Kivanc Avrenli, professor of practice in finance in the Martin J. Whitman School of Management, has been named one of , a distinction recognizing exceptional teaching, mentorship and impact on students.

The honor is based on Poets&Quants’ comprehensive evaluation of nominations from schools worldwide. Professors are scored on both research (30%) and teaching (70%), with reviewers considering scholarly influence, media visibility, teaching awards, innovations in the classroom and the depth of student impact.

A Transformative Teacher

Avrenli was nominated by David Weinbaum, chair of the school’s Department of Finance, who highlighted the extraordinary reach and quality of Avrenli’s teaching. “Between Fall 2021 and Fall 2025, Dr. Avrenli has taught 65 in-person, 3-credit courses, reaching approximately 2,700 students,” Weinbaum wrote. “He consistently earns near-perfect ratings from students, and he is the highest-rated professor at Syracuse University on Rate My Professor.”

Poets&Quants noted this quote from a student evaluation, “Dr. Avrenli is hands-down the best professor I’ve had. He walks into class with a contagious smile, turns stats into something you actually look forward to, and makes you feel like you can tackle anything. He’s the gold standard for what a professor should be—clear, hilarious and always in your corner.”

When asked what sets him apart as an educator, Avrenli joked: “My energy level, which is the human equivalent of a quad-shot espresso, and the lively animated visuals I deploy to demystify complex concepts.”

A Record of Excellence

At Whitman, Avrenli teaches managerial statistics and specializes in applied statistical methods, probability theory, statistical modeling and experimental design. He received the Faculty of the Year Award in both 2021 and 2022, was named Undergraduate Faculty of the Year in 2020 and has been selected six times as Best Faculty and Class Marshal by U.S. Army students in Syracuse’s Defense Comptrollership Program. He has received the universitywide Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Teaching Recognition Award, the Whitman School Teaching Fellow Award and a Faculty Recognition Award from the Office of Disability Services.

Before joining Whitman, he taught at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, where he was named to the List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent by Their Students seven consecutive times and received the Alumni Award in Teaching Excellence.

Academic and Industry Impact

Avrenli holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in civil engineering from Bogaziçi University in Istanbul—formerly Robert College, the first American college established outside the United States. He later completed a second M.S. in statistics and a Ph.D. in civil engineering with a specialization in commercial aviation safety at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. His expertise in commercial aviation safety and statistical modeling has made him a frequent media commentator in outlets including Newsweek, Law360 and The Washington Post.

Well-Deserved Global Recognition

Poets&Quants received more than 1,200 nominations representing nearly 200 individual professors from more than 60 of the best undergraduate business programs worldwide. The recognition spotlights educators who shape the next generation of business leaders through extraordinary dedication and impact.

When asked what he is most grateful for, Avrenli says “my students, my colleagues and any student who watches my lecture and homework solution videos before asking me the question the video already answers.Ěý Also, the cloudy, cold and snowy Syracuse winters.”

To read Avrenli’s full profile and interview, visit

Ěýwas founded on a powerful premise: self-expression through writing holds transformative potential.

This year, the honored Project Mend with its 2025 Outstanding College-Community Partnership Award, the initiative’s efforts to empower justice-impacted individuals through writing and publishing.

The project, developed by , associate professor of writing and rhetoric in the College of Arts and Sciences, is a multimodal, grassroots-level, open-access national archive centered on the scholarly and creative work of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals and their communities. It is grounded in a digital storytelling and publishing apprenticeship for justice-impacted people, providing practical skills and professional opportunities.

Complementing the effort is “,” a print and digital journal that publishes works by anyone impacted by mass incarceration, amplifying voices that are often marginalized or silenced.

“Both components concern the power of writing to bring about change, exploring how individuals learn to write themselves into new identities and new lives,” Berry says.

TheĚý‘s Outstanding College-Community Partnership Award specifically honors initiatives that embody collaboration and reciprocity between universities and communities. The Coalition’s array of programs and member projects help catalyze community-based writing for the public good.

Berry’s work exemplifies the spirit of the award through meaningful partnerships that center the voices of justice-impacted individuals.

David Todd talked about Project Mend’s transformative role at aĚý in the spring.

“Writing is one of the factors that boosted my confidence,” he said during the dialogue facilitated by the . “I was able to express myself, and when I’m able to express myself, people start to listen to me.”

The success of Project Mend has been made possible through partnerships with the Center for Community Alternatives and support from the Humanities New York Post-Incarceration Humanities Partnership, funded by the Mellon Foundation and the CNY Humanities Corridor.

At the University, Project Mend is supported by the Engaged Humanities Network, CODE^SHIFT (Collaboratory for Data Equity, Social Healing, Inclusive Futures and Transformation), the Humanities Center, the SOURCE, Syracuse University Libraries and the Department of Writing Studies, Rhetoric and Composition. Berry also received an award from the Office of Research’s Good to Great (G2G) Grant Program, designed to help faculty secure major external funding by supporting the revision of promising grant proposals.

The multifaceted support has helped Berry strengthen the initiative as it prepares for its next phase of growth. Its new work includes a series of animated films that highlight selections from the pages of “Mend.” On Thursday, Nov. 13, Wade and animator Evan Bode will premiered “Prison and Time,” adapted from a piece in the 2025 issue of the journal.

In January, Project Mend will also launch “Mend Fences,” a podcast series of recorded conversations inspired by contributions to the journal.

As Project Mend applies for new grants and reconfigures as a comprehensive national archive, it continues to demonstrate how writing can be a powerful tool for transformation. By giving formerly incarcerated individuals and their families platforms to share their narratives, Berry’s initiative creates opportunities for justice-impacted people to reimagine themselves, their communities and their futures.

Growing up in India, Sudha Raj’s childhood dream was to become a physician. But there was one problem: She didn’t like the sight of blood.

Thanks to the influence of her parents and a friendly neighbor, Raj discovered a different way to help people by focusing her career on nutrition science and dietetics. She moved to Syracuse in 1981 to enroll at the University, and while she never left Syracuse, she has made an enormous impact around the globe.

In particular, Raj is known worldwide for her studies to investigate dietary acculturation patterns of Asian Indian immigrants in the United States and her various leadership roles with the , the world’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals. Closer to home, she’s an award-winning and researcher in the in the .

Recognizing Raj’s groundbreaking contributions to the field of nutrition and dietetics, the Board of Directors selected Raj as a recipient of the , which was presented at an honors breakfast Oct. 12 during the in Nashville, Tennessee.

“Sudha has an inquiring mind and has mentored thousands of students to carry that quest for inquiry, but also cultivated a culture of integrity, purpose and shared commitment to advancing the profession,” says Harlivleen “Livleen” Gill, who served as the 2024-25 president of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “Beyond her research and education, Dr Raj is known for her warmth, compassion and genuine connection with her colleagues and students.”

Nutrition and Food Studies Associate Professor first met Raj when she joined the University faculty in 1998, and Bruening says Raj is the first faculty member to receive a national award of this stature since the legendary in the early 1990s.

“For her many professional, scholarly and educational accomplishments at the local, national and international level, and for her selfless generosity to making all of us who are privileged to know her better global citizens, I strongly recommend Dr. Sudha Raj for the Medallion Award,” Bruening wrote in her recommendation letter to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Awards Committee.

Nutrition and Food Studies Associate Professor Lynn Brann joined the Syracuse faculty in 2003 and says Raj has brought her expertise in multiple areas to the department through new course development and her dedicated mentoring of undergraduate and graduate students.

“Seeing Sudha receive this award brings me joy,” Brann says. “Sudha has been thoughtful and deliberate to select areas of nutrition that are meaningful to her and that impact the population at large. I am inspired to follow her pursuit of advancing the profession.”

For her part, Raj says she was excited to receive the Medallion Award and mingle with the five other award recipients from around the country. But she sees the honor as a “team effort” because of the support she has received from her colleagues over the years.

“In the nutrition department we have the best colleagues to work with,” Raj says, “and a lot of things happened here (at Syracuse) through the Academy’s initiatives because my colleagues saw value in it.”

Read the full story on the Falk College of Sport .

The University will take center stage on the nationally syndicated program “The Academic Minute” during the week of Oct. 27-31, marking the first time the program has dedicated an entire week to showcasing Syracuse University research.

Five Syracuse scholars will share their groundbreaking work with audiences across more than 70 NPR-affiliated stations throughout North America and with international listeners worldwide. Each day of “Syracuse Week” highlights the breadth and real-world impact of the University’s scholarship:

Monday, Oct. 27: Leonard Lopoo, associate dean, chair and professor in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, explores how government policies—from “baby bonuses” to family leave and child care subsidies—shape fertility rates and family formation decisions.

Tuesday, Oct. 28: Claire Rubbelke, former College of Arts and Sciences postdoctoral researcher, examines what ancient climate patterns reveal about modern droughts and future water security challenges. (Related story)

Wednesday, Oct. 29: Rachael Goodwin, assistant professor in the Whitman School of Management, investigates unhealthy perfectionism in professional ballet and its parallels to high-pressure workplace cultures across industries. ()

Thursday, Oct. 30: Kristy Buzard, associate professor in the Maxwell School, analyzes today’s trade wars and tariff policies through the historical lens of early 1900s trade liberalization—revealing patterns that echo across a century.

Friday, Oct. 31: David Fastovich, former College of Arts and Sciences postdoctoral researcher, reveals the urgent story of forests failing to migrate fast enough to keep pace with Earth’s rapidly warming climate. ()

The Academic Minute is a daily two-and-a-half-minute showcase featuring researchers from leading institutions worldwide. This weeklong spotlight positions Syracuse faculty as authoritative voices on the environmental, economic and social challenges shaping our world.

Listen to each researcher’s full segment at .

On April 28, 2025, a major power outage affected millions across Spain, Portugal and parts of southern France due to what authorities described as a “.” Although the exact cause was not immediately confirmed, concerns quickly arose about the possibility of a cyberattack. Such trepidation highlights how in today’s interconnected world, something as simple as a phishing email can trigger a chain reaction that jeopardizes the safety and well-being of millions.

Recognizing the exponentially growing importance of cybersecurity, the College of Arts and Sciences’ (A&S’)ĚýĚý(Forensics Institute) offers a Ěýin partnership with theĚýĚý(iSchool). This program is designed to equip future professionals with the critical skills needed to safeguard sensitive information and infrastructure while holding malicious actors accountable. The M.S. blends courses in digital forensics, cybersecurity and data analytics with advanced forensic science and crime scene investigation.

What Are Cybersecurity and Digital Forensics?

While closely interconnected, these disciplines represent proactive and reactive approaches to managing digital threats. Whereas cybersecurity focuses on preventing attacks and protecting digital infrastructure, digital forensics is concerned with investigating breaches in established cybersecurity and identifying the cause, scope and perpetrators of the attack.

With digital evidence now central to over 90% of criminal cases, as reported in theĚý, the program equips students for careers in cybersecurity, digital investigations and intelligence analysis. They also gain hands-on experience through fieldwork at top-tier facilities, including federal agencies like the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Justice and the Department of Defense, along with various crime laboratories and prosecutor’s offices.

Learning from Leaders in Cybersecurity

A key strength of the program is the access students have to faculty who are actively engaged in cutting-edge, practical research. A prime example isĚý, courtesy research professor and adjunct professor of forensics who also received a master’s degree in forensic science from A&S and a Ph.D. in cybersecurity from the Federal University of Technology ParanĂĄ in Brazil. When not teaching courses at Syracuse, he is conducting international research with organizations like the Brazilian Army at the Military Institute of Engineering.

“We focus on developing advanced simulated environments that can replicate everything from energy substations to entire distribution systems,” says Lemos about his current work. “These environments allow us to simulate cyberattacks and study system and device behavior, including the integration of physical equipment.”

Over the past decade, Lemos says the significant rise in attacks on critical infrastructure, such as theĚýĚýin 2015 and theĚýĚýin 2021, which significantly affected fuel supply to the U.S. East Coast, emphasize the growing need for highly trained professionals to work in both prevention and incident response.

Ensuring Grid Resilience

Lemos’ work in Brazil involves safeguarding that country’s power supply by exploring how systems react before, during and after an incident—without the risks or costs associated with testing real infrastructure.

“These simulations help uncover vulnerabilities, assess system resilience and evaluate the effectiveness of various detection and defense mechanisms. They also support the development of robust incident response plans and recovery protocols,” Lemos says. In turn, he brings this expertise and a deeper, more practical understanding of how to protect critical systems into the classroom at Syracuse, enriching the learning experience for students.

In his course, Computational Forensics, students are introduced to cutting-edge technologies such as machine learning and artificial intelligence. These tools are vital in the field of cybersecurity to sift through vast amounts of network traffic data to detect unusual patterns. By tackling practical forensic problems, students develop both the technical expertise and an analytical mindset essential for careers in cybersecurity and digital investigations.

Lemos sees sharing the professional knowledge he’s gained as a meaningful way to give back, recognizing the pivotal role his A&S education played in shaping his career.

“My education at Syracuse University was foundational to the work I do today,” he says. “The combination of strong theoretical grounding and hands-on experience—guided by professors who are both researchers and practitioners—gave me the tools to engage with real-world cybersecurity challenges. I’m grateful for the opportunity to support students as they prepare for impactful careers in high-stakes fields like military operations and critical infrastructure systems.”

By combining rigorous academic instruction with applied learning and direct engagement with faculty leading global initiatives, the Forensics Institute equips students to confront today’s complex digital threats. This integrated approach aligns with the University’s and A&S’s priorities of preparing students for careers in emerging and innovative technologies.

National Science Foundation (NSF) funding for Syracuse University faculty research projects totaled $19.7 million in fiscal year 2025, an increase of $5.8 million over last year’s total, according to the .

NSF also recognized four faculty members with prestigious.

Duncan Brown, vice president for research, says expanded NSF funding and the selection of four faculty for CAREER recognition is a testament to the strength, quality and innovativeness of research taking place across campus. “Such positive outcomes show how important it is that our researchers continue to apply for federal grants. Doing so helps assure that continuing projects can maintain their momentum without interruption and that new research ideas have the support they need to realize societal impact,” says Brown.

CAREER Awards

CAREER Awards are NSF’s highest recognition for early-career academic professionals. The awards are designed to help recipients build the foundation for a lifetime of leadership and integration of education and research. Receiving the awards this year are:

• , assistant professor of chemistry in the
• , assistant professor of electrical engineering in the
• , assistant professor of physics in the
• , Maxwell Dean Associate Professor of the Politics of AIĚýin the

Hu works on that are super sensitive to mechanical forces and that can show visible signs, like changing color, when they are deformed or damaged. This helps materials report damage on their own and makes it possible to study how subtle force moves through complex systems, such as synthetic plastics and biological materials. He also designs smart materials that adapt their behavior or properties in response to other triggers, such as ultrasound, light or chemicals.

Kim aims to bridge the information gap between software systems and hardware devices by embedding implicit hints between systems and devices. The research helpsĚýimprove data storage performance and data retrieval reliability while maintaining compatibility. It supports complex, large-scale computing needs of modern businesses and technologies such as artificial intelligence and big-data analytics.

Mansell builds and fine tunes , the tools that detect the tiny ripples in space caused by cosmic events such as black hole mergers. She also works with a special kind of light called “squeezed light” that helps make the detectors more precise.

Zhang uses quantitative methods to study how the interests of citizens and technical experts could shape the. She explores the politics of digital technologies regarding AI governance; the international political economy in the age of advanced automation and quantitative social science methods.

Record Year for NSF Funding

The $19.7 million in awards is the highest amount since 2022, according to Chetna Chianese, senior director in the (ORD). She says the success highlights the faculty’s continued striving for research success regardless of a shifting federal funding landscape.

The NSF funding supports dozens of projects across five schools and colleges in multiple research areas, including:

• An for doctoral students in emergent intelligence biological and bio-inspired systems for the
• A cluster of three projects to support the Center for Gravitational Wave Astronomy and Astrophysics
• One new and two renewed Research Experiences for Undergraduates projects
• A project to further explore new physics at the LHCb experiment at , the European center for nuclear research
• A training program for upskilling photonics technicians in advanced optics and quantum research-enabled technologies
• A project to explore the science of social-psychological processes and AI companionship

Support for Proposals

The Office of Research offers broad support for faculty pursuing sponsored funding, including through , departmental research administrators and ORD. Faculty beginning to pursue external funding and resources to support their research and creative activities can start by working with , who bring deep knowledge of external funders and stakeholders to provide strategic consultations.ĚýThe Office of Research additionally supports faculty through the , which helps them plan, draft and complete their proposals. That program will resume in the spring semester ahead of the summer 2026 deadline.

ORD also provides guidance regarding the ongoing changes to federal funding, the changing federal funding landscape, updates on new executive orders and adjusted administrative policies and regulatory requirements. “We are keeping faculty updated via email and an internal SharePoint, but our team can also provide project-specific guidance to principal investigators who reach out to us,” Chianese says.

FacultyĚýinterested in applying for NSF and other grants can contact the ORD staff at resdev@syr.edu.

Using simple objects such as stones, eggs, paper plates, colored markers and a globe, and employing techniques of light, shadow and motion, a dozen Syracuse area high schoolers are making original short films this summer using their smartphones. “” is a four-week, community-based project designed to empower the teens, give voice to their ideas and bring the skills the faculty mentors teach in their college courses to a wider circle of neighbors.

It’s co-led by , associate professor of film and media arts (FMA) in the College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA), and G’23, FMA instructor, alongside , adjunct in photography at Onondaga Community College. The trio, whose work is internationally exhibited and renowned, is assisted by several undergraduate and graduate FMA students.

The initiative “is a way to break out of the university bubble a little bit and connect to the neighborhoods around it, creating a new web of connections between neighbors and neighborhoods so that what we do here as artists and teachers can reach more people,” Bode says.

Art + Science

This summer’s theme, “,” explores topics and skills in both art and science. Teens learn about cinematic storytelling, animation, light and shadow, film editing and creative sound design. They hear of astronomer ’s discoveries and Syracuse astronaut trips to space. They study artists’ techniques, view the century-old movie, “,” and enjoyed an enlightening field trip to the University’s to see a telescope made in 1887.

While the project informs Mišo Suchý’s research in filmmaking, a key objective is helping teen artists experience a sense of empowerment by voicing their ideas through images and public presentations, he says. “We have a lot of talented and hardworking youth in this community, and I think they have things to say. Empowering young creatives may be as simple as listening, giving your time and attention and respecting their vision.”

The project is based on the ethos of independent cinema and low-budget filmmaking minus the massive budgets of Hollywood special effects, says MiĹĄo SuchĂ˝. “We explore how teens can use accessible filmmaking strategies to craft fantastical stories of adventure and exploration and how can they reach the moon while standing here in Syracuse,” he says. “At first, these questions may seem impossible, but that’s exactly why they require creative thinking to uncover the answers.”

Campus Feel, College Setting

Workshops occur four afternoons a week at . The campus setting helps students imagine a future college path even if they hadn’t considered one before, Lida Suchy says. “We do find that they become more comfortable with the idea of the college campus environment and can see themselves in it much more clearly.”

Participant Laniya Tillie of Nottingham High School says she has a great time making little films. “It makes me feel really good about myself. I get to jump into my creative side and actually make all the things in my head come to life. There are a lot of shows that I find comfort in. I want to create shows that help people have a comfort place.”

Shantell Shallo, a senior at Corcoran High School this fall, joined the project to make new friends after moving here recently from Georgia. “I’m usually doing things alone and I wanted to work with other people in film. [For this] you just look at the stuff you have around you, think of the idea you have and just pick up what you think will work. And if it doesn’t work, you get something else. It’s all just getting, building, thinking.” Ěý Ěý Ěý Ěý Ěý Ěý Ěý Ěý Ěý

VPA film program graduate Morgan Albano ’25 is helping with the project while she applies to law schools. “It’s mostly around the ethos of building community and trying to work together to make art projects that feel fun, engaging and everybody who’s here has a chance to contribute meaningfully.”

Graduate Learning, Teaching

Assisting helps FMA alumnus Tevvon Himes G’24 and graduate student Shokoofeh Jabbari G’25, who are both pursuing film careers, learn more about how to work with young artists. Ěý

An international student who intends to make independent films,ĚýJabbari says her participation has helped boost her understanding of American culture and norms. “Working with teens, you get to know what they like to see and what this generation needs,” she says.

MiĹĄo SuchĂ˝ says working with the teens informs his filmmaking research. “What I’m trying to do is to make movies from within the community, with the community. There’s this research of collaborating and connecting what we know as filmmakers and when you start to understand the images, you start to think about the representation, you start to think about the stories. My hope is that it is kind of a dialogue.”

Community Outreach

Past projects were projected on the exterior of the with a second showing at with a public-audience question-and-answer session. This year’s films will debut Feb. 7, 2026, at the ArtRage Gallery in Syracuse and be exhibited through March 21 as part of the Syracuse Symposium series. Ěý

“I think whenever we show something on a screen, that’s a way of saying that it matters, that it’s worth looking at, says Bode. “And so, I hope that the teens leave with the message that their voices matter, their visions matter. And I think celebrating it on the big screen with their community is a beautiful way of doing that in a way that can be affirming and empowering.”

View the Trailer

This shows how the students work to create and previews parts of the completed film.

In addition to VPA and the University’s undergraduate research program, many local groups support the project, including the , ., , , , and , and the . The effort is funded by the regrant program administered by the , and a grant from the .

Videos captured, edited and produced by Amy Manley, senior multimedia producer

Jorge Morales ’26, a double major in history and anthropology in the with a minor in English and textual studies in the , has been awarded the highly competitive .

Morales is one of only 20 students nationwide to receive this prestigious award, which supports exceptional undergraduates in their pursuit of graduate studies in the arts, humanities and social sciences.

A and member of the , Morales has distinguished himself through his academic excellence, research achievements and commitment to public scholarship. He has already contributed original research to the field of Caribbean history, focusing on the legacies of colonialism, slavery and resistance in Jamaica and the corresponding implications for the broader Atlantic world.

“I am interested in studying the impacts of colonialism and colonial institutions on the development of Caribbean and Latin American nations, their cultures and their national identities,” says Morales, who is spending the summer conducting research in Puerto Rico to gain insights into the lives of enslaved individuals on Puerto Rican plantations for his senior thesis. “My family being Puerto Rican, I am especially interested in understanding the development of Puerto Rico and of Puerto Rican national identity, and it is this interest, and my experiences working with Dr. Tessa Murphy, which informs my current research.”

As a research assistant to , associate professor of history in the Maxwell School, Morales helped transcribe 19th-century slave registries from Trinidad, working with exceptional attention to detail, timeliness and conscientiousness to transcribe hundreds of pages of handwritten records. His work has been presented at numerous campus symposiums and published in CHRONOS, the University’s undergraduate history journal, where he also serves on the editorial board.

“Jorge is committed to drawing on his personal and professional interest to pursue a Ph.D. and academic career in history,” says Murphy. “His initiative, intellectual rigor and commitment to public history are extraordinary. He is already contributing new knowledge to the field.”

Morales’ application was supported by the (CFSA), where he worked closely with Director Jolynn Parker. “Jorge combines intellectual seriousness with warmth, humility and a deep sense of purpose,” Parker says. “He is exactly the kind of scholar the Beinecke Foundation seeks to support—one who is poised to thrive in graduate school and become a leader in his academic field.”

Morales plans to pursue a Ph.D. in history, with a focus on the Caribbean and Atlantic worlds, and has a long-term goal of becoming a professor or museum professional who brings marginalized histories to broader audiences.

“I am very happy to have been awarded the Beinecke Scholarship because it will provide me with resources that I can use to support my future research,” says Morales. “It will allow me to form connections with other students who are just as passionate about their work as I am.”

The Beinecke Scholarship provides $35,000 in funding toward graduate education as well as significant mentorship. Is is awarded to students who demonstrate superior academic achievement and a commitment to a career in research or the arts.

CFSA offers candidates advising and assistance with applications and interview preparation for nationally competitive scholarships. The nomination process for the 2026 Beinecke application will begin in October. Interested students should contact CFSA at 315.443.2759 or by email toĚýcfsa@syr.eduĚýfor more information.

Oren Lyons Jr. ’58, H’93 and Roy Simmons Jr. ’59, H’14 formed a lifelong friendship that stems from their days starring for the Syracuse University men’s lacrosse team from 1955-58.

Recently, Lyons and Simmons were honored with the Alfie Jacques Ambassador Award, which intends to “keep the legacy of the Onondaga stick maker alive, to promote the game’s sacred Indigenous roots and to honor members of the larger community who share Alfie’s love of lacrosse and his commitment to its growth,” according to a press release issued by the .

The dynamic duo captured multiple All-American honors playing for the Orange and have remained friends through their shared experiences with the lacrosse program.

Interwoven with their passion for Syracuse lacrosse, Lyons and Simmons have advocated to preserve the Native origins of their sport, educating current and future generations of players about the proud connection between lacrosse and Indigenous communities.

Both players excelled under head coach Roy Simmons Sr. during their Syracuse careers, with Lyons twice earning All-American honors as a goalie and Simmons Jr. twice claiming All-American honors at attack as a potent goal scorer. They helped the Orange go undefeated during the 1957 season, the program’s first unbeaten season since 1924.

Lyons is one of the first Native Americans to have attended Syracuse University, earning a degree in fine arts from theĚý. He remains one of the most talentedĚýĚýin program history and was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1992 and received the prestigious Spirit of Tewaaraton Award in 2015. As a Faithkeeper—one of the spiritual leaders of the Turtle Clan of the Onondaga Nation—Lyons advocates for environmental protections and the rights of Indigenous people. In 1983, Lyons co-founded the Iroquois Nationals, a team that represents the Haudenosaunee in international field lacrosse competitions.

Simmons was a lifelong friend of Jacques who often invited the stick maker to speak to his Syracuse teams—which featured many standout Iroquois players—about the history and Native connections to lacrosse. Simmons was the first coach in the NCAA Division I history to win five national championships and ranks sixth all-time with his six national titles. His teams posted a record of 290-96 during his 28-year coaching career. Simmons was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1991, received the Spirit of Tewaaraton Award in 2009 and was inducted into the Ěýon Feb. 20, 2022.

“[Their] lives and legacies stand as profound representations of what the game of lacrosse is about. Both Lyons and Simmons have walked alongside Alfie Jacques for decades, as advocates and storytellers. They have lived lives that reflect the deep spiritual and communal roots of the game,” the release said about their ties to Jacques, a master lacrosse stick maker and member of the Onondaga Nation’s Turtle Clan.

Lyons and Simmons will receive their awards during the 2025 Wooden Stick Festival in Syracuse, to be held Sept. 12-14.

For more information about the Alfie Jacques Ambassador Award and past recipients, visit .

From shaking a bottle of salad dressing to mixing a can of paint, we interact with emulsions—defined as a blend of two liquids that typically don’t mix, such as oil and water—daily.

For a vast range of foods and other technologies, scientists have devised emulsifying agents which help stabilize mixtures. By incorporating small granular particles to certain foods, it can help prevent spoilage and extend shelf life, important for safeguarding our food supply. When added to chemical mixtures, emulsifying agents can reduce viscosity, making liquids such as petroleum easier to pump and transport through pipelines, potentially leading to energy savings.

Researchers are continually investigating new emulsifiers to improve the control of liquid-liquid mixtures. Recently, , a physics professor in the College of Arts and Sciences, collaborated with scientists from the and to make a surprising discovery.

They found that when magnetized particles are added to a simple oil-and-water “salad dressing,” the mixture consistently separates into patterns resembling the elegant curves of a Grecian urn immediately after being shaken. The team’s results, published in ,Ěýuncover a novel method of using magnetic particles to control liquid-liquid mixtures.

The study, led by UMass Amherst, began when UMass graduate student Anthony Raykh was experimenting in the lab. He added magnetized nickel particles to a batch of “salad dressing” instead of spices, which are normally what allow the oil and water in dressing to remain mixed. He chose magnetized particles because fluids containing them can be engineered to exhibit unique and useful properties. After shaking his mixture, Raykh was astonished to see it consistently form a pristine urn shape. Regardless of how many times or how vigorously he shook the mixture, the urn shape always reappeared.

To help explain this shocking phenomenon, the UMass team invited in Paulsen from Syracuse, along with colleagues from Tufts, to conduct theoretical analysis and simulations. Paulsen, whose research focuses on soft condensed matter, explores the ways in which materials like liquids and soft solids bend, deform and mix—research which lent itself well to this study.

Typically, particles added to an oil-and-water mixture, such as spices, decrease the tension at the interface between the two liquids, allowing them to mix. But in a twist, the team found that particles that are magnetized strongly enough actually increase the interfacial tension, bending the boundary between oil and water into a graceful curve.

“We turned the nature of particle-decorated interfaces on its head,” says Paulsen. “Now, you can have an emulsion droplet that you can imagine controlling in a variety of ways with a magnetic field, but the droplet will nevertheless coalesce with other droplets — something that particle-coated droplets typically resist.”

Their research on magnetic particles uncovered two surprising effects. First, the particles, being small magnets, form large networks with many holes due to magnetic interactions. These holes help droplets coated with the particles merge quickly into single oil and water portions. Second, the strong attraction between the magnetic particles increases the surface tension at the interface, further promoting droplet merging.

While there’s no application for this novel discovery yet, the team is excited to see how this never-before-seen state can influence the field of soft-matter physics.

“Liquid-liquid mixtures are ubiquitous in consumer products and industrial processes,” says Paulsen. “This discovery, which offers a new approach to managing these mixtures, could one day help produce better products with longer shelf lives or save energy in chemical transport and processing. I’m eager to see the future implications of this breakthrough.”

This research was funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy.

Editor’s note: Portions of this article have been adapted from a .