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.

“This award is a testament to the Libraries’ and the University’s commitment to creating an environment that is welcoming to all. We are committed to ensuring that our services and resources are inclusive and accessible. This includes our campus surveys that inform our strategy to expand our collections and exhibitions to include previously excluded or underrepresented voices. Such efforts expose Libraries’ users to a multiplicity of life experiences, cultures and viewpoints, and encourages the use of inclusive curricular materials across campus. Receiving this award is external acknowledgement that our actions�� align with our ethos and goals,” says David Seaman, dean of Libraries and University Librarian.

Lenore Pearlstein, owner and publisher of Insight Into Diversity magazine, says “We are proud to honor these college and university libraries as role models for other institutions of higher education.”

Kenny will meet with students participating in the and the�� for an informal chat about how neurodiversity is a creative superpower. He will also speak to the broader campus community about his experience growing up in ���ϲ�����, connecting with like-minded creatives and his career trajectory.

Kenny, an award-winning voice actor, has also appeared on HBO’s “Mr. Show with Bob and David,” and has voiced characters on animated shows like “Rocko’s Modern Life,” “The Powerpuff Girls” and “CatDog.” He will share his experience on the skills needed to embark on an entrepreneurial journey and how to find your own creative voice, inspiring a new generation to learn more about content creation, storytelling and audience engagement.

The schedule for the day is as follows:

• 9:30-10:45 a.m.: Visit with Intelligence ++ Class and InclusiveU students. Location: Peter Graham Scholarly Commons, Bird Library. Media may listen to class discussion (please contact media@syr.edu to schedule).
• 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m.: Informal discussion and Q&A (open to the campus community and the media) on “Creative Entrepreneurial Journey,” featuring Tom Kenny and moderated by Oscar Arce (founder of Los Angeles-based Master Talent Agency) and Paul Kozlowski (writer, actor, artist, comedian and founder of the FAKE Gallery in Hollywood and the AKE Gallery in Cortland, New York). Location: Martin J. Whitman School of Management Grand Flaum Hall.

Kenny’s visit is being sponsored by , the Intelligence++ Program, the Taishoff Center for Inclusive Higher Education (InclusiveU), the College of Visual and Performing Arts and the Martin J. Whitman School of Management.

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 .

• Bird Library (open to all ���ϲ����� and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry affiliates with a valid user ID):
  • Monday through Thursday: 24 hours
  • Friday: Closes at 10 p.m.
  • Saturday: Open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
  • Sunday: Reopens at 10 a.m.
• The Special Collections Research Center (located on the sixth floor):
  • Monday through Friday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with extended hours Wednesday until 7 p.m.

• The Libraries will operate under reduced hours during Spring Break week (March 8-15) and extended hours during final exams (May 2-4).

As a congressionally designated depository for U.S. government documents, Bird Library is open to the public on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., and on weekends beginning at 10 a.m.

Yage Huang

Huang recently obtained her doctor of juridical science (SJD) degree from Indiana University Bloomington and holds a master of law degree from China University of Political Science and Law.

Her research interests include criminal procedure law, evidence and human rights. In her position at the Law Library, Huang will provide legal research support, assist with researching and developing law collections, liaise with faculty and provide research instruction to law students, and promote library services to alumni and the local bar.

• “”
  • Thursday, Feb. 27, 5-6:30 p.m. in Bird Library, Room 114
  • Presented by , social science librarian
• “”
  • Wednesday, March 5, 5:30-7 p.m., online via Zoom
  • Presented by , librarian for the Newhouse School of Public Communications
• “”
  • Monday, March 17, 5-6:30 p.m., in Bird Library, Room 114
  • Presented by , assistant teaching professor, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, College of Engineering and Computer Science
• “”
  • Monday, March 24, 5-6:30 p.m., in Bird Library, Room 114
  • Presented by , open scholarship librarian, and , IVMF research and digital projects librarian
• “”
  • Tuesday, March 25, 5:30-7:30 p.m., in Bird Library, Room 114
  • Presented by , associate director for research and collections, College of Law Library, and , information literacy scholar, ���ϲ����� Libraries and reference assistant, College of Law Library
• “”
  • Wednesday, April 2, 5:30-7:30 p.m., in Bird Library, Room 114
  • Panelists include , associate professor and director of graduate studies in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs; , associate professor of communications in the Newhouse School of Public Communications; , assistant teaching professor in the College of Arts and Sciences
• “”
  • Thursday, April 10, 6:30-7:45 p.m., Online via Zoom
  • Presented by , librarian in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, and , online learning librarian

Sydney Moore

The Blackstone LaunchPad at ���ϲ����� Libraries has awarded one $2,500 Student Start-Up Fund grant, formerly the Innovation Fund, for the Spring 2025 semester. Grants are awarded on a rolling basis to undergraduate and graduate students who need help moving an idea from concept to commercialization.

Sydney Moore G’25 (Martin J. Whitman School of Management), founder of Thrive Insights, received the grant. Thrive Insights hosts that informs and supports student-athletes with honest and engaging conversations about student-athlete issues. Sydney Moore, a Division 1 volleyball player, is the host. The podcast launched on all platforms on Dec. 9, 2024. The grant was used to help Moore incorporate the business.

Fund applicants define their need with identified outcomes within a set time. Initial money in the fund was provided by Jeffrey Rich L’67, a partner at Rich Michaelson Magaliff LLP, and a member of the ���ϲ����� Libraries Advisory Board. Rich provided a multi-year pledge of $25,000 per year for five years from 2020 to 2025.

“I wanted to contribute in a way that directly supports student new ventures and removes any obstacles to startup development,” says Jeffrey Rich.

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.

Marianne Donley

Marianne Donley recently joined ���ϲ����� Libraries as the Physical Sciences Librarian in the Department of Research and Scholarship. In this role, Donley will be subject librarian for chemistry, forensic sciences, mathematics, and physics and astronomy.

Prior to joining ���ϲ����� Libraries, Donley worked as a health sciences library intern at Duquesne University while pursuing a master’s in library and information science from the University of Pittsburgh.

Donley received a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Villanova University and worked as a research and development scientist at Covestro LLC.

Kelly Delevan, at right, information literacy librarian and recipient of the 2024 Libraries’ Distinguished Service Award, is pictured with David Seaman, dean of Libraries and University librarian.

The award is a three-decade tradition recognizing Libraries’ staff who have made a significant contribution to both the Libraries and the broader University community. A cross-departmental panel of Libraries’ staff judged nomination entries and selected the recipient based on outstanding service to Libraries’ users, excellence in professional skills and significant contributions to the Libraries’ community. The Distinguished Service Award, which is open to all Libraries employees, allows peer recognition based on nominations, a recommendation from the person’s supervisor and recommendations from at least two members of the University community.

Delevan was selected as this year’s winner based on her strong and persistent commitment to excellence in education, mentorship and advancement of the field of library and information science. Delevan rebuilt and revitalized the Libraries’ instruction program, while championing information literacy as a shared competency for undergraduate students. She has fostered a culture of critical thinking while helping undergraduates build research skills and information fluency.

Delevan’s campus collaborations with the ���ϲ����� Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Engagement (SOURCE) and First Year Seminar have been incredibly impactful for undergraduate students. She developed workshops for students applying for SOURCE grants that include goal setting and project planning, skills important beyond their SOURCE participation. She also created a customized library research guide for First Year Seminar students that is now has a required assignment in all 200+ sections of the course. Additionally, Delevan created an online library tutorial for more than 90 athletic tutors to complete, which helps them better prepare the University’s student athletes.

Graduate students have also benefited from the Information Literacy Scholars program Delevan created that provides School of Information Studies students with substantive experiential learning opportunities, including instructional design. To date, twenty-four graduate students have benefited directly from Delevan’s knowledge, support and encouragement. learning by example and guidance how to become successful instructors.

Beyond engaging students at all levels, Delevan created a faculty professional development program, Information Literacy and Technological Agility (ILTA), to share with faculty how to incorporate these skills into their syllabi. This successful program is co-sponsored by Academic Affairs.

Collectively, these initiatives have established Delevan as a campus leader and beyond, with her workshops, lectures and writings widely recognized in the field of library and information studies and information literacy.

A past Information Literacy Scholar summarized Delevan’s work in this way: “Everything she does for her IL Scholars, for the students they teach together, and for our library community as a whole, without any expectation of recognition, makes her the perfect candidate for this award.”

The Intelligence++ program is an interdisciplinary initiative that fosters innovation and entrepreneurship to enhance the lives of individuals with intellectual disabilities. It was established in 2020 in collaboration with the (InclusiveU) and the .

The program features an inclusive entrepreneurship and design curriculum open to students across disciplines which encourages participants to design and develop tangible solutions that address challenges faced by people with intellectual disabilities. Students work in teams to conceptualize and prototype innovations in a hands-on, inclusive approach that blends principles of design thinking, entrepreneurship, and social impact.

Gianfranco Zaccai ’70 H’09 works with students from Intelligence++ program in the Blackstone LaunchPad at ���ϲ����� Libraries.

The program is supported by the Zaccai Foundation for Augmented Intelligence, thanks to a generous donation from Gianfranco Zaccai ’70 H’09. This funding underscores a commitment to translating research and creativity into real-world applications that promote accessibility and empowerment for individuals with disabilities.

“From artificial intelligence to digital technologies and physical products, this field is positioned for rapid growth,” says Zaccai, who hopes the program will attract students from diverse academic disciplines, fostering innovation in accessibility. “Participating students can join the leading edge of innovation.”

, introduced as an extension of the program, provides additional funding and resources to commercialize these ideas, enabling students to take their projects from concept to market-ready solutions. Students from all schools and colleges can apply for the Intelligence ++ Ventures fund, regardless of their participation in the original Intelligence++ course. The applications are rolling and will be reviewed as received. Applications are not limited to students in the Intelligence ++ program; however, applicants who have worked with the program can demonstrate the necessary discovery work with people in the field to validate their invention or innovation.

Applicants must submit a detailed project proposal, along with a scope and budget supported by a business commercialization plan that demonstrates a clearly identified production and sales path. Students must also demonstrate that they have a production or manufacturing partner capable of producing their innovation, and/or a technical team in place to deploy a commercial roll-out. Submissions must be beyond the concept stage and should have the potential to be deployed in the market within six months. If successfully executed, a student may apply for a second grant to introduce a new product line. A maximum of two grants may be awarded through the program.

An interdisciplinary group of faculty with expertise working in the disability field will make up the review team for proposals.

More information about Intelligence ++ is available . An Intelligence ++ application template can be requested by email or by visiting Bird Library Room 123.

Since 1954, ALLUNY has�� brought together law library staff and people interested in law libraries from Upstate New York for professional development, networking and social activities. It is comprised of academic, court and law firm librarians. ALLUNY is a chapter of the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL), the national organization for law libraries. While other chapters have struggled to keep members engaged, ALLUNY has seen success in participation from its members, in part, due to its compelling strategy around its meetings.

On Oct. 25, ALLUNY held its annual meeting as a hybrid event, both in person at the College of Law and online. Approximately 70 attendees participated in this year’s annual meeting. “Offering the ALLUNY annual meeting as a hybrid event makes it more accessible for everyone,” says Petitto. “While the dialogue and collegiality in person is important, it’s just not practical for those single practitioners who may be the only law librarian at their organization to leave for the day. This way, everyone who wants to participate is able.”

In addition to making the meeting physically accessible, ALLUNY also works to keep it financially accessible. Registration to attend for members is only $30, $35 for nonmembers and $15 for students. Plus, ALLUNY offers several grants and awards to offset member costs. ALLUNY encourages all librarians and library students to attend its annual meetings. In this way, it hopes to build a pipeline for future law library professionals.

For the second year in a row, the topic of the annual meeting centered around artificial intelligence (AI). This year’s theme was “Pioneering AI from Classrooms to Courtrooms.” Presentations, roundtables and discussions included real-life tools, applications and ethical considerations around the use of AI in law schools, law libraries and in the practice of law. Expert speakers were professors, legal professionals and AI experts from law library resource collections. AALL Executive Board Member Andre Davison from Harris County Robert W. Hainsworth Law Library, Houston, Texas, spent several days visiting law libraries in the ���ϲ����� area and was the keynote speaker.

This year’s annual meeting sessions included:

• “15 Ways Law Libraries Can Use Generative AI” presented by Ellyssa Valenti Kroski, New York Law Institute
• “AI in Law School” presented by Nina Scholtz, Cornell Law School
• “AI in the Practice of Law – a Paralegal’s View” presented by Brigid Purtell, Bousquet Holstein PLLC
• “The History of AI Ethics” presented by Elisabeth Lasch-Quinn, Campbell Public Affairs Institute in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and Mary Szto, College of Law
• Aaron Eberle from LexisNexis and Ryan Groff and Erica Mohai from Thomson Reuters also shared updates around Generative AI developments in legal databases
• “AI Roundtable” led by Teresa Vadakin, Hurwitz Fine PC

“AI is a tool that librarians are in a good position to help users–students, faculty and legal practitioners– make use of in an ethical way,” says Petitto. “Ensuring that our association stays abreast of trends and makes professional development accessible and affordable is important, and I was pleased that the Law Library could play an important role.”

The winner of the ���ϲ����� competition will receive an expense paid trip to compete in the ACC InVenture Prize finals at the end of March at the University of Notre Dame. The televised finals feature one team from each ACC college/university who compete for ��$30,000 in prizes. Teams with generated revenue or venture capital funding of more than $100,000 are ineligible (including funding from both institutional and non-institutional sources such as contests, grants, friends and family, bank loans, etc.).

Katy Arons ’24 (School of Information Studies), founder of Continual Consent LLC, holds an oversize boarding pass for last year’s flight to the ACC InVenture competition in Florida

���ϲ����� student startup teams or researchers are invited to submit�� of a venture idea to participate in the ���ϲ����� campus qualifier along with a five-minute pitch video.�� All campus qualifier finalists will also be invited to apply for LaunchPad Innovation Fund grants as well as , both available through gifts to ���ϲ����� Libraries. Competitive applications typically include technology or research that is being commercialized in areas such as agriculture, biology, life sciences, medical, climate, consumer electronics, education, finance, sports, hardware, software, artificial intelligence, augmented or virtual reality, ��big data, autonomous devices, robotics, advanced materials, Internet of Things, 5G and more. Digital platforms or services should have an underlying novel technology and ideally should be past the idea stage with some customer discovery and design drawings.

The ���ϲ����� ACC InVenture Prize is supported by the Provost’s Office and is hosted by ���ϲ����� Libraries and the .

• Friday, Dec. 13, through Monday, Dec. 16: Bird Library will be open 24 hours a day and Carnegie Library will be open until 11 p.m.

The Libraries is also offering the following destress activities at Bird Library during finals:

• Dec. 4-13: Positivity station on the first floor of Bird Library. Students can pick up study goodie bags, encouraging notes with candy, coloring pages and snacks.
• Tuesday, Dec. 10: Stop by Room 114 for the Libraries wellness room. Destress from finals from 4 to 6 p.m. and participate in coloring, Zen boards, guided meditation, chair massage pillows and board games.
• As a reminder, the Libraries’ have two MindSpa ��available to reserve.

Course Highlights

The NSF I-Corps program is nationally recognized for helping researchers bridge the gap between laboratory discoveries and commercial applications. Through hands-on activities and expert mentorship, participants will engage in the critical process of customer discovery, learning to identify the best product-market fit for their technology or research project. The program opens the door to government grant programs such as (fund investments of up to $2 million with no equity to help bring research to market), as well as private investments.

The program includes a combination of live virtual sessions and one-on-one meetings offering teams an opportunity to receive additional guidance from the course instructors and refine their discoveries.

Participants will gain:

• Firsthand experience with customer discovery
• Feedback and mentorship from NSF-trained instructors
• A clearer understanding of the product-market fit for their innovations; and
• The potential to be nominated for the NSF I-Corps Teams program, which offers additional resources and support.

Schedule

One-hour virtual class sessions are offered at convenient times for participants. Two days are scheduled for 1:1 mentoring sessions.

• Session 1: Monday, Feb, 17, 2025
• Session 2a: Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025 — (1:1 mentoring meetings)
• Session 2b: Friday, Feb. 21, 2025
• Session 3: Monday, Feb. 24, 2025
• Session 4: Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025 — (1:1 mentoring meetings)
• Session 5a: Wednesday, March 5, 2025
• Session 5b: Monday, March 10, 2025
• Session 6: Wednesday, March 12, 2025

NSF I-Corps programming is co-led by Linda Dickerson Hartsock, strategic initiatives advisor at the Libraries; Jeff Fuchsberg, director of the ���ϲ����� Center for Advanced Systems and Engineering (CASE); and Cristiano Bellavitis, assistant professor of entrepreneurship in the Martin J. Whitman School of Management, who serves as project research lead. Whitman Interim Dean Alex McKelvie serves as principal investigator for the University’s NSF I-Corps grant.

For more information about the upcoming NSF I-Corps course, contact Hartsock at ldhart01@syr.edu or Fuchsberg at jrfuchsb@syr.edu.

About the NSF I-Corps Program

The NSF Innovation Corps (I-Corps) is a program designed to help researchers in the STEM fields transition from fundamental research to the commercialization of their ideas. Through a national network of training programs and partnerships, I-Corps provides the knowledge and skills needed to evaluate the commercial potential of scientific and technological innovations.

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

Contributions from people without current fines will also be accepted. Fines will be reduced by $1 per item for toilet paper, lip balm, rice, pasta, canned vegetables/fruits/beans and pasta sauce. Fines will be reduced by $2 per item for liquid soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, cereal and canned meats/fish. Fines will be reduced by $3 per item for lotion, oatmeal, canned soup/baked beans, peanut butter/jelly, tea, hot chocolate, ramen noodles and granola. And fines will be reduced by $4 per item for shampoo/conditioner, deodorant and coffee. Contributions should not be open or expired and single-use items are preferred.

For more information about “Food for Fines,” contact Nick Olivieri at naolivie@syr.edu.

Elizabeth Paulin

Student teams pitched their respective social impact ventures for a chance to win a total of $15,000 in prizes, supported by generous donations from Libraries’ donors. This year’s winners are:

• 1^st Place: $6,000 awarded to Elizabeth Paulin ’24 () of Paulin Capital.
• 2^nd place: $4,500 awarded to Jordan Pierre ’23, G’24 (), founder of Voice.
• 3^rd place: $3,000 awarded to Olutosin Alabi G’25 (), founder of Diabetech.
• Runner-Ups: $500 each awarded to Ava Lubkemann ’27 (), founder of ReVamped; Alie Savane ’25 (Arts and Sciences), founder of Beta Kola; and Dylan Bardsley ’26 (Whitman School) and Mark Leaf ’27 (Engineering and Computer Science), founders of Clarity.

The Fall 2024 Orange Innovation Fund award winners are (from left to right): Brianna Gillfillian, Waqar Hussain, Emeka Ossai, Ava Lubkemann, and Tosin Alabi.

���ϲ����� Libraries announced the seven award recipients for the Fall 2024 grant. Each of the following will receive a $5,000 grant to pursue research initiatives emerging from campus innovation programs. Recipients are:

• Angelo Niforatos G’25 (), founded Niffy Drone Solutions LLC, a drone operation and data analysis solution to improve decision-making, for its stage two prototype. “I finally pursued what I’d been discussing for five years thanks to ���ϲ�����,” says Niforatos. “I had no idea ���ϲ����� offered so many opportunities like the Innovation Grant to help me gain enough confidence to take that leap and chase my dream.”
• Ava Lubkemann ’27 (), founded Revamped, an eco-conscious initiative reimagining thrift shopping and waste reduction through a mobile model using an upcycled school bus pop-up and donation platform. “This funding gives me the ability to create a venture that addresses the problem of textile waste, particularly on college campuses,” says Lubkemann. “I am excited to build my proof of concept this spring and become part of the projected $82 billion secondhand retail market,�� meeting the demand for sustainable and affordable fashion.”
• Brianna Gillfillian ’24, G’25 (Engineering and Computer Science), founded STEAMfluence, a Science Technology Engineering Art Math (STEAM) pilot summer program for students of color and students in underserved communities. “With the help of Orange Innovation Fund, I will be able to turn dreams into reality and take steps to make the change I aspire to see in the world,” says Gillfillian. “STEAMfluence is not just a venture, it is a pillar of hope for many young people who think they could not advance in a career in STEAM.”
• Emeka Christopher Ossai G’25 (Whitman), founded CampusLabs, which equips university students in developing economies with critical skills needed for entrepreneurship and work. After successfully piloting CampusLabs Nigeria incubator, Ossai is now focusing on creating a hybrid program to expand participation. “This Orange Innovation Fund allows me to bring to life a startup accelerator that’s the first of its kind for university students in Nigeria, combining virtual learning with a direct residency… now we can finally reach talented university founders who would not have had access before because of where they live,” Ossai says. “It’s a real opportunity to see how this model can work across different regions and make entrepreneurship support more accessible.”
• Tony Goncalves ’27 (Engineering and Computer Science), founded GymIn, a comprehensive hardware and digital platform solution to track the use of gym equipment in real-time, optimizing usage and user experience. Goncalves is collaborating with the Barnes Center on a pilot. “GymIn is revolutionizing the fitness industry by providing a comprehensive hardware and digital platform solution for gym owners and users,” says Goncalves. “This award will help us create our minimally viable product to test with gyms to optimize operations, reduce costs, and enhance the gym experience for members through data-driven insights.”
• Tosin Alabi G’25 (Whitman), founded Diabetech, a smart bandage solution for diabetes wound care. Alabi is working on a prototype that integrates an electronic sensor with mobile application and artificial intelligence analytics to detect diabetic ulcers. Alabi, who lost her father to diabetes at a young age, recently completed the NSF I-Corps program offered by ���ϲ����� and received EB-1 visa status based on her work on Diabetech. The EB-1 visa was issued by the U.S. government to Albert Einstein to extend protections of official residence. Now referred to as the “Einstein Visa,” it recognizes very select researchers with extraordinary talents for their potential to contribute to the American scientific community. “When we prevent a diabetic amputation, we’re not just saving a limb, we’re keeping families walking together longer,” Alabi says.
• Waqar Hussain G’25 (Whitman), founded Iconnic.cloud, an artificial intelligence-driven compute pricing arbitrage platform. “As a dedicated participant in the university’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, I am grateful for this award to help us build spot compute pricing arbitrage powered by AI,” says Hussain, a Fulbright Scholar.��We are confident that with the support of the Orange Innovation Fund we can revolutionize cloud management services for small and medium-sized businesses.”

The Orange Innovation Fund, a “concept to commercialization” grant fund, is intended to help move graduate and undergraduate student research or scholarly projects from ideation to proof of concept and commercialization. Initial funding came from a gift to ���ϲ����� Libraries from Raj-Ann Rekhi Gill ’98, a member of the ���ϲ����� Board of Trustees. The program is administered through ���ϲ����� Libraries, in collaboration with the University’s research and commercialization programs.

Student awardees submitted comprehensive grant proposals that outlined specific, tangible needs related to prototype development while assessing the product, service or technology they are developing. A multi-disciplinary team of University faculty and alumni founders who helped develop the concept for the fund made the award selections. Awards are tied to milestones associated with defined projects over a clear time with identified outcomes.

The spring 2025 funding round will open in winter 2025, with proposals due by March 28, 2025. For more information, email OrangeInnovation@syr.edu.

Requests received after Jan. 10 will be processed in the order they were received and are not guaranteed to be available by the first week of classes. Reserve requests can include library materials, items to be purchased or faculty’s personal copies. Course reserves are an excellent way to provide students with affordable and accessible course materials.

Libraries’ Collection Materials

For that require the Libraries to purchase a new item not currently in the collection, the Libraries will purchase the eBook version when available. This allows more students to use course material at the same time and provides students with easier access.

Faculty requesting a print copy in course reserves should indicate that in the notes section of the form. The Libraries may require four to six weeks to purchase and receive new physical items. All physical course reserve items will only be available at Bird Library. Please note that the Libraries does not offer course reserves for electronic articles from professional journals.

Faculty Personal Copies

Personal copies of materials on course reserve for student access should also be submitted through the Libraries’ . For faculty requesting that personal copies be picked up from faculty department offices, email reserves@syr.edu with faculty name, course number and number of items/books to be picked up in the email.

Accessible Files

As you compile the resources you will be putting on reserve this coming semester, please remember that these resources may need to be in a format that is accessible for students who need to use screen readers or text-to-speech software to access these resources. If you need an accessible file, please indicate that in the notes section on the or email reserve@syr.edu.

For more information about course reserves, visit the .

Transportation

has announced reduced campus shuttle services during the Thanksgiving break.��Safety escort services are available from 8 p.m.-6 a.m. from Nov. 23-Dec. 1 by using the .

For those students looking for help reaching their destinations over the break, Student Engagement provides roundtrip buses to select cities on the East Coast. The cities include: New York City; Boston, Massachusetts; Washington, D.C.; White Plains, New York; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Rockaway, New Jersey. Bus tickets are $110 and seats are still available. Visit the for more information.

The University also provides complimentary roundtrip transportation to the ���ϲ����� Hancock International Airport and the Regional Transportation Center (for buses and trains). Buses will run from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 22, with pickup from Goldstein Student Center (South Campus), College Place and the Brewster/Boland/Brockway Complex. On Sunday, Dec. 1, buses will provide return transportation from the ���ϲ����� Airport/Regional Transportation Center from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Campus Dining

Many campus dining options will be closed or operate at limited hours over the break.��To see the hours of operation for all locations, ��. Here are some options for where to eat on campus each day.

• Saturday, Nov. 23
  • Sadler Dining Center, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
  • Orange Dining Center, 10:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.
• Sunday, Nov. 24
  • Orange Dining Center, 10:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.
• Monday, Nov. 25
  • Dunkin’, 8 a.m.-2 p.m.
  • Gerry’s Café, 8 a.m.-3 p.m.
  • Life Sciences Café, 8 a.m.-3 p.m.
  • Orange Dining Center, 10:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.
  • Halal Shack, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
  • Tavola 44, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
• Tuesday, Nov. 26
  • Dunkin’, 8 a.m.-2 p.m.
  • Gerry’s Café, 8 a.m.-3 p.m.
  • Life Sciences Café, 8 a.m.-3 p.m.
  • Orange Dining Center, 10:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.
  • Halal Shack, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
  • Tavola 44, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
• Wednesday, Nov. 27
  • Dunkin’, 8 a.m.-2 p.m.
  • Gerry’s Café, 8 a.m.-3 p.m.
  • Life Sciences Café, 8 a.m.-3 p.m.
  • Orange Dining Center, 10:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.
  • Halal Shack, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
  • Tavola 44, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
• Thursday, Nov. 28
  • Orange Dining Center, 10:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.
• Friday, Nov. 29
  • Orange Dining Center, 10:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.
• Saturday, Nov. 30
  • Sadler Dining Center, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
  • Orange Dining Center, 10:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.
• Sunday, Dec. 1
  • Brockway Dining Center, Ernie Davis Dining Center, Graham Dining Center, Orange Dining Center, Sadler Dining Center and Shaw Dining Center, all open standard hours.
  • Starbucks (West Campus), 7 a.m.-3 p.m.
  • Dunkin’, 8 a.m.-2 p.m.
  • Greens and Grains, noon-11 p.m.
  • Otto’s Juice Box (Goldstein), noon-11 p.m.
  • Starbucks (Goldstein), noon-8 p.m.
  • CoreLife Eatery, 1-7 p.m.
  • Halal Shack, 1-7 p.m.
  • Original Orange, 4-11 p.m.
  • Southbound, 4-11 p.m.
  • Tomato Wheel, 4-11 p.m.

Barnes Center at The Arch

Barnes Center at The Arch hours for health care, mental health, recreation and other facilities over Thanksgiving break are available on the��.

Reminder: Call 315.443.8000 for 24-Hour Support

Students experiencing a mental health crisis, seeking support for sexual assault or relationship violence, or needing urgent medical consultation can receive free, confidential services 24 hours a day, seven days a week, by calling 315.443.8000. Routine consultations should hold until the next business day.

Libraries

The hours for ���ϲ����� Libraries facilities are as follows:

• Saturday, Nov. 23
  • Bird Library, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
• Sunday, Nov. 24
  • Bird Library, noon-8 p.m.
• Monday, Nov. 25
  • Bird Library, 8 a.m.-8 p.m.
  • Carnegie Library, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
  • Law Library, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
  • King + King Architecture Library, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
• Tuesday, Nov. 26
  • Bird Library, 8 a.m.-8 p.m.
  • Carnegie Library, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
  • Law Library, 8 a.m.-5 p.m
  • King + King Architecture Library, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
• Wednesday, Nov. 27
  • Bird Library, 8 a.m.-6 p.m.
  • Carnegie Library, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
  • Law Library, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
• Thursday, Nov. 28-Friday, Nov. 29
  • No libraries open
• Saturday, Nov. 30
  • Bird Library, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
• Sunday, Dec. 1
  • Bird Library, opens at 10 a.m.
  • Carnegie Library, noon-8 p.m.

Department of Public Safety

The Department of Public Safety is available to the campus community 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The department can be reached at 315.443.2224 or by dialing 711 from any campus phone.

This story was written by Student Experience communications intern Chloe Langerman ’25, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.

The Student Library Advisory Board is an opportunity for students to share their ideas, needs and feedback to improve the Libraries’ services, resources, spaces and programming. Members will participate in user experience activities during once-a-month Friday meetings and will serve as ambassadors for the Libraries among their peers. Members will also gain leadership and skill-building experience, including in areas of information literacy, communication, civic responsibility, research and creative thinking, while helping to improve the Libraries through fun and interactive engagement. Applicants can anticipate a commitment of approximately three hours per month. Current library student employees are ineligible to participate.

The Student Library Advisory Board is being supported, in part, through a collaboration with . Those with questions can contact Seyvion Scott at sscott17@syr.edu.

• First place ($1,500) was awarded to Celes Buffard ’27 (School of Information Studies), founder of Return 2 Reality, an entertainment company focusing on a podcast for entrepreneurs around navigating and getting past the hurdles and challenges throughout the entrepreneurial journey.
• Second place ($1,000) was awarded to Olutosin (Tosin) Alabi G’25 (Whitman School of Management), founder of Diabetech, a med-tech venture for a diabetic foot ulcer wearable.
• Two third-place prizes ($500 each) were awarded to Alie Savane ’25 (College of Arts and Sciences), founder of Bete Kola, a health and wellness venture focusing on kola nut food and beverage products; and Mian Hamid ’26 (School of Information Studies), founder of Chai YEAH, a beverage venture offering authentic Indian chai tea to the U.S. market.

Seyvion Scott

Seyvion Scott joined ���ϲ����� Libraries this fall as the student engagement librarian in Learning and Academic Engagement. In this role, Scott will lead user experience and student engagement activities and provide reference, instruction and outreach services.

Prior to joining the Libraries, Scott served as the first-year experience librarian at Monroe Community College in Rochester and Medaille University Library in Buffalo.

Scott received her master’s degree in information science with a concentration in library and information services from the University at Albany (SUNY Albany) and her bachelor’s degree in African and African American Studies from the University of Rochester.

The collections include:

As the has observed in “A Guide to Documenting Latino/Hispanic History and Culture in New York State,” “Historical information is inadequately represented in the documentation of broad areas of Hispanic culture, including the fine arts, popular music and dance forms, and folk and traditional arts.” ��Information pertaining to Hispanic businesses as well as the social, political and religious organizations of the community is also limited, and the historical record has poorly reflected Latine experiences related to immigration, discrimination and access to services.

These nine digital collections will begin to remedy the documentation gap relating to the ���ϲ����� Latine community, supporting further work and study in the fields of anthropology, sociology, art, history and Latine studies. La Casita maintains both its physical and digital objects and collections with support from the Libraries, the , the and in the College of Arts and Sciences, and the in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, as well as from community partners including the , the and other colleges and educational institutions in the region.

“The collaboration between La Casita, ���ϲ����� Libraries, CLRC and the NY Heritage Digital Collections is a wonderful, combined effort that benefits all parties and the greater community, ensuring that these important resources are preserved and discovered by scholars, researchers and community members,” says Elisa Dekaney, associate provost for strategic initiatives.

��includes over 400,000 digitized books, manuscripts, maps, letters, photographs and memorabilia. New York Heritage provides access to stories spanning the history of New York, with contributions from over 430 libraries, museums, archives and other community organizations.

“It is very exciting to see one of La Casita’s long-term goals, to make our Cultural Memory Archive accessible online, finally become a reality,” says Tere Paniagua ’82, executive director of the University’s Office of Cultural Engagement for the Hispanic Community. “This is a project developed by La Casita’s Bilingual Library, one that we have been working on for over a decade. Many graduate students from the University’s have contributed to the project, and now that the platform was created for these first nine collections, we welcome more students to take on the task of building new online collections.”

Déirdre Joyce, head of digital stewardship and the Digital Library, added that “the Digital Library Program supports library, campus and community partnerships that find creative ways to publish and express their unique, local digital output to wider digital audiences. In this case, we were delighted to leverage the Libraries’ membership with CLRC on behalf of La Casita, thereby making this content–and�� and the stories of this diverse, ���ϲ����� community–broadly discoverable in New York Heritage. We look forward to continuing this important collaboration.”

This is the third time the workshop is being offered, thanks to generous support from the Libraries and the Office of Institutional Effectiveness. Participants will receive a $500 stipend after successful completion. The workshop is limited to 10 faculty participants and by Dec. 15.

During the workshop, librarians will assist faculty in creating new or adapting existing assignments that will allow students to demonstrate their learning in a way that aligns with the ILTA rubric. The workshop is facilitated by Kelly Delevan, information literacy librarian, and John Stawarz, online learning librarian.

“This workshop was extremely helpful in getting me to re-think this assignment as well as other assignments in this course (and other classes). I plan to incorporate more components that emphasize critical reflection on processes of research and building skills in evaluation of research,” says Christopher Hanson, associate professor of English in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Faculty are encouraged to apply if they currently teach a course that has been approved for an ILTA tag, are considering adding the ILTA tag to a course that they teach or are interested in designing or redesigning an assignment that will enable their students to meet the learning outcomes as described in the ILTA rubric.

During the workshop, participants will:

• Revise or create an assignment or learning activity that can be assessed using the ILTA rubric
• Discover learning strategies and pedagogies that enable students to demonstrate their information literacy skills
• Interact with faculty members from outside their discipline to build community
• Learn how the Libraries can support them in enhancing their assignments to incorporate diverse resources
• Share their new/revised assignments to a ILTA assignment repository maintained by the Libraries
• Share what they learned with faculty in their respective departments

“The guide Kelly and John created with the rubric and resources for the ILTA competency was the most helpful aspect. I was able to incorporate the appropriate language into my course assignment and resources that address the ‘inclusivity’ item on the rubric,” says Sevinç Türkkan, assistant teaching professor of writing studies, rhetoric and composition in the College of Arts and Sciences.

For more information on the workshop, contact Delevan at kkdeleva@syr.edu.

���ϲ����� Libraries is seeking feedback from campus users on new electronic resources for possible inclusion in its collections throughout November.

On-campus users are asked to visit the explore the resources under consideration and provide feedback via the embedded form on that page. Any insight on how well the proposed resource works, the quality and relevance of information contained within the resource and how it might be useful will be helpful in the Libraries’ evaluation. Access is limited to members of the ���ϲ����� community and is offered in accordance with the .

Trial resources have been selected by librarians, with a focus on responding to user requests and bringing new types of tools and content to campus for review. This year’s trials include collections related to African history and culture, public health, social work, social justice, data science, foundational business skills and decolonizing research. Additional tools on trial allow for users to interact with content in new ways via Artificial Intelligence powered search and text and data analysis.

���ϲ����� Libraries develops collections in a broad, interdisciplinary, and systematic way to support the teaching, research and creative needs of the campus. Our strategy focuses on three tracks:

• building a core collection through the acquisition of large e-resource packages in multiple disciplines;
• fostering a responsive collection through fulfilling direct requests from faculty and students; and
• curating a specialized collection through the expertise of our subject liaison librarians who work directly with users and anticipate the teaching and research needs of the university.

This approach allows the Libraries to meet individual needs and plan for future needs while building the overall collection.

To suggest a title to explore in the future, please contact your or use the form. For questions about the trial period, contact Anne Rauh, head of collections and research services.

All week:

• Sign your graduating class’s first-generation banner at the Intercultural Collective in the Schine Student Center. The banner will be displayed during graduation season. Participants can also get free first-generation stickers.
• A poster display, “Exploring the First-Generation ���ϲ����� Experience,” featuring campus community members, will be on exhibit on the first floor of Bird Library. Learn about the history of the first-generation identity in higher education, the diverse definitions of “first-generation” and inspiring profiles of current first-generation campus members. A library research guide will offer a wide array of books and resources by and for first-generation individuals, covering themes such as cultural education, memoirs, celebrations and wellness.

Monday, Nov. 4

• • A workshop on “Crafting Your Pitch” will be offered by Career Services and the Kessler Scholars Program from 1:30 to 3 p.m. in Room 104 of the Tolley Humanities Building. The workshop is tailored to the needs of first-generation students, with a special emphasis on undergraduate students. Participants will discover, practice and leave with branding and elevator pitch techniques to support their career journeys.
  • “,” will be held from 4-6 p.m. in the Peter Graham Scholarly Commons, 114 Bird Library. A diverse panel of faculty, staff, students and alumni will share their unique experiences, challenges and advice in navigating college and the professional environments. The discussion and Q&A session will include how to gather support and resources,

Tuesday, Nov. 5

• The Center for Learning and Student Success (CLASS), located on the lower level of Bird Library, will hold an open house from 3:30-5:30 p.m. for first-generation students to explore the variety of individual and group academic support services available.

Wednesday, Nov. 6

• Affinity and networking pop-up space for first-generation students, faculty and staff will be available from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Intercultural Collective office in the Schine Student Center. Meet fellow first-generation peers, share your experiences, sign your class banner and enjoy some light refreshments while building a supportive community.
• “Thriving as a First-Generation Professional: Navigating the Workforce with Confidence,” a trauma-informed workshop designed to empower first-generation college students as they prepare to enter the professional workforce, will be held from 1:30-3 p.m. in 103 Huntington Hall. Participants will explore practical strategies for overcoming challenges unique to first-generation professionals, such as navigating workplace dynamics, developing self-advocacy and managing financial independence.

• A on “Building Your Professional Network” will be held from 4 to 5 p.m. Learn how to unlock life-changing conversations, mentorships, internships and jobs. Connect with members of the vast Orange community. Open to all undergraduate students, regardless of school/college affiliation.

Thursday, Nov. 7

• An open house will be held in 208 Bowne Hall from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. for participants to learn about research, fellowship and other resources and opportunities available for first-generation students with the Center for Fellowship and Scholarship Advising (CFSA), ���ϲ����� Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Engagement (SOURCE), Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE) and the Lender Center for Social Justice.

Friday, Nov. 8

• A First-Generation Resource Fair will be held from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. in the Jacquet Commons in Huntington Hall. The fair will feature information from�� SOURCE, ���ϲ����� Abroad, Blackstone Launchpad, the McNair Scholars Program, the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation and more.
• A First-Generation Celebration featuring “Living Between Two Worlds” with Tianna Faye Soto will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the��Jacquet Commons in Huntington Hall. Soto will focus on empowering first-generation students to explore their identities, celebrate intersectionality and highlight the unique strength each person holds.

The National First-Generation College Celebration is celebrated annually on Nov. 8 to mark the anniversary of the signing of the Higher Education Act of 1965. The act provides equal opportunity for those from low-income and minority backgrounds. The legislation created grants and loan programs, invested in higher education institutions and started the Federal TRIO Programs (TRIO) to facilitate the academic success of first-generation college students.

First-Generation College Celebration Week events are made possible by the collaboration and generous contributions of multiple individuals, offices and units on campus that believe in elevating and celebrating our first-generation community of students, faculty and staff.

New Student Programs maintains the for those who self-identify as first-generation college students. The list serves a visual representation of faculty and staff dedication to helping current first-generation college students build their personal success networks and their eagerness to help grow a campus of support. Students are encouraged to connect with faculty and staff members who can share their personal journeys, insight and support throughout this unique student experience.

The six recipients are the following:

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

  Dominique Camp

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

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

John Olson and David Seaman with the award presented to the Libraries by the GPO.

The library’s website offers a variety of topical tabs on elections, the Constitution and more for users to explore government information. In addition, the website highlights when and how the public can access government information and who to contact for further assistance.

“Congratulations to ���ϲ����� Libraries on its fantastic website, which makes it easy for hundreds of thousands of people in Central New York to access government information,” says GPO Superintendent of Documents Scott Matheson. “On behalf of everyone at GPO, we applaud ���ϲ����� Libraries on helping GPO deliver on its vision of an America informed.”

“���ϲ����� Libraries is proud to be a congressionally designated depository for U.S. government documents,” says David Seaman, dean of ���ϲ����� Libraries and University librarian. “In fact, ���ϲ����� Libraries is the second oldest depository library in New York State and has been a part of the Federal Depository Library Program for more than 140 years. We are extremely grateful to John Olson, our government and geo-information librarian, who developed the online research guide that makes it easy for users to find these important resources, and we are honored to be recognized as the Federal Depository Library Program website of the year.”

The depository collections of ���ϲ����� Libraries serve 23,000 students, staff and faculty of ���ϲ����� as well as the 600,000 people in the central region of New York state. The Government Documents research guide has been viewed and used more than 4,000 times in the past 18 months, more than 220 times per month.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nearly 100 people registered to watch the competition, many of whom were attendees of Coming Back Together, the Black and Latine triennial alumni reunion on campus.

Student winners of 2024 Ideas Fest include:

• Olutosin (Tosin) Alabi G’25 (Martin J. Whitman School of Management)
• Nathan Thor Brekke ’26 (College of Engineering and Computer Science)
• Nicolas Philippe Courbage ’26 (Whitman School)
• Mario Antonio Escobar Jr. ’26 (Whitman School)
• Aphrodite Ruby Gioulekas ’25 (College of Visual and Performing Arts)
• Ania Kapllani ’25 (College of Visual and Performing Arts)
• Sandy Lin ’25 (College of Engineering and Computer Science)
• Omar Mohammed ’27 (College of Engineering and Computer Science)
• Clara Dorothy Gienapp Olson ’25 (S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications)
• Emeka Christopher Ossai G’25 (Whitman School)
• Elizabeth E Paulin ’24 (Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs)
• Briana Alexis Salas ’27 (Newhouse School)
• Avery Byrd Shelley G’25 (Newhouse School)
• Olivia Venezia Simons ’26 (Newhouse School and Whitman School)

Ideas Fest judges included subject matter experts, many of whom were SU alumni:

• Jacqueline P. Grant ’84, founder and CEO of The Management Academy, LLC and TrainTheTrades, LLC. Grant generously donated five marketing packages from The Management Academy and TrainTheTrades companies to winning student teams;
• Shade Akande, founder and CEO at OneX League;
• Joe Brooks ’87, retired senior banking executive with over 25 years of experience leading sales and service teams at JP Morgan Chase Bank;
• Gina N. Brown ’89, co-founder of myBKlife, a successful “hip” streetwear and lifestyle clothing brand;
• Simone Brown, CBT guest and registered nurse;
• Tyrin Fernandes ’20, food entrepreneur;
• Cristina Hatem ’92, director of strategic planning, marketing and communications at ���ϲ����� Libraries;
• Natalie Hewitt ’84, an independent human resources consultant;
• Kyra A. James ’07, professional food educator, certified cheese professional, and former ���ϲ����� track and field captain and student-athlete president;
• Erika L. Morant ’07, Washington, D.C. area-based project management professional;
• Cydavia Patterson, specialist in cultural competency, content creation and community curation;
• Shamieka Preston ’97, lead business execution consultant and vice president at Wells Fargo;
• Monica Randolph, senior director of merchandising for Barnes & Noble;
• Danielle Shavonne Reed ’98, bilingual event planner, entrepreneur and publicist; and
• Kate Washington ’75, managing partner of Enterprise Solutions International (ESI), a consulting firm that focuses on small and mid-cap business growth.

In addition, Frank Iannella ’92 (College of Arts and Sciences) and Karen (Putney) Iannella ’92 (College of Arts and Sciences and S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications) of Danbury, Connecticut, recently joined the Libraries Advisory Board. Frank is chief information officer and senior vice president of digital and technology at Heineken USA. Karen recently retired as vice president, US communications and patient affairs, with Boehringer Ingelheim.

Advisory board co-chairs

Adam is a general partner with Fortify.vc, a venture capital company funding early-stage technology. He also founded concept2creation, LLC, a branding solution company. While at ���ϲ�����, Adam was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.

Adam ’96 and Amy Fazackerley

Amy graduated from Denison University and holds a master’s of business administration degree from Johns Hopkins University, in addition to a certificate in entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial and small operations from Babson College’s F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business. In her role with Lay-n-Go, Amy has been qualified as a guest host for QVC and has appeared on Good Morning America, Fox and Friends and “Your Business” Elevator Pitch on MSNBC. In 2021, she was named an Enterprising Woman of the Year by Enterprising Women magazine.

“When we asked ���ϲ����� how we could help, we never thought our journey would have started in Bird Library. From our initial interactions with students from the Blackstone LaunchPad and the leadership at ���ϲ����� Libraries, we knew we found a home,” the couple says. “Young entrepreneurs from every school within the University were collaborating with the resources necessary to develop their ideas. Supporting the Blackstone LaunchPad and its community at ���ϲ����� is our way of nurturing the next generation of innovators, creators and entrepreneurs. By mentoring students, acting as a sounding board and investing in program development, we are committed to shaping the future of the library and empowering future leaders. The next decade will redefine what a library can be, and we are excited to see ���ϲ����� lead this global transformation.”

The Fazackerleys are assuming this leadership role with the Libraries Advisory Board from University Life Trustee Judith Mower ’66, G’73, G’80, G’84, who has served on the Libraries Advisory Board since 2007, when it was started, and as chair of the board since 2015. She will remain a valued member of the Libraries Advisory Board.

“I am eternally grateful for Judy Mower’s leadership and expertise,” says David Seaman, dean of libraries and University Librarian. “Judy was at the helm of the Libraries Advisory Board when I was appointed to my role, providing immense counsel, support and advocacy to me and the broad organization. Through her direction and example, the Libraries has excelled. And we appreciate that she will remain an active member of our board.”

“I am so excited to welcome Adam and Amy as our new co-chairs. They have proven to be dedicated and passionate about continuing to support the Libraries’ growth, from their enthusiasm around mentoring aspiring entrepreneurs in the Blackstone LaunchPad, to promoting and supporting the Libraries initiatives around technology, marketing and the multitude of other ways we convene, collaborate, connect and celebrate with our campus and global communities,” says Seaman. “With our strong Libraries Advisory Board, I am confident that we will continue to grow and prosper, leading the way for a 21st century R-1 research institution.”

New board members

Frank and Karen (Putney) Iannella

In his role at Heineken USA, Frank is responsible for enabling digital capabilities in support of the company’s overall business strategy and direction, leveraging the full spectrum of technology services from operational support to digital products. Previously, Frank served as chief information officer at Freshpet, where he led digital transformation efforts within the supply chain. Throughout most of his career he held executive positions at PepsiCo, gaining extensive global experience in driving business results through technology. While a student, Frank was a founding member of the Italian Club at ���ϲ�����.

Karen retired in 2023 after a 25-year career at Boehringer Ingelheim, one of the world’s leading research-driven pharmaceutical companies. While employed at Boehringer Ingelheim, she served in various roles in marketing, business development and ultimately led the U.S. communications function. Additionally, Karen held the role of president of the BI Cares Foundation. Karen was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma, WJPZ, the Student Alumni Association and was recognized as a 1991-1992 Remembrance Scholar.

“We are honored to join the ���ϲ����� Libraries Advisory Board and give back to an institution that shaped so much of who we are today,” says Frank. “The Libraries are at the heart of the University’s academic mission, and we look forward to contributing to its growth and innovation in meaningful ways.”

“���ϲ����� has always been a special place for us, not only because it’s where we met, but because of the strong foundation it gave us both personally and professionally,” says Karen. “We are excited to be part of the Libraries’ future, supporting its role in fostering collaboration, intellectual curiosity and community.”

“I am excited that our Libraries Advisory Board is expanding to include two new alumni members, Frank and Karen Iannella, who I know will be excellent new colleagues. They met at ���ϲ����� and are keen to support the Libraries’ strategic initiatives,” Seaman says. “Individually, they each bring a wealth of experience and knowledge that will benefit the Libraries. We are grateful that together they will be supporting the Libraries’ ability to convene, collaborate, connect and celebrate.”

is a prestigious annual global competition that challenges student entrepreneurs to address the world’s most pressing social issues through innovative startups, aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Each year, students from over 120 countries participate, with finalists pitching their solutions to a panel of experts for a chance to win $1 million in funding to bring their idea to life, driving positive global change through social enterprise. Teams can choose the problem they want to solve and develop a business solution to tackle it,

Aditee Malviya will serve as the ���ϲ����� campus director for the 2024-2025 Hult Prize competition.

As campus director, Malviya will organize the local campus qualifier competition on campus. Winners from the campus qualifiers advance to national competitions, followed by a digital incubator for further refinement. The best teams then join the global accelerator in London, with the top six startups competing in the global finals for the grand prize.

Malviya’s background is in web development, backend systems and process automation. Her work as a research assistant has led to improvements in data management and real-time analysis for financial research projects, while her role as an innovation nentor in the LaunchPad has helped guide numerous student startups to success. She has also served as the comptroller of the Graduate Student Organization at ���ϲ�����, managing significant financial responsibilities.

���ϲ�����’s Hult Prize campus qualifier will be held on Feb. 21 in the LaunchPad in Bird Library. Last year’s Hult Prize campus qualifier competition winner was Moody Magazine, founded by Emma Leuders ’24 and Jennie Bull ’24.

Traci Geisler

, director of (LaunchPad), presented a keynote address and served as an entrepreneurship competition judge at the first-ever Kenya-USA Global Launchpad Initiative (KUGLi) Innovation Summit, held at Kibabii University in Bungoma, Kenya, Aug. 15-16. The KUGLi Summit was the culmination of a technology innovation and entrepreneurship program focused on fostering multi-national ventures among science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) students to address global issues through entrepreneurship and creative opportunities.

The program was started in Winter 2023 by Churchill Saoke with support from the U.S. Embassy to promote entrepreneurialism and facilitate partnerships between Kenyan universities and ���ϲ�����. Throughout the Winter and Spring 2024, 131 students from Kenya and the United States participated in virtual and hybrid training sessions to identify unexploited areas for micro-multinational ventures using STEAM-focused solutions. ���ϲ����� student entrepreneurs in the LaunchPad partnered with Kenyan student entrepreneurs to advance several Kenyan student ventures. The Kenyan entrepreneurs were also invited to participate in virtual support and services from ���ϲ�����’s LaunchPad, including one-on-one advisory sessions with Traci Geisler, participation in LaunchPad workshops and presentations, and entrepreneurship ideation classes offered by , professor of entrepreneurship in the School of Information Studies.

The culmination of that budding partnership resulted in the invitation to Geisler to deliver a keynote speech, at the Summit in Kenya, to student entrepreneurs from five Kenyan universities. The Summit was also attended by Drew Giblin, the USA cultural attaché in Nairobi; Bungoma County Deputy Governor Jannipher Mbatiany; university officials and faculty from Kabibii University, JKUAT University and Great Lakes University of Kisumu; and other business leaders. Geisler spoke to the entrepreneurs about how to avoid and address cash flow problems, market misalignment, and team communication challenges during the initial growth phase of a startup. Geisler and other Kenyan subject matter experts also participated in the judging panel for the 14 student teams’ business pitches.

“The project is an intensive experience training of U.S. and Kenyan university students to develop micro-multinational ventures that employ entrepreneurial solutions to address and resolve global issues,” said Saoke.

The students’ business venture ideas addressed social impact initiatives and “wicked” problems, such as infant malnutrition, financial illiteracy, plastic pollution, water scarcity, inadequate markets for local produce, teen pregnancy, food insecurity and crime, among others.

Group photo of KUGLi Innovation Summit participants, including Traci Geisler, at Kibabii University in Bungoma, Kenya on Aug. 16.

is an innovative, interdisciplinary initiative at ���ϲ����� focused on inclusive entrepreneurship, design and community. It is a partnership between ���ϲ����� Libraries, the School of Design and , a program of the��. Intelligence ++ is supported through a generous donation by Gianfranco Zaccai ’70 H’09 and the��.

Trey Augliano

Augliano is the founder of Flamingo Brands, a global e-commerce company. During the past academic year, he served as an Orange Innovation Scholar for ���ϲ����� Libraries and worked with the and as a tech commercialization specialist. Augliano was a member of the student steering committee for the inaugural program. He previously interned as an angel investment portfolio manager at Shaw Harbor Holdings, a private equity and asset management firm, where he worked alongside the founder and CEO.

As the Intelligence ++ Innovation Scholar, Augliano will assist with , a funding program to help students across campus commercialize products, services and technologies that support people with intellectual disability or who are neurodivergent. The Intelligence ++ Scholar serves as a peer mentor to students from across all disciplines and academic units to help bring their ideas to life and engages with SU alumni who are innovators in this field who can serve as subject matter experts.

• Bird Library
  • Lower level to second floor:
    • Monday through Thursday: 24 hours
    • Friday: Closes at 10 p.m.
    • Saturday: Open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
    • Sunday: Reopens at 10 a.m.
  • Floors three to five:
    • Monday through Thursday: 8 a.m. to midnight
    • Friday: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
    • Saturday: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
    • Sunday: 10 a.m. to midnight
  • Sixth floor, including Special Collections Research Center:
    • Monday through Friday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with extended hours on Wednesdays to 7 p.m.
• Carnegie Library
  • Monday through Thursday: 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.
  • Friday: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
  • Saturday and Sunday: 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• King + King Architecture Library
  • Monday through Thursday: 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.
  • Friday: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
  • Saturday: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
  • Sunday: 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.
• College of Law Library
  • Monday through Thursday: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
  • Friday: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Saturday and Sunday: Closed

The Libraries is participating in several Welcome Week activities as students return to campus, including:

• Family Lounge outside of Bird Library (Einhorn Walk side) and Carnegie Library (Shaw Quadrangle entrance) on Wednesday, Aug. 21, and Thursday, Aug. 22, from 12 to 4 p.m. each day. Students, their families and supporters are invited to take a break from moving into the residence halls to learn about the Libraries. Snacks and beverages will be provided, as well as Libraries information. Library tours will be available by request.

• Welcome Fest in Bird Library’s First Floor on Thursday, Aug. 29 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. All students are invited to attend this open house-style event with tables highlighting the many offerings of the Libraries, several partners and other campus departments. Students can stop by to participate in raffles, snacks and a “passport” activity encouraging participants to visit all tables.

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

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

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

The students were part of the Significant Disabilities: Shifts in Paradigms and Practices (SPE 644) course taught by , associate professor in the School of Education, who was the Libraries’ 2023-24 Special Collections Research Center .

The students presented their findings at a public showcase in spring 2024 and their work is available online as a digital exhibition. “” explores disability as a cultural construction by examining historical developments in special and inclusive education, as well as the development and later closures of institutions and asylums for individuals with intellectual disabilities. The archives—and exhibit—show details of how Americans in past decades regarded disability, including information about eugenics (the selective breeding of humans) as the basis for institutionalization; letters exchanged between institutions and individuals about certain individuals and situations; and striking images collected by those who advocated for disabled individuals and disability rights.

Graduate students held a public showcase last spring describing their research and capping their course, “Significant Disabilities: Shifts in Paradigms and Practices.” From left are Associate Professor Julia White and students Neil Boedicker, Kayla Cornelius and Raquell Carpenter. (Photo by Martin Walls)

White says the primary source materials provided the students with particularly rich and informative records, in part due to ���ϲ�����’s long history as a vanguard for disabled individuals and a leader in inclusive education and disability rights. Today, the Center on Disability and Inclusion continues the legacy of the , founded in 1971 by Dean Burton Blatt, a groundbreaking disability rights scholar. Blatt and other individuals at the University were involved in disability rights lawsuits during the 1970s and developed language surrounding the creation of special education law. All of that history—and dozens of associated original documents and artifacts—are preserved for viewing and research.

Julia White

“We at ���ϲ����� have really reconceptualized how to think about people with disabilities, especially intellectual disabilities. The University is known for its forefront advocacy on inclusive education and all that work is evident in the archives,” White says. “There are so many things to investigate and so many lessons we can get from this; it’s a gold mine waiting to be explored.”

A former special education teacher, White now researches national and international special education policy and inclusive education as a human right. But she “was always interested in how law and policies could be applied to different people under different circumstances. I noticed how some students could be placed in segregated or self-contained classrooms while others were in resource rooms and were more integrated. Very little was different about their learning profiles other than their race or socioeconomic profile. I wondered why, if some students had more significant disabilities, they were held to very few or no academic standards.”

Based on her experience as both a doctoral student and a teacher, White says, “I had a pretty strong sense of the racial and economic injustice inherent in U.S. society and always considered inclusive education a civil rights issue.” Yet it was her experience in a Fulbright teacher exchange program in the Slovak Republic and later work for the Landmine Survivors Network for the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, that cemented her perspective of inclusive education as a broader human rights issue.

Cover of “.” (Photo: Special Collections Research Center, ���ϲ����� Libraries)

‘Fantastic’ SCRC Process

The time she spent examining materials and working with staff at SCRC “was a fantastic process all around,” White says. “Sometimes, an artifact had very little to do with what I was interested in—���ϲ�����’s role in deinstitutionalization, inclusive education and disability activism—but there were many�� ‘aha’ moments that sent me down rabbit holes and that was a lot of fun. The discovery of so many amazing contributions of folks affiliated with the University was the best part of this fellowship. And the staff were phenomenal; they had great insights. I came into this knowing little about archival work and hadn’t done any myself, but they were so gracious and so helpful.”

SCRC staff were also readily available to the , discussing their readings, helping them categorize materials and offering advice on how to formulate the exhibit, White says. , instruction and education librarian, was involved with the class almost every time they met. , humanities librarian and digital and open scholarship lead, helped them create the digital exhibit.

Gratifying for Students��

The experience of using primary source documents and finding so much relevant information to work with was gratifying for the students, two of the class members say.

Sierra Eastman ’20, G’25 teaches math to seventh- and eighth-grade students in the ���ϲ����� City School District. Her review of archive materials helped her gain a better understanding of the perspectives of people with disabilities, Eastman says. “I have students with various disabilities in my classes and I wanted to get an understanding of them that I didn’t have as an able-bodied person. We tried to put ourselves in their shoes and see how we could make sense of how this [institutionalism] happened, how they were personally impacted and the larger societal reasons that it occurred.”

A “Fight Handicapism” poster provides a historic perspective about the word’s definition. (Photo: , Special Collections Research Center, ���ϲ����� Libraries)

Kionna Morrison G’24 is an algebraic reasoning teacher in the ���ϲ����� City School District who completes the inclusive special education (grades 7-12) program this month as a scholar. She wanted to understand the experiences that people of color, especially Black children, had in institutions for the intellectually disabled. “I could see how disability, institutionalization and racism can be traced to the pre-Civil War and Reconstruction eras. I gained insight on how certain bodies have been consistently institutionalized.��Now, I want to continue to learn about the intersectionality between race and special education and how people from multiple marginalized communities navigate their experiences with disability,” she says.

White believes there has been a significant change in the public’s views on disability, and particularly on intellectual disability, in recent years. “The U.S. has much farther to go in terms of changing society’s perception of disability, intellectual disability and breaking down barriers for any group of marginalized people,” she says. “We need to recognize how far we’ve come in changing attitudes in society, making places accessible, and providing higher education opportunities for disabled people, such as ���ϲ�����’s program. That’s a good start to thinking differently. Although attitudes are something that we still have to change, the civil and human rights of people with intellectual disabilities are routinely denied in the U.S. and worldwide, and I hope that this project helps shed some light on the history of the continuing fight for disability rights.”

��

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

���ϲ����� Libraries is accepting fall 2024 applications for the grant now through Friday, Sept. 27, at 5 p.m. Interested applicants should plan to attend one of the information and proposal/grant writing workshops on Sept. 10, 11 or 12.

The Orange Innovation Fund supports student research initiatives emerging from campus innovation programs. The grant ‘concept to commercialization’ fund is designed to help move graduate and undergraduate student research or scholarly projects from ideation to proof of concept to commercialization. Initial funding from the program came from a gift to the Libraries from Raj-Ann Rekhi Gill ’98, a member of the University Board of Trustees.

Grants up to $5,000 per award will be made, with a total of up to $50,000 per academic year based on the merit of applications.

The program is administered through ���ϲ����� Libraries, in collaboration with the University’s research and commercialization programs such as the�� (SOURCE), the��,��, ,��, the��, the����at ���ϲ�����,��,��, the����(NYSTAR designated Center for Advanced Technology) and the��. Applicants can also come directly through research classes, labs or independent study programs across the University.

Student applicants must identify specific tangible needs related to the product, service, technology or creative work they are developing. Grants will support defined projects over a clear timeframe with identified outcomes that will help move a research project or innovative venture toward proof of concept toward commercialization.

A prerequisite to applying is attendance at one of the proposal writing workshops being offered by Linda Dickerson Hartsock, advisor, strategic initiatives ���ϲ����� Libraries, and former founding director of the Blackstone LaunchPad. Students should attend one of the following workshops to create a successful application:

• Tuesday, September 10, from 3 to 4 p.m. in Bird Library
• Wednesday, September 11, from 3 to 4 p.m. in Couri Hatchery, Whitman Room 116
• Thursday, September 12, from 3 to 4 p.m. Hybrid in Bird Library or via

Dickerson Hartsock is also available to help coach applicants through the process and can be scheduled for sessions on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons by emailing ldhart01@syr.edu.

Applications are due Friday, September 27, by 5 p.m. to ���ϲ����� Libraries. For a link to the application or to register for a workshop, please e-mail orangeinnovation@syr.edu to indicate your interest in the program.

Following a cross-campus committee review process, announcements and award letters will be made in October.

Nine student teams were the

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

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

Course Overview

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

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

Applicant Information

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

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

Course Schedule

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

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

More information

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

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

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

The new platform modernizes the Libraries’ ability to manage and deliver resources more efficiently, streamlining workflows and facilitating better collaboration among library staff. It also includes Libraries Search, the search-and-discovery interface for users, which makes discovering, organizing and accessing library resources easier than ever.

Like other R-1 academic libraries, ���ϲ����� Libraries depends on multiple specialized software processes connected behind the scenes to provide a seamless access to library services and resources across locations and online. The new library services platform supports the underlying library staff work to acquire, describe, catalog, track and retrieve materials—everything from purchasing, cataloguing and checking out books to managing thousands of databases and licensed electronic resources and in-person and online patron interactions to access or borrow materials. All these processes are now fully accessible and integrated with each other and with systems across the University in such areas as information technology, security and budget.

As part of the migration, Libraries Search, the improved online search, catalog and account management system, has been deployed. It is a modern search interface for users to find essential information critical to their studies, teaching and research. The new interface allows for better discoverability and access to the Libraries’ print, electronic and physical media collections.

The new Libraries Search interface available on .

Features of the new Libraries Search include:

• Better integration of the library’s collections
• Less interface complexity with combined, improved and expanded search capabilities
• Faster searching through a single search box that searches most library resources, including books and eBooks, articles, journals, videos and more
• Expanded searching with automatic recommendations, virtual title browsing and citation trails
• Full-text article search
• Improved access to e-resources, including faster activation of new titles
• Personalized search experience for those who log in to save search preferences
• Easy export of records to citation management systems
• Improved mobile user interface
• Ability to borrow video materials through the platform
• Improved efficiency through better request process for interlibrary loan and Library Facility materials.
• Improved discoverability of course reserves
• Improved security and login experience using single sign-on (SSO) with a user’s NetID
• Improved accessibility
• Ability to add integrations and features over time

Things that remain unchanged with the new Libraries Search include:

• Access to electronic resources that are part of the Libraries’ collections
• Room reservation process
• Ability to conduct both simple and advanced search
• Ability to find only physical collections held by the Libraries

As the Libraries continue to migrate data into the new system, processing of requests for new books, videos or other resources added to the collection is on hold until Aug. 1. Users can still submit item requests to ��or via the�� but requests will not be processed until Aug. 1.

With the new Libraries Search, discovery of electronic resources may not be immediately available, as resources are being manually migrated to the new system. Access to electronic resources is still available, and users are advised to use the�� to access online content. Users can also c. For additional search strategies and information, users can visit . There is also a about Libraries Search.

For those with a proxy request enabling another University-affiliated individual to borrow materials on their behalf, request must be resubmitted via the .

This year’s SummerStart cohort, which arrived on June 29, includes 121 students from all of the University’s schools and colleges. As participants in the program, the students will earn 7-9 credits toward their degree, learn about and access campus resources, make connections with faculty and classmates, and experience a sense of community, says Kal Srinivas, director of retention and student success. The initiative brings together various University departments, demonstrating the power of teamwork in fostering a supportive and enriching environment for incoming students, she says.

121 students participated in this year’s SummerStart program to receive an early acclimation to campus life. (Photo by Amelia Beamish)

“From the moment they step onto campus, SummerStart students are met with a comprehensive network of support designed to address both their academic and personal needs,” Srinivas says.

SummerStart students also benefit from tutoring services in math and writing and resources like the . They also participate in social activities like (DPS) game nights, ropes course challenges, a resource fair and other group activities. DPS also conducts safety workshops and the offers the initiative to cultivate a culture of compassion, connection and well-being.

First-year student Tae Callam arrived at ���ϲ����� from Cleveland. The biomedical engineering major in the says the SummerStart experience has already helped her acclimate to campus life and meet new people. And her coursework, particularly in writing, has helped her develop her language skills as a non-native English speaker, she says.

“I am so glad that I have this opportunity to participate in SummerStart,” Callam says. “Even in the first week of SummerStart, I have become familiar with the campus, got a head start on my academics and made friends. What more could anyone ask for?”

Srinivas emphasizes the collaborative nature of SummerStart, which also involves , , and other administrative units.

“SummerStart is not just a program; it is a testament to what can be achieved when an entire institution works together with a common goal,” she says. “By combining resources, expertise and a shared commitment to student success, ���ϲ����� has created a nurturing environment that prepares students for both academic and personal growth.”

Recent Maxwell graduate Isabelle Lutz is an enrolled member of the Oneida Nation in her home state of Wisconsin. Participating in the “Listen to the Elders” talks and engaging with the Not in the Books team has provided a chance to connect directly with Indigenous leaders in the ���ϲ����� area.

Senior Isabelle Lutz joined a group of fellow ���ϲ����� students and community members for a short bus ride last fall to the Skä•noñh Great Law of Peace Center—the Haudenosaunee cultural hub on the shore of Onondaga Lake in Liverpool.

The evening’s event, part of a series called “Listen to the Elders,” featured Onondaga Hawk Clan Chief Spencer Ohsgoñ:da’ Lyons speaking about the history of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and sharing the traditional Thanksgiving address. The gathering included an array of Haudenosaunee foods, including three sisters soup made with corn, beans and squash.

“We’re not a people of the past,” Lyons told the audience. “The Haudenosaunee are still the Haudenosaunee. We have our language; we have our songs.”

For Lutz, an enrolled member of the Oneida Nation in her home state of Wisconsin, the Skä•noñh event provided a chance to connect directly with Indigenous leaders in the ���ϲ����� area.

“So much of Native American studies or Indigenous studies can be taught from a historical/past context, when the people, traditions, and cultures are still present and active in the community,” said Lutz ’24, who in May earned a bachelor’s degree in political science with a minor in Native American and Indigenous studies. “So, when there are opportunities to attend and listen to members of different nations share their story and knowledge, it truly complements and enriches my classroom studies.”

The “Listen to the Elders” series began in 2022, organized by a University group called Not in the Books, which fosters a reciprocal learning relationship between the University community and the peoples of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy.

The Maxwell School is strongly connected to the effort: two of its faculty members, Aaron Luedtke and Heather Law Pezzarossi, are among its key organizers and it is supported with funding from the Tenth Decade Project, an initiative created 10 years ago in the lead of to the school’s 100th anniversary (see related story: From Sovereignty to Mortality: Tenth Decade Awards Support Research Across Disciplines).

“The Tenth Decade awards have energized and enabled interdisciplinary research around critical themes to the Maxwell School,” says Carol Faulkner, professor of history and Maxwell’s senior associate dean for academic affairs. “‘Listen to the Elders’ engages the ���ϲ����� community around issues of citizenship, democracy and environment. It is a particularly appropriate project for our centennial because it highlights how our present obligations as citizens are tied to our past.”

Members of the ���ϲ����� Not in the Books team include, from left to right, Diane Schenandoah, Oneida Nation Faith Keeper and the University’s Honwadiyenawa’sek—or “one who helps them”; Heather Law Pezzarossi, assistant professor of anthropology; Jim O’Connor, producer with the special collections team at ���ϲ����� Libraries; Patricia Roylance, associate professor of English; and Aaron Luedtke, assistant professor of history. (Photo by David Garrett)

Indigenous Ties ��

The work of Not in the Books aligns with the teaching and research of Aaron Luedtke and Heather Law Pezzarossi.

Law Pezzarossi, an anthropologist trained in critical heritage studies, does collaborative work that addresses colonial history while serving the contemporary needs of Indigenous communities, such as the Nipmuc people of New England. Her teaching includes courses on contemporary Native American issues, and on Indigenous museum relations and Native Americans. She is a faculty affiliate in the Native American and Indigenous Studies Program and a member of the advisory board for the University’s new Center for Global Indigenous Cultures and Environmental Justice.

Luedtke, an assistant professor of history at Maxwell since 2022, is also a faculty affiliate with the Native American and Indigenous Studies Program. He focused his graduate research at Michigan State University on the native peoples of the Great Lakes—particularly, in his words, “how they used the authoring of their own histories as resistance to colonial erasure.”

The connections Luedtke has made with ���ϲ�����-area Indigenous communities through Not in the Books and other projects are influencing his research direction. “I have the privilege to build these relationships with Haudenosaunee elders,” says Luedtke, who is of Suquamish and Duwamish descent. “I am going to spend the rest of my career working in tandem with the Haudenosaunee to tell Haudenosaunee stories of resistance.”

The impetus for creating the Not in the Books group initially came from Diane Schenandoah, Oneida Nation Faith Keeper and the University’s Honwadiyenawa’sek—or “one who helps them.” A sculptor for 40 years, she earned an art degree from the College of Visual and Performing Arts in 2011. Her daughter, Michelle Schenandoah, is a graduate of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and an adjunct professor in the law school, and her son-in-law, Neal Powless, serves as the University’s ombuds.

As Honwadiyenawa’sek, Schenandoah offers intuitive energy work grounded in traditional Haudenosaunee culture and teachings to the University community. She also leads events such as a Haudenosaunee welcome ceremony opening the academic year and a monthly full moon ceremony. “I was asked to be a Wolf Clan Faith Keeper in 1988,” she says. “As a Faith Keeper, part of my duty is to share our teachings of how to live in peace though gratitude. We have duties and responsibilities to one another as humans, and to our Mother Earth for all that is provided. Giving thanks on a daily basis is of great importance.”

Through her initial work on campus, Schenandoah began connecting with Native students as well as with professors, such as Luedtke, Law Pezzarossi, and Patricia Roylance, associate professor of English, who teach courses related to Native American and Indigenous studies.

The audience at a recent “Listen to the Elders” presentation at the Skä•noñh Great Law of Peace Center—the Haudenosaunee cultural hub on the shore of Onondaga Lake in Liverpool—included several students from ���ϲ�����. (Photo by David Garrett)

While students were clearly keen to learn more, many had little background on the impacts of colonialism and the dispossession of Indigenous lands, or on the persistence and current-day realities of Indigenous communities—topics rarely addressed in primary or secondary education. “As Indigenous people, our history is so erased,” Schenandoah says. “Many students see the purple and white flag flying around campus but don’t really know what it is. You’re standing in the capital of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. This is the birthplace of democracy.”

Looking for ways to help fill this gap in knowledge and awareness of the area’s Indigenous heritage and contemporary presence—among not only students but faculty and staff—Schenandoah lit on the idea of connecting the University community with a tribal elder. She contacted Freida Jacques, Onondaga Turtle Clan Mother Whatwehni:neh. Jacques agreed to do a series of lectures, and the Not in the Books team—named by Schenandoah—coalesced to organize these events at Skä•noñh.

In addition to Luedtke, Law Pezzarossi, Schenandoah and Roylance, the Not in the Books team includes Scott Catucci, associate director of outdoor education at the Barnes Center; Jim O’Connor, producer with the special collections team at SU Libraries; and Tammy Bluewolf-Kennedy, a member of the Oneida Nation’s Wolf Clan who leads Indigenous student recruitment in the University’s Office of Admissions.

“The Onondaga are still here, and the Onondaga reservation is minutes away from SU’s campus,” says Luedtke. “We decided as a group very early on that we have a coherent job to do: to educate the campus community that Native peoples are not the mythological, ahistorical stereotype representations that people are accustomed to seeing. Native peoples are just as modern, nuanced, complicated and fully capable of all aspects of humanity as anyone else.”

Hosting the series at a Native cultural center, rather than bringing elders to campus, was important for the spirit and intent of the project. “Skä•noñh is a Haudenosaunee welcome center,” Law Pezzarossi says. “So, it’s the perfect place for people to start learning.”

Building Bridges

Freida Jacques, Onondaga Turtle Clan Mother Whatwehni:neh, is recording her history and experiences for documentary project called “Dropping Seeds” that is supported with a Maxwell School Tenth Decade grant. The first episode is expected to release later this year.

Supported with a $5,000 grant from Maxwell’s Tenth Decade Project and other campus programs, the “Listen to the Elders” series began in the 2022–23 academic year with four presentations by Freida Jacques, who in addition to being a clan mother has served for decades as a Haudenosaunee cultural liaison for educational institutions across New York state and beyond.

During these Skä•noñh events, Jacques led tours of the center and explained how in Haudenosaunee tradition, women choose the clan leaders and men marry into women’s clans rather than vice versa.

In one session, she discussed the enduring impact of the boarding schools run by churches or the federal government that tens of thousands of Indigenous children—including Jacques’ grandfather—were forced to attend between the late 1800s and the 1960s.

In a letter written to support a funding application, Jacques said that sharing her life experiences and knowledge has been fulfilling. “Both grandparents on my mother’s side attended Carlisle Indian Industrial boarding school in Pennsylvania,” she wrote. “My family was affected by this fact. My father was a Mohawk Wolf Clan person and originated at Akwesasne, whose territory is divided by Ontario, Quebec and New York State. …Building bridges between cultures appears to be one of my life’s purposes.”

Onondaga Chief Spencer Lyons continued the series in 2023-24 with presentations on Haudenosaunee traditions and governance. With free transportation available from campus to Skä•noñh, the “Listen to the Elders” series have consistently drawn capacity crowds.

To read the full story, visit the .

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Libraries recognize these students through the generous support of Board of Trustees Chair Emeritus Kathleen ’73, H’23 and Stanley Walters, the family of Patricia Kutner Strait and the many donors to the Libraries Dean’s Fund.

Pictured from left to right are Caleb Brown G’24 (School of Information Studies), Kayleigh Ford G’24 (College of Arts and Sciences), Michelle Mitchell (learning and academic librarian) and Bridget Sheridan (learning and academic engagement supervisor)

“We highly value our library students whose enthusiasm and expertise enrich us daily. I recognize the critical role our student employees play,” says David Seaman, dean of Libraries and University Librarian. “They often remain with us throughout their undergraduate and graduate studies at ���ϲ�����, becoming integral members of the Libraries community. We are profoundly thankful to Stanley and Kathy Walters and the family of Patricia Kutner Strait for establishing the endowments that enable these awards, and to the numerous contributors to the Dean’s Fund.”

2024 student award recipients and their respective Libraries departments are:

��Kathy and Stanley Walters Student Employee Scholarship Awards

• Nia Bellamy ’24 (College of Arts and Sciences), Access and Resource Sharing
• Tiffani-Marie Fite ’24 (College of Arts and Sciences), Access and Resource Sharing
• Renee Kurie ’25 (S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications), Blackstone LaunchPad
• Alejandro Parra G’24 (David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics), Security and Facilities
• Olivia Russo G’24 (School of Information Studies), Information Literacy
• Sasha Solomon G’24 (School of Information Studies), Special Collections Research Center
• Aidan Turner ’24 (School of Architecture), Blackstone LaunchPad

Patricia Kutner Strait Student Scholarship Awards

• Kayleigh Ford G’24 (College of Arts and Sciences), Learning and Academic Engagement
• Isabela Izaguirre ’24 (College of Arts and Sciences), Preservation
• Andrew M. Kim ’24 (Martin J. Whitman School of Management), Blackstone LaunchPad
• Alan Malekar G’24 (School of Information Studies), Blackstone LaunchPad
• Katelyn Miller G’24 (College of Visual and Performing Arts), Special Collections Research Center
• Zion Smith ’24 (College of Visual and Performing Arts), Security and Facilities

Dean’s Commendations Awards

• Cole Cassano G’24 (School of Information Studies), Acquisitions and Cataloging
• Maguette Fall ’24 (Falk College), Security and Facilities
• Dao Ming Lin ’24 (Whitman School), Security and Facilities
• Alexandria Luck G’25 (School of Information Studies), Research & Scholarship
• Motolani Oladitan ’24 (College of Arts and Sciences), Blackstone LaunchPad
• Adira Ramirez ’25 (School of Information Studies), Access and Resource Sharing
• Sarah Schreiber ’25 (College of Arts and Sciences), Blackstone LaunchPad

Honorable Recognitions:

• Emmanuel Adeniyi ’24 (College of Arts and Sciences), Security and Facilities
• Mariama Barry ’24 (School of Information Studies), Security and Facilities
• Kelvin Boakye ’24 (Falk College), Security and Facilities
• Dylan Caskie G’24 (College of Arts and Sciences), Digital Scholarship Space
• James Harman ’25 (School of Information Studies), Access and Resource Sharing
• Ud Joseph ’24 (School of Information Studies), Blackstone LaunchPad
• Bintou Manneh ’24 (School of Information Studies), Security and Facilities
• Rebecca McCall G’24 (School of Information Studies), Information Literacy
• Duyen Pham G’24 (College of Visual and Performing Arts), Learning and Academic Engagement
• Kishan Rathor G’24 (School of Information Studies), Blackstone LaunchPad

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The other winning projects were:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Motolani Oladitan ’24 (College of Arts and Sciences), left,��founder of Tá Beautie, and Natasha Brao ’22 (College of Visual and Performing Arts) G’23, G’24 (Whitman School of Management), founder of Shooka Sauce.

Natasha Brao ’22, (College of Visual and Performing Arts) G’23, G’24 (Whitman School of Management), founder of Shooka Sauce, won the 3^rd place prize of $1,000 in the food and agriculture track. Shooka Sauce is a Mediterranean-spiced tomato sauce based on the dish Shakshuka, inspired by mixing and melding cultural flavors to promote creative cooking.

Motolani Oladitan ’24 (College of Arts and Sciences), founder of Tá Beautie, was awarded the Concept Stage Award of $500 in the software and services track. Tá Beautie is a virtual marketplace connecting African beauty and wellness brands with the diaspora, making it easier for consumers to discover and purchase high-quality, authentic African products.

Five Launchpad student start-up teams attended the 2024 New York Business Plan Competition. Other student teams to reach the finals include Frank Marin ’24 (Marhold Space Systems), Adya Parida ’25 (Scale Sense), and Dylan Bardsley ’26 and Mark Leaf ’27 (Clarity).

The NYBPC attracts some of New York state’s best student entrepreneurs. The competition promotes entrepreneurial opportunities for college students from across the state to pitch their business plans to seasoned investors. They also receive the opportunity to engage with mentors and judges from the business community. The finals event connects students with business professionals, provides experiential learning opportunities through competitions, connects entrepreneurs with resources at the Entrepreneurship Expo and awards up to $100,000 in cash prizes to help seed new ventures.

Heather Stauffer

Heather E. Stauffer recently joined ���ϲ����� Press (SU Press) as the new editor-in-chief. Prior to that, Stauffer was a legal writer at Brown Immigration Law and spent a dozen years at University of Nebraska Press, progressing in her career from intern to acquisitions editor. Stauffer received two master’s degrees from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in both English and History, as well as the Addison E. Sheldon Fellowship in History.

“We’re thrilled to have someone with Heather’s experience and passion join us at SU Press,” said Catherine C. Cocks, director of ���ϲ����� Libraries’ SU Press. “Her interest and enthusiasm are especially helpful as we look to make progress on our academic strategic plan, which includes expanding experiential learning opportunities for students, strengthening our publications list, deepening our commitment to publish previously excluded or under-represented voices, and maximizing the Press’s participation in open access initiatives.”

“I’m excited and humbled to be joining such a distinguished and storied publishing program that is SU Press, and especially joining a team of dedicated and knowledgeable colleagues,” says Stauffer. “The Press brings out the best aspects of collaboration—on campus, in the region, internationally—and I look forward to being part of where we go next.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

• Extended Hours: From Tuesday, April 30 through Monday, May 6, Bird Library’s lower level up to the second floor will stay open 24 hours a day, while the third through fifth floors will be open from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m.
• Food for Fines: From Saturday, April 27 through Sunday, May 12, the Libraries is accepting donations of healthy, nonperishable food and hygiene items from patrons in exchange for a reduction of their library fines. Donations will be accepted at the circulation desks of Bird, Carnegie, Law, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and King + King Architecture Libraries, and items will be given to the Hendricks Chapel Food Pantry. Fine reductions exclude interlibrary loans and lost book fees.
  • Fines will be reduced by $1 per item for toilet paper, lip balm, rice, pasta, canned vegetables/fruits/beans and pasta sauce.
  • Fines will be reduced by $2 per item for liquid soap, toothpaste, toothbrush, cereal and canned meats/fish.
  • Fines will be reduced by $3 per item for lotion, oatmeal, canned soup/baked beans, peanut butter/jelly, tea, hot chocolate, ramen noodles and granola.
  • Fines will be reduced by $4 per item for shampoo/conditioner, deodorant and coffee. Contributions should not be open or expired and single-use items are preferred.
• Donuts with the Dean: Students are invited to stop by Bird Library on Tuesday, April 30 from 4 p.m. to 5 pm to meet Dean David Seaman and enjoy coffee and doughnuts.
• Positivity Station: From Tuesday, April 30 to Friday, May 10 (or while supplies last), stop by the first floor of Bird Library for stress relief incentives and activities such as goodie bags, positive notes with candy, buttons, coloring pages and snacks.

Graduate students and educators enrolled in the School of Education course, Significant Disabilities: Shifts in Paradigms and Practices, will provide a showcase of their work on May 8.

Co-organized by the and the School of Education, this event will debut a digital exhibition, “From Institutionalization to Inclusion: Disability Activism in the ���ϲ����� Special Collections.” It was created by members of the course who have been critically engaging with primary source documents and artifacts in SCRC’s collections to explore disability as a cultural construction by examining historical developments in special and inclusive education, along with the rise (and fall) of institutions and asylums for individuals with intellectual disabilities.

The showcase and reception are free and open to the public. If you require accommodations, please email Max Wagh at mlwagh@syr.edu by May 1.

They’re lightweight, durable, flexible, inexpensive. They’re moldable, extrudable, pressable. They’re colored and clear; they’re dinnerware, jewelry, vinyl siding, military supplies, toys and thousands more things. In the early half of the 20th century, the availability of polymers and fossil fuel-based chemicals led to a proliferation of the manufacturing of plastic “things” whose everyday use became enmeshed in America’s social, political and environmental landscapes.

holds the largest academic library resource on the history of plastic. This includes over 70 archival collections relating to plastics, most of which were obtained after the National Plastic Center and Museum closed in 2008. Housed in the , the materials document the rise of plastics, mainly from a plastics-industry perspective, and include papers from innovators , , and . The collection also contains related prototypes, photographs, audio, film, advertisements and blueprints useful for interdisciplinary research, as well as 3,000 objects related to the rise of plastics manufacturing.

Courtney Hicks

Many of these materials are now on display at Bird Library as part of the SCRC exhibit “Plasticized: The Proliferation of Plastics in the 20th Century.” To highlight the exhibit, a panel discussion and reception will be held on Earth Day, Monday, April 22. (See details below.)

Courtney Hicks, SCRC lead curator and curator of plastics and historical artifacts, spoke about the exhibit and some of the fascinating facts to uncover from the collection’s historical documents and artifacts displays.

���ϲ����� Libraries recently signed a ‘read and publish’ open access agreement with major academic publisher Springer to expand the reach of researchers’ scholarly contributions.

Open access allows anyone to use these scholarly works, free of charge and free of most copyright and licensing restrictions for further use. ‘Read and publish’ agreements allow University-affiliated authors to make their work immediately open access when they run in journals that are published by these organizations, at no cost to the author.

Springer journals constitute one of the largest publication venues for ���ϲ�����’s authors. Based on the strong publication history of University authors in Springer titles, ���ϲ����� Libraries expect this most recent three-year agreement to have a wide reach. Springer imprints covered by this agreement include Palgrave Macmillan journals, Adis Journals and academic journals. Excluded are gold open-access titles and nature-branded journal titles.

“This is a substantive agreement that the Libraries is supporting, and we believe it will have broad impact for our University-affiliated authors,” says , dean of the Libraries and University Librarian. “Increasing the opportunities for open access publishing at no cost to the authors is an important goal in the Libraries’ academic strategic plan. We are committed to driving the open distribution of research data and scholarship to increase the University’s global impact and reputation.”

This��agreement was negotiated through the for seven NERL member institutions. Scott Warren, the Libraries’ senior associate dean for research excellence, co-chaired the NERL negotiation team. More information on the NERL and Springer .

For more information, including instructions on how authors can take advantage of these agreements, visit the .

Tetiana Hranchak

Ukraine is suffering. Our communities are being ruined. Our souls are devastated. But we are alive. On February 24, 2022, the Ukrainians suffered a powerful blow from Russia. Nowadays, the Ukrainian people are facing destruction and heavy losses. Our communities and people’s lives are being destroyed, and we need support and protection more than ever. Libraries, created thousands of years ago to support the vitality of communities, nowadays help Ukrainians to survive in war conditions and provide physical, informational, psychological, and spiritual protection.

Here are the many ways libraries support the community:

• Libraries are bomb shelters. From the first days of the war, many libraries provided physical protection. For example, Central City Library for Children in Mykolaiv is a 24/7 bomb shelter that can accommodate up to 180 people at a time.
• Libraries are volunteer centers. Many have become hubs of volunteer activity. Librarians, library patrons and community members are cooking dinners for those who fought and are being treated at local hospitals. Together with volunteer organizations, librarians and community residents collect and make clothes and products for refugees and for the front. In this way, a community of practice is being built – providing a sense of unity, social integration and security for new members of the community who left their homes to escape the war. Along with weaving camouflage nets, people are creating social nets in library spaces.
• Libraries are territories of goodness. Since 2014, when the first forced migrants from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions and the Autonomous Republic of Crimea appeared, libraries have taken a proactive position. The Ministry of Culture of Ukraine adopted an Order to launch the project, “Libraries as Community Support Centers in the Conditions of a War Threat: Working with Internally Displaced People.” According to the Order, libraries participate in helping those in need by actively participating in information, legal and educational work.
• Libraries help displaced people. Cooperating with state authorities, charity foundations, state structures, employment centers, psychological, social and legal services, libraries help displaced people find temporary housing and work, get information about their rights and ways to use them, renew social ties, get access to the Internet and computer equipment to continue studying, attend language courses, improve and acquire IT skills, and more.
• Libraries are hubs of digital education. About 6,000 libraries joined the national digital literacy campaign in Ukraine. Through the signing of the Memorandum on Cooperation between the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Library Association, many libraries have become digital education hubs.
• Libraries are media literacy training centers. An important direction of libraries is to increase the level of media literacy and the formation of critical thinking of the population, which is essential during this era of the information war. Many libraries organize lectures, trainings and webinars, and participate in media literacy weeks. Libraries joined the nationwide media literacy project from the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine. One of the latest initiatives supported by the Ukrainian Library Association is the recording of a series of conversations with famous Ukrainians about information hygiene and its role in everyday life through the lens of cultural, historical and personal experience.
• Libraries are sites of remembering. It is where the memories of the past are housed. Ukrainian Institute of National Memory noted that this war has brought up issues related to cultural characteristics, spiritual values and ideals, which determine the uniqueness of a community and its identity. The library is a memory institution that collects and preserves documented historical and cultural heritage. As such, libraries are integral to the politics of memory, helping people protect their values and identity.

Ideally, libraries’ memorial, socio-political, cultural, educational and other activities must be directed to the formation and establishment of national memory, contribute to the state’s information security and help its integration into the world humanitarian space.

Ukrainian culture is under the gun. Many libraries’ funds were lost, and buildings were damaged. 700 public and university libraries are damaged or destroyed and more than 4,000 are under occupation. An important achievement of the Ukrainian Library Association was the establishment of interaction with partners for reconstruction and the preservation of library and information resources, assistance to libraries to maintain service, and organization of efforts to restore damaged library buildings and lost library collections. At the same time, the American Library Association, in cooperation with the Ukrainian Library Association, launched the Fund for the Support of Ukrainian Libraries.

I am proud to say that among all the changes, what remains unchangeable is the dedication of librarians to their readers and the library work, the belief in victory and the capacity of the library community.

Visit the ���ϲ����� Libraries website to .

The event will highlight undergraduate and graduate student teams from across campus who have created concepts for products, services and technologies that can assist intellectually disabled people and their families. A distinguished panel of experts will award a total of $2,500 for the best showcase ideas.

Students present their designed products, services or technologies that can assist intellectually disabled people and their families at the 2023 Intelligence++ Showcase competition. (Photo by Marilyn Hesler)

Students wishing to present should e-mail , professor of industrial and interaction design in the College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) and program coordinator, at dwcarr@syr.edu before April 15 to secure a spot and to receive showcase instructions.

The event is sponsored by , a collaboration among , a program of the at the , VPA School of Design��and . The event is open to students across campus, and all are welcome to attend the showcase.

Launched in 2020 through a generous donation by Gianfranco Zaccai ’70, H’09 and the , Intelligence++ is an innovative, interdisciplinary initiative focused on inclusive entrepreneurship, design and community. The initiative is available to both undergraduate and graduate students from all academic disciplines, including students with intellectual disabilities. A key element of the initiative is a two-semester course (DES 400/600) that encourages students to work in teams to imagine and create products, devices, digital platforms and services for persons with disabilities, culminating in the spring showcase.

Intelligence++ centers around three main concepts:

• Aspects of Design—once a specific need or opportunity is identified, student teams are supported by a group of experts to help develop a working prototype of their design. By taking a build-to-learn approach, students gain real-time feedback while continually evolving their design.
• Understandings of Disability—including accessibility, disability rights and advocacy, disability history, language, disability culture, models of disability and inclusion.
• Entrepreneurship—students learn to develop a commercialization roadmap that moves through problem solving, solution building, testing, iteration, lean business model development, team formation, finding advisors and strategic partners, developing a funding strategy and pitching for investment.

DES 400/600 is taught by Professor Carr, with support from , Lawrence B. Taishoff Associate Professor of Inclusive Education in the School of Education and executive director of the Taishoff Center. , founder of and strategic initiatives advisor with the Libraries,��provides entrepreneurial support to teams.

In addition to the course and the annual showcase, students can seek funding to commercialize their ideas through . Students from any school or college can apply for this funding, and they do not need to take DES 400/600 to apply. However, priority is given students working with research and commercialization programs such as the Blackstone LaunchPad, , , , , , Intelligence++, NSF I-Corps, ��and .

Intelligence++ Ventures funding supports specifically defined projects with clearly identified timeframes and outcomes that move a research project or venture toward proof of concept and commercialization. Funds assist tangible needs through four innovation phases: discovery, testing, building and launching to market.

Libraries’ users, including students, faculty, staff and global researchers, can find collections by choosing the subject topic, name, geographic location, original format or source collection from alphabetical drop-down menus. There are also various featured collections, including , ,�� or . The platform also allows for hosting various bespoke collections, like the .

In addition to hosting digital collections, the site serves as a portal to the Libraries’ digital exhibitions, including:

“As we wrap up this phase of migrating content from the previous platform, our team is really excited to add new digital materials to the site and experiment with different approaches to spotlighting and creating increased access to our unique content,” says Déirdre Joyce, head of digital stewardship and the Digital Library. “There are enormous opportunities to leverage the capabilities of this platform to support creative digital scholarship that we are just beginning to explore.”

“An increasingly key role for research libraries is building virtual libraries out of rare local collections so we can better preserve the originals and efficiently share them with the world whenever possible,” says Scott Warren, senior associate dean for research excellence. “By investing in state-of-the-art systems like Quartex, we amplify our ability to bring these critical cultural heritage items into ���ϲ����� classrooms for use by ���ϲ����� students and faculty and make them available to global researchers,” he says. “I’m thrilled our new Digital Collections platform is live! It’s just one of the many ways the Libraries helps drive student success.”

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���ϲ����� Libraries signed a new ‘read and publish’ open access agreement with the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) that will expand the reach of ���ϲ����� researchers’ scholarly contributions.

Open access allows anyone to use these scholarly works, free of charge and free of most copyright and licensing restrictions for further use. ‘Read and publish’ agreements allow ���ϲ�����-affiliated authors to make their work immediately open access when they run in journals that are published by these organizations, at no cost to the author.

The RSC publishes journals in core chemical sciences and related fields such biology, biophysics, energy and environment, engineering, materials, medicine and physics. Authors looking to take advantage of the agreement can find more information in the .

“The Royal Society of Chemistry is a venerable yet groundbreaking institution, so I’m thrilled they are the 11th publisher the Libraries have struck a ‘read and publish’ deal with to eliminate costly open access article fees for ���ϲ����� authors,” says Scott Warren, the Libraries’ senior associate dean for research excellence. “Sustainably enabling SU authors to publish their groundbreaking research openly ensures they meet a growing cadre of funders’ public access requirements. Such innovations are a core element of the Libraries’ Academic Strategic Plan.”