, director of research development for the arts and humanities in the and the (A&S), has been recognized with the 2026 Innovation Award from the (NORDP).

The award recognizes professionals who advance research development through partnerships, new tools and techniques or the creation and sharing of knowledge that produces demonstrable results. Workman and her NORDP colleague, Allison DeVries of Chapman University, received the award in recognition of the evolution of the (CASSH) affinity group, which they founded in 2022. The group, which has grown to more than 150 NORDP members across the country, helps them marshal and create collective resources and share best practices, case studies and challenges in support of faculty in the humanities, creative arts and social sciences areas.

鈥淚鈥檓 honored to receive this award and proud to have had a part in bringing the CASSH group together four years ago when it seemed rare to have a designated arts and humanities research development staff member housed in an R1 institution,鈥� Workman says. The group has gained momentum 鈥渂ecause higher education recognizes the value of this support nationwide as integral to the national research landscape and vital to an individual institution鈥檚 research ecosystem,鈥� she says.

Workman came to 性视界 in 2019 and built a dedicated arts and humanities research development infrastructure from scratch. She now connects with more than 200 faculty across eight schools and colleges and partners with and several University-affiliated arts organizations.

Beyond campus, she is part of the , an 11-university consortium for collaborative research, teaching and programming. She co-leads its HF4 Corridor Futures and Initiatives working group with program manager Aimee Germain to offer professional development opportunities for faculty.

Impact on Faculty and Funding

Prior to Workman鈥檚 arrival, scholars navigated grant funding alone or through informal networks, often missing critical opportunities, says , senior director of research development in the Office of Research, who co-nominated Workman for the award.

She says Workman has contributed to faculty winning prestigious awards, including summer stipends, a and a grant. Workman has also supported a fellowship, an digital justice grant and several successful applications.

In 2025, Workman supported 64 grant proposals seeking $44 million in funding. She recently helped nine arts faculty and five organizations secure awards, making 性视界 the only university in the state to receive multiple awards in that cycle, Chianese says.

, professor of women’s and gender studies and director of the 性视界 University Humanities Center and the Central New York Humanities Corridor, says Workman鈥檚 Corridor support has deepened scholarly community across the region and has had significant impact on 性视界 faculty success.

“Sarah has been instrumental in several prestigious Mellon awards, including our first and ensuing New Directions fellowships and many other highly competitive awards and grants,” says May, who co-nominated Workman for the award. 鈥淢any of these awards have been substantial enough to transform individual career trajectories and drive transformational work at the University and in听 wider communities locally and nationally.” May says faculty frequently remark about how much they enjoy collaborating with Workman and appreciate her support.

, assistant professor of music history and cultures in A&S, credits Workman with helping her secure a , a first for 性视界 among 200 competing institutions. “I am deeply grateful for her thoughtful engagement with my research and for helping make its relevance accessible to a broader interdisciplinary readership,” Pe帽ate says.

, associate professor in women鈥檚 and gender studies in A&S, says Workman’s guidance “proved instrumental in shaping two grant proposals into competitive, fundable projects. Her careful feedback led to key revisions that directly contributed to securing a major award from a private funder. In a context of shrinking funding, Sarah’s leadership has been indispensable for the success of humanities’ interdisciplinary, social justice-centered research.”

While Workman focuses on the arts and humanities, the Office of Research supports faculty across disciplines through a broader research development team. Researchers across campus partner with team members on proposal development, funding searches, cohort writing programs for competitive federal awards and strategic guidance on funding opportunities. Faculty interested in support for their projects can learn more about .

hosted 鈥機use Collections this spring for the third year in a row, an event where students can drop off new and gently used items that they no longer need or are unable to take home at the end of the semester.

The collected items are provided to local organizations and nonprofits, and at the two collection sites on campus, 性视界 University and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry students donated an estimated 85 bins of items.

Student volunteers helped oversee the drop-off sites and assist organizations in picking up the donated items.

The items (equivalent to over three dump-truck loads) were donated to seven local organizations, including the Boys & Girls Club of 性视界, John 6:12, Lydia鈥檚 Attic, Rescue Mission, SEA Without Borders, Spanish Action League of Onondaga County and Huntington Family Centers, Inc.

鈥淒onations collected through 鈥機use Collections help the Rescue Mission meet immediate needs in our community. Items like blankets, sheets and clothing are used directly in our emergency shelter services, while additional donations help stock Thrifty Shopper stores with affordable goods for local families,鈥� says Luana Lovenguth, chief social enterprise officer at the Rescue Mission. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a meaningful example of community impact and sustainability working together.鈥�

These donations help keep items out of the waste stream, reduce the amount of energy used to create new products and benefit those in the 性视界 community.

If you鈥檙e interested in getting involved next year or are an organization that would like to partner with Sustainability Management, please reach out to sustain@syr.edu.

Ads generated by artificial intelligence are nearly indistinguishable from human-made ones, but new research shows they consistently underperform compared to human-made work when it comes to predicting short-term sales impact.

罢丑别听 from global research firm Ipsos in collaboration with two faculty members from the听 tested 20 ads across 10 brands with 3,000 U.S. respondents. They found that human-made ads outperformed their AI counterparts, though the gap between the two was surprisingly slim.

The study paired existing human-made ads, produced before 2021 to ensure AI tools were not used, with fully AI-generated counterparts built from the same strategic brief, the document that ad professionals use to outline objectives, messaging and tactics for a campaign. Ads were then viewed by real consumers.

The results challenge assumptions the advertising industry can no longer afford to ignore, faculty 听补苍诲听 say, while the project overall reflects Newhouse鈥檚 commitment to train students with the skills and forward-thinking strategies needed to be effective and ethical communicators.

The Research Team

Peruta, director of the听听M.S. program, and Riby, professor of practice in the听, led the University side of the study. Ryan Barthelmes, senior vice president of creative excellence at Ipsos, guided the project for the research firm.

Peruta oversaw the technical process of deconstructing existing ads and building the pipeline to produce their AI counterparts. AI was assigned to do everything a creative team would do, from interpreting strategy to developing a concept to producing the final spot.

鈥淭he human ads and the AI ads started from the same brief,鈥� Peruta says. 鈥淭he only thing that changed was who made them, and that鈥檚 exactly what we wanted to measure.鈥�

Riby brought advertising strategy and creative expertise, including insights drawn from her The Big Idea in Advertising class, where Newhouse students have spent three years creating AI-generated ads and evaluating the results.

The 10 brands selected for the project spanned various sectors, including consumer packaged goods, fashion, automotive and technology: Cheerios, Chewy, Febreze, Fiat, H&M, Old Navy, Herbal Essences, Ray-Ban Meta, TurboTax and Visa.

Raina Rice 鈥�26, an advertising major, supported the project behind the scenes, helping organize and manage the ad assets across all 10 brand pairings.

What They Found

The study produced three findings that promise to generate conversation across the advertising industry.

• Consumers largely cannot tell the difference.听Only 13% of viewers who saw an AI-generated ad were at least somewhat confident it was made by AI鈥攖he same share as viewers who suspected human-made ads were AI-generated. With 40% of all viewers uncertain either way, the line between human and machine-made advertising is blurring quickly.

• Despite that perceptual similarity, a measurable effectiveness gap emerged.听Using Ipsos鈥� sales-validated measures of advertising performance, human-made ads over-indexed against the benchmark by 11 points on average, while AI-made ads under-indexed by five. In practical terms, human ads are predicted to drive stronger short-term sales impact. AI can produce credible work, but on average it does not move the needle the same way.

• AI performed best when the brief was straightforward and product-driven, but struggled when the creative challenge called for storytelling, emotion or a genuine point of view.听The strongest result in the study came from the Cheerios pairing, where a deeply human brief produced the highest combined effectiveness scores across both versions.

鈥淓very semester in my class, I watch students create AI ads about themselves, and not one of them has ever loved their output enough to put it on their refrigerator,鈥� Riby says. 鈥淭hat reaction is the premise of this entire study. If the creators themselves are underwhelmed, why would we expect consumers to feel differently? The data now backs that up.鈥�

An Industry Perspective

Barthelmes says the study addresses a question the advertising industry has been circling but is reluctant to answer directly.

鈥淓very [chief marketing officer] is being asked whether AI can replace their creative agencies, and creative directors are wondering about their futures,鈥� Barthelmes says. 鈥淭his research gives us a framework for that conversation. AI is a powerful tool, but the data shows that the human capacity for storytelling and emotional connection still creates a measurable competitive edge. The future is humans and AI working together.鈥�

Looking Ahead

The Newhouse-Ipsos partnership reflects the school鈥檚 broader investment in industry-facing research that shapes how the next generation of communicators understands and works alongside AI.

The study鈥檚 key recommendation is clear: do not settle for 鈥済ood enough.鈥� AI has an important role in modern campaign strategy and execution, but it is not a replacement for the human-led creativity needed to deliver a competitive advantage.

New research in the journal听听by Maxwell postdoctoral scholar Dustin Hill, Professor of Public Health Dave Larsen and a team of researchers has found a strong connection between the prevalence of genetic variations of the COVID-19 virus and higher community transmission.

Testing wastewater to detect viruses in a community is a well-established scientific practice. But knowing the prevalence of a disease has always presented challenges, with science relying on sheer volume and concentration of virus load found to make inexact assumptions.

The team, which included colleagues from SUNY Upstate Medical University, SUNY College of听Environmental Science and Forestry and the New York State Department of Health, looked closely at existing data and genomes from wastewater surveillance collected during the COVID-19 emergency, measuring genetic variation through small, insignificant changes in the virus genome, and comparing that to transmission levels.

To put it simply: they found that the more variation in the viral material in wastewater, the more people were infected.

鈥淣ot only do infections rise when diversity of the virus increases, infections decline as diversity declines,鈥� says Hill, the study鈥檚 lead author. 鈥淲e tested three different ways to measure diversity of the virus genome in wastewater, and all three measures predicted infections with extremely high statistical power.鈥�

While the study analyzed COVID-19, this connection could change how wastewater surveillance is used not just to detect, but to measure disease transmission with implications for monitoring other diseases, including influenza, measles, polio and future viruses that may arise.

鈥�These findings open up new areas of exploration in genetic epidemiology,鈥� says Larsen. 鈥淲e will now be able to estimate transmission from sequencing data, something that has previously not been possible.

Key Takeaways From the Study

• Genetic diversity measured in wastewater is highly predictive of community infection numbers, and superior to current methods that use concentration
• Wastewater genetic data can tell us more than just what variants or subtypes are circulating in each community
• Methods can be applied to any pathogen found in wastewater that can have genetic material sequenced

鈥淭his is exactly the kind of research Maxwell exists to support鈥攔igorous, evidence-based and consequential well beyond the laboratory,鈥� says Maxwell Dean David M. Van Slyke. 鈥淭he collaboration between Professor Larsen, Dr. Hill and their partners at the New York State Department of Health is a model for how transformative research unfolds: without a roadmap, assembling the right collaborators, working through what didn’t work and ultimately arriving at findings that can make communities healthier and safer. The ability to move from detection to prediction changes what policymakers can do, and when they can do it. That’s not just scientific progress鈥攖hat’s the public good.”

The research project grew from a partnership between 性视界 University, the New York State Department of Health, SUNY Upstate and SUNY ESF that began in March of 2020, in the earliest days of the COVID-19 outbreak.

As the virus first spread in New York and elsewhere, Larsen proposed using wastewater to detect and monitor the virus at 性视界 University. He assembled a team of researchers from 性视界 and nearby universities to begin developing the wastewater surveillance technology that would eventually become critical to New York State鈥檚 response to the disease and developed into the听.

鈥淭he wastewater program was further developed in 2022 by the addition of sequencing of the detected virus, work that was undertaken by the 5-site sequencing consortium set up by the Wadsworth Center in 2021,鈥� says Kirsten St. George, director of the Virology Laboratory at the Wadsworth Center and co-author of the study. 鈥淭he sequence data generated by the consortium provided the information needed for the genetic variation analysis and transmission correlations reported in this study. Initiated to monitor circulating and emerging variants of the virus, the sequence data generated by the consortium has now proven to be a powerful tool for additional applications.鈥�

In 2024, the New York State Wastewater Surveillance Network was designated as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Northeast Region Center of Excellence.

鈥淭he valuable partnerships the department and our world-renowned Wadsworth Center have developed with 性视界 University, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and SUNY Upstate Medical University are leading to important new discoveries that are advancing our understanding of not only how to detect COVID in wastewater, but also how to analyze those samples to better predict community transmission,鈥� says New York State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald. 鈥淭he researchers involved in this study remain on the cutting edge of scientific discovery that could change how we look at other pathogens in wastewater, including polio, influenza and measles and establishing wastewater sampling as a reliable public health early warning system for public health threats.鈥�

This latest research, in the article titled 鈥�,鈥� appears in the May 14 issue of听Science, a leading outlet for scientific news and research.

When a mock chemical hazard call came in on South Campus last month, forensic science students from the (A&S) were granted a rare opportunity to watch and learn.

The New York National Guard’s 2nd Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team (CST) conducted a multiday training exercise from March 31 through April 3, bringing together five agencies to simulate a coordinated chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear response. For students in the College鈥檚 (Forensics Institute), the exercise became an uncommon window into the world their coursework is preparing them for.

“This offered an exceptional opportunity for students to connect what they have learned in their courses to a real-world scenario,” says Kathleen Corrado, Forensics Institute executive director. “Including communications, sample identification and collection, working with hazardous materials, and use of analytical field equipment that mirrors what they have used in their laboratory courses.”

The exercise, coordinated by the University鈥檚 Emergency and Environmental Risk Services division in partnership with A&S, is among the first times a live chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) field exercise has also served as an academic platform. Over two site visits鈥攐n March 31 and April 2鈥攕tudents observed multiagency incident command coordination, CST personnel collecting samples in full chemical proximity protective suits, and a mass-casualty decontamination corridor erected and operated by 性视界 Fire Department’s HazMat Response Team. All training used simulated materials only.

Joseph Hernon, associate vice president for emergency and environmental risk services, says the setting offered students something a classroom cannot replicate.

“When students step onto a scene alongside the New York National Guard’s 2nd Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team, the 性视界 Fire Department HazMat unit and Onondaga County Emergency Management, they’re not just observing. They鈥檙e experiencing the actual tempo, communication and decision-making of a real CBRN response,” Hernon says. “That exposure is irreplaceable.”

Between the site visits on South Campus, the civil support team hosted a seminar in Lyman Hall for forensic science and other A&S students and faculty. The session covered their mission, demonstrations of portable detection equipment and a Q&A period.

Kevin Early, a master’s student in forensic science, says seeing the team’s analytical instruments in a field context reframed what he had learned in the lab.

“I really enjoyed seeing all of the scientific equipment that is employed and all of the differing applications of the machinery in the field,” Early says. “The mobile lab was so cool鈥擨 didn’t think that a GC-MS (gas chromatography鈥搈ass spectrometry) would be effective in a mobile capacity, so that was interesting.”

“What I hope students took away is a sense of professional context, and an understanding of where their skills fit within a much larger response system, and a recognition that the work they’re learning to do has real-world stakes,” he says.

Corrado says the partnership opened students’ eyes to career possibilities at the intersection of forensic science and national security, and that the CST is eager to continue the collaboration. “The members of the 2nd WMD-CST were clearly excited to share their expertise and experiences with our students, and they look forward to continued collaborations in the future.”

Artificial intelligence (AI) is already making substantial changes in every industry, shifting how we work, learn and organize our daily lives. But how can AI tools shape the field of building science? That was the central question at the Industry Summit on Artificial Intelligence for the Built Environment, organized by , Traugott Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering in the College of Engineering and Computer Science and co-director of the (性视界CoE).

Structured as a working session, the May 4 summit featured expert panelists from industry, academia and government agencies, with 12 companies represented and a total of 35 participants. After opening remarks from Professor Dong, the first panel of the day explored AI applications in smart and human-centered buildings. Presentations included:

• From Equipment to Ecosystem: An AI Strategy for Thermal Energy Systems and the Built Environment, presented by Josiah Johnston, senior director of data science at Daikin Open Innovation Lab Silicon Valley
• AI in Buildings: A Perspective From the Field, presented by William Healy, senior director at TRC Companies
• Using AI for Building Optimization, presented by Evan Torkos, vice president for strategy at Nantum AI
• The Restoration of a Building or Home鈥檚 Comfort, a New Set of Opportunities With AI, presented by Michael Birnkrant, chief architect, service and aftermarket at Carrier Corporation

A moderated discussion led by 性视界CoE鈥檚 executive director, , gave attendees a chance to dig deeper into these AI advances before breaking for a student poster session and lunch.

The afternoon panel widened the lens to AI鈥檚 role in building-connected infrastructure, covering the following topics:

• Load Flexibility and Electrified Commercial Buildings, presented by Mark Bremer and Julia Griffith from National Grid
• Hallucination of AI in Critical Infrastructure, presented by Herbert Dwyer, founder and CEO of EMPEQ
• A Semantic Foundation Unlocks Rapid Deployment of AI in the Built Environment, presented by Andrew Rodgers, co-founder of ACE IoT Solutions
• AI-Powered Communities: From Data to Resilience, presented by Nancy Min, co-founder and CEO of ecoLong
• Using GenAI to Accelerate Decarbonizing NYC Commercial Real Estate, presented by Thomas Yeh, consulting technical advisor, NYSERDA

The summit concluded with small group discussions: four breakout groups each co-facilitated by 性视界 University faculty and populated with a cross-section of academic and industry voices. This format ensured that the day鈥檚 themes were stress-tested in conversation and built the foundation for future collaborations. Dong plans to apply for funding for an interdisciplinary research center, such as a National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center, that will advance university-industry partnerships in the healthy buildings field.

The summit made clear that AI鈥檚 role in the built environment is no longer speculative鈥攊t is operational and growing rapidly. From smarter HVAC to grid-scale flexibility to community resilience, the challenge now is deploying these tools thoughtfully, sustainably and at scale.

This event was supported by the University鈥檚 听through their Team Building for Large, Collaborative Grants program.

To be notified of future events and opportunities, sign up for 性视界CoE’s 听or听.

Katherine McDonald, professor of public health in the and associate vice president for research for 性视界 University, with a from the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD)鈥攔ecognition of nearly two decades of scholarship advocating for the inclusion of people with disabilities in research.

The AAIDD is the nation鈥檚 oldest and largest organization of professionals in the field and promotes evidence-based policies, research and universal human rights for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The Sesqui Award for Research recognizes members for outstanding contributions and will be presented at the organization鈥檚 150th annual meeting in June in Chicago.

McDonald was nominated by peers and selected by the AAIDD board of directors for her work. Her professional journey is deeply personal: as a young person, she lived with people with intellectual disability in L鈥橝rche communities in 性视界, and outside of Geneva, Switzerland. She developed lifelong relationships and came to understand the pressing need to advance disability rights and belonging. Using socioecological theory and community-engaged research, her work focuses on the ethical, legal and social implications of research involving adults with developmental disabilities, as well as strategies to promote the responsible inclusion of people with disabilities in scientific study.

With collaborator Ariel Schwartz from the University of New Hampshire, McDonald created Research Ethics for All, an accessible research ethics education program designed specifically for community research partners with developmental disabilities. They also created the Equipped to Engage Toolkit which provides resources to support the engagement of people with intellectual disabilities as research partners.

McDonald鈥檚 research has been supported by grant funding from the National Institutes of Health; the U.S. Department of Education; the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research; and the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, among others. She is published in leading journals including the Disability and Health Journal, American Journal of Bioethics and the American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

McDonald is a faculty affiliate at the Aging Studies Institute, the Burton Blatt Institute, the Consortium for Culture and Medicine and in the disability studies program, and is a research affiliate at the Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion and Population Health. As associate vice president for research, she supports faculty scholarship, strengthens mentoring and identifies strategic opportunities to advance the University鈥檚 research enterprise.

鈥淜atie鈥檚 research sits at the intersection of science and social justice, and this recognition from AAIDD reflects the significance of the real public health impact she has had over nearly two decades,鈥� says David Larsen, professor and chair of public health. 鈥淗er commitment to ensuring that people with disabilities are not just subjects of research but active participants has set a global standard.鈥�

This marks McDonald鈥檚 third major honor from AAIDD; she received the Early Career Award in 2012 and the Research Award in 2023. She is also a fellow of the AAIDD and serves on the editorial board of Autism in Adulthood. Her work has also been recognized with a Chancellor鈥檚 Citation for Faculty Excellence and Scholarly Distinction from 性视界 University in 2024.

鈥擲tory by Mikayla Melo

From insightful conversations to shared reflections on meaningful work, the听听(EHN) Community Showcase offered a powerful reminder of what鈥檚 possible when people come together in collaboration.

The event brought together faculty, students and staff from the University with community partners to celebrate projects that address local and regional needs and opportunities through research, teaching and creative work.

The third annual showcase featured panel discussions and table presentations highlighting dozens of initiatives connected to EHN, housed in the (A&S). Collectively, the showcased work represented collaborations across more than 50 departments from nine schools and colleges at 性视界 University, and partnerships with more than 75 community-based organizations.

Projects ranged from arts- and storytelling-based initiatives to STEM research and educational programs focused on community empowerment, environmental sustainability and cultural preservation.

鈥淭his is an annual event where we showcase all of the projects, courses and community engagement happening all across the city and region,鈥� says Mary-Jo Robinson, program manager for the EHN. 鈥淭he hope is to demonstrate the incredible work that鈥檚 being done, broaden exposure to these projects and help strengthen connections between partners.鈥�

The event featured panel discussions, allowing speakers to share lessons learned, reflect on challenges and discuss opportunities to sustain and grow their work. Panels focused on EHN鈥檚听听补苍诲听 initiatives, the new听, sustained long-term partnerships and听.

The showcase underscored the continued growth of EHN since its founding in 2020 by听, Dean鈥檚 Professor of Community Engagement and associate professor of writing and rhetoric in A&S. Today, EHN supports more than 350 collaborators from across the University and works with dozens of community partners locally and nationally, from neighborhood-based organizations in 性视界 like the Northside Learning Center to the nation鈥檚 preeminent cultural institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

鈥淭he EHN approaches the humanities not as a bounded academic domain, but as a set of practices that span disciplines and permeate everyday life鈥攁cross ages, institutions, cultures and communities,鈥� says Nordquist. 鈥淭he work of the EHN is to recognize, support and connect these practices so that we can collectively respond to the demands of the present while sustaining long traditions of reflection, inquiry, creativity and learning.鈥�

Robinson emphasized that the event is as much about relationship-building as it is about visibility. 鈥淓HN exists to support this work and to help make connections,鈥� she says. 鈥淲hen people come together in a space like this, it creates new possibilities for collaboration and helps ensure that community-engaged work remains central to the University鈥檚 mission.鈥�

Free and open to the public, the Community Showcase welcomed attendees of all ages and backgrounds, reinforcing EHN鈥檚 commitment to accessibility and mutual exchange. As the network continues to grow, the annual showcase remains a key moment to reflect on the impact of community-engaged scholarship in Central New York.

Projects and courses represented at the event included: The Refugee Assistants Program鈥檚 Artisan Pathways, Black Women’s Art Ecosystems, Black/Arab Relationalities Initiative (BARI), CODE鈭HIFT, Deaf New Americans CODA Tutoring Program, Documenting the Haudenosaunee Influence on American Democracy (EHN Engaged Course), Environmental Storytelling Series CNY, Geography of Memory: Unsettling Stories (EHN Engaged Course), Hear Together, La Casita, Advanced Methods for Language Teaching (EHN Engaged Course), ME/WE Art Therapy Lab and Studio, Mindfully Growing, Narratio, Native America and the World: The Haudenosaunee (EHN Engaged Course), Natural Science Explorers Program, NOON, Not in the Books, Indigenous Values Initiative, Poetry and Environmental Justice (EHN Engaged Course), Project Mend, Public Scholarship Certificate Program, Safeguarding 性视界 Communities, Southside Connections/Southside Stories, Stories of Indigenous Dispossession Across the Americas (EHN Engaged Course), Teens with a Movie Camera, Traveling Teaching (EHN Engaged Course), Visualizing Care and Resisting Gentrification, We/Re-do Shakespeare (EHN Engaged Course) and Write Out.

Miron Victory Court was the setting for the Faculty Research and Creative Excellence Celebration hosted by the April 27. The event served to honor faculty who earned prestigious external research awards, fellowships, grants and patents in 2025鈥攚hich translates to more than 280 distinct recognitions spanning every school and college at the University.

Incoming spoke at the event, praising the research enterprise and sharing his vision for continued growth.

鈥淚 am coming into this role with deep respect for what has been built here, and with equally deep conviction that our best days as a research institution are still ahead of us,鈥� he said.

Record Year for Sponsored Research

Sponsored research expenditures reached $95.6 million in 2025, a 5% increase over last year and a 49% increase over five years. Of the 178 faculty recognized at the event, 102 secured new sponsored project awards from the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense, New York State, various foundations, the private sector and other sources.

Haynie noted that the University鈥檚 鈥淩esearch 1鈥� Carnegie Classification places 性视界 among just 39 private doctoral universities in the nation recognized for the highest level of research activity.

鈥淭hat is not a statistic on a website,” he told the faculty. “That is a reflection of you鈥攜our publications, your discoveries, your doctoral graduates and the external investment that your reputations have attracted to this institution.”

Vice President for Research also spoke at the event. He emphasized the importance of research to the University鈥檚 educational mission.

鈥淪tudents do not choose 性视界 just because of our R1 classification,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey choose 性视界 because of what the R1 classification means: the opportunity to work with faculty who are doing the work we are recognizing tonight. That is the connection between the research enterprise and the educational mission of this University, and it is why our investment in research matters.鈥�

Brown also noted that, 鈥渞esearch attracts and retains our outstanding faculty, and those faculty bring the passion for what they do to our students, transforming them from consumers of knowledge to creators of knowledge and equipping them with the skills to solve challenges across the full breadth of human society.鈥�

Honoree Highlights

Among those celebrated at the event were six physics faculty who shared the 2025 Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics, one of the most prestigious awards in science. Three faculty were elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Four early-career faculty received prestigious NSF CAREER Awards spanning chemistry, electrical engineering and computer science, physics and political science. Six faculty received Fulbright awards.

Additional recognition included diverse book and paper awards, artistic grants from the New York State Council on the Arts and CNY Arts, patents and international honors. In addition, multiple faculty earned awards from their respective professional societies.

Commitment to Research

Haynie called on faculty to pursue ambitious, externally funded research agendas, to collaborate across disciplines, to invest in mentoring doctoral students and to publicly communicate the value of their scholarship.

鈥淭he challenges facing our world鈥攊n health, in technology, in democracy, in sustainability, in human understanding鈥攄emand exactly the kind of rigorous, creative, courageous scholarship that happens at a place like 性视界,鈥� he said.

Haynie offered a direct pledge: 鈥淚 will be an advocate for research, loudly and consistently. I will work to ensure that our faculty have the resources, the infrastructure and the institutional support they need to pursue ambitious ideas. Together, we will make sure that the next chapter of research at 性视界 University is the most consequential one yet.鈥�

likes to about a vocational aptitude test he took in sixth grade. It asked students which activities they preferred 鈥� things like fixing a bicycle, building things or working with people. When the results came back, they said he was best suited to be a teacher.

That gave everyone who knew him a good laugh.

“How the hell is this guy going to teach when he can’t get through his own courses?” Graver recalls them saying.

He was dyslexic before the word was widely known. To his teachers, he was just lazy. Reading and writing were extremely difficult and he failed German four times. A Latin professor even gave him a D and kindly asked him not to come back for the second semester.

This spring, Graver retires from the Department of Mathematics in the (A&S) after 60 years on the faculty. The 鈥渓azy鈥� student who struggled to read and write has authored five books and dozens of research papers spanning multiple mathematical fields. One such paper, originally dismissed as of no practical value, became foundational to algorithm design a decade later. The aptitude test, it turns out, was right.

Finding His Way to 性视界

Graver grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, in a working-class family, with no path to college.

After two years in the Navy, he used the G.I. Bill to attend Miami University in Ohio, where he planned to study forestry. A mentor redirected him toward a mathematics major instead and another visiting mathematician took him under his wing. By the time Graver finished his Ph.D. at Indiana University in 1964, his philosophy of teaching was already taking shape.

His first faculty position was a postdoctoral instructorship at Dartmouth. Combinatorics, the field of math related to counting and properties of finite structures, was more active in Canada than in the United States at the time. As it emerged as his specialty, Graver interviewed at the Universities of Alberta and Manitoba. Both offered him positions, but he still opted to interview at 性视界 University.

“This was a very, very friendly place,” he says. “One of the most collegial schools.”

Graver chose 性视界 and has been here ever since.

Working in the Corners

In a document he calls his “Mathematical Obituary,” Graver describes the research philosophy that guided his career with characteristic frankness. Rather than compete with the hotshots of the day who worked on the big, popular problems, he learned to 鈥渨ork in the corners,鈥� that is, find the connections others had walked past.

“I wasn’t setting out to make big changes,” he writes. “I just wanted to understand things better, and the research followed.”

That approach produced a body of work that moved across a variety of mathematical fields 鈥� algebraic topology, combinatorics and graph theory, rigidity theory, integer linear programming and, most recently, the combinatorial structure of fullerenes. His 1975 paper “On the Foundation of Integer Linear Programming I” was dismissed by its original referee as interesting but of no practical value. A decade later, as computer memory expanded, it became foundational to algorithm design. He still finds the reversal amusing.

His longest collaboration had been with听. Their textbook “Combinatorics with Emphasis on the Theory of Graphs,” published in 1977 as volume 54 in Springer’s Graduate Texts in Mathematics series, remains a standard reference. Two decades later, the pair produced a second major work together. Graver also co-authored “Combinatorial Rigidity” with Brigitte and Herman Servatius, published by the , and wrote “Counting on Frameworks,” an accessible treatment of rigidity theory for the .

Collaboration is a key element to Graver鈥檚 career.

“I like working with coauthors,” he says, in part because dyslexia makes solo writing slow and error-prone. He is currently working on another book with a former graduate student.

gets a hands-on welcome on his first day on the job, climbing to the top of Crouse College to learn the 性视界 alma mater on the iconic chimes with the help of a Chimesmaster.

The Chimesmasters of 性视界 University are a closely guarded secret, with their identities revealed only after graduation. But on Chancellor Haynie’s first day, one of them took him under their wing in the bell tower above the Setnor School of Music in the .

Watch as Chancellor Haynie navigates the winding stairs of Crouse College, gets a crash course on the chimes keyboard and, with a little help, rings out the 性视界 alma mater over the campus he now leads.

In an age when artificial intelligence can generate content instantly, the human ability to write with clarity, originality and critical insight has become more essential than ever.

Students in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) have ample opportunity to strengthen their writing through a rich landscape of publications and digital platforms. Aurantium, Broadly Textual, Intertext and Mend are among the outlets where students build strong portfolios, sharpen their professional communication skills and engage in experiential learning that prepares them for careers in writing, publishing, media and advocacy.

Aurantium: Making Philosophy Accessible and Alive

Like its namesake, 听(the Latin word for orange) is vibrant, inviting and full of fresh perspective. Founded in 2023, this student-led undergraduate philosophy journal was created to invite curiosity, creativity and conversation across disciplines. Supported by the and the Philosophy Club, the journal publishes two issues each year: one focused on the 性视界 University and SUNY ESF community and another open to contributors worldwide.

Essays, reflections, creative writing and artwork all find a home in Aurantium, making it a space where philosophy is explored not as an abstract exercise, but as a living, interdisciplinary practice.

For editor-in-chief Brielle Brzytwa 鈥�28, discovering philosophy was anything but immediate. 鈥淚n high school it felt abstract, inaccessible and frustratingly stuffy,鈥� she recalls. It wasn鈥檛 until college that philosophy began to feel meaningful, and that transformation shaped her vision for Aurantium. 鈥淧hilosophy doesn鈥檛 have to be confined to dense texts or exclusive academic spaces,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t can鈥攁nd should鈥攊nvite curiosity and conversation.鈥�

As editor-in-chief, Brzytwa has made accessibility a guiding principle. She describes the journal as a place where ideas are not only preserved but 鈥渟hared, challenged and reimagined,鈥� with an emphasis on amplifying a range of undergraduate voices.

Broadly Textual: Building Community Through Public Scholarship

For graduate students eager to share their ideas beyond the boundaries of academic journals, 听offers an inviting and meaningful platform. Overseen by William P. Tolley Distinguished Teaching Professor , the online publication highlights graduate student work designed for public audiences, featuring literary and cultural commentary, , and thoughtful explorations of digital media and identity. With its focus on a broad variety of subject matter, the publication encourages students to see scholarship as both collaborative and accessible.

Co-editor Elena Selthun first encountered Broadly Textual as a contributor during their first year of graduate study and quickly recognized its value. They describe the experience as 鈥渓ow-pressure and supportive,鈥� an ideal introduction to publishing. Equally important, Selthun was drawn to the publication鈥檚 commitment to public humanities. 鈥淭he public-facing nature of the blog allows graduate students to apply what we learn beyond academia,鈥� they say.

For fellow co-editor Meg Healy, the appeal initially lay in skill-building and community engagement. Over time, she gained a deeper appreciation for the publication鈥檚 role in demystifying the publishing process. 鈥淭here is a strong incentive to publish while in graduate school, but that can be daunting,鈥� Healy says.

Both editors emphasize the sense of connection the publication fosters. Selthun points out that graduate research can often feel siloed, and “Broadly Textual” helps bring students across departments into conversation.

Intertext: Celebrating Writing Across WRT Courses

For more than three decades, has celebrated writing by undergraduate students in the (WRT), and community partners. In April 2026, editors and contributors gathered to mark the release of the journal鈥檚 .

Reflecting on their involvement, editors Jules Vinarub and Kairo Rushing wrote in the introduction to the 2026 issue, 鈥淭his publication relies on the willingness of 性视界 University students to be vulnerable enough to let their truth be on display鈥攕haring themselves with you, allowing you to hear and see their stories.鈥�

Throughout the year, students met with publishing professionals and authors like Rand Timmerman, member of the at 性视界 University, whose essay about a is published in the 2026 issue along with a .

Any student who has taken a WRT course can submit their work to “Intertext,” and submissions are accepted on a rolling basis. Students interested in joining the editorial team can enroll in WRT 340: Advanced Editing Studio. For more information, contact Professor Patrick W. Berry.

Mend: Amplifying Voices, Honoring Stories and Creating Purpose

听is an annual publication started by , WRT associate professor, and is dedicated to celebrating the lives and creative work of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people, as well as individuals impacted by the criminal legal system. Featuring fiction, poetry and nonfiction on a wide range of topics, the publication offers contributors the freedom to explore personal experience while centering dignity, creativity and voice.

Editor Drew Murphy 鈥�26, who is majoring in writing and rhetoric, and in psychology in A&S, first encountered Mend as a junior through an Engaged Humanities course, WRT 413: Rhetoric and Ethics after Prison, taught by Berry. Guest visits from formerly incarcerated writers involved with Mend left a lasting impression.

鈥淭heir stories represented a powerful intersection of my two majors, writing and rhetoric and psychology,鈥� Murphy says, describing the experience as one that immediately sparked curiosity on both personal and professional levels. When Murphy learned about internship opportunities with , the decision felt natural.

鈥淭he opportunity to work with impacted individuals while contributing to a publication that shares their stories has been meaningful for both my academic studies and future career ambitions,鈥� she explains.

As Murphy prepares for graduate study in social work, she credits Mend with deepening her belief that thoughtful writing can contribute to meaningful change.

When Chie Sakakibara first traveled to an I帽upiaq community in Arctic Alaska as a graduate student, an elder gave her advice that would define her career.

鈥淣ever disappear,鈥� she told her.

For generations, researchers had come to Indigenous lands, documented stories and environmental knowledge, and left鈥攐ften without returning results or sustaining relationships. Community members asked Sakakibara to do something different: to document climate change from their perspective and to show that they were not simply victims of environmental disruption, but creative and resilient people adapting to change.

鈥淚 was honored, and I stayed,鈥� Sakakibara says. 鈥淧lacing yourself in a community means reciprocating and emphasizing their priorities, not just your own interests.鈥�

More than two decades later, she is still returning.

Now an associate professor of geography and the environment in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Sakakibara has built her scholarship around long-term collaboration and Indigenous research sovereignty鈥攖he idea that communities themselves should guide how their knowledge is used, represented and shared. Another focus of her work: the interconnected survival of people, animals and environments in a rapidly changing Arctic.

鈥淐hie鈥檚 work is a model of what engaged scholarship looks like at Maxwell,鈥� says Shana Kushner Gadarian, associate dean for research and professor of political science. 鈥淏y centering Indigenous voices and building lasting partnerships across the globe, she demonstrates that rigorous research and genuine community responsibility are not competing values鈥攖hey are inseparable ones.鈥�

Connecting Communities

Sakakibara鈥檚 current initiative, 鈥淚ndigenous Northern Landscapes: Visual Repatriation and Climate Knowledge Exchange,鈥� connects the I帽upiaq people of Arctic Alaska with the Ainu community of northern Japan to explore environmental memory, cultural preservation and climate adaptation.

Both communities have endured land dispossession and the suppression of traditional language and faith. Both have retained and revitalized Indigenous ways of being鈥攖he I帽upiat through their relationship with the bowhead whale, sea ice and tundra; the Ainu through kinship with the brown bear, salmon, rivers and forests of Hokkaido.

鈥淭heir voices are only getting stronger through connecting and building relationships with other Indigenous communities and their allies within and beyond academia,鈥� says Sakakibara, a research affiliate for the East Asia Program in Maxwell’s Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs and a member of the Native American and Indigenous Studies Program and Center for Global Indigenous Cultures and Environmental Justice in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Her project employs repeat photography alongside community-led ethnography, fieldwork, oral history, archival research and collaborative museum curation. It emphasizes Indigenous knowledge and collaboration and juxtaposes early 20th-century and contemporary images, revealing sea ice loss, coastal erosion and shifting subsistence patterns due to environmental transformation.

Working with the University of Alaska Fairbanks and the National Snow and Ice Data Center, the project collaboratively produces environmental knowledge by interpreting these historical photographs with the Indigenous descendants of the communities where they originated.

Future work will involve storymapping, participatory digital storytelling and traveling museum curation bridging 性视界, Arctic Alaska and Japan.

Challenging the Myth

A persistent misconception frames Indigenous cultures as unchanging and separate from the modern world. Sakakibara sees that stereotype as an obstacle to effective climate policy.

鈥淲hen policymakers or scientists assume that Indigenous peoples are merely relics of the past, they fail to recognize that communities like the I帽upiat and Ainu actively observe, interpret and respond to environmental change,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hat blocks opportunities to incorporate Indigenous expertise into climate solutions.鈥�

I帽upiat hunters continuously adjust whaling routes in response to sea ice change. Ainu communities combine historical ecological knowledge with contemporary observations to protect salmon runs. These are dynamic systems of environmental monitoring refined over generations, not static traditions.

Rather than separating Western science from Indigenous knowledge systems, Sakakibara argues the two must be in conversation, especially as policymakers confront accelerating climate disruption. Climate change, she notes, is not solely a scientific challenge but a cultural and political one.

鈥淐limate disruption is among the most consequential challenges of our time, with implications that span policy, governance, culture and human well-being,鈥� says Maxwell Dean David M. Van Slyke. 鈥淥ur students benefit from the wide-ranging expertise and experiences that Professor Sakakibara and colleagues provide.鈥�

Students as Research Partners

Sakakibara brings her knowledge back to 性视界鈥攊nto classrooms, workshops and partnerships that give students direct exposure to the communities and questions at the center of her work.

In July 2024, Sakakibara partnered with public history experts from

StoryCollab to facilitate a on campus with Ainu collaborators. That same year, Sakakibara brought two Haudenosaunee undergraduate students to Japan to participate in workshops with Ainu community members, contributing to mapping projects and oral history initiatives conducted across English, Japanese and Ainu.

One of those students, Katsitsatekanoniahkwa Destiny Lazore 鈥�26, is a member of the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe and a 2025 Udall Scholar in Tribal Public Policy. Hearing the stories of 听Ainu community members resonated in a personal way.

鈥淚t reminded me of what my own ancestors experienced, the struggle to protect culture, revitalize language and reclaim sovereignty,鈥� says Lazore. 鈥淭here was something powerful in recognizing that shared desire: the simple but profound wish to safeguard your people, your traditions and your future for the next generations to come.鈥�

Rooted in Relationships

Sakakibara鈥檚 听project has cultivated partnerships with major institutions including the Penn Museum, the Brooklyn Museum, the Yale Peabody Museum, the National Museum of Ethnology in Japan and the Center for Ainu and Indigenous Studies at Hokkaido University.

鈥淭he core goals鈥攃entering Indigenous knowledge, documenting environmental change and supporting cultural sovereignty鈥攔emain active and impactful,鈥� Sakakibara says, adding that the elder鈥檚 advice鈥攏ever disappear鈥攔emains central to her approach. 鈥淩esearch is about relationships. And relationships require responsibility.鈥�

Story by Catherine Scott

性视界 University has announced the appointment of two new members of the Board of Trustees. The newest members, David S. Klein 鈥�93 and Sean C. O鈥橩eefe G鈥�78, are both alumni who have earned accolades in their fields, including highest honors for their accomplishments, and both credit their studies at the University for providing the foundation and the tools for their success.

Also joining the board for the 2026-2027 academic year are new student representatives who will bring diverse viewpoints to board discussions. They are master鈥檚 student Thomas Andrew Kehoe III; third-year law student Anthony J. Ruscitto 鈥�22, G鈥�23, L鈥�27; rising junior Emily Castillo-Melean 鈥�28; and rising senior Asher Gonzalez 鈥�27. All representatives will report to the Board at Executive Committee and full board meetings.

鈥淲ith these two appointments, the board gains distinguished voices from industry and from public service鈥攁lumni who have reached the highest levels of their professions and remain deeply tied to 性视界. Further, adding someone with extensive experience in teaching and strategic management in higher education brings critical perspective to Board discussions and governance responsibilities,鈥� says Board of Trustees Chairman Jeff Scruggs. 鈥淲hat unites every member of this board is a deep commitment to 性视界 University and a shared desire to enhance the student experience and bring distinction to the academic and research enterprise. The student representatives add vital viewpoints to the work we do to strengthen the entire Orange community.鈥�

Continuing in their second terms to serve as are Dean Mark Lodato, academic dean representative; Professor Tula Goenka, faculty representative; and Andrea Rose Persin, staff representative.

David S. Klein 鈥�93

David Klein is founder and CEO of Greenwood Industries, a commercial roofing, architectural metal fabrication and custom building envelope solutions company. He also serves as CEO of Greenwood鈥檚 waterproofing and masonry subsidiary, TWC Phoenix. Greenwood Industries is the leading provider of commercial roofing and building envelope solutions in the Northeast and is the sixth largest roofing contractor and eighth largest masonry contractor in the United States.

Klein was in one of the first graduating classes of the precursor to the, the undergraduate program in information science and technology.

In March, 2025, he of the Board of Advisors to the iSchool. He serves on the Athletics Orange Council. In 2020, he and his wife, Elizabeth 鈥�93, established the George Klein Endowed Scholarship, honoring his father and providing students from the Worcester area with demonstrated financial need. He was a judge for the 2023 Whitman Orange Tank competition, and that year was presented with a 鈥機USE50 Entrepreneur Award, which celebrates the success of Orange business leaders across the globe.

Klein serves on the New England Center for Children President鈥檚 Council and is a member of the Worcester Chamber of Commerce, the National Roofing Contractors Association, the New England Roofing Contractors Association and the American Subcontractors Association. He was given the Worcester Business Journal鈥檚 Large Business Leader of the Year Award in 2023.

He and his wife reside in Southborough, Massachusetts, and are the parents of sons Jake 鈥�27 (Newhouse School of Public Communications) and Ben 鈥�30 (), and daughter, Callie.

Sean C. O鈥橩eefe G鈥�78

Sean C. O’Keefe is University Professor Emeritus of Public Administration and International Affairs in the , where he held the Howard G. and S. Louise Phanstiel Chair in Leadership from 2014 until his retirement in 2025. He concurrently served as a distinguished senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C.

After earning a master of public administration at 性视界 University, he worked for the Department of Defense and the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee.听He returned to the Pentagon as Defense Department comptroller and CFO before serving as secretary of the Navy in the George H.W. Bush administration. 听Later he served as deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget, and as deputy assistant to President听George W. Bush before serving as听NASA administrator.

Between public service appointments, O鈥橩eefe taught at Louisiana State University (LSU), as business school faculty at Pennsylvania State University and at Maxwell, first as the Louis A. Bantle Chair of Business and Government and director of the National Security Studies Program, then as University Professor and Phanstiel Chair in Leadership. He was chancellor at LSU in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

O鈥橩eefe was also chair of the board and CEO of Airbus Group Inc. and a vice president at General Electric Company. He currently serves as board chair of Satlantis, LLC, chair of the audit committee of the Battelle Memorial Institute, and board member of TexTech Industries and AIS, Inc. Previous board service includes DuPont, Computer Science Corporation, General Kinetics Inc., J. Ray McDermott S.A., and Sensis Inc.

In 1993, President George H.W. Bush and Secretary Dick Cheney presented O’Keefe with the Distinguished Public Service Award. He received the Department of the Navy’s Public Service Award in 2000 and has been awarded honorary doctorate degrees from five institutions, including Loyola University New Orleans, his undergraduate alma mater.

At 性视界 University, he serves on the Institute for Veterans and Military Families Advisory Board and is a former chair of the Maxwell Advisory Board and a member of the Council of Chairs. He was the 1999 faculty recipient of the Chancellor’s Award for Public Service and the 2011 recipient of the Arents Award.

Sean and Laura O’Keefe reside in northern Virginia and in Skaneateles, New York, and are the parents of three adult children and have two grandsons.

Graduate Student Representative: Thomas Andrew Kehoe III

Thomas Andrew Kehoe III is a master鈥檚 student in higher postsecondary education in the and a graduate assistant for academic and career advising within the Office of Student Success in the and Maxwell. In this role, he advises undergraduate students on career readiness and connects them with resources to support their professional development.

Originally from Vermont, Kehoe earned dual bachelor鈥檚 degrees in business management and marketing, with a minor in statistics, from Vermont State University Castleton. He received the Abel E. Leavenworth Leadership Award and the Leonard C. Goldman Distinguished Senior Award and served as Student Government Association president, student orientation coordinator, senior class treasurer and a member of the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Social Justice Advisory Committee.

At 性视界 University, Kehoe has deepened his commitment to student advocacy, contributing to the Academic Integrity Office, serving as a recruitment officer for the higher postsecondary education program, and working as a graduate research assistant on a qualitative study examining how practitioners foster student success. Driven by a passion for student-centered leadership, he aspires to a career in higher education administration.

As the graduate student representative for the 2026-27 academic year, Kehoe participates, ex officio, on the Academic Affairs and the Student Experience committees.

Law Student Representative: Anthony J. Ruscitto 鈥�22, G鈥�23, L鈥�27

Anthony J. Ruscitto is a third-year law student in the College of Law, a 2025 Tillman Scholar and president of the Military and Veterans Law Society. He serves as a law student ambassador for the College of Law鈥檚 Admissions and Financial Aid Office and provides legal assistance to veterans as a student attorney in the Betty and Michael D. Wohl Veterans Legal Clinic. He has competed twice with the National Trial Team and completed an internship with the Onondaga County District Attorney鈥檚 Office, where he is returning as a 2L intern in summer 2026.

Prior to law school, Ruscitto earned a master of public administration from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs in 2023, during which he served as president of the 性视界 University Student Veteran Organization, and a dual B.S. in psychology and forensic science from 性视界 University in 2022. Throughout his studies, he volunteered as an EMT-B and CPR instructor with 性视界 University Ambulance.

Ruscitto served five years on active duty in the United States Marine Corps, completing his honorable service in 2019 as a sergeant of Marines. As a weapons and tactics instructor and helicopter crew chief, he logged more than 1,000 mishap-free hours as Naval aircrew and served on two overseas deployments spanning more than 10 countries and territories.

As the law student representative to the board for the 2026-27 academic year, Ruscitto participates, ex officio, on the Academic Affairs and the Student Experience Committees.

Undergraduate Student Representative: Emily Castillo-Melean 鈥�28

Emily Castillo-Melean is a first-generation student from Miami and a rising junior in the Maxwell School and the College of Arts and Sciences, pursuing a double major in policy studies and citizenship and civic engagement.

A recipient of the Posse Foundation Full-Tuition Leadership Scholarship and an Our Time Has Come Scholar, she currently serves as president of the Student Government Association for its 70th session, having previously served as speaker of the Assembly. She represents the student body as a University Senator and as the undergraduate student representative to the 性视界 University Alumni Association Board of Directors.

Her professional experience includes work with the New York State Democratic Party and the Onondaga County Legislature. She has been recognized with the Outstanding Academic Achievement Award from the Our Time Has Come Program and the Robert F. Lucas Outstanding Lieutenant Governor Award from Key Club International (2024).

As undergraduate representative to the board for the 2026-27 academic year, Castillo-Melean participates, ex officio, on the Student Experience Committee.

Undergraduate Student Representative: Asher Gonzalez 鈥�27

Coming to 性视界 from Tampa, Florida, Asher Gonzalez is a rising senior, pursuing a dual major in television, radio and film in the Newhouse School and political science in the Maxwell School.

Gonzalez has demonstrated a strong commitment to student leadership and campus life, serving as vice president of university affairs for the Student Government Association and as the president of the Chabad House at 性视界 University and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. He will serve as the University Senate student caucus chair for the 2026鈥�2027 academic year. This past semester, he was one of 70 students selected globally to attend the McDonald Conference for Leaders of Character at the United States Military Academy at West Point, an honor for which he was nominated by Chancellor J. Michael Haynie.

In April 2026, Gonzalez received the 44 Stars of Excellence in Innovation: Event/Initiative Spotlight Award for leading the Universitywide Harvest Fest event in fall 2025. He is also a founding father of the Alpha Chi chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha at 性视界 University, where he served as the chapter鈥檚 first external vice president. Additionally, he is a former member of the University cheerleading team, contributing to school spirit and community engagement across campus.

As undergraduate representative to the board for the 2026-27 academic year Gonzalez participates, ex officio, on the Student Experience Committee.