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 Syracuse University 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 Syracuse 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 Syracuse University 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

Syracuse University student startup teams or researchers are invited to submit�� of a venture idea to participate in the Syracuse 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 Syracuse University 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 Syracuse University ACC InVenture Prize is supported by the Provost’s Office and is hosted by Syracuse University 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.

Rebecca G. Johnston

Rebecca G. Johnston recently joined Syracuse University Libraries this fall as the social sciences and humanities Librarian in the Department of Research and Scholarship.

In this role, Johnston will be subject�� librarian in the subjects of African American studies, history, language and literature (except French), Latin American studies, Lesbian, Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) studies, Native American studies, philosophy, religion and women’s and gender studies.

Prior to joining Syracuse University Libraries, Johnston was a reference librarian at Wells College. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in English and history from the College of Wooster, and master’s degrees in library and information science and history from Simmons University.

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 Syracuse 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 Syracuse University 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.

Syracuse University 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 Syracuse University,” says Niforatos. “I had no idea Syracuse 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 Syracuse University 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 Syracuse University Libraries from Raj-Ann Rekhi Gill ’98, a member of the Syracuse University Board of Trustees. The program is administered through Syracuse University 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 .

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 Syracuse University 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 Syracuse 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, Syracuse University 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, Syracuse community–broadly discoverable in New York Heritage. We look forward to continuing this important collaboration.”

Students present research at SOURCE Explore 2024

The program takes place on Jan. 24, Jan. 31, Feb. 7 and Feb. 14, with the final presentation on Feb. 28 from 2 to 4 p.m. All cohorts, except “Mapping Stories, Making Change with Syracuse Community Geography” take place from 2 to 4 p.m. The Community Geography cohort will meet on Fridays from noon to 2 p.m.

The six SOURCE Explore programs being offered are:

• “Mapping Stories, Making Change with Syracuse Community Geography:” Learn how maps help us visualize and share pressing stories like the impacts of climate change, the global pandemic, housing inequalities and ongoing racial injustice (among many more).
• “Analyzing Media and Popular Culture Through a Social Justice Lens with Newhouse’s CODE^SHIFT Lab:” Learn how to examine media texts (such as news stories, social media posts, movies, TV shows, music videos or advertisements) from a social justice lens to become more mindful media users.
• “Culture Clubs: Researching Communities of Interest:” Explore traces of human culture, activity and ideas through archival materials like photographs, scrapbooks and diaries, homemade fliers and pamphlets, notes and ephemera to better understand what constitutes “community” from mainstream offshoots to counterculture and subculture groups, to organizations of extreme niche interest. This cohort will be offered through the Libraries’ Special Collections Research Center.
• “3D Printing and Advanced Manufacturing*:” Learn how to utilize computer aided design (CAD) and 3D printers in academic research for precise modeling and rapid prototyping of complex structures.
• “Discovering Connections: Using Graph Theory to Solve Real-World Network Challenges*:” Learn how to model networks as graphs and apply key concepts like shortest paths, network flows and connectivity to explore how mathematical models can help solve real problems.
• “Exploring the Building Blocks of Life*:” Learn how DNA, the building block of life, is a key component of life science research through Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), a common laboratory technique that amplifies DNA sequences of interest.

The three STEM Explore programs* are offered in partnership with the����program; students meeting the LSAMP����are strongly encouraged to apply.

Of the SOURCE Explore experience in spring 2024, one student shared that they learned “how to be more open-minded and adaptable when doing research,” including “how to navigate looking at archival, first-hand sources.” The student explained, “I didn’t have much experience with this prior, as I mainly used online databases and second-hand sources to complete projects. This led me to a third skill that I developed, which was how to narrow down my search and ask relevant questions.”

Interested students should by Dec. 5.

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.

Syracuse University 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 Syracuse University 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.

Syracuse University 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 Syracuse University 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), Syracuse 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, Syracuse 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 Syracuse University 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 Syracuse University 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 Syracuse University Libraries on helping GPO deliver on its vision of an America informed.”

“Syracuse University Libraries is proud to be a congressionally designated depository for U.S. government documents,” says David Seaman, dean of Syracuse University Libraries and University librarian. “In fact, Syracuse University 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 Syracuse University Libraries serve 23,000 students, staff and faculty of Syracuse University 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)

Syracuse University 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, Syracuse University Libraries
• Melissa Gwilt ’15, G’22, director of budget and administration, Syracuse University 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 Syracuse University Libraries;
• Natalie Hewitt ’84, an independent human resources consultant;
• Kyra A. James ’07, professional food educator, certified cheese professional, and former Syracuse 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 Syracuse, 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 Syracuse University 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 Syracuse University 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 Syracuse University 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 Syracuse University 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 Syracuse University.

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 Syracuse University 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.”

“Syracuse University 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 Syracuse University 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 Syracuse University 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 Syracuse, managing significant financial responsibilities.

Syracuse University’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 Syracuse University. 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. Syracuse University 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 Syracuse’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.

Anthony J. Thomas and Fatim Cisse

Thomas’ entrepreneurial endeavors include building websites/web design, information security systems and home security systems. He has experience working in retail as a technology associate on both hardware and software.

Cisse’s entrepreneurial experience includes owning Womb’s Yoga, an organization that provides mindfulness workshops and support groups for Women of Color. Cisse is passionate about maternal health care and women’s wellness. She also previously served as a researcher in Health and Wellness Services through the office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

The Todd B. Rubin Diversity and Innovation Scholars is funded by a multi-year gift from Todd B. Rubin ’04 (School of Architecture) to directly support employment of entrepreneurial students focused on innovation, diversity and inclusion at the LaunchPad. Rubin was the recipient of the University’s 2014 Generation Orange Award for philanthropy and is a member of the Syracuse University Libraries Advisory Board. Todd serves as the minister of evolution (president) for The Republic of Tea, founded in 1992 as a premium tea company dedicated to enriching people’s lives through great-tasting premium teas and herbs, education, and innovation.

Aidan Turner

Turner is a fifth-year architecture student minoring in real estate (Martin J. Whitman School of Management). A member of the Blackstone LaunchPad since 2021, Turner’s entrepreneurial endeavor includes a premium garment design and supply company called Grater Things Threads, which supports his two clothing brands. He was awarded Whitman’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2022 and 2024.

The LaunchPad Watson Scholar is a paid position for students passionate about innovation, entrepreneurship and venture development. Funded through a gift from the Hunter Brooks Watson Memorial Fund, the Watson Scholar honors the life, passion and entrepreneurial spirit of Hunter Brooks Watson, who passed away in 2016 after a car accident.

is an innovative, interdisciplinary initiative at Syracuse University focused on inclusive entrepreneurship, design and community. It is a partnership between Syracuse University 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 Syracuse University 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.

Syracuse University 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 Syracuse, 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 Syracuse 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 Syracuse University 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 Syracuse University 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.

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

Syracuse University 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 Syracuse University Libraries, in collaboration with the University’s research and commercialization programs such as the�� (SOURCE), the��,��, ,��, the��, the����at Syracuse,��,��, 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 Syracuse University 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 Syracuse University 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, Syracuse University Libraries, who was founding director of the Blackstone LaunchPad; Jeff Fuchsberg, director, Syracuse 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 Syracuse Tech Garden before joining the University. NSF certified instructors will be teaching the course modules.

More information

Read more about��Syracuse University’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, Syracuse University 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, Syracuse University 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 .

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 (), Syracuse University 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 Syracuse University 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 Syracuse University 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 Syracuse University, 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 Syracuse University is co-led by , strategic initiatives advisor for Syracuse University Libraries and founding director of the Blackstone LaunchPad, and Jeff Fuchsberg, director of the Syracuse 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 Syracuse University’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 Syracuse University’s NSF I-Corps programming are resource providers across campus, including the Office of Research, Office of Technology Transfer, Syracuse University 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 Syracuse University, 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.

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.

Traci Geisler, director of Blackstone LaunchPad at Syracuse University 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 Syracuse University 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 Syracuse University 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.

Syracuse University 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 Syracuse University’s authors. Based on the strong publication history of University authors in Springer titles, Syracuse University 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 Syracuse Libraries website to .

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 Syracuse classrooms for use by Syracuse 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.”

��

Syracuse University Libraries signed a new ‘read and publish’ open access agreement with the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) that will expand the reach of Syracuse University 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 Syracuse 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.

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 Syracuse University 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.”

• Virtual presentation on on April 9 at 3 p.m, presented by Adrienne Teague ’18, a public librarian in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This program was postponed from National Libraries Week 2023.
• Celebration of the on April 10 at 1 p.m. This award is sponsored in collaboration with the College of Arts and Sciences and recognizes a graduate student’s scholarly writing. Mary Hatch Marshall was a long-standing member of the Library Associates, a ‘friends’ of the Library group that raises money for the Libraries’ special collections.
• Virtual presentation on on April 11 at 11 a.m, presented by School of Information Studies’ Ph,D. candidate Tyler Youngman ’20, G’21.

Contact libcom@syr.edu for more information or accommodations.

Victor Sholl

Sholl will receive a $1,000 prize. His article introduces and argues for a view he calls World Narrativism: that narrative features affect the quality of trajectories the world can take, thus becoming relevant when we decide which course of the world we should promote. Though the idea that the history of the world has narrative features has been defended before, views of this kind typically do not involve an explicit claim that individuals should promote a better story of the world. The common assumption is that whatever is the story of the world, it is something governed by factors beyond the control of individuals. He argues that World Narrativism is original in this respect.

His essay was chosen from those submitted by A&S graduate students currently enrolled in African American studies; English; art and music histories; languages, literatures and linguistics; philosophy; religion; and writing studies, rhetoric and composition.

Sholl received his master’s in philosophy from the University of São Paulo in 2022. His research interests include well-being, normative reasons, explanations, consequentialism, and artificial intelligence and art.

Professor Mary Hatch Marshall was a founding member of the Library Associates and holds a distinguished place in the history of A&S. In 1952, she became the Jesse Truesdell Peck Professor of English Literature—the first woman appointed a full professor in the college—after having joined the faculty four years earlier. Library Associates established the annual Mary Hatch Marshall Award to honor and help perpetuate her scholarly standards and the generous spirit that characterized her inspirational teaching career, which lasted through her retirement in 1993. Members of Library Associates, Marshall’s friends and family, the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation and the Central New York Community Foundation all contributed to the endowment, established in 2004, that funds the award.

Library Associates is a group of dedicated SU Libraries supporters who help to raise funds and accessibility for the Libraries’ special collections, rare books and manuscripts through opportunities like the Faculty Fellows program. Those wishing to join the Library Associates or make a gift to the Mary Hatch Marshall Award Endowment can contact Ron Thiele, assistant dean for advancement for the Libraries, at rlthiele@syr.edu or 315.560.9419.

Hagadorn’s hybrid lecture, titled “Reuse, Repurpose, Recycle: a Conservator Reviews the Long History of Binding Waste,” will occur on April 4 from 3:30-5 p.m. in Bird Library’s Peter Graham Scholarly Commons and on Zoom.

Alexis Hegadorn

The hands-on workshop, titled “Identifying, Describing and Understanding Waste Fragments and Bindings,” will be held on April 5 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Antje Bultmann Lemke Seminar Room and the Joan Breier Brodsky ’67, G’68 Conservation Lab, Special Collections Research Center, 6^th floor of Bird Library. The onsite workshop is limited to 15 people and registration is required by emailing mlwagh@syr.edu.

All events are open to the public.

The annual is endowed through a generous gift by William J. ’65, G’ 68 and Joan ’67, G’68 Brodsky. Beginning in 2004, the endowment has been used to sponsor programs featuring prominent library conservators that promote and advance knowledge of library conservation theory, practice and application among wide audiences, both on campus and in the region.

2023 RvD iPrize competition: Scott Warren, Syracuse University Libraries (left) and Bruce Kingma, School of Information Studies (right) presented check to Ben Ford ’23 (Martin J. Whitman School of Management), founder of Fundwurx.

Last year’s RvD iPrize winners included Ben Ford ’23, founder of Fundwurx; Adya Parida ’25 and Oliver Raycroft ’25, co-Founders of Scale Sense; Motolani Oladitan ’24, founder of Ta; Jeremy Shinder ’24, founder of Jere Bear Films, LLC; Travis Ghirdharie G’22, founder of Many Hands; Sai Krishna Bolla G’23, founder of Cognition X; Aidan Mickleburgh ’23 G’23, founder of Intervea; Kai Patricio, founder of Farm Loop; and Rob Goldblatt ’23, Paul Sausville and Nicole Byrnes, co-founders of Tree-Spun.

The 2023 Hunter Brooks Watson Spirit of Entrepreneurship Award was given to four student teams who best exemplified “The Spirit of Entrepreneurship.” Prizes honor the memory of Hunter Brooks Watson, a Syracuse University student who died tragically in a distracted driving accident. Last year’s winners were: Rabia Razzaq G’23, Kai Patricio G’23, Priscilla Cruz ’24, and Peyton Sefick, members of Re-mend team; Motolani Oladitan ’24; Jeremy Shinder ’24; and Ethan Tyo ’17 G’22, AlterNative Project and cookbook author.

for the development or revision of a three-credit course to be taught in the Fall 2025 or Spring 2026 semester from any discipline on campus. The application process is open through April 26.

Syracuse University Libraries’ Special Collections Research Center is accepting proposals now through April 26, 2024 for two Faculty Fellows for the 2025-26 academic year.

The Faculty Fellows Program��aims to support innovative curriculum development and foster new ideas about transforming the role of special collections and archival research in university instruction. During the four-week summer residency, each Fellow receives expert guidance through workshops and training sessions on handling special collections materials, teaching students how to research within and across collections and designing hands-on, individualized, creative and critically-minded assignments with rare materials.

SCRC’s primary sources span over 4,000 years—from the 21st century B.C.E. to the 21st century C.E.—and represent an array of topics and perspectives relevant to the study of human culture and knowledge. They include various formats: written and printed material, art, architecture and design and music and recorded sound. Engaging with SCRC’s rare and archival collections allows students, faculty and researchers to explore and question historical evidence and testimonies while connecting with the innovative and enduring ways people have communicated, documented their experiences and recorded personal memories throughout history.

For questions or additional information about the SCRC Faculty Fellows Program, contact Jana Rosinski, SCRC Instruction & Education Librarian, or online through the .

The Libraries is thankful to George Bain G’06, a member of the Library Associates, for his generous gift of funding toward the Faculty Fellows in 2022-24 The original funding for the SCRC Faculty Fellows Program was made possible through the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation, which promotes the advancement and perpetuation of humanistic inquiry and artistic creativity by encouraging excellence in scholarship and in the performing arts, and by supporting research libraries and other institutions that transmit our cultural heritage.

Syracuse University Libraries and Library Associates invite gifts to support the SCRC Faculty Fellows Program and this unique opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students. Each $5,000 gift will support a Fellow for a semester-long class. Please contact Ron Thiele, Assistant Dean for Advancement for the Libraries, at rlthiele@syr.edu or 315.560.9419 for more information about making a gift.

The grants reward innovation and reflect on the talents and passions that Hunter Watson brought to his life. Hunter was a rising junior at Syracuse University, majoring in the School of Information Studies (iSchool), when he died tragically in 2016 in a distracted driving car accident. His family and friends created Hunter’s Fund to honor his legacy and “provide support for young people who also approach life with powerful ideas.”

Natasha Brao ’22 G’23, G’24 and Thomas Montfort ’24

The grants from Hunter’s Fund will enable Brao and Montfort to develop product roadmaps and business models for their student ventures. They both look forward to honoring the legacy of Hunter’s passion for innovation and entrepreneurship.

Brao, who graduated with bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the College of Visual and Performing Arts and the Martin J. Whitman School of Management, respectively, and is a graduate student in the Whitman School, founded a creative agency that develops brand strategy and design for clients ranging from products to services to environments. A culinary entrepreneur who is fascinated by food creativity, she is also founder of Root and Seed Brands, a company that is bringing real, whole and culturally diverse food products to market. She is launching her first product line, Shooka Sauce, a Mediterranean spiced tomato sauce that celebrates the mixing and melding of cultural flavors. Brao is also the recipient of an Orange Distinction Award and is an Invest in Success Scholar.

Working with the University’s innovation ecosystem, as well as alumni and industry advisors, Brao recently completed her first production run of professionally bottled sauce, which won accolades and funding in Whitman’s fall 2023 Orange Tank. She incorporated her venture with the assistance of a Libraries’ Student Startup Award (funded by Libraries’ Advisory Board member Jeff Rich ’67) and recently won an inaugural Libraries’ Orange Innovation Award to produce her first commercial run with a co-packer in Rochester to bring her product to market. The grant from Hunter’s Fund will help create larger scale production of her sauce for market placement.

“I am honored to receive support from Hunter’s Fund, and I take this as an opportunity to continue pushing forward with Hunter’s passion for life and creative impact by my side,” says Brao.

Montfort, a student in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, recently completed a software engineering internship at Amazon Web Services in Austin, Texas, following a software engineering internship at JPMorgan Chase the previous summer. Montfort is one of the original co-founders team members and former vice president of Cuse Blockchain, a student organization based in SU Libraries focused on research and education around blockchain technology.

This summer he went to train his own artificial intelligence (AI) model but found he couldn’t get access to the necessary computing resources from the big cloud providers like Amazon and Microsoft. This led him to co-found Agora Labs with the goal of making it easy for AI engineers and researchers to train AI models. To date, Agora Labs performed alpha testing with over a dozen Ph.D. students from multiple university AI labs. They then launched their platform to the public in January, garnering paying customers. Montfort is also the winner of an inaugural Libraries’ Orange Innovation Fund award to help commercialize his venture. The grant from Hunter’s Fund will help him continue supporting the growing costs of the company while accelerating their go-to-market.

“It was very inspiring to hear about Hunter’s story. It means that much more to gain the financial support from Hunter’s Fund to continue building Agora Labs,” says Montfort. “This will help us on our mission to train the next million students to develop AI applications that will transform the world.”

supports young people ages 16-25 who have demonstrated their potential through their talents, experiences and passions, pursuing careers in music, performing arts, computer science and entrepreneurship.��More than 84 ��grants have been awarded since the inception of the fund. Hunter’s Fund is also working with colleges and universities, including Syracuse, on designed to end distracted driving.

Award recipients are selected by ‘Hunter’s Team,’ comprised of former grant recipients as well as volunteers who were friends of Hunter Watson and wish to continue the legacy that Hunter inspired. Team members assist with fundraising, board governance and committees, and grade the hundreds of grant applications submitted seasonally. Team members also serve as mentors to the young people who have won grants, providing guidance and insight to help them in achieving their dreams. They are instrumental in promoting and coordinating safe driving programs on school campuses.

Some previous recipients of Hunter’s Fund grants include Taylor Lotte ’19, Nicholas Barba ’20 and Justin Gluska ’23.

The Hunter Brooks Watson Memorial Fund has a strong partnership with SU Libraries. The Watson Family annually has endowed the funds for the Hunter Brooks Watson Scholarship at the Blackstone LaunchPad in Bird Library. The scholars have included Kayla Simon ’19, Audrey Miller ’20, Emma Rothman ’21, Jack Ramza ’22, Jack Adler ’23 and John (Jack) Rose ’24. Each year the scholar role is awarded by the LaunchPad to a University student who exemplifies Hunter’s passion for entrepreneurship and is modeled after the Syracuse Remembrance Scholar program.

Additionally, Hunter’s Fund sponsors the Hunter Brooks Watson Spirit of Entrepreneurship Competition each spring, in conjunction with the iSchool’s annual Raymond Von Dran iPrize.

“I see Hunter’s name and photograph on a wall plaque in the LaunchPad every time I go in there, and it reminds me that we are fortunate to be able to work with Jerry and Judy Watson to remember Hunter Brooks Watson and to celebrate his life and legacy,” says David Seaman, dean of Libraries and University Librarian. “These Hunter’s Fund grants are an investment in our current students, furthering their ideas and encouraging them on their entrepreneurship journey, wherever it takes them.”

Syracuse University students at 2018 New York Business Plan Competition. From left, Charles Keppler and Serena Ogie Evah Omo Lamai, co-founders of Fibre Free, Kayla Simon and Elizabeth Tarangelo, co-founders of In-Spire, and Julia Haber, founder of WAYV and Home From College.

The , powered by Upstate Capital, is currently accepting applications through Friday, March 1, from graduate and undergraduate students across Central New York colleges and universities for the regional qualifier in Central New York. This year the regional competition will be held at SUNY Oswego’s downtown Syracuse campus on Friday, March 22. The two top regional teams, as selected by regional business and community leaders, will progress to compete in three rounds of finals, leading to the final competition on Thursday, April 25, in Albany.

The competition promotes entrepreneurial opportunities for college students from across the state who 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.

Students will compete in one of the following tracks:

• food and agricultural technology;
• health and wellbeing;
• learn, work and live;
• safety, power and mobility;
• products and hardware; and
• software and services.

Aditee Malviya G’25, studying in the School of Engineering and Computer Science, was selected as a student ambassador to share entrepreneurial resources at the Blackstone LaunchPad and spread the word about the competition on the Syracuse University campus.

Students from regional colleges and universities should and indicate Central New York as the region.

Josh Aviv ’15, G’17, CEO of Sparkcharge, the 2018 NYBPC Grand Prize winner, said “…Through winning the New York business plan competition, we were able to develop one of our first ever prototype charging stations that has now evolved into a multimillion-dollar business. We also received a ton of mentorship guidance… We now have offices across the United States…”

Since 2010, the NYBPC has helped to launch more than 200 student-led ventures and generated more than $150 million in economic impact.

The competition was organized by two students in the , Motolani Oladitan ’24 and Brandon Henry ’24, with support from other Blackstone LaunchPad student employees and founders.

Tosin Alabi took first place in the recent Afropreneurship Pitch Competition. (Photo by Mariah Brown)

Olutosin “Tosin” Alabi G’25, an MBA student in the , won first place in the 90-second pitch competition with her proposed health tech startup, DiabeTech Nexus, a sensor-detecting diabetes wound bandage.

Whitman undergraduate student Mariah Brown ’26 won second place with Dormbank, a proposed reseller of college residence hall items like appliances and small electronics. Third place winner Justin Diaz ’24, also a student in the Whitman School, is founder of Eco Bamboo Living, a company that would create tiny homes made of bamboo for more sustainable living.

Judges for the pitch competition also spoke to students during a panel discussion on being an innovator, entrepreneur and creative of color. Panelists/judges included:

• Brianna Howard G’21, founder of Faithful Works, which offers virtual assistant and grant consulting services to nonprofits, small business owners and startup;
• Derrell Smith ’10, retired NFL player turned chef and founder of a meatball company named Amazeballs, who has cooked on stages around the world and stars in his own TV show on Tastemade;
• Damaris “Koi” Munyua G’22, founder of the marketing agency Koi and Company, which specializes in copywriting, graphic and website design;
• Ana Catalina Rodriguez Botello, a diversity and social impact professional with a master’s degree in public and social Policy from Universitat Pompeu Fabra and a LEAD Certificate from Stanford University, currently serving as global social impact senior manager at Marsh McLennan;
• Phahsa Ras, co-founder of UMi, the world’s first “Conscious Attention Economy,” capitalizing on the impact of such emergent technologies as generative AI on jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities; and
• Kofi Addai, associate director of bias education and response in .

Katy Arons

Katy Arons ’24, founder of Continual Consent and a student in the School of Information Studies, won first place at the 2024 campus qualifier competition for the on Feb. 1 held at Syracuse University Libraries’ Blackstone LaunchPad. She and her team will now advance to the national competition being held March 26-27 at Florida State University and televised on PBS.

Continual Consent is a health and safety mobile application designed to revolutionize conversations about consent and intimacy. As the winner of the Syracuse University competition, Arons will receive an expense paid trip to compete in the ACC InVenture Prize finals from March 26-28 in Tallahassee, Florida. The televised finals feature one team from each of the 15 colleges and universities in the ACC Academic Consortium who compete for ��$30,000 in prizes.

ACC InVenture campus qualifier runners up included Justin Diaz ’24, founder of EcoBamboo and a student in the Martin J. Whitman School of Management, and Brendan Murty ’24, Ryan Mussaw ’24 and Ian Storrs ’24, founders of Concurrent and students in the College of Engineering and Computer Science.

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

Information and communication technologies supporting research, teaching and learning have changed dramatically since the Libraries adopted its current platform nearly three decades ago. After several years of review, research of other academic libraries’ systems and gathering requirements involving a large cross section of Libraries’ staff, Alma was selected to replace the current system. This change will benefit all Libraries’ users and is foundational for realizing the University’s�� Academic Strategic Plan and future improvements for years to come.

As the Libraries migrates data into the new system, routine processing of requests for new books, videos or other resources added to the collection will NOT occur as usual between April 1 and Aug. 1. While there are always ordering pauses toward the end of the fiscal year, this year that pause will start earlier, last longer and include all vendors and all formats (books, films, etc.).

After April 1, users can still submit item requests to subject librarians or via the . However, requests received after April 1 will be held and processing will resume Aug. 1, pending the Libraries completion of the migration.

During the migration, Libraries’ databases, streaming video packages, journal collections, eBook collections and more will continue to be available, offering familiar content and search features.

The Libraries anticipates Alma will go live in late June. The new platform will enhance discoverability of library collections. Other academic libraries using Alma Primo VE include Dartmouth College, George Washington University, Georgetown University, Johns Hopkins University, Northeastern University, State University of New York, Tufts University, University of Rochester and University of Notre Dame. More information will be provided as the date approaches. There will be an opportunity for user experience testing in March for small groups of students, faculty and staff to help the Libraries better understand what is working/not working and adjust functionality accordingly. Those interested in participating can contact libcom@syr.edu.

Among the activities planned for the week:

• 

  Syracuse University Libraries’ Blackstone LaunchPad is celebrating National Entrepreneurship Week Feb. 10-17.

  The�� is a crowdsourced list of books on topics related to innovation and entrepreneurship. It includes both print and eBooks on the following topics: autobiographies and biographies; creativity; design; empowerment; funding patents and business law; history and economics; leadership and teams; marketing; social entrepreneurship; strategy and planning; and technology and data.

• On Feb. 12 at 9 a.m., Anthoni Pope and Jordan Davis of New York Life will present a workshop on “How to Create Generational Wealth for Small Businesses.”
• On February 13 at 9 a.m., alumni Luke Cooper, managing partner at Latimer Ventures, and Kevin Whittaker, chief legal and compliance officer at Ripcord, will present an “Ask Me Anything” workshop on “.”
• On February 14 between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., the LaunchPad is hosting a event to match student venture opportunities with other students’ skills. This is an opportunity to meet staff and other LaunchPad students, learn about ventures and find potential business partners.
• On February 16 at 3 p.m., LaunchPad Innovator-in-Residence Sai Bolla ’23 will present a workshop in the LaunchPad on .”
• are available to help entrepreneurs bring their ideas to life.
• One-on-one advisory sessions and alumni and peer mentors are available to consult with entrepreneurs (it’s free to join) throughout their entrepreneurial journey.

Syracuse University Libraries’ Special Collections Research Center’s (SCRC) Spring 2024 exhibition, titled “Plasticized: The Proliferation of Plastics in the 20th Century,” opens Monday, Feb. 26, and will run through August 2024 on the sixth floor of Bird Library.

“Plasticized: The Proliferation of Plastics in the 20th Century” and will run through August 2024 on the sixth floor of Bird Library.

In the second half of the 20th century, and particularly during the American post-World War II period, plastic technology and manufacturing progressed so rapidly that scholars have deemed this period the “Great Acceleration.” During these years, the spread of plastics exploded globally both in production and consumption, forever changing how we live our lives within the material world, altering Earth’s environment and human and non-human bodies in ways just now coming to the surface of our collective understanding.

Curated by lead curator and curator of plastics and historical artifacts, Courtney Hicks, “Plasticized: The Proliferation of Plastics in the 20th Century” presents archival materials that document a selection of plastics’ former lives, aspirations, applications and affects while also offering a glimpse into the world of those individuals and communities often invisible behind the plastic objects themselves.

Featuring materials from the ��at Syracuse University Libraries’��,�� these selections provide historical traces of those who imagined, designed, worked with, consumed, promoted, marketed and resisted this uniquely synthetic material. Explore plastic through its industrial introduction to its universal presence in our everyday lives.��

The opening reception for the exhibition is being held on Feb. 29 from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Those interested in attending the opening reception can .

Douglass Day celebrates Frederick Douglass (1818-1895), a leader of the American abolitionist movement, on his chosen birthday. The pop-up exhibition will showcase a selection of materials pertaining to Douglass and his life, including his three autobiographies, speeches and a selection of letters in Douglass’s own hand from the and .

Attendees will have the opportunity to view and engage with the items on display. This event is open to the public, and SCRC staff will be on hand to answer questions about the materials on view and the Center.

The same day, the Syracuse Humanities Center will be hosting the on the first floor of Bird Library, in the Peter Graham Scholarly Commons (Room 114) from noon to 3 p.m.

Gianfranco Zaccai ’70, H’09 (pictured on screen), donor for Intelligence ++, and Kai Patricio G’23 (College of Visual and Performing Arts) cohosting a workshop.

The competition was created to harness the power of design thinking, user experience (UX)/ user interface (UI) research and design, and rapid development technology. Traditionally taught and practiced in silos, these skills and tools hold the potential for unparalleled innovation when combined. Intelligence ++ aims to bridge these gaps by providing students with a holistic experience working alongside top alumni industry professionals.

The hybrid weeklong event will commence with an intensive workshop on Feb. 2, 2024, from 2 to 5 p.m. in the Whitman School of Management. It is being led by Kai Alexander Patricio G’23 (College of Visual and Performing Arts), a design consultant in research and experience design at Matchstiix in Brooklyn, New York. Patricio is renowned for his expertise in design processes utilizing no and low code. He is also the author of the published methodology “Design Led No Code” and consults businesses ranging from start-ups to mature companies.

Patricio will be joined by industry professionals Samantha Calamari (senior learning experience designer, Microsoft), Quentin Fletchall (senior design researcher, Conifer Research), Andrew Tsao (founder, Codeless Coach) and Max Mirho (founder, Make with Max), as collaborators in the design sprint.

The workshop will guide students through the process of testing an idea and building a fully functional prototype or MVP (Minimum Viable Product). Activities will include multi-level mind mapping, empathy structuring, journey sketching, no-code wireframing, API binding, back-end creation and business logic creation.

Teams interested in participating can . Selected teams will be assigned a design challenge related to the Intelligence ++ initiative. For those aspiring to develop platforms beyond the design brief, an opportunity to apply for an exception for a prototype build based on their own research will be provided.

The competitive sprint will culminate on Friday, Feb. 9, 2024, at 2 p.m., with a pitch event at the Whitman School of Management. Teams will present their prototypes to a distinguished panel of successful Syracuse University alumni judges working in the field. The winning team with the best prototype will be awarded a $500 grand prize and $5,000 in AWS credits from AWS Activate.

Intelligence ++ is a collaborative program involving the College of Visual and Performing Arts School of Design, the School of Education’s InclusiveU initiative of the Taishoff Center for Inclusive Higher Education, Syracuse University Libraries and the Blackstone LaunchPad. The Whitman School of Management is hosting the event in partnership with the Couri Hatchery.

This initiative represents a significant step toward fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and preparing students for the dynamic challenges of the ever-evolving technological landscape.

Inaugural winners of the Orange Innovation Fund awards, from left: Thomas Montfort, Natasha Brao, Trustee Raj-Ann Rekhi Gill, Scott Warren, senior associate dean for research excellence, Alex Levy and Sam Schreiber

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 Syracuse 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 Syracuse University Libraries, in collaboration with the University’s research and commercialization programs, including the , ,��,��, the��, the����at Syracuse,��,��, 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 Syracuse University Libraries, and former founding director of the Blackstone LaunchPad. Students should attend one of the following workshops to create a successful application:

• March 6, 3 to 4 p.m. in Bird Library
• March 7, 3 to 4 p.m. in Bird Library
• Friday, March 8, 10 to 11 a.m. ET via Zoom (Zoom link provided upon e-mail to orangeinnovation@syr.edu)

Applications are due Friday, March 29, by 5 p.m. ET to Syracuse University Libraries. For a link to the application or to register for a workshop, please email 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 late April or early May.

Three student teams were the fall 2023 winners of inaugural Orange Innovation Fund awards.

The ribbon cutting for the new pop-up library will take place on Jan. 17 at 5 p.m. in the Storch Theater, with a small reception and open hours held afterward in the lobby. The pop-up library is a specially selected, circulating collection of materials curated for drama students and faculty that will be accessible throughout the Spring 2024 semester on Mondays from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and Wednesdays from 2 to 4 p.m.

Materials in the pop-up will be updated monthly and will also serve as a Library-to-Go location for drama faculty. The movable, lockable shelves that display the books, scores and other library materials was funded by two innovation grants, Central New York Library Resources Council (CLRC) and the Staff Innovation Fund, made possible through a generous donation by Libraries Advisory Board member Laurence G. Bousquet G’80.

“The drama department students and faculty find it difficult to get to the library on campus due to long rehearsals and their class schedule,” says Amanda DuBose. “This pop-up library is a point of service for this part of our campus population that may underutilize the resources available to them. We’re super excited to have this opportunity to provide drama students, faculty and staff with the physical resources and librarian expertise in a location that is convenient for them.”