Fellows will engage in a one or two-year program or research project to advance the priorities outlined in the . The deadline to�� is Monday, June 3.

“Our first administrative fellowships provided us with a powerful collection of student stories as captured during the ‘lonely campus’ podcast,” says Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion Mary Grace Almandrez. “As we issue the call for our next administrative fellows, I look forward to selecting candidates who seek to advance the work of diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility on campus through specified projects or research.”

As part of the appointment, fellows will receive the following:

• a $10,000-per-year stipend,
• up to $5,000 in program funds for approved projects,
• up to $1,500 for professional development opportunities,
• mentorship from the vice president for diversity and inclusion and other senior leaders, and
• opportunities to participate in ODI meetings, DEIA committees and community engagement events.

Fellows will develop, implement and measure the impact of an innovative program or project in one of the following areas:

• inclusion and belonging
• DEIA learning and development
• DEIA research and assessment
• disability access
• strategic communications

To execute their program or project, fellows will collaborate with students, campus leaders and key stakeholders and present their projects to the University community at the end of their fellowship. Fellows are expected to be able to commit 96 hours for active participation in the program per year (i.e., two hours/week).

To be considered for the fellowship, staff members must have demonstrated commitment to advancing DEIA; be a full-time, benefits-eligible employee; and have completed a minimum of five years of administrative experience in the current position at the start of the fellowship. For a listing of all requirements, visit the��.

Applications can be . The deadline for applications is Monday, June 3.

For those who apply, their supervisor will be requested to complete a required letter of recommendation for their applicant(s).

For more information, visit the����or contact��diversity@syr.edu.

Chelsea Bouldin

School of Education doctoral student and University Fellow Chelsea Bouldin has been awarded an Imagining America (IA) Publicly Active Graduate Education (PAGE) fellowship for the 2023-24 academic year.

for publicly engaged graduate students across humanities, arts and design. The program encourages public scholarship, fosters a national, interdisciplinary community of peer scholars, and creates opportunities for collaboration, networking and mentorship.

An engaged scholar, Bouldin is student lead for the , which builds community among graduate students who self-identify as Black, Indigenous or other persons of color; a graduate student representative on the School of Education Committee on Diversity; and a former Graduate Student Coordinator. Her research interests include Afro-futurist literature, as exemplified by the science fiction writer Octavia Butler.

As an IA PAGE Fellow, Bouldin will attend the in Providence, Rhode Island, including a pre-conference IA fellows orientation and a lightning-round discussion of her scholarship during the conference. She also will meet monthly with her cohort of eight fellows from across the United States during the year. “I’m excited to work in this way. These meetings will be a chance for us to workshop our scholarship and discuss specific topics of our choosing,” says Bouldin. “As I began studying engaged humanities work more formally, I realized the extensive overlap between the values of this fellowship and the dissertation project work I am developing. It felt organic for me to apply for this fellowship, and I am truly honored to be in such an intellectual community-oriented space.”

Also receiving a 2023-24 IA fellowship is College of Visual and Performing Arts undergraduate Rayan Mohamed ’26, a student in the Higher Education Opportunity Program, part of the School of Education’s t.

Baobao Zhang (Photo by Jeremy Brinn)

Zhang is one of 20 fellows chosen for the one-year program that supports women and underrepresented thought leaders in producing public writing, conducting live experiments and networking with scholars, experts and journalists.

Zhang plans to use the fellowship to publish op-eds and engage in public communication about the uses and risks of artificial intelligence. She will hold an eight-day, virtual public assembly in October with 40 randomly selected participants that explores public perceptions of AI across applications in public administration, health, online search and face recognition. The workshop is based on her research that public knowledge about AI affects whether citizens, consumers and stakeholders can make informed decisions about policy, accountability or potential benefits or harms.

The 2023-24 Public Voices Fellowship on Technology in the Public Interest is supported by The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in partnership with the OpEd Project. The fellowship program is partnered with 35 universities and foundations, including the Ford Foundation and Yale, Stanford and Princeton universities. The program is designed to support underrepresented scholars who advance public conversations on gender, racial, health, climate and media justice issues.

Zhang’s October workshop is supported by a she received as one of 15 AI2050 Early Career fellows. Those fellowships were funded by the philanthropic organization Schmidt Futures. For the workshop, she will partner with the Center for New Democratic Processes, a nonpartisan nonprofit that will hold eight workshop sessions that analyze public engagement with AI governance and applications.

Zhang is a senior research associate in the and the . Her broader work focuses on public and elite opinion of AI, policy and ethics of AI technology, and how the American welfare state can adapt to increasing automation.

Story by Michael Kelly

Dong along with members of his research group. (Photo by Alex Dunbar)

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) has been awarded as an World Fellow for his research contributions, mentoring and outreach within the field.

The IBPSA Fellow is awarded to individuals who have made significant contributions to the field of building performance simulation or have demonstrated their expertise through teaching, research, simulation code development or applying building simulation on large-scale projects. To be eligible, recipients must have also been actively involved in the field for at least ten years.

“This award is very prestigious. IBPSA only gives fellow awards every two years and it’s nominated by six world experts in this area,” says Dong. “I’m looking forward to further contributing my knowledge and advancing the community of energy efficiency buildings to achieve net-zero energy and carbon buildings and cities. This achievement means a lot to me.”

Dong has distinguished himself through impactful contributions such as his pioneering research in occupant behavior modeling, development of novel simulation and control models to solve buildings-to-grid integration control problems, and education of junior researchers and students among other notable breakthroughs within building performance simulation.

“This is indeed a great recognition for many years of continuing excellence Professor Dong has demonstrated in the area of building performance simulation,” says MAE Department Chair and professor in manufacturing enterprises, Young Moon. “The association awards IBPSA fellows biennially and this year, 12 fellows were awarded worldwide with only two being in the USA. I am very glad that Dr. Dong’s leadership and contributions in this critical field now have been recognized worldwide.”

“We are thrilled to welcome these outstanding faculty members to the SyracuseCoE community as Faculty Fellows,” says Jianshun “Jensen” Zhang, executive director of SyracuseCoE and professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering in the College of Engineering and Computer Science. “Their interdisciplinary expertise and, in several cases, work with area entrepreneurs will be invaluable in advancing our mission to support the development of innovative solutions to human health, global energy and environmental challenges.”��

“The SyracuseCoE Faculty Fellows program plays a critical role in advancing interdisciplinary research and scholarship in the areas of energy, environmental quality and sustainable design,” says John Stella, vice president of research at SUNY-ESF. “SUNY-ESF faculty have been supported with multiple Faculty Fellows projects, which target innovative solutions to global environmental and energy challenges.”��

SUNY Oswego is a long-time academic partner of SyracuseCoE. “We appreciate the support the Faculty Fellows program offers our faculty,” says Mary C. Toale, officer in charge at SUNY Oswego. “The program brings together scholars and industry from a range of disciplines across the Central New York region to address critical environmental and energy challenges facing our communities, and we are proud to support the important work being done by this year’s cohort of Faculty Fellows.” ��

2023 Faculty Fellow Awards

• Elizabeth Carter, assistant professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering and Computer Science, Syracuse University, “Operational Monitoring of Urban Flooding: IoT Integration for Flood Viz”
• Ian Hosein, assistant professor of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering and Computer Science, Syracuse University, “A Commercial Calcium-Sulfur Battery for Low-Cost, Sustainable Stationary Energy Storage”��
• Jeongmin Ahn, associate professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering and Computer Science, Syracuse University, “Development of a Gel Polymer Electrolyte Battery for use in Extreme Environments”������
• Jiajue Chai, assistant professor, Department of Chemistry, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, “Characterizing HONO uptake and production potential on prototype indoor surfaces”
• Mohammad Islam, department chair and associate professor, Department of Physics, SUNY Oswego, “Synthesis of Silicon Nanoparticles–Recycled Activated Carbon Composites as Anode Material for Next-Generation Lithium-Ion Batteries”
• Quinn Qiao, professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering and Computer Science, Syracuse University, “Higher Safety and Larger Energy Density Solid State Batteries for Electric Vehicles and Off-Grid Applications”��
• Sara Eftekharnejad, assistant professor of Electrical and Computer Science, College of Engineering and Computer Science, Syracuse University, “Development of a 120 Volt Heat Pump Water Heater Testbed“
• Shalabh Maroo, graduate program director and associate professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering and Computer Science, Syracuse University, “Laser Diode Thermal Management (LDTM) Module”��
• Weiwei Zheng, associate professor, Department of Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences, Syracuse University, “Functional Low-Dimensional Nanocrystals for Selective Photocatalytic CO2 Reduction”����

The awards were made possible by funding to support SyracuseCoE activities, awarded by Empire State Development’s Division of Science, Technology and Innovation (NYSTAR).����

Story was written by Kai A. Volcy ’23, intern for SyracuseCoE Communications.��

Christina Chi Zhang

The has announced that designer and researcher Christina Chi Zhang is the Harry der Boghosian Fellow for 2023–24. Zhang will succeed current fellow Assistant Professor Lily Chishan Wong.

The Boghosian Fellowship at the School of Architecture—established in early 2015 in memory of Harry der Boghosian ’54 by his sister Paula der Boghosian ’64—is a one-of-a-kind program designed to give faculty members, early in their careers, the opportunity to spend a year developing a body of design research based on an area of interest while teaching at the School of Architecture.

Fellows play a significant role at the school by enhancing student instruction and faculty discourse while supporting both research and the development of research-related curriculum valuable to architectural education and the discipline.

“Christina Zhang’s research uses architecture to frame, analyze and intervene in areas often thought outside the purview of professional and academic practice,” says Michael Speaks, dean of the School of Architecture. “Her proposal, submitted as part of the fellowship application, is powerful, provocative and timely because it reframes precisely what it means to study and practice architecture. We are so thrilled to welcome her and look forward to working with her this next year.”

During the 2023–24 school year, Zhang will teach an architecture studio and two professional electives focusing on her research project, “Scales of Healing in Post-Traumatic Landscapes” that explores the tools of representation used to document, analyze and represent post-traumatic landscapes in different scales.

Zhang’s research trajectory will explore the limits and implications of photography, cartography, drawing and virtual reality, and discuss the powers of documenting individual narratives, archiving evidence and synthesizing different levels of information through drawing and re-imagining a speculative landscape.

To create a broader conversation with students about ongoing wars and conflicts, Zhang plans to extend the geographical focus of her previous independent research and discuss other post-traumatic landscapes of students’ interests.

“Through these explorations and discussions, we should ultimately be able to understand, engage and find our place in ongoing social-political issues as architects,” says Zhang, whose goal is to become a compassionate architect who cares about and designs for people.

Like the seven previous Boghosian Fellows, Zhang will work closely not only with faculty and students at the School of Architecture but will also explore interdisciplinary collaborations within the University and its various centers and colleges. Her research will culminate in the form of an exhibition and interdisciplinary symposium exploring issues of memory, reconstruction and resilience in post-conflict landscapes and societies in the contemporary world and tools to talk about them as architects.

Zhang is currently completing the last year of her master of architecture degree program at the Yale School of Architecture where she served as a teaching fellow for two graduate studio courses and two undergraduate courses.

During the 2021–22 academic year, Zhang was awarded the George Nelson Travel Scholarship, which supported her year-long trip and research inquiry into post-atrocity reconstruction in Bosnia and Rwanda, resulting in her 2022 exhibition, “ at Yale’s North Gallery. In this exhibition, Zhang explored trauma, memory and reconstruction through remediation, restoration, map-making and a virtual reality landscape installation created based on interviews with survivors of genocides and wars.

Zhang holds a bachelor of arts degree from Yale University where she was awarded the Louis Sudler Prize in the Arts in 2017 for her practice in humanistic architecture. While at Yale, Zhang received the Race, Indigeneity and Transnational Migration Research Travel Award (RITM) to work and research in the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Kenya. During her time in Kakuma, she co-founded a non-profit organization, International Development in Action, through which she initiated and directed the construction of a refugee-run adult learning center. The curriculums are now managed and taught by refugee leaders, offering literacy, business and reproductive health programs.

From 2016–17, Zhang organized and co-directed an interdisciplinary competition, to encourage collaboration between architects and policymakers and envision new responses to the global refugee crisis based on autonomy and resilience. The subsequent symposium, “Reform Refugee Responses,” was hosted in collaboration with Yale University, New York University and the United Nations in New York City.

Zhang has practiced architecture professionally at EFFEKT Arkitekter in Copenhagen; Studio MM Architect in New York City; Turner Brooks Architect in New Haven; and Atelier Deshaus in Shanghai. Together with teammates Joshua Tan and Claire Hicks, she won the first prize in the international architecture competition organized by Bee Breeders in 2022.

“I am honored to join the community and look forward to together exploring memory, life and recovery in post-traumatic societies, a relevant and urgent topic today,” says Zhang. “The Boghosian Fellowship offers an amazing opportunity to work with a diverse, intelligent and brave student body that is eager to engage and challenge. Through teaching and research, I am excited to envision and experiment with ways to heal, care and create in today’s world.”

For more information about Christina Chi Zhang and her work, visit .

The Boghosian Fellowship has helped the School of Architecture attract the best and the brightest emerging professors. Previous fellows include Maya Alam (2016–17), Linda Zhang (2017–18), James Leng (2018–19), Benjamin Vanmuysen (2019–20), Liang Wang (2020–21), Leen Katrib (2021–22) and Lily Chishan Wong (2022–23).

To learn more about the Harry der Boghosian Fellowship, visit the .

The YRF program expects active participation in group mentoring for two years, including engagement with incoming members during the fellow’s final YRF year.

Fellows can draw on their research funds at any point during their undergraduate career. Faculty mentors are eligible for a two-time grant of $750 in research funds. The program is supported by the and the��.

“The YRF program brings together students from different areas of study who share a drive to engage in research or creative activity that responds to some of our biggest collective challenges,” says , director of the SOURCE. “The fascinating conversations among our group really highlight the value of diverse perspectives and a supportive cohort of motivated peers to help the students move forward in their work.”

“The CFSA and SOURCE teams support these developing researchers with funding, mentoring in research and external fellowships and opportunities, and engagement with useful speakers and resources; the faculty mentors support the YRF students by guiding their research and creative activity and mentoring them in the practices of the discipline,” Hanson says.

Miguel Guzman

Miguel Guzman, a junior in the , is a 2021-23 YRF and has been working in the laboratory of , associate professor of in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Miguel Guzman ’24

Guzman has focused his efforts on developing the next generation of therapeutics by lipidation, a class of post-translational proteins modification, to bio-actively produce calcitonin-based bio-degradable nanoparticles.

Calcitonin is a small peptide used for osteoporosis treatment, which must be administered every one or two days. However, calcitonin-based nanoparticles can act as “an extended-release” formulation that reduces its persistent administration. In the market, there is only one FDA-approved lipidated large protein which shows that lipidation is still an unexplored area of research.

“Given its vast potential for drug delivery, the Young Research Program has fostered my desire to continue working with engineered lipidated proteins and learning about their enormous therapeutic potential,” says Guzman, who plans to pursue post-graduate studies in biomedical engineering. “Overall, the YRF program has taught me thorough academic inquiry, creativity and, above all, how the Mozhdehi laboratory can make an impact in our community.”

Adya Parida

Adya Parida, a sophomore in the , says YRF has impacted her studies and research outlook tremendously.

“I did full time research with (assistant professor of ) in the College of Engineering and Computer Science last summer, which helped me apply my skills on a hands-on project and taught me how to learn new skills and collaborate with a team. I had to present a research poster for the first time and SOURCE helped me every step of the way,” she says.

Parida is currently working with , associate in the , on international trade treaties. “I love seeing how I can apply my technical skills to projects even outside my major,” she says.

Evelina Torres

Evelina Torres is a sophomore majoring in in the Maxwell School and the and in in the Maxwell School, with a minor in public communications in the .

Evelina Torres ’25

Their research is focused on how social barriers affect time privilege. They plan to, pending approval, conduct research at parks and recreation centers in the City of Houston and at La Casita in Syracuse this summer.

“I will utilize my YRF research in part of my coursework as a citizenship and civic engagement major, and I feel that it is preparing me for exciting opportunities, from scholarships to graduate programs,” they say. “Through making mistakes and hearing feedback when making my research surveys and plans, I feel that I am gaining valuable skills in research design that I wouldn’t otherwise have. I’m already thinking about what I would do to conduct research in graduate school.”

The deadline for applications for the YRF 2023 cycle is Thursday, April 6. The program is open to students in all disciplines. To be eligible students must:

• Be a first-year student;
• Have a minimum 3.75 grade point average;
• Have the endorsement of a faculty member willing to serve as a faculty mentor for the two-year program; and
• Have a demonstrated commitment to research/creative inquiry.

To apply, visit the . The faculty mentor recommendation link can be found��.

If you have questions or need more information, call the SOURCE at 315.443.2091 or send them an email.

The SOURCE provides funding opportunities and serves as a hub to foster and support diverse undergraduate engagement in faculty-guided scholarly research and creative inquiry across all disciplines and programs at Syracuse University. CFSA’s mission is to make students, alumni and faculty aware of nationally competitive fellowship and scholarship opportunities; to help students and alumni identify scholarship opportunities appropriate to their interests and backgrounds; and to assist them through all stages of the application process, from planning to submission to interviews.

Fellows will engage in a two-year program or research project to advance the priorities outlined in the . The deadline to is March 31, 2023.

“An administrative fellowship is rather unique, and one we were intentional in developing, understanding that our esteemed staff, along with our faculty and students. also develop work that aligns with academic and scholarly outcomes,” Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion Mary Grace A. Almandrez says. “I encourage anyone interested in generating ideas, incubating them in ODI and integrating them across the university with our campus colleagues to apply for this new fellowship.”

As part of the appointment, fellows will receive the following:

• a $10,000-per-year stipend,
• up to $5,000 in program funds for approved projects,
• up to $1,500 for professional development opportunities,
• mentorship from the vice president for diversity and inclusion and other senior leaders, and
• opportunities to participate in ODI meetings, DEIA committees and community engagement events.

Fellows will develop, implement and measure the impact of an innovative program or project in one of the following areas:

• inclusion and belonging
• DEIA learning and development
• DEIA research and assessment
• disability access
• strategic communications

To execute their program or project, fellows will collaborate with students, campus leaders and key stakeholders and present their projects to the University community at the end of their fellowship. Fellows are expected to be able to commit 96 hours for active participation in the program (i.e., two hours/week).

To be considered for the fellowship, staff members must have demonstrated commitment to advancing DEIA; be a full-time, benefits-eligible employee; and have completed a minimum of five years of administrative experience in the current position at the start of the fellowship. For a listing of all requirements, visit the .

Applicants need to submit a resume; statement of purpose; program or project rationale; and a letter of recommendation from their direct supervisor. Materials must be submitted to diversity@syr.edu with the subject line “Administrative Fellowship Application – [lastname, firstname].” The deadline for applications is March 31, 2023.

For more information, visit the or contact diversity@syr.edu.

SyracuseCoE is seeking applications for its 2023 Faculty Fellows program. Proposals are invited from faculty researchers for innovative research and development efforts in SyracuseCoE’s focus areas:

• Healthy and efficient buildings
• Clean energy
• Resilient, low carbon communities

Funding amounts of up to $15,000 per award is available for projects without industry collaboration. Up to $25,000 per award is available for projects that engage a New York state company seeking technology, intellectual property or technoeconomic expertise. SyracuseCoE intends to make multiple awards.

Award funds may be used to support the project many ways, including:

• Research, development and demonstration expenses
• Market or policy analysis
• Project supplies
• Use of labs and equipment
• Student employment
• SyracuseCoE events that further research and collaboration
• Travel for scholarly purposes or SyracuseCoE business

The purpose of the program is to catalyze new, externally sponsored research at Syracuse University and its partner organizations, ultimately contributing to economic and workforce development for New York state businesses. Beginning in 2015, the program has supported 59 researchers with 87 awards with approximately $923,500 in project funding.

To be eligible to apply, faculty members must hold full-time appointments at a SyracuseCoE academic partner institution: Syracuse University, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, and SUNY Oswego. Tenured, tenure-track and non-tenure-track faculty are eligible.

Proposals are especially encouraged that emphasize use-inspired research that have the potential to lead to new and useful methods and procedures, software and hardware platforms and licensable patents. Cross-campus teams from multiple departments, colleges and institutions that engage multiple faculty members are also welcomed.

The deadline for applications is April 21. For detailed information about this request for proposals and how to submit an application, visit the webpage.

The program is funded by ).

Taylor Hamilton G’18 has been named a 2023-24 Luce Scholar.

The is a prestigious, nationally competitive fellowship program launched by the Henry Luce Foundation in 1974 to enhance the understanding of Asia among potential leaders in American society. The program provides stipends, language training and individualized professional placement in Asia for 15 to 18 Luce Scholars each year.

The program aims to provide young scholars who have great potential, but little previous exposure to Asia, with an immersive experience through which they can learn to “be comfortable being uncomfortable.” The cultural and linguistic challenges they encounter are at the heart of the Luce experience and help the scholars grow personally and professionally. They also develop a sophisticated understanding of a dynamic region that is critical to America’s future and gain a new perspective of the world.

Eighteen scholars were selected from a pool of 34 finalists in a highly competitive interviewing process in which candidates were assessed on their professional interests, leadership potential, commitment to social change and personal integrity. Syracuse University’s third Luce Scholar, Hamilton will spend a year working in Asia, beginning in late June. Her placement is still being determined.

“At a time when the value of the open movement of people, ideas and information is being questioned, the foundation remains committed to supporting cross-border scholarship and dialogue. We are honored to welcome this impressive cohort into the global community of Luce Scholars,” says Luce Foundation President and CEO Mariko Silver.

Growing up as a Black American child in Texas, Hamilton learned the realities of disenfranchisement at an early age. “I listened to my elders discuss redlining, predatory mortgage lending and exclusionary zoning even before I fully comprehended their meaning,” she says. “By the time I understood how these types of practices influenced urban development, I was determined to promote economic opportunity for people with similar life experiences.”

Hamilton completed two years of her general education at Collin County Community College while still a high school student. This, she says, prepared her to navigate spaces with confidence in her abilities and experience.

She studied at the University of Kentucky, earning a bachelor’s degree in international studies and economics. There, she researched U.S. influence on the Korean film industry and wrote her bachelor’s thesis on homelessness in Japan. She also was a member of Sigma Iota Rho, an honor society for international studies, and volunteered with the Japan-America Society of Kentucky.

She served as the university’s Student Activities Board cultural arts director for two years and oversaw the relationship between student and community artists. “As a result, I explored community spaces and immersed myself in cultures that differed from my own. My involvement in the art world included studying public spaces—such as parks, mural walls, playgrounds, and outdoor event spaces—and how citizens interacted with these spaces,” she says.

Hamilton graduated with a master of public administration and a master of arts in international relations (M.P.A./M.A.I.R) from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs in 2018. She also completed a certificate of advanced study in conflict resolution. She studied the regional geopolitics and economy of East Asia and the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), and the influence of non-state actors. At Maxwell, she benefited from meeting people from around the globe and interacting with her peers—learning how public policy can best serve people.

In addition to her academics, Hamilton worked to promote an equitable student and staff experience on campus as an employee of the University’s Office of Equal Opportunity, Inclusion and Resolution Services, primarily assisting survivors of sexual violence and ensuring campuswide Americans with Disabilities Act compliance.

She is currently a management consultant, where she advises government agencies and social impact organizations on change management, organizational design and operational transformation. She has furthered social and economic equity through such consulting work as helping a U.S. federal government agency increase broadband access for tribal, rural and Black communities and performing an impact assessment on local economic mobility for a non-governmental organization (NGO) in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Hamilton is currently pursuing her long-term career aspirations of being an urbanist and spatial equity advocate. She is a public policy consultant who advocates for equitable housing access such as homeownership programs for low-income households or natural resource management in resilient city spaces. “I advise local governments, national government agencies and international NGOs on topics ranging from accessible community-building to smart cities, such as interviewing citizens and developing plans to improve urban spaces using their input,” she says. “I’m interested in the poorest of cities such as Syracuse where local government is remediating spatial inequity by removing a highway dividing the city along racial and income lines.”

Some of the most meaningful moments she has had have come from her community engagement experiences—collecting survey feedback, hosting listening sessions, making phone calls, knocking on doors—that facilitate space and time for the people of the community to give their input. “The outputs of those conversations have really reinforced for me the kind of impact I would like to have,” she says.

Hamilton is eager to begin her Luce placement, which she says will give her the opportunity to not only benefit from the experience but to make an impact as well. “A year in Asia with Luce will be transformative by providing me with a rare opportunity to work in Asia and contribute on equal footing with other professionals in the realm of urban studies, giving me a more holistic view of community development,” she says. “Since the Luce Scholar program presents an opportunity for soft diplomacy, I would also like to share urban policy approaches that U.S. cities have found work to support their citizens, especially vulnerable communities—such as low-income households, Black and Hispanic households, refugee-led households, gender and sexual minorities and tribal communities.”

She is also looking forward to getting involved with the metalsmithing and yoga communities in Asia. “Following this experience, I will continue to define a career for myself as an urbanist and spatial equity advocate where I can make equitable community development a reality for the most vulnerable Americans,” Hamilton says. “I believe inequity can only be addressed by developing public policy solutions that work for all, and by learning from effective policy approaches employed by other countries. Through a year in Asia with Luce, I know I will develop the skills and experience needed to support this goal.”

Students interested in the Luce Scholars Program should contact the (CFSA) at cfsa@syr.edu.

The humanities are pivotal to examining historical trajectories, understanding the pressing issues of our times and forging a more just world. As the next generation of scholars, graduate students are at the forefront of identifying and pursuing new questions in their research.

Each year, the����awards highly competitive����and����to support outstanding graduate students as they advance humanities research.

Three doctoral students in English and one in history have received fellowships and grants as part of the Humanities Center’s signature focus on enhancing research support and building scholarly community.

“We are so pleased to support cutting-edge graduate researchers at the Humanities Center,” says Vivian May, director of both the Humanities Center and��. “This year, the Dissertation Fellows’ timely projects each use interdisciplinary approaches to literature to illuminate heretofore under-theorized lived experiences and histories. The Humanities New York grant awardees’ projects advance our understanding of race and place, through poetry and writing as well as civil rights and school desegregation.”

Humanities Center Dissertation Fellowships

:

El-Eid

El-Eid is a doctoral candidate in English with a concentration in 20th- and 21st-century transnational American literatures and cultures. A first-generation Lebanese American Druze woman, El-Eid lives in the United States, but identifies Beirut as home. Her dissertation expands and reshapes critical scholarship across literary, trauma and memory studies by centering on the often invisibilized Druze, a transnational ethnoreligious group with origins in the Arab world. Her interdisciplinary work transects literature, film, online culture and self-conducted oral interviews with Druze people with a focus on the implications of the group’s belief in reincarnation. El-Eid’s examination of Druze and Druze reincarnation draws new lines of connection between these multiple fields of thought.

“My dissertation employs methodologies from trauma, memory and transnational anti-racist feminist studies to examine literature, media and personal accounts of the Druze community, in particular their central religious and cultural beliefs in reincarnation,” El-Eid says. “By amplifying and examining testimonies from this understudied and undertheorized group, my dissertation interrogates established relations of power in terms of whose stories are (un)heard, and illuminates how highlighting invisibilized voices is not just additive in critical scholarship but is transformative.”

:��Ecologies of Writing

Cooper

A doctoral candidate in English, Cooper is focusing on a project designed to generate humanities-based responses to environment, nature and place within the context of climate change. Much of her current work revolves around the��, where students, ages 7 to 15, from community centers within the City of Syracuse participate in youth-focused weekly writing workshops. The program encourages students to express their environmental experiences and understanding through reading, creative writing and scientific inquiry.

A highlight of the group’s activities was a recent visit from poet��, who shared her work with these budding writers. The students, in turn, wrote and shared responses to what they heard.

“I am always so amazed with what these young students come up with,” says Cooper of the touching poems students wrote across different levels of experiences and interests. “The event couldn’t have gone better, as students had the opportunity to engage with .”

Cooper’s work will continue with Write Out during the Spring 2023 semester, along with plans to create a public art installation that reflects the students’ writing.

: A Children’s Story: School Desegregation in Syracuse, NY, 1960-1970

Terry-Elliott

A doctoral student in history in the , Terry-Elliott is working on a project illuminating the experiences of children and teachers during the period of school desegregation in Syracuse from 1960-1970. These participants are contributing to American history by giving their stories to future generations. The project is part of her larger examination of the Black Arts and Black Power movements of this era, particularly as questions of Black education have yet to be fully explored in these contexts.

Terry-Elliott has a special connection to this project, as she is not only a graduate of the Syracuse City School District but also taught there for 10 years. She hopes the oral histories she collects will be a starting point to contribute to a larger archival space about the history of African Americans in the City of Syracuse—containing not only her work but that of others.

“That is the ultimate goal,” she says. “Oral histories are a valuable medium of understanding the past and must be valued before we don’t have our elders to tell their stories first-hand anymore. This award has positioned me to be able to ask for help in furthering my research.”

Terry-Elliott is currently co-curating “” in collaboration with the Libraries’ staff. The exhibition is on display Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., on the sixth floor of Bird Library.

Graduate students working on dissertations or projects can apply for support from the��, in the form of competitive dissertation fellowships and����Public Humanities Graduate Project awards.

Dissertation fellowships are one-year stipends that allow awardees to focus on finishing their writing without the demands of teaching, while also receiving research funds while in residence.

Public Humanities Graduate Projects, a joint initiative between the Humanities Center and the��, are grants offered by����to support emerging scholars as they engage members of the public or partner with community groups in New York State on initiatives related to equity and social justice.

Col. (Ret.) Frederick Gregory

Gregory will tour campus and meet with student groups, then give a talk in which he will share his experiences in space flight and discuss the future of space exploration. He will also recognize Alexander Metcalf ’22, G’23 and Matt Cufari ’23, two recent University recipients of the Astronaut Scholarship.

The event, sponsored by the (CFSA), will be held from 4-5 p.m. in the K.G. Tan Auditorium in the National Veterans Resource Center at the Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello Building. The event is free and open to the University community and the public. For questions or to request accommodations, email cfsa@syr.edu.

A native of Washington, D.C., Gregory attended the U.S. Air Force Academy, where he received a bachelor’s degree in military engineering. He earned his wings after helicopter school, flew in Vietnam, transitioned to fighter aircraft, attended the Navy Test Pilot School, and then conducted testing as an engineering test pilot for both the Air Force and NASA. He received a master’s degree in information systems from George Washington University.

During his time in the Air Force, Gregory logged approximately 7,000 hours in more than 50 types of aircraft as a helicopter, fighter and test pilot. He flew 550 combat rescue missions in Vietnam.

In 1978, Gregory was chosen by NASA as a member of the first class of Space Shuttle astronauts. He became the first American with African lineage to pilot a spacecraft, the orbiter Challenger, on mission STS-51B. This flight was the second flight for the laboratory developed by the European Space Agency for scientific experiments on the space shuttle.

Gregory was also the first person of African lineage to command any space mission with the launch of STS-33 in 1989 on the orbiter Discovery. He then commanded STS-44 on Atlantis, which in addition to deploying a Department of Defense satellite, DPS 15, also conducted extensive studies to evaluate medical countermeasures to long-duration space flight.

Gregory also assumed the roles of associate administrator for safety and mission assurance and associate administrator for space flight before becoming NASA’s deputy administrator. As the leader of the agency’s human space flight program and as deputy administrator, one of his central goals was to have humans leave low Earth orbit on a journey in which Mars was the first step.

Gregory to Recognize Astronaut Scholars

Alexander Metcalf ’22, G’23

During his visit, Gregory will recognize the most recent Syracuse University recipients of the Astronaut Scholarship awarded by the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF).

Founded by the Mercury 7 astronauts, the foundation awards scholarships to students in their junior or senior year who are pursuing studies in science, technology, engineering or mathematics and who plan to pursue research or advance their field upon completion of their final degree. Nominees are selected based on their exemplary academic performance, ingenuity and unique aptitude for research. Syracuse is a university partner of the ASF.

Matt Cufari ’23

In addition to funding for educational expenses of up to $15,000, the scholarship includes the opportunity for scholars to represent their institutions and present their research at the Scholar Technical Conference; professional mentoring for one year by scholarship alumni, a C-suite executive or an astronaut; the opportunity to participate in a professional development program and foundation events; and membership in the Astronaut Scholar Honor Society.

The honorees are:

• Alexander Metcalf ’22, G’23, a master’s degree aerospace engineering student in ECS. Metcalf was named a 2021-22 Astronaut Scholar.
• Matt Cufari ’23, a senior physics major in the College of Arts and Sciences, a computer science major in ECS, a Coronat Scholar and a member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program. Cufari was named a 2022-23 Astronaut Scholar.

The Lender Center Faculty Fellowship supports a two-year research project that examines contemporary social issues and develops innovative approaches to address them. The selected fellow will work with a team of student fellows to create an interdisciplinary research team. The fellowship term culminates with the Lender Center Symposium, where the team presents results of its research project, alongside invited speakers.

Only Syracuse University full-time faculty (either tenure- or non-tenure-track) are eligible for the fellowship. Faculty applying for the Lender fellowship should be dynamic and accomplished scholar/teachers who are committed to an agenda of advancing social justice. They will be expected to foster an interdisciplinary team that will simultaneously encourage student learning and growth and the pursuit of concrete engagement with real-world problems.

The faculty fellow will receive research support for both years of the project, a summer stipend and additional resources to facilitate the development and execution of their project and publicize the results.

For more information on����and to��, visit the��.

The Lender faculty fellow for 2022-24 is , associate professor of anthropology and Ford-Maxwell Professor of South Asian Studies in the��. She studies artificial intelligence (AI) weaponry through the lens of a cultural anthropologist, believing that those systems can transform the realities of autonomy, accountability, human rights and justice.

, assistant professor in the , was the 2021-23 faculty fellow. She and her team of students studied whether the space opened as a women’s wellness center on the City of Syracuse’s North Side has been functioning as intended. They assessed its uses, accessibility and lessons drawn from the building’s development, opening and usage that can be applied to other public spaces.

Ten students from Syracuse University were selected for Fulbright research, study and teaching awards for academic year 2022-23 to Austria, Colombia, Germany, Morocco, North Macedonia, Poland, Spain (two awards), United Kingdom and Uzbekistan.

“As Syracuse University prepares students to be global citizens, the educational and research opportunities offered by the Fulbright program are often a key part of that mission, so this designation is particularly meaningful,” says Vice Chancellor and Provost Gretchen Ritter. “Our Fulbright students make a difference in the world. Just as importantly, the Fulbright experience can be a transformational one for our students.”

Jake Glenshaw, ’19 (Maxwell/Arts and Sciences) is currently in Austria through a Fulbright Combined Award pursuing research and teaching English. His research is on sustainability in winter sports.

“On behalf of President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, congratulations to the colleges and universities recognized as 2022-23 Fulbright Top Producing Institutions, and to all the applicants who were selected for the Fulbright Program this year,” says Lee Satterfield, assistant secretary of state for educational and cultural affairs. “Thanks to the visionary leadership of these institutions, administrators and advisors, a new generation of Fulbrighters—changemakers, as I like to say—will catalyze lasting impact on their campus, in their communities and around the world.”

The Fulbright competition is administered at . The University has been named a Fulbright Top Producing Institution three times—for the 2012-13 cohort (under campus Fulbright advisor and professor emerita Susan Wadley), and 2019-20 and 2022-23 cohorts (under CFSA).

Anna Poe ’20 (Maxwell/Arts and Sciences) is currently in Spain as an English teaching assistant.

Forty faculty and staff members from across the University served on the campus Fulbright committee for the 2022-23 cohort. The committee is convened by CFSA; members interview applicants, provide feedback and complete a campus endorsement for each applicant. “Our Fulbright work is an all-campus effort. Faculty and staff support is crucial to our students’ success,” says Jolynn Parker, director of CFSA.

Students apply for Fulbright awards in the fall and awards are made in the spring. In the current competition for the 2023-24 cohort, 22 of the University’s 24 applicants have been named as semifinalists. Awards will be announced this spring.

Fulbright is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program. It is also among the largest and most diverse exchange programs in the world. Since its inception in 1946, more than 400,000 participants from all backgrounds and fields—including recent university graduates, teachers, scientists, researchers, artists and others, from the United States and over 160 other countries—have participated in the Fulbright Program. Fulbright alumni have returned to their home countries to make an impact on their communities thanks to their expanded worldview, a deep appreciation for their host country and its people, and a larger network of colleagues and friends.

Fulbright alumni work to make a positive impact on their communities, sectors and the world and have included 41 heads of state or government, 62 Nobel Laureates, 89 Pulitzer Prize winners, 78 MacArthur Fellows and countless leaders and changemakers who carry forward the Fulbright mission of enhancing mutual understanding.

More information about the .

The Pat Tillman Foundation is named after the professional National Football League (NFL) football player Patrick Tillman, who played defensive back for the Arizona Cardinals prior to Sept. 11, 2001. Tillman later turned down a multimillion-dollar football contract to enlist in the U.S. Army, ultimately becoming a U.S. Army Ranger who deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan.

Tillman was killed in action while on a mission in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in 2004, but months after his death it was discovered that the incident was the result of friendly fire. Tillman’s friends and family picked up his mantle to continue honoring those committed to service beyond self and launched the Patrick Tillman Foundation.

Syracuse is one of 16 colleges and universities recognized as a University Partner by the Tillman Foundation, and the University typically has at least one Tillman Scholar each year. In 2022, Syracuse had its largest cohort of Tillman Scholars to date, with four military-connected students honored.

“Syracuse University takes a lot of pride in its Tillman Scholars, as they often go on to be some of our most accomplished military-connected alumni. We want to see everyone who is interested in becoming a Tillman Scholar submit an application. It really does come down to showing passion for service beyond self,” says Ron Novack, executive director of the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs (OVMA).

From the University’s first Tillman Scholar in 2017, to the four most recent additions to the University’s cohort, a common suggestion for those interested in applying is to start early and take advantage of the available resources at Syracuse, like the .

“The first step for any scholarship application is to understand the scholarship’s selection criteria and be prepared to demonstrate how you meet those criteria. The Tillman Scholars Program selects scholars based on service, scholarship, humble leadership and potential for impact,” says Jolynn Parker, director of CFSA. “In the application, you have two short essays—one focused on your past experiences and the other on your future goals—to demonstrate your fit with their criteria. Make sure you craft a coherent narrative that connects those two essays, and make sure you articulate clear and compelling future goals.”

When asked what challenges they faced, and what recommendations they have for this year’s potential applicants, the 2022 Tillman Scholars from Syracuse University provided the following advice.

Higginson

Amanda Higginson
U.S. Navy Veteran
College of Law, JDinteractive (JDi) program (2L)

“You have to do the legwork and you have to be organized about it. Use the checklists that are built into the application system to keep you on track. Definitely do not wait until the last minute because it will be overwhelming and not something you can just throw together.”

Ornelaz

Anthony Ornelaz
U.S. Air Force Veteran
College of Arts and Sciences, Creative Writing Fellow

“One of the biggest challenges when applying for the Tillman scholarship was, I had to get into a conversation with myself about how much information I wanted to put out there. I questioned if my story was worth telling. I had to overcome those feelings of insecurity.”

Rielly

Bill Rielly
U.S. Army Veteran
College of Law, JDi program (3L)

“For anyone who is considering applying, it takes a lot of time to prepare a competitive application. It takes a lot of iterations and really refining your application package. I found it to be an opportunity to learn more about myself, I knew what I wanted to do, but the Tillman process helped me refine that and really sharpen it.”

DeLeon

Natasha DeLeon
U.S. Marine Corps Veteran
College of Law, JDi program (1L)

“I think the biggest challenge for me was the imposter syndrome of having to write a letter about things that I have accomplished. I know that I’ve accomplished a lot, but it’s hard for me to write about those things. I was obviously able to do it, but that was a mental challenge for me.”

The Tillman Scholarship program is open to veterans and active-duty service members, including the National Guard, who have served in both pre-and post-9/11 eras. Spouses of veteran or active-duty service members are also eligible. Applicants must be enrolled as a full-time student pursuing an undergraduate, graduate or professional degree at a private or public, U.S.-based, accredited institution for the upcoming academic year. To see other criteria and apply to be a 2023 Tillman Scholar, .

The application window opened in October 2022 and will close the evening of Feb. 28. Those military-connected students who are interested in applying are highly encouraged to contact the Center for Fellowship and Scholarship. For more information on resources available, and other scholarship opportunities for military-connected students, visit the .

Six spring 2023 students were selected from the March 2022 application cycle and are joined by four additional students who were selected from the October cycle, for a total of 10 winners from Syracuse University. (One student was awarded the scholarship but is no longer studying abroad in spring 2023.) Five alternates were also selected.

The recipients, along with the country where they will be studying, are the following:

• Violet Cabot ’24, Italy
• Laurel Howell ’24, Italy
• Grant Maxheimer ’24, Spain
• Lizmarie Montemayor ’24, Italy
• Jane Morales-Pinto ’24, Italy
• Akuoma Ogbu ’23, Australia
• Lauren Perry ’23, France
• Fidel Rivera ’24, Spain
• Melanie Torres ’24, Italy

Syracuse Abroad partners with the (CFSA) to advise students during the application process. Throughout the recent cycles, CFSA and Syracuse Abroad held information sessions and writing workshops to help students prepare their applications and essay submissions.

“These results indicate that Gilman has returned to its pre-Covid award rates and highlight the renewed student participation in study abroad, both at Syracuse University and other institutions,” says Adam Crowley, CFSA academic and scholarship advisor.

Gilman Scholarships are open to undergraduate students who are U.S. citizens receiving Federal Pell Grant funding at a two-year or four-year college or university to participate in study or internship programs abroad.

All students planning to study abroad who meet the qualifications are encouraged to apply. Gilman encourages applications from students from diverse ethnic backgrounds; students planning to study in non-traditional destinations; students in fields underrepresented in study abroad; and students with high financial need. Students studying a critical need language (such as Arabic, Korean, Japanese or Portuguese) can apply for an additional $3,000 supplement for a total possible award of $8,000.

Funding for fall, spring and summer study abroad opportunities is available. The application deadline is the first Tuesday of March for summer/fall/full-year programs; the first Tuesday of October for spring semester and summer (early application).

For more information on Syracuse Abroad programs, students can to meet with an advisor for more information.

Founded in 1953, the Marshall Scholarships finance young Americans of high ability to study for a graduate degree at an institution in the United Kingdom in any field of study. Sardino was one of 40 students selected from around the country and is Syracuse University’s fifth Marshall Scholar.

Sardino will study in the U.K. for two years. During the first year, she will pursue a master’s degree in digital humanities at King’s College London. During the second year, she will pursue a master’s degree in applied anthropology and community arts at Goldsmiths, University of London.

“Receiving this award is such an amazing honor and a critical step towards to achieving my goals. Studying in the U.K., which is rich with innovative public storytelling initiatives, will be invaluable to my future career in community-based storytelling. Pursuing my master’s at King’s College London will enable me to learn from leading scholars in the field of digital humanities and in an institutional environment that clearly values the role of non-academic communities in research,” Sardino says. “Being awarded the Marshall Scholarship would not have been possible without the guidance and support of the Center for Fellowship and Scholarship Advising, my mentors within Syracuse University and across the City of Syracuse and the unwavering support of my family.”

“The Marshall Scholarship selects students based on three criteria: academic merit, leadership potential and ambassadorial potential,” says Jolynn Parker, director of the Center for Fellowship and Scholarship Advising (CFSA). “Maggie’s outstanding record of scholarly achievement, her leadership in our community and her ambassadorial temperament make her an excellent fit. She has very clear plans for graduate study in the U.K. and for a future dedicated to making storytelling a powerful mechanism for peacebuilding and social justice in the U.S and beyond. This extraordinary award will help her achieve those goals.”

After earning the degrees in the U.K., Sardino plans to pursue a Ph.D. in composition and cultural rhetoric with an emphasis on public engagement and digital rhetoric. She then plans to seek an academic position in writing and digital storytelling and serve as a consultant to a community-based storytelling organization. Her goal is to lead a national nonprofit organization that equips communities with traditional and digital storytelling skills to foster social justice.

“The U.S. and U.K. are facing similarly pressing problems including political turmoil,
energy crises and border and immigration emergencies. In countries dealing with
such urgent issues, promoting community-based storytelling may seem non-
essential,” Sardino says. “However, I see storytelling as a way to build the connections and mutual understanding that solutions to these problems will require. By building and maintaining connections in the U.K., I hope to develop joint storytelling programs focused on empowering communities with creative skills and innovative perspectives.”

During her time at Syracuse, Sardino has been a storyteller through the����program, a storytelling workshop partnership between the College of Arts and Sciences and Syracuse’s Northside Learning Center, and the��SU Globalists��publication.

“Being able to work with the Narratio Fellowship and the Globalists publication has been an absolute honor. I have learned so much from these experiences. The most valuable lesson has been recognizing the responsibility I have as a storyteller. Narratives have the ability to empower communities, forge connections and challenge falsehoods,” Sardino said in a previous interview with SU News. “Both of these programs have instilled in me that reflecting on the impact of your work and acknowledging the larger context it exists within is crucial to being an ethical storyteller. My work with the Narratio Fellowship has also imparted to me the responsibility storytellers have to equip others with the tools they need to share their own stories on their own terms.”

As a research assistant with City Scripts, Sardino wrote, directed, produced
and co-edited a documentary on a public housing complex in Syracuse exploring
current plans to replace the complex with mixed-income housing. As an organizer and presenter with The Most Beautiful Home… Maybe, a national theatrical project focused on elevating the perspectives of public housing residents and influencing housing policy, she co-designed and led community workshops around place-based historical and personal narratives which empowered communities to share their stories of home.

“These experiences have demonstrated how absolutely critical it is that those whose voices are often decentered and silenced have a platform to share their own stories. Ensuring that marginalized communities have the space and tools to share their own experiences and narratives, creates a greater potential for cross cultural connections and for public policy to be equitable.”

Through the Engaged Humanities Network (EHN), Sardino has had the opportunity to research how universities assess their publicly engaged initiatives and how we can foster greater connections across these types of initiatives.

“The work I have done with the EHN has been fundamental to my desire to study in the U.K., where I hope to gain a better understanding of how partnerships between governmental agencies, the nonprofit sector and universities can support community-based storytelling,” she says.

Sardino is a Coronat Scholar, Remembrance Scholar, member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program and 2022 Fulbright Canada Mitacs Globalink Scholar. Through the Fulbright Mitacs award, she worked on a digital humanities project at the University of Victoria in British Columbia focused on making humanities scholarship more open, inclusive and accessible to non-academic audiences. As part of that experience, she helped to organize and facilitate the 2022 Digital Humanities Summer Institute, a gathering of hundreds of scholars, faculty and staff from the arts, humanities, library and archives communities to share cutting-edge digital humanities work.

Students interested in applying for national scholarships that require University endorsement, such as the Marshall Scholarship, should complete an “intent to apply” form with Center for Fellowship and Scholarship Advising by the end of June 2023 and plan to work with��.

Three Syracuse University students have been selected as recipients of the Voyager Scholarship: the Obama-Chesky Scholarship for Public Service, a new award for juniors committed to public service funded by the Obama Foundation.

The recipients are:

• Ka’ai Imaikalani I ’24 of Honolulu, Hawaii, a double major in international relations and policy studies in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) with minors in biology in A&S and information management and technology in the School of Information Studies;
• Yasmin Nayrouz ’24 of Rochester, New York, an English major in the College of Arts and Sciences and public relations major in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications with a minor in global security studies in the Maxwell School and a member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program; and
• Iona Volynets ’24 of Washington, D.C., a history and international relations major in the Maxwell School and College of Arts and Sciences with a museum studies minor in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, a Coronat Scholar and a member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program.

The scholarship provides $25,000 a year for two years toward education expenses, $10,000 for research/service travel between junior and senior year (Summer Voyage), $20,000 in travel funding for the next 10 years, and leadership training.

I plans to use the scholarship to gain more skills and experience navigating the nonprofit sphere, particularly as it pertains to housing. “As someone who has been able to view the failures of the housing market firsthand, I plan on using the opportunities given to me by the Obama Foundation and Brian Chesky to combat the lack of access to affordable housing in Hawai’i,” he says. “This also takes on a more personal dimension, as I plan to focus most of my efforts on serving Native and Indigenous populations (as these communities are at far greater risk to lack affordable housing). Ultimately, I plan on using the scholarship to not only learn more, but to apply the knowledge I gain to better serve the communities around me.”

Nayrouz plans a career in policy advocacy for refugees and resettled families. She says the scholarship will allow her to focus more on volunteering and supporting nonprofits that help immigrant and refugee communities. “I’ve had to turn down unpaid opportunities in the past, so having this scholarship will allow me to volunteer during my summer and focus on my interests,” she says. “I hope to add to my education by using my Summer Voyage to explore policies and communication strategies that help immigrants and refugees.”

Volynets plans to use the scholarship opportunity to pursue an interest in preserving and celebrating cultural heritage, particularly of Ukrainian refugees during the current conflict. “Next summer, I hope to travel to Germany to speak to Ukrainian refugees to create a virtual museum celebrating the culture that is threatened or lost during the conflict,” they say.

All say their experience at Syracuse University has helped them prepare to make a difference.

“It was not until I sat through Professor [Bill] Coplin’s PST 101 class that I realized how much I had to learn,” I says. “I have learned countless lessons, perspectives and experiences that served to enrich my worldview and my ability to navigate professional and academic environments. Literally everything you can think of, from internships to community service, even this very scholarship, has been in some way impacted and enhanced by the vast resources Syracuse University has to offer.”

“The policy studies program has allowed me to get a better grasp on what effective and feasible change can look like, particularly on a community-wide scale. Through an emphasis on skills, experiential learning and servant leadership, I was able to not only discern a shortcoming in my community, but through collaboration, devise a manageable and creative solution,” he says.

Nayrouz says studying English and public relations at Syracuse has demonstrated to her the power of storytelling. “When we share stories, listen and use communication tools to advocate for those who often are silenced, I believe we can create more effective policies surrounding migration,” she says. “At Syracuse, I’ve been connected to InterFaith Works, where I currently volunteer, and have been a part of Student Association, where I’ve learned how to address concerns students have effectively. I was also a part of a data journalism project with Professor [Nausheen] Husain, where we looked at the consequences that one migration policy can cause.”

Volynets is gaining experience through their experience as a 2021-23 Lender Center Fellow. Their project involves creating a culturally sensitive food pantry for low-income refugee and New American women in Syracuse. And their experience in the museum studies program here showed them that it’s possible to reconcile their love of art and their passion for public service, they say.

The Voyager Scholarship was created by President Barack and Michelle Obama and Brian Chesky, CEO of Airbnb, to help shape leaders who can bridge divides and help solve the world’s biggest challenges together. Even though they come from different backgrounds, both the President and Chesky believe that exposure to new places and experiences generates understanding, empathy and cooperation which equips the next generation to create meaningful change. The scholarship gives college students financial aid to alleviate the burden of college debt, meaningful travel experiences to expand their horizons, and a network of mentors and leaders to support them.

All of the Voyager recipients learned of the opportunity through the (CFSA) and worked with CFSA on their application materials. “We’re thrilled that Kai’i, Yasmin and Iona will benefit from the extraordinary support and opportunities the Voyager Scholarship affords,” says Jolynn Parker, director of CFSA. “Their leadership and commitment to public service represent the very best of our Syracuse community.”

In 2022-23, the Voyager Scholarship was open to rising juniors planning careers in public service who are U.S. citizens, permanent residents or have DACA status. The deadline was mid-June. Eligibility requirements and deadlines for the next cycle have not yet been announced.

That is the question , associate professor of anthropology in the , will explore with an interdisciplinary team of students and faculty in her project. Bhan was recently chosen as the center’s 2022-24 .

Mona Bhan

Bhan studies artificial intelligence (AI) weaponry through the lens of a cultural anthropologist, believing that those systems can transform the realities of autonomy, accountability, human rights and justice.

While proponents of AI weapons emphasize the humanitarian benefits of autonomous systems in wars, opponents adopt a human rights-centered approach focused on the importance of maintaining human control over the use of force, she says.

“This project challenges the unquestioned assumptions in claims of humanitarianism and human rights and examines how technologies are reconfiguring what it means to be human and transforming global negotiations over free will, autonomy, accountability, societal harm, citizenship and sovereignty,” Bhan says.

The research team will use collaborative documentation, GIS-enabled mapping and immersive media techniques to study precisely how artificial intelligence weapons and systems may bring about social and political changes. Bhan will conduct the project along with other University faculty, University centers such as the and a new group of Lender Center student fellows to analyze and disseminate findings on the social justice implications of AI weaponry. The project is part of a larger research and advocacy project Bhan is carrying out with her longtime collaborator, Haley Duschinski, of Ohio University.

Problem/Solution

The Lender Center for Social Justice promotes multi-disciplinary and dynamic collaborations supporting development of courageous and ethical scholars and citizens at the University to foster proactive, innovative and interdisciplinary approaches to issues related to social justice, equity and inclusion. Faculty and student fellows are supported for one year of research activity working to identify a problem and a second year addressing solutions or shifting conversations about the issues they have identified.

Pertinent to Syracuse

Center Co-Director , associate professor of sociology in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, says Bhan’s project is especially pertinent to the University’s past and present.

“Mona is an exemplary scholar-activist with a deep commitment to engaged, collaborative research on matters pertaining to human rights,” says Purser. “What is especially compelling about her project is its focus on the global scale, but with clear connections to the local Syracuse community, both as a site of innovation in AI weaponry and as a longstanding incubator of anti-war activism.”

Gretchen Purser

“The Lender Center’s selection of Dr. Bhan as our next faculty fellow supports her work as she and her thought partners both here on campus and outside of the University work to expand the public dialogue on a number of vital issues that social justice scholars must address whenever human rights are at stake,” says Center Co-Director ., professor of arts education in the College of Visual and Performing Arts.

James H. Rollings Jr.

In the Maxwell School, Bhan serves as Ford-Maxwell Professor of South Asian Studies; director of the and senior research associate and advisory board member of the . Her research explores economic and infrastructural development in counterinsurgency operations and resistance movements in protracted wartime and conflict. Other interests include border wars and counterinsurgency; militarism and humanitarianism; race, gender and religion; environmentalism and climate change; occupation and human rights;��space and place; and water and infrastructure in Kashmir.

Before coming to Syracuse in 2019, Bhan taught at DePauw University as the Otto L. Sonder Jr. Chair of Anthropology. She received a Ph.D. in anthropology from Rutgers University in 2006, a M.Sc. in anthropology from Delhi University, India, in 1999 and a B.Sc. in zoology from Delhi University in 1997.

Student Fellow Applications

The Lender Center is now accepting applications for student fellows for the 2022-24 term. Fellowships are open to all Syracuse University students who can commit two years to the project. Five students will be selected and will receive a yearly stipend.

The application deadline for student fellows is Tuesday, Nov. 1. An in-person information session will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 11 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in 151 Eggers Hall. and a link to the is on the Lender Center website.

2021-2023 Lender Project

The 2021-2023 fellowship project is being led by Associate Professor of the College of Visual and Performing Arts School of Design and focuses on access to health and wellness for women. She and student fellows are examining and informing local efforts to create a more equitable, sustainable, and inclusive health system in Central New York. Their work explores the social determinants of health and wellness and how those issues impact women living in Syracuse’s diverse Northside neighborhood.

Below, she shares about this experience and her time at Syracuse University.

Christopher Beardsley

Beardsley will study through the Boren African Languages Flagship Initiative (AFLI).��He will study Kiswahili at the University of Gainesville in Florida from June to July and will live in Arusha, Tanzania, from August to November to continue his language studies.

“Much like my opportunities with the Peace Corps in Rwanda and the Fulbright in South Africa, the Boren Fellowship furthers new opportunities for cross-cultural exchange and connection,” Beardsley says.

By studying Kiswahili in Tanzania, Beardsley will gain insights into Tanzania’s historical role in the Non-Aligned Movement and as a Front Line State in its struggle against colonialism, both of which are significant to the future liberation of the Global South.

All applicants for the Boren Awards must participate in a campus review process to apply, through which they work closely with advisors in the Center for Fellowship and Scholarship Advising (CFSA) and the University’s faculty Boren representatives—Christopher Green, associate professor of languages, literatures and linguistics in the College of Arts and Sciences, and John McPeak, professor of public administration and international affairs in the Maxwell School—to revise their application essays.

“We are so excited for Christopher to add to his knowledge of African languages and cultures through Boren’s AFLI program,” says Melissa Welshans, CFSA’s assistant director. “We have no doubt that this experience will further prepare him for a successful career with the federal government.”

Matt Cufari, a senior physics major in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S), a computer science major in the College of Engineering and Computer Science, a Coronat Scholar and a member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program, has been named 2022-23 Astronaut Scholar by the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF).

Founded by the Mercury 7 astronauts, the foundation awards scholarships to students in their junior or senior year who are pursuing studies in science, technology, engineering or mathematics and who plan to pursue research or advance their field upon completion of their final degree. Nominees are selected based on their exemplary academic performance, ingenuity and unique aptitude for research.

In addition to funding for educational expenses of up to $15,000, the scholarship includes the opportunity for scholars to represent their institutions and present their research at the Scholar Technical Conference; professional mentoring for one year by scholarship alumni, a C-suite executive or an astronaut; the opportunity to participate in a professional development program and foundation events; and membership in the Astronaut Scholar Honor Society.

Cufari will receive the award during the ASF Innovators Week and Gala held Aug. 24-28 in Orlando, Florida.��

“I’m very honored to be named an Astronaut Scholar. I’m grateful for the help I’ve received from my mentors here at Syracuse and in Rochester; they have guided and supported me in my scientific endeavors, and I would not have had the opportunity to apply for and receive this award without their help,” says Cufari. “I’m also thankful for the Center for Fellowship and Scholarship Advising (CFSA) staff’s encouragement and assistance in applying for the Astronaut Scholarship.”

The Astronaut Scholarship is the latest nationally competitive scholarship Cufari has received. Earlier this year, he was selected for a 2022 Goldwater Scholarship.

“Matt’s extraordinary research profile, and presentation and publication record, made him an outstanding nominee for the Astronaut Scholarship,” says Jolynn Parker, director of the CFSA. “We’re thrilled that this award will support him in the important work he aims to do in astrophysics.”

A member of Tau Beta Pi, Cufari plans to earn a Ph.D. in physics and pursue a career in astrophysics research. His research interests are in drawing connections between laboratory plasmas and astrophysical plasmas to better understand phenomena like tidal disruption events and accretion disk formation.

“I’m interested in the dynamics of highly energetic phenomena that don’t readily occur in our solar system, like accretion onto black holes, the tidal disruption of stars and supernovae,” Cufari says. “These phenomena are exciting, luminous and abundant in the universe. Studying these phenomena is necessary to improve our understanding of the behavior of matter in exotic states and the physical processes which drive those behaviors.”

Cufari developed a passion for plasma theory and nuclear fusion as a high school student when he began doing research at the University of Rochester Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE). There, he worked on a project to develop a theoretical framework for images of charged fusion products.

His studies at Syracuse have given him skills in designing physical models of complex systems and solving problems mathematically. “In addition to my work in physics, my coursework in computer science has helped me to understand technologies like reinforcement learning and apply them to my research,” he says.

In his first semester at Syracuse, Cufari joined a research project in the quantum information lab of Britton Plourde, professor of physics, developing a parameter estimation software for superconducting circuits. Since his sophomore year, Cufari has worked with Eric Coughlin, assistant professor of physics, researching theoretical astrophysics.

Cufari’s first project with Professor Coughlin, on eccentric tidal disruption events, culminated in a paper which was accepted for publication in the Astrophysics Journal. He presented his results to the broader community of astrophysicists this month at the conference of the High Energy Astrophysics Division of the American Astronomical Society.

Cufari and Coughlin are currently investigating chaotic three-body interactions between a supermassive black hole and a binary star system through a National Science Foundation REU. They recently had an article accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Letters that explains how to reproduce the periodic nuclear transient ASASSN-14ko using these encounters. Cufari was also recently awarded a Syracuse University undergraduate research grant (via The SOURCE) to fund his research this summer.

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

From left to right: Melissa Welshans, assistant director of CFSA; Jolynn Parker, director of CFSA; and Adam Crowley, academic and scholarship advisor

When it comes to applying for nationally competitive scholarships and fellowships, the team at the Center for Fellowship and Scholarship Advising (CFSA) offers a wealth of knowledge and resources for undergraduate and graduate students and recent alumni.

Located on the third floor of Bowne Hall, a team of three people—Jolynn Parker, director of CFSA; Melissa Welshans, assistant director of CFSA; and Adam Crowley, academic and scholarship advisor—guides students through the process of applying to scholarship and fellowship experiences that enhance and complement their studies across a broad range of disciplines and interests.

National opportunities they assist with include the Astronaut Scholarship, Beinecke Scholarship, Boren Awards, Critical Language Scholarship, Fulbright Program opportunities, Gilman Scholarship, Goldwater Scholarship, Marshall Scholarship and National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships, just to name a few.

CFSA fosters a network of campus connections to build awareness of their office and award opportunities. They also liaise with the national foundations and organizations that offer awards and play a role in administering three high-profile internal scholarship programs specific to the University: the Syracuse University Scholars, Remembrance Scholars and Seinfeld Scholar Awards for Undergraduates.

It’s All About the Process

The center on average helps between 150 and 200 students apply to nationally competitive scholarships and fellowships each year, and the team says there is tremendous value in the application process, regardless of whether an individual is selected for the opportunity.

“One thing we really like to emphasize is that regardless of the outcome, the process of applying to these opportunities is extremely valuable for students. It can help them think through their future professional goals, as well as academic and personal goals,” says Welshans.

“Students often have big ambitions and a focus on what they want to do after graduation—but they don’t always have a practical step-by-step sense of how they’re going to get there,” Parker says. “Applying for national scholarships helps because they have to be able to articulate not just the big, long-term dream but how exactly they’re going to accomplish that dream. And we help them do that.”

One-on-one advising with CFSA helps students describe their past accomplishments and clarify their vision for the future in order to write a compelling personal statement, which is a critical component of many scholarship and fellowship applications. Parker and Welshans both have degrees in English and Crowley practiced law as a litigator (“a very writing-heavy area of the law,” he says) for almost a decade before making a career change to academic advising. Their fluency in the written word and practice crafting academic narratives allows them to add immediate value to student applications, regardless of the discipline of the award.

“Even for fields where we are not specialists, STEM fields, for example, we can still be helpful in the application processes because the personal statements are such a critical piece of writing for these awards,” says Welshans. “It’s a genre of writing that most people do not have expertise in, and we do. We really want to help students in all fields.”

Conducting Outreach Across Campus

Parker says a big part of her role is developing pipelines, collaborating with faculty and other groups and organizations on campus to connect with students who show national scholarship potential, ideally in their first or second year on campus.

“We are almost recruiters in a way, getting to know as many students as possible and connecting them with opportunities,” she says. “A lot of that comes down to relationship building—becoming familiar with who is in what role on campus and who the best contact is for various organizations and programs.”

To ensure that a range of students from across the University know about scholarship opportunities, the CFSA team reaches out to academic departments and graduate programs in all fields, and often liaises with such organizations as Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE), Multicultural Affairs, the Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program, WellsLink Leadership Program and the Posse Foundation. They also engage recent alumni since candidates remain eligible for many national scholarship opportunities even after graduation.

According to Parker, “There are students who show up their first year and say, ‘I want to be a Fulbright applicant because my parents have talked about it all my life and I grew up knowing about it’—but some of our best Fulbright applicants had never heard about the program before we encouraged them to consider it. We want to make sure we’re not only reaching out to the students who already know about these opportunities.”

Each year, the team runs an outreach program called the Invitation to Excellence, where faculty and staff are asked to recommend outstanding students they’ve worked with in the past two semesters.

“We are just three people and this is a very large campus, so we’re always grateful to faculty and staff for taking the time to consider which students are doing interesting things and send them our way,” says Welshans.

“We truly value our partnership with faculty and staff,” Parker adds. “We can help students polish their story about their time at SU—but that story depends on the great work our faculty are doing with students and in support of students’ independent interests and projects.”

Making an Impact, One Student at a Time

Crowley, who splits his time as an advisor between CFSA and the Renée Crown University Honors Program, says working with students on the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship is just one example of how rewarding he finds his work. The scholarship helps fund study abroad opportunities for students who are Pell Grant recipients.

“The Gilman Scholarship really opens up opportunities that students otherwise may not have access to,” Crowley says. “And it’s one of the awards that attracts a lot of younger applicants—first- and second-year students who perhaps haven’t yet given a lot of thought to what their future career or academic goals might be. I think the process of applying for Gilman can be extremely helpful and help them grow in their academic career.”

Welshans says their one-on-one meetings with students emphasize holistic advising. “We are truly in the business of getting to know students and understanding where they are coming from, what their background is, what they are comfortable sharing.”

“We try to really listen to students, drawing out their interests and passions. We work on knowing how to ask the right questions,” Parker says. “Some students may be reluctant to promote themselves and we try to give them the confidence to do that.”

Outside of CFSA, Parker enjoys running, is addicted to The New York Times Spelling Bee puzzle and has a husband who teaches in the English department in the College of Arts and Sciences and a 15-year-old son. Welshans is a hobby manicurist and loves spending time with her family, especially her 4-year-old daughter. Crowley is an avid home chef who collects vinyl records and lives in the University Neighborhood with his wife.

To learn more about CFSA and the myriad opportunities available to Syracuse University students, visit the center’s website: . Students and alumni can also to be considered for advisement opportunities related to pursuing national scholarships and fellowships.

The award will fully fund her tuition for her remaining years of college; provide her with an annual stipend of $25,000; provide mentorship through a DoD sponsoring facility; guarantee summer internships at a DoD-connected institution every year she is an undergraduate; and guarantee her employment placement within the DoD or at a DoD-connected institution after graduation. She will work for the DoD for one year after graduation as part of the conditions of the award.

Valitutti says that when she began her studies as an aerospace engineering major, she knew very little about emerging aerospace technologies, and even less about how they intersect with sustainable solutions to engineering problems.

“I had this preconceived notion that all the most cost-effective, environmentally friendly ways to fly planes and launch rockets had already been invented,” she says. “It wasn’t until I took courses such as thermodynamics, mechanical/aerospace laboratory and computational fluid dynamics that I was challenged to think about improving existing designs as I learned the course material.”

Valitutti has worked in the Skytop Turbulence Lab with Mark Glauser, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering. The lab aims to understand the flow of a rectangular jet nozzle, and manipulate the flow, for a more desirable product.

“I have learned how to set up the fuel tanks and air compressors needed for running the tests, as well as use a computer program to capture data from high-speed cameras and render the images for analysis,” she says. “In the future, I look forward to contributing to design ideas on modifying the jet’s splitter plate—a component of interest—as I run more tests and continue to be mentored by senior researchers. Learning how to operate the equipment has confirmed my passion for testing—a pathway that earning a SMART scholarship will allow me to follow.”

Valitutti gives much credit to those she has learned from. “I’m extremely grateful to have had professors such as Dr. (Jeongmin) Ahn, Dr. Glauser and Dr. (Mehmet) Sarimurat,” she says. “They have inspired me to change my way of thinking—that the ‘best’ solution to sustainable and affordable air travel or space travel has not been invented yet, and if I set my mind to it, I can be a small contributor toward that solution.”

Upon graduation in May 2023, Valitutti will be assigned to the 461st Flight Test Squadron (FLTS) assigned to the 412th Test Wing of the Air Force Test Center (AFTC) at Edwards Air Force Base in California. The AFTC is the hub of research, testing, development and deployment of aerospace systems for the U.S. Air Force. “I feel really lucky to be placed at the center of all this innovation. I will be joining the Test Operations division, where I will help test aircraft. Currently, the 461st FLTS is working on testing the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, so I’m excited to be involved in that when I join,” she says.

Valitutti says that the SMART Scholarship, and subsequent employment with the Department of Defense, will help her both pursue her research interests and fulfill her desire to serve the United States and its citizens. “As an immigrant, I have seen the opportunities opened to my parents because of our new lives in the United States, especially through employment with the federal government,” she says. Valitutti’s mother and father work for the Department of Education and the Department of Transportation, respectively.

“Their trust in the United States granted us better living conditions and the chance for me to have educational opportunities that would not have been available in our home country. I feel an immense sense of gratitude and patriotism for the nation that has changed the course of my life,” she says. “For these reasons, I believe the Department of Defense is the ideal place for me. At the DoD, I can apply my aerospace engineering skills in a way that contributes to the safety of Americans and give back to the country that has offered so much to me and my family.”

In addition to her faculty mentors, Sasha worked closely with the Center for Fellowship and Scholarship Advising (CFSA) to apply for the SMART Scholarship. “Sasha’s desire to use her aerospace engineering education as a public servant is really inspiring and makes her an ideal candidate for the SMART Scholarship,” says Melissa Welshans, assistant director of CFSA. “We know that Sasha will have an outstanding career making innovations that benefit society.”

CFSA will hold a session on DoD-related scholarships and research opportunities, including SMART, with alumnus Steve Farr G’93 on Friday, April 29, at 10:30 a.m. in 331 Link Hall.

The����funds a range of awards that include English teaching assistantships (ETA) and study/research grants in over 140 countries.

The 2022 recipients are:

• Gretchen Coleman, a senior political philosophy major in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) and political science major in the Maxwell School and A&S, Coronat Scholar and member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program, study award, University of Manchester (U.K.);
• Jamie Fico, a master’s student in geography in the Maxwell School, research award, Morocco;
• Jake Glenshaw ’19, an international relations graduate from the Maxwell School and A&S, combined ETA/research award, Austria;
• Alyssa Grzesiowski, a senior forensics, chemistry and Spanish language, literature and culture major in A&S, Coronat Scholar and member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program, ETA award, Spain;
• Gabriela Knutson ’19, a broadcast and digital journalism major from the Newhouse School, research award, Germany;
• Taylor Krzeminski ’20, G’21, an international relations graduate from the Maxwell School and A&S, a citizenship and civic engagement graduate from the Maxwell School and a public diplomacy and global communication graduate from the Newhouse School and the Maxwell School, ETA award, Poland;
• Alexa Neely, a senior policy studies major in the Maxwell School and A&S and citizenship and civic engagement major in the Maxwell School, ETA award, North Macedonia;
• Scott Patnode, a graduate student in international relations in the Maxwell School, research award, Uzbekistan;
• Anna Poe ’20, an international relations graduate in the Maxwell School and A&S and citizenship and civic engagement graduate in the Maxwell School, ETA award, Spain; and
• Tiffany Schultz, a graduate student in trauma-informed practice in the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics, ETA award, Colombia.

The 2022 alternates are:

• Katelyn Bajorek ’21, a history and anthropology graduate from the Maxwell School and A&S, study award, Durham University (U.K.);
• angelo baldado G’21, a master’s of public administration graduate from the Maxwell School, research award, Philippines;
• Alexandra Coughlin ’12, an anthropology graduate from the Maxwell School and A&S, study award, Finland; and
• Emma Michelson, a senior advertising major in the Newhouse School, study award, Northumbria University (U.K.).

Coleman will pursue a master’s degree in political science on the democracy and elections track at the University of Manchester. For the dissertation component of the program, she plans to conduct research comparing voter identification policies between the U.S. and the U.K. “Manchester is home to the British Election Study (BES), one of the leading centers for polling information in the U.K. so this is an incredible opportunity to be advised by professors affiliated with the BES and work with BES data for my research,” she says.

Coleman’s long-term goal is to pursue a career in election reform advocacy in the U.S. “The U.K. has some really fascinating parallels to the U.S., in terms of both issues with voter suppression and ballot access, as well as movements for democracy reform, so a comparative study between the two countries will give me a lot of insight on how to better approach election reform in the U.S,” Coleman says. “The M.A. program has a heavy quantitative focus, which will help me develop strong policy analysis skills. While in Manchester, I also hope to meet people advocating for democracy reform in the U.K. (there are some groups in Manchester actively pushing for proportional representation in Parliament) and build connections with them to continue collaborating on democracy reform throughout my career.”

Fico will be collaborating with Moroccan researchers and organizations to examine how local knowledge can inform sustainability initiatives that are responsive to the needs of oasis communities in the southeast region of the country.

“Small-scale oasis farmers in Morocco are frequently overlooked in development projects which favor technological solutions and export agriculture over local knowledge and land use practices—a trend I first became frustrated by when working in the region as a Peace Corps volunteer,” she says. “Oasis farmers’ practices of collective water management and resource use have much to offer sustainability efforts in the country as Morocco faces prolonged drought and dwindling water resources, particularly in the southeast region.”

“Through Fulbright, I have the opportunity to study directly with oasis communities and support local work addressing cultural and environmental preservation in Morocco,��drawing on my previous research in the region through the geography and the environment master’s program in the Maxwell School,” Fico says.

Neely will arrive in North Macedonia in October to work as an assistant English teacher at a public university for nine months, and will complete a supplementary project involving food access.��“As a food studies minor, I am concerned about food waste and interested in improving food access. I admire North Macedonia’s commitment to mitigating food waste and promoting food recovery,” she says.

As an English teaching assistant, Neely will develop her teaching skills and passion for working with youth, supporting students’ learning goals and growing as an instructor. “Participating in the ETA program in North Macedonia and developing my teaching skills will help me work toward my long-term goals of working for a nonprofit or government program with refugee and immigrant youth to involve them in community projects, especially in food access and waste reduction programs,” Neely says. “I value Fulbright’s mission of cultural exchange as a method of education, and am planning a future that will allow me to contribute to this mission throughout my career.”

Poe will be an English teaching assistant in Asturias, Spain. “I am so thrilled about this opportunity because it will allow me to expand my teaching experience as well as my understanding of Spanish language and culture. I’ve had a passion for education ever since I began tutoring with the Literacy Corps, where I tutored elementary-aged students,” she says.

In addition to her interest in the Spanish language, Poe is drawn to Spain for the opportunity to learn about its organic farming and food culture, and hopes to share insights into U.S. food and farming with her students. “In the future, I aim to work in agricultural education, supporting international efforts to create more sustainable food systems through education. Serving as an ETA in Spain will help me build the skills and perspective to meaningfully��contribute to that work,” she says.

The Center for Fellowship and Scholarship Advising (CFSA) will hold an information session on the Fulbright U.S. Student program on Friday, April 29, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in 500 Hall of Languages. Email mlwelsha@syr.edu for more information or to request accommodations.

Students interested in applying to the Fulbright program should contact CFSA at 315.443.2759 or��cfsa@syr.edu. The campus deadline for the 2022-23 application cycle is Sept. 13.

Additionally, dissertation fellowships were awarded to 40 doctoral students to facilitate progress towards the completion of their dissertation.

Candidates were selected by a panel of graduate faculty and staff who assessed each candidate’s academic standing and ability to make progress toward a significant program milestone such as coursework completion, qualifying exams or dissertation completion, depending on the candidate’s stage in their program.

The summer fellowships for students who have not yet reached ABD status were supported through��COVID relief funding��support.

“We are pleased to support both graduate students who are close to completion and those whose early progress toward their doctoral degree milestones was slowed due to the pandemic. Thanks to the University’s allocation of COVID relief funds, we were able to award additional academic year fellowships and project-based funding for faculty to support graduate students,” says Peter Vanable, dean of the Graduate School.

“I congratulate all of our summer fellowship recipients and hope that this funding enables them to reach their next milestone.”

Dissertation fellowship recipients include:

• Aatif Abbas, Philosophy
• Keshab Adhikari, Mathematics Education
• Siaw Appiah-Adu, Anthropology
• Sarah Araldi-Brondolo, Biology
• Alec Beaton Jr., Chemistry
• Christopher Bousquet, Philosophy
• Farrah Brown, Political Science
• Tony Chamoun, Anthropology
• Lauren Cooper, English
• Ayse Dalgali, Information Science and Technology
• Raj De, Physics
• Shawn Dormann, Chemistry
• Natalie El-Eid, English
• Xiwei Guo, Geography
• Sarthak Gupta, Physics
• Alexander Hartwell, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
• Md Shahadat Hossain, Chemistry
• Huseyin Zeyd Koytak, Sociology
• Athena Last, Sociology
• Riliang Li, Civil Engineering
• Ajaya Mali, Anthropology
• Mariah Maxwell, College Science Teaching
• Shea Meyer, Chemistry
• Adriana Mucedola, Mass Communications
• Sean Nalty, Philosophy
• Alex O’Connell, English
• Chen Quan, Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Krishna Yashwant Ranaware, Social Science
• Hooman S. Abootorabi, Business Administration
• Sefa Secen, Political Science
• Subhasree Sengupta, Information Science and Technology
• Caitlin Smith, Human Development and Family Science
• Phillandra Smith, Special Education
• Nikolaus Wagner, Biology
• Chenyan Wang, Bioengineering
• Joseph Wasswa, Civil Engineering
• Jared Whear, Geography
• Tackla Winston, Bioengineering
• Jeongwon Yang, Mass Communications
• Kairui Zhang, Bioengineering

Pre-dissertation fellowship recipients include:

• Jeffrey Adams, English
• Sanup�� Araballi, Computer/Information Science and Engineering
• Johnson Agyapong, Bioengineering
• Emily Beauparlant, Social Psychology
• Roseanna Benser, Sociology
• Chelsea Bouldin, Cultural Foundations of Education
• Peter Brennan, Earth Sciences
• ParKer Bryant, Literacy Education
• Dylan Caskie. English
• Stephen Caviness, Teaching and Curriculum
• Burak Cilhoroz, Exercise Science
• Hannah Connolly, Social Science
• Jersey Cosantino, Cultural Foundations of Education
• Easton Davis, Cultural Foundations of Education
• Fatima Dobani, Clinical Psychology
• Xiaoyu Fu, Human Development and Family Sciences
• Kellan Head, Philosophy
• Curtis Jewell, Composition and Cultural Rhetoric
• Subodh Kalia, Computer/Information Science and Engineering
• Sawinder Kaur, Computer/Information Science and Engineering
• Kelly Kearns, Counseling and Counselor Education
• Kyle Leister, Exercise Science
• Jared Liebergen, Philosophy
• Jingzhi Liu, Chemical Engineering
• Claudine Lucena, Marriage and Family Therapy
• Cheng Lyu, Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Samantha Maguire, School Psychology
• Zakery Muñoz, Composition and Cultural Rhetoric
• Felipe Oliveira, Philosophy
• Destiny Orantes, Clinical Psychology
• Yuri Pavlov, Instructional Design, Development and Evaluation
• Xiaoxuan Qu, Counseling and Counselor Education
• Carlos�� Ramirez Arenas, Religion
• Jared Rosenberg, Exercise Science
• Morgan Shaw, English
• Zhihan Su, Marriage and Family Therapy
• Naveed Tahir, Computer/Information Science and Engineering
• Cassidy Thomas, Social Science
• Nastassia Vaitsiakhovich, Sociology
• Alison Vrabec, Clinical Psychology
• Lei Wang, Instructional Design, Development and Evaluation
• Aliza Willsey, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
• Yiming Xu, Physics

Four Syracuse University students have been awarded prestigious graduate research fellowships through the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), and two students were recognized with Honorable Mentions. The fellowship recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees in the U.S. The five-year fellowship includes three years of financial support, including an annual stipend of $34,000.

The 2022 recipients of the NSF GRFP are:

• Katelyn Bajorek ’21, an alumna of the College of Arts and Sciences and the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs with degrees in history and anthropology and member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program;
• David Coghiel ’22, a civil engineering major in the College of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS);
• Odlanyer Hernández de Lara, a Ph.D. student in anthropology in the Maxwell School; and
• Zhuoqi Tong ’22, a double major in applied mathematics and bioengineering in the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Engineering and Computer Science and member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program.

Katelyn Bajorek ’21

Bajorek studies medieval history and human osteology, with a research focus on the intersections of medieval medicine and religion. This fellowship will allow her to pursue her Ph.D. in medieval studies at Cornell University and provide important professional advancement resources to further her academic career. With a passion for fieldwork, Bajorek hopes to one day work as an archaeological field director at medieval cemetery sites.

“As a child, I was fascinated by books about dinosaurs and Egyptian mummies,” she says. “An archaeological field school with Dr. Guido Pezzarossi in 2018 showed me that a career in archaeology was possible in real life. I envision that a significant portion of my career will be spent leading excavations. I eventually want to become a professor of medieval archaeology, where I can direct a teaching lab of new generations of students.”

David Coghiel ’22

Coghiel’s interest in civil engineering blossomed as he was growing up in New York City, where construction projects were a constant presence. He recalls being curious about what was being developed and excited about seeing the finished products. “I realized that all projects were meant to keep people safe and healthy—and as I got older, I decided that I wanted to use my passion for engineering to help create a safe and sustainable future for all,” he says.

With the support of the NSF GRFP, Coghiel plans to conduct research on the environmental impacts of carbon dioxide emissions from construction sites and determine whether there are more sustainable practices to implement in construction scheduling. During his undergraduate career, he participated in mentorship via the WellsLink Leadership Program and worked as a lab assistant under ECS professors Cliff Davidson and Svetoslava Todorova, both experiences he says will positively impact his career.

“Working directly with engineering professors taught me numerous practices that I plan to implement in my own research project and future engineering career,” Coghiel says.

Through his research, he seeks to find ways to provide healthier airspaces for all, especially underserved communities that are often adversely affected by construction pollution.

Odlanyer Hernández de Lara

Hernández de Lara has been interested in archaeology since volunteering with the Cuban Speleological Society in his home country of Cuba. Pursuing his Ph.D. in anthropology with a focus on historical archaeology, his research interests include conflict and battlefield archaeology and the archaeology of the contemporary past, heritage and memory. Hernández de Lara says the NSF fellowship will support his doctoral research, and potentially open the door for future grants to continue developing his research project.

“I have met great professionals at SU who have expanded my limits in unexpected ways,” says Hernández de Lara. “Interacting with professors and other graduate students in the Department of Anthropology and the Maxwell School as a whole contributed to shaping my approach to the discipline, and life in general.”

He hopes to ultimately become a college or university professional, with a significant interest in museums, historic preservation agencies and other public service positions in archaeology.

Zhuoqi Tong ’22

Tong will graduate from Syracuse next month and go on to pursue a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He was drawn to biomedical engineering and a research interest in immunoengineering from an early age and aspires to have a long career working toward defeating cancer and other diseases.

“The NSF fellowship provides students and their graduate institutions with a generous amount of money to support independent and creative research, giving students more flexibility to explore research directions which may not be fully supported under a faculty grant,” Tong says. “Now I can carefully think about what I want to do research on for my Ph.D., finding gaps in the existing research on cancer treatment options and aligning my research accordingly.”

He acknowledges his work in the lab of professor Jay Henderson, as well as mentorship from professor Henderson and professor Julie Hasenwinkel, as being crucial for his success. Tong’s long-term goals are to teach and mentor undergraduate and graduate students as a professor of biomedical engineering and to start his own lab to continue next-generation cancer research with curative potential.

Abigail McCarthy and Karma Thomas

Two students also received Honorable Mentions in this year’s NSF GRFP competition. Abigail McCarthy, a master’s student in Earth sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences, is researching new methods to evaluate flood risk using high-throughput computing, especially regarding flood risk for socioeconomically disadvantaged communities. Karma Thomas is a Ph.D. student in biology in the College of Arts and Sciences and member of the Althoff Lab, whose research interests include the ecology and evolution of insects and their interactions with plants.

Upcoming Learning Opportunities for Faculty

The associate provost for academic affairs and the Center for Fellowship and Scholarship Advising (CFSA) will host several faculty sessions to share ideas about how to increase the number of Syracuse University graduate and undergraduate students applying to the NSF GRFP. The sessions are as follows:

• Tuesday, April 26, 3 p.m., Katzer Collaboratory-347 Hinds Hall
• Tuesday, May 3, 3 p.m., Katzer Collaboratory-347 Hinds Hall
• Monday, May 9, 2 p.m., 243A Hinds Hall

Any of the three sessions can also be joined . CFSA staff will provide a brief overview of the NSF GRFP award and the support the University currently offers to students undertaking the application. The majority of each session will be devoted to learning about faculty experiences with the program and discussing ideas to increase the number of applications.

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

Emma Liptrap’s passion for environmental engineering began in a parking lot.

In her junior year of high school, she set up a shadowing experience with a local engineering firm in her hometown of Salem, New Hampshire. Engineers brought her to a parking lot they were redesigning to mitigate stormwater runoff. They explained how water from large storms can become polluted from deposits on the ground and then flow directly into the nearby river.

“I had never thought much about parking lots or impervious surfaces before my shadowing experience, but after learning about their relationship to pollution and flooding I became fascinated—and committed—to learning more about stormwater management,” Liptrap says

Liptrap, a sophomore civil engineering major in the College of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS) and member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program, is a recipient of a 2022 , which will help support her studies.

Named for Sen. Ernest “Fritz” Hollings of South Carolina, the prestigious award provides tuition support ($9,500 per year) and paid summer internships with NOAA to recipients. The award is designed to support students working in areas related to NOAA’s programs and mission. Students apply as sophomores, do an internship in their junior year, and receive support and mentorship throughout their undergraduate career.

In high school, Liptrap began her environmental and stormwater work by creating a sustainability club. In the first year, she gave presentations about water conservation to elementary school students, organized trash pickups at local parks, distributed water barrels to town residents and led a project planting a garden at a local park to promote wildlife.

She also worked as an intern with an architect who prioritized reusing materials and building for the future. “I loved learning about LEED certification and analyzing how we could make each build more sustainable,” she says. In her senior year, she won the New Hampshire Department of Education’s Work-Based Learning Award for her work in the internship.

Liptrap enrolled at Syracuse because of the University’s civil and environmental engineering program, SOURCE undergraduate research funding program and research focus on the smart management of water systems. “I had also read about how Onondaga Lake used to be one of the most polluted lakes in the country, and the opportunity to learn more about how it is being restored excited me,” she says.

Her coursework involves technical engineering classes along with classes in social sciences to broaden her understanding of climate change. “Through my classes, it has been made clear to me that the work I will do in the future will require cooperation with many stakeholders, including scientists, policymakers and the public. I understand how crucial effective communication will be throughout my career and am developing those skills by learning how to give presentations and engaging in team projects,” she says.

Liptrap is working in the research lab of Cliff Davidson, Thomas and Colleen Wilmot Professor of Engineering in ECS. She is engaged in research using HYDRUS, a computer program that models the movement of water at different levels of saturation. The research is done on the 60,000-square-foot green roof of the Onondaga County Convention Center (ONCenter) in Syracuse, studying its capacity to prevent stormwater from overflowing Syracuse’s combined sewer system.

“Having a reliable program like HYDRUS to model stormwater runoff will help engineers designing��green��roofs in the future so that they can be built to fit an area’s specific needs,” Liptrap says.

Liptrap also joined the University’s Water Chemistry lab last summer, focusing on determining the rate at which pollutants in the air settle on surfaces in Syracuse. “This project will help provide a blueprint for how to measure dry deposition in urban environments so that these pollutants can be better studied in cities,” she says.

She currently serves as outreach chair for the University’s student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers. She is also a member of Engineering Ambassadors, a club that facilitates engineering projects for middle school students to introduce them to key engineering concepts.

In the future, Liptrap wants to design and implement green infrastructure in cities as a civil engineer with a private consulting firm. “Many cities across the United States have plans to become more sustainable, and water management through green infrastructure will be crucial to this work,” she says. “The Hollings Scholarship’s mentorship and internship opportunities will be invaluable in helping me better understand the state of the field and explore career paths.”

Liptrap worked with the�� to apply for the NOAA scholarship. CFSA offers candidates advising and assistance with applications and interview preparation for nationally competitive scholarships. “Emma’s sustained focus on environmental issues, and her specific interest in managing stormwater runoff, made her a terrific candidate for the NOAA-Hollings Scholarship. Her interests and goals are clearly aligned with NOAA’s mission,” says Jolynn Parker, director of CFSA. “We’re thrilled she’s won this award and will benefit from mentorship and internship opportunities through NOAA.”

The 2023 NOAA-Hollings Scholarship application will open in September Interested students should contact CFSA for more information: 315.443.2759 or cfsa@syr.edu.

Madison Tyler ’23, a junior double major in African American studies and English (film and screen studies track) in the College of Arts and Sciences, has been named a recipient of a 2022 Beinecke Scholarship. A Coronat Scholar and member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program, Tyler is the third Beinecke Scholar in Syracuse University’s history.

The award provides graduate funding and mentorship for juniors in the arts, humanities or social sciences. The Beinecke Scholarship seeks to encourage and enable highly motivated juniors of exceptional promise to pursue graduate study in these fields. The Beinecke Scholarship works with approximately 135 participating institutions. Each school may nominate one candidate per year; the campus nomination process is highly competitive. This year, the Beinecke Scholarship Program selected 16 scholars.

Tyler is currently studying abroad in Madrid. Below, she talks about the award, her studies and her plans for the future.

Q: In your scholarship and research, you study Black excellence narratives, which promote Black exceptionalism as a prime indication of racial and social progress. What inspires you in this scholarship? How do you integrate film into these studies?

A: My scholarship is really driven by my desire to understand the gap between representations of Black wealth and respectability in film and television as progress and the issues the most vulnerable in Black communities still face today, such as educational inequity, gentrification, economic precarity, voter suppression and environmental injustice. Some of these issues I’ve witnessed and experienced growing up in South Los Angeles, so it’s also very personal.

Film and television consciously or unconsciously perpetuate values. We’re in an interesting moment right now where some of my favorite scholars and critics are interrogating and questioning the equivalence of Black excellence with (individual) wealth, which misses the nuance of the dynamics of race and class, marginalizes those who are poor and Black, and moves away from collective progress. For me, film can be imaginative, liberatory and constructive. So, if it has the power to maintain the status quo, it also has the power to disrupt it and create a new one.

Q: How will the Beinecke Scholarship help you in pursuing and reaching your goals?

A: The Beinecke Scholarship provides $34,000 to pursue graduate studies in the arts, humanities and social sciences. Many Beinecke scholars use the scholarship in addition to institutional support for living and other expenses. The scholarship will make it more affordable for me to spend a few more years in school to study cinema. Earning the scholarship will also open many other doors for me, especially during the graduate school application process and when seeking out other competitive scholarships and fellowships.

Q: You spent last summer as a fellow in the Moore Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program (MURAP) at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Tell us about that experience and what you learned from it.

A: During my fellowship, I started my research on Black excellence narratives in popular Black sitcoms. I worked closely with film scholar and UNC-Chapel Hill professor Dr. Charlene Regester to conduct my study. With her guidance and the support of the writing workshop and communication skills instructors, I presented my research to faculty mentors and my student cohort and ended the program with a 25-page paper. One of the most valuable lessons I learned was the importance of sharing your work while it’s in process. The experience as a whole–and especially, a workshop with a performance scholar-artist who meshes the critical and the creative—opened my eyes to a new range of possibilities for my career in academia. My summer research was just a jumping-off point, and I hope to continue it during my senior year.

Q: You created a film series on performances by Black musicians and singers in classical noir films, and served as a script supervisor and art director assistant on two student films. What were those experiences like?

A: I really enjoyed the film series exercise in my Film Noir class. Imagining I was a curator or programmer for a film festival, arts organization or a museum like The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles gave me a glimpse into what I could do with a Ph.D. in cinema studies beyond academia. I really hope my work has a public face to it.

I was a script supervisor for Cameron Gray’s upcoming short film, “The Bootyshort Revolution.” Cameron is a 2021 Beinecke scholar and she also provided so much moral support throughout my application process. Being on Cameron’s set was amazing because it really affirmed that I love the process of making movies as much as I love looking at them critically. The creative and the critical go hand-in-hand for me. I’ve known I’ve wanted to make films since high school, but I didn’t have much of an opportunity to collaborate with my peers while I was studying at home during the pandemic, so being on Cameron’s set was amazing. I learned so much and the script supervisor role allowed me to observe and ask lots of questions!

As the production assistant to the art director on the other set, I definitely got to flex a creative muscle I don’t often use. It was an awesome experience because the film required a lot of different props, costuming and artwork and I got to watch my talented friends do their work and collaborate with them. We even had to film in the cold rain, so I built up a bit of resilience in the face of adversity.

Q: You have been very involved on campus, as a columnist for the Daily Orange, editorial director for The Renegade Magazine and peer facilitator with First-Year Seminar. How have these experiences enriched your time at Syracuse and what lessons will you carry forward into your time after graduation?

A: Each of these experiences has given me the opportunity to explore my passions for writing, film, popular culture and issues of diversity and inclusion. Being a film columnist for The Daily Orange has been one of the highlights of my time at Syracuse because I’ve grown so much as a critic and a writer and I’ve gained a sense of confidence in my voice even as my perspective, worldviews, and approaches to criticism are constantly evolving and expanding. The Renegade Magazine has just been an incredible space where I can prioritize Black experiences, of which there are so many. That’s a priority that I came to Syracuse with and it’s one I’ll be keeping for my entire life. It’s also a space where my identity is unquestionably affirmed, which is so necessary as a Black student attending a predominantly white institution. I really hope that as the editorial director, I’ve contributed to other young Black writers’ growth and confidence in their unique voices.

Q: What do you plan to do upon graduation from Syracuse?

A: After graduating from Syracuse, I plan on going to a graduate school that has a strong cinema studies program, finding a community of diverse filmmakers to collaborate and grow with, and continuing my work as a freelance writer. I hope to develop my voice as a cultural critic and start to work my way toward writing for my favorite publications. At first, I was very anxious about my post-grad plans, but receiving the Beinecke Scholarship has made my plans for the next few years a lot clearer.

Tyler worked with the Center for Fellowship and Scholarship Advising (CFSA) to apply for the Beinecke Scholarship. “I’m so grateful for the support I got from CFSA at each step of the application process,” she says.

CFSA offers candidates advising and assistance with applications and interview preparation for nationally competitive scholarships. The nomination process for the 2023 Beinecke application will begin in October. Interested students should contact CFSA at 315.443.2759 or by email to cfsa@syr.edu for more information.

Four Syracuse University students have been selected to participate in the highly competitive Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) junior summer institutes.

PPIA fellows are rising seniors who are committed to pursuing a master’s degree in public policy or international affairs and a professional career in public service. The program supports students who demonstrate involvement in working to improve historically underserved or underrepresented communities. The program provides full tuition at a Junior Summer Institute (JSI), GRE preparation, a $5,000 scholarship at a PPIA graduate school (PPIA fellows often receive scholarships beyond this amount) and application fee waivers to graduate programs in the PPIA consortium.

PPIA is a summer program hosted by five institutions across the country with strong public policy programs. It promotes the inclusion of underrepresented groups in public service and advances their leadership roles throughout civic institutions. The program is designed to encourage participants to apply to graduate school in public policy, public administration, international affairs or a related field.

The four, all current juniors, are:

• Maya Benjamin, a policy studies major in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and the College of Arts and Sciences, and a member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program;
• Andrea Sanchez, a political science and policy studies major in the Maxwell School and the College of Arts and Sciences;
• Aidaruus Shirwa, a policy studies and economics major in the Maxwell School and the College of Arts and Sciences; and
• Hailey Williams, a policy studies major in the Maxwell School and College of Arts and Sciences, a political philosophy major in the College of Arts and Sciences, a Coronat Scholar and a member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program.

Benjamin will attend the institute at the University of California, Berkeley; Sanchez at Carnegie Mellon University; and Shirwa and Williams at the University of Washington.

Maya Benjamin

Benjamin, from Atlanta, Georgia, is also minoring in public communication studies in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. She is hoping to sharpen her writing and economic policy analysis skills during her PPIA experience and plans to pursue a career as an education policy advocate to advance public policy and initiatives that will help end educational inequity in the United States.

“This experience will help me become an education policy advocate because of the extensive PPIA JSI network,” she says. “During and after my time at my JSI, I am looking forward to speaking with legislators and those working at organizations focused on education inequity. I hope to talk to as many people as possible about their successes and challenges in creating education policy so that all students receive an equitable education regardless of their socioeconomic status or race.”

Andrea Sanchez

Sanchez, from Bronx, New York, is also minoring in information management and technology in the School of Information Studies. She plans to delve further into poverty policy, which is an area of particular interest to her. “PPIA is a program whose mission is to increase diversity in graduate studies in public policy and international affairs and public service,” she says. “Therefore, I know I will receive a level of support I couldn’t receive elsewhere because these individuals will understand my passion often comes from my struggle. This program will take my knowledge and understanding of public policy to new heights, and I am looking forward to and grateful for the doors it will open to me for graduate school.”

Sanchez plans to pursue a career in Congress. “I believe this experience will help that because I will be networking with others who have a unique perspective that is not represented by most legislators today,” she says. “While we may not always agree, we will be in a space to listen and learn from one another, which is another skill politicians today struggle with.”

Aidaruus Shirwa

Shirwa, from Syracuse, New York, hopes to learn about different approaches to solving long-existing problems, saying, “I am excited to expand my knowledge on how to achieve international diplomacy. I want to also engage with my cohort and learn from different perspectives, and explore the city of Seattle.”

Shirwa plans to pursue a career in community/grassroots organizing. “I hope to use the skills and experience at the Junior Summer Institute to improve the communities I work with in an efficient and compassionate way,” he says.

He is particularly grateful to Michelle Walker, director of community programs in the policy studies program in the Maxwell School. “Michelle was a huge help to my whole application. She guided me through the process and really got me where I needed to be,” he says.

Hailey Williams

Williams, from Annapolis, Maryland, hopes to build the skills necessary to develop sound policies that address racial inequality as an analyst at a policy think tank. “I know that the PPIA JSI will provide me with important training in synthesizing and analyzing quantitative and qualitative information,” she says. “I also hope to improve my soft skills through networking and mentorship. I am excited to be a part of a supportive community of students, educators and professionals committed to the necessary work of helping underrepresented groups join the government and nonprofit sectors.”

In her career, Williams wants to act as an advocate for those in marginalized positions exacerbated by racial inequalities and empower those communities by promoting diversity and inclusion in our political sphere. “I plan to work for a policy think tank that researches issues related to racial justice and offers policy recommendations based on that research. Attending the PPIA Junior Summer Institute will help me achieve my goals by teaching and reinforcing the skills I’ll need to understand and analyze policy effectively, and to think creatively and thoughtfully about policy recommendations,” she says.

The applicants worked on their applications with Walker; Melissa Welshans, assistant director of the Center for Fellowship and Scholarship Advising (CFSA); and Jolynn Parker, director of CFSA.

“We’re thrilled to have four students accepted to the PPIA institutes this year,” says Parker. “The program is a wonderful opportunity for students interested in careers in public policy, public administration or international affairs. The experience will give them very useful insight on graduate study in their field and will help them shape their plans for their future careers.”

Benefits of the summer institute include all costs of the program, including housing, travel, tuition, supplies and meal vouchers, as well as a small stipend and a one-time graduate scholarship to any of the PPIA partner institutions. There are two other summer institutes at Princeton University and the University of Minnesota.

Candidates must apply as juniors to be eligible for PPIA. The deadline for applying to next summer’s institute is early November 2022. Interested students should contact CFSA at cfsa@syr.edu or Michelle Walker at mawalker@syr.edu for more information.

Three Syracuse University juniors—Cordiana Cozier, Matthew Cufari and Ellen Jorgensen—have been selected for the 2022 Goldwater Scholarship, the most prestigious undergraduate scholarship awarded in the natural sciences, engineering and mathematics in the United States. This is the first time Syracuse University has had three scholars selected in one year.

Cozier is a chemistry major in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S); Cufari is a physics major in A&S and computer science major in the College of Engineering and Computer Science and a member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program; and Jorgensen is a double major in Earth sciences in A&S and environment, sustainability and policy in the Maxwell School and a member of the Crown University Honors Program.

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

The Goldwater Foundation received 1,242 nominations this year from around the country and 417 students were selected for the scholarship.

Each of the Syracuse University Goldwater Scholarship nominees worked with the Center for Fellowship and Scholarship Advising (CFSA) to prepare their application. A faculty committee, headed by James Spencer, professor of chemistry, selected Syracuse’s nominees for the national competition.

Cordiana Cozier

Cozier, a Louis Stokes Alliance Minority Participation (LSAMP) Scholar, plans to earn a Ph.D. in chemistry, with a focus on synthetic organic chemistry. She hopes to eventually teach at the university level and research and develop organic materials that can serve as cancer therapeutics.

At Syracuse University, she has developed a robust understanding of the field of chemistry through coursework including organic chemistry, physical chemistry and inorganic chemistry. “These courses have taught me how chemistry can be used to formulate therapeutics, and have expanded my knowledge of the way research in organic chemistry is dependent on knowledge of other subfields,” she says.

During summer 2021, Cozier completed an internship at MassBiologics, a biopharmaceutical lab focused on the prevention of infectious diseases such as Lyme, tetanus and COVID-19, and worked on a project to isolate anti-IgA nanobodies using a synthetic yeast library. In fall 2021, she joined the organic chemistry lab of Nancy Totah, associate professor of chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences, where she is assisting in research on the development of synthetic strategies for natural products.

Working in Totah’s lab, alongside graduate student Fortune Ogochukwu Ononiwu, has shown Cozier the ways that her education relates to and prepares her for research that can have a lasting impact on society. Cozier says that the work she is doing on dihydropyrones can provide new strategies for the preparation of complex molecules and benefit medicinal chemistry and drug development programs by increasing structural diversity in drug-like scaffolds. “To see the way in which this project and similar projects will have broad impacts within the science and medical world is what drives my passion for chemistry. I have always wanted to create something that drives change or benefits the society around me and chemistry has become that outlet and place for me to do so.”

As a woman of color, Cozier also wants to develop opportunities aimed at increasing diversity in the field of organic chemistry research. Through her African American studies minor, she has gained a nuanced understanding of the challenges minorities face in academia and within society, and how important mentorship and representation is to overcome discrimination.

“For this reason, I have engaged in numerous activities focused on mentoring underrepresented students in STEM at SU,” she says. She is an undergraduate associate for WiSE Women of Color in STEM.

As an LSAMP Scholar, Cozier attends workshops every other week focused on professional development and the mental health of students of color in STEM. She has also tutored under-resourced high school students in local public schools in science and math. At Syracuse University, Cozier has participated in Orange Seeds, Literacy Corps and as a tutor for student-athletes.

Cozier is very passionate about equal access for all who are interested in pursuing a STEM career. “It is so important to me that my career goals to earn my Ph.D. in organic chemistry are being supported by this prestigious opportunity,” she says. “I am incredibly honored to have received this scholarship, which only serves to motivate me more within my future career as a chemist.”

Matthew Cufari

Cufari, a Coronat Scholar and member of Tau Beta Pi, plans to earn a Ph.D. in physics and pursue a career in astrophysics research. His research interests are in drawing connections between laboratory plasmas and astrophysical plasmas to better understand phenomena like tidal disruption events and accretion disk formation.

“I’m interested in the dynamics of highly energetic phenomena which don’t readily occur in our solar system, like accretion onto black holes, the tidal disruption of stars and supernovae,” Cufari says. “These phenomena are exciting, luminous and abundant in the universe. Studying these phenomena is necessary to improve our understanding of the behavior of matter in exotic states and the physical processes which drive those behaviors.”

Cufari developed a passion for plasma theory and nuclear fusion as a high school student when he began doing research at the University of Rochester Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE). There, he worked on a project to develop a theoretical framework for images of charged fusion products.

His studies at Syracuse have given him skills in designing physical models of complex systems and solving problems mathematically. “In addition to my work in physics, my coursework in computer science has helped me to understand technologies like reinforcement learning and apply them to my research.”

In his first semester at Syracuse, Cufari joined a research project in the quantum information lab of Britton Plourde, professor of physics in A&S, developing a parameter estimation software for super conducting circuits. Since his sophomore year, Cufari has worked with Eric Coughlin, assistant professor of physics in A&S, researching theoretical astrophysics.

Cufari’s first project with Professor Coughlin, on eccentric tidal disruption events, culminated in a paper which was accepted for publication in the Astrophysics Journal. He presented his results to the broader community of astrophysicists this month at the conference of the High Energy Astrophysics Division of the American Astronomical Society.

Cufari and Coughlin are investigating chaotic three-body interactions between a supermassive black hole and a binary star system through a National Science Foundation REU. They recently had an article accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Letters that explains how to reproduce the periodic nuclear transient ASASSN-14ko using these encounters. Cufari was also recently awarded a Syracuse University undergraduate research grant (SOURCE) to fund his research this summer.

“The Goldwater Scholarship has already connected me to a network of scholar alumni who are a source of mentorship and advice going into graduate school and beyond. The scholarship also includes an opportunity to attend a research symposium this summer to meet and network with other scholars in the Goldwater community,” Cufari says.

Ellen Jorgensen

Jorgensen, a Coronat Scholar who also is minoring in physics, plans to pursue a career as a climate reconstruction researcher at a university or a national lab.

“To me, understanding our climate is the most important task I can participate in as a scientist. It’s so exciting that we can reconstruct climates of millions of years past ��with the smallest samples of sediment,” Jorgensen says. “More than that, we can use those assessments of our past to make projections for the dynamic climate we will face in the future.”

Jorgensen has taken advanced coursework in climate dynamics, mapping software and anthropogenic climate change. For the past three years, she has worked in the Paleoclimate Dynamics Lab (PDL) under the guidance of Tripti Bhattacharya, Thonis Family Professor: Paleoclimate Dynamics and assistant professor of Earth and environmental sciences in A&S, analyzing alkenones–biomarkers in the sedimentary record to calculate sea surface temperatures from the mid-Pliocene. That project culminated in a publication currently under review at Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology on which Jorgensen is the fifth author.

In a new project in the PDL, Jorgensen is working with leaf waxes left behind by plants during the Pliocene-Pleistocene transition to investigate rainfall patterns from that time. She has also sought experiences beyond the PDL to gain insight into paleoclimate research in other time periods and parts of the world. In summer 2021, she completed a NSF research experience for undergraduates (REU) at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University researching Heinrich events (events of iceberg discharge in the North Atlantic during the last glacial period) through the analysis and carbon dating of foraminifera. This coming summer, as a NOAA Hollings Scholar, she will participate in an internship at a NOAA field office related to climate dynamics.

At Syracuse University, Jorgensen has been a volunteer with the Office of Sustainability Management to manage the campus’s compost. Through that role, she helped facilitate the reduction of waste contamination by sorting recycling, compost and waste during athletic events at the stadium. She was also a staff writer for Blackstone Launchpad, highlighting campus entrepreneurs who integrate sustainability into their ventures.

“The Goldwater Scholarship affirms my commitment to pursue climate research at Syracuse and beyond as I continue my career as a scientist,” Jorgensen says. “I am extremely honored by this award and could not have reached this achievement without the support of my mentor, Dr. Tripti Bhattacharya; the EES department; CFSA; and my family.”

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

Twelve seniors have been named as the 2022 Syracuse University Scholars, the highest undergraduate honor the University bestows.

The Syracuse University Scholars Selection Committee, a Universitywide faculty committee, selected the 2022 scholars using criteria that included coursework and academic achievement, independent research and creative work, evidence of intellectual growth or innovation in their disciplinary field, a personal statement and faculty letters of recommendation.

The 2022 Syracuse University Scholars are:

• Erik Bakken, a student in the School of Architecture and member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program;
• Julia Chou, a student in the School of Architecture and member of the Honors Program;
• Gretchen Coleman, a political science major in the College of Arts and Sciences and Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, a political philosophy major in the College of Arts and Sciences and a member of the Honors Program;
• Ghael Fobes, a broadcast and digital journalism major in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications;
• Cameron Gray, a film major in the College of Visual and Performing Arts;
• Lindy Melegari, a biomedical engineering major in the College of Engineering and Computer Science and a member of the Honors Program;
• Alexander Metcalf, an aerospace engineering major in the College of Engineering and Computer Science and a member of the Honors Program;
• Ifeyinwa Ojukwu, a psychology and biology major in the College of Arts and Sciences and a member of the Honors Program;
• Salvatore Pepe, an entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises and supply chain management major in the Martin J. Whitman School of Management, an information management and technology major in the School of Information Studies and a member of the Honors Program;
• Sydney Ringel, an inclusive elementary and special education major in the School of Education and member of the Honors Program;
• Cassandra Rodriguez, a neuroscience and psychology major in the College of Arts and Sciences; and
• Thomas Shaw, a psychology major in the College of Arts and Sciences, history major in the College of Arts and Sciences and Maxwell School, photojournalism major in the Newhouse School and member of the Honors Program.

Evan Weissman

Honoring the life and legacy of professor and local food justice activist is an ongoing effort, much like Weisman’s tireless work to strengthen the local food system. Weissman was selected as the 2020-22�� Lender Center for Social Justice Faculty Fellowship shortly before his untimely passing in April 2020. A food studies scholar committed to community-engaged research and social change, Weissman envisioned using his Lender fellowship to co-construct a local food policy council rooted in justice and equity.

To honor his legacy, Professor Jonnell Robinson, six student fellows, ��and community members have spent two years collectively engaging in reflective dialogue, research and action around promoting greater control over the local food system by people marginalized by the current global corporate food regime. While we all engage in the local food system, which includes everything from farm to fork and beyond, not everyone has equal access. Weissman set the stage with his scholarly work, and his vision continues as part of the second annual Lender Symposium, “Centering Food Justice in Food System Transformation: Honoring the
Legacy of Professor Evan Weissman.” The event takes place in person on March 31 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. ET at the Schine Student Center.

“Evan’s deep commitment to social justice was evident in all he did,” says Robinson, a friend and colleague of Weissman. “He also had an incredible impact on his students. I’m grateful for the opportunity to have worked with this amazing group of students to advance the important work he dedicated his life to. I think he’d be proud of the students’ accomplishments.”

The Lender Symposium will have a partner event this year.�� The Social Differences Social Justice Symposium will also take place on March 31 from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. ET�� at the Whitman School and is presented by the Social Differences, Social Justice faculty cluster and sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences, Renée Crown University Honors Program and Whitman School of Management. The inaugural symposium will explore the themes of equity, social justice and global transformation. Additionally, the Humanities Center is also serving as a sponsor of the symposium.

Avalon Gupta VerWiebe

“With the (Lender) symposium, we hope to accomplish a demonstration of how the Lender Center has successfully built itself as a place where academia and the community can come together,” says Avalon Gupta VerWiebe, an M.S. candidate in food studies. “We want to show how the Lender Center’s generous resources were utilized to create real change in the community and set projects in motion that will have long reaching effects.”

Taylor Krzeminski

Among them is a project conducted by Lender Student Fellows focusing locally on the Onondaga Nation, to begin developing a food stories archive, preserving the nation’s food traditions, history and knowledge.

“The most important thing to me about food justice is giving people back autonomy when it comes to their relationship with food,” said Krzeminski, an M.A. candidate in public diplomacy and global communications. “Food is a huge part of our lives, but many people find themselves disconnected from the history or traditions that are so intertwined with the foods they eat. This project with the nation perfectly represents the idea of food sovereignty—we assisted in teaching youth so that they could continue the archive process on their own and complete ownership over that content. And most importantly, the youth have a strengthened relationship with their culture, the nation and food.”

According to VerWiebe, “Food justice is important because it expands on the initial idea of food insecurity and sheds light on the very real issues of justice and equity that impact when, how and why people get fed.”

For Lender Student Fellows, it goes beyond the research.

“My experience working so far with the Lender faculty has been fabulous,” said VerWiebe. “Jonnell is truly dedicated to her work as a participatory researcher, and is a shining example of how academics can learn from, and with, communities even as they are also teachers. Jonnell’s perseverance in carrying out Dr. Weissman’s vision shows in all of the work that we have done collectively as fellows. I’m so grateful for her in my life and that she is at Syracuse University in general.”

The Lender symposium takes place in room 304 AB of the Schine Student Center. Refreshments will be offered. Registration is required.

Learn more about the Lender Student Fellows

Maggie Sardino

Maggie Sardino, a junior writing and rhetoric major in the College of Arts and Sciences and citizenship and civic engagement major in the Maxwell School, has been selected as a recipient of a 2022 award through the .

The program funds U.S. students to undertake advanced research projects in a wide range of disciplines for 10-12 weeks in Canada in their area of interest. It also provides professional training and opportunities for cultural and social experiences in Canada.

Sardino was awarded a placement at the University of Victoria (UVic) in British Columbia to work on a project titled “Digital Humanities: Open Scholarship.” Below, she talks about the award, and her studies and experiences at Syracuse.

Q: You are a major in writing and rhetoric and citizenship and civic engagement here at Syracuse University. How have those two disciplines intersected in your studies?

A: I constantly find myself making connections between my coursework for writing and rhetoric and citizenship and civic engagement. These two disciplines are centered around navigating structures of power and representation. For citizenship and civic engagement, my coursework has emphasized the importance of identifying power imbalances between communities and how we can adapt practices and policies to center the voices that are routinely ignored.

Through my studies in writing and rhetoric, I have acquired the skills to articulate these imbalances and explore different systems of thought that can make new realities possible. Both of my studies have enabled me to become more aware of the way power works through both our formal systems of representation and informal systems of communication.

Q: In your time at SU, you have been a storyteller through the ��program, a storytelling workshop partnership between the College of Arts and Sciences and Syracuse’s Northside Learning Center, and the SU Globalists��publication. What have these experiences taught you?

A: Being able to work with the Narratio Fellowship and the Globalists publication has been an absolute honor. I have learned so much from these experiences. The most valuable lesson has been recognizing the responsibility I have as a storyteller. Narratives have the ability to empower communities, forge connections and challenge falsehoods.

Both of these programs have instilled in me that reflecting on the impact of your work and acknowledging the larger context it exists within is crucial to being an ethical storyteller. My work with the Narratio Fellowship has also imparted to me the responsibility storytellers have to equip others with the tools they need to share their own stories on their own terms.

Q: What inspired you to apply for the Fulbright Canada Mitacs Globalink Program?

A: I was inspired to apply for the Fulbright Canada Mitacs Globalink Program for two major reasons. First, it presented me with an opportunity to engage in cutting-edge community-based research. Canada is one of the leading countries in this field of research and learning. I could not pass up on an opportunity to be trained and mentored by the leaders within community-based research.

Secondly, the program emphasizes the importance of building relationships across the U.S. and Canada. As someone who has not had much opportunity to travel, being able to experience living in another country and being supported by the Fulbright network presented me with the resources to immerse myself in another country and expand my perspective.

Q: Your project at the University of Victoria, “Digital Humanities: Open Scholarship,” focuses on making humanities scholarship more open, inclusive and accessible to non-academic audiences. Tell us more about that.

A: While interning at the University of Victoria, I will be working primarily within the Electronic Textual Cultures Lab (ETCL) where I will explore how we can leverage technology to make scholarship more accessible to and engaged with public audiences. This research is focused on how we can dismantle obstacles to scholarship access, such as paywalls and licensing restrictions, so that non-academic audiences can engage with digital humanities research.

I will also be exploring how we can use technological tools to involve the public in each step of the research process from knowledge co-production to publication. All of this is aimed at creating more sustained dialogue between academic and non-academic communities and empowering the public to occupy a more central position in community engaged university practices.

Q: As part of your experience, you will be helping to organize and facilitate the Digital Humanities Summer Institute, which will be held in June at UVic and is the largest event of its kind in the world. What will happen at this event, and what do you think you’ll take away from it?

A: At the 2022 Digital Humanities Summer Institute, between 500 and 700 scholars, faculty and staff from the arts, humanities, library, and archives communities will convene for two weeks during the summer to share cutting-edge digital humanities work. Participants in the 2022 DHSI will also have the opportunity to receive training on topics ranging from the role of data visualization in open scholarship to anti-colonial pedagogical approaches to digital humanities.

I am really excited to see how humanities scholars from across the world are making strides toward more open scholarship and more engaged research methodologies. The experience will broaden my perspective on the variety of innovative and creative ways academics can involve public audiences in every part of the research process. As I prepare to publish some of my own research, I hope to directly apply the lessons I learn from the DHSI to my work and future projects.

The Fulbright Canada-Mitacs Globalink program is open to sophomores and juniors who are U.S. citizens and have a compelling rationale for pursuing research in Canada.�� Applications are due in mid-October. Interested candidates should contact the Center for Fellowship and Scholarship Advising (CFSA) at cfsa@syr.edu.

The casings and an occasional rusted Soviet tank served as reminders of their country’s history of war. The women embodied its resilience.

Just a generation before, under the Taliban, they would have faced punishment, even death, for exercising in public. Women were forbidden to participate in sports or leave home without a male escort.

This fact was not lost on the women who ran together at dawn.

Nor was it lost on Adriana Curto. She is among alumni who have lived, worked or served in Afghanistan as soldiers, diplomats, humanitarians, attorneys and educators who share in anger and despair following the summer’s withdrawal of U.S. troops and subsequent Taliban coup.

From January to June 2021, Curto served as the Afghanistan country manager for Free to Run, a nonprofit that empowers Afghan women to participate in sports such as running to reclaim public spaces and to reconsider the roles they can—and should—have in society.

“These girls are experiencing so much trauma,” says Curto, who earned a degree in international relations and citizenship and civic engagement in 2016. “It is so unfair.���� I can’t help but think about what it must be like for them.”

Taliban leaders tried to assuage fears with claims they would rule with fewer restrictions. Yet, days after they claimed the capital, Kabul, The Ministry of Women’s Affairs—a building Curto drove past most every day—was turned into a headquarters for the Taliban’s ministry for the “propagation of virtue and prevention of vice.”

‘Transforming Afghanistan’

Adriana Curto heard about Free to Run through a friend who had worked for the organization in Iraq. She developed an interest in sports as a pathway to empowerment while serving with the Peace Corps in Morocco.

During her two years of service, she helped develop programming for an outdoor youth leadership program. “It sounded incredible,” she says of the Free to Run opportunity. “I didn’t know much about Afghanistan, but I learned so much being there. It is an incredibly complex place.”

Two women walking a trail in Afghanistan.

Most impressive were the young women. “In the news we never see the newer generation in Afghanistan—girls who are 15, 16, 17—who have grown up in this post- Taliban era and have worked to fight for a lot of different freedoms,” says Curto.

While times had changed since the Taliban fell in 2002, running was still not without risks for Free to Run participants. Yet, they persisted, waking up to board an unmarked van at 4:45 a.m. destined for a gated compound where they could safely run before school.

On weekends, they traveled further for long runs that took them past the spent bullets toward the mountains of the Hindu Kush. “It was really special and exciting for them to be able to do this,” says Curto.

Last spring, Curto sensed worry among the young women. They heard reports of the pending American troop withdrawal and murmurs at home about the potential for the Taliban’s return to power.

“They grew up hearing their parents talk about the days of the Taliban and a lack of women’s rights and education,” she says.

Two months after Curto returned home to New York, she watched news reports showing thousands of Afghans crowding the Kabul airport in hopes of evacuation. She learned that many of the women she knew made it out and are scattered across the globe as refugees. One of the former runners is a Fulbright scholar who arrived in the U.S. but told Curto she “can’t focus” on anything because she is consumed with worry for her family left behind.

“I can’t put into words how heartbreaking these past few months have been for our Afghan colleagues and friends,” says Curto.

Maxwell alumni Akbar Quraishi and Amy Friers know the heartache. From their home in Troy, New York, the husband and wife have kept tabs on their long list of relatives, friends and colleagues in Afghanistan.

Following the troop withdrawal, they heard pleas from those fearing they would be targets of the Taliban. Friers belongs to the Association of Wartime Allies and was asked by the organization to compile a list of those in need of evacuation.

She and Quraishi got to work, helping coordinate Afghans’ safe passage throughout the country and access to the airport. Thousands reached out for help. “We spent almost every minute of every day reaching out to try to find our people,” says Friers, who earned a bachelor’s degree in political science in 2011 and a master’s degree in international relations in 2017. “We barely slept, barely ate.”

Quraishi, an Afghan, joined the government following the Taliban’s collapse in 2002. Under constant threat, he worked in various high-level government positions before going to Maxwell for bachelor’s and master’s degrees in international relations, in 2009 and 2011, respectively.

He tutored his future wife, Friers, in Farsi. The couple moved to Kabul, and with the help of a few friends and Quraishi’s colleagues, opened the country’s first specialized international relations university.

Instructors encouraged critical thinking and recruited female students with scholarships. The university’s motto: “Transforming education, transforming Afghanistan.”

“There was a huge, huge push for education,” says Friers. “Everyone wanted a degree.”

After five years, Friers returned to the states with their three-month-old twins and resumed her studies at Maxwell as a graduate student. Quraishi later joined her and went to work as a diplomat at the Afghan Embassy in Washington, D.C. The couple continued to help oversee the university from afar. Friers also signed on with nonprofits like Team Afghan Power, an organization that brings electricity, internet and educational programming to rural schools. By early summer, a sense of urgency prevailed.

“Everyone was nervous,” says Friers. “Everyone thought something was going to go bad.�� We were trying to stay optimistic.�� When everything started falling to the Taliban, we thought, ‘It’s ok, there’s a plan.�� They are going to protect the capital.’�� We were not prepared for how quickly Kabul fell to the Taliban.”

After several agonizing weeks, the couple got word that their university had survived, though it was open in a reduced capacity, without female students. Their efforts to help in the evacuation continued into the fall.

At times, their work felt futile, yet it was not in vain:�� They managed to get some out, including the first woman to enroll at the university.

Brothers and Sisters

Amid her work to help Afghans—including a nephew briefly captured by Taliban fighters—Amy Friers reached out to a fellow Maxwell graduate experienced in navigating the special immigration visa (SIV) process.

Army veteran and former CIA analyst Matt Zeller, who received master’s degrees in public administration and international relations in 2006, offered guidance during his own ’round-the-clock work to help Afghan allies. In a Washington, D.C., office suite, he spent the late summer directing a team of volunteers for an organization he co-founded with the Afghan interpreter who saved his life.

No One Left Behind advocates for the well-being and the safe placement of Afghan and Iraqi natives who worked as translators with U.S. troops. Using phones, laptops, flowcharts and diagrams, Zeller and volunteers kept track of those who were hiding in safe houses or trying to board evacuation planes.

On Aug. 15—the day Kabul fell to the Taliban—Zeller was keeping track of roughly 86,000 interpreters and family members seeking evacuation. A month later, he learned that 1,800 made it out. With the troops and U.S. diplomats departed, the evacuation effort continued through a largely underground network of humanitarians and organizations.

“We all just put our lives on hold,” says Zeller. He was joined by many other Afghanistan veterans in helping with the evacuation of Afghan allies while airing frustration with the White House’s handling of the withdrawal on major networks like CNN and MSNBC.

Matt Zeller G’06 with his interpreter, Janis Shinwari, who saved Zeller’s life in Afghanistan.

Years earlier, Zeller launched a media campaign to rally support to convince the U.S. Embassy in Kabul to grant a visa to the interpreter who saved his life on the battlefield 13 years ago, Janis Shinwari.

Shinwari fought off Zeller’s attackers just a few days after they were introduced, when Zeller began his tour as embedded combat advisor to the Afghan National Army and Police in Ghanzi Province. The act of heroism had an indelible impact on Zeller, who comes from a long line of military officers and enlisted after 9/11.

“I told him, ‘I don’t even know why you did it, man. Why did you save my life?” recalls Zeller. “He said, ‘You’re a guest in our country, I take a bullet before you.’”

For the remainder of Zeller’s tour, the pair forged a deep friendship over cups of chai and the constant threat to their lives. “If you served in Afghanistan, you return with a part of its soul in your blood,” says Zeller. “I feel a profound obligation to take care of these people because they are my brothers and sisters.”

This is an excerpt from a story that first appeared in Maxwell Perspective. Visit the for the full story.

The funding program, administered by the Graduate School, will provide 32 academic year fellowships and research assistantships to new and continuing doctoral students in 17 academic departments. Funding decisions were based on the strength of the academic department’s strategic proposal for increasing the number of doctoral degrees conferred and supporting recruitment and retention of diverse doctoral students, as well as current indicators of program quality and success.

Applications were reviewed by senior leaders from each of the school and college applicants, as well as by Vanable, Interim Vice President for Research Ramesh Raina and members of the Graduate School leadership team.

“I want to particularly congratulate the departments receiving funding for the first time in 2022, including chemistry, civil and environmental engineering, geography and English,” said Vanable.�� “Doctoral education is an essential part of our mission. I am impressed by the thoughtful proposals for growing doctoral degree conferrals and recruiting and retaining diverse doctoral candidates.”

Funding will be provided to awardees annually for a period of three years, beginning in the 2022-23 academic year. All doctoral degree-granting departments will be invited to apply for additional REDF awards after three years of funding.

Funding awards including departments in the science and engineering, humanities, social sciences and education.

Departments Receiving REDF Funding:

Biomedical and Chemical Engineering
Biology
Chemistry
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Communication Sciences and Disorders
Composition and Cultural Rhetoric
Cultural Foundations of Education
Earth Sciences
Economics
English
Geography
Information Science and Technology
Physics
Political Science
Psychology
Public Administration
Sociology

This past fall, five new student fellows were selected to work with , associate professor of environmental and interior design in the College of Visual and Performing Arts’ (VPA) School of Design. Their two year project involves the , run by the YMCA and branded as a facility where women from all socioeconomic backgrounds, ages and ethnicities can pursue wellness. Lee’s expertise was sought by local officials to help design the facility and, with her leadership, Lender Center student fellows will help determine if the building matches the needs of the people who use it.

Professor Seyeon Lee

“The core idea of this is: how can we use this space as a hub and connect it with other parts of the community?” says Lee. “There is a ton of community space that is underutilized, a lot of pockets of opportunities that are lost, and that’s where I would look to engage with the students with their different perspectives and backgrounds.”

For their part, Lender Center student fellows are thrilled with the opportunity to work with Lee.

Roselynne Hodges

“Dr. Lee is extremely talented and I am so honored to be working very closely with her,” says Roselynne Hodges ’23. “I’m the only VPA design student (my major is environmental and interior design and my minor is architecture) that was selected for this fellowship. I was interested in this opportunity from the beginning because it was a collaboration between students across different colleges at Syracuse. I loved this idea of bringing students with different backgrounds together to make a positive impact on the community that we live in. This project would directly work to try it ease some of these struggles that female refugees and their children face. “

Taylor M. John ’22 typifies the wide range of backgrounds and experiences of Lender student fellows.

Taylor M. John

“I am excited for this fellowship and grateful for the opportunity to serve under Dr. Lee’s guidance,“ says John, a citizenship and civic engagement and international relations major and Chinese language minor. “I chose to apply to this fellowship because of my interest in social justice, wellness, and reproductive justice. I am a full spectrum doula through Sankofa Reproductive Health and Healing Center in Syracuse, so it was only fitting that I apply to join this team to further expand my knowledge of Syracuse and its community. “

Iona Volynets

But it’s not only expansion of knowledge of Syracuse and Central New York. For Lender student fellows, the focus is also worldwide. Iona Volynets ’23 is a history and international relations major interested in studying how societies vary across the globe and change over time, along with how unjust disparities occur and how they are solved. “I’m honored to be part of the Lender Center project to try to leave a positive impact on Syracuse and to work with some of its vulnerable populations to provide them with the tools they need to be healthy and secure,” says Volynets. “I hope to focus on addressing potential linguistic barriers, expanding green spaces and access to nutritious food, and on the healing power of creative outlets. I cannot wait to embark on this wonderful opportunity and I am so grateful to Dr. Lee and everyone at the Lender Center.”

For Ana Aponte ’24, a communication and rhetorical studies major in VPA, being a Lender student fellow�� is an opportunity to deepen the connection between the Syracuse University community and the rest of the city at large.

Ana Aponte

“Due to my upbringing and the values I was raised with, connecting with those communities is something that I have always valued because it creates an environment where we can all learn from each other’s experiences and needs within the society we live in nowadays,” she says. “The Lender Center for Social Justice is a great opportunity to learn do just this and value humanity even more.”

Student fellows not only come from diverse backgrounds, but also represent young people from undergraduate and graduate programs alike. Aaishanni Agny, a graduate student in the School of Education, is among them.

Aaishanni Agny

“In my understanding, local realities, resources, and socio-cultural issues are best known and understood by grassroots community members. I am passionate about making mental health resources accessible to diverse populations and enjoy exploring the role of family systems, culture and identity in the same. I am honored to be able to work with the Lender Center, Dr Lee, and the other fellows in participatory research and dialogue, thereby engaging in work that directly promotes social justice, better public health and emotional resilience,” says Agny.

The Lender Faculty Fellowship supports a two-year research agenda to critically and creatively explore contemporary social issues, develop innovative approaches to these problems, and implement useful and sustainable initiatives. Dr. Lee is the third faculty fellow, following Casarae Lavada Abdul-Ghani and Jonnell Robinson, fellows for the program that was created to critically explore contemporary social issues and develop sustainable solutions to pressing problems. The Lender Center is now seeking its next faculty fellow for the two-year appointment. More information about the fellowship, along with how to apply, can be found on the .

The Lender Faculty Fellowship will support a two-year research agenda to critically and creatively explore contemporary social issues, develop innovative approaches to these problems and implement useful and sustainable initiatives.

The selected faculty fellow will work with a team of student fellows to create an interdisciplinary research team focused on the proposed social issue. The Lender Symposium will serve as the culmination of the two-year projects with invited national guests and experts participating in a thorough discussion of the research and proposals developed by the Lender fellows’ team.

Faculty applying for the Lender fellowship should be dynamic and accomplished scholar/teachers who are committed to an agenda of engaging issues relevant to social justice. They will be expected to foster an interdisciplinary team that will simultaneously encourage student learning and growth and the pursuit of concrete engagement with real-world problems.

The faculty fellow will receive research support for both years of the project, a summer stipend and additional resources to facilitate the development and execution of their project as well as to publicize the results.

Only Syracuse University full-time faculty, either tenure or non-tenure track, are eligible for the Lender Faculty Fellowship. For more information on����and to��, visit the��.

Ifeyinwa Ojukwu, a biology and psychology major in the College of Arts and Sciences with a minor in public health in the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics, has been named a 2022 Marshall Scholar. Founded in 1953, the Marshall Scholarships finance young Americans of high ability to study for a graduate degree at an institution in the United Kingdom in any field of study. Ojukwu was one of 41 students selected from around the country and is Syracuse University’s fourth Marshall Scholar.

A Coronat Scholar, a 2021-22 Remembrance Scholar and a member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program, will pursue a master’s degree in precision medicine (PM) at University College London. Upon completion of her Marshall scholarship, she plans to pursue an M.D./master of public policy program in the U.S.

Below, she talks about the scholarship and reflects on her experiences.

Rachelly Buzzi ’22, an international relations major in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and the College of Arts and Sciences, has been named a 2022 Thomas R. Pickering Graduate Foreign Affairs Fellow. She is one of only 45 recipients chosen from hundreds of applicants from around the nation.

Funded by the U.S. Department of State and administered by the Washington Center, the Pickering Fellowship awards recipients two years of financial support, mentoring and professional development to prepare them for a career in the Foreign Service. Fellows will also complete a domestic internship at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., and an overseas internship at a U.S. embassy.

Buzzi is motivated to pursue a master’s degree in international affairs and a career in the Foreign Service partly because of her own family history. “My diverse family background—my parents immigrated from Puerto Rico and Cuba and my grandparents came from Syria, Spain and Italy—has given me insight into international perspectives and an appreciation for cultural adaptability,” she says. “I am committed to pursuing a career in the Foreign Service because its mission aligns with my values of service and global understanding as well as with my academic interests.”

Buzzi is a Posse Scholar, a Downey Scholar with the Intelligence Community Center for Academic Excellence and an SU Invest in Success Scholar. As an international relations major, she is completing a topic concentration in intercultural communication and a geographic region concentration in Latin America and the Caribbean. She is also pursuing a minor in entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises at the Whitman School.

Buzzi is currently participating in the University’s Maxwell-in-Washington Program and taking classes at the Center for Strategic and International Studies on international policy and global humanitarian and security issues. She is also interning with the U.S. Department of State’s Foreign Service Institute. “This internship is allowing me to enhance my knowledge of the department and its impact, and to be part of a team focused on research and the Heroes of U.S. Diplomacy initiative,” she says.

This past summer, Buzzi was selected as a fellow with the Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) Junior Summer Institute at Carnegie Mellon University, in which she participated virtually.

Buzzi has participated in the University CAS-Maxwell Model United Nations delegation since spring 2020, representing countries as diverse as Venezuela, China, Japan and most recently, Kenya. In spring 2021, she served as co-head of the delegation and was responsible for preparing the other delegates for the conference by leading them through public speaking exercises and reviewing and editing drafts of position papers. “Her supportive and empathetic leadership style helped her fellow delegates earn a recognition award at the conference,” says Francine D’Amico, teaching professor and director of undergraduate studies in international relations in the Maxwell School and College of Arts and Sciences.

This semester, Buzzi represented Kenya at the NMUN conference in Washington, D.C., in early November. “She was selected to serve on the dais as chair in the General Assembly First Committee due to her professionalism and knowledge of the conference rules of procedure.��In this capacity, she assisted the NMUN volunteer staff in managing the committee,” D’Amico says. Buzzi and her committee partner, Madeline Canelli ’22, received a “Best Position Paper” award for their work in UN WOMEN.

Outside of the classroom, Buzzi has worked at a South African education nonprofit, the LaCasita Cultural Center, and at the University’s Office of Multicultural Affairs. She has volunteered with the Conflict Management Center and held several positions in Alpha Kappa Psi, a professional business fraternity.

“As a first-generation Latina college student and first-generation American, I want to join the Foreign Service because I firmly believe in the transformative diplomatic power of representing the diversity of our country,” Buzzi says. “I want to promote peace, analyze policy and aid people abroad.”

“Rachelly’s academic accomplishments, record of campus and community engagement, language skills and longstanding interest in foreign affairs make her an excellent fit for the Pickering Fellowship and a career in the Foreign Service,” says Jolynn Parker, director of the Center for Fellowship and Scholarship Advising. “Rachelly is extraordinarily well-prepared and perfectly suited to contribute to the mission of the Foreign Service.”

Students interested in learning more about the Pickering Fellowship should contact the Center for Fellowship and Scholarship Advising at cfsa@syr.edu.

The Remembrance Scholarship is one of the highest honors a Syracuse University student can receive. Those selected are chosen on the basis of scholarship, leadership and service to the community, including service to the military, ROTC, first responder, student government, campus clubs or other community organizations.

The 35 rising seniors chosen are each awarded a $5,000 Remembrance Scholarship, with recipients representing one of the 35 Syracuse University students lost in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988.

Those selected will help educate the campus community about terrorism by relating Syracuse University’s Pan Am Flight 103 experience to current events. Through education, all 270 lost in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, especially our 35 students, are remembered and honored. The motto of the Remembrance Scholars is “Look Back and Act Forward.”

Who Can Apply?

Any Syracuse University undergraduate student who is in good academic standing and will graduate in either December 2022 or May 2023 is eligible to apply. Students self-nominate for this scholarship. This award is not tied to financial need.

Information Sessions

Information sessions will be held on the following dates and times:

• Thursday, Nov. 18, at noon via
• Friday, Dec. 3, 2 to 3 p.m. in the Peter Graham Scholarly Commons, 114 Bird Library

At each session, current Remembrance Scholars will provide an overview of their experience, from the application stage to their participation in Remembrance Week.

To request��accommodations for the information sessions, contact Melissa Welshans at mlwelsha@syr.edu.

Application Deadline

The application deadline is Friday, Jan. 21, 2022.

Questions may be directed to remember@syr.edu.

Syracuse University seniors Gretchen Coleman and Ifeyinwa Ojukwu have been named finalists for the Marshall Scholarship, one of the United States’ most prestigious nationally competitive scholarships.

The Marshall Scholarships finance young Americans of high ability to study for a graduate degree in the United Kingdom. Up to 50 scholars are selected each year to study at the graduate level at a U.K. institution in any field of study. As future leaders with a lasting understanding of British society, Marshall Scholars strengthen the enduring relationship between the British and American peoples, and their governments and institutions. The selection of this year’s scholars will be announced in early December.

is a political science and political philosophy major in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and the College of Arts and Sciences. She is a Coronat Scholar and a member of and a peer mentor with the Renée Crown University Honors Program.

Coleman is passionate about election reform, voter outreach and expanding access to the ballot. In her home state of Illinois, she has worked extensively at the grassroots level to encourage voting and to make election information accessible. She is the founder of Ballot Z, a youth voter outreach initiative. Coleman has also volunteered with various campaigns in Illinois and served as an election judge at her local polling places. She is currently researching political trust among young people.

If selected for a Marshall Scholarship, Coleman plans to pursue a master’s degree in political science with a concentration in democracy and elections at the University of Manchester. In the second year of the award, she would pursue a master’s degree in political communication at the University of Glasgow.

Ultimately, Coleman plans to take a position in a county election office as an assistant county clerk. She aims to work for two to three years to gain insight into why problems arise in election administration and then transition to the nonprofit sector to address these issues through advocacy. She plans to join and ultimately lead a nonprofit organization that lobbies government to enact democratic reforms.

“If I were to win a Marshall Scholarship, I would be a much more effective advocate for having studied in the U.K. Beyond developing skills and knowledge from studying democracy and communications, the exposure to British politics would shape my advocacy strategy in the U.S.,” Coleman says. “By learning from British activists and their approaches to political change, I want to expand the potential methods for U.S. electoral reform in my arsenal. Democracy reform can and should be an area for transnational collaboration, and I want to continue cultivating that exchange.”

is a biology and psychology major in the College of Arts and Sciences with a minor in public health in the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics. She is a Coronat Scholar, a 2021-22 Remembrance Scholar and a member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program. She is a research assistant in the Middleton lab at SUNY Upstate Medical University, studying a rare neurodegenerative disorder. She has also performed research at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.

Ojukwu has been a student leader in contributing to the University’s diversity and inclusion-related objectives. She proposed and advocated for the creation of a new course centered on the intersections of race and health. The course Race, Health and Healthcare (SOC 300) was offered in the Spring 2021 semester. She is a member of the biology department’s Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA) Committee, and provided key insights to the University’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion as it planned the University’s inaugural Race and Equity Academic Symposium held in February, for which she was also a presenter.

If selected for the Marshall Scholarship, Ojukwu plans to pursue a master’s degree in precision medicine (PM) at University College London. Upon completion, she would pursue a combined M.D./MPP (master’s of public policy) program in the United States.

“Formal training in precision medicine, which is poised to shape the future of health care, would give me a perspective beyond the traditional medical framework,” she says. “Ultimately, I want to serve as a bridge between PM research, clinical practice and health policy to disrupt race-related health disparities as both a physician and health policy advisor.”

Ojukwu is particularly interested in the development and equitable expansion of biobanks in the U.S., including the All of Us Research Program biobank at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, the country’s largest-ever endeavor in PM research. “Given the U.K.’s leadership in both PM and biobank development, the connections and insights I could gain as a Marshall Scholar would be integral to my future work. I also aim to help facilitate future U.S./U.K. collaborations on biobank supported research.”

Both Coleman and Ojukwu worked with the Center for Fellowship and Scholarship Advising (CFSA) as they developed their applications for the Marshall Scholarship. “Gretchen and Ify are extraordinary students and outstanding leaders on campus and in their wider communities. They work in very different fields—political science and biology—but they share a passion for challenging research and for applying their scholarship to promoting positive change in the world. They each have a strong rationale for graduate study in the U.K. so are excellent candidates for the Marshall Scholarship,” says Jolynn Parker, director of CFSA. “It has been an absolute joy to work with them through the application process, and we’re so proud that they have been selected as finalists. Being selected as a finalist is itself a tremendous honor in this competition.”

Rachelly Buzzi, a senior international relations major in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and the College of Arts and Sciences, participated in the at Carnegie Mellon University. The program prepares participants for graduate school and ultimately for roles serving the public good.

Rachelly Buzzi

“I was definitely apprehensive about a virtual experience—mainly because the program is so rigorous and time-consuming, but I am really glad I did it,” she says.

“I gained so many quantitative skills that are important to public service and that complement my current studies in international affairs.”

Buzzi, who is also pursuing a minor in entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises at the Whitman School, took courses in math, economics and data science, and says it was great to get in-depth and hands-on experience in those areas.

“It was frustrating at times, but the professors were so helpful and understanding, and the program actually made me so much more confident in my skills,” she says. “PPIA really helped me solidify that I do want to pursue graduate school. It showed me how to prepare for grad studies, what to look for and what to expect which helped me a ton, especially as a first-generation college student.”

She says the best part of the program was the people she met. “Everyone in my cohort is doing such great things, so it felt really validating and comforting to also be part of the cohort. It was great to connect and bond with them, even if it was just online. I still talk to several of them today,” Buzzi says. “The PPIA experience is definitely something that will stay with me as I continue with my studies and work towards a career in public service.”

Claire Howard

Claire Howard, a junior international relations and economics major in the Maxwell School and the College of Arts and Sciences, received a for immersive study of Arabic.��She says she was a bit apprehensive about learning language online.

“After more than a year of online classes, I wasn’t sure a virtual language immersion program would prove beneficial to learning or growth,” she says. “However, I was delighted to find that I was completely wrong.

Howard says the CLS program, even in a virtual environment, dramatically increased her understanding and competency of Arabic in a short time frame. “My classmates, teachers and language partners were so supportive and encouraging through the whole experience that I always felt excited and confident in my ability to effectively learn and communicate in a foreign language.”

The experience has also opened doors for her future, she says. “Members of the CLS alumni community have gone on to build incredible careers, from foreign service to academia to corporate success, and those alumni have been an invaluable resource as I am trying to build my own career. I couldn’t recommend the program enough.”

Jason Tan, a junior chemical engineering major in the College of Engineering and computer science, engaged in a program in chemical engineering in the (CBBG) at Arizona State University (ASU).

Jason Tan

Tan was also apprehensive as he approached the virtual experience. “Initially, I was confused about how a virtual REU would work,” he says. “After all, don’t you have to be in a lab to contribute to the research?

Tan says he was proven wrong by Cesar Torres, associate professor in the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy in ASU’s Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering and graduate mentor Zachary Hubbard. “They brainstormed ways of having me contribute and decided to have me work on COMSOL Multiphysics. This program allows me to model the reaction they’re studying and predict results, which saves time/effort on potential experiments. I got to see (virtually) the lab and the experiments, which was nice.”

In addition to research, Tan had weekly meetings with other REU participants in the same program, attended seminars hosted by professors and participated in professional development opportunities.

“The people running the CBBG program did their best to make sure that the virtual REU experience was as good as it could be,” Tan says. “Although the REU was virtual and I’d prefer in-person, I’m still grateful for having the opportunity.”

Madison Tyler, a junior English and textual studies and African American studies major in the College of Arts and Sciences, received a (MURAP) award to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. MURAP is a preparatory program for students interested in pursuing graduate work in the humanities, social sciences and fine arts.

Madison Tyler

“Despite it being 100% virtual, with our workshops, mentor meetings and annual conference over Zoom, I had a great experience over the summer and was able to feel part of a vibrant, intellectual and dynamic community. I wasn’t at all apprehensive about doing the program virtually because I’d already done a year of classes on Zoom. Not only was I used to it by then, but I also consider myself an independent, self-driven learner who takes initiative with my own projects and academic goals,” she says.

Tyler says aspects of the program made it work virtually—a cohort that was really engaged and intentional about building community; engaging communication skills workshops; and welcoming and encouraging instructors and mentors.

Tyler gained a number of practical research skills and an understanding of the various phases and stages of humanities research. It was her first time writing a literature review, and a prospectus and paper of that magnitude. She also got to practice her presentation skills and learned to embrace sharing an unfinished product that’s still in-progress.

“That was a game changer for me because sharing your research with others at all stages is a vital part of the process and a great way to continuously get feedback and ask a variety��of questions that will only improve the work. You can’t be too precious or too perfect,” she says. “Research is ever evolving and my project on representations of upper middle class Black families in sitcoms may have led to more questions than answers.”

Christopher Green

The proliferation of politically powerful languages like English and in African countries like Nigeria has come to threaten many of the over 500 languages spoken throughout the country. Christopher Green, assistant professor of linguistics, seeks to describe and document some of those languages that appear on their way to endangerment.

Green is a recipient of a (NEH) Dynamic Language Infrastructure Documenting Endangered Languages fellowship for his project, “Documentation and description of Jarawan languages.”

Jarawan languages are a small group of approximately 20 to 25 languages spoken in Nigeria and Cameroon that Green says are essentially undescribed and undocumented. While his past research has mainly focused on other language groups in Africa, including Mande, Cushitic, and Bantu, he was introduced to Jarawan languages when former graduate student, Milkatu Garba G’20, joined the linguistic studies program in 2018. Garba is from Nigeria and a native speaker of a Jarawan language called Mbat.

Since 2018, Green and Garba have collaborated on this research, and the new NEH grant will allow their team to analyze materials that they continue to collect on Mbat, with the goal of publishing a sketch of its grammar with an accompanying lexicon. They will also begin data collection on two other Jarawan languages, Duguri and Galamkya, in order to better understand the similarities between each of these languages. The data they generate will also help them to better understand how Jarawan languages relate to Narrow Bantu and Southern Bantoid, which are two major African language groups.

Thanks to NEH funds and additional funds from Syracuse University’s , Green will work closely with several current and former SU students to provide them with the opportunity to do practical and hands on linguistic research. Members of the project team include Soyoung Kim G’20, Will Hagerman G’21, Peyton Cameron ‘ 22, who is dual majoring in linguistic studies and international relations, and Milkatu Garba G’20.

Green says that he hopes his research will curb the decline in the number of speakers of these languages, a matter of great concern to the Tadnum Traditional Council in Bauchi State, Nigeria, who have endorsed Green’s work. “We are working to preserve the languages of the Jarawan people in the face of an evolving and globalizing world,” he says. “This fellowship will help to carry on their rich cultural heritage.”

Lee, an associate professor of environmental and interior design in the in the College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA), met with northside residents to conduct what is known as a design charrette—a wide-ranging discussion to determine if the design of the building matches the needs of the people who are going to use it.

The , which is run by the Central New York YMCA, opened in the fall of 2020 as “a welcoming and accessible space in the heart of the North Side, where women from all socio-economic backgrounds, ages, and ethnicities can purse wellness,” according to the center’s website.

That was the goal, but is that the reality? Is the center being utilized as intended, and if not, what else can be done to maximize its use? And what lessons from that building can be applied to other spaces in the city that are available to residents but not necessarily accessible?

Those are the questions that will be asked and answered by Lee and a group of Syracuse University students who will be selected to participate in the 2021-23 Fellowship. This is the Lender Center’s third fellowship and Lee will follow and as faculty fellows for the program that was created to critically explore contemporary social issues and develop sustainable solutions to pressing problems.

Seyeon Lee, an associate professor of environmental and interior design in the School of Design, is the 2021-23 Lender Center for Social Justice Faculty Fellow.

“The core idea of this is, how can we use this space as a hub and connect it with other parts of the community?” says Lee, who is also the George Miller Quasi Endowed Professor in the School of Design. “There is a ton of community space that is underutilized, a lot of pockets of opportunities that are lost, and that’s where I would look to engage with the students with their different perspectives and backgrounds.”

, co-director of the Lender Center, says the two-year timetable for the fellowships is to allow for the faculty fellow and student fellows to spend a year identifying a problem and the next year trying to fix it. He said Lee’s project fits nicely with the previous fellowships that focused on justice messages on social media, and designing more equitable food systems.

“This new focus on health and wellness for women demonstrates how widespread issues of social justice are in our contemporary world,” says Phillips, a communication and rhetorical studies professor in VPA. “This new project will explore these issues of global importance here in Syracuse, which is a great example of working locally while thinking globally.”

The fellowship is open to any Syracuse University undergraduate or graduate student who can commit to the two-year project, and selected students will receive a stipend of $500 per year. For interested students, or faculty and staff who know students who are passionate about social justice, more information is available on the . Five students will be chosen, and the application deadline is Oct. 15.

Emily Stokes-Rees, director of the School of Design and an associate professor in the Museum Studies Graduate Program in VPA, says Lee is enthusiastic about teaching and mentoring students about the many ways design can have far-reaching effects by working for a social good.

“Perhaps the most important thing to know about Seyeon’s research is that underpinning all of her work is a passion and commitment to social justice and sustainability,” Stokes-Rees says. “It is part of who she is—her core values—and it infuses every aspect of her academic life.”

Lee says that while the title of her research that led to this fellowship is “Access to Women’s Wellness,” she wants to emphasize that the fellowship is not about women’s fitness. Lee encourages students of any gender identity from across the University to apply because the project will require many talents and viewpoints.

“It’s all-around wellness: physical wellness, mental wellness, what’s happening in the family, what’s happening outside of the family, child care, does the child have access to better education and extracurricular activities?” Lee says. “With the dynamics and characteristics of the North Side neighborhood, we have found it’s the women, the moms, who really need this type of access.”

The student fellows will observe wellness and health opportunities in the North Side neighborhoods, talk to residents and work in partnership with local nonprofits YMCA, YWCA and , a family empowerment organization, to identify and help close the gaps between wellness and health opportunities available in that community.

Lee (standing) led a design charrette with northside residents to discuss the design of the Northside Women’s Wellness Center in Syracuse.

Stokes-Rees says Lee has a history of involving her students in every aspect of her work and exposing them to community-based projects. Over the past four years, these projects have ranged from researching and designing sustainable low-income housing to creating a fully accessible community garden to improving access to health and wellness services for low-income, ethnically diverse women.

“One specific example of this is a project she undertook with her EDI 451 Community Design Project class, in which Seyeon and her students transformed vacant houses into transitional refugee homes for a local organization, Interfaith Works, learning about the impact of abandoned properties on the local economy and the lives of refugee families,” Stokes-Rees says. “Having the opportunity to cultivate empathy and relatedness are indispensable values in a university education that prepares students to be professionals as well as civic-minded global citizens.”

For Lee, the faculty fellowship connects her love of design with her passion for social justice. A former architectural and interior designer��and project manager, her professional portfolio includes residential, commercial, retail, hospitality and urban planning projects in the United States, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan.

While working on a Ph.D. at Texas A&M University, Lee studied ways to improve the quality of living for low-income families. And she spent much of her professional design career on affordable housing development.

But often, Lee says, the missing piece in design and architectural work is the voice of the people who will be utilizing those spaces. The 2021-23 Lender Center Faculty Fellowship will give her and the student fellows an opportunity to listen to those voices and impact those lives.

“As I was proceeding with this project, I came about a lot of areas that I didn’t know about–a lot of social issues, a lot of political issues, a lot of about social justice and equity issues that are all wrapped in this topic,” Lee says. “The Lender Fellowship allows me to explore social equity and access from a design standpoint and engage students through participatory learning so they really understand what’s happening in our backyard.”

Informational Session

An informational meeting for any student—undergraduate or graduate—who is interested in learning more about the 2021-2023 Lender Center for Social Justice Fellowship will be held from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Sept. 27 in Sims Hall 123. For more information on the informational session or to apply for a fellowship, visit the .

David Barbier Jr.

David Barbier Jr. ’23 was looking to explore more of his professional interest in television, radio and film and stretch himself in a challenging role. He found what he was searching for after applying and being named a .

“After a tumultuous year of lockdown, I just wanted to continue to push myself to new heights,” Barbier says. Barbier, a Posse Scholar, is studying television, radio and film in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and international relations in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

Syracuse University partners with the to admit high school students from Miami with extraordinary academic and leadership potential, providing a full-tuition Posse Leadership Scholarship. The Jeff Ubben Posse Fellows are leaders in their communities who have demonstrated academic excellence as Posse Scholars.

The award includes a $10,000 stipend and a summer internship, working closely with an industry leader.

“Posse scholars get the opportunity to apply for the Jeff Ubben Fellowship their sophomore year of college in the hopes of shadowing an industry leader within their field,” says Barbier, who is also a member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program. “I was blessed with the opportunity to shadow CEO of AMC Networks Josh Sapan.”

The fellowship took place in New York City from June 21 through Aug. 2.

“While shadowing Josh Sapan, I’ve done it all,” Barbier says. “From determining how our company will move forward during the advent of streaming to working on new original programming that will hopefully strike a chord with consumers.”

The work allowed Barbier to better understand the professional field he’s pursuing.

“I’m taking away a better view of the ecosystem I’ll be navigating,” Barbier says. “As I’ve navigated the fellowship one recurring piece of advice has been ‘continue to believe in yourself and anything is possible.’ I believe that wholeheartedly. I can do anything I put my mind to. The right attitude can make a world of a difference.”

Barbier was one of only five Posse Scholars, among scholars at the Posse Foundation’s 63 partner colleges and universities, awarded the fellowship.

David Barbier Jr. with CEO of AMC Networks Josh Sapan

Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Keith A. Alford, who recommended Barbier for the fellowship, says Barbier, who is determined to expand his knowledge of his chosen career field, was a natural fit for the fellowship.

“David is hardworking, thinks critically and shows a keen intellect toward his coursework,” Alford says. “David embodies a humanitarian spirit that rises above the crowd. His altruistic and authentic concern for others, diligence, professionalism and non-judgmental stance are assets he executes with ease and diplomacy. I see great promise in David on many levels.”

Barbier, who is also an orientation leader, spoke with Alford last summer about creating an online medium that promotes the strengths of students of color on campus. Barbier has since created and hosted “Shades of CUSE,” a Zoom monthly online program for Posse scholars and all University students.

“David embraces his undergraduate experience with a combination of compassion and determination. He seeks to understand his peers and actively tries to engage them in ways that are approachable,” Alford says. “It is clear that he has a passion for advancing the greater good.”

The Ubben Fellows Program was launched in recognition of ValueAct Capital CEO Jeff Ubben, who served as Posse’s board chair from 2007 to 2016.

Posse Scholars eligible for the are students who are college sophomores with a cumulative GPA of 3.7 or higher, show tremendous leadership potential and will likely apply for other later in their college��careers.

Each year, out of more than 600 Posse sophomores enrolled at elite colleges and universities nationwide, only five will be selected—less than 1%.

Four Syracuse University students/alumni have been named as 2021 recipients of awards through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Five students were also chosen as alternates.

The����funds a range of awards that include English teaching assistantships (ETA) and study/research grants in over 140 countries.

The 2021 recipients are:

• Jenna Burgess, a 2021 graduate with a bachelor’s degree in international relations from the College of Arts and Sciences and Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and in linguistics (Korean) from A&S—English Teaching Assistantship, South Korea;
• Steven Harris, a 2016 graduate with a bachelor’s degree in earth sciences (College of Arts and Sciences) and anthropology (A&S and the Maxwell School) and a minor in Chinese studies and a current Ph.D. student in anthropology in Maxwell—research grant, Barbados;
• Ashley Hudson, a 2020 graduate with a bachelor’s degree in policy studies from the College of Arts and Sciences and the Maxwell School—English Teaching Assistantship, South Korea; and
• Vivian Whitney, a 2021 graduate with a bachelor’s degree in magazine, news and digital journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications with minors in food studies in the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics and French and francophone studies in the College of Arts and Sciences—study grant for a master of gastronomy degree, Italy.

The 2021 alternates are:

• Erin Elliott, a 2020 graduate with bachelor’s degrees in public relations from the Newhouse School and in English and textual studies and fine arts from the College of Arts and Sciences—English Teaching Assistantship, Norway;
• Lara Hicks, a 2020 graduate with a bachelor’s degree in international relations with a minor in global security studies in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Maxwell School, currently enrolled in the Maxwell School’s M.P.A./M.A.I.R. program with a C.A.S. in civil society organizations—study grant/master’s degree in public policy, Netherlands;
• Brittnee Johnson, a 2021 graduate with a bachelor’s degree in political science from the College of Arts and Sciences and the Maxwell School, beginning M.P.A. program at Maxwell in summer 2021—English Teaching Assistantship, Malaysia;
• Hanna Nichols, a 2020 graduate with a bachelor’s degree in policy studies and citizenship and civic engagement from the College of Arts and Sciences and the Maxwell School and a minor in data analytics from the School of Information Studies—English Teaching Assistantship, Malaysia; and
• Alexa Shephard, a 2020 graduate with a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the College of Arts and Sciences and the Maxwell School and a minor in Spanish from the College of Arts and Sciences—English Teaching Assistantship, Spain.

The following alumni will be engaging in Fulbright experiences this year that were deferred due to the COVID-19 pandemic:

• Brandy Boden, a 2020 graduate with a master’s degree in studio arts from the College of Visual and Performing Arts—study grant for art, Ireland;
• Gwendolyn Burke, a 2020 graduate with a bachelor’s degree in international relations from the College of Arts and Sciences and the Maxwell School, a bachelor’s degree in public relations from the Newhouse School and minors in economics and Chinese language—English Teaching Assistantship, Vietnam;
• Leah Garlock, a 2016 graduate with a bachelor’s degree in communications design with a minor in communications photography from the College of Visual and Performing Arts—English Teaching Assistantship, South Korea;
• Jamie Lustig, a 2020 graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Spanish language, literature and culture from the College of Arts and Sciences and a minor in public communications studies in the Newhouse School—English Teaching Assistantship, Spain;
• Katherine MacDonald, Ph.D. candidate in geography in the Maxwell School with a C.A.S. in food studies from the Falk College—research grant, Tajikistan; and
• Nathan Shearn, a 2019 graduate with a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the College of Arts and Sciences and the Maxwell School and a minor in Russian from the College of Arts and Sciences. Shearn previously received an English Teaching Assistantship to Belarus. Because of the suspension of the Fulbright program in Belarus, his Fulbright experience will now take place in Bulgaria.

Burgess will arrive in South Korea in early January and work as an assistant English teacher in classrooms for third through fifth graders. “I will likely assist in both teaching lessons and planning them as well. I also really hope to take Korean classes and continue improving my language skills while I am there, as well as engaging with the community as much as I can through clubs and volunteer work,” she says. Burgess plans to get involved with North Korean refugee initiatives and possibly join or start a historical literature club in her area, focused on increasing knowledge and understanding of Korean-American relations and history.

Her long-term goal is to work in a bilingual preschool or kindergarten classroom using both English and Korean. “This Fulbright grant is a great next step for me,” she says. “The knowledge I will gain about the structure of Korean language classrooms, and the language and vocabulary related to education and learning activities Korean teachers use will be extremely helpful in my future career. Living in the country and gaining further competence in the language and culture will be extremely useful as well. I am very grateful to have received this award.”

Harris will travel to Barbados in October for his 10-month research endeavor. His current project is a continuation of archeological research originally conducted by Doug Armstrong, professor in the College of Arts and Sciences and the Maxwell School, at Trents Plantation in Barbados. “My research is largely centered around conducting archival research and elemental analysis on a collection of iron and steel artifacts recovered from a cave site on Trents plantation, to better understand when they were used, what purpose they served and who would have interacted with them,” says Harris. “While excavations concluded a few years ago, research findings during my Fulbright research term may result in future excavations on the island.”

Harris is hopeful that his project will contribute to other research discussions regarding the value and relevance of metal artifacts in the archaeological record. “While much has already been said about metal artifacts in other parts of the world (U.S., Europe, West Africa, etc.), I want this project to showcase how archaeological sites in the Caribbean can also improve our understanding of the social and cultural significance of metals in the past,” he says.

He is very eager to have more opportunities to work closely with the Barbados Museum and other members of the community. “Every time I have visited Barbados, I have always felt loved and welcomed, and right now I am really looking forward to giving back to the community,” he says.

Hudson will be assigned to a teaching position in South Korea in January. She plans to pursue a master’s degree in educational policy and administration in the United States after her Fulbright experience and is keen to explore South Korea’s educational system to inform her future studies.��She is also very eager to explore the country’s rich history, and how traditions are maintained alongside progression. “I am most excited about getting to know the people and immersing myself in the culture,” she says.

Whitney has received the Fulbright/Casten Family Foundation Award to attend the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo, Italy, in their Master of Gastronomy: World Food Cultures and Mobility program. The program starts in October and comprises 10 months of actual school—lectures, workshops, tastings and fieldwork—and three study trips—one in Italy, one in Europe and one outside of Europe (COVID restrictions-permitting). The program concludes with a 14-week internship or final research project conducted in Italy. Whitney’s specific master’s program is focused on different world food cultures and systems and how they move and change, with a focus on sustainability and food sovereignty.

Whitney, who has a degree in magazine journalism, aspires to be a food writer. “I’m incredibly interested in food cultures and the when, where, why and how we eat food, especially as it relates to food justice and food sovereignty. I want to, in some capacity, share stories that will help build a better, more sustainable, equal, fair, just, compassionate, delicious food system from production to consumption,” she says. “I have the storytelling experience from Newhouse, but this program will help inform any food writing I do and give me a more global perspective of food, which will, in turn, help my understanding of food culture and systems in the United States.”

“I just love food and all our connections to it, and I want to share those stories,” she says.

Students interested in applying to the Fulbright program should contact the Center for Fellowship and Scholarship Advising at 315.443.2759 or cfsa@syr.edu. The campus deadline for the 2021-22 application cycle is Sept. 14.

Selim Dangoor ’23 and Sandhya Iyer ’20

Syracuse University student startups , founder of MUNCH Jerky, and , CEO of Geek Girl Careers, have been selected for the summer 2021 cohort of the Blackstone LaunchPad Fellowship. Both are active members of the LaunchPad at Syracuse University Libraries. The Blackstone Charitable Foundation and partners will support 55 student entrepreneurs from across the global network with $250,000 in grant funding and eight weeks of entrepreneurial resources, mentoring and support through the summer program.

Participating student founders will receive a $5,000 grant to support their time working on advancing their entrepreneurial ventures, as well as other resources and support, including weekly workshops, community-building activities, and mentorship from experienced entrepreneurs and executives in the LaunchPad network. The program also includes intensive LaunchPad campus director coaching sessions. Students will also have the opportunity to join the LaunchPad-supported Startup Grind Student Program and participate in the Techstars Empower Collective.

“We’re excited to welcome another cohort of bright entrepreneurs to the LaunchPad Fellowship,” says Blackstone Charitable Foundation Executive Director Amy Stursberg. “In spite of the many challenges of the past year, this diverse set of students has taken impressive strides toward bringing their ideas to life. We look forward to supporting their innovation and drive this summer, and can’t wait to see the companies and careers they develop in the future.”

Dangoor, studying public relations in the Newhouse School and finance in the Whitman School, became fascinated with the creation of flavorful jerky during the pandemic. He used his passion for food entrepreneurship to create artisanal beef jerky with high quality cuts of tender flank steak. This past academic year he worked with the LaunchPad, competed in business plan competitions, winning the Hunter Brooks Watson Spirit of Entrepreneurship Award from judges who loved his energy and passion. He also made important business connections and learned USDA and Department of Health regulations, connected with commercial kitchens and built a network of entrepreneurial agri-business producers as advisors. He incubated in the LaunchPad to bring his love of premium, high-protein artisanal jerky to life as a commercial venture, and to build a roadmap to launch into the marketplace and scale. He is also the recipient of a recent Innovation Fund Award from the LaunchPad.

Sandhya Iyer, a graduate of the Newhouse School in public relations and the Whitman School in marketing, hopes to empower young women to find a career they love in a tech field. As CEO of , she is helping young women find careers in tech that align with their passions and personalities. Geek Girl Careers is committed to increasing representation in tech by broadening the pathways in tech fields. Women make up nearly half the American workforce but hold only 26% of computing-related jobs. The problem starts as early as middle school, but only becomes more apparent in high school and is especially apparent in college—in 2020, women made up only 18% of undergraduate students who earned a degree in computer science. Geek Girl Careers helps young women discover careers in tech that align with their existing passions and skills and connects them with other Geek Girls and mentors. Iyer speaks at Syracuse LaunchPad events and mentors other campus female tech founders.

The LaunchPad Fellowship program originally began in response to intern, job and entrepreneurial opportunities lost by college students at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and has now grown into a signature program of the Blackstone LaunchPad network. The Fellowship helps students learn by doing, growing and strengthening entrepreneurial skills like leadership, problem-solving and communication as they complete customer discovery interviews, launch initial marketing and sales efforts, add talent to their teams, and seek additional funding and support.

The program is funded by the Blackstone Charitable Foundation and coordinated through the Blackstone LaunchPad network and Future Founders.

Four students in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs have been named as recipients of the 2021 Boren Fellowship.

The fellowship, sponsored by the National Security Education Program, funds immersive foreign language study abroad experiences for graduate students who plan to work in the federal national security arena. Through their experiences, the fellows develop critical foreign language and international skills that are important for their chosen careers. All of Syracuse University’s applications to the Boren Fellowship program were funded this year.

The recipients are:

• Courtney Blankenship, a first-year master’s degree student in international relations (Peace, Security and Conflict track) also pursuing certificates of advanced study in security studies and Middle Eastern affairs, studying Tarifit in Morocco;
• Roger Onofre, a graduate student pursuing a master’s degree in international relations, studying Arabic in Jordan;
• Ivy Raines, a Ph.D. student in political science, studying Persian in Tajikistan; and
• Kelli Sunabe, a graduate student pursuing master’s degree in public administration and international relations, studying Mandarin Chinese in Taipei, Taiwan.

Blankenship and Onofre are also recipients of the Critical Language Scholarship (CLS).

Blankenship is currently virtually engaged in intensive Arabic classes with the Noor Majan Training Institute in Oman as part of the CLS program. While the CLS program centers on Modern Standard Arabic, she will have an opportunity to learn the Omani dialect of Arabic during language partner sessions.

“I hope to travel to Oman in the future once the pandemic ends��so that I may reconnect with people I met virtually through the program and continue to learn about Omani culture,” Blankenship says.

After the fall semester ends, Blankenship will spend six months studying the Amazigh language, Tarifit, as a Boren Fellow in Morocco. She will live in the Rif region, which is the same area of the country where she served as a Peace Corps volunteer before she was evacuated in 2020 due to the pandemic. “During my 18 months of Peace Corps service, I primarily focused on learning Darija—the Moroccan dialect of Arabic—and while I hope to continue expanding my proficiency in Darija throughout the Boren Fellowship, I am very excited to focus on Tarifit this time around so that I may further engage with people in the region.”

As Tarifit is a language primarily learned in the home, Blankenship plans to utilize intensive tutoring, time with a host family and additional opportunities to build her language skills.

Onofre plans to enroll at the University of Jordan in Amman for his year as a fellow, which is currently scheduled for January through December 2022. He will graduate after completing his Boren Fellowship.

“The Boren Fellowship will allow me to become a strong Arabic speaker. I will combine my Gilman, Fulbright and CLS experiences to thrive as a Boren Fellow,” says Onofre. “I am super excited that I was given this opportunity to continue my language studies.”

Raines will study Persian and the local Tajik dialect to assist with her research in Tajikistan. “The Boren fellowship serves as a part of my doctoral research that centers on the intersection between modernization, gender and religious fundamentalism,” she says.

After earning a Ph.D., Raines plans to join the U.S. Foreign Service to produce policy-relevant research that will assist in government projects abroad as they relate to democratization and the advancement of women.

Sunabe, a Robertson Foundation for Government Fellow at Maxwell, will study in Taipei during the 2021-22 academic year.

“My Boren experience will be dedicated to language learning to improve my Mandarin proficiency and to learn about Taiwanese culture,” she says. “I am enthused and grateful to have been selected as a Boren Fellow, and look forward to growing my Mandarin language abilities to foster positive cross-cultural relations between the U.S. and China through a career with the U.S. Department of State.”

Founded by the Mercury 7 astronauts, the foundation awards scholarships to students in their junior or senior year who are pursuing studies in science, technology, engineering or mathematics and who plan to pursue research or advance their field upon completion of their final degree. Nominees are selected based on their exemplary academic performance, ingenuity and unique aptitude for research. Metcalf is one of 60 students from 44 colleges and universities around the country to receive the award this year.

Alexander Metcalf

In addition to funding for educational expenses of up to $15,000, the scholarship includes the opportunity for scholars to represent their institutions and present their research at the Scholar Technical Conference; professional mentoring for one year by scholarship alumni, a C-suite executive or an astronaut; the opportunity to participate in a professional development program and foundation events; and membership in the Astronaut Scholar Honor Society.

Metcalf will receive the award during the ASF Innovators Week and Gala held Aug. 11-15 in Orlando, Florida.��

“I am honored to have been recognized as an Astronaut Scholar by the Astronaut Scholar Foundation. I’d like to thank my primary research mentor, Jeongmin Ahn; the Center for Fellowship and Scholarship Advising (CFSA); and my family for their support throughout my college career,” says Metcalf. “I hope to leverage this award in the future as I pursue additional educational and research opportunities.”

The Astronaut Scholarship is the latest in a series of nationally competitive scholarships Metcalf has received. Earlier this year, he was selected for a 2021 Goldwater Scholarship and for a U.S. Department of Defense SMART Scholarship.

“Alex’s strong and varied research profile, as well as his extraordinary academic record, made him an outstanding nominee for the Astronaut Scholarship,” says Jolynn Parker, director of the CFSA. “We’re thrilled that this award will support him in the important work he aims to do in aeronautics.”

Metcalf has sought out a range of research opportunities during his time at Syracuse. In summer 2019, he interned at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, developing computer code capable of performing mechanism assembly for the software Engineering Sketch Pad under the advisement of John Dannenhoffer, associate professor and aerospace engineering undergraduate program director.

He also pursued a bioengineering independent study research project during the fall 2019 and spring 2020 semesters overseen by Pun To (Douglas) Yung, associate teaching professor of biomedical and chemical engineering and bioengineering undergraduate program director. Project Footstrike focused on creating a computerized shoe insole capable of measuring a user’s heel strike and toe off mechanics during activity. Metcalf was the lead computer coder for this project, which required him to write code in C++ and MATLAB coding languages with the aim of increasing accuracy of the heel strike and toe off mechanics measurements.

In summer 2020, Metcalf joined the Combustion and Energy Research laboratory of Jeongmin Ahn, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering. There, he is currently working on a hybrid power train for small unmanned aerial vehicles.

This summer, Metcalf is working as a systems engineering intern for Honeywell’s aerospace sector. “I am very excited about working closely with real engineers who have years of industry experience. In the first two weeks of the internship, I have already learned so much,” Metcalf says. “Honeywell encourages its employees to be ‘future shapers,’ so I hope to embody that motto throughout my internship and as I complete my final year of undergraduate studies at Syracuse University.”

After earning his bachelor’s degree, Metcalf plans to pursue a Ph.D. in mechanical and aerospace engineering with a focus on combustion, propulsion and aeronautics. “I want to work in a field that blends computational modeling and simulation with real-world testing and engineering,” says Metcalf. “I am particularly interested in conducting research that will increase efficiency and reliability of the engineering systems that contribute to U.S. national security.”

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

The fellowships were initiated to provide funding to help doctoral candidates complete their dissertations in a timely manner and to address the need for more summer funding opportunities. The funding is provided through the Invest Syracuse initiative to strengthen support for graduate education and research.

“The Summer Dissertation Fellowships are one part of a broader set of initiatives to support our doctoral students in completing their degrees in a timely fashion,” says Associate Provost and Graduate School Dean Peter Vanable. “The 2021 recipients represent the broad range of disciplines and scholarship that Syracuse University is known for.”

The following doctoral candidates—listed with their program—were awarded fellowships:

• Oluseyi Odunyemi Agbelusi, Anthropology
• Avery Brooke Albert, Clinical Psychology
• Merrrill Einar Asp, Physics
• Ruta Basijokaite, Earth Sciences
• Rose Anita Bell, Philosophy
• Ana Cortes, Composition and Cultural Rhetoric
• Sara Jean Dampf, Chemistry
• Deyasini Dasgupta, English
• Elizabeth Skye Davis, Political Science
• Jacob Paul Deblois, Science Education
• Yousr Dhaouadi, Chemical Engineering
• Kirsis Allennys Dipre, Counseling and Counselor Education
• Alexander Richard Ebert, Biology
• Carrie Elliott, Sociology
• Weston Henry Fenner IV, Sociology
• Jennifer Lynn Heckathorn, Teaching and Curriculum
• Evan Hixon, English
• Stephanie Veronica-Marie Jones, Composition and Cultural Rhetoric
• Mattie Theobald Mackenzie-Liu, Public Administration
• Mariana Mendes Bahia, Speech-Language Pathology
• Keith Newvine, Literacy Education
• Buddhini Chathurangi Nugaduwa Vithanage, Chemistry
• Shreyas Pathreeker, Chemical Engineering
• Jessica Powers, Clinical Psychology
• Sean Hamilton Reid, Anthropology
• Linnea Judith Ritchie, Biology
• Sarika Kumari Sharma, Information Science and Technology
• Andrea Marie Smith, Mass Communications
• Maria Madison Smith, Anthropology
• Kyungwon Suh, Political Science
• Shaelise Marie Tor, Marriage and Family Therapy
• Yiran Yang, Chemistry
• Anemone Zeneli, Teaching and Curriculum
• Xiaoyan Zhang, Human Development and Family Science

Evan Weissman

Weissman passed away unexpectedly while at home with his family on April 9, 2020. To honor his legacy and to continue the work he believed in so deeply, his family has created the Evan Weissman Scholarship Fund. The scholarship will defray tuition costs for food studies graduate students.

As an educator, mentor, scholar and friend, was committed to the human condition. He taught and inspired students and colleagues alike by rolling up his sleeves, working side-by-side with them in grassroots efforts, most of which he envisioned and ultimately led, to address food disparities in the Syracuse community. His work continues to serve as a national best practices model for bringing food justice to communities across urban America.

“We know how much Evan loved his students: he was so delighted to see them not only learning in the classroom but also learning in and from the community. He firmly believed that food justice was both a human rights and civil rights issue,” says Marsha Weissman, Professor Weissman’s mother. “In creating this scholarship, we are keeping Evan’s spirit alive.”

Those who would like to make a gift to the Evan Weissman Scholarship Fund can . To make a gift by check, please make it out to Syracuse University and mail to Falk College Advancement, 427 White Hall, Syracuse, NY 13244. If you have any questions, please contact David Salanger, assistant dean for Advancement and External Relations at 315.443.4588 or dasalang@syr.edu, or Megan Myers, assistant director of development at 315.443.1817 or mmyers01@syr.edu.

Evan Weissman and his family.

“Professor Weissman was a dedicated educator and mentor who engaged students by connecting them to real-world experiences, including involvement in his own scholarship, advocacy, and community work to build a more equitable food system. By bringing students out of the classroom and into the world, Professor Weissman’s students became active change-makers for social justice, learning values and skills that will serve them well as leaders of tomorrow,” says Diane Lyden Murphy, Dean of Falk College. “We are deeply grateful to the Weissman family for their meaningful gift. The Evan Weissman Scholarship Fund honors Evan’s legacy and his deep commitment to his students.”

Weissman joined Falk College in 2012 and played an instrumental role on the collaborative team that successfully launched a bachelor of science in food studies in 2014 and additional academic programs since that time. In addition to his service as undergraduate director of the Falk food studies program, Weissman was an affiliated faculty member in the Aging Studies Institute and the Maxwell School’s department of geography. He was an active research collaborator at the University, SUNY ESF and beyond.

Weissman was a founding member and served on the board of Syracuse Grows and served on the Onondaga County Agricultural Council. He was also involved with the Syracuse Hunger Project. His unwavering dedication to these causes also helped launch the newly-formed Syracuse-Onondaga Food Systems Alliance (SOFSA), a multi-sector coalition of stakeholders from across the food system in Onondaga County.

As a professor and researcher, Evan Weissman (pictured far right) connected his students to the causes of inequality to food access and the many ways to address it. His unwavering dedication to these causes led to him to be a co-founder of Syracuse Grows, an organization that supports urban food production through community gardening.

His scholarship was directly and consistently focused on equity, diversity, and inclusion through community-engaged, participatory teaching. Shortly before he passed, Weissman was awarded the Lender Faculty Fellowship. This project continues with the leadership of his colleague and friend, Maxwell School Professor Jonnell Robinson, and student fellows focused on creating a local food system that prioritizes access, sustainability and resiliency.

The newly created scholarship honoring Weissman will support current and future students in advancing his life-long commitment to food justice and using food as a tool for social change.

Leen Katrib

The School of Architecture has announced that architectural designer Leen Katrib is the Harry der Boghosian Fellow for 2021–22. Katrib will succeed current fellow Assistant Professor Liang Wang.

The Boghosian Fellowship at the School of Architecture—established in early 2015 in memory of Harry der Boghosian ’54 by his sister Paula der Boghosian ’64—is a one-of-a-kind program designed to give faculty members, early in their careers, the opportunity to spend a year developing a body of design research based on an area of interest while teaching at the School of Architecture.

Fellows play a significant role at the school by enhancing student instruction and faculty discourse while supporting both research and the development of research-related curriculum valuable to architectural education and the discipline.

“I am thrilled to welcome Leen Katrib, whose research and design projects are helping to redefine the study and practice of architecture preservation and reconstruction,” says Michael Speaks, dean of the School of Architecture. “Her research focus on ‘the afterlife of buildings,’ including the analysis and archiving of building detritus, has the potential to redefine how architecture researchers and practitioners think about and work with memory, identity and place.”

During the 2021–22 school year, Katrib will teach an architecture studio and two professional electives focusing on her research project, “Decolonizing Architecture’s Debris.” Building upon her thesis, “,” which reimagines the afterlife of architecture’s debris and its decisive role in historical erasures and knowledge production, Katrib will use the typology of the university campus—both historical and contemporary cases—as a design research case study to investigate the destruction and mis/management of material afterlife and its social and cultural implications on impacted communities.

Since the debris in most of the campus case studies is no longer available or visible, Katrib will concurrently conduct design experiments that incorporate Mixed Reality technology to propose ways in which the debris could be integrated into and made visible in the existing architecture.

“Mixed Reality takes Augmented and Virtual realities a step further by allowing the real-time manipulation of digital reconstructions that are superimposed onto—and defined by the limits of—the real, physical architecture,” says Katrib. “Using this technology will allow me to conduct spatial experiments without altering the existing spaces.”

Like the five previous Boghosian Fellows, Katrib will work closely not only with faculty and students at the School of Architecture but will also explore interdisciplinary collaborations within the University and its various centers and colleges. Her research will culminate in an interdisciplinary symposium that convenes architects, artists, historians, anthropologists, preservationists and technologists who are addressing the implications of destruction and are decolonizing debris as an expanded mode of agency and resistance.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to work closely with distinguished faculty and students within the School of Architecture and the University to expand the discourse on debris and its material and immaterial implications throughout history,” says Katrib. “The fellowship will provide the time and space to engage interdisciplinary scholarship in course syllabi, design research and a concluding symposium.”

Katrib currently practices at the New York-based architecture and landscape firm, Marvel. Prior to joining Marvel, she practiced at LTL Architects (Lewis.Tsurumaki.Lewis), McEwen Studio, Peter Marino Architect and OMA.

Previously, Katrib completed her master of architecture degree from Princeton University, where she received the prestigious , a merit-based fellowship exclusively for immigrants and children of immigrants who are pursuing graduate school in the United States and are poised to make significant contributions to the nation through their work.

At Princeton, Katrib was editor of the architectural journal, Pidgin, and was awarded the Howard Crosby Butler Travel Fellowship to track culture-specific practices at Zaatari refugee camp and to engage with local organizations in the development of a pilot program at the camp.

Katrib also holds a bachelor of architecture degree with honors from the University of Southern California (USC), where she was awarded the A. Quincy Jones Memorial Scholarship for Exceptional Promise in Architecture and the Robert Allen Rogaff Memorial Award for Excellence in Delineation and was designated a Discovery Scholar and Global Scholar for her independent research on the built environments of marginalized communities.

During her time at USC, Katrib was awarded the George H. Mayr Travel Fellowship to study the future of immigrants in Parisian suburbs, as well as the William and Neoma Timme Travel Fellowship to examine mimetic practices in China’s countryside developments.

“I’m elated to see initiatives spearheaded by the students at the School of Architecture to uncover silenced histories in the built environment of Syracuse,” says Katrib. “I am very much looking forward to providing students with the tools to expand on these conversations and to integrate them into the practice and teaching of architecture.”

The Boghosian Fellowship has helped the School of Architecture attract the best and the brightest emerging professors. Previous fellows include Maya Alam (2016–17), Linda Zhang (2017–18), James Leng (2018–19), Benjamin Vanmuysen (2019–20) and Liang Wang (2020–21).

For more information about Leen Katrib and her work, visit .

To learn more about the Harry der Boghosian Fellowship, on the School of Architecture’s website.

Cameron Gray, a junior film major in the Department of Transmedia in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, has been named the recipient of a 2021 Beinecke Scholarship. She is the second Beinecke Scholar in Syracuse University’s history.

The award provides graduate funding and mentorship for juniors in the arts, humanities or social sciences. The Beinecke Scholarship seeks to encourage and enable highly motivated juniors of exceptional promise to pursue graduate study in the arts, humanities and social sciences. The Beinecke Scholarship works with approximately 135 participating institutions. Each school may nominate one candidate per year; the campus nomination process is highly competitive. This year, the Beinecke Scholarship Program received 95 nominations and selected 16 Scholars.

Below, Gray talks about her journey as a filmmaker and her plans for the future.

In high school, Ellen Jorgensen was highly involved in the Green Club in her school and led initiatives that focused on waste reduction. She also developed education initiatives for her peers to give them a sense of responsibility regarding the environment.

“In high school, my passion for the environment developed out of concern for the planet and frustration with the lack of urgency around me. At that point, my love for science in the classroom and my dedication to environmental action seemed separate,” she says. “Today, the convergence of these passions forms the foundation of my academic and professional goals. … While I wasn’t aware of climate sciences as a career path back in high school, I now see it as a calling.”

Jorgensen, a sophomore double major in earth sciences and environment, sustainability and policy in the College of Arts and Sciences, a Coronat Scholar and a member of Renée Crown University Honors Program, is a recipient of a 2021 , which will help support her studies.

Named for Sen. Ernest “Fritz” Hollings of South Carolina, the prestigious award provides tuition support ($9,500 per year) and paid summer internships with NOAA to recipients. The award is designed to support students working in areas related to NOAA’s programs and mission. ��Students apply as sophomores, do an internship in their junior year, and receive support and mentorship throughout their undergraduate career.

“Receiving NOAA’s Hollings scholarship is an honor and affirms my passion for climate and environmental science. I am very excited to participate in their internship program to explore applications of climate science in the field,” says Jorgensen. “While I have certainly worked hard to reach this achievement, it is much more a testament to the immense support I have received from CFSA; the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences; my faculty mentor, Dr. Bhattacharya; and above all, my family.”

Jorgensen is also pursuing a minor in physics and says her majors and minor allow her to balance her focus on scientific studies of the climate with a grounding in policy. She is currently engaged in research in the Paleoclimate Dynamics Lab of Tripti Bhattacharya, Thonis Family Professor: Paleoclimate Dynamics and assistant professor of earth and environmental sciences.

Jorgensen works with Bhattacharya constructing temperature proxies for the mid-Pliocene, a period that may serve as a predictor of the challenges ocean ecosystems will face in the coming century. Their research uses alkenones, biomarkers produced by haptophyte algae sourced from ocean sediment, to generate new records of ocean temperatures. In the fall of 2020, Jorgensen focused on samples from a site off of the coast of southern California, extracting alkenones from these samples. “Working in an active laboratory, I have gained a much greater understanding of mechanisms by which discoveries are made in the field of earth sciences,” she says.

Jorgensen also received a grant last summer from the University’s Office of Undergraduate Research (SOURCE), which she used to review literature on alkenone temperature proxies and paleoclimate reconstruction. This summer, she will pursue new channels of paleoclimate research through a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program in a lab at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.

Jorgensen is also involved in several community sustainability efforts. During the summer of 2020, she worked on a farm in North Carolina through WWOOF, an organization that provides small organic farms with volunteer help, to support sustainable, small scale food production and sell organic produce to local communities. During the academic year, Jorgensen is a volunteer with the University’s Office of Sustainability Management and manages the compost pile used by members of the University’s housing community. Currently, she is involved with the Student Association’s sustainability committee, with whom she has helped develop waste-reduction campaigns such as the promotion of reusable menstrual products for Earth Day later this month.

In all the work she does, whether in the lab or in the community, Jorgensen knows the importance of good communication. “I know that communication skills are an integral tool for a scientist aiming to make change,” she says. She sharpened her skills as the editor in chief of her high school newspaper and in her role as a writer at the University’s Blackstone LaunchPad, where she wrote stories about entrepreneurial projects.

After graduating from Syracuse, Jorgensen plans to pursue master’s and doctoral degrees in earth and environmental sciences. “I will center my career around my passion for innovative climate research while opening pathways for communication with communities who will benefit from the research,” she says. Ultimately, she plans to lead her own laboratory focused on predictive climate sciences.

Jorgensen worked with the�� to apply for the NOAA scholarship. CFSA offers candidates advising and assistance with applications and interview preparation for nationally competitive scholarships.

“Ellen’s clear focus on understanding and mitigating climate change—a focus that structures her academic, campus, and community work—made her a clear fit for the NOAA Hollings Scholarship,” says Jolynn Parker, director of CFSA. “She is poised to make the most of the extraordinary mentorship and support that NOAA provides to Hollings Scholars.”

The 2022 NOAA-Hollings Scholarship application will open on Sept. 1. Interested students should contact CFSA for more information: 315.443.2759; cfsa@syr.edu.

Alexander Metcalf, a junior aerospace engineering major in the College of Engineering and Computer Science and a member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program, has been selected for the 2021 Goldwater Scholarship. The Goldwater Scholarship is the most prestigious undergraduate scholarship awarded in the natural sciences, engineering and mathematics in the United States.

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

The Goldwater Foundation received 1,256 nominations this year from around the country and 410 students were selected for the scholarship.

“I am very honored to have been recognized by the Barry Goldwater Scholarship,” says Metcalf. “The award will aid in my future endeavors in a Ph.D. program and eventually pursuing research work for the Department of Defense or a private company within the aerospace sector.”

Metcalf worked with the Center for Fellowship and Scholarship Advising (CFSA) to prepare his application. A faculty committee, headed by James Spencer, professor of chemistry, selected Syracuse’s nominees for the national competition.

“Alex’s extraordinary academic record and research profile made him an outstanding Goldwater candidate,” says Jolynn Parker, director of CFSA. “His selection for the award is a vote of confidence in his potential to do important research in the future.”

Metcalf has sought out a range of research opportunities during his time at Syracuse. In summer 2019, he interned at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, developing computer code capable of performing mechanism assembly for the software Engineering Sketch Pad under the advisement of John Dannenhoffer, associate professor and aerospace engineering undergraduate program director.

Metcalf also pursued a bioengineering independent study research project during the fall 2019 and spring 2020 semesters overseen by Pun To (Douglas) Yung, associate teaching professor of biomedical and chemical engineering and bioengineering undergraduate program director. Project Footstrike focused on creating a computerized shoe insole capable of measuring a user’s heel strike and toe off mechanics during activity. Metcalf was the lead computer coder for this project, which required him to write code in C++ and MATLAB coding languages with the aim of increasing accuracy of the heel strike and toe off mechanics measurements.

In summer 2020, Metcalf joined the Combustion and Energy Research laboratory of Jeongmin Ahn, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering. There, he is currently working on a hybrid power train for small unmanned aerial vehicles.

Metcalf plans to pursue a Ph.D. in mechanical and aerospace engineering with a focus on combustion, propulsion and aeronautics. “I want to work in a field that blends computational modeling and simulation with real-world testing and engineering,” says Metcalf. “I am particularly interested in conducting research that will increase efficiency and reliability of the engineering systems that contribute to U.S. national security.”

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

Scott Manning Stevens

When Scott Manning Stevens was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, he assumed the virus would be over by the summer’s end and that he would have no problem traveling abroad to Hungary the following spring. “How wrong I was,” says Stevens, an associate professor of English and associate professor and director of Native American and Indigenous Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences.

As the months passed and life as we knew it was brought to a screeching halt, Stevens had no idea how, and if, he would have the opportunity to carry out his fellowship. His Fulbright award funded a semester in Debrecen, a city in eastern Hungary located approximately 250 miles from the Romanian border. He planned to teach at the University of Debrecen and conduct research at ethnographic museums throughout the country.

As the pandemic persisted, Fulbright scholars who had planned fellowships for the fall were being asked to postpone or reapply for another time in the future. Stevens says, “I expected we would be told the same, but just before Thanksgiving we were given the green light and had just weeks to prepare to go.”

Stevens is now settling in at his home base in Debrecen. He says Hungary currently has lockdown policies in place that include a national curfew from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., no indoor restaurant dining and no gatherings of more than 10 people at events. He currently teaches two seminar-style classes once a week to students in the University’s North American Studies Institute. One is an introduction to Native American studies for undergraduates and the other is an M.A. seminar: Arts and Myth of the American West. While they are being conducted virtually now, he is hopeful that they will transition to an in-person format later in the spring semester.

The University of Debrecen, founded in 1538, is Hungary’s oldest continuously operating institution of higher education. Stevens chose this university for his fellowship after delivering a paper there at the Hungarian Association for American Studies’ biennial conference in 2019.

Scott Manning Stevens (back row, second from the right) with other Fulbright scholars in front of Matthias Church in Budapest, Hungary. (Photo courtesy of Scott Manning Stevens)

He says, “I decided this would be an excellent place to pursue my research and to teach students interested in learning about Native America, within the context of their American Studies degrees.” Stevens notes that Debrecen’s distinguished reputation as one of Hungary’s best research universities and its connections with cultural institutions around the country made it a perfect fit for his research effort to examine the role of ethnological museums in the formation of national identities.

Ethnographic museums feature exhibits and collections with an emphasis on the study of people and cultures. According to Stevens, there are few actual ethnographic museums in the United States, with much of the ethnographic information presented in natural history museums. Examples include the American Museum of Natural History in New York City and the Field Museum in Chicago. Other major ethnographic museums in the U.S. are connected to research universities such as the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard University, the Phoebe Hearst Museum of Anthropology at U.C. Berkeley and the Penn Museum at the University of Pennsylvania.

Stevens says he finds the portrayal of Indigenous communities in some American museums particularly problematic—either because of misinformation or the cultural biases that inform them. Stevens, a citizen of the Akwesasne Mohawk Nation, a territory straddling the New York State, Quebec and Ontario borders along the St. Lawrence River, says that in many U.S. museums where Euro-Americans are the presumed typical audience, only non-white cultures are presented as ‘ethnic’ and are portrayed in relation to discredited notions of “cultural evolution” or other forms of so-called primitivism or exoticism.

The University of Debrecen, where Stevens teaches courses in the North American Studies Institute. (Photo courtesy of Scott Manning Stevens)

While Stevens says American ethnographic museums tend to assume white Euro-Americans as the “normative viewer,” placing the cultures of “ethnic Others” on display, Hungarian museums focus primarily on their own culture and examine other ethnicities from a comparative perspective. Much of the attention in museums in Hungary is on Magyar (Hungarian) people as a distinct ethnic group with various regional cultural differences as the main subject of study. Exhibits explore their national identity and their coming to the Carpathian Basin over a thousand years ago. Only in large museums, such as the Museum of Ethnography in Budapest, are there exhibits and collections regarding non-European ethnic groups.

“I’m fascinated by the framing of ethnography within the larger discourse of Hungarian nationalism and the insistence by some leaders that Hungary is a monoethnic state,” Stevens says. “This creates an atmosphere of ethnic homogeneity that does not reflect the presence of long-standing ethnic minorities such as the Roma population or former large Jewish populations as Hungarian. It also makes the development of a multi-ethnic state, created through immigration, a notion contrary to what is essential to Hungarian identity.”

Once Stevens completes his fellowship and returns to the Unites States, he plans to produce an article specifically addressing Hungarian ethnological museums and publishing it in a scholarly journal.

The����awards more than 800 fellowships annually for higher education faculty and administrators, professionals, artists, journalists, scientists and independent scholars to teach, research and conduct professional projects in more than 135 countries.