Asclepias incarnata, a native plant commonly called swamp milkweed, being sampled by a native bee, Bombus grisecollis, the brown-belted bumble bee. Swamp milkweed is loved by butterflies and bees, and is the only host plant for the Monarch butterfly species, a safe space for Monarch butterfly eggs and food for its caterpillars.

What’s the buzz? On South Campus and all across Syracuse University, it’s native plants to support pollinators of all varieties. And that is just one part of the University’s efforts in sustainability management.

Melissa Cadwell, sustainability coordinator in , spearheads that support and helps move the University forward in its vision of instilling a culture of sustainability on campus. Cadwell has worked at the University since 1987.

Other work in the unit has focused on working with students in Sustainability Management’s internship program on a variety of projects, including Bee Campus USA and Pete’s Giving Garden.

All the effort and strategy turns into blooming, buzzing reality with the help of partners in . Pat Carroll, grounds manager, and Joe Quarantillo, grounds supervisor, work side by side on tasks like putting up fencing and planting perennials.

With more than 50 years of grounds experience between them, Carroll and Quarantillo agree that if it came down to a competition of dirt-under-the-fingernails, it would be a tie.

But on the topic of working collaboratively with Sustainability Management on the campus grounds—over 900 acres with more than 600 acres of green space—Carroll says, “We enjoy working with them, they’re great folks, easy to work with. They have ideas and we try to facilitate that. That’s what we do.”

With a long view of the growth of sustainability on campus, Cadwell says, “Over the last 10 years or so, the grounds crew members have been working on replacing many of the annual plants on campus with native perennials. The benefit of native perennials is they don’t need to be replaced each year and they help our native pollinators.”

The perimeter of Pete’s Giving Garden on South Campus was planted with 750 pollinator-friendly natives through a grant from the Xerces Society. This showy display helps support the honey bees in six hives also on South Campus.

A great example of this is Pete’s Giving Garden on South Campus. Syracuse University was awarded a grant through the , a nonprofit organization based in Portland, Oregon, to plant 750 native wildflowers along the perimeter of Pete’s Giving Garden.

Why native plants? Plants and pollinators have evolved together and adapted to each other in their local conditions of climate, soil and seasons. They fit each other’s needs and feed each other’s well-being.

The native plants provide food and energy to pollinators: nectar, pollen and seeds, while bees and other pollinators set the stage for next season’s successful plants. That’s why it’s a great idea to garden with native wildflowers, especially on this urban campus with its mix of green spaces, buildings and landscaping—a wide and varied supply of bountiful habitats for pollinator species.

Common horticultural plants, though developed to be showier, brighter or hold longer blooms, just “do not provide energetic rewards to their visitors,” says Cadwell.

But we’re not talking just bees as pollinators. Butterflies, moths, wasps, flies, beetles, other insects, hummingbirds, even bats have a role to play in pollination.

And we’re not talking just flowers either. Trees, shrubs, vines, grasses, ferns and ground covers all add to the party, each has its various charms.

Cadwell estimates 2,000 plus native plants exist on campus; Carroll and Quarantillo enumerate their charms.

Trees—red maples on South Campus; eastern redbuds in several areas across campus, near Slocum Hall and Huntington Hall, easily 50 could be counted while driving around campus; serviceberry trees on the Kenneth A. Shaw Quadrangle, behind the Hall of Languages and next to the D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families.

The University’s newest white pine tree, Pinus strobus, is located on North Campus at the new Onondaga Art Installation near the Orange Grove.

The serviceberry is new as of three years ago, says Quarantillo, “and they’re settling in great!” White pines grow wild on South Campus, some with more character than glamor, says Quarantillo. The newest white pine is on North Campus, near the Orange Grove.

Shrubs can be found all around campus, even nearby, including winterberry at Heroy Geology Laboratory and at the Syracuse Center of Excellence; eastern ninebark with its exfoliating bark (like a paper birch tree) at the Martin J. Whitman School of Management building, near Eggers Hall and in other locations; and gray dogwoods.

Flowers in abundant variety can be found throughout campus. This short list includes bee balm, Canadian anemone, black-eyed susan, coneflower, creeping phlox, goatsbeard, purple asters, red columbine, swamp milkweed and turtlehead. Many of these can be found just outside of Sustainability’s offices at the Carriage House on South Campus.

But why the strong push now for native plants? For Cadwell, she says, “It started when we became a Bee Campus USA campus in 2019.”

That kicked off an intense and intentional commitment to the wide use of natives in campus plantings, a refinement of an effort already underway for the past decade. Bee Campus USA provides a framework for campus communities to work together to conserve native pollinators by increasing the abundance of native plants, providing nest sites and reducing the use of pesticides. “In this region, uses plants that are all native to the Northeast,” says Cadwell.

When the University joined Bee Campus USA, it recognized the importance of native bees and other native pollinator species. One extra project was incorporated through a initiative where honey bees were added to campus. Though honey bees are not a native species in our area, they do help pollinate our native plants. As a bonus, they make honey with a distinct Syracuse University flavor that is harvested twice a year, with sale proceeds going back to support the hives.

Cadwell hopes community members and neighbors will see how beautiful the native flowers are and be encouraged to plant their own pollinator gardens. She says, “With enough research you can find as many native plants for your area that are just as pretty and floral smelling as nonnatives.”

Here’s advice from Sustainability and Grounds for those new to this field.

• Do some research, join a local group like and identify the plants you’re seeking by their (genus and species) scientific names. That way you’re not so likely to get stuck with a plant that’s close but not quite right, maybe a little too aggressive for your spot.
• Don’t be shy about online resources, apps and technology to identify, discover and learn about native plants. Three of Cadwell’s go-to sources are the , the and , a database compiled by and for hobbyists that references both common and scientific names.

Carroll says, “Finding out things like how many plants will be needed per square foot, how aggressively do they grow and spread” can be key to your planning and decision-making. These and other details like color, height, sun or shade tolerance, soil moisture preferred, time and duration of bloom can make or break a native planting.

Sometimes it’s necessary and practical to mix natives and cultivars in a roughly 80:20 ratio. “For example,” says Cadwell, “in our space on South Campus, at the Carriage House we used some cultivars. The orange yarrow is an example. Most common yarrow is white. With our bee balm, we used a straight native.”

Cadwell notes that bee balm is a good example of how confusing common names for plants can be. Bee balm is its common name; its scientific name is Monarda didyma, that is genus Monarda, species didyma. It’s a very popular plant, easy to grow and the bees love it. When you brush up against it or pick the flowers, its fragrance is amazing. But you might also know it as Oswego tea or bergamot.

And then there is the word, “weed.” Cadwell recalls being surprised to learn that many plants with the word “weed” in their common names are native plants, for example: milkweed, joe-pye weed and sneezeweed.

When asked if the native plants have performed as expected, Cadwell says, without hesitation, “Yes.” In fact, she also says, “I have committed to only adding native plants to my gardens and woodlands. I am also committed to pulling nonnative plants as they compete with the native species. I currently have a room full of seedlings I am growing to plant in my garden in May.”

Campus may be quiet during the summer months with students away, but pollinators are just as busy as ever, just as busy as can “bee”!

Photographs, artwork, images and artifacts are on display in colorful collage at La Casita Cultural Center’s 10th anniversary exhibition.

La Casita Cultural Center hosted a reception Sept. 18 for the opening of a new exhibition, “Corazón del Barrio (Heart of the Barrio),” celebrating the center’s 10th anniversary. The exhibition’s opening reception, held in person and via Zoom, coincided with the launch of 2021 National Hispanic Heritage Month, observed mid-September through mid-October.

Evident throughout the celebration was a profound sense of family, community, history and rich cultural heritage. Photographs, artwork, images and artifacts covered the walls and display spaces in colorful collage. Multiple small display shelves of vibrant folk art showed snippets reflective of Hispanic culture.

Expressions of gratitude abounded among the collection. Stories of students finding their home away from home at La Casita told of journeys and learning, of building bridges and finding the true meaning of collaborative community. And not just students volunteer and participate at La Casita. Add in faculty, area residents, artists, dancers, performers and musicians.

Noel Quiñones

The opening event included food, music, dance and even a spoken word performance by poet Noel Quiñones, a Puerto Rican writer, educator and community organizer from the Bronx.

So many people, so much memorabilia! Ten years of memorabilia—not your ordinary collection—this is La Casita’s Cultural Memory Archive. Working with Syracuse University Libraries, La Casita has undertaken an effort to digitize and widen access to numerous pieces of their archive, reflective of the history, cultural heritage and experience of Central and Upstate New York’s Latinx/Hispanic communities. The digitized material aids preservation and research purposes within the New York Heritage Digital Collections. Here at La Casita, much of it is now on display.

The goal of “Corazón del Barrio (Heart of the Barrio),” according to Tere Paniagua, executive director of the Office of Cultural Engagement for the Hispanic Community in the College of Arts and Sciences and co-curator of the exhibition, is to honor the people who contributed to La Casita over the past decade, giving from their hearts, devoting time and their stories to that shared and common space.

And the hearts are everywhere, built right into La Casita. From the large milagro heart rendering over the entryway, created by artist Bennie Guzmán in Syracuse University colors, to the many smaller hearts interspersed among the frames and displayed images and artworks. Guzmán, a media and communications professional at La Casita, focuses his art on the narratives and lived experiences of marginalized communities.

Ten years ago, La Casita co-founders Inmaculada Lara-Bonilla and Silvio Torres-Saillant, both faculty members in the College of Arts and Sciences at the time, might only have imagined how far a bridge La Casita would travel. And it has, with strength of heart, with all its hearts. “Corazón del Barrio” comes highly recommended from this quarter.

The opening event was part of this year’s Syracuse Symposium series, “Conventions.” Support also comes from the College of Arts and Sciences, the Latino-Latin American Studies Program, the Office of Cultural Engagement for the Hispanic Community, PLACA (Program on Latin America and the Caribbean, Maxwell School) and the Syracuse University Humanities Center.

Located at 109 Otisco Street in Syracuse, La Casita Cultural Center’s regular hours are Monday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Tuesday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The center is closed Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. The exhibition will run through April 2022. In compliance with public health guidelines and protocols, La Casita’s Art Gallery and facilities currently offer guided visits and talks by appointment only. Proof of vaccination against COVID or a negative COVID test of 48 hours or less is required. Face coverings and social distancing are also required. The gallery offers live or recorded virtual tours of its exhibits. Please contact La Casita via email for more details.

First and foremost, experts agree, get vaccinated to keep COVID-19 at bay. That and a mask can protect not just you, but those around you, those you hold dear.

LeeAnne Lane, nurse manager, Barnes Center at The Arch

Summer is a great time to get active. We talked with LeeAnne Lane, RN, nurse manager at the Barnes Center at The Arch, looking for her advice on keeping summer activities safe. Lane oversees the health clinic, nursing and laboratory staff. She joined Syracuse University in 2013 and shared from her wealth of experience working with students, faculty and staff at the University. Suggestions and precautions follow in abundance.

Happy Feet

Get active, eat better, improve your cardio and lose weight. While you’re at it, wear good shoes to keep those busy feet happy. Comfortable sneakers give support and are good for endurance. Avoid sandals, flip-flops, twisted ankles and blisters.

With all kinds of activity, hydration is important. Drink water, avoid caffeine. Think eight to 10 glasses of liquids per day. That’s 64 to 80 ounces. When it’s hot, or when you are exercising or not feeling well, drink more. Remember, hydration is important for our pets too. Offer a bowl of fresh cool water to furry four legged friends.

It’s easy to eat better when you think in terms of colors. “Eat the rainbow,” they say. Fresh fruits and vegetables make great meals and great snacks.

Family Backyard Fun

Bring along the family to get more active. Even simple games like cornhole, frisbee or badminton will get the gang moving. Go for a swim in your own pool or hit the beach in a day trip. To stay close to home, if you’d like, just go for a family walk together.

Dress appropriately for the weather: light clothing—light colored, light weight and loose fitting—works best.

When you bike with the family, wear your helmets. Kids on scooters? Helmets for certain and likely elbow, knee and wrist guards too.

Staying Alive—Too Much Sun

Awareness is key to preventing this setback to summer fun. Hazards include sunburn, heat exhaustion and most severe of all, heat stroke. poses a life-threatening emergency if not recognized or if left untreated. It requires immediate and significant response and medical attention, possibly even administering intravenous fluids.

During hot humid weather, avoid dehydration, excess alcohol consumption or strenuous exercise. Watch carefully with younger children or older people who cope more poorly with the heat.

Awareness is key to preventing the hazards of getting too much sun.

With heat stroke, your core body temperature is rising dangerously, and a headache could advance into confusion, agitation and delirium. Flushed or clammy skin with nausea, vomiting and muscle cramps can accompany rapid shallow breathing and a fast heartbeat. Seek immediate medical help at a hospital or urgent care facility. Or call 911 and immediately begin to cool the affected person. Find air conditioning or cool shade and remove unnecessary clothing. Apply ice packs to the neck, armpits and groin.

For heat exhaustion, symptoms include nausea, fatigue and lightheadedness. Seek shade, give fluids to drink, lower temperatures inside and out, move into air conditioning or under a fan with cool compresses or damp cool washcloths. You could get into a cool bath, but not an ice-cold bath. Applying ice packs to the back of the neck or under the armpits will help.

If your house is too hot you may be better off in shade out of doors.

Sunburn, even though less serious, can put you at a greater risk for heat exhaustion or heat stroke and possibly skin cancer later in life. First, get out of the sun to avoid any more overexposure. With mild to moderate sunburn, there is redness and inflammation which takes some time to develop after exposure. In more severe cases, blistering and peeling may develop, or skin may look white or feel numb. With blisters, especially over a large area, it’s time to call the doctor. For minor sunburn, take anti-inflammatories, rehydrate and treat the symptoms at home. Take a cool bath or cold shower, drink fluids, apply aloe gel or mild moisturizing lotion over the affected area.

Walkin’ the Wild Side

When you’re walking trails in the woods, go prepared. Take a map, take a compass. Even if you’re not planning to stay in the woods overnight, that sometimes happens.

Try to stay in the center of your trail, away from vegetation along the edges. Use insect repellent on exposed skin, wear long sleeves and long pants and tuck your pants legs into your socks. On your way home from that walk, check yourself for ticks before you go inside. Most ticks in this area are small and dark, although there is some color and size variation. Look at the edges of your clothing, the cuffs of your socks, the hem of your pants, all around your sneakers. Check your hairline and behind your ears.

If you find a tick attached, it’s better to have your doctor remove it completely. The goal is to not leave behind the tick’s head or mouth parts. Be aware that Lyme disease, widely prevalent in this area, is not the only tick-borne danger. Check with the (CDC) for up-to-date information.

And check your pets too. Pets have similar vulnerabilities to those pesky pests.

Poison Ivy, Bites and Stings

Poison ivy typically grows as a low, three-leafed shrub or climbing vine that favors disturbed soil. Watch where you walk and what you touch. Don’t brush by too closely, it’s an oil that carries the irritant. Your touch can transfer the oil to your skin and cause an allergic outbreak.

Weeding the garden, wear gloves and don’t touch your face! If picnicking, sit on a blanket, then fold it ground side together to prevent accidental exposure. The offending oil can even linger on your pet’s fur—run your hands over the fur and transfer the irritant to your own skin.

If you suspect poison ivy exposure, when you get home from your outing shower with soap and water and launder your clothing. are mostly effective for relieving symptoms. See a doctor if you have a severe allergy, blisters that get infected or develop difficulty breathing.

Bee stings can occasionally leave the stinger behind, stuck in your skin. If that happens remove the stinger quickly by scraping the edge of a credit card across it, or your fingernail.

About bites: most spiders in this area are not venomous so that’s a worry you can mostly skip. If you do get bitten by a spider, or an insect like an ant, treat for comfort. Ice packs and antihistamines are in order.

Horsefly bites and deer fly bites can be quite painful but aren’t usually severely harmful. Clean the bite and apply an ice pack for up to 10 minutes.

If an allergic reaction were to occur shortly after a bite, you’d notice a tickle in your throat, shortness of breath and a tight cough. In that case see a doctor immediately.

are a different matter. Some people are highly allergic and may carry epinephrine in a bee sting kit just in case they need to treat anaphylaxis after a sting. For some people, their reaction to a second sting could be much more severe than their first.

Bee stings, quick and painful, can occasionally leave the stinger behind, stuck in your skin. If that happens remove the stinger quickly by scraping the edge of a credit card across it, or your fingernail.

With mild reactions, expect redness, swelling and a sharp pain where stung, abating within a few hours. Moderate reactions have more extreme redness and swelling that gradually increases over a few days. Severe reactions can be life-threatening and need emergency treatment.

Multiple stings could create more problems than a single sting. See a doctor soon. For just a single sting, clean the area and treat for comfort. Apply an ice pack or cold compress. Also, consider taking over-the-counter pain medication or an antihistamine. Apply hydrocortisone cream.

One home remedy that usually works is to mix a paste of baking soda and water and apply it to the sting site. Cover with a bandage and keep it on 15 minutes. The baking soda paste can be reapplied.

Gloomy Weather? Don’t Despair

When poor weather dampens your enthusiasm for outdoor fun, try a little variety indoors. The Barnes Center at The Arch and other University facilities offer many opportunities for . So instead of puddle jumping on a rainy day, you might climb a rock wall, soak in a spa, play e-sports or ice skate.

Most importantly of all, this summer, get out there and enjoy these brief bright days. Make memories to carry you through the next cool dark months till we swing around the sun again to the summer side.

Oneida Lake, another beautiful body of water that graces our area with a natural resource not to be taken for granted. (Photo courtesy of the author)

Everyone local knows we live in a rainy place. Some say, “This is where clouds go to die.” Some compare Syracuse to Seattle, that other rainy city on the other side of the country.

Despite the “April showers, May flowers” lore, springtime is a good time to think and act on conserving water. Don’t take our precious natural resource for granted.

In Onondaga County, we nestle among some of the most pristine and prodigious bodies of fresh water in the world—the Great Lakes, the Finger Lakes. Nonetheless our geographic region is dry, compared to historical records. Persistently dry.

The (OCWA), supplying water to customers in five counties—Cayuga, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga and Oswego—draws on three primary sources: Otisco Lake, the small, most eastern Finger Lake; Lake Ontario, one of the Great Lakes and a veritable inland freshwater sea; and Skaneateles Lake, said by some to be one of the cleanest lakes in the United States. One might get the sense that water couldn’t possibly be a worry. Read on.

Drought monitoring is a large-scale undertaking, requiring collaboration, of course, and coordination of terms and descriptions. “Abnormally dry,” the first stage of drought, is where Onondaga County and its surroundings stand now. Increasingly fraught conditions range to moderate, severe, extreme and exceptional drought.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and associated agencies collect and host a dashboard for quick access. NOAA’s Northeast Drought Early Warning System (DEWS) covers New York and the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. Northeast DEWS describes the region as having “historic drought conditions not seen since the 1960s” even though we don’t ordinarily associate drought with the northeastern U.S.

We can’t make it rain but can we stop a drip at home? Try some of these steps and see.

Overall

• Check your household water systems for leaks. A dripping faucet or running toilet can spend a lot of water.
• Check in on your water meter to get an idea of how much water you’re currently using.
• Take a shorter shower, aim for five minutes at the most. Consider installing shower heads that save water. Think about a bath instead.
• Low-flow aerators on your faucets are a good idea and easy to install.
• If your toilet has a water-saving flush option such as dual-flush, use it.

Inside your house

• When preparing meals, rinse fruits or vegetables in a bowl of water, not under a running faucet.
• For clean-up after meals, run your dishwasher with full loads. Still washing dishes by hand? Once the dishes are clean, rinse them all at once with a sprayer or a pan of rinse water.
• Use your kitchen sink garbage disposal sparingly. If you can, use a compost bin instead.
• Use your washing machine with full loads instead of small loads.

New improved habits

• Turn off the water faucet while brushing your teeth.
• Don’t run the faucet when washing your hands. Wet your hands, turn off the water. Soap up, scrub, then rinse.
• Keep a container of drinking water in the refrigerator for cold water to drink. If you don’t finish a glass of water, don’t throw away the excess. Save it for later or put it to good use: share the extra with houseplants.
• There are several good ways to reuse pasta cooking water! Broth for soup, liquid in breadmaking or other recipes, watering plants if it’s not salted water. You can use pasta water to adjust the thickness of sauces…get creative!

Out of doors

• Water your lawn, if you must, but not on an automated schedule, just when needed. Best practice would be watering in the early morning while it’s still cool. You can also adjust your lawn mower to a taller cutting height.
• Mulch your outdoor plants and trees to conserve water.
• Wash your car using a bucket and sponge. Only use the hose when rinsing.
• Clean off sidewalks or driveways with a broom instead of a hose.
• Catch and reuse rainwater if you can, for watering outdoor plants, but beware of growing the neighborhood’s next crop of mosquitoes!
• Consider planting a rain garden to catch runoff after storms.

If enough of us take enough of these steps seriously, our grassroots efforts to conserve water could yield both results and resilience.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) recognize multiple levels of this pandemic. As we’ve had to widen our vocabularies to keep up, we’ve grown by a matter of degrees.

Remember way back, when COVID-19 was just the rumor of an outbreak of something new? Then hearing it had grown to be an epidemic. Now it’s pandemic, all over the globe. Can you call to mind when you were first embarrassed by uttering the redundancy of “global pandemic”?

(To be fair, we have precedents: Spanish flu, MERS, SARS, bird flu, swine flu. Things to look up, for the history buff or the person particular with their words.)

As we adapt, we go creative. Turning nouns into verbs isn’t a new tactic but has gotten a lot of recent use. “Let’s zoom,” since we can’t easily meet for coffee anymore. Or “Teams me” in the virtual office. Then there is everyone’s favorite new saying, “You’re muted.” Let’s not talk about cat filters or Zoombombing.

I suppose we could get technical: coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19. More things to look up. Self-isolation versus quarantine. PPE, personal protective equipment, not to be confused with PPP, the federal government’s paycheck protection program. N95 masks versus KN95. Do not hand out blue capes to super-spreaders. Do clarify the difference between mortality and morbidity. Covid toe. Fomites. R-naught numbers. The list goes on.

Even if we don’t get terribly technical, we have acquired some unusual and interesting word twists. Here are just a few.

Herd immunity. Think of us, mooing and moseying along. Best imagined when in a long queue 6 feet apart from everyone else.

Co-morbidities. I had seriously never thought of my own personal shortcomings in this area as a benefit, before this year.

Wastewater surveillance. An interesting concept, well worth knowing about. .

WFH. Remote. Virtual. Variations on a yearlong theme.

Quaranteaming in the bubble. Slowly we rebuild our community. Is everyone in the bubble abiding by the same rules as me? Are there other bubbles we have to think about, outside of “our” bubble?

Social distancing. This epitome of awkwardness, in tone and words and phrase, is nonetheless sanctioned by the . It seems to work, though it takes me back to my teenage years! “Physical distancing” sounds easier on the ear and imagination.

Now for a lighter touch, note there are even haiku-for-pandemic groups on social media. Here’s one public group from Facebook that’s worth visiting, “.”

A small sampling of the 17-syllable poetry follows, themed around that force of nature:

Sunshine, hydration,
hope the internet holds up.
Covid-19 times!

Syllabic thinking:
despite virus, haiku flows
or, perhaps because…

Coronavirus
pandemic begets horror,
pandemonium.

Planted peas today…
coronavirus won’t stop
garden adventures.

One last little memory jog and bit of irony bundled together. I noticed it the other day when playing with my grandbabies in my bubble. Toddlers’ toys haven’t kept up with the times. Remember when we used to take our temperatures by mouth instead of untouched foreheads?

Finally, here’s my very most favorite phrase of all: “Get the jab!”

First and foremost, step outside. In your neighborhood or the next town over, there are plenty of unique and quirky opportunities to move more and spark your imagination. It’s one of the wonderful charms of where we live and work, in Upstate New York.

A walk in the woods can be good for body and soul, anytime, at any age. Here’s a view from rural Oswego County, courtesy of the author.

Walk or bike the . You can follow along from border to border but during this pandemic, it’s easy to stay local and keep your exploring close to home with common sense. The Camillus-to-Onondaga Lake section just opened officially this past October.

Tweak your timeline and step out at night, looking for clear skies away from city lights. Count the constellations or follow the moon as it waxes and wanes, the planets as they wander the night. Give yourself a guided tour of the night skies with an app such as SkyView, Google Sky or Star Tracker.

Back to the day shift, birdwatch, in your backyard or with the help of the . So hang that birdfeeder high enough to be out of reach of the neighborhood cats and get watching. Chickadees and nuthatches are plentiful (and hungry!) now.

Water—possibly our greatest asset—blesses us abundantly in Central New York. Walk along almost any beach around Lake Ontario and watch the wave action on this “inland sea.” That’s one great lake with a capital “G”! Then there are all those little lakes… Green Lakes, so deep; Onondaga and its eagles; Oneida! Any or all of the Finger Lakes to explore.

Don’t forget the snow! We get so much of it we might as well enjoy it. Find your favorite way to mix it up with our bounty of flakes: make a snowman (or several), stage a snowball fight, teach a kid to wing it with snow angels. Mayhem galore or simply enjoy hot cocoa with mini marshmallows afterward.

In short, move more but still stay safe. Get out, have fun! As always, mask up and keep social distance—that’s easy.

If you’re interested in auditioning, fill out this doodle poll: . If you have any questions or would like to audition but aren’t available at those times, email prismconcertseries17@gmail.com.

Contact: Caitlin Stigler
630.363.7346
cpstigle@syr.edu

This year PLACA will grant awards to graduate students of up to $1,500 to support field research in Latin America and the Caribbean during the summer of 2017. The purpose of the award is to provide students the opportunity to gather preliminary data, make contacts, map topics and increase the competitiveness of future proposals for funding. Any student enrolled in an M.A. or Ph.D. program at Syracuse University may apply.

The awards are competitive and proposals are judged on the basis of (i) the quality of the proposed research, (ii) the organization and thoughtfulness of the proposal, and (iii) the appropriateness and feasibility of the research plan in relation to the student’s background and qualifications.

You may apply for more than one summer grant from the Moynihan Institute, but you will not receive more than one in a given year. Other types of support that could exclude you from receiving a summer research grant include summer Foreign Language and Area Studies funding, summer de Sardon-Glass support and other types of summer support from the Moynihan Institute. Awards are ranked separately, so if your proposal is accepted by more than one committee, you will be awarded the better opportunity.

DEADLINE: Thursday, February 23, 2017

Complete guidelines are available at the Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs, 346 Eggers Hall.

Contact: Gladys McCormick
Co-Director, Program on Latin America and the Caribbean (PLACA)
315.443.9325
gmccormi@maxwell.syr.edu

Quilts of Valor quilt by Hendricks Chapel Quilters

QOV is a nationwide charity, and the quilt built by the group was designed to fit the foundation’s requirements, with a patriotic theme of red, white and blue fabrics.

A group of about nine people worked four Monday evenings and one all-day Saturday session to bring the QOV quilt to life. It is based on a traditional pattern called a tipsy nine patch, known by some as a stack-and-slice technique for creating unique quilt blocks. Once backed, bound and quilted, the finished quilt was donated to the volunteers’ office in the Syracuse VA Medical Center to be given to an area veteran in the hospital.

Hendricks Chapel Quilters (HCQ) has more than two decades of history at Syracuse University. In 1998, the group participated in the creation of the Pan Am Flight 103 Remembrance Quilt, which honors the memory of the 35 University students lost in the tragedy. For the 10th anniversary, a Remembrance Scholar gathered mementos of the victims from their families. Group leader and former staff member Jeanne Riley designed the quilt, incorporating mementos and themes, and coordinated quilters. The quilt was finished just in time for the ceremony at which it was to be displayed.

HCQ continues its tradition of celebrating the communities created when making group quilts. The group consists of students, staff, faculty and community members who gather in the Noble Room each Monday during the academic year to sew and share. The group welcomes all people regardless of sewing experience or skill. One frequent HCQ charitable effort is creating baby- and child-size quilts to be donated to local community organizations that provide services to children and families.

Chancellor Syverud, second from left, reviews ROTC cadets, along with Army and Air Force officers, during the 2015 Chancellor’s Review and Awards Ceremony.

Chancellor and President Kent Syverud hosted the annual Chancellor’s Review and Awards Ceremony April 3, recognizing exemplary achievements of cadets in the Army and Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) programs. Faculty, family and friends were in attendance at the Carrier Dome as cadets from the University and other area colleges were reviewed and celebrated.

Syracuse University students receiving awards are listed below, alphabetically.

Air Force Cadets

Garrett Andrews, the Reserve Officer’s Association Award and the Scottish Rite Northern Jurisdiction Award; Maxwell Arnold, the National Sojourners Award; Luke Babich, the Professor of Aerospace Studies Scholastic Achievement Award; Khianna Calica, the American Legion General Military Excellence Award;  and Elizabeth Fantini, the McClune Scholar Award; and Carter Hoffman, the Commitment to Service Award and the Military Order of the Purple Heart.

Also, Mark Holloway, the American Legion William P. Tolley Scholastic Excellence Award, the Society of American Military Engineers Award, the Daughters of the American Revolution Award (Fayetteville-Owahgena Chapter) and the Professor of Aerospace Studies Scholastic Achievement Award; Victoria Hutzley, the American Legion General Military Excellence Award, the American Legion William P. Tolley Scholastic Excellence Award, the Reserve Officer’s Association Award, the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution Award (Orton and Sweet) and the Professor of Aerospace Studies Scholastic Achievement Award; Brennan Jones, the American Legion William P. Tolley Scholastic Excellence Award; Alyson Kaufman, the American Legion General Military Excellence Award; and Nilani Singler, the Harvey S. Smith Memorial Award and the Reserve Officer’s Association Award.

Army Cadets

Elizabeth Blowers, the National Society Daughters of the American Colonists Award (Moses DeWitt Chapter); Stephen Brucker, the Superior Cadet Decoration Award; Sean Dantonello, the Superior Cadet Decoration Award; Edward Garibay, the Commitment to Service Award; Jared Grace, the Society of American Military Engineers Award; Jordan Hartwig, the Daughters of the American Revolution Award (Fayetteville-Owahgena Chapter); and Mitchell Hovis, the Superior Cadet Decoration Award.

Also, Samuel Jacey, the American Legion General Military Excellence Award; Steven Linowes, the American Legion William P. Tolley Scholastic Excellence Award; Devante Marshall, the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution Award (Oriskany Chapter); Mark Norman, the Scottish Rite Northern Jurisdiction Award; Jacqueline Page, the American Legion William P. Tolley Scholastic Excellence Award; Matthew Skinner, the American Legion General Military Excellence Award; Justice Spear, the American Legion William P. Tolley Scholastic Excellence Award; and Timothy Sullivan, the American Legion General Military Excellence Award.

An overflight view taken on Sept. 8 shows the main eruptive site, known as “Baugur” (Icelandic for “ring” or “circle”). The eruption is the result of the spreading apart of two tectonic plates, the Eurasian and North American.

Structural geology and tectonics expert Jeffrey Karson, co-founder of the Syracuse University Lava Project with sculptor Bob Wysocki, recently traveled to Iceland to monitor early stages of the Holuhraun lava field eruption, a volcanic system that has been spewing lava since early September. He brought back photographs of his excursion and research.

A view of the eruptive plume, captured Sept. 9, was taken from about 50 kilometers to the north of the main vents. Jeffrey Karson, Earth sciences professor in the College of Arts and Sciences, describes this eruption as one of the most closely studied ever, with Iceland as a natural laboratory.

Jeffrey Karson, an expert in structural geology and tectonics, gets within two kilometers of the main eruptive vents. His collaboration with investigators at the University of Iceland Institute of Earth Sciences gives him a first-hand view of the early stages of the eruption.

Open fissures above subsurface magma conduit or channels feed the volcano’s eruptive vents.

This evening view of a lava fountain at the volcano’s central vent shows striking contrast between molten lava and surrounding rock and glacial ice. Erupting lava is thrown 50-100 meters into the air above the vents.

In a landscape reminiscent of the lunar surface, a Phantom UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) captured this image of the main eruptive vents, about two kilometers away. The drone was at an altitude of about 200 meters.

Fire meets water. Incandescent orange lava magnifies the cracks in the black outer crust of solidified lava. Steam forms when the lava flows into a nearby river.

An overflight view of Jeffrey Karson, in yellow coat, shows him making measurements of the lava flow front. This scene of an active flow lobe on a riverbank is recorded by drone flight at about 100 meters altitude. Karson Earth is an Earth sciences professor in the College of Arts and Sciences regularly travels to Iceland to study volcanic structures.

Jeffrey Karson on the ground at an active lava flow lobe, works with instruments for making infrared camera measurements. Gas masks and eye protection are required because of hot, poisonous volcanic gases and wind at the eruption site.

Pictured here is an infrared image readout from a Forward-Looking InfraRed (FLIR) camera. In this image, the temperature scale to the right is in degrees Centigrade (1000°C=2100°F).

The Class of 1964 50th Reunion Kickoff Cocktail Party starts the fun on Thursday in the Goldstein Alumni and Faculty Center.

Celebrate your love of all things Orange with these highlights from Orange Central 2014, a round up of photos from the festivities.

The 2014 Arents Award Luncheon celebrates all alumni and honors recipients of the George Arents Award, Syracuse University’s highest alumni award, a highlight of reunion and homecoming weekend. Recipients Angela Y. Robinson ’78; Donald Schupak ’64, L’66; and Richard M. Jones ’92, G’95, L’95; join Chancellor Kent Syverud, left, and Alumni Association President Laurie Taishoff ’84, right, on stage.

Alumni and guests are encouraged to explore the wide universe in a tour of the recently refurbished Holden Observatory. Stargazing at Holden was one of many events planned for Orange Central 2014.

The Raymond von Dran Innovation and Disruptive Entrepreneurship Accelerator (RvD IDEA), named for the former dean of the iSchool, helps students explore entrepreneurship. Orange Central 2014 included an IDEA Juicer event, with students competing for startup funding. Here, Google Glass documents the new MakerSpace, cutting edge technology colored Orange!

Beautiful weather brought alumni out for a walking tour of campus art led by Andrew Saluti, assistant director of the Syracuse University Art Galleries. One stop was by the 1951 bronze sculpture “Saltine Warrior” by Luise Meyers Kaish ’46, a distinguished pupil of Ivan Mestrovic, SU faculty member and famous Croatian sculptor.

Orange Central 2014 Donor Tailgate festivities brought together Syracuse University undergraduates Keith Zubrow ’15, left and Arturo Costa ’16. Zubrow is a dual major in broadcast and digital journalism and management in the Newhouse and Whitman schools; Costa majors in political science and international relations in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Inside the Carrier Dome for the Orange Central 2014 football game against Florida State University.

Orange Central 2014 presents Homecoming Court, including Otto on the far right.

With their Orange spirit strongly evident, students cheer during the 2014 football game against Florida State University.

The front steps of Goldstein Alumni and Faculty Center is a favorite spot for photos. Here’s the Class of 1964 at Orange Central 2014, returning for their 50th.

Carnegie Library Reading Room, circa 1907.

Carnegie Library Reading Room, 2014.

Presented chronologically, source material is primarily drawn from the rich resource that is SU Archives and Records Management Department, preserving our history and bringing it to light for researchers, the University community and the public.

John F. Kennedy, U.S. Senator from Massachusetts at the time, delivered the main address at SU’s 103rd Commencement June 3, 1957, and received an honorary doctor of laws degree. The Herald-Journal reported Kennedy Will Attend SU Commencement.

Adlai E. Stevenson, twice a Democratic candidate for president of the United States, received an honorary doctor of laws degree from SU during the 109th Commencement on June 2, 1963. Stevenson was one of two Commencement speakers that year, an unusual circumstance for the University. His passing in July 1965 was noted locally by the Post-Standard: Adlai No Stranger, Visited CNY Often.

Robert F. Kennedy, as a candidate for U.S. Senator from New York, campaigned on campus in Oct. 1964. Several city newspapers reported on his visit. From the Post-Standard, just before his visit: RFK, Keating to Deliver Day-Apart Lectures at SU and after, from the Herald-Journal, Kennedy Speaks in Manley Field House.

Successful in his senatorial bid, RFK returned to campus in March 1965. Area newspapers reported Kennedy Pays a Visit to Syracuse University; Soldiers Burn a Village in South Viet Nam.

During that same visit, the Post-Standard caught RFK in a meeting with Chancellor Tolley, discussing the role of the federal government in higher education.

On another visit to SU in Nov. 1966, RFK stumped for a state constitutional convention. From the Post-Standard: Kennedy Speaks at SU; Constitutional Reform Urged. Students gathered at Hendricks Chapel to listen. A portion of the senator’s speech is also shown below.

With RFK on the 1968 campaign trail for the U.S. presidency, the Daily Orange reported Kennedy Hears Students on Bus Ride.

Students presented RFK with a petition signed by SU supporters of his candidacy, just two months short of his assassination in Los Angeles.

Richard M. Nixon visited Syracuse during his first presidential campaign in Oct. 1968, where he was greeted by a politically active student body. Local and national media took note. More than a thousand SU students marched to the War Memorial Building, with the intentions of singing protest songs during Nixon’s speech.

Once inside, the students sang “The Sounds of Silence.” Nixon sang along. As the Washington Daily News and other national papers reported Nixon Joins Dissidents.

The Daily Orange reported Oct. 30 on the candidate’s visit, from its unique student perspective, Nixon answers SU students, predicts 3-5 million vote win. After the protest by the student dissidents, Nixon continued with his speech, discussing, first, his support for a treaty of the non-proliferation of nuclear arms.

Nixon continued speaking, moving to additional issues, including his support for Social Security, seeking peace in Vietnam with multilateral support and other foreign and military policies. The seeds of the Silent Majority were being sown. Nixon would, in the next several years, use this concept to promote his policies. Arguing against vocal dissidents, he and his advocates would cite broad but largely unspoken support from a broad swath of the American population.

So concludes our SU campus campaign history tour. Finally, “for dessert,” here is a sampling of political paraphernalia gathered from the Archives’ various collections.

In the group: an undated “GOP for Me” button; one for FDR, circa 1936; a 1960 JFK pin; and, from the 1964 presidential campaign, a Goldwater button and two for LBJ.

SU NEWS AND EVENTS COVERAGE

Syracuse University’s opening of an office in Dubai, the University’ internship program there, and the joint exhibition, “Reconnecting East and West: Islamic Ornament in 19th-Century Works from the Dahesh Museum of Art and Syracuse University” taking place in Dubai were covered in print and online editions of regional media including Al Bayan, (two ), , , , (two ), , and .

(watch clip) in Minot, N.D., reported on the presentation on student retention by Vincent Tinto, Distinguished University Professor in the School of Education, as keynote address at the North Dakota University System Retention Summit. Tinto was also interviewed for a (Bismarck, N.D.) report on the conference.

The Post-Standard previewed the 2011-12 season productions of the SU Department of Drama in the College of Visual and Performing Arts.

A Post-Standard news brief noted the upcoming tribute concert Saturday in Setnor Auditorium honoring Howard and Helen Boatwright.

FACULTY QUOTES

SU alumnus Rami Khouri ’70, G’98, director of the Issam Fares Institute of Public Policy and International Affairs at the American University of Beirut and editor-at-large of the Beirut-based Daily Star newspaper, was interviewed for a report on President Obama’s speech on American foreign policy in the Mideast. Khouri is also quoted in a report on frustrations in Egypt following the Arab Spring.

A (Toronto) Culture Club discussion centering on the probability of upcoming films about the death of Osama bin Laden includes comments by Robert Thompson, director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. Thompson also commented for an report on the upcoming Lady Gaga album release paired with Starbucks promotions.

Thomas Dennison, professor of practice in public administration in the Maxwell School, is quoted in a story on the first local offering of the concierge healthcare concept.

—–

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University Scholars represent the entire SU graduating class at the May 15 Commencement ceremony. On April 27, the scholars took part in a reception at the Chancellor’s Residence hosted by SU Chancellor and President Nancy Cantor, at which they received special medallions to be worn at Commencement.

The SU Scholars Selection Committee, a University-wide faculty committee, selects the 2011 scholars using criteria including coursework and academic achievement, creative work, a personal statement and a faculty letter of recommendation. Kenneth Johnson, chair of the selection committee and assistant professor of communications and rhetorical studies in SU’s (VPA), notes that the committee evaluates how each scholar has engaged the world with his or her knowledge and experience.

Additionally, nine seniors from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF) have been named Departmental Scholars.

The 2011 Syracuse University Scholars:

Benjamin Forry, a mechanical engineering major in the (LCS), has worked with the SU Industrial Assessment Center auditing for energy savings for clients. He also worked in the engineering department of the Oswego Nine Mile Point nuclear power plant and conducted solar cell research at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. Forry is an academic excellence workshop facilitator for engineering students on campus, helping them to strengthen their understanding of coursework. He also served as president of the Tau Beta Pi engineering honors society. After graduation, Forry plans to work with General Electric Aviation in the corporation’s Edison Engineering Development Program and will pursue a master’s degree.

John Harland Giammatteo, a double major in anthropology and magazine journalism in and , respectively, is a Remembrance Scholar and will serve as a college marshal for Commencement. A at SU, he conducted research with refugee populations in South and Southeast Asia and has written for Forced Migration Review, a magazine providing global forum on refugee issues. In his capstone project he studies how Burmese migrants adapt to life in Thailand. Giammatteo has written for a number of campus publications and newspapers, and served as an associate producer for a local public affairs radio show. After graduation, Giammatteo plans to continue graduate study in global migration at City University and South East Asian studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies.

Kevin Michael Hirst, a double major in television-radio-film and marketing management in the Newhouse School and , also carries a minor in theater in the College of Visual and Performing Arts. A four-year member of the First Year Players student theater group, Hirst was also an executive news producer at CitrusTV, served as senior vice president of the Delta Sigma Pi business fraternity and was involved in Newhouse and Whitman ambassador programs and the Pulse Performing Arts student advisory board. OrangeSeeds, University 100 and orientation leadership roles round out his community service at SU. Hirst’s triple interests in marketing, television and theater fueled four internships and five professional jobs, ranging from Wegmans Food Markets to the Tony Awards to the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. Also a Remembrance Scholar, Hirst will serve as a college marshal for Commencement and is designated a Scholarship in Action Scholar. Following graduation, Hirst plans to work on the upcoming Tony Awards, then move to broadcast work in New York City at the SpotCo entertainment advertising agency.

Gabriel Thomas Jewell-Vitale is a fifth-year architecture student in the whose photography work from his semester in New York City appeared in the Architecture League of New York’s exhibition “The City We Imagined/The City We Made: New New York 2001-2010,” which analyzed the changing built environment of the city during the Bloomberg administration. Jewell-Vitale also spent two semesters abroad. While in Florence, he was nominated for the Coluccio Salutati Award, which rewards high integration into Italian culture. As recipient of a Ralph T. Walker travel grant, Jewell-Vitale traveled to the city of Ceuta, Spain, across the Strait of Gibraltar from the Spanish mainland to conduct thesis research on the European Union border wall between Spain and Morocco in North Africa. During his visit, he was interviewed and published in the Ceutan paper about his work on the present cultural and geopolitical situation. Jewell-Vitale’s thesis proposes a hybrid territory along the Spanish-Moroccan border.

Qi Wen Li, a biochemistry major in The College of Arts and Sciences and a Remembrance Scholar, discovered her passion for scientific research while working in the laboratory group led by Robert Doyle, associate professor of chemistry, with whom she is now a published researcher. A McNair, Ornstein and Crown Scholar, Li’s research has been supported by the iLEARN program at SU. She undertook summer research at Yale University through a Mark and Pearle Clements Internship Award and pursued research abroad at the Graz University of Technology in Austria as part of the National Science Foundation’s International Research Experience for Undergraduates (iREU) program. Li plans to continue her studies in a doctoral program in biochemistry and molecular biophysics at the California Institute of Technology.

Carolyn Cole McChesney came to SU to study communications at the Newhouse School, but a freshman geography course introduced her to her true passion, along with themes of sustainability; immigration and migration; ethnicity and race; and social and environmental justice. Majoring in geography and television-radio-film in The College of Arts and Sciences and Newhouse School, respectively, the Remembrance Scholar recently completed an honors capstone project titled “An Ethnography of Polish Immigrant Women Residing in the Suburbs of Chicago, Illinois.” McChesney is also a Phi Beta Kappa member, a sister of Gamma Phi Beta and has contributed to several service organizations on campus. Following graduation, McChesney’s plans will take her to Atlanta as a Teach For America corps member, where she will teach middle- or high-school English for two years.

William Joseph “Joe” Ralbovsky, a policy studies major in The College of Arts and Sciences, has a focus on energy policy, air pollution and biotechnology and carries minors in both environment and society and geography. While at SU, Ralbovsky has worked with SU Project Advance and with development of the Connective Corridor in the city. He studied international policy abroad at Strasbourg, France, and has interned with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, where he served as a communication program assistant in the Clean Air Market Division. Ralbovsky is a member of the RenĂ©e Crown University Honors Program and of Phi Beta Kappa and plans to pursue graduate degrees in international relations and public administration through SU’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

Teresa Soldner, a triple major in chemistry, Middle Eastern studies and international relations in The College of Arts and Sciences, came to SU as a Coronat Scholar and will serve as a college marshal for Commencement. Also a Remembrance Scholar and a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Soldner participated in the Renée Crown University Honors Program, was an active member of Kappa Kappa Psi and the SU marching and concert bands and sang a cappella with the Mandarins. She worked with the laboratory group led by chemistry associate professor Doyle, studying novel vaccines and vitamin carriers. Soldner studied abroad in England, Spain and Turkey; attended the American University in Beirut for advanced Arabic language study; and served as a member of a rural health expedition in the Indian Himalayas. After graduation, Soldner will continue study toward a medical career, through Michigan State University College of Human Medicine.

Kristin Anne Waller, an environmental engineering major in LCS, has served as the vice president of the Tau Beta Pi engineering honors society and is a member of the Phi Kappa Phi and Chi Epsilon civil engineering honors fraternities. She has also served as an officer in the SU chapters of Engineers Without Borders and American Water Works Association. Other groups in which Waller holds membership include the Society of Women Engineers, Society of Environmental Engineers, Golden Key International Honour Society and the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. As a rising junior, Waller won a two-year undergraduate research fellowship from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which offered her the opportunity to complete an independent research project in tandem with a 12-week summer internship within the agency. Her research evaluated changes in Adirondack surface waters in response to the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments relative to the regulation of sulfur dioxide emissions from power plants. She presented her research at the fall 2010 technical meeting of the National Atmospheric Deposition Program. Waller is currently interning for the consulting engineering firm of O’Brien and Gere and will continue in the firm’s employment after graduation, working on water and wastewater treatment design.

Sarah Katherine Jane Wendel, a biology major carrying a Chinese studies minor in The College of Arts and Sciences, is a Remembrance Scholar and participates in the Renée Crown University Honors Program at SU. Also, she is active as a science tutor for undergraduates. Wendel’s three study abroad experiences include English language mentoring in Hong Kong and hospital and clinic internships in Cusco, Peru, and Tanzania, Africa. Her work in Peru was supported by a Mark and Pearle Clements Internship Award. Locally, Wendel currently serves as an emergency room observer at Upstate University Hospital, shadowing an attending physician in pediatrics. Wendel also volunteered at Crouse Hospital previously. She serves on the executive board of Habitat for Humanity’s SU chapter and advises students traveling to Hong Kong about aspects of life abroad.

Bridgette K. Werner, a Latino-Latin American Studies and photography major in The College of Arts and Sciences and Newhouse School, lived in Bolivia for 11 months before beginning her studies at SU. She has visited the country twice since. In Bolivia, Werner served as a tutor in an after-school program for low-income children, where she played a part in restructuring the program. Werner’s capstone project looks—through a photographic lens—at the formation of family at Stansberry Children’s Home in Santa Cruz. The final product is a book of photography and writing. Werner has also researched and written about the role of the Catholic Church in El Salvador during the 1980s, relative to human rights and the theology of liberation; and at Bolivian miners’ unions and related resistance or repression under 20th-century dictatorships. Werner, who is fluent in Spanish, hopes to live and work abroad again. She plans to pursue graduate education in international development or international relations, with a regional focus on Latin America.

Melanie A. Zilora, a double major in economics and policy studies with a mathematics minor in The College of Arts and Sciences, is also a Coronat Scholar. As an undergraduate, she has been an active member of the Syracuse University Debate Society and the Student Standards Committee. Zilora studied abroad in London the fall of her junior year. An Upstate New York native, Zilora currently works as a research assistant for a Rochester-based think tank and at SU’s own Center for Policy Research. After graduation, she plans to pursue doctoral studies in public policy and economics at Carnegie Mellon University.

The Departmental Scholars of the SUNY-ESF Class of 2011 are:

• Shannon Carpenter, Department of Chemistry;
• Eunah Kim, Department of Environmental and Forest Biology;
• Christopher Shrimpton, Department of Environmental Resources Engineering;
• Meryl Corsun, Division of Environmental Science;
• Mary Ronan, Department of Environmental Studies;
• Julie Van Winkle, Department of Forest and Natural Resources Management;
• Kyle Eddy, Department of Landscape Architecture;
• Daniel DiMarco, Department of Paper and Bioprocess Engineering; and
• Benjamin Nelson, Department of Sustainable Construction Management and Engineering.

SUNY-ESF department honors will be bestowed upon students in each of the college’s discipline areas during convocation exercises on Saturday, May 14. SUNY-ESF President Cornelius B. Murphy Jr. will present medallions to the Departmental Scholars.

University Scholars represent the entire SU graduating class at the May 15 Commencement ceremony. On April 27, the scholars took part in a reception at the Chancellor’s Residence hosted by SU Chancellor and President Nancy Cantor, at which they received special medallions to be worn at Commencement. 

The SU Scholars Selection Committee, a University-wide faculty committee, selects the 2011 scholars using criteria including coursework and academic achievement, creative work, a personal statement and a faculty letter of recommendation. Kenneth Johnson, chair of the selection committee and assistant professor of communications and rhetorical studies in SU’s (VPA), notes that the committee evaluates how each scholar has engaged the world with his or her knowledge and experience. 

Additionally, nine seniors from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF) have been named Departmental Scholars. 

The 2011 Syracuse University Scholars:

Benjamin Forry, a mechanical engineering major in the (LCS), has worked with the SU Industrial Assessment Center auditing for energy savings for clients. He also worked in the engineering department of the Oswego Nine Mile Point nuclear power plant and conducted solar cell research at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. Forry is an academic excellence workshop facilitator for engineering students on campus, helping them to strengthen their understanding of coursework. He also served as president of the Tau Beta Pi engineering honors society. After graduation, Forry plans to work with General Electric Aviation in the corporation’s Edison Engineering Development Program and will pursue a master’s degree.

John Harland Giammatteo, a double major in anthropology and magazine journalism in The College of Arts and Sciences and , respectively, is a Remembrance Scholar and will serve as a college marshal for Commencement. A at SU, he conducted research with refugee populations in South and Southeast Asia and has written for Forced Migration Review, a magazine providing global forum on refugee issues. In his capstone project he studies how Burmese migrants adapt to life in Thailand. Giammatteo has written for a number of campus publications and newspapers, and served as an associate producer for a local public affairs radio show. After graduation, Giammatteo plans to continue graduate study in global migration at City University and South East Asian studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies.

Kevin Michael Hirst, a double major in television-radio-film and marketing management in the Newhouse School and , also carries a minor in theater in the College of Visual and Performing Arts. A four-year member of the First Year Players student theater group, Hirst was also an executive news producer at CitrusTV, served as senior vice president of the Delta Sigma Pi business fraternity and was involved in Newhouse and Whitman ambassador programs and the Pulse Performing Arts student advisory board. OrangeSeeds, University 100 and orientation leadership roles round out his community service at SU. Hirst’s triple interests in marketing, television and theater fueled four internships and five professional jobs, ranging from Wegmans Food Markets to the Tony Awards to the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. Also a Remembrance Scholar, Hirst will serve as a college marshal for Commencement and is designated a Scholarship in Action Scholar. Following graduation, Hirst plans to work on the upcoming Tony Awards, then move to broadcast work in New York City at the SpotCo entertainment advertising agency.

Gabriel Thomas Jewell-Vitale is a fifth-year architecture student in the  whose photography work from his semester in New York City appeared in the Architecture League of New York’s exhibition “The City We Imagined/The City We Made: New New York 2001-2010,” which analyzed the changing built environment of the city during the Bloomberg administration. Jewell-Vitale also spent two semesters abroad. While in Florence, he was nominated for the Coluccio Salutati Award, which rewards high integration into Italian culture. As recipient of a Ralph T. Walker travel grant, Jewell-Vitale traveled to the city of Ceuta, Spain, across the Strait of Gibraltar from the Spanish mainland to conduct thesis research on the European Union border wall between Spain and Morocco in North Africa. During his visit, he was interviewed and published in the Ceutan paper about his work on the present cultural and geopolitical situation. Jewell-Vitale’s thesis proposes a hybrid territory along the Spanish-Moroccan border. 

Qi Wen Li, a biochemistry major in The College of Arts and Sciences and a Remembrance Scholar, discovered her passion for scientific research while working in the laboratory group led by Robert Doyle, associate professor of chemistry, with whom she is now a published researcher. A McNair, Ornstein and Crown Scholar, Li’s research has been supported by the iLEARN program at SU. She undertook summer research at Yale University through a Mark and Pearle Clements Internship Award and pursued research abroad at the Graz University of Technology in Austria as part of the National Science Foundation’s International Research Experience for Undergraduates (iREU) program. Li plans to continue her studies in a doctoral program in biochemistry and molecular biophysics at the California Institute of Technology. 

Carolyn Cole McChesney came to SU to study communications at the Newhouse School, but a freshman geography course introduced her to her true passion, along with themes of sustainability; immigration and migration; ethnicity and race; and social and environmental justice. Majoring in geography and television-radio-film in The College of Arts and Sciences and Newhouse School, respectively, the Remembrance Scholar recently completed an honors capstone project titled “An Ethnography of Polish Immigrant Women Residing in the Suburbs of Chicago, Illinois.” McChesney is also a Phi Beta Kappa member, a sister of Gamma Phi Beta and has contributed to several service organizations on campus. Following graduation, McChesney’s plans will take her to Atlanta as a Teach For America corps member, where she will teach middle- or high-school English for two years.

William Joseph “Joe” Ralbovsky, a policy studies major in The College of Arts and Sciences, has a focus on energy policy, air pollution and biotechnology and carries minors in both environment and society and geography. While at SU, Ralbovsky has worked with SU Project Advance and with development of the Connective Corridor in the city. He studied international policy abroad at Strasbourg, France, and has interned with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, where he served as a communication program assistant in the Clean Air Market Division. Ralbovsky is a member of the RenĂ©e Crown University Honors Program and of Phi Beta Kappa and plans to pursue graduate degrees in international relations and public administration through SU’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.  

Teresa Soldner, a triple major in chemistry, Middle Eastern studies and international relations in The College of Arts and Sciences, came to SU as a Coronat Scholar and will serve as a college marshal for Commencement. Also a Remembrance Scholar and a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Soldner participated in the Renée Crown University Honors Program, was an active member of Kappa Kappa Psi and the SU marching and concert bands and sang a cappella with the Mandarins. She worked with the laboratory group led by chemistry associate professor Doyle, studying novel vaccines and vitamin carriers. Soldner studied abroad in England, Spain and Turkey; attended the American University in Beirut for advanced Arabic language study; and served as a member of a rural health expedition in the Indian Himalayas. After graduation, Soldner will continue study toward a medical career, through Michigan State University College of Human Medicine. 

Kristin Anne Waller, an environmental engineering major in LCS, has served as the vice president of the Tau Beta Pi engineering honors society and is a member of the Phi Kappa Phi and Chi Epsilon civil engineering honors fraternities. She has also served as an officer in the SU chapters of Engineers Without Borders and American Water Works Association. Other groups in which Waller holds membership include the Society of Women Engineers, Society of Environmental Engineers, Golden Key International Honour Society and the National Society of Collegiate Scholars. As a rising junior, Waller won a two-year undergraduate research fellowship from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which offered her the opportunity to complete an independent research project in tandem with a 12-week summer internship within the agency. Her research evaluated changes in Adirondack surface waters in response to the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments relative to the regulation of sulfur dioxide emissions from power plants. She presented her research at the fall 2010 technical meeting of the National Atmospheric Deposition Program. Waller is currently interning for the consulting engineering firm of O’Brien and Gere and will continue in the firm’s employment after graduation, working on water and wastewater treatment design. 

Sarah Katherine Jane Wendel, a biology major carrying a Chinese studies minor in The College of Arts and Sciences, is a Remembrance Scholar and participates in the Renée Crown University Honors Program at SU. Also, she is active as a science tutor for undergraduates. Wendel’s three study abroad experiences include English language mentoring in Hong Kong and hospital and clinic internships in Cusco, Peru, and Tanzania, Africa. Her work in Peru was supported by a Mark and Pearle Clements Internship Award. Locally, Wendel currently serves as an emergency room observer at Upstate University Hospital, shadowing an attending physician in pediatrics. Wendel also volunteered at Crouse Hospital previously. She serves on the executive board of Habitat for Humanity’s SU chapter and advises students traveling to Hong Kong about aspects of life abroad.

Bridgette K. Werner, a Latino-Latin American Studies and photography major in The College of Arts and Sciences and Newhouse School, lived in Bolivia for 11 months before beginning her studies at SU. She has visited the country twice since. In Bolivia, Werner served as a tutor in an after-school program for low-income children, where she played a part in restructuring the program. Werner’s capstone project looks—through a photographic lens—at the formation of family at Stansberry Children’s Home in Santa Cruz. The final product is a book of photography and writing. Werner has also researched and written about the role of the Catholic Church in El Salvador during the 1980s, relative to human rights and the theology of liberation; and at Bolivian miners’ unions and related resistance or repression under 20th-century dictatorships. Werner, who is fluent in Spanish, hopes to live and work abroad again. She plans to pursue graduate education in international development or international relations, with a regional focus on Latin America.

Melanie A. Zilora, a double major in economics and policy studies with a mathematics minor in The College of Arts and Sciences, is also a Coronat Scholar. As an undergraduate, she has been an active member of the Syracuse University Debate Society and the Student Standards Committee. Zilora studied abroad in London the fall of her junior year. An Upstate New York native, Zilora currently works as a research assistant for a Rochester-based think tank and at SU’s own Center for Policy Research. After graduation, she plans to pursue doctoral studies in public policy and economics at Carnegie Mellon University.

The Departmental Scholars of the SUNY-ESF Class of 2011 are:

• Shannon Carpenter, Department of Chemistry;
• Eunah Kim, Department of Environmental and Forest Biology;
• Christopher Shrimpton, Department of Environmental Resources Engineering;
• Meryl Corsun, Division of Environmental Science;
• Mary Ronan, Department of Environmental Studies;
• Julie Van Winkle, Department of Forest and Natural Resources Management;
• Kyle Eddy, Department of Landscape Architecture;
• Daniel DiMarco, Department of Paper and Bioprocess Engineering; and 
• Benjamin Nelson, Department of Sustainable Construction Management and Engineering. 

SUNY-ESF department honors will be bestowed upon students in each of the college’s discipline areas during convocation exercises on Saturday, May 14. SUNY-ESF President Cornelius B. Murphy Jr. will present medallions to the Departmental Scholars.

The University Scholars represent the entire SU graduating class at the May 16 Commencement ceremony. On April 29, the scholars took part in a reception at the Chancellor’s Residence hosted by SU Chancellor and President Nancy Cantor, at which time they received special medallions to be worn at Commencement.

Criteria used by the SU Scholars Selection Committee—a University-wide faculty committee—to select 2010 scholars includes course work and academic achievement, creative work, a personal statement and a faculty letter of recommendation. Additionally, says Kenneth Johnson, chair of the selection committee and assistant professor of communications and rhetorical studies in SU’s College of Visual and Performing Arts, the committee evaluates how each scholar has taken his or her knowledge and experience out of the classroom and engaged the world.

Additionally, nine seniors from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry have been named Departmental Scholars.

The 2010 University Scholars:

• Mari Angelica Allison, a bioengineering major in the L.C. Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science (LCS), has done research work for the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at SUNY Upstate Medical University since her sophomore year at SU. Her internships have taken her to the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center as a summer undergraduate research intern and to Merck & Co. Inc. as a Future Talent Program intern. A 2006 graduate of Oneonta High School, Allison plans to continue her studies in a bioengineering doctoral program as a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellow.
• Kate Pettitt Callahan, a double major in nutrition science in the College of Human Ecology and policy studies in The College of Arts and Sciences, is a Remembrance Scholar and will serve as a senior class marshal during Commencement. She is also the recipient of an individual Chancellor’s Award for Public Engagement and Scholarship for academic service learning. Callahan’s passions for health, fitness and helping people spurred her participation in community service both on and off campus and in the Triathlon Club at SU, for which she serves as co-captain. Callahan is also a facilitator for Cookshop, a nutrition program for children, and a nutrition volunteer coordinator for the Mary Ann Shaw Center for Public and Community Service. She has worked as a nutrition counselor at the Lions Club Camp Hickory for children with diabetes. Callahan plans to pursue a career as a registered dietitian and public health advocate.
• Devin R. Dadigan, a triple major in economics, entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises, and finance in the Martin J. Whitman School of Management, has served as a peer facilitator and Whitman student ambassador. A member of the national business honor society Beta Gamma Sigma, Dadigan has keen interests in start-up entrepreneurial enterprises and the financial side of sports. His educational endeavors have taken him abroad and back, including his work in a consulting capacity with South African underprivileged entrepreneurial businesses; working with Restoration Partners, a boutique merchant banking operation in London; and most recently, the British Basketball Association. After graduation, Dadigan plans to continue his career with Morgan Stanley.
• Sarah DiGiulio, a magazine journalism and political science double major in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and The College of Arts and Sciences, has served this year as a Remembrance Scholar, charged with leading the campus effort to honor and remember the victims of the 1988 Pan Am 103 tragedy. She has also served two years as editor in chief of What the Health magazine, a student-run periodical delivering nutrition, fitness and wellness news to SU students. DiGiulio also co-chaired this year’s Relay for Life fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. Following graduation, DiGiulio plans to pursue a career in health journalism.
• Jennifer A. Gramer, a double major in history and art history with a French minor in The College of Arts and Sciences, is also a Coronat Scholar and a Remembrance Scholar. She will serve as a college marshal for Commencement. Though Gramer’s areas of interest in historical and art historical fields are eclectic, she is completing a thesis on the visual arts program under the Third Reich, with a close look at Nazi landscape paintings. After graduation, Gramer plans to return to Portland, Ore., to continue graduate studies in the field of art history, along with German and French.
• Scott Andrew Kuzdeba, a double major in electrical engineering and economics in the L.C. Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science, is also a Remembrance Scholar and a college marshal for Commencement. Kuzdeba is a member of several campus groups, including the SU Student Chapter of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, where he serves as president; chair of Excelerators; member of Pathfinder; and member of the engineering and economics honor societies, Tau Beta Pi and Omicron Delta Epsilon, respectively. Kuzdeba plans to work with the defense contractor BAE Systems in the company’s Engineering Leadership Development Program.
• Arielle R. Lever, a senior drama major in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, is currently living and studying in Manhattan through the University’s Tepper Semester program. A Crown Scholar, she has spent two semesters abroad. For the South Africa Theater Project, Lever’s capstone project in the RenĂ©e Crown University Honors Program, she lived and worked in that country. She also previously spent a semester in London through the Department of Drama’s Globe Theatre program studying classical theater and Shakespeare. Lever has participated in several University organizations, including Starving Artists; the Black Box Players; and the Actors Workshop, which gives members of the community with disabilities an outlet for creative expression. She was honored as a recipient of a Chancellor’s Award for Public Engagement and Scholarship. Recently, Lever portrayed Anne Frank in a play presented by Syracuse Stage.
• Ekaterina Mozhaeva graduated summa cum laude from The College of Arts and Sciences in December 2009 with a degree in international relations and economics. Her academic interests include economic development and contemporary politics of Eastern Europe and Asia. Mozhaeva plans to pursue graduate studies after gaining professional experience in her field of interest. Born in Moscow, Russia, she moved to the United States at age 8. Mozhaeva currently resides in Clifton Park, N.Y.
• Laura Michelle Ondrich, a fifth-year architecture student in the School of Architecture, is a native of Fayetteville, N.Y. She has spent several of her undergraduate years at the University designing and building a house in Syracuse’s Near Westside neighborhood. A Crown Scholar, Ondrich is currently working on her thesis, which examines the role architecture can and does play in the Israeli Palestinian conflict.
• Amy E. Rabideau, a double major in chemistry and biology in The College of Arts and Sciences, is also a student in the RenĂ©e Crown University Honors Program. A published researcher, she has been working in associate professor of chemistry Robert Doyle’s laboratory for the past three years to develop B vitamin-based imaging agents for early detection of cancer. Rabideau will serve as a college marshal during Commencement. Both a Crown and Remembrance Scholar, she was also named a 2009-10 Astronaut Scholarship recipient for research and academic excellence. Rabideau plays clarinet in the SU Marching Band and the Sour Sitrus Society basketball pep band; volunteers at the Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital; and serves on the Student Peer Advising executive board for Arts and Sciences. Following graduation, Rabideau plans to pursue doctoral studies in biological chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, with support from a 2010 National Science Foundation graduate research fellowship.
• Sara L. Scribner, a double major in inclusive elementary and special education and history in the School of Education and The College of Arts and Sciences, will serve as a college marshal for Commencement. During high school, her experiences volunteering with individuals with developmental disabilities piqued her interest in inclusive education. In her second major, Scribner concentrates on American history. Following graduation, Scribner will continue graduate studies at SU’s School of Education, working toward a master’s degree in inclusive special education for individuals with severe and multiple disabilities.
• George J. Williams, an international relations and magazine journalism double major in The College of Arts and Sciences and the Newhouse School, is a Crown Scholar and a Remembrance Scholar. He has traveled and studied in Chile, Ecuador and Mexico, returning to the United States with a fluency in Spanish and an appreciation for Latin American culture. During his years at SU, Williams served as a Newhouse peer advisor, helped conduct research on the city’s Latino population, and worked to protect the rights of undocumented immigrants. Through his experiences abroad, in the classroom and in neighboring Syracuse communities, Williams has seen the importance of diversity and has acquired a passion for social justice and collective action. Following graduation, he plans travel to Spain as a Fulbright Scholar, teaching English.

The Departmental Scholars of the SUNY-ESF Class of 2010 are:

• Justine R. Schmidt, Department of Chemistry;
• Timothy J. Robinson, Department of Construction Management and Wood Products Engineering;
• Lynne E. Beaty, Department of Environmental and Forest Biology;
• Kallistia Giermek, Division of Environmental Science;
• Alexander W. Umstead, Department of Environmental Studies;
• Jennifer Baschmann, Department of Environmental Resources and Forest Engineering;
• Timothy Day, Department of Forest and Natural Resources Management;
• Jack Daniel Rader, Department of Landscape Architecture; and
• Bryan F. Cohen, Department of Paper and Bioprocess Engineering.

SUNY-ESF department honors will be bestowed upon students in each of the college’s discipline areas during convocation exercises on Saturday, May 15. SUNY-ESF President Cornelius B. Murphy Jr. will present medallions to the Departmental Scholars.

SU NEWS AND EVENTS COVERAGE

The (subscription required), , , , and reported on PepsiCo’s new on-the-go recycling initiative, which will directly benefit the Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV), a national program created and managed in the Whitman School of Management.

The cited statistics from SU’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) in an article on deportation and immigration enforcement of illegal immigrants.

The reported that the Syracuse University students business venture, Ag 4 Africa, is a finalist in the Dell Social Innovation Competition. The brainchild of one alumnus and two current Whitman School of Management students, Ag 4 Africa is a rural development model for Sub-Saharan Africa.

Alejandro Garcia, professor in the School of Social Work in the College of Human Ecology, was featured in the for the exhibit “Treasures of the People: The Folk Art of Mexico,” featuring works from his collection.

FACULTY QUOTES

Robert Thompson, director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, commented in the about people from Rochester.

Jeremy Shiffman, associate professor of public administration at the Maxwell School, commented in the on allocating health research money.

Leonard Burman, Daniel Patrick Moynihan Professor of Public Affairs in the Maxwell School, commented in the on value-added taxes and federal deficit reduction.

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