The School of Architecture has announced that architect Tiffany Xu is the Harry der Boghosian Fellow for 2025–26. Xu will s쳮d current fellow, Erin Cuevas, and become the tenth fellow at the school.

The Boghosian Fellowship at the School of Architecture—established in early 2015 in memory of Harry der Boghosian ’54 by his sister Paula der Boghosian ’64—is a one-of-a-kind program designed to give emerging independent creatives the opportunity to spend a year developing a body of design research based on an area of interest while teaching at the School of Architecture.

Fellows play a significant role at the school by enhancing student instruction and faculty discourse while supporting both research and the development of research-related curriculum valuable to architectural education and the discipline.

During the 2025-26 school year, Xu will teach an architecture studio and two professional electives focused on researching North American contemporary construction culture—emphasizing architecture as a layered system consisting of a skeletal frame and built-up finishes, materials based on standardized dimensions and a product-like treatment of components. Students will explore conventional framing as an area of opportunity for codification and experimentation and study how medium specific tendencies and internal conflicts might yield new approaches to design.

“The composite character of today’s construction departs from traditional architecture’s valorization of permanence and mass, and the modernists’ penchant for transparency and truth,” says Xu. “Instead, this system finds its integrity in fulfilling a localized set of objectives and rules, anchored by pragmatism, vernacular references and supply chain constraints.”

Xu’s year-long investigation will foreground material and tectonic expression, with particular attention to patterns and transitions, positioning contemporary architecture as a new medium with a flexible set of values and objectives grounded in everyday practices.

Like the nine previous Boghosian Fellows, Xu will work closely not only with faculty and students at the School of Architecture but will also explore interdisciplinary collaborations within the University and its various centers and colleges, while also continuing her research into Central New York’s relationships with modernity and material.

Prior to joining Syracuse Architecture, Xu was the 2024-25 Peter Reyner Banham Fellow at the University of New York at Buffalo, where her work explored conventions of light timber framing, culminating in the spring installation, “.” Xu has taught architectural representation at Northeastern University and was a practicing architect at the offices of Spiegel Aihara Workshop, David Jaehning Architect, and Jim Jennings Architecture. Her designs and writing have been published in , San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, CITE Journal and Architectural Record. She has held editorial positions at the and .

Xu received a Master of Architecture from Rice University where she was the recipient of the William D. Darden Thesis award, and a Bachelor of Science from University of California, Berkeley. She is a registered architect in the state of California.

“From this fellowship I hope to further develop my skills in pedagogy, whether at the fundamental and core curriculum level or a more experimental seminar setting, while maintaining a close relationship to building,” says Xu. “My intent is to contribute to a current discourse that strives to merge the gap between design thinking and construction and questions the polarity between everyday pragmatism and abstract study.”

The Boghosian Fellowship has helped the School of Architecture attract the best and the brightest emerging professors. Previous fellows include Maya Alam (2016-17), Linda Zhang (2017-18), James Leng (2018-19), Benjamin Vanmuysen (2019-20), Liang Wang (2020-21), Leen Katrib (2021-22), Lily Chishan Wong (2022-23), Christina Chi Zhang (2023-24) and Erin Cuevas (2024–25).

To learn more about the Harry der Boghosian Fellowship, visit the .

As director of The Camden Life Center in Camden, New York, , LCSW-R, CSSW, has several ties to the students and faculty in the in the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics.

That connection grew even stronger on March 27, when Perusse received the School of Social Work’s prestigious Social Justice Award. Perusse also served as the keynote speaker of the annual Dan and Mary Lou Rubenstein Social Justice Award program that was held before a standing-room-only audience in Room 200 White Hall in Falk College.

Presented for more than 30 years during in March, the Rubenstein Social Justice Award is given in honor of the late professor Dan Rubenstein, a former faculty member in the School of Social Work, and his late wife, Mary Lou, a former school social worker. Recipients of this award are role models whose courage and strength inspire others to stand up—and step up—to advocate and be a voice in their local community. The values of social justice are integral to honorees’ daily lives, and their work represents the true spirit of the Rubenstein Social Justice Award.

The theme of this year’s program was “United for Change: Honoring Collective Impact and Collaboration in Rural Communities,” and Perusse’s impact in Camden and collaboration with Syracuse University is second-to-none in Central New York.

“This year’s theme invites us to think deeply about what it means to stand together in solidarity, especially with communities that have too often been overlooked or underserved,” said School of Social Work Chair and Professor .

“Jessica reminds us that collective impact begins with one person saying, ‘Yes, this matters.’ With one person having the courage to care,” Smith added. “She reminds us that justice is not a destination, it is a daily practice.”

, a partnership between the and (CFLR), is a center for multiple agencies to come together and act in their areas of strength for the maximum impact and overall benefit of their community. The primary goal is to inspire hope, provide help, promote wellness, and transform lives with a focus of being “in Camden, of Camden, for Camden.” Camden is located less than an hour’s drive northeast of Syracuse.

During her keynote address, Perusse described the evolution of The Camden Life Center and how she wanted to tailor its services to the needs of the rural community.

“We don’t need mega, multiple agencies providing tons of services,” Perusse said. “We need partnerships with agencies that are willing to understand our rural culture without changing our values and beliefs.

“It wasn’t easy; we had to earn the trust of our residents,” she continued. “It took time, consistency and showing up time and time again to show that I’m not just a provider, I’m your neighbor.”

Perusse noted that the national shortage of mental health providers is even worse in rural communities, where “the work can be very lonely.” She said the challenges in Camden were intensified this winter, when 30 feet of snow fell in the area and caused the collapse of several homes and businesses.

“I was struck by the magnitude of destruction in our community, and it hurts my social worker heart to think how we’re going to recover from this,” Perusse said.

Perusse regularly supervises (M.S.W.) students as interns at The Camden Life Center and plays an integral role in connecting students to research and practice. Perusse and , assistant dean of online education in Falk College and associate teaching professor of social work, were colleagues on the Healthcare for Homeless Veterans team in the Syracuse VA Medical Center and that work helped inform ongoing collaborations between Perusse and Syracuse University.

Marfilius, who introduced Perusse at the Social Justice Award event, and Assistant Professor of Social Work , worked on one grant project with The Camden Life Center and recently started a second one. The first project in 2023-24 involved a $350,000 grant from the CFLR/Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties. That project utilized the lens of social determinants of health and trauma-informed behavioral health approaches to identify and address the unmet service needs of rural residents in Camden, aiming to enhance the quality of care provided by The Camden Life Center.

For the current project, which received an $839,000 grant from the , Marfilius and Wang are serving as the research team for the Camden Life Center’s launch of the . This partnership between CFLR and The Camden Life Center is designed to foster connection, resilience and well-being for families and individuals in Camden and its surrounding communities.

Perusse said for this latest initiative to be successful, she and her team will need continued support so they can support those in need in Camden.

The School of Social Work was founded in 1955 and opened in 1956 after Syracuse University received a major grant from the Rosamond Gifford Charitable Corporation. In 2024, the School of Social Work was ranked by U.S. News and World Report as among the “” ��in the country, and its national profile will continue to rise with the start of the prestigious��that was created recently through a $300,000 gift to the school.

The School of Social Work is known for its long history of community impact and outreach, including��organized by Social Workers United. On July 1, the School of Social Work will move to Syracuse University’s to enhance the academic and community impact of the program, grow enrollment, drive research excellence, and strengthen the University’s long-standing commitment to preparing professionals to thrive in human, health and social services.

The 2024 Paris Summer Olympics and Paralympics are here and representatives from the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics at Syracuse University will have an impact on this year’s Games–and, quite possibly, future Olympic Games.

The Falk College representatives who are involved in several unique ways with the Olympics and Paralympics include current Falk students Dan Griffiths and Livia McQuade, Department of Sport Management Associate Professor Jeeyoon “Jamie” Kim, and Sport Management graduates and former Syracuse University student-athletes Freddie Crittenden III ’17, Kristen Siermachesky�� ’21 and Lysianne Proulx ’21.

Here are their stories:

Student: Dan Griffiths

At Syracuse University and now with the U.S. Track and Field team (), sport analytics major Dan Griffiths��’26 is helping to revolutionize how performance data is collected and analyzed.

When Griffiths started working with the Syracuse track and field and cross country teams before the 2023-24 academic year, the teams weren’t utilizing a data-gathering system. But the student-athletes were using Garmin wearables to track their own data, so Griffiths built his own application and a tool that transported all of their data into his application, which then created spreadsheets he used to analyze that data.

With Griffiths’ help, the Syracuse women’s cross country team won its since 2011. Throughout the academic year, Griffiths conducted and presented his research at various national competitions and conferences, including the (he was runner-up in sport analytics research), and the inaugural Sport, Entertainment and Innovation Conference () last week in Las Vegas.

Griffiths’ success at Syracuse and his interest in track and field led to his connection with USATF, which gave him the freedom to explore his areas of interest. Using a combination of the latest technology, Griffiths helped create three-dimensional models to best understand an athlete’s musculoskeletal forces.

“For throwers (discus, shotput, javelin), my work focused on using a pose estimation model to detect patterns that could be linked to longer, more powerful throws,” Griffiths says. “For sprinters and distance runners, I used pose estimation data to monitor overtraining and track progress throughout the season and before meets.

“I also conducted extensive research for multi-event athletes in the heptathlon and decathlon,” he adds. “This research aimed to understand how fatigue affects scoring in multi-events and how different training sequences can reduce fatigue.”

Griffiths shared his work with the coaches, and at least two of the athletes he analyzed will be participating in the Olympics: javelin thrower Curtis Thompson and 400-meter runner Alexis Holmes. During his time with USATF, Griffiths traveled to the New York City Grand Prix Meet–the final meet for track and field athletes before the U.S. Olympic Trials–and the Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon.

“The thing we think about every morning is ‘How can we win another gold medal today?’”��Griffiths says. “Having the opportunity to combine everything I’ve learned and truly be a trailblazer and innovator for USATF and those athletes, especially in a track and field biomechanics context, has made me uber-passionate about the work we are doing at Syracuse and the future of AI/analytics and sports.”

The track and field events run Aug. 1-11.

Student: Livia McQuade

Livia McQuade ’25 is a sport management major and sport event management minor who has spent this summer in Loveland, Colorado, as an athlete relations intern with . Olympus is a management and marketing agency that provides top sponsorship opportunities and marketing strategies for Olympic and Paralympic athletes.

In her role, McQuade has interfaced with athletes from the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic teams and their partners, and with the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee and other national governing bodies. Her projects have included reviewing contracts, building athletes’ personal websites and organizing outlines for athletes’ speaking engagements.

“I’ve had a truly incredible experience within the Olympic and Paralympic Movement–during a Games year of all times!” McQuade says. “Through it all, I’ve had the privilege to work with some of sport’s most impactful Olympians and Paralympians, including Apolo Ohno, Jessica Long, Noah Elliott, Sarah Adam, Alex and Gretchen Walsh, Alex Ferreira and Steve Serio.”

McQuade, the executive vice president of the in Falk College and co-chair of the club’s 2024 , says she wants to work with the Olympic and Paralympic movement following graduation and this internship has been an invaluable step in that process. Her experience with Olympus will continue in September, when she’ll attend the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games to serve as a resource for U.S. athletes, their families, and their sponsors. The Paralympic Games run from Aug. 28-Sept. 8.

“I could not be more grateful and excited,” McQuade says of her upcoming experience in Paris. “My leadership (at Olympus Sports Group)–Ian Beck and ’16–have thrown extraordinary opportunities my way, and they will remain valuable mentors long into my career.”

Proulx is Team Canada’s third-choice goalkeeper, meaning she will be activated if either the starting or backup goalkeeper is injured. Although she didn’t start at Syracuse until her junior season, Proulx recorded the fourth-most saves (281), second-most saves per game (5.3) and seventh-most shutouts (eight) in program history.

Senior Isabelle Lutz joined a group of fellow Syracuse University students and community members for a short bus ride last fall to the Skä•noñh Great Law of Peace Center—the Haudenosaunee cultural hub on the shore of Onondaga Lake in Liverpool.

The evening’s event, part of a series called “Listen to the Elders,” featured Onondaga Hawk Clan Chief Spencer Ohsgoñ:da’ Lyons speaking about the history of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and sharing the traditional Thanksgiving address. The gathering included an array of Haudenosaunee foods, including three sisters soup made with corn, beans and squash.

“We’re not a people of the past,” Lyons told the audience. “The Haudenosaunee are still the Haudenosaunee. We have our language; we have our songs.”

For Lutz, an enrolled member of the Oneida Nation in her home state of Wisconsin, the Skä•noñh event provided a chance to connect directly with Indigenous leaders in the Syracuse area.

“So much of Native American studies or Indigenous studies can be taught from a historical/past context, when the people, traditions, and cultures are still present and active in the community,” said Lutz ’24, who in May earned a bachelor’s degree in political science with a minor in Native American and Indigenous studies. “So, when there are opportunities to attend and listen to members of different nations share their story and knowledge, it truly complements and enriches my classroom studies.”

The “Listen to the Elders” series began in 2022, organized by a University group called Not in the Books, which fosters a reciprocal learning relationship between the University community and the peoples of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy.

The Maxwell School is strongly connected to the effort: two of its faculty members, Aaron Luedtke and Heather Law Pezzarossi, are among its key organizers and it is supported with funding from the Tenth Decade Project, an initiative created 10 years ago in the lead of to the school’s 100th anniversary (see related story: From Sovereignty to Mortality: Tenth Decade Awards Support Research Across Disciplines).

“The Tenth Decade awards have energized and enabled interdisciplinary research around critical themes to the Maxwell School,” says Carol Faulkner, professor of history and Maxwell’s senior associate dean for academic affairs. “‘Listen to the Elders’ engages the Syracuse community around issues of citizenship, democracy and environment. It is a particularly appropriate project for our centennial because it highlights how our present obligations as citizens are tied to our past.”

Indigenous Ties ��

The work of Not in the Books aligns with the teaching and research of Aaron Luedtke and Heather Law Pezzarossi.

Law Pezzarossi, an anthropologist trained in critical heritage studies, does collaborative work that addresses colonial history while serving the contemporary needs of Indigenous communities, such as the Nipmuc people of New England. Her teaching includes courses on contemporary Native American issues, and on Indigenous museum relations and Native Americans. She is a faculty affiliate in the Native American and Indigenous Studies Program and a member of the advisory board for the University’s new Center for Global Indigenous Cultures and Environmental Justice.

Luedtke, an assistant professor of history at Maxwell since 2022, is also a faculty affiliate with the Native American and Indigenous Studies Program. He focused his graduate research at Michigan State University on the native peoples of the Great Lakes—particularly, in his words, “how they used the authoring of their own histories as resistance to colonial erasure.”

The connections Luedtke has made with Syracuse-area Indigenous communities through Not in the Books and other projects are influencing his research direction. “I have the privilege to build these relationships with Haudenosaunee elders,” says Luedtke, who is of Suquamish and Duwamish descent. “I am going to spend the rest of my career working in tandem with the Haudenosaunee to tell Haudenosaunee stories of resistance.”

The impetus for creating the Not in the Books group initially came from Diane Schenandoah, Oneida Nation Faith Keeper and the University’s Honwadiyenawa’sek—or “one who helps them.” A sculptor for 40 years, she earned an art degree from the College of Visual and Performing Arts in 2011. Her daughter, Michelle Schenandoah, is a graduate of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and an adjunct professor in the law school, and her son-in-law, Neal Powless, serves as the University’s ombuds.

As Honwadiyenawa’sek, Schenandoah offers intuitive energy work grounded in traditional Haudenosaunee culture and teachings to the University community. She also leads events such as a Haudenosaunee welcome ceremony opening the academic year and a monthly full moon ceremony. “I was asked to be a Wolf Clan Faith Keeper in 1988,” she says. “As a Faith Keeper, part of my duty is to share our teachings of how to live in peace though gratitude. We have duties and responsibilities to one another as humans, and to our Mother Earth for all that is provided. Giving thanks on a daily basis is of great importance.”

Through her initial work on campus, Schenandoah began connecting with Native students as well as with professors, such as Luedtke, Law Pezzarossi, and Patricia Roylance, associate professor of English, who teach courses related to Native American and Indigenous studies.

While students were clearly keen to learn more, many had little background on the impacts of colonialism and the dispossession of Indigenous lands, or on the persistence and current-day realities of Indigenous communities—topics rarely addressed in primary or secondary education. “As Indigenous people, our history is so erased,” Schenandoah says. “Many students see the purple and white flag flying around campus but don’t really know what it is. You’re standing in the capital of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. This is the birthplace of democracy.”

Looking for ways to help fill this gap in knowledge and awareness of the area’s Indigenous heritage and contemporary presence—among not only students but faculty and staff—Schenandoah lit on the idea of connecting the University community with a tribal elder. She contacted Freida Jacques, Onondaga Turtle Clan Mother Whatwehni:neh. Jacques agreed to do a series of lectures, and the Not in the Books team—named by Schenandoah—coalesced to organize these events at Skä•noñh.

In addition to Luedtke, Law Pezzarossi, Schenandoah and Roylance, the Not in the Books team includes Scott Catucci, associate director of outdoor education at the Barnes Center; Jim O’Connor, producer with the special collections team at SU Libraries; and Tammy Bluewolf-Kennedy, a member of the Oneida Nation’s Wolf Clan who leads Indigenous student recruitment in the University’s Office of Admissions.

“The Onondaga are still here, and the Onondaga reservation is minutes away from SU’s campus,” says Luedtke. “We decided as a group very early on that we have a coherent job to do: to educate the campus community that Native peoples are not the mythological, ahistorical stereotype representations that people are accustomed to seeing. Native peoples are just as modern, nuanced, complicated and fully capable of all aspects of humanity as anyone else.”

Hosting the series at a Native cultural center, rather than bringing elders to campus, was important for the spirit and intent of the project. “Skä•noñh is a Haudenosaunee welcome center,” Law Pezzarossi says. “So, it’s the perfect place for people to start learning.”

Building Bridges

Supported with a $5,000 grant from Maxwell’s Tenth Decade Project and other campus programs, the “Listen to the Elders” series began in the 2022–23 academic year with four presentations by Freida Jacques, who in addition to being a clan mother has served for decades as a Haudenosaunee cultural liaison for educational institutions across New York state and beyond.

During these Skä•noñh events, Jacques led tours of the center and explained how in Haudenosaunee tradition, women choose the clan leaders and men marry into women’s clans rather than vice versa.

In one session, she discussed the enduring impact of the boarding schools run by churches or the federal government that tens of thousands of Indigenous children—including Jacques’ grandfather—were forced to attend between the late 1800s and the 1960s.

In a letter written to support a funding application, Jacques said that sharing her life experiences and knowledge has been fulfilling. “Both grandparents on my mother’s side attended Carlisle Indian Industrial boarding school in Pennsylvania,” she wrote. “My family was affected by this fact. My father was a Mohawk Wolf Clan person and originated at Akwesasne, whose territory is divided by Ontario, Q and New York State. …Building bridges between cultures appears to be one of my life’s purposes.”

Onondaga Chief Spencer Lyons continued the series in 2023-24 with presentations on Haudenosaunee traditions and governance. With free transportation available from campus to Skä•noñh, the “Listen to the Elders” series have consistently drawn capacity crowds.

To read the full story, visit the .

Teacher shortages and a predominantly white teaching force are two persistent hiring trends that continue to challenge public schools nationwide. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, nearly 90% of school districts hiring teachers for the 2023-24 school year, while—despite a growing population of students of color and on the benefits of a diverse teaching force—.

Locally, the Syracuse City School District (SCSD) is similarly challenged, but a new partnership with the (SOE) and aims to address this dilemma.

People With a Passion

Syracuse has become that latest school district to join the , administered jointly by SOE and the Maxwell School. , the program recruits teacher candidates who are committed to teaching underserved populations and from populations that are underrepresented in local classrooms.

When joining the program, students choose to take one of SOE’s and are offered a hiring commitment by a program partner, subject to a school’s needs and a student’s successful program completion. In addition to Syracuse, other Baldanza program partners are the Baldwinsville, Jamesville-DeWitt and West Genesee school districts.

“Retirements, the typical turnover of an urban school district and the fact that fewer candidates are entering college teacher preparation programs equal the shortages we are seeing,” says Scott Persampieri, SCSD chief human resources officer, noting that his school district typically needs to hire between 200 and 300 teachers per year.

“We have been struggling to find certified teachers,” says Jeannie Aversa G’13, SCSD executive director of recruitment, selection and retention. “There is a teacher shortage due to members of the baby boom generation retiring early, and the coronavirus pandemic didn’t help.”

She adds, “We are looking for people with a passion for urban education. If people have that passion, they will stay longer.”

Go For It

Jasmine Manuel ’21, G’23 was among the first fellows to graduate from the Baldanza program. A Syracuse native who attended Henninger High School, she notes that program applicants essentially interview twice: “Once you sign up, you have a kind of hiring interview with school districts, as well as an interview with the School of Education.”

A human development and family sciences graduate from the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics, as a Baldanza fellow Manuel joined SOE’s and received a hiring commitment from Jamesville-DeWitt Central School District, where she did her student teaching and where she now works as a fourth grade teacher.

Manuel admits that the Baldanza program benefits are so good, she thought the offer might not be real.

“I was working as a teaching assistant at Henninger, aiding a visually impaired student,” she says. “The Baldanza program was a surprising opportunity. I wasn’t planning on going for a master’s degree, but then I saw an email about it. My supervisor is getting a certificate of advanced study from the School of Education, so I asked him if the offer was real. He said it was, and that I should go for it.”

Manuel says she enjoyed her mentored student teaching experience at Jamesville-DeWitt. “I learned a lot that way. You hear a lot about theory in the graduate classroom, but it’s different when you do it in your own classroom. You learn what works and what doesn’t,” she says.

All Students Benefit

One of three teachers of color in her school building, Manuel notes that she was a good fit for her school district because of its increasing diversity. “Jamesville-DeWitt has expanded its English Language Learner (ELL) program to all three elementary schools,” she says, “so now students and staff are seeing a highly diverse student population coming in.”

Reflecting on the district’s diversity, Aversa observes that her student population speaks 80 different languages, so ELL is one of the high needs areas into which SCSD is recruiting—”we need teachers who know strategies to work with English as a New Language students”—along with other high needs subjects, such as math, science and special education.

Aversa agrees with national data illustrating that teachers of color and culturally responsive teaching are linked to for students, saying, “Kids will see who they are trying to be, so representation in the classroom matters. The Baldanza Fellows program encourages the recruitment of BIPOC teachers so students can see people who look like them, but all children benefit from a diverse body of teachers.”

The Baldanza Fellows program encourages the recruitment of BIPOC teachers so students can see people who look like them, but all children benefit from a diverse body of teachers.

—Jeannie Aversa G’13

“We know that there is a significant discrepancy between the diversity of the student body and the teaching force. That is true nationally, regionally and it’s certainly true for Syracuse schools,” says Professor G’01, G’07, G’08, director of SOE’s , who oversees the programs along with Professor . “Students benefit from education that is culturally responsive and sustaining, and they benefit from being educated by teachers who make them feel connected to their cultures and communities, and who can provide outstanding role models.”

Continues Ashby, “It’s equally important for white students to be educated by teachers of color, if we want all students to understand inclusive environments. All students benefit from exposure to diverse experiences, cultures and identities.”

Right, Important and Just

Ashby says she is thrilled to have SCSD join the Baldanza Fellows program: “The time and opportunity are right for them to join. After all, Syracuse is our home, and we feel close to Syracuse city schools. Doing this work with them feels right, important and just.”

Pitching their case as an employer, Persampieri cites teachers’ job satisfaction: “A lot of people go into the teaching profession to serve and to make a difference. Few professions have this level of satisfaction, and that’s especially true of an urban district.”

For Aversa, the pitch is two-fold—diversity and professional support. “Our kids deserve people who want to be here and who have a desire to serve a high-poverty urban setting. Our diversity is one of the positive things we offer,” she says. “Plus, new teachers are supported in many ways, and they will learn and grow with seasoned professionals by their side.”

Similarly, mentorship is a key feature of the Baldanza program, along with a tuition scholarship, a stipend to support living expenses and the hiring commitment.

“My host teachers were very good,” says Manuel, recalling her classroom immersion. “They explained a lot about the students to me. They explained about their likes and dislikes, their quirks and what gets them motivated—these are details you don’t necessarily go over in a theory class.”

Adds Manuel, “As a new teacher, all the supports I had as a Baldanza Fellow are still with me.”

Learn more about the , or contact Speranza Migliore, assistant director of graduate admissions in SOE, at smiglior@syr.edu or 315.443.2505 for more information.

We want to know how you experience Syracuse University. Take a photo and share it with us. We select photos from a variety of sources. Submit photos of your University experience using #SyracuseU on social media, fill out a ��or send it directly to ������Ƶ at��newsphoto@syr.edu. You might see it featured here.

The Center for International Services took a group of students to enjoy all that fall in Central New York has to offer, including apple and pumpkin picking. This picture is from their stop at Tim’s Pumpkin Patch in Marietta. (Photo by Meriel Stokoe)

, assistant professor of political science in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, has received the 2023-24 Public Voices Fellowship on Technology in the Public Interest to explore attitudes and policy related to artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

Zhang is one of 20 fellows chosen for the one-year program that supports women and underrepresented thought leaders in producing public writing, conducting live experiments and networking with scholars, experts and journalists.

Zhang plans to use the fellowship to publish op-eds and engage in public communication about the uses and risks of artificial intelligence. She will hold an eight-day, virtual public assembly in October with 40 randomly selected participants that explores public perceptions of AI across applications in public administration, health, online search and face recognition. The workshop is based on her research that public knowledge about AI affects whether citizens, consumers and stakeholders can make informed decisions about policy, accountability or potential benefits or harms.

The 2023-24 Public Voices Fellowship on Technology in the Public Interest is supported by The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in partnership with the OpEd Project. The fellowship program is partnered with 35 universities and foundations, including the Ford Foundation and Yale, Stanford and Princeton universities. The program is designed to support underrepresented scholars who advance public conversations on gender, racial, health, climate and media justice issues.

Zhang’s October workshop is supported by a she received as one of 15 AI2050 Early Career fellows. Those fellowships were funded by the philanthropic organization Schmidt Futures. For the workshop, she will partner with the Center for New Democratic Processes, a nonpartisan nonprofit that will hold eight workshop sessions that analyze public engagement with AI governance and applications.

Zhang is a senior research associate in the and the . Her broader work focuses on public and elite opinion of AI, policy and ethics of AI technology, and how the American welfare state can adapt to increasing automation.

Story by Michael Kelly