John Suarez
John Suarez, Institute for Civic Engagement, and three of the Institute’s interns hosted the first video conference of the North/South Central New York Coalition for Applied Learning. Participants called the Feb. 7 meeting “productive” and “innovative.” Technology Training Associate Julia Morog was instrumental in making this meeting a success.
Twelve people participated in the video conference, including the director of SUNY’s Office of Applied Learning and two members of her staff, the executive director of the New York Campus Compact, and faculty and staff from SUNY Binghamton, Dutchess, Oneonta, and Westchester. The three interns – Mariah Asencio, a communication studies major, Kaley Decker, a business economics major, and Austen Johnson, a political science major, contributed ideas to the meeting’s primary purpose: identifying ways for faculty and staff to interest students in applied learning activities. Participants also explored ways of strengthening community impact, considerations regarding data-collection and a suggestion for a state-wide needs assessment mapping of communities’ well-being indicators.
The Coalition’s 35 members represent 23 institutions. SUNY Cortland faculty and staff are welcome to suggest topics for – and participate in – the Coalition’s video conferences by emailing John Suarez.
Li Jin
Li Jin, Geology Department, co-authored a paper that was recently accepted for publication in Science of the Total Environment. The paper is titled “Water Quality Modelling of the Mekong River Basin: Climate Change and Socioeconomics Drive Flow and Nutrient Flux Changes to the Mekong Delta.”
Danica Savonick
Danica Savonick, English Department, delivered a keynote for Digital Humanities Week at Duke University on March 28. In her talk, “The Feminist Genealogies of Digital Pedagogy,” Savonick situated current conversations around digital pedagogy, public humanities and student writing within a genealogy of feminist and anti-racist aesthetics and activism. Video of the event is available here.
Rena Janke, Greg Phelan, Kerri Freese, Dave Dickerson and Mary Gfeller
Rena Janke, Biological Sciences Department, Greg Phelan and Kerri Freese, Chemistry Department, and Dave Dickerson and Mary Gfeller, Mathematics Department, participated in a workshop on campus along with 17 Noyce scholars and 11 local teachers and administrators on March 24. Held in conjunction with the SUNY Cortland Noyce Project and sponsored by the National Science Foundation, the workshop’s goal was to support the teaching success and retention of Noyce scholars by addressing issues related to successfully teaching mathematics and science in a high-need environment. The Noyce scholars attended four break-out sessions on the following topics: the summer before your first year teaching; setting the tone for a successful class: classroom management; what to expect and how to handle situations common in high-need schools; and get a job offer you'll love – how to market yourself and find the right fit. The latter was led by Judi Riley, assistant superintendent for Pupil and Personnel Services for the Cortland City School District.
Robert Spitzer
Robert Spitzer, Political Science Department, authored two recent articles. “Capitol Riot a Fitting End to Trump Presidency Built on Lies” was published in Syracuse’s The Post-Standard on Jan. 10. His article “The Problem with a Presidential Self-Pardon” appeared on the History News Network website on Jan. 13.
Tyler Bradway
Tyler Bradway, English Department, received a Choice award for Outstanding Academic Title for his book After Queer Studies: Literature, Theory, and Sexuality in the 21st Century. He co-edited the book with E.L. McCallum from Michigan State and it was published in 2019 by Cambridge UP.
Kristine Newhall
Kristine Newhall, Kinesiology Department, organized and presented on a panel called “Teaching about Trans Athletes: Multidisciplinary Perspectives” at the annual meeting of the North American Society for the Sociology of Sport held in April in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Laura J. Davies
Laura J. Davies, English Department, was accepted to present at the Northeast Modern Language Association annual conference planned for April 2015 in Toronto, Canada.
Juan Diego Prieto
Juan Diego Prieto, Political Science Department, participated in a virtual roundtable on The State in Latin America, held May 15 and organized by the Ecuadorean Political Science Association. On May 17, his commentary about an investigation of Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro was printed in the Latin America Advisor newsletter, published by the Inter-American Dialogue think-tank.
Kevin Dames
Kevin Dames, Kinesiology Department, and collaborators had their paper titled “Impact of Wearable Technology on Physical Activity, Fitness, and Health Outcomes in College Students with Disabilities” published in the Journal of Physical Activity Research. Persons with disabilities face unique barriers to physical activity and consequently have higher rates of heart disease, stroke, obesity, and some forms of cancer. This work attempted to increase physical activity behaviors in college students with disabilities by providing a fitness tracking device and educational sessions. Participants increased daily walking and aerobic fitness. Simple, inexpensive interventions to encourage physical activity in this group may encourage healthy lifestyle choices that decrease risk of chronic disease.