In Jamaica, where track and field stars like Usain Bolt (eight-time gold medalist) and Elaine Thompson-Herah (five-time gold medalist) captured national glory at the Summer Olympics, children grow up wanting to emulate their heroes.

But for every Bolt or Thompson-Herah, thousands of aspiring track and field athletes will never qualify for the Olympics. For them, they compete because they love their sport, not because they envision winning a gold medal.

Recognizing the important role support systems play in the development of teenagers into adults, a team of three students in the built a holistic vision for supporting elite youth athletes in Jamaica during the Grand Final of the fifth annual in Lausanne, Switzerland.

“Our focus was on preparing these students for a future outside of athletics. We wanted to give them the support they needed to succeed where they were at, but also to experience success once they’re done competing,” says Cooper Feldstein ’28, a sport management major.

The Falk students were invited to compete in the undergraduate event at the Grand Final after claiming first place in the semifinals back in December. , assistant teaching professor of sport management, served as the group’s advisor throughout the process.

Helping Athletes Feel Heard and Supported

At the Olympic Museum, Feldstein, Noah Bair ’28 and Angel Rooks Orton ’28 applied the lessons learned through their Falk College classes and presented their solution to a contemporary challenge in sports management.

The group selected Jamaica because of the country’s recognizable brand and success on the global stage, but also because of the national pride its citizens derive from the sport, and because of how many children take up sprinting.

To learn more about Jamaica’s youth track and field landscape, focusing on athletes ages 15 to 18, the students interviewed former Jamaican sprinter Kemardo Tyrell, now an assistant professor of research at Temple University’s School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management. Tyrell spoke to the unique pressures facing Jamaica’s youth athletes.

The group focused on increasing athlete retention (especially among girls), improving academic success and programming, enhancing sport participation and addressing growing mental health challenges.

Knowing most won’t make a successful career in athletics, the Falk team “wanted to help ensure that these elite athletes feel heard and are protected while they are committed to their sport,” Bair says.

“We wanted to look at what the path of a youth athlete looks like, not only in terms of athletic success and accomplishments, but in their academics and their life outside of track,” says Bair, a sport analytics major. “What we found was there are wide gaps in how well students can build a sustainable and enjoyable career in athletics.”

Prioritizing Mental Health and Well-Being

Their research into the trends among Jamaica’s youth track and field competitors showed that if an athlete didn’t develop a positive mindset from an early age, they wouldn’t be able to handle the pressure of competing at the highest level.

“We needed to understand how we could provide them with the stability that they would need to perform to the level that they can actually get to, with how much pressure these kids are facing every day,” Feldstein says.

As one of their cornerstones, the team proposed developing an app as an all-encompassing support system, serving as a communication tool between coaches and their athletes.

Wanting athletes to stay present and in the moment while balancing academics with athletics, the trio came up with weekly mental wellness check-ins where the youths could discuss what’s on their mind.

“These elite athletes are facing a ton of pressure to succeed,” says Rooks Orton, a sport management major. “There are needs we’re trying to meet in Jamaica, and the app can help athletes stay in their program longer, enjoy their sport more and build habits to be successful in sports and in life.”

Leveling the Playing Field

According to research conducted by the group, once a female athlete turns 13, the chances of her quitting her sport are two times greater than those of her male counterparts.

“These females often get discouraged from competing because there isn’t a great support system in place, and because, for many girls, they don’t have examples of successful female athletes to look up to,” Rooks Orton says. “With the app, girls can ask questions, learn from successful women athletes and get the support they need to stay in sports at a high level.”

While the Orange trio didn’t win the Grand Final, the lessons learned from this global experience will stay with them as they prepare for a career in sports.

“This has been a formative experience,” Feldstein says. “The opportunity to work on this high-level professional project will prepare us for the future.”

“It was an honor representing Falk College and Syracuse on the world stage,” Bair says. “We put our best foot forward thanks to the incredible work we’re doing at Falk.”

Rooks Orton agrees. “It’s cool to be in a position where we’re constantly learning about the industry,” she says.

This experience was made possible by the generosity of Jeff and Andrea Lomasky, whose son, Marc Lomasky ’12, is an alumnus of the sport management program.

Three ������ students—one researching proteins, one mapping geothermal heat beneath Greenland’s ice sheet and one engineering bacteria-fighting surfaces for medical implants—are recipients of the 2026 Goldwater Scholarship.

They are the following:

• Mallory Brown ’27, a neuroscience and statistics major in the (A&S) and a member of the ;
• Kenna Cummings ’27, a geology major in A&S; and
• Khuong Pham ’27, a biomedical engineering major in the (ECS) and a member of the Renée Crown University Honors Program.

�ճ���� was established by Congress in 1986 to honor U.S. Sen. Barry Goldwater, the five-term senator from Arizona. The program provides 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 1,485 nominations this year from around the country and 454 students were selected for the scholarship.

Each ������ Goldwater Scholarship nominee worked with the (CFSA) to prepare their application. A faculty committee, headed by, professor of chemistry in A&S, selected Syracuse’s nominees for the national competition.

“We are so proud of Kenna, Khuong and Mallory. They each stand to make significant contributions to their respective fields, and society, throughout their scientific careers, and it is exciting to see them honored with this award,” says Melissa Welshans, assistant director of CFSA. “The selection of three Syracuse students this year is a testament to the robust support for undergraduate research and excellent faculty mentorship students receive here.”

Mallory Brown

Pursuing a statistics major turned out to be the decision that defined Brown’s research career. That mathematical foundation gave her an edge in the lab, and she has put it to use across two distinct research environments.

In the lab of , associate professor of biology and chemistry in A&S, Brown works with intrinsically disordered proteins, working to understand their  behavior in live cells and under heat stress. She worked to experimentally quantify the chemical structure of RTL8, a protein known to interact with the UBQLN2 protein.

Brown also performed research with Amanda Cremone-Caira at the BRAiN Lab at Merrimack College, where she applied her statistical skills to a child development study, uncovering meaningful patterns of disagreement between caregiver and teacher assessments of preschool behavior, patterns previously unreported in literature.

Brown is drawn to large, complex data sets and the hidden stories within them. But she is equally motivated by the knowledge that her findings could reshape how researchers understand ALS and early childhood development. In the future, she hopes to conduct research and teach at a university, paying forward the mentorship that shaped her own path.

Kenna Cummings

Cummings came to geophysics with a goal already in mind: a career in geothermal energy. That clarity of purpose led her to the Geophysics Computing Lab of, assistant professor of Earth and environmental sciences in A&S, where she found her research question. Scanning the seismology literature on geothermal gradients beneath Greenland, she noticed that paper after paper overlooked the ice sheet itself, despite its potential as a surficial indicator of ground temperature.

Now, guided by Russell and graduate student Isaac Rotimi, Cummings uses the horizontal to vertical spectral ratio (HVSR) method to constrain shallow layers like the ice sheet and investigate how elevated geothermal temperatures affect basal conditions that drive melting, icequakes and sliding. The work matters beyond Greenland since accurately distinguishing geothermal from climate-driven ice loss is essential for building better climate models.

For Cummings, the research is inseparable from its real-world stakes. She envisions leading a lab at a geothermal energy company, working at the intersection of science, industry and policy to make geothermal systems more efficient and more widespread. She is equally focused on the risks, such as induced seismicity, heat pollution and impacts on water resources. Earth systems, she says, are complex and interconnected, and responsible innovation demands that researchers understand them fully before intervening.

Khuong Pham

Pham’s research sits at the intersection of chemistry, biology and engineering. Working to design antimicrobial peptoids—synthetic molecules that mimic the infection-fighting proteins our bodies naturally produce–he is helping develop “self-defensive” surfaces for implanted medical devices like joint replacements. His challenge is to engineer peptoids that cluster just enough to withstand the body’s environment yet remain ready to deploy against invading bacteria on contact.

This work builds on a strong computational foundation developed through his research with , Milton and Ann Stevenson Endowed Professor of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering and chair of biomedical and chemical engineering in ECS, where he has honed skills in molecular simulation, Python scripting and high-performance computing, tools that have proven transferable across every research environment he has entered. He has also conducted research at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich, Germany, in Alena Khmelinskaia’s Protein Design and Self-Assembly Group through the support of a National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates.

Pham hopes to one day lead his own research lab as a professor, applying computational tools to design responsive proteins and biomaterial systems that address problems in medicine and biotechnology.

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.

and the hosted students, researchers, industry leaders and government officials this week for the , putting Central New York’s rapidly expanding semiconductor and quantum technology ecosystem on display.

Held under the theme, “New York State Talent and Technology—Shaping the Future,” the daylong event at Goldstein Auditorium drew participants from NNN partner institutions across the state and from sponsors including , , , , and .

The University has made significant investments to anchor the region’s semiconductor and nanotechnology future. It also leads the for the , a federally designated consortium accelerating semiconductor innovation across Central New York. Together with , the University invested $20 million to build the (CASM) to train the next generation of semiconductor technicians and engineers.

Through the University’s , nearly 500 veterans have enrolled in semiconductor workforce training programs. The University also holds a $1 million NSF ExLENT grant providing adult learners, including mid-career professionals and veterans, with hands-on exposure to semiconductor, quantum and optical technologies. And the University’s now includes 18 faculty across three departments, with the 8,000-square-foot Quantum Technology Center expected to open this summer.

A Major Partner 

“The investments Syracuse has made in facilities and faculty have positioned us to be a major partner to industry,” says University Vice President for Research . “Our faculty and labs allow our students to gain the skills that employers need. Events like the NNN Symposium are where students meet the people who will hire them, where faculty learn what industry needs and where the connections are made that turn research training into careers.”

Keynote addresses came from , chief business officer of GlobalFoundries and a ������ engineering alumnus; , senior vice president and executive director of and , senior director of U.S. expansion programs for Micron. A workforce development panel brought together representatives from , , , and . Student researchers from NNN partner universities across the state presented their work in oral and poster formats, followed by a career fair connecting students directly with hiring companies.

Forefront Future

“The innovation and collaboration on display shows that Central New York is at the forefront of America’s nanotechnology and semiconductor future,” says  innovation concierge, NY SMART I-Corridor, workforce development pillar lead for the Upstate NY Energy Storage Engine and director of strategic partnerships for ������’s College of Engineering and Computer Science. He and Yoanna Ferrara, director of technology innovation in the Office of Research, organized the symposium. “We will carry this momentum forward by continuing to deepen partnerships between upstate New York universities, industry leaders and government to strengthen New York’s semiconductor ecosystem.”

When two black holes collide and merge, they don’t go quietly. Instead, the resulting mega black hole rings like a struck bell, radiating energy outward through space-time in the form of gravitational waves.

The gravitational wave signal produced when two black holes merge is called the ringdown, and for physicist ’05, G’11, and his doctoral student Alex Correia, studying the ringdown may hold the key to rewriting our understanding of the universe.

Capano, research associate professor in the , and Correia, a third-year Ph.D. student, are part of a growing field of gravitational wave astronomy, a discipline that was barely possible a decade ago and is now producing results that could one day surpass even Einstein’s greatest work.

“We’re hoping to prove that Einstein was wrong,” says Capano, whose research has been funded by grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF). “We’re hoping to find some deviation from Einstein’s theory of general relativity, because that would point the way to a better, deeper understanding of our universe.”

Through black hole spectroscopy, a technique for analyzing how black holes merge, Capano and Correia want to learn if there are any discoverable abnormalities that could lead to significant breakthroughs.

Helping Us ‘Hear’ the Universe Better

Gravitational waves are invisible, high-speed ripples in the fabric of spacetime, and they were first recorded on Sept. 14, 2015, a landmark moment that confirmed Einstein’s prediction, made within his theory of general relativity, that gravitational waves exist.

But Einstein’s theories don’t just predict that black holes exist. They describe black holes with specific properties that can essentially be “heard,” detected through the damping energy produced when a black hole rings. That ringing, Capano explains, produces distinct modes or notes, much like striking a key on a piano.

“The question is, can you see more than one of these frequencies, or more than one of these notes, in the ringdown?” Capano says. “Is there a C note and an E note, or is there just a C note? That’s an important question because if you can see more than one note, then you can do some of these advanced tests of general relativity to see if the signal is consistent with it or if something could point to some new physics.”

Searching for an Answer in the Noise

The ringdown signal Capano and Correia are tracking fades almost instantly, swallowed by noise in milliseconds. Extracting meaningful measurements requires cutting-edge computational methods.

“A lot of what I’m working on is trying to figure out efficient ways of cutting out the earlier part of the signal because we’re only interested in the ending part, the ringdown,” says Correia, who has published several papers with Capano highlighting their findings. “We have a signal and we want to extract the actual parameters of the black holes merging, their masses, their angular momentums and their frequency.”

Capano and Correia developed a method to explore whether these colliding black holes were producing one note or multiple notes. Initially, their findings couldn’t prove either outcome conclusively, but then, last year, there was a detection that was three times stronger than the initial discovery of gravitational waves.

Before the results were made public, Capano and Correia ran simulations to project what the ringdown waveform would look like, and when the findings were released six months later, they matched what Capano and Correia had predicted.

“We found strong evidence in favor of seeing at least one of those notes in the signal,” Correia says. “With that strong signal, it seems to suggest that yes, you can clearly see more than one note; you can see two notes in the ringdown.”

Strong Bond Forged Between Mentor and Mentee

For Correia, the path to Syracuse ran through the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, where he first began working with Capano as a master’s student.

When Capano joined the Syracuse faculty, Correia followed along, drawn by both continuing to work with his mentor and the strength of the gravitational waves research at the University.

“Alex is a very good student and he’s methodical with his research,” Capano says. “He has a good handle on both the theories and the computational, day-to-day work that drives this research forward.”

The work behind their research can be grueling, spending month after month “grinding away at problems without knowing why they happen,” Correia says.

That dedication earned Correia a trip to Scotland for the preeminent gathering of scientists working in relativity and gravitational waves, the combined International Conference on General Relativity and Gravitation and Edoardo Amaldi Conference on Gravitational Waves.

“That’s the most rewarding part, sharing this groundbreaking research with people and getting insight from other researchers,” says Correia, whose trip was funded by Capano’s NSF grant.

Every major physics breakthrough began with an experiment that revealed a crack in the prevailing theory. Capano and Correia are hunting for that crack.

“We’re hoping gravitational waves will turn up experimental evidence that shows the current paradigm doesn’t explain everything,” Capano says. “Once we have that experimental evidence, someone will be able to turn that into new theories, which is exciting.”

������ undergraduates are getting their moment to shine this spring, presenting original research and creative work to peers, faculty and the broader campus community across a series of symposia and showcase events running through the end of the semester.

“For a researcher, learning how to effectively present their work is a crucial part of the research process. Whether a student is sharing a completed project with conclusions, or a work-in-progress still in development, the dialogue and conversation with a broader audience is always clarifying,” says Kate Hanson, director of the (SOURCE). “Our undergraduates do incredible research, guided by dedicated faculty mentors, and our campus community is warmly welcomed to engage with and celebrate this work.”

The SOURCE Spring Showcase includes the following:

Thursday, March 26

Lundgren Room, 106 Life Sciences Complex, 4-6 p.m.
The event will feature four “TED-style” student research talks and a presentation of SOURCE and Center for Fellowship and Scholarship Advising (CFSA) awards.

Friday, March 27

Life Sciences Complex Atrium, 2-4 p.m.
This interdisciplinary event will feature more than 100 students presenting research and creative activity.

The entire campus community is invited to attend the events.

A complete list of programs in March, April and May with event and registration details can be found on (check back for updated information).

Other symposia and research-related events this spring include:

• , Wednesday, March 25, 9 a.m.-2:45 p.m., Goldstein Auditorium, Schine Student Center
• , Saturday, March 28, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Life Sciences Complex Atrium
• , Friday, April 3, 9:45 a.m.-4:45 p.m., 608 Bird Library
• , Friday, April 10, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Collegian Hotel and Suites, 1060 E. Genesee St.
• , Thursday, April 16, 8:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m., Nancy Cantor Warehouse, Auditorium, Room 100A
• , Friday, April 17, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Milton Atrium, Life Sciences Complex
• , Friday, April 17, 10 a.m., 101 Newhouse 1
• , Tuesday, April 28, 3-5 p.m., 220 Eggers Hall
• , Wednesday, April 29, 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m., Hall of Languages, multiple locations (complete schedule will be available on the after April 8)

The role of entrepreneurship driving economic development in Kenya. Education systems and the propaganda machines behind them in Eastern European socialist states. The preservation of Polish castles and their use for telling the country’s history.

Those are just three of the independent research projects seven Syracuse students pursued internationally last year as Tyler Center Fellows, supported by a $20,000 grant to and the (SOURCE) by the .

For the students who participated, it was a life-changing experience.

“This fellowship changed who I am,” says Mason Burley ’27, a double major in adolescent education and history in the School of Education and the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

The University has once again received an award from the Tyler Center for 2026 and is currently accepting applications for fall 2026 fellowships based in Santiago and Strasbourg. Below, three students who received the fellowship in 2025 share their experiences.

‘Research Something You Love’

Burley, whose research project was focused on the education systems during the era of socialist republics in Poland, Romania and Moldova, says the Tyler Center Fellowship was his first substantial experience with research.

“I am fascinated by Joseph Stalin and his cult of personality and, more specifically, how his sheer influence on the region consumed every single aspect of life,” Burley says. “From school, jobs, social life, government and interpersonal connections. Stalin was lurking in all of these, and it has been a goal of mine to see its effects firsthand.”

The Tyler Center grant and research opportunity opened the gates for him to study the topic in-depth and in-person.

“It is my academic goal to be a well-rounded educator who is exceptionally knowledgeable in my content area,” he says. “I felt that this type of deep immersive, experiential type of research would benefit not only me academically but my students in my future classroom.”

The experience made Burley fall in love with research and “experiencing” history, and has since inspired two additional research projects.

He says visiting Poland, Romania and Moldova, speaking with people and learning their stories was an experience he’d repeat in a “heartbeat.”

“Do whatever your heart says,” Burley says. “Go to a new place and touch the earth. Eat food from a street cart. Put everything that you’ve ever learned away for a second and just experience life as it passes by. Be you, unapologetically. Then come back to campus and show everyone just how cool it is that you got to research something you love.”

‘Be Creative’

For Ella Roerden ’27, the fellowship also allowed the pursuit of a passion project.

A student in the Maxwell School studying anthropology and international relations, Roerden visited five medieval castles around Poland with the goal of analyzing and comparing how they’ve been preserved and restored, as well as how they’re being used as museums in the present day.

“The narratives all differ, and they each tell a different part of the story of Poland,” says Roerden. “I was drawn to castles because of my childhood love of fairytales, all of the magic, dragons and princesses. When I learned that Poland had over 500 castles, I knew I had to find a way to visit some and incorporate them into my studies.”

Like Burley, she says the experience opened her eyes to research, which previously she thought had to be “formulaic and physical.” Gaining the experience of pursuing a topic in the humanities has her looking forward to an international relations capstone.

“If you’re already going to be in a different country, take advantage of the opportunities and resources there that we don’t have here in Syracuse (like medieval castles) and be creative!” Roerden says.

‘Put in All Your Effort’

Mary Begley ’26, a Whitman School finance and entrepreneurship major graduating in December, traveled to Kenya in May 2025 with a professor and fellow students, supported by her grant.

“I had the opportunity to immerse myself in a new culture and experience how businesses operate within an emerging economy,” she says. “Because of this opportunity, I decided to conduct independent research where I spoke one-on-one with small business owners to learn about their experiences running a business in Kenya.”

The best part, she says, was speaking with entrepreneurs and learning about their work, their passions and the challenges they face as business owners.

She encourages other students to consider the Tyler grants.

“Put in all your effort,” she says. “For me, I was very new to research and had no idea how to conduct it at first. But having the right people around you and consistently asking questions or seeking feedback really helped me throughout the process.”

How to Apply

Fall 2026 Tyler Fellows—supported by awards up to $3,000—will design projects in Santiago or Strasbourg with guidance from a home campus faculty mentor, as well as Syracuse Abroad and SOURCE staff. Students must first be accepted into one of those programs.

As part of the fellowship, they will take a “Research in Community” seminar and participate in cohort activities with Tyler Fellows from other institutions.

“The Tyler Center for Global Studies Fellowship not only provides essential funding to support students’ international undergraduate research activities but also facilitates a community of scholars engaging with cross-cultural research both here at ������ and in the larger, multi-institution Tyler Center program,” says Kate Hanson, director of SOURCE. “Students navigate the complexities of research with another culture alongside fellow students and mentors in a program that facilitates discussion and reflection.”

Interested students should first email ugresearch@syr.edu to express their interest in the Tyler Fellows Program and then prepare a project proposal and apply through . Applications are due by April 2 or July 9.

An information session for interested students will be held Thursday, March 19, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. on the sixth floor of 100 Sims Drive.

SOURCE can also help students develop research ideas, find faculty mentors and prepare application materials. Contact the SOURCE team at ugresearch@syr.edu or 315.443.2091.

For ������ senior , research isn’t confined to a laboratory. She’s taking her work directly into the community—hosting events, screening participants and listening closely to people who have long been underserved by the health care system.

Weltman, a dual major in communication sciences and disorders (CSD) and neuroscience with a minor in psychology in the (A&S), is conducting research in the under the mentorship of , A&S assistant professor of CSD.

Pei, a certified speech-language pathologist, researches ways to maximize cognitive-communication rehabilitation outcomes for individuals with traumatic brain injuries and how health communication discrimination affects their health care access and recovery.

Pei and Weltman are working in the project, “Integrating Culturally Adapted Principles in Cognitive Communication Rehabilitation,” which addresses a critical gap in speech-language pathology: the absence of culturally tailored care.

“The long-term goal of this research study is to improve speech-language pathologist therapy participation and outcomes for all clients, regardless of their backgrounds, thereby ensuring consistent healthcare delivery to all,” Weltman says.

Community Research Model

To gather insights, the research team uses a community-based model, hosting engagement events at locations such as the Westcott Community Center, Mckinley- Brighton Elementary School, Cicero Community Center, Interfaith Works of CNY and the Jewish Community Center of Syracuse. Participants come from local nursing homes, YMCAs, elementary school programs and other local groups that support community centers and senior companion programs. The events include presentations on healthy aging that feature games and prizes, free cognitive screenings and opportunities to participate in surveys and interviews. Weltman then analyzes those findings and connects them to the psychotherapy adaptation and modification framework—a systematic guide used to customize standard psychological treatments to fit a client’s specific personal background.

Learning New Skills

The work has pushed Weltman to develop skills that span clinical science, data analysis and community organizing. She has learned to code interviews, extract and analyze data, develop surveys and create clinical manuals, and says these technical competencies will serve her well in her future career as a speech-language pathologist specializing in neurogenic communication disorders.

Just as important, she has learned to see the broader landscape of how health care reaches and serves all patients. She says that work has allowed her to identify specific barriers to health care and learn how to recognize how personal nuances affect speech-language therapy.

Weltman’s research is already reaching beyond Syracuse’s campus. She is preparing to submit a proposal to , a significant milestone for an undergraduate researcher.

She credits her faculty mentor with making that trajectory possible. Weltman has worked with Pei since her sophomore year and says the relationship fundamentally shaped her academic and professional path.

“From my very first assigned task, Dr. Pei has believed in my potential and supported me every step of the way,” Weltman says. “Without her and the lab, I would have never concentrated on the field of cognitive communication, which has inspired my future career.”

The (SOURCE) has also been instrumental in her work, Weltman says. SOURCE is where she first learned about the range of available to undergraduates.  The office provided research project components, including a received this past year. In addition, SOURCE support such as and programming including orientations, workshops and check-in meetings, have underpinned her ongoing success, she says.

For Weltman, the research is ultimately about more than data or frameworks—it is about making sure every patient, regardless of background, has a real chance at recovery.

Nine  graduate students have been selected to receive  the Graduate Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research and Creative Work at a ceremony hosted by the Graduate School on .

The event takes place from 3 to 5 p.m. in 312 Lyman Hall and will include presentations by the recipients. The campus community is invited to attend; .

This year’s competition drew applicants from programs and departments across the University. Winners were chosen by a panel of faculty members who serve on the . Honorees receive a certificate of recognition and a $500 award.

The 2026 Graduate Dean’s Award winners are:

• Yanbei Chen (instructional design, development and evaluation, School of Education), “Preparing Future Teachers for Responsible AI Use: AI-Related Teaching Anxiety, Protective Resources and Implications for Teacher Education”
• Jessica Hogbin (history, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs), “Innumerable Melancholies: Medicine, Mental Health and Human Nature in Renaissance Italy, 1450-1650”
• Dian Ling (multimedia, photography and design, Newhouse School of Public Communications), “Documentary Film, ‘The Cycle Breaker’”
• David Ojomakpene Moses (chemical engineering, College of Engineering and Computer Science [ECS]), “Designing ‘Smart’ Catalysts for Cleaner and More Efficient Chemical Manufacturing”
• Christine Eunseol Park (public relations, Newhouse School), “Narrative Structure and Explanatory Link Strength in Low-Fit Corporate Social Advocacy: An Experimental Study of Perceived Authenticity”
• Michael Seitz (bioengineering, ECS), “Engineering Poly(ethylene) Glycol Hydrogels as Synthetic ECM”
• Aditya Srinivasa (social science, Maxwell School), “Imagining Infrastructure: The Rise and Fall of Interstate 81”
• Elina Ruiqi Su (social psychology, College of Arts and Sciences [A&S]), “Perceiving to Provide: How Partner Attachment Perceptions Inform Buffering Behaviors”
• Jiayue Yu (art photography, College of Visual and Performing Arts [VPA] ), “After the Photograph”

In addition, five students received honorable mention:

• Kaia Kirk (political science, Maxwell School),  “The Black Cabinet: The Role of Movement-State Actors in Institutional Development and Policy Change”
• Katie Mulligan (illustration, VPA), “Tales of Rattlesnake Gulch: An Illustrated History of Cicero Swamp”
• Bixuan Ren (mass communications, Newhouse School), “Who Deserves to Belong? The Influence of Partisan News and Anti-Immigrant Misinformation on Immigrant Deservingness and Policy Preferences”
• Aliza M. Willsey (mechanical and aerospace engineering, ECS), “Development of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Emission Control Technology for Combustion Systems”
• Wusirige (human development and family science, A&S), “Family Processes and Children’s Development across Social and Cultural Contexts”

“The Graduate School is pleased to recognize these students as among the many talented scholars who are contributing to our community every day,” says Peter Vanable, Graduate School dean. “We applaud their ongoing progress in research projects and creative initiatives and enjoy the opportunity to showcase their work to the University.”

The Lender Center for Social Justice is now accepting applications for the 2026-28 Lender Faculty Fellowship. The two-year research fellowship, now in its eighth year, supports faculty work on the causes of and solutions to complex contemporary social justice issues.

Application Deadline Is April 10

• The fellowships are open to full-time ������ faculty.
• Applications are due by Friday, April 10, at 5 p.m.
• Details about the and required materials are available on the .
• Questions can be directed to lendercenter@syr.edu.

What Support Does the Fellowship Provide?

• A stipend of $15,000 covering the faculty member’s work for two summers.
• An additional $5,000 per year allocated to support research initiatives ($10,000 total).
• Another $5,000 dedicated to cover costs of hosting a public symposium at the conclusion of the fellowship, when faculty and student fellows present their work.

Who Are Recent Faculty Fellows and Their Research Topics?

Recent fellows studied these issues:

• , associate professor of mathematics and mathematics education in the and , looked at how data literacy skills can be developed and how data can provide insights into community quality-of-life issues.
• , assistant professor of public health in the , examined economic policies that shaped housing and employment opportunities in Syracuse and the importance of community input and engagement in social issues
• , assistant professor of magazine, news and digital journalism in the , studied post-9/11 news media coverage and how it impacted specific communities.
• , professor of anthropology and Ford-Maxwell Professor of South Asian Studies in the Maxwell School, led a team that studied how AI systems can transform the concepts of autonomy, accountability, human rights and justice.
• , associate dean for strategic initiatives and research and Georgia Miller Associate Professor in the School of Design at the , assessed how building design impacted accessibility and use of a new women’s wellness center.
• , associate professor of geography and the environment in the Maxwell School, who , particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Good Results, Engaging Research

“Over the past eight years, Lender faculty fellows and their student teams have taken innovative approaches to exploring a wide spectrum of social justice issues,” says , Lender Center director. “We are grateful for their good work and the up-to-date knowledge they have produced, and we are pleased that they have regarded their projects as engaging and transformative research opportunities.”

The Maxwell School’s economics department has launched a program designed to encourage broader participation in the field of economics.

Research Advancement and Impact in Syracuse Economics (RAISE) provides structured, paid research experiences that broaden participation in economics, particularly among first-generation students and those from low-income households. It was developed by Kristy Buzard, associate professor of economics and a Maxwell School Melvin A. Eggers Economics Faculty Scholar.

According to a 2022 Peterson Institute for International Economics study, U.S.-born economics Ph.D. recipients are much more likely to have highly educated parents than both the general population and other academic disciplines.

Connecting Students with Faculty

Launched this spring, the RAISE program adds a research lab and connects undergraduates with graduate students and faculty in collaborative teams designed to develop empirical research skills.

Buzard says the program enables students to gain early and meaningful exposure to research, develop the skills needed for advanced study, and build networks that foster persistence in the economics pipeline. Buzard hopes that RAISE will not only connect students to mentors but will also help build a sense of community for students who share similar lived experiences and interests.

“Instead of waiting for research-related work to present itself, this program creates opportunities in the economics department for those looking to expand their skills with hands-on learning” Buzard says, adding that RAISE acts as a bridge for students who want to get and stay involved with economics research. “RAISE will leverage its funding, resources and networks to continuously help students move forward in their research goals.”

Developing Skills

Most students will begin in the RAISE program by taking Economic Research in Practice (ECN 331), a spring semester course Buzard teaches that introduces fundamental empirical economics tools to first- and second-year undergraduates. Upon successful completion, students will be invited to join the RAISE research lab, where they will continue developing skills through project-based learning and mentorship.

The program provides paid research assistant positions, leveraging Federal Work-Study funding wherever possible to ensure students can engage meaningfully in research without financial hardship. Graduate students receive stipends for leading skill workshops and supervising teams, building their own professional capacity for mentorship.

RAISE students will be supported as they transition into independent research experiences, such as the Economics Distinction Program co-directed by Maria Zhu, assistant professor of economics, and Perry Singleton, associate professor of economics.

The RAISE program is supported by a $5,000 seed grant from the American Economic Association. The Maxwell School Dean’s Office, the economics department and the Syracuse Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Engagement (SOURCE) will also provide a combined total of $5,000 annually for the next five years.

“This initiative builds upon existing departmental strengths and successful programs at ������, creating a sustainable and inclusive infrastructure for undergraduate research that complements and extends the University’s mission of educational equity,” Buzard says.

Students in any academic year may express interest through an . Applicants do not need to be economics majors but must take key economics coursework and demonstrate strong interest in the field. For more information, contact Kristy Buzard at kbuzard@syr.edu.

In soccer, build-up play is when a team uses short passes to move the ball from the defensive third into the attacking half.

In many ways, the groundbreaking relationship between the sport analytics program in the Falk College of Sport and the in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, has been a build-up play that’s resulting in unique “scoring opportunities” for sport analytics students and Oldham Athletic.

About four years ago, Sport Analytics Professor met at a sports analytics conference in Spain. Reade is a professor of economics at the University of Reading in Reading, Berkshire, England, and a diehard Oldham fan.

Last year, when Sanders was working with Falk College student Ava Uribe and Associate Sport Analytics Professor on soccer-related research, he reached out to Reade for help with collecting data and ideas on how best to mine that data for actionable insights. With Uribe, a member of the women’s soccer team, as lead author, the research was selected among thousands of entrants as one of seven finalists in the research paper competition at the prestigious MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference in Boston.

In advance of the conference, Reade visited Falk College and was amazed to learn of the work being done by sport analytics students with Syracuse Athletics and professional teams and leagues around the world.

Darren Royle, the CEO of Oldham Athletic who has a background in sport analytics, created an Academic Advisory Board that includes out-of-the-box thinkers and passionate football fans like Reade (Oldham is the only professional club in England with such a board). Reade passed the idea of working with the University to Royle, who says there was a “keen appetite on both sides” to create an innovative partnership by sharing knowledge and providing opportunities for sport analytics students to work with Oldham.

“What we found was a real pool of talent and a high level of skill by the students with what they’ve done so far,” Royle says. “They’ve been very diligent around this, and their work already has fed into our (player) recruitment process.”

The build-up play of the partnership progressed in early December at the second hosted by Oldham in conjunction with the University and the University of Reading. Professor , chair of the Department of Sport Analytics, sport analytics graduate ’23, and Falk Director of Corporate Partnerships and External Engagement have been involved with the relationship from the start and played key roles in the conference.

“This was a rare opportunity to work with a club that combines deep tradition with a genuine commitment to innovation and education,” Paul says. “Oldham’s history gives the partnership immediate credibility, but what truly stood out was how deeply Darren and James care about education at every level, from young children to adults engaged in lifelong learning.”

“Their initiatives in Manchester have the potential to be transformative for the local community, and it was important to me that Syracuse and Falk College sport analytics be part of something that connects football, education, and social impact in such a meaningful way,” Paul says.

High-Level Insights

Starting in June, 15 sport analytics students embarked on a series of data analysis projects aimed at helping Oldham identify a player’s style of play, strengths and weaknesses, mindset and character (for example, how the player responds after a difficult match, proneness to injuries and salary expectations).

“Some of the work the students have been doing is novel; certainly, it hasn’t been done before in our league,” Royle says. “It has fitted as an extra resource for us since we had just got promoted back to the EFL and we didn’t have the structures and staffing in place that a team in the EFL might normally have.”

To oversee the students’ work, Riverso enlisted the help of Freson, a former senior data analyst for Oldham who is now an assistant data scientist for the Blackburn Rovers Football Club in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, and a data analyst for the Estonian Football Association. As a student in Falk College, Freson was the lead data analyst for the 2022 ������ men’s soccer team that won the NCAA Division I national championship.

“James (Reade) and I created open-ended projects based on the needs of the club, and delegated groups of students to work on each project,” Freson says. “That allowed them to deliver high-level insights while developing their own skills and learning how to cater the end product to the end user.”

“Hopefully one day I’ll be working in a front office or with the analytics’ staff for a top club like Tottenham and this internship has greatly helped me prepare for that,” says sport analytics major Gavin Anderson ’28. “It has offered me invaluable insight into the day-to-day operations of a club and what teams value in players and potential targets.”

Paul says perhaps the biggest benefit for the students is that they’re operating at a truly professional level in terms of expectations and impact as they’re working with real data, real constraints and real decision-making timelines.

“While we have strong partnerships elsewhere, the scope and continuity of the work with Oldham is unique; students are not just completing stand-alone projects, but contributing to an ongoing analytics and strategy process,” Paul says. “That level of immersion accelerates learning, builds confidence, and prepares students to operate in global sport environments in ways that are difficult to replicate in a classroom alone.”

‘We See The Synergies’

The Football Analytics Conference in December provided an opportunity for the Syracuse contingent and Oldham officials to discuss short- and long-term opportunities.

“I see this developing as a long-term partnership that allows ������ students to gain invaluable professional experience while also allowing Oldham to conduct analysis way beyond their means otherwise,” Freson says.

“You guys are unique because of your founder (Paul) and your model for students,” Royle says. “We really like the thinking around it. So we’ve kind of mapped ourselves to your culture, philosophy, and strategy and we see all the synergies.”

When doctoral student Jamie Gentry G’27 covered politics as a local news reporter for the weekly Navarre Press in northwest Florida, she turned potentially complicated issues into easy-to-understand stories.

But Gentry was amazed at how often people would misinterpret, misconstrue or misremember the information presented in her articles. She overheard many conversations in person and online where citizens, equipped with this misinformation, carried out emotional arguments on a topic using incorrect information.

“I started wondering why I wasn’t able to reach as many people as I could with the actual facts of a story,” Gentry says. “It was frustrating because my job is to give people the best possible information. People need good information to make good decisions, and journalists are supposed to do that. But I found the system wasn’t working.”

Gentry knew there was a disconnect between how political news was being reported and how it was being talked about in her community. She vowed to become part of the solution.

How to Fix a Broken System

Driven by her reporting experiences, Gentry transitioned from journalism to higher education and began pursuing a doctoral degree in mass communications from the .

With a grant from the University’s , Gentry’s ongoing research explores how artificial intelligence (AI) tools used by journalists impact how politics are discussed online and in the real world.

Gentry is comparing how people respond to and discuss a complicated news topic among their communities and on their social media channels under two different scenarios.

Out of 400 online survey respondents, one group is tasked with reading a traditional news story about unemployment, while another digests the information with the help of an AI-generated key takeaways breakout box. Half of the participants are told to share their impressions of the article with someone they know face-to-face, while the other half are tasked with sharing a post about the topic on social media.

At each step, from the journalist sharing their reporting to the survey participant consuming the content to the person receiving the news, there’s an opportunity for the message to change from the original reporting.

“Generally, people tend to accept facts, but we still see arguments over facts online, and we see that people become very polarized,” Gentry says.

An important trend in the political communications research field—combining the study of media and political science—is examining how, in an increasingly polarized country, being divided politically impacts the quality of political reporting.

Especially during this “explosion of media choice” where people have more ways to consume the news, Gentry says this increase in choice means people are opting for stories they want to consume that align with their political ideology.

“That has a real impact on how people engage with politics and how they interpret the news they receive,” Gentry says when identifying an area for future research. “It’s not so much that people are blatantly believing misinformation and don’t care about facts. It’s more that partisanship is impacting how people receive messages and what stories they do and do not see.”

Can AI Be Trusted?

As informers, journalists are charged with breaking down complex topics into digestible content, and they make decisions about what information to include, which sources to interview and which stories to cover.

When she was covering the news, Gentry says it was easy to think she knew what the most important angles were, but as more journalists use AI to produce story summaries, Gentry says it’s natural to wonder whether AI can convey this important information.

“Journalists influence how people learn about and understand a subject matter. Should we be trusting these AI tools to reliably make decisions about what is the most important part of a story?” Gentry says. “Whatever AI decides is the most important snippet of information is being pushed out and that has real implications for how people are getting the news and what they actually know about a story.”

Gentry expects to receive data from her survey participants later this semester. Among her anticipated findings: story summaries make the facts more accessible and easier to process, retain and share.

“My goal is to make journalists better by giving them the tools to better understand how their work impacts the public,” Gentry says. “By sharing data on what works and what doesn’t, hopefully we can make big improvements in the way the news is shared.”

Olutoyin Green ’26 always knew she wanted to study abroad. But she wasn’t expecting to end up in South Africa—and she definitely wasn’t expecting to go there twice in one year.

Green is majoring in political philosophy; health humanities; and law, society and policy alongside a minor in public health in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. Connecting her studies is a need to understand how massive systems impact everyday lives—and how everyday people can change those overarching structures.

Thanks to the University’s experiential learning and outreach initiatives, Green has had the opportunity to encounter both ends of this scalar spectrum. As an undergraduate research assistant with the Engaged Humanities Network, Green works with Southside Connections (SSC) to address social challenges through community organizing.

Her learning with this local, place-based collective action has been complemented by a summer internship at the Global Governance Institute through Syracuse Abroad’s European and Global Internship Program in Brussels, looking at a set of institutions and decision-making processes taking place at a very different scale. Green’s professional development experiences in Belgium included visits to NATO headquarters and the European Parliament alongside meeting experts from the United Nations.

Finding Her Niche Abroad

Even before heading to Brussels for her summer internship, Green planned a full-length semester abroad—something she’d been looking forward to since her freshman year. Initially, she planned on taking general electives at one of the European centers.

As she looked further into study abroad options, though, Green discovered World Partner programs, and “realized they would expose me to different cultures in a non-traditional way that was geared toward my passion.”

The SIT South Africa: International Relations in the Global South program offers students a chance to dive into global affairs from non-Western perspectives, considering such major international actors as the African Union and the BRICS block (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa). The program immediately caught Green’s eye, and in spring 2025, she spent four months in Durban learning about the anti-apartheid movement and contemporary issues in post-colonial societies.

Experiential learning through trips to museums, workshops with local organizations and conversations with civil society leaders developed a lived understanding of multiscalar politics around the region, while three different homestays grounded Green in the country’s still-existing social disparities.

“I don’t have a favorite moment or memory,” Green says, “because the entire semester was so impactful, and everything I did—in and out of formal coursework—connected so powerfully.”

Learning From the Past to Reshape the Future

Throughout her coursework in South Africa, Green was especially moved by the reality that individuals who led the anti-apartheid movement are still alive and able to share their stories and strategies for changemaking. Throughout her studies investigating political, social and economic disparities between communities within the United States and around the world, Green has seen that change needs to happen—but very rarely found avenues to make that change.

Inspired in large part by the “blueprint and hope” that she received from anti-apartheid leaders in South Africa, her senior honors thesis is now considering how social movements are sustained to effectively create meaningful change. Thanks to support from the Syracuse Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Engagement (SOURCE), Green returned to South Africa over Thanksgiving break to lay the groundwork for empirical research informing her thesis.

The trip played a fundamental role in Green’s methodology. “Before going back and speaking with people informally, I had a singular idea of who I was going to interview,” says Green, having assumed she would focus on high-profile activists.

The informal conversations highlighted the intricacy of the movement as a whole—and just how intentional the role of doorknockers, knowledge generators, exiled individuals and other “behind the scenes” members of the movement were. Green now has a more multifaceted understanding of what social movements can look like, and who is involved.

And though she may not have a favorite memory from spring 2025, reuniting with her host family over Thanksgiving break was the personal highlight of her recent research trip, as well as sitting on the warm beach in November. “There’s nothing better than the water in Durban,” she says.

Story by Becca Farnum, community engagement specialist with Syracuse Abroad in London

High school students from the Syracuse City School District (SCSD) gathered in August and presented research projects demonstrating what they had learned during six weeks of hands-on laboratory work with (A&S) faculty. Just months earlier, the program’s future had been in doubt after federal funding was pulled back.

The University’s and the district responded to financial uncertainty by teaming up to support the program for another year. Thanks to these one-time funds, the fourth annual ������ Summer High School Internship Program (SU-SHIP) concluded with 24 students presenting posters on their summer research.

The program began as (and later was known as SUPER-Tech SHIP) as a physics-only initiative. In the years since, it has grown into a cross-departmental effort, with 68 volunteers—including postdocs, graduate and undergraduate students—working alongside the high schoolers this summer.

The expansion brought faculty from chemistry and Earth and environmental sciences into the mix for the first time, joining nine physics professors who have made the program a cornerstone of the department’s community engagement. Together, they supervised students exploring computational astrophysics, biophysics, soft matter physics, particle physics, chemistry and Earth sciences.

Building Pathways From High School to Career

Eight former SU-SHIP participants returned as peer mentors, creating a pathway that demonstrates the program’s lasting impact on STEM students. Six of those mentors now attend ������ as undergraduates, while another studies at .

With STEM occupations projected to grow by more than 10% by 2031, today’s high school students require a solid foundation in math, science and engineering. Nowhere is this more true than in the Syracuse area, where the arrival of Micron Technology’s chip manufacturing facility is expected to bring thousands of high-paying positions.

Offering paid internships that also include meals and transportation is a crucial element that makes the program accessible to all students in the area—helping break down the financial barriers that the SCSD students often face.

“I learned so much that first year—science skills, poster presentations, networking,” says Emma Kaputa ’26, an inaugural participant who has returned as a mentor. “I’m really glad to have had that door opened for me. This being a paid position is a reason why someone might be able to do summer research. In some families, high schoolers are responsible for providing income, so they need to work over the summer. An unpaid role could be a huge barrier. Adding the paid internship element makes this a lot more accessible.”

Measuring Lasting Impact

The program’s impact extends beyond individual students. Evaluation by , associate professor in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs’ Department of Public Administration and International Affairs, showed 70% of participants planned to pursue post-undergraduate degrees—up from 54% before the program.

“This program allows us to increase our impact on both the local community of high school students interested in future STEM careers, and also on our ������ undergraduate and graduate students who work alongside them and use the experience to develop as mentors, teachers and scientists,” says , professor and chair of physics.

“This program is crucially important for the excellent students of the Syracuse City high schools who often need funds to support their families in the summer. The loss of funding in 2025 and subsequent resuscitation had huge impacts on the students and their families this past summer. Yet the program’s future is still unclear,” says , founding director of the program, former physics department chair and interim dean for the College of Engineering and Computer Science.

The program’s founders—Melanie Pelcher G’11, Ruell Branch ’24 and Ross, the former A&S associate dean for creativity, scholarship and research as well as a professor of physics, envisioned exactly this kind of multiplier effect when they launched SU-SHIP in 2022. Branch, a graduate of SCSD himself, wanted to show local students what it’s like to work as paid scientists.

Thanks to support from the University and the SCSD, the program continues to benefit students and even expand in the face of financial constraints.