Gearing up for Commencement...

Gabirielle Ostolaza, WSAS Undergraduate, Class of 2026

Baruch Selected for International Space Station Research Mission

Baruch College has officially been selected to participate in Mission 22 of the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP). Launched in June 2010 as a national STEM initiative, SSEP immerses students in every facet of authentic scientific research by providing community-wide opportunities to design, propose, and realize real microgravity experiments. The program supplies each participating institution with a flight-certified research mini-laboratory and eventually launches a single student-designed experiment into the stratosphere and onto the International Space Station, where it is operated in orbit by astronauts.

In an environment where academic proposals are routinely sent back for substantial revisions, Baruch’s implementation plan, submitted by a team led by Prof. Krista Dobi of the Natural Sciences Department, passed on its very first submission—a logistical clean sweep that the SSEP national team noted is exceedingly rare. Consequently, when a SpaceX rocket ascends from the Kennedy Space Center in the spring of 2027, it will carry a payload designed not by aerospace engineers, but by undergraduate students at Baruch College.

The inspiration to join the program stemmed from a collaborative, interdisciplinary project already underway on campus. Prior to applying, Prof. Dobi along with Prof. Zoe Sheehan of the Fine and Performing Arts Department had been utilizing Baruch’s MakerHub to prototype an open-source Random Positioning Machine (RPM)—a ground-based device designed to simulate microgravity conditions on Earth using 3D-printed parts, fruit flies, and other accessible components.

Professor Sheehan noted that the experimental and iterative culture of the MakerHub provided the perfect framework for entering a competitive space venture. As a college-wide, multidisciplinary resource, the MakerHub acts as a vital connective tissue on campus, bridging technology and design gaps by encouraging, developing, and applying human creativity.

"Our ethos at Maker Hub is always: design it, build it, try it, embrace the potential of failure, and try it again. Each iteration is fairly low stakes, but this time the overall outcome was high stakes. Look at what can happen!"



When Anthony Maniscalco, Director of the Experiential and Community Engaged Learning (ExCEL) academic program, circulated the SSEP flight opportunity to the Natural Sciences department, the team realized they could take their ground-based microgravity research initiatives directly into orbit.

The design of the spaceflight experiments will be integrated directly into credited laboratory courses this coming fall, specifically Prof. Dobi’s BIO 3005 Molecular and Cellular Biology section and Prof. Rebecca Spokony’s BIO 4025 Comparative Immunology section. Here’s how the process will unfold:

• The Competition: Approximately 40 Baruch students working in teams, will spend nine weeks designing microgravity experiments and writing formal research proposals.
• The Selection: A Baruch review committee will select three finalists, and then, the SSEP National Program Director will choose one definitive experiment to fly to the International Space Station, where astronauts will operate the mini-lab for 4–6 weeks.
• Faculty Mentorship & Support: Students will have access to a robust network of scientific mentorship across the department. To support this next phase, Prof. Ana Gonzalez Nayeck, who teaches Astrobiology, will serve as a fantastic specialized resource for students as they design their orbital experiments. Additional faculty members within the Natural Sciences Department will also act as mentors to the student teams and supervise dedicated Independent Study projects, while the MakerHub will continue to support the experiment design process.
• Art & Design Competition: To ensure anyone at the college can participate, Baruch's Graphic Communication program will also launch a school-wide competition to design the official mission patch that will fly into space alongside the experiment.

Bringing a space program to a public urban campus required swift, coordinated institutional support. Dr. Jennifer Mangels, Interim Dean of the Weissman School of Arts and Sciences, successfully advocated for the project, securing crucial bridge funding from Baruch’s Activity-Based Budgeting Strategic Fund alongside institutional commitments from the Provost and President’s offices, all adding up to make Baruch an obvious choice for selection.

By framing the college as an interconnected ecosystem—or, as Professor Sheehan neatly characterizes it, "a little mini hive for exploration"—the project has already superseded the typical boundaries that separate the arts from the hard sciences. And it has done it in Baruch’s typical scrappy fashion—doing a lot with a little. Faculty training will occupy the summer months, ensuring that when the autumn term arrives, Baruch’s students can begin the messy, creative, high-stakes work of analyzing the cosmos—all from a crowded block of Lexington Avenue.

Alvi Khan Awarded CUNY Jonas E. Salk Scholarship

Baruch College student Alvi Khan has been named a recipient of the City University of New York (CUNY) Jonas E. Salk Scholarship, an honor recognizing undergraduate leaders who demonstrate exceptional potential in scientific and medical research. Khan will begin his MD/PhD the Penn State College of Medicine this fall.

During his time at Baruch, Khan conducted extensive research in computational neuroscience, Alzheimer’s disease, and genomics, presenting his findings at several national conferences. The Salk Scholarship follows a series of historic academic achievements for Khan, who previously became the first student in Baruch College history to receive the national Barry Goldwater Scholarship.

Student Star Award Debuets at 2026 WSAS Excellence Awards

Professor Edyta Greer, Student Stars Yang Yan Ou and Amalia Parrish, and Interim Dean Jennifer Mangels at the spring faculty meeting

The Weissman School of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Office announced the recipients of the 2026 Excellence Awards at the final faculty meeting of the spring semester. The annual program recognizes faculty, staff, and students whose work embodies the four core values identified in the 2024-29 Strategic Plan: collaboration, inclusion, caring, and exploration.

This year’s ceremony marked the debut of the Weissman Student Star Award. Developed in partnership with Weissman student leaders, this new category honors junior or senior undergraduates who demonstrate exceptional scholarship, service, engagement, or innovation within and beyond the Baruch community.

2026 Award Recipients

• Excellence in Teaching (Full-Time Faculty): Tim Aubry (English)
• Excellence in Teaching (Part-Time Faculty): Caroline Altenbernd (Communication Studies)
• Excellence in Scholarship or Creative Activity: Chester Zarnoch (Natural Sciences)
• Excellence in Student or Peer Mentorship: Sarah Bishop (Communication Studies) & Zachary Calamari (Natural Sciences)
• Excellence in Institutional Leadership or Service: John Wahlert (Natural Sciences)
• Gary Hentzi Award for Excellence in Staff Contribution and Leadership: Kathy Lypides (Dean’s Office)
• Weissman Student Star Award: Yang Yang Ou (Music Business) & Amalia Parrish (History)

Learn more about the awards and honorees here: Weissman Excellence Awards.

Student Voices in Psychology

Maribelle Almonacy, Psychology Club Vice President and organizer of the symposium

Undergraduate students presented their research findings at the "Student Voices in Psychology" symposium on April 15. Organized by the Baruch Psychology Club, the local Psi Chi Chapter, and the Department of Psychology, the event provided a professional forum for students to share their work and receive feedback from peers and faculty.

The 2026 Research and Creative Inquiry Expo

Baruch College celebrated student scholarship and collaborative innovation at the annual Research and Creative Inquiry Expo on May 12. The event showcased original research posters and creative projects from undergraduate presenters across all three Baruch schools.

Originally established in 2014 as Creative Inquiry Day, the initiative began as a collaborative effort to cultivate course-based research, experiential learning, and faculty mentorship. Now organized by the Office of Experiential and Community Engaged Learning (ExCEL), the event underscores the vital role of dedicated faculty members and department chairs who mentor students throughout the academic year, establishing pipelines for advanced scholarship and professional development.

Learn more and view the event archives here: Research and Creative Inquiry Expo.

Baruch In Concert - April 23

R.U.C.k.U.S. (Reading of Undergraduate Compositions and Unpublished Stuff!) - April 23

Scenes from Baruch’s Second Annual R.U.C.K.U.S. (Reading of Undergraduate Compositions and Unpublished Stuff!). Students and faculty spent the afternoon in VC 7-210 listening to original pieces, works-in-progress, and drafty writing from our undergraduate community. Thank you to everyone who stepped up to the mic to share their work, and to all who came out to listen and support. Sponsored by REFRACT, the Department of English, and the Department of Journalism and the Writing Professions.

The Spring Fling - April 30

New Media Arts Capstone Exhibition in New Media Artspace



The New Media Artspace recently debuted Ourchive, the Spring 2026 New Media Arts Capstone Exhibition, which opened on May 11 and will run through September 8, 2026. The group exhibition features original, collaboratively curated artworks created by undergraduate students in Professor Katherine Behar’s capstone course for the New Media Arts minor.

The installation explores the intersections of technology, creative practice, and archival systems, highlighting the students' interdisciplinary research and digital design work. The physical exhibition is hosted on campus within the Newman Library, with a parallel digital presentation available online to extend the showcase to global audiences.



Learn more and view the exhibition here: New Media Artspace.

Baruch Honors the Memory of Mindy Engle-Friedman with Memorial Concert at Baruch PAC

Members of the Baruch community celebrated the legacy of Professor Mindy Engle-Friedman during a memorial concert at the Baruch Performing Arts Center on April 21. The event, which featured the Westside Woodwind Quintet, raised proceeds to support the Dr. Mindy Engle-Friedman Climate Scholars Endowment.

Professor Emerita Susan Locke