May to August 2023
Volume 2
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Dear Faculty, Staff, Students, Alumni & Lehman Community Friends,
I am delighted to bring you the new issue of NSS Now, Vol. 2. In this edition we provide a window into the intellectual life of many of our faculty, students, and staff during Summer 2023. We introduce the new NSS faculty, the new Departmental Chairs, and share news from our groundbreaking researchers in the sciences and science education.
I draw your attention to two features below from Lehman Communications & Marketing and the CUNY Inclusive Economy Initiative. Rich Relkin works with leaders in media everyday and the Lehman community benefits greatly as Rich connects faculty experts to media representatives who query his office. I ask NSS faculty to complete the form at the link below in Rich's message to expand Lehman's expert representation in the media. Also find info below about: 'Built in the Bronx,' a podcast that spotlights the experiences of Lehman Computer Science students and alumni. At the link you may listen to a new episode, learn about interview opportunities and follow the podcast for upcoming episodes.
I encourage you to share your accomplishments and updates for NSS Now features by sending information using this form. And please also follow @lehmanscience relaunched on Instagram.
I hope you all had a productive and restful summer. I look forward to seeing you on campus!
Best wishes,
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UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH & ACTIVITIES |
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CHEMISTRY
The Integrated Design of Materials in New York City (IDMinNYC) Program, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the CREST IDEALS program of City College, engaged 15 students from 11 campuses. Lehman College Associate Professor Donna McGregor served as Director of the IDMinNYC. Students worked with mentors from Lehman and City College of New York. The five Lehman students, Anthony Calderon, Philip Colman, Genesis Fermin, Nidhi Noble and Ashika Prakash, joined students from City College of CUNY, Pontifical Catholic University, Pennsylvania State University, Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico, Saint Peter’s University, Smith College, University of California Berkeley, University of Pennsylvania and University of Texas at El Paso.
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CHEMISTRY
Lehman College Chemistry Assistant Professor Melissa Deri served as the Site Director to the Nuclear Chemistry Summer School conducted at Brookhaven National Laboratory. The program investigated nuclear science and radiochemistry. Department of Energy sponsors the program in affiliation with the American Chemical Society and SUNY Stony Brook. Eleven undergraduates participated from 11 campuses including California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo, Case Western Reserve University, SUNY New Paltz, University of Chicago, and Willamette University.
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COMPUTER SCIENCE, SOCIOLOGY & PHYSICS
Eleven Lehman students (pictured below) completed their Research Experience for Undergraduate (REU) projects under the mentorship of engineering faculty on a grant lead by Lehman NSS co-PI Assistant Professor Jennifer Laird of Sociology. Programs were conducted at Columbia University and Florida Atlantic University and were funded by the NSF Center for Smart Streetscapes (CS3) and Amazon SURE. At the concluding Columbia SURE Symposium, Lehman students were recognized with awards: Zahidul Zahin (Physics) Best Poster and Mia Minaya (Computer Science) Best Presentation.
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Lehman students & program officers at Columbia University: left to right, back row: Zahidul Zahin, Chondi Touray, Mohamed Irsath Abdul Azeez, Daniel Weiner, Mia Minaya & front row: Janissa Abreu, Shavonna Hinton (Columbia Assistant Dean) and Tiffany Moore (Columbia SURE Program Manager) |
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Lehman students at Florida Atlantic University: left to right, Emily Portalatin-Mendez, Jennifer Uraga Lopez, David Sanchez and Koy Torres |
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Recognition & Awards - Congratulations! |
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BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
TriBeta Biological Honors Society membership increased to more than twenty members with six students inducted in May.
Left to right:Toni-Ann Russell, Trinity Montana, Dawn Roy & not pictured: Blessing Babalola, Karla Hernandez, Fatima Lukolic
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MATHEMATICS
The Mathematics Department Honors Dinner for Undergraduates and their families took place on Tuesday, May 30. The celebration featured a colloquium by Professor Melvyn Nathanson and awards for graduates. Eight graduates received departmental honors: Leah Benitez, Karyn Fernandez, Norma Gomezcoello, Jimmy Lopez, David Ofosu, Juela Mani, Sumiya Shahan, and Reyna Soto.
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SMART MD Program:
MCAT Summer 2023 Academy
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Lehman launched the ground-breaking MCAT Academy to help twelve students and recent alumni succeed in the testing milestone for application to medical school: the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). Instructed by the Lehman’s Pre-Health advising team of Dr. Lyda Williams and Dr. Scott Calvin, and with the generous support of private donors, the Academy focused on the challenges first-generation college students face, using a first-in-the-nation format to build the skills they need to do well on this crucial exam.
Lehman Academic Advising will build on the lessons learned during the Summer 2023 pilot program to support more undergraduate students seeking their path to medical school.
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Left to right, back row: Dr. Scott Calvin, Inayat Chowdhury, Zipporah Gilles, John Soto, Blessing Babalola, Shayna Cody, Jonathan Soto & front row: Dawn Roy, Dr. Lyda Williams, Alexandra Roberts, Aleena Mathew, Benedicta Osei, Stephanie Boateng, Julia Muallem |
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TO ALL NSS FACULTY
FROM MEDIA & COMMUNICATIONS
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Hello NSS Faculty:
I know you are doing amazing work in your various fields and I know many of you want others to know what you’ve accomplished.
My job as the new Assistant Vice President for Communications and Marketing is to tell your story and help to bring your expertise to a wider audience. Here's a timely, great example: an article published in the NY Times quoting the Chair of Physics and Astronomy.
Interviews with media reporters are key. Reporters are always looking for someone who can take a complicated idea and explain it so that everyone can understand the issues.
If you’ve done a few interviews or never spoken to a reporter, I’m here to help connect you. There are three different ways this happens:
- A reporter calls me and asks for help.
- I pitch a story to a reporter.
- I help edit and place an opinion piece you write.
I’ll be conducting media training workshops to discuss the range of opportunities and to give you the tools and support that help to get your research and Lehman College in the spotlight.
I look forward to meeting you,
Richard Relkin
AVP Communications & Marketing
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HAVE YOU HEARD THE NEW
PODCAST 'BUILT IN THE BRONX' ?
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'Built In The Bronx' is a podcast that shines a light on the incredible computer science experience at Lehman College with the ultimate goal of helping place students and alumni in competitive internships and jobs at thriving tech companies.
Are you a student or alum 'Built in the Bronx'? If so, reach out to me and come on the show! We interview Lehman students and alumni who are doing big things in tech, connect them with our current students and provide students and alumni with valuable connections to extend their professional networks. Recruiters and hiring managers are also featured on the podcast.
Maximillian K. Hill
Industry Specialist, CUNY Inclusive Economy Initiative (CIE)
Lehman Computer Science
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Recognition, Research & Awards - Congratulations! |
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ANTHROPOLOGY
Victoria Sanford
Research on the impact of corruption and violence against women in Guatemala that drives migration and presents appraisal of the inner workings of the Guatemalan criminal justice system and how it maintains inequality, patriarchy and impunity.
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BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
Eleanore Wurtzel
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COMPUTER SCIENCE
Liang Zhao
One of nine CUNY faculty selected to participate in the inaugural $12 million Google Cyber NYC Institutional Research Program. CUNY, along with Cornell University, Columbia University, and New York University, are the four universities funded by Google to establish NYC as the “global leader in cybersecurity.” Assistant Professor Zhao will study how machine learning models can be made less vulnerable to privacy attacks by augmenting the training process with methods that analyze overall patterns of data rather than focusing on individual sets of data.
photo by Alexei Irklievski
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EARTH, ENVIRONMENTAL & GEOSPATIAL SCIENCES
Yuri Gorokhovich
Associate Professor Gorokhovich received funding from the NASA Surface-Based Precipitation Measurement Network in the Bronx: Science and Education Opportunities for Diverse and Minority Students for a monitoring research station to comparatively calibrate precipitation satellite and ground measurements. The gauge operates on the roof of the Lehman Performing Arts Center and passes data every 15 minutes to the NASA network. (Lehman gauge number: 'PIERS0029')
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MATHEMATICS
James Gaine
James "Jimmy" Gaine was recognized as Lehman College Adjunct of the Year. Jimmy received the award at the May 2023 Lehman College Commencement from President Fernando Delgado.
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2023 Chair Appointments - Congratulations! |
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ANTHROPOLOGY
William Harcourt-Smith
SOCIOLOGY
Susan Demais
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New Faculty Hires - Welcome to Lehman NSS! |
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BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
Sarah Moroianu, Doctoral Lecturer
CHEMISTRY
Yuemei Ye, Assistant Professor
COMPUTER SCIENCE
Geoffrey Kelly, Lecturer
Emira Shano, Lecturer
MATHEMATICS
William Quattromani, Lecturer
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Yuemei Ye and Sarah Moroianu |
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NSS Adjunct workshop participation
Lehman’s Office of Online Education hosted the workshop “Preparation for Teaching Online: A Foundational Workshop for CUNY Faculty” during the month of August. NSS Now asked NSS participating adjuncts to share how they plan to use the workshop lessons to strengthen the experiences of their students and how they plan to apply new skills in the online classroom. Here are responses from adjuncts in two departments.
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COMPUTER SCIENCE
Hendrix Tavarez
- I am looking forward to colleagues' feedback and workshop learning materials to learn new ways to incorporate other teaching styles and reinforce teaching by connecting real-world experiences.
- I hope to learn new ways to create engaging and interactive activities that provide a better experience for my students.
PSYCHOLOGY
Gladys Crespo-Ramos
- Analysis and application of concepts. For example, I hope students apply psychology content to their relationships with others.
- I hope to learn strategies and practical ideas to engage students to participate in class instead of staying quiet. Not only learn the material but analyze it and apply the concept.
Thank you Gladys & Hendrix for sharing your ideas and aspirations!
- NSS Now
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CIE Specialists & Advisors - Welcome to Lehman NSS! |
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CUNY Inclusive Economy Project (CIE) is a CUNY wide commitment to expand internship and job opportunities through external partnerships for applied learning and career engagement. NSS welcomes two CIE Industry Specialists (IS) and two Hybrid Advisors (HA).
CHEMISTRY
Martha Bryant (IS)
Christie del Bene (HA)
- Focus on climate resiliency & STEM majors
COMPUTER SCIENCE
Maximillian Hill (IS)
Swathy Gopal (HA)
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