of fraudulent MFA prompts: Be cautious of unusual MFA prompts or requests. Never enter codes from unknown sources. Microsoft MFA will never send the two-digit code via email. Any email claiming to provide such a code is fraudulent. If you use SMS as an MFA method, nobody will ever ask you for the code via text or email.
• Report phishing attempts immediately: You can use Outlook’s “Report Message” feature to flag suspicious emails.

Stay alert and reach out to the IT Security team (infosec@syr.edu) with any questions or concerns. Your vigilance is vital to keeping our community safe.

Doyle and his fellow researchers have since worked on refining the compounds, GEP44 and KCEM1, and have undertaken lab-animal testing, filed patents, spoken with investors and explored market placement. They believe these drugs, ultimately intended for use in humans, will offer significant advances in how obesity and diabetes are treated in the U.S. and around the world. The researchers have also discovered another highly promising weight-loss compound and new outgrowths that have potential to treat opioid addiction through similar neuroendocrine pathways.

Doyle is also a professor of pharmacology and medicine at . He is working with two primary collaborators on the compounds: , Albert J. Stunkard Professor in Psychiatry at the , and , an endocrinologist at .

Doyle, a medicinal chemist, teaches at ���ϲ����� and is also on the faculty at SUNY-Upstate Medical University.

Multiple Receptors

GEP44 consists of 44 amino acids that target receptors in the brain, pancreas and liver simultaneously, uncoupling the connection between food intake and nausea and vomiting. “It’s sort of a reboot of the body’s computer. It’s the sum of those receptors communicating with each other that is facilitating changes to metabolic behavior like what you’d see in a lean person or someone post bariatric surgery,” Doyle says.

GEP44 works very well and is a significant improvement over GLP1-based drugs; however, it requires daily injections—a regimen Doyle acknowledges would be challenging for many patients. That’s why the researchers are working to reformulate the compound as a long-acting version.

“Now, we’re looking at how proteins are changing, what neurons are firing and which genes are changing in response to our drug that aren’t changing in response to the current therapies,” Doyle explains. “We can definitely do a once-a-week injectable, control weight loss, control tolerability as measured by pica (a craving to eat things having no nutritional value). However, we want to create a formulation that has the best tolerability and the highest efficacy before we move into licensing. After all, it is not a trivial thing to take something you’ve optimized to work beautifully well, then go ahead and make it long acting.”

The second compound, KCEM1, was formulated to treat hypothalamic obesity in children, a genetic (as opposed to calorie intake-related) condition. Roth is testing the drug in lab animals and the team is working with the German researchers who discovered the causative gene.

Doyle and Hayes recently produced another “extraordinary compound” that Doyle says is “very exciting and really, really positive for the future.” DG260 targets different mechanisms in the body. In addition to producing weight loss with high drug tolerability and no adverse side effects, it has added health benefits: higher caloric burn and the ability to flush glucose from the blood without needing to increase insulin secretion.

An unexpected outgrowth of this effort has been the team’s discovery that GEP44 reduces cravings in opioid-addicted lab animals, extending the intervals between periods of drug-seeking behavior. This “pleasant surprise” may lead to new therapies to help reduce human cravings for drugs such as fentanyl, Doyle believes. , a neuropharmacologist and associate professor of psychiatry at��the , is collaborating with Doyle on this work.

On-Site Lab

All compounds are produced in a campus lab at ���ϲ�����’s Center for Science and Technology equipped as a sort of mini pharmaceutical design and manufacturing center. It houses three state-of-the-art, microwave-assisted peptide synthesizers and a fourth robotic system, which allows high throughput peptide synthesis of up to 1,200 peptides in the span of three to four days.

Manufacturing of the peptide compounds is done in the University’s state-of-the-art lab, located on campus in the Center for Science and Technology. The facilities allow rapid pivoting based on ongoing test findings.

“We can get data back, turn it around in days and turn that into a genuine lead in the space of a few weeks. Our setup also lets us manufacture and purify at large scales. That lets us pivot quickly, screen quickly and get back into an in vivo (testing on whole living organisms) setup again quickly. We’re able to operate at a real cutting-edge, rapid-pivoting capability,” Doyle says.

The sophisticated machinery was acquired in part through a $3 million grant awarded in 2019 by the (DoD) . The team’s work holds particular promise for military personnel and veterans, for whom obesity and weight-related diabetes rates have steadily increased, according to a from the . Those conditions cost the government $135 billion annually and have negative implications for U.S. military readiness, the report states.

“We couldn’t have gotten anywhere near where we are now without that initial DoD grant,” Doyle says. “It’s fantastic that we’ve been able to take this all the way through to patentability, have active engagement with investors, get licensed to an existing company and work this as far forward as we have with hopes of seeing its use in people.”

Doyle’s peptides investigation provides robust research opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral scholars, such as Nick Najjar, left, a third-year graduate student and Lucy Olcott, a senior.

More recently, the researchers’ work has been awarded four additional National Institutes of Health grants totaling more than $6 million. The projects also provide important experiential laboratory learning for undergraduate and graduate students and cutting-edge research opportunities for postdoctoral associates.

Looking Ahead

When their work began eight years ago, the researchers aimed to make safety and tolerability a front-and-center focus, Doyle says. “We were adamant that nausea, vomiting and indigestion were more of an issue than had previously been put forward. Now, everyone knows that these side effects are a problem and that the existing drugs need to be replaced with ones that are better tolerated. So, the race is on to find new pathways to achieve what we’ve all gotten a taste for—these miraculous weight-loss drugs—and make them effective in the long term.”

Accordingly, Doyle sees a coming explosion in the development of “super safe, super effective weight-loss medicines.”

“The market’s only going to double and triple over the next 20 years. In the next five to 10 years, we may see six, seven, eight new drugs that are well tolerated without the current side effects and that are super long acting. Now, everyone’s racing toward that. We’re trying to drive that forward from ���ϲ����� and Central New York, and we’ve had a good start.”

Peter Koveos

Koveos was born in Athens, Greece. At the age of 17, he moved to the United States to attend American International College in Springfield, Massachusetts. This is where he met his wife, Jean. He was drafted into the U.S. Army while still in college. Koveos continued his education in economics at Pennsylvania State University where he achieved both a master’s degree and Ph.D. He went on to teach at Penn State and the University of Rhode Island before joining the faculty at ���ϲ����� in 1982.

Koveos was a dedicated professor and scholar who taught at the Whitman School for 42 years. During that time, he served as a professor of finance and chair of the finance department on multiple occasions. He was the Kiebach Chair in International Business Studies and director of the Kiebach Center for International Business. He previously served as interim dean, associate dean for master’s programs and senior director for international programs, among other service roles to the Whitman School and ���ϲ�����.

Koveos led many of the early internationalization efforts of Whitman, including expanding Whitman’s work in Russia and China in the 1990s. Among the many accolades he received throughout his career was the White Yulan Prize from the City of Shanghai, similar to receiving the keys to the city and the highest award given to foreign experts by the municipality. He also received an honorary doctorate from American International College. Koveos was the editor of the Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship and associate editor of Finance Review.

Koveos had a strong work ethic and was a proud mentor to the thousands of students who joined his classroom. He thought very highly of his colleagues and strongly believed that it took a village to be successful.��Koveos taught a range of courses in finance, international business and global entrepreneurship. He was interested in exploring international financial market behavior, especially as it pertains to economic systems in transition. His most recent work was on the theory and practice of financial system reform. Much of his research was focused on Asia in general, with a particular emphasis on China. His research has been published in the��Journal of Monetary Economics, Journal of International Business Studies��and other scholarly journals.

Koveos also worked closely with small businesses conducting business internationally and served on the board of the Central New York International Business Alliance and the Africa Business and Entrepreneurship Research Society. In addition to his academic activities, he was the co-founder of ExportNY and served as executive director of the program since 1998. In the 20-plus years of the ExportNY Program, over 100 Central New York businesses have developed international business plans and initiated or expanded their global footprint.

According to the Koveos family, “He was a humble man, who was full of kindness and integrity. Peter was always there with his love, knowledge and thoughtful advice. His wonderful sense of humor always brought smiles and laughter to everyone. Peter adored spending quality time with his family. He was a devoted husband, father and grampy, a.k.a. ‘geeky.’ He was a proud fan of the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Boston Red Sox and enjoyed spending summers with his wife back home in Greece.”

His family finds comfort in knowing that Koveos’ legacy “lives on through the lessons he taught us, the scholars he mentored, the love he shared, the happiness he encouraged and the memories we will cherish forever.”

Koveos’ more than 40 years of service at ���ϲ����� will be fondly remembered by his colleagues and friends.

“Peter was in the office a week ago finishing his school duties. His sense of duty to students and colleagues kept him going all the way to the end. What a big loss to Whitman and the world,” says Associate Dean for Research and Ph.D. Programs Michel Benaroch. “I can’t recall him ever saying anything negative even is the midst of confronting rather controversial matters. He always saw the positive in people—a trait for all of us to emulate. Lastly, Peter’s long personal struggle with health issues is just inspirational. He never complained or let it slow him down.”

“I first met Peter 16 years ago: he came in to interview me for a junior faculty position shortly after his bone marrow transplant. Such was his dedication to Whitman,” says David Weinbaum, chair of the finance department. “He served as finance department chair for so many years we all lost count, and although he stepped down from that role long ago, he very much remained our leader, and I regularly turned to him for advice. He was a calming and thoughtful voice in all matters. I will miss his kindness and sense of humor.”

“While there are many ways we could highlight Peter’s contributions, it is safe to say that he has had a profound impact on the Whitman School and our students’ success,” Interim Dean Alex McKelvie says. “Peter’s positive spirit, supportive approach and willingness to help out had a personal impact on many at Whitman. Simply, he was one of the good ones who truly cared. He will be deeply missed.”

Koveos is survived by his wife of 55 years, Jean Koveos (Broadbent); daughter Kristina (Michael) Jordan; sons Eugene Koveos (Sera Brown) and Alexander (Lindsey) Koveos; and grandsons Nicholas “Cole” and Christian Jordan, as well as many extended family members, friends and colleagues who will miss him dearly.

The Whitman School will honor Professor Koveos and his legacy across decades in the near future.

The ���ϲ����� football game day kit has everything you need to show your Orange pride and support our amazing student-athletes.

Get pumped, Orange Nation! Excitement is building as the ���ϲ����� football team gets ready for the DIRECTV Holiday Bowl in sunny San Diego, California, on Friday, Dec. 27 at 8 p.m. EST/5 p.m. PST. Remember this winning season with your very own game day kit, which has everything you need to show your Orange pride and support our amazing student-athletes.

What’s in the Game Day Kit?

Inspired by favorite traditions like “beat buttons” and banner flips, the kit includes:

• an 11-inch by 17-inch poster featuring Coach Fran Brown to track the season’s games;
• an 8.5-inch by 11-inch sticker sheet with Beat [Opponent] banners, game dates and pennant stickers to customize your poster;
• five Otto temporary tattoos to boost your game-day spirit; and
• a small felt ���ϲ����� pennant to add some Orange flair to any space

How Can I Get One?

and make a gift of $10 or more to the Athletics Opportunity Fund, and a kit will be sent straight to you!��Get your game day kit now and cheer on the Orange while supporting our student-athletes. It’s a win-win, just like we’re hoping the end of this season will be with a win in the Holiday Bowl. Let’s go, ���ϲ�����!

Dana Spiotta

The December Vogue is a special issue guest-edited by fashion icon Marc Jacobs. is a long profile of Kaia Gerber, who in addition to being a well-known model and up-and-coming actress, now has a large following for her online book club, . Spiotta’s article explores Gerber’s experience growing up in the fashion world and the challenges of how the world perceives her vs. how she perceives herself.

Along with penning the Vogue cover story, Spiotta’s book “” is the inspiration for an alternative opera, which will take to the stage Jan. 9-17 as part of the in New York. The prestigious festival is a co-production of , “two trailblazers in the creation and presentation of contemporary, multi-disciplinary opera-theatre and music-theatre works.”

“Eat the Document” follows the intertwined lives of two anti-war activists who come together during the Vietnam era. After a protest they orchestrate goes tragically wrong, they are forced into hiding, adopting new identities to escape their past. The story alternates between the 1970s and the 1990s, delving into themes of identity, memory and the impact of political activism. Spiotta’s “Eat the Document” was a finalist for the National Book Award and the winner of the American Academy’s Rosenthal Foundation Award in 2007.

The new opera has been in development since 2020 by John Glover (composer), Kelley Rourke (librettist), Kristin Marting (director) and Mila Henry (music director).��.”

A faculty member in the since 2009, Spiotta is one of the University’s leading fiction writers. She is the author of five novels. Alongside “Eat the Document,” she has written “Wayward,” which was named a best book of 2021 by Vogue and The New York Times, “Innocents and Others,” winner of the St. Francis College Literary Prize and a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, “Stone Arabia,” a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and “Lightning Field,” which was a New York Times Notable Book. Spiotta is currently teaching workshop classes in the undergraduate and graduate Creative Writing Program.

The fellowship will support three months of field research in 2025 for a multi-year research project, “Civil Society Thrives in the Kafana: Locally Led Development and Grassroots Civic Engagement in Serbia.”

Catherine Herrold

Herrold will explore how Serbian civil society actors understand, implement and measure the effectiveness of initiatives such as sustainable agriculture, cultural festivals and community development programs by grassroots groups and philanthropic entities outside of professional non-governmental organizations.

The project builds on past research and collaborations with scholars at the University of Belgrade and contacts in Serbian civil society and international aid agencies. Herrold intends to produce a book, academic journal articles and policy briefs and hopes to build public engagement through opinion pieces and podcasts as well as course content.

“Professor Herrold’s research can help better explain how to build and maintain a dynamic society through the participation of everyday people at the grassroots,” says , associate dean for research and Merle Goldberg Fabian Professor of Excellence in Citizenship and Critical Thinking. “She epitomizes Maxwell’s commitment to engaging on pressing issues of democracy around the world and bringing those lessons back to campus.”

The Fulbright-Hays Program awards grants to U.S. teachers, administrators, pre-doctoral students and postdoctoral faculty as well as to institutions and organizations for overseas research and training that focus on non-Western foreign languages and area studies. The program is funded by a congressional appropriation to the U.S. Department of Education.

Maxwell School Associate Professor Catherine Herrold will spend three months in Serbia as she continues her research on civil society and grassroots development initiatives.

Herrold received a U.S. State Department Fulbright Scholar award for her 2023 research on citizen-led development initiatives in Serbia as well as the 2023 University of Maryland Do Good Institute and Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action (ARNOVA) Global Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership Award.

She spent five years doing similar research in Egypt and Palestine for her book, “Delta Democracy: Pathways to Incremental Civic Revolution in Egypt and Beyond” (Oxford University Press, 2020), which was awarded ARNOVA’s Virginia A. Hodgkinson Research Book Prize.

Herrold is a senior research associate for the Middle Eastern Studies Program and the Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration and an associate professor by courtesy appointment in the political science department. Her research focuses on global civil society, international development, democracy promotion, nonprofit management, and collaborative and participatory governance.

Story by Michael Kelly

The East Side Gallery, one of the last remaining pieces of the original Berlin Wall, stretches for 1.3 km along Muhlenstrasse.

Although the wall’s physical presence is diminished, the “fall” of the Berlin Wall on Nov. 9, 1989, remains a significant moment in history.

Lauren Woodard, assistant professor of anthropology in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, says the event was just one of several across communist Eastern Europe that showed how solidarity among people could foster resistance and bring change.

“After growing resistance across the region, especially in neighboring Poland, East Germans had mobilized throughout the summer and fall of 1989 to visit West Germany,” says Woodard, who is also a senior research associate in the Center for European Studies within the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs. “There was a lot of confusion about crossing the border in this moment, amid growing protest and political transformations in the region (Solidarity’s successful movement in neighboring Poland and amid Mikhail Gorbachev’s perestroika in the Soviet Union).”

On Nov. 9, 1989, during a press conference, an East German official inadvertently said that a new policy allowing travel outside of East Germany could happen immediately without restrictions, when in fact the policy was going to be implemented the following day with prerequisites. Tens of thousands of people went to the wall, to various checkpoints, and eventually one opened, where West Germans and East Germans celebrated together.

Lauren Woodard

While the wall didn’t actually “fall” that day, the figurative collapse was symbolic of that period when the populations of Eastern Europe struggled out from the grip of communism.

“This is a starting point in my class [Transformations of Eastern Europe] to understand this moment as one of euphoria and celebration, the idea of the end of the Cold War, and the success of collective action, but one that was also deeply destabilizing for many people, as their economies crashed and they navigated profound social, economic and political transformations throughout the 1990s,” Woodard says.

In the following Q&A, Woodard shares her insights on the fall of the Berlin Wall. For any media who wish to schedule an interview with Woodard, please reach out to Vanessa Marquette, media relations specialist, at vrmarque@syr.edu.

Why was that moment when the Berlin Wall was breached such a visceral moment for people all over the world?

People responded to the “fall” of the Berlin Wall as a moment of victory, that demonstrated how resistance could be achieved through cooperation, as demonstrated earlier that year by the Solidarity Movement in Poland, demonstrations in Hungary and the Singing Revolution, in which nearly two million people held hands across Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, calling for their independence from the Soviet Union. The “fall” of the Berlin Wall symbolized how people could work together and form coalitions to resist, providing hope to everyone for change.

How did the lives of citizens in those countries behind the Iron Curtain change once the wall came down?

The answer to this question varies based on location. I will speak from my own experiences conducting research in Russia and Kazakhstan, two former Soviet countries. While many people experienced the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union as euphoric—this sense of resistance and political collaboration across Cold War boundaries, experienced at the same time as romantic ideas of globalization and the decline of nation-states—the 1990s were a period of profound political, economic and social transformations that were deeply destabilizing. “Shock” therapy, meant to transition former communist countries to democracy and a global market economy, led to profound disenfranchisement and inequality.

As an American college student in 2010, studying abroad in Russia for the first time, I did not expect my host family and my friends to speak nostalgically of the Soviet Union and to genuinely support Vladimir Putin. They described great hardship of the 1990s—long lines, financial and political uncertainty, which factored into parents’ decisions whether to start a family.

A marker of the remains of Berlin Wall

They were also deeply disappointed with the West. They had believed that with the end of the Cold War, there would no longer be a divide between East and West, that there would be no need for NATO, and that the European Union’s (EU) expansion might include them too, since they were Russian and, therefore, European.

When NATO and the EU expanded to include Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, but not Russia, Ukraine or Georgia, for example, they felt isolated and othered. Meanwhile, they associated stability with Vladimir Putin’s presidency, even if it came at the cost of challenges to free speech.

Although the Cold War may have ended in 1989 and 1991, divisions reemerged in new ways in the 1990s that crystallized in the 2000s, leading to today’s present situation, in which Russia has isolated itself globally once again, while attacking its neighbor, Ukraine, as part of a larger project of Russian imperialism, that is markedly different from the Soviet project of communism. This is the subject of my book project—how people navigate these profound changes on an everyday level.

What have been the long-lasting impacts for Eastern Europe and all of Europe?

I think what gets lost is the impact of the end of communism for Western Europe and the United States. Without the Soviet Union as the U.S.’s foil, the U.S. floundered throughout the 1990s to identify who we were as a country and what we stood for. I think this is partially why we latched onto the idea of “global terrorism,” as an alternative to construct ourselves against, with serious implications.

With the Iraq War, we lost serious credibility as a global leader that will take decades to recover from. It is here that we see the reemergence of Russia as an illiberal alternative, aligned with China, Iran and other actors to challenge American hegemony.

The Whitman School’s “Discover Florence: A Gastronomic and Cultural Odyssey,” runs June 26 to July 4, 2025.

The will host an , “Discover Florence: A Gastronomic and Cultural Odyssey,” during the summer of 2025.��The edu-tourism experience will run from June 26 to July 4, 2025, and is open to interested University students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends of ���ϲ�����.

“The Whitman School has long valued the importance of experiential learning outside the classroom for students, and now we are excited to venture into the area of edu-tourism for faculty, alumni and others in our Orange family, too,” says trip leader ,��Whitman’s professor of supply chain practice and director of executive education.

“Not only will participants learn firsthand about food, wine, art and culture, but they’ll also see some of the business concepts behind them as they meet award-winning chefs and restaurateurs, vineyard owners, government officials and alumni in related fields,” Penfield says. “To round out the trip, travelers will get a firsthand look at the historical significance of one of the world’s most iconic cities.”

This nine-day trip kicks off with a welcome reception that includes insights from faculty based at the , as well as a unique opportunity to hear from , the European Union Parliament minister of food and agriculture and former mayor of Florence who delivered the 2024 Commencement address at ���ϲ�����’s graduation ceremonies.

This event will allow travelers to network and get to know one another, as they prepare for a slate of activities* that includes:

• visits to and vineyards;
• culinary adventures through a hands-on Florentine cooking class;
• Stops at iconic landmarks like the Duomo and the Uffizi Gallery;
• first-hand looks at the work of Renaissance masters like Michelangelo and Ghirlandaio;
• premier dining at two Michelin-star restaurants, and ;
• escapes to ancient olive groves, charming local markets, quaint cafés and more; and
• free time to explore, shop, relax and take in the beauty of Florence.

The cost of the trip includes the above adventures and lodging at the four-star in the heart of Florence. Based on the maximum enrollment of 20 people, the cost is $9,600 for single occupancy and $12,600 for double occupancy. Transportation to and from Florence is not included in the price, allowing travelers to make their own plans from anywhere in the world.

The registration deadline is March 20, 2025, and space is limited so to experience Florence with the Whitman School.

*Itinerary subject to change

First-year head coach Fran Brown guided ���ϲ����� to a 9-3 record and an appearance in the Holiday Bowl, the 29th bowl appearance in program history. (Photo courtesy of ���ϲ����� Athletics)

For the third straight season, the ���ϲ����� football team has qualified for a bowl game, the first time the Orange have secured back-to-back-to-back postseason appearances since a run of five consecutive bowl games from the 1995 to 1999 seasons.

On Sunday afternoon, ���ϲ����� (9-3, 5-3 in the Atlantic Coast Conference) learned it will take on the Washington State Cougars (8-4) in the DIRECTV Holiday Bowl in San Diego, California. The game kicks off at 8 p.m. EST/5 p.m. PST on Dec. 27 and will be broadcast nationally on FOX.

Fans who are interested in making the trip to California to cheer on the Orange can visit for information on the Holiday Bowl, including how to purchase tickets. Fans are encouraged to buy their Holiday Bowl tickets through ���ϲ����� Athletics to ensure their seats in the ���ϲ����� sections of Snapdragon Stadium.

This year’s squad earned the 29th bowl appearance in program history, with the Orange sporting a 16-11-1 record all-time in bowl games. This will be ���ϲ�����’s first time playing in the Holiday Bowl.

First-year head coach Fran Brown has the Orange at 9-3 after the regular season, tied for the most regular season victories by a first-year head coach in program history. ���ϲ����� will enter the bowl game ranked in the College Football Playoff (No. 21), Associated Press (No. 22) and USA Today Coaches Polls (No. 25).

The Orange closed out the regular season with a thrilling 42-38 win over No. 8 Miami inside the JMA Wireless Dome on Nov. 30, a game where the Orange pulled off the largest comeback in school history (rallying from down 21 points), earned its first top 10 win since 2017 and secured its third win over a ranked opponent for the first time since 1998.

A win in the Holiday Bowl would be ���ϲ�����’s 10th this year and would represent the program’s third 10-win season since the 2000 campaign.

The Orange and the Cougars have met once before, in 1979, with ���ϲ����� defeating Washington State by a score of 52-25. With construction occurring on the JMA Wireless Dome, that game was played at then Rich Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, home of the NFL’s Buffalo Bills.

Eunkyu Lee

Eunkyu Lee, associate dean for global initiatives and professor of marketing in the Martin J. Whitman School of Management, has been selected as one of the Top 50 Best Undergraduate Business Professors of 2024 by .

Lee was nominated by S.P. Raj, chair of marketing in the Whitman School, says, “I am thrilled to nominate Professor Lee for the Best Undergraduate B-School Professor of 2024, as his teaching career exemplifies unwavering dedication and exceptional talent. Known for his enthusiastic and personable approach, he captivates students with his animated communication style, fostering a classroom environment that encourages critical thinking and active participation.

“He is a strong advocate for experiential learning, exemplified by his acclaimed Brand Management course, where students manage multi-million dollar brands in a simulated environment. Over 30 years of his excellent career in education is evidenced by multiple accolades, outstanding teaching evaluations and words of appreciation by his former and current students. Professor Lee truly deserves this recognition for his extraordinary impact on undergraduate education,” Raj says.

Lee is a leading scholar on marketing channel management and brand strategy. His research has appeared in such top academic journals as Marketing Science, Journal of Marketing Research, Management Science and Journal of Retailing. He also regularly contributes his vast knowledge on current marketing and business issues to various media outlets.

In addition, his teaching talents are well-known throughout the Whitman School, having received the Graduate Faculty of the Year Award, as well as the Dean’s Recognition of Teaching Excellence, multiple times. Lee has also been nominated for the University’s Meredith Teaching Recognition Award and received acknowledgement for his outstanding research by receiving a Martin J. Whitman Research Fellowship and the Whitman Dean’s Research Fellowship.

Poets&Quants��received approximately 1,000 nominations for 160 professors from students, alumni, colleagues and deans at more than 60 of the best undergraduate business programs worldwide. Every nomination is individually evaluated, assigning all professors a 1-to-10 score based on research (weighted 30%) determined by volume of Google Scholar citations, media attention, research and writing awards and industry impact; and teaching accolades (weighted 70%), including nominations, awards and impact on their departments and schools. The average of both factors makes up the final score to determine the Top 50.

“It is truly an honor to be chosen for such a prestigious award, and I appreciate those who have nominated me and supported my work at the Whitman School. To me, marketing is a field that is fascinating and dynamic, and there is nothing I like to do more than transfer my own enthusiasm to my students by explaining concepts and principles of marketing through real-world examples that resonate in ways they can easily understand,” says Lee, who joined the Whitman School in 2000.

“Equally important to me is continuing to build on my research and share it with others—students, colleagues, media—as I examine some of the emerging topics in marketing,” Lee says. “Currently, some of my research projects are looking closely at the impact of artificial intelligence on customer shopping assistance and advertising, as well as the importance of disclosing use of AI to consumers in order to enhance the trustworthiness of a brand. AI is just one more element that continues to make the marketing field fascinating and fast paced.”

This is Poets&Quant’s seventh edition of the 50 Best Professors in Undergraduate Business Education. For more information on Lee, see his on Poets&Quants where he elaborates more about his career as a business school professor in the Whitman School.

Professor Beth Kubala works with students (Photo by The Lovewigs)

“Elizabeth Kubala takes her students from the classroom to the community, breaking down barriers so veteran clients can access quality health care, food and other government benefits,” says Domenick Napoletano, president of the New York State Bar Association. “Her work bridges generations, aiding recent veterans now enrolled in college to those who fought in Korea and Vietnam.”

Kubala is executive director of the College of Law’s (VLC). Under her direction, students have authored amicus briefs to the U.S. Supreme Court and argued cases at the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals. Kubala’s tenacity has brought about new programs and funding to fight veteran homelessness and substance use. Her nomination praised her infectious enthusiasm and passion for her work.

���ϲ����� and the College of Law proudly support veterans through a legacy of over 100 years of commitment to military-connected students. Recognized as one of the��Best Private Schools for Veterans��and dedicated to being the��Best Place for Veterans, ���ϲ����� offers unparalleled resources, academic programs and student organizations for our veteran population. The University is home to the D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families, a national nonprofit organization which has supported more than 208,000 service members, veterans and military family members through programs and services which empower them in their post service lives.

Felisha Legette-Jack

With a little less than two weeks remaining in this year’s campaign, there’s still time for University employees to make a gift of any size to support their fellow Central New Yorkers in need. The campaign kicked off on Oct. 18 and runs through Friday, Dec. 13.

“���ϲ����� is a strong, blue-collar city. When we do things together, when we do things united, my hope is I am going to be living proof of what giving back to our community looks like,” Legette-Jack says.

The United Way of Central New York has been��providing residents with access to essential resources for 102 years, funding 73 different human service programs and projects at 34 nonprofit partners. Through the employee giving campaign, faculty and staff have supported the vast impact United Way has in our community while empowering its work for the last 52 years.

Michael Frasciello

“The United Way gives us that opportunity to make sure we are helping those who have the biggest needs. This is the community we live and work in, and so when we talk about an obligation and responsibility to the community, these are our neighbors, these people are us. This includes individuals within the University who benefit from these programs. The University’s commitment to the United Way, if it’s not seamless, it’s almost symbiotic,” says , dean of the .

This year’s employee giving campaign runs through Friday, Dec. 13.

University employees are encouraged to consider making a voluntary pledge through MySlice. Options are available for either a one-time donation or a recurring donation through payroll deduction each pay period. University retirees are also invited to participate as many enjoy the longstanding tradition and generous spirit of this annual event. For those who prefer, a paper pledge card may be obtained by contacting campaign coordinator Jake Losowski at��jjlosows@syr.edu��or 315.443.4137.

Every dollar raised remains in Central New York to help the United Way address various community needs. Faculty and staff are encouraged to unite with their Orange colleagues to give hope to those with the greatest need in our community.

In case you need inspiration for why your gift matters,�� featuring co-chairs of the University’s employee giving campaign, , the deputy athletics director and senior woman administrator, and , vice president of enrollment services, along with other University employees discussing the importance of contributing to the United Way.

Kirsten Elleby

“The United Way is literally changing lives through the work that they do in partnering with other organizations. You never know when your friend, your neighbor, your family member is going to benefit from some of the good that United Way does, so I think it’s really important for us to give back,” Elleby says.

In addition to the co-chairs, the annual campaign is led by a collection of team leaders from colleges and departments across campus who collaborate to promote the campaign and encourage their colleagues to participate.

“The United Way is really the hub of the nonprofit community in Central New York. We have a lot to be fortunate for, so giving back is a way to acknowledge that and make a difference,” says Cristina Hatem, director, strategic marketing and communications for ���ϲ����� Libraries.

No gift is too small and every dollar helps change lives.

Mechanical and aerospace engineering professor Andrea Shen is teaching automotive engineering, a course designed to equip students for careers in the automotive industry and a variety of other fields.

Students in MAE 457 will learn about how internal combustion engines work, along with the significance of biofuels, vehicle dynamics and how different factors impact engine performance. They will also have hands-on learning experiences with engines, observing the functions of diesel engines and gasoline engines located in Link Hall. Each student will also complete a project where they conduct research on a vehicle of their choice.

The course will also feature guest speakers from companies such as Space X, Ford, Harley Davidson, Sierra Space, Roush Yates, Cummins and Caterpillar, with students receiving an opportunity to interact with these industry professionals.

“I’m hoping students will gain an appreciation for cars,” says Shen. “They will gain an understanding of all the things that go on in the car and how they interact with each other. I also want to bring awareness on biofuels and the importance of research on combustion engines and automotives in the face of electric vehicles.”

Shen earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Virginia Tech and a Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the Engine Research Center. She will incorporate her research focuses on gasoline engines, biofuels, and engine performance as well as creating representative models of different base fuels into the course.

Reduced Health Plan Contributions

Faculty and staff are encouraged to carefully review the expanded eligibility guidelines for 2025 that outline how to apply for reduced payroll contributions for health coverage. Depending on an employee’s household income and size, reduced health plan contributions are available through Schedule B.��The application deadline is Dec. 6.��For more information and a copy of the application,��.

Dependent Care Subsidy

As part of ongoing efforts to support the changing needs of families, the University continues to offer subsidies to faculty and staff to assist with dependent care.��The application deadline is Dec. 6.��For more information and a copy of the application,��.

Supplemental Life Insurance and Long-Term Disability Insurance

Faculty and staff who chose to newly elect or increase supplemental life insurance during this year’s annual Open Enrollment period must complete the����and return it to MetLife. Individuals who newly elected long term disability insurance through The Standard must complete a����and return it to The Standard.

Questions? Visit the����or contact HR Shared Services at��hrservice@syr.edu��or 315.443.4042.

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.

Bradford Smith (left) working with Danielle Lanphere (right) during a conversation club meeting at the Gebbie Speech, Language and Hearing Clinic. He and other individuals who use Alternative Augmentative Communication to help express themselves gather weekly to build community and expand their communication abilities.

“At each meeting, members share stories, thoughts and plans while participating in engaging and fun activities,” says Hammerle. “This allows them to grow the complexity of their language, increase efficiency with AAC use, and develop a sense of community and support through interaction with other individuals utilizing AAC.”

Michael Theobald (right) uses a Smartbox Gridpad speech-generating device to communicate with others at a conversation club meeting.

Practical Experience

Meetings revolve around a specific theme, and participants take part in various related activities, including games, trivia and guided discussions. Some recent group exercises have included filling out a March Madness bracket, participating in ���ϲ����� history trivia and planning a cross-country road trip.

Each session is planned and facilitated by graduate students, with oversight from Hammerle and other faculty. Through this experience, students acquire transferable skills that will benefit their careers as speech-language pathologists after graduation. They learn how to:

• Use different types of high-tech alternative augmentative communication devices;
• Assist group members with programming and troubleshooting; and
• Operate various software used by each participant.

Alongside these practical skills, students also build relational competencies through their interactions with group members, allowing them to see AAC users as individuals rather than just focusing on their devices.

“By spending a semester in the group, they form great relationships with the AAC users that can help inform their empathy and clinical care in the field,” says Hammerle.

Spreading AAC Awareness

To help educate the public about Alternative Augmentative Communication, several organizations came together in 2007 to designate October as AAC Awareness Month. It marks a time to celebrate individuals who utilize AAC for communication and create supportive communities for AAC users. Each October, members of the conversation club create outreach initiatives to express their unique perspectives, and this year they produced a news article. According to Hammerle, the goal was to help make the public aware of what AAC is, provide tips for communicating with AAC users and express what AAC means to them.

Below are excerpts from the team’s news article, lightly edited for length and clarity:

The Significance of AAC Awareness Month

This month encourages advocacy, education and understanding, helping to raise awareness about the diverse methods of communication available. By promoting AAC, we aim to empower users, foster connections and enhance inclusivity, ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to express themselves and be heard.

By raising awareness, we can break down barriers and misconceptions surrounding communication challenges, empowering individuals to express themselves fully. AAC awareness encourages empathy, patience and support from friends, family and the community, ultimately enhancing the quality of life for those who rely on these tools. As we advocate for AAC, we promote not only the right to communicate but also the celebration of diverse perspectives, reminding us that every individual’s voice matters.

The Advantages of AAC for its Users

Mike, an AAC user who comes to the Gebbie Speech, Language and Hearing Clinic for conversation club, says that AAC serves as a vital means of communication for him, as it helps him “get the thoughts out of [his] head. I don’t want them going into the ether.”

Shannon, another member of the conversation club, says that while some people may use AAC occasionally, for others, “it’s a lifeline to the rest of the world so we aren’t so encapsulated in our own heads with our own thoughts.”

Tips for Effective Communication with AAC Users

Brad, a member of the conversation club, says that AAC is “unpredictable technology. They want to work when they want to work.” Shannon added, “just because I use this to speak doesn’t mean I don’t understand what you say and do.” Brad says that AAC is akin to learning a foreign language, and often, the user may be the only person in their family fluent in this form of communication, highlighting the need for patience and empathy from those around them.

The group notes, “We want people communicating with AAC users to know that the process can be time-consuming.” Mike says, “Just give [us] time to speak. It may take a while, but [we] may have something important to say.”

The group notes that everyone deserves to have the time they need to express themselves fully, so patience is key. Rushing the conversation can lead to missed opportunities for deeper understanding, so allowing for that extra time can make all the difference in fostering genuine communication.

If you use AAC and would like to find out more about the conversation club or learn about the clinic’s other services, visit the website or contact them at gebbie@syr.edu.

Anthony Adornato, an associate professor of (BDJ) in the , has been named a Fulbright Specialist to train journalists in Kosovo on best practices for reporting across platforms.

Anthony Adornato

The BDJ department chair, will travel to the southeast European country in the summer of 2025 for the nearly three-week Fulbright Specialist assignment. Adornato will train staff at Radio Television of Kosovo on new trends in media and communication.

�ճ�� , which is part of the larger Fulbright Program, was established in 2001 by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. It is designed to (two to six weeks) for faculty and professionals from the United States.

Previously, Adornato was named a Fulbright Scholar in 2020 and spent a semester teaching and conducting research at universities in Milan. Adornato explored the impact of mobile and social media on journalism and journalism education in Italy.