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From My Desk - President Christine M. Riordan (logo)
October 2019
Working Alongside Their Professors, Adelphi Students Experience the Thrill of Discovery

One of the hallmarks of Adelphi's personalized approach to higher education is the opportunity to do research alongside a professor—student and faculty members working together to understand the roots of a problem, create something new in the art world, invent a better way to care for a patient, or reveal a lesson of history.

I am always amazed at the range of academic and creative projects presented at our annual Research and Creative Works Conference, when our entire community can witness the depth and breadth of their peers’ interests and efforts. This month, I invite you to learn about just a few of the topics that Adelphi students and their professors have undertaken:

At Adelphi, research is as individualized as our approach to learning, and these projects often land on a student’s résumé—helping them build a strong start to their career. One associate professor of chemistry, department chair Brian Stockman, PhD, celebrates the publication of articles with his student co-authors with a publication cake (right), proving that the Adelphi learning experience is both profound and personal.

I hope you enjoy getting to know these student researchers!

All the best,
Christine M. Riordan, PhD
President
See how a fossil discovery changed the evolutionary timeline

With his find of a petrified log in the Utah desert, assistant professor of biology Michael D'Emic, PhD , provided evidence that large flowering trees existed in North America 15 million years earlier than previously thought.
Nursing grad students questioned standard medical practice.   Is it necessary to change patients' IVs every few days? A team of graduate students researched the answer.
Drawing the age of dinosaurs.   When Assistant Professor Michael D'Emic, PhD , (see video above) needed an illustration to accompany his journal article, he turned to Adelphi's only scientific illustration major, Sae Bom Ra ’19.
History student finds an untold story in the Adelphi archives. A yellowed sheet of paper, untouched for almost 80 years, was the starting point for history major Nicole Quirke's award-winning research.
Student's retro fighting game knocks ’em out on Research Day. Current senior Paul Maurantonio's Super Duper Fighting Game won big fans—and an Outstanding Presentation Award—at Adelphi's annual event last April.
Music students turn Walt Whitman's poetry into song. Undergraduates Dori-Jo Gutierrez and Kevin Lubin explain how they created music for the poet's 200th birthday celebration.
A young researcher asks: Are pesticides aiding an invasive species? ReginaLena McManus ’19 conducted research to see if a tolerance to pesticides might be helping Asian shore crabs push out native crabs on Long Island shores.
Research: Preparing nurses for a data-driven future
Healthcare, like so many fields, is increasingly being driven by data—vast amounts of it—and the more capably nurses can turn data into actionable information, the better they can help patients. Edmund J.Y. Pajarillo, PhD , associate professor of nursing and department chair, is leading the effort to prepare Adelphi nursing students through research and a classroom focus on nursing informatics. Read about it in " Knowledge Is Power ," a feature article in our Academic and Creative Research Magazine .
Panthers Are Tops on the Field—and in the Community
Even as our men's soccer team achieved the program's first-ever No. 1 ranking in the NCAA Division II poll and senior field hockey standout Elissa Frein garnered National Offensive Player of the Week honors, our programs still managed to find time to give back to the community. From participating in the Panther Day of Service on September 21, to volunteering selflessly on Sundays throughout the month, our athletes have performed enough community service hours to earn a spot in the Top 10 in this year's Division II rankings. And Adelphi was thrilled to learn that Chelsea Abreu ’19 was named one of nine finalists for the prestigious NCAA Woman of the Year Award, which honors a just-graduated student-athlete for academic achievement, athletic excellence, community service and leadership.
Alumni making a difference: Jon Contino ’05
The influential award-winning designer Jon Contino ’05 returned to Adelphi in April to give the keynote address at Research Day. Here he is talking about his life in design and his book, Brand by Hand . We thank him for sharing his vision on creativity—and for designing the cover of our annual Adelphi University Magazine.
Important Events on Campus
This month is highlighted by the biggest alumni event of the year,   Spirit Weekend , starting on  Thursday, October 3, and running through Sunday, October 6 . It includes our Legends Dinner, a carnival, reunions and much more. I hope you’ll join your Adelphi family! On October 17, we’ll host a reception and screening of   The Last Full Measure, the new feature film directed by Todd Robinson ’82 , and our third annual   Women's Leadership Conference is Saturday, November 2, featuring addresses by Dottie Herman, CEO of Douglas Elliman Real Estate, and Neha Gandhi, editor in chief and COO of Girlboss.
Dr. Riordan is an internationally known expert and frequent speaker on leadership, diversity and inclusion, and career success. She has published nearly 70 academic and business press articles and is authoring  Shift Happens: How to Adapt and Thrive in a Rapidly Changing World of Work —a book on helping employees adapt to the changing workplace. Dr. Riordan’s TEDx talk, “Dare to Be Extraordinary,” has received more than 20,000 views. She has been interviewed by and written articles for media such as  The Financial Times , the Harvard Business Review , Forbes and HuffPost . Her work has been cited more than 5,400 times by other authors, and she has appeared in the press more than 130 times. For more information on her research, visit  christineriordan.com .